A TOUR Thro' the Whole ISLAND of
GREAT BRITAIN.
Divided into
CIRCUITS
or
JOURNEYS.
GIVING A Particular and Entertaining ACCOUNT of whatever is
Curious,
and worth
Observation
; VIZ.
I. A DESCRIPTION of the Principal Cities and Towns, their Situation, Government, and Commerce.
II. The Customs, Manners, Exercises, Diversions, and Imployment of the People.
III. The Produce and Improvement of the Lands, the Trade, and Manufactures.
IV. The Sea Ports and Fortifications, the Course of Rivers and the Inland Navigation.
V. The Publick Edifices, Seats, and Palaces of the NOBILITY and GENTRY.
VI. The Isles of
Wight, Portland, Jersey, Guernsey,
and the other
English
and
Scotish
Isles of most Note.
Interspersed with Useful
OBSERVATIONS.
Particularly fitted for the Perusal of such as desire to Travel over the ISLAND.
By a
GENTLEMAN.
The THIRD EDITION. With very great Additions, Improvements, and Corrections; which bring it down to the Year 1742.
In FOUR VOLUMES.
With a Copious INDEX to each Volume.
VOL. I.
LONDON:
Printed for J. OSBORN, S. BIRT, D. BROWNE, J. HODGES, A. MILLAR, J. WHISTON, and J. ROBINSON. M.DCC.XLII.
PREFACE.
T HE kind Reception which the last Edition of this Work has met with, determined the Proprietors to spare no Expence to make the present as complete as the Nature of the Work would admit; and the Editor, in pursuance of their Intention, has (besides his own Observations and Experience) been favour'd with such ample Materials by several curious Gentlemen, as have made it impossible to comprize the Whole in Three Volumes, as before; altho' he omitted all that could be spared, and abstracted whatever would bear it. He was therefore obliged to add a Fourth Volume.
And this he found himself under the greater Necessity of doing; because, wh
n he came to compare the former Edition with his own Notes and the Maps, he discovered many very material Omissions; particularly that the whole County of
Hertford
was omitted, excepting
St. Albans,
and one or two Villages, as also the Isles of
Wight, Portland, Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney,
and
Sarke
; together with that of
Man,
and the
Scots Isles:
That the Description of the Northern Counties of
England,
which abound with great Numbers of Remarkables, was also very defective: and, That the first Author had directed his
Tour
in several Places in such a manner, as to pass wholly by several of the best Towns, and most remarkable Places, and quite out of any Geographical Course or Order.
Then the Materials which the Editor was supplied with for
Scotland,
he found would swell that Part of the United Kingdom to one intire Volume; which before made not half a one; and he was glad of the Opportunity of doing some further Justice to that Country, which has generally been slightly considered by those who know little of it.
It must also be observed, that the first Author had, in many Places, disclaimed Antiquities, as a Subject out of his Province: Whereas we have thought ourselves obliged, so far as our Limits would permit, to take Notice of such, as (still remaining) may be considered as a Part of the Present State of the Counties and Places where, at this Day, they continue visible; and which may, moreover, merit the Attention of a curious Traveller; and particularly of such Antiquities as have been brought to Light since the last Edition of
Camden
's
Britannia.
For the above Reason, we have been pretty ample in our Accounts of the famous
Stonehenge,
and the Barrows in
Wilts
; and confess our Obligations on this Head, to the Learned Dr.
Stukeley
in his late Work on that Subject, to whom we are also beholden in several other Places.
We have likewise thought ourselves obliged to take Notice of the Benefits which several Port and Trading Towns in this Kingdom, as well in its Northern as Southern Parts, have of late Years received from Acts of Parliament for inlarging and restoring of Piers and Harbours, Repairs of Roads, and for making Rivers navigable, where the Face of Affairs in their particular Neighbourhoods have been any way altered or effected by those laudable Works.
We have, moreover, subjoined to this Edition, Lists of the Cities and Boroughs which return Members to the Parliament of
Great Britain
; the Lists of such Gentlemens Seats in each County, as we had not room to describe; likewise a brief Account of the
English
Bishopricks, and Lists of the Peers of
England
and
Scotland,
in such a manner as will not be subject to any other Variations than that of the total Extinction of Families; for our Intention was to carry this Piece, as much as the Nature of the Work would admit, beyond the Reach of temporary Fluctuations and Changes.
By what we have said, it will appear, that this will have the Face of a new Work, and indeed more than the
Face,
as will be seen by any who will take the Pains to compare the different Editions; and that therefore it was impossible to print by themselves, for the Use of the Purchasers of the last Edition, those new Observations, Descriptions and Corrections which are incorporated in the present; as the Proprietors were very desirous to have done, had it been practicable. But this we may venture to promise, that tho' the Nature of this Work is such, that there must be always Room for Additions,
&c.
as new Discoveries may be made, or Alterations happen by Time; yet, that all such necessary Alterations and Additions shall, for the future, be printed by themselves, (after the manner of the
Appendix
to VOL. III. of this Edition) that the Reader may not be under the Necessity of repurchasing the whole Work.
But lest it should be imagined, from any thing we have said above, that we have been so ungenerous, as to endeavour to raise a Merit to the present Edition, at the Expence of the former, we shall observe, That the good Reception which the Labours of the Original Author met with in his first Edition, (and which also attended the second, which was printed with very great Additions and Improvements) is no bad Argument of the Value of his Performance. And indeed
He
well deserved that Success, who could with Justice give such an Account of his Abilities for the Undertaking, as is contained in the following Paragraphs.
'The Preparations for this Work, says he, have been suitable to the Author's earnest Concern for its Usefulness. Seventeen very large Circuits, or Journeys, have been taken thro' divers Parts separately, and Three general Tours over almost the whole
English
Part of the Island; in all which the Author has not been wanting to treasure up just Remarks upon particular Places and Things; so that he is very little in Debt to other Mens Labours, and gives but very few Accounts of Things but what he has been an Eye-witness of himself.
'Besides these several Journeys in
England,
he has also lived some time in
Scotland,
and has travelled critically over great Part of it: He has viewed the North Part of
England,
and the South Part of
Scotland,
Five several times over. All which is hinted here, to let the Readers know, what Reason they have to be satisfy'd with the Authority of the Relation; and that the Accounts here given are not the Produce of a cursory View, or raised upon the borrow'd Lights of other Observers.'
We shall only add, That if the First Edition had all these Advantages, we may very safely submit the Merit of the present to the Judgment of the candid Reader.
A TOUR Through the ISLAND of GREAT BRITAIN.
LETTER I. A
DESCRIPTION
of Part of the County of
ESSEX,
and of the County of
SUFFOLK,
&c.
SIR,
I SET out from
London
on my first Journey, Eastward; and took a
Circuit
down by the Coast of the
Thames
thro' the Marshes or Hundreds, on the South side of the County of
Essex,
to
Malden, Colchester,
and
Harwich,
thence continuing on the Coast of
Suffolk
to
Yarmouth
; thence round by the Edge of the Sea, on the North and West-side of
Norfolk,
to
Lynn, Wisbich,
and the
Wash
; thence back again on the North-side of
Suffolk
; thence into the County of
Cambridge
; and so to the West-part of
Essex,
ending it in
Middlesex,
near the Place where I began: reserving the Middle or Centre of the several Counties to some little Excursions, which I made by themselves.
Passing
Bow-Bridge,
where the County of
Essex
begins, I came first to the Village of
Stratford,
which is greatly increased of late Years in Houses and Inhabitants, every Vacancy being filled up, in a manner, with the Addition of two little new-built Hamlets,
as they may be called,
on the Forest-side of the Town; namely,
Maryland-Point,
and the
Gravel-Pits,
one facing the Road to
Woodford
and
Epping,
and the other that to
Ilford.
As for the Hither-part, it is almost joined to
Bow,
in spite of Rivers, Canals, Marshy-grounds,
&c.
The same Increase of Buildings may be seen proportionally in the other Villages adjacent, especially on the Forest-side; as at
Low-Layton, Layton-stone, Walthamstow, Woodford, Wansted,
and the Towns of
West-Ham, Plaistow, Upton,
&c. and this, generally speaking, of handsome large Houses, from 20
l.
to 50
l.
a Year; being chiefly the Habitations of the richest Citizens, such as are able to keep a Country, as well as a Town House, or such as have left off Trade altogether. This is so apparent, that they tell me, there are no less than Two hundred Coaches kept by the Inhabitants within the Circumference of the few Villages named above, besides such as are kept by accidental Lodgers: the Cause of which I shall inlarge upon, when I come to speak of the like in the Counties of
Middlesex, Surrey,
&c. where there will be still more Occasion to take notice of it.
There have been discerned within these few Years, in the Bottom of
Hackney-Marsh,
between
Old-ford
and the
Wyck,
the Remains of a great Stone Causeway, which is supposed to have been the Highway, or great Road, from
London
to
Essex,
instead of that which now leads over the Bridge between
Bow
and
Stratford.
That the great Road lay this Way, and that the great Causeway continu'd just over the River, where now the
Temple-Mills
stand, and passed by Sir
Henry Hickes
's House at
Ruckholls,
is not at all doubted; and that it was one of those famous Highways made by the
Romans,
there is undeniable Proof, by the several Marks of
Roman
Work, and by
Roman
Coins, and other Antiquities found there, some of which were collected by the late Reverend Mr.
Strype,
Vicar of
Low-Layton.
From hence the great Road passed up to
Laytonstone,
a Place by some known now as much by the Sign of the
Green-Man,
formerly a Lodge upon the Edge of the Forest; and crossing by
Wansted-house,
the noble Seat of Earl
Tilney,
(of which hereafter) went over the same River, which we now cross at
Ilford
; and passing that Part of the great Forest, called
Henault-Forest,
came into the present great Road, a little on this side the
Whalebone,
a Place so called because a Rib-bone of a large Whale, taken in the River of
Thames
the Year that
Oliver Cromwell
died, 1658. was fixed there.
According to my first Intention, of effectually viewing the Sea-coasts of
Essex, Suffolk,
and
Norfolk,
I went from
Stratford
to
Barking,
a large Market-town, but chiefly inhabited by Fishermen, whose Smacks ride in the
Thames,
at the Mouth of
Barking
Creek; from whence their Fish are sent up to
London,
to the Market at
Billingsgate,
in small Boats.
These Fishing-Smacks are very useful Vessels to the Publick upon many Occasions; as particularly in time of War they are used as Press-smacks, running to all the Northern and Western Coasts to pick up Seamen to man the Navy, when any Expedition is at hand, that requires a sudden Equipment. At other times, being excellent Sailors, they are Tenders to particular Men of War; and on an Expedition, they have been made use of as Machines, for the blowing up fortified Ports; as formerly at
St. Malo,
and other Places.
The Parish of
Barking
is very large; and by the Improvement of Lands recovered out of the
Thames,
and out of the River which runs by the Town, the great and small Tithes, as the Townsmen assured me, are worth above 600
l. per Annum.
This Parish has two Chapels of Ease,
viz.
one at
Ilford,
and one on the side of the Forest, called
New-chapel.
A little beyond the Town, on the Road to
Dagenham,
stood a great old House, where, Tradition says, the
Gunpowder-Treason
was contrived, and where all the first Consultations about it were held.
This Side of the County is rather rich from the Nature of its Land, than from the Number of its Inhabitants, which is occasioned by the Unhealthiness of the Air; for these low Marsh Grounds, which, with all the South-side of the County, have been gained, as it were, out of the River
Thames,
and the Sea, where the River is wide enough to be called so, begin here, or rather at
West-Ham,
by
Stratford,
and extend themselves from hence Eastward; growing wider, till we come beyond
Tilbury,
when the flat Country lies six, seven, or eight Miles in Breadth, and is both unhealthy and unpleasant.
However, it is very good Farming in the Marshes, because the Landlords let good Peny-worths, tho' the Land is rich; for it being a Place where every body cannot live, those that venture it, will have Encouragement; and it is but reasonable they should.
In passing from
Barking
to
Dagenham,
we saw the Place where was the famous Breach, that laid near 5000 Acres of Land under Water; but which, after near ten Years Inundation, and the Works being several times blown up, was at last effectually stopped by Captain
Perry,
who for several Years had been employed in the Czar of
Muscovy
's Works, at
Veronitza,
on the River
Don.
Great Part of the Lands in these Levels, especially those on this side
East-Tilbury,
are held by the Farmers, Cow-keepers, and Grasing-butchers, who live in and near
London,
who generally stock them with
Lincolnshire
and
Leicestershire
Wethers, (which they buy in
Smithfield,
in
September
and
October,
when the Grasiers sell off their Stocks) and feed here till
Christmas
or
Candlemas
; and tho' they are not made much the fatter here, than when bought in, yet very good Advantage accrues by the Difference of the Price of Mutton between
Michaelmas,
when cheapest, and
Candlemas,
when dearest; and this is what the Butchers call, by way of Excellence,
right Marsh Mutton.
At the End of these Marshes, close to the Edge of the River, stands
Tilbury-fort,
which may justly be looked upon as the Key of the City of
London:
It is a regular Fortification, the Design of it was a a Pentagon, but the Water-bastion, as it would have been called, was never built; the Plan was laid out by Sir
Martin Beckman,
chief Engineer to King
Charles
II. who also designed the Works at
Sheerness.
The Esplanade of the Fort is very large, and the Bastions the largest of any in
England.
The Foundation is laid upon Piles driven down two an end of one another, so far, till they were assured they were below the Chanel of the River, and that the Piles, which were pointed with Iron, entered into the solid Chalk-rock adjoining to the Chalk-hills on the other side.
The Works to the Land-side are complete; the Bastions are faced with Brick. There is a double Ditch, or Moat, the innermost of which is 180 Feet broad; a good Counterscarp, and a Covered Way marked out, with Ravelins and Tenailles; but they have not been completed.
On the Land-side there are also two small Redoubts of Brick, but the chief Strength of this Fort on the Land-side consists in being able to lay the whole Level under Water, and so to make it impossible for an Enemy to carry on Approaches that way.
On the Side next the River, is a very strong Curtain, with a noble Gate called the
Water-gate
in the Middle, and the Ditch is palisado'd. At the Place where the Water-bastion was designed to be built, and which by the Plan should run wholly out into the River, so to flank the two Curtains, on each side, stands a high Tower, which they tell us was built in Queen
Elizabeth
's Time, and was called the
Block-house
; the Side next the Water is vacant.
Before this Curtain, above and below the said Vacancy, is a Platform in the place of a Counterscarp, on which are planted 106 Cannon, generally carrying from 24 to 46 Pound Ball; a Battery so terrible, as well imports the Consequence of that Place: besides which, there are smaller Pieces planted between, and the Bastions and Curtain also are planted with Guns; so that they must be bold Fellows who will venture in the biggest Ships to pass such a Battery, if the Men appointed to serve the Guns, do their Duty, as becomes them.
From hence there is nothing for many Miles together remarkable, but a continued Level of unhealthy Marshes, called
The three Hundreds,
till we come before
Leigh,
and to the Mouth of the Rivers
Chelmer
and
Black-water,
saving that the Towns of
Horndon, Rayley
and
Rochford,
lie near the Sea-coast, extending in the order I have named; but are of no Note. The above Rivers, united, make a large Firth, or Inlet of the Sea, which our Fishermen and Seamen, who use it as a Port, call
Malden-water.
In this Inlet is
Osey
or
Osyth
Island, so well known by our
London
Men of Pleasure, for producing such vast Numbers of Wild-Ducks, Mallards, Teals and Wigeons, that the Island seems covered with them, at certain Times of the Year, and they go from
London
for the Pleasure of Shooting; and often come home very well loaden with Game; and sometimes too with an
Essex
Ague on their Backs, which they find a heavier Load than the Fowls they have shot.
On the Shore, beginning a little below
Candy Island,
or
Leigh Road,
lies a great Shoal or Sand, called the
Black Tayl,
which runs out near three Leagues into the Sea due East; at the End of it stands a Pole or Mast, set up by the
Trinity-house
of
London,
as a Sea-mark: this is called
Shoe-beacon,
from the Point of Land, where this Sand begins, which is called
Shoeberry-ness,
from a Town of that Name, which stands by it. From this Sand, and on the Edge of
Shoeberry,
before it, or South-west of it, all along, to the Mouth of
Colchester-water,
the Shore is full of Shoals and Sands, with some deep Chanels between; all which are so full of Fish, that the
Barking
Smacks are well employed here, and the Shore swarms, besides, with small Fisher-boats, belonging to the Villages and Towns on the Coast, which come in every Tide with what they take: and selling the smaller Fish in the Country, send the best and largest upon Horses, which travel Night and Day to
London
Market.
On this Shore also are taken the best and most relishing, tho' not the largest, Oysters in
England:
The Spot from whence they have their Appellation is a little Bank called
Woelfleet,
in the Mouth of the River
Crouch,
called
Crooksea-water
; but the chief Place where these Oysters are now had, is from
Wyvenhoe,
and the Shores adjacent, whither they are brought by the Fishermen, who take them at the Mouth of
Colchester-water,
and about the Sand they call the
Spits,
and carry them up to
Wyvenhoe,
where they are laid in Beds or Pits on the Shore to feed, as they call it; and then being barrelled up, and carried to
Colchester,
which is but three Miles off, they are sent to
London
by Land, and are from thence called
Colchester
Oysters.
They take also here fine Soals, which generally yield a good Price at
London
Market: also sometimes middling Turbut, with Whitings, Codling, and large Flounders.
In the several Creeks and Openings, on this Shore, are also other Islands, but of no great Note, except
Mersey,
which lies between the two Openings of
Malden-water
and
Colchester-water
; and is a Place of such difficult Access, that 'tis thought a thousand Men might keep Possession of it against a great Force, whether by Land or Sea. On this account, and because if possessed by an Enemy, it would shut up all the Navigation and Fishery on that Side, a Fort was built on the South-east Point of it; and generally, in a
Dutch
War, a strong Garison is kept there to defend it.
At this Place may be said to end, what we call the
Three Hundreds
of
Essex,
which include the marshy Country,
viz. Barstable
Hundred,
Rochester
Hundred, and
Dengy
Hundred.
One thing deserves mention here; which is, That all along this County it is very frequent to meet with Men that have had from Five or Six, to Fourteen or Fifteen Wives; and I was informed, that in the Marshes, over-against
Candy Island,
was a Farmer, who was then living with the five-and-twentieth; and that his Son, who was but Thirty-five Years old, had already had about Fourteen. Indeed, this Part of the Story I only had by Report, tho' from good Hands: but the other is well known, and will be attested, about
Fobbing, Curringham, Thundersly, Benfleet, Prittlewell, Wakering, Great Stambridge, Cricksea, Burnham, Dengy,
and other Towns of the like Situation: the Reason, as a merry Fellow told me, who said he had had about a Dozen, was this, That they being bred in the Marshes themselves, and seasoned to the Place, did pretty well; but that they generally chose to leave their own Lasses to their Neighbours out of the Marshes, and went into the Uplands for a Wife: That when they took the young Women out of the wholsome fresh Air, they were clear and healthy; but when they came into the Marshes among the Fogs and Damps, they presently changed Complexion, got an Ague or two, and seldom held it above half a Year, or a Year at most: And then, said he, we go to the Uplands again, and fetch another. So that marrying of Wives was reckoned a kind of good Farm to them. Nor do the Men in these Parts hold it out, as in other Countries; for we seldom meet with very ancient People among the Poor; insomuch, that hardly one half of the Inhabitants are Natives of the Place; but such as come from other Parts for the Advantage of good Farms.
From the Marshes and low Grounds, being not able to travel without many Windings and Indentures, by reason of the Creeks and Waters, I came up to the antient Town of
Malden,
situate at the Conflux of two principal Rivers, the
Chelmer
and the
Black-water,
where they enter into the Sea. It is built in the Form of a Cross, is a Liberty in itself, and has a convenient Haven for Ships; it consists of one Street near a Mile long, besides Lanes,
&c.
It is governed by Two Bailiffs, Aldermen, Steward, Recorder,
&c.
Here is a good publick Library, for the Use of the Minister and the Clergy of the Hundreds adjoining to the Sea, and any Gentleman may borrow a Book, upon depositing the Value of it.
The Chanel called
Malden-water
is navigable to the Town; where, by that means, is a great Trade for carrying Corn by Water to
London
; the County of
Essex
being (especially on that Side) a great Corn Country. King
Edward the Elder
resided here whilst he built the Town and Castle of
Witham
in this County, and also
Hertford
Castle.
Malden
was a
Roman
Colony, which
Camden
diffidently conjectures to be the antient
Camalodunum.
But Mr.
Salmon
will have it to be the
Villa Faustini,
which has been so long attributed to
St. Edmund's-bury:
but however that be, it was here the
Britons,
under the valiant Queen
Boadicea,
cut in Pieces the tenth Legion, killed above 80,000
Romans,
and destroyed the Colony; but she was afterwards overthrown herself in a great Battle, 60,000
Britons
slain, and herself and Daughters most inhumanly treated and disgraced, by those great Reformers of the World, who, in her Case, forgot not only the Honour due to the Sex, but that which the truly Brave shew to the Brave in Misfortune.
Being obliged to come thus far into the Uplands, I made it my Road to pass thro'
Witham,
built, as I mentioned, by
Edward the Elder.
'Tis a pleasant, well-situated Market-town, in which, and in its Neighbourhood, are many Gentlemen of good Fortunes and Families.
Nearer
Chelmsford,
hard by
Boreham,
is the famous Seat of
Beaulieu,
in which King
Henry
VIII. very much delighted. It is the largest Edifice in the County next
Audley-end,
where lived the late Lord Viscount
Barrington,
who had the Advantage to be twice made Heir to the Estates of Gentlemen not at all related to him, at least one of them, as is mentioned in his Patent of Creation. He changed the Name of
Shute
for that of
Barrington,
by an Act of Parliament, and had the Dignities of a Baron and Viscount of
Ireland
conferred on him by K.
Geo.
I.
The Product of all this Part of the Country is Corn, as that of the marshy feeding Grounds is Grass, where their chief Business is breeding of Calves, which I need not say are the best and fattest, and the largest Veal in
England,
if not in the World.
Kelvedon,
or, as it is commonly called,
Keldon,
lies within three Miles of
Witham
; which, as it is said, derives its Name from
Kill-Dane,
the Massacre of the
Danes
being begun here by the Women; but as neither Mr.
Camden
nor any Author of Credit mentions it, I think the Story is not to be heeded.
Colchester,
the
Iciani
of the
Romans,
according to Mr.
Salmon,
is pleasantly situated upon an Eminence above the River
Coln.
It is a large and populous Town, adorned with handsome Streets, and, tho' it cannot be said to be finely built, yet there are abundance of good Houses in it. In the Conclusion of the late Civil War it suffered a severe Siege; which, as it made a resolute Defence, was turned into a Blockade, wherein the Garison, and Inhabitants also, suffered the utmost Extremity of Hunger, and were at last obliged to surrender at Discretion; when their two chief Officers, Sir
Charles Lucas,
and Sir
George Lisle,
were shot to Death under the Castle-wall.
The battered Walls, the Breaches in the Turrets, and the ruined Churches, still shew Marks of this Siege, except that the Church of
St. Mary
(where they had the Royal Fort) is rebuilt; but the Steeple, which was Two-thirds battered down, (the Besieged having a large Culverin upon it, which did much Execution) remains still in that Condition.
The Lines of Contravallation, which surrounded the whole Town, and the Forts of the Besiegers, remain very visible in many Places.
The River
Coln,
which passes through the Town, encompasses it on the North and East; and served, in Times of War, for a complete Defence on those Sides. There are three Bridges over it, and it is navigable within three Miles of the Town, for Ships of large Burden; a little lower it may receive even a Royal Navy: and up to that Part called the
Hithe,
close to the Houses, it is navigable for Hoys and small Barks; for which it is indebted to three Acts of Parliament passed for that purpose, one in the Reign of King
William
III. one in that of King
George
I. and the other in that of King
George
II.
This
Hithe
is a long Street, passing from West to East, on the South-side of the Town, and is so populous towards the River, that it may be called,
The Wapping of Colchester.
There is one Church in that Part of the Town, a large Quay by the River, and a good Custom-house.
The Town chiefly subsists by the Trade of making Bays, tho' indeed all the Towns around carry on the same Trade; as
Kelvedon, Witham, Coggshall, Braintree, Bocking,
&c. and the whole County, large as it is, may be said to be employed, and in Part maintained, by the Spinning of Wool, for the Bay-Trade of
Colchester,
and its adjacent Towns.
The Town of
Colchester
has been supposed to contain about 40,000 People, including the Out-villages within its Liberty, of which there are a great many, the Liberty of the Town being of a large Extent. The Government is by a Mayor, High-Steward, a Recorder or his Deputy, Eleven Aldermen, a Chamberlain, a Town-clerk, Assistants, and Eighteen Common-council-men.
There are in
Colchester
Eight Churches, besides those which are damaged, and Five Meeting-houses, whereof two for Quakers; besides one
Dutch,
and one
French
Church. Its other publick Edifices are,
1.
Bay-hall,
where the Goodness of the Manufacture of Bays made in this Town is ascertained by a Corporation established for this Purpose, consisting of a Set of Men, called Governors of the
Dutch Bay-hall.
2. The
Guild-hall
of the Town, called by them the
Moot-hall
; contiguous to which is the Town-gaol.
3. The
Work-house
for the Poor, which has been inlarged of late Years.
4. A Grammar Free-school; which has good Allowance to the Master, who is chosen by the Town.
5.
The Castle of Colchester
is a Monument of the Antiquity of the Place, it being built, as the Walls of the Town also are, with
Roman
Bricks; and the
Roman
Coins dug up here, and ploughed up in the Fields adjoining, confirm it. The Inhabitants boast much, that
Helena,
the Mother of
Constantine the Great,
first Christian Emperor of the
Romans,
was born there: but it would be hard to make it out; and indeed, were it our Business, we could produce strong Proofs to the contrary. Mr.
Camden
says, That this Castle was, in his Time, ready to fall with Age; and yet it has stood above 120 Years since, and perhaps is not much worse than it was then, altho' it received several Cannon Shot in the last Siege of the Town, which made no Impression upon it, as the Besiegers found, and therefore left off firing against it, and the rather, as the Garison made no great Use of it against them. The Queen's Head in the Market-place, and the Stable, are also
Roman
Buildings. There was likewise a
Roman
Military Way from
Colchester,
by
Braintree, Dunmow,
and farther that Way.
There are two CHARITY-SCHOOLS set up here, and carried on by a generous Subscription, with very good Success.
From
Colchester
I took a Turn down to the Coast. The Land running out a great way into the Sea, South, and South-east, makes that Promontory of Land, called the
Nase,
well-known to Seamen who use the Northern Trade. Here one sees a Sea open as an Ocean, without any opposite Shore, tho' it be no more than the Mouth of the
Thames.
This Point, called the
Nase,
and the North-east Point of
Kent,
near
Margate,
called the
North-Foreland,
make the Mouth of the River, and the Port of
London,
tho' it be here above 60 Miles over.
But as it is pretended by some, that according to the present Usage of the
Custom-house,
the Port of
London
is not allowed to extend so far; 'tis thought proper to insert the Clause taken from the Act of Parliament, establishing the Extent of that Port.
"To prevent all future Differences and Disputes, touching the Extent and Limits of the Port of
London,
the said Port is declared to extend, and be accounted from the Promontory, or Point, called the
North-Foreland,
in the Isle of
Thanet,
and from thence Northward, in a right Line, to the Point called the NASE, beyond the
Gunfleet,
upon the Coast of
Essex
; and so continued Westward throughout the River
Thames,
and the several Chanels, Streams and Rivers falling into it, to
London-bridge
; saving the usual and known Rights, Liberties and Privileges of the Ports of
Sandwich
and
Ipswich,
and either of them, and the known Members thereof, and of the Customers, Comptrollers, Searchers, and their Deputies, of and within the said Ports of
Sandwich,
and
Ipswich,
and the several Creeks, Harbours and Havens, to them, or either of them, respectively belonging, within the Counties of
Kent
and
Essex.
"
Notwithstanding which, the Port of
London,
as in Use since the said Order, is understood to reach no farther than
Gravesend
in
Kent,
and
Tilbury-point
in
Essex
; and the Ports of
Rochester, Milton,
and
Feversham,
belong to the Port of
Sandwich.
In like manner the Ports of
Harwich, Colchester, Wyvenhoe, Malden, Leigh,
&c. are said to be Members of the Port of
Ipswich.
This Observation may suffice for what is needful to be said upon the same Subject, when I come to speak of the Port of
Sandwich,
and its Members, and their Privileges with respect to
Rochester, Milton, Feversham,
&c. in my Circuit thro' the County of
Kent.
At
Walton,
under the
Nase,
they find on the Shore Copperas-stones in great Quantities; and there are several large Works called Copperas-houses, where 'tis made with great Expence.
On the
North-Foreland
is a new Mark, erected by the
Trinity-house
Men, at the publick Expence, being a round Brick Tower, near 80 Feet high. The Sea gains so much upon the Land here, by the continual Winds at South-west, that within the Memory of some of the Inhabitants, above 30 Acres of Land have been lost in one Place.
From hence we go back into the County about four Miles, because of the Creeks which lie between; and turning East again, come to
Harwich,
on the utmost Eastern Point of this large County.
Harwich
is a Town, strong by Situation, and may be made more so by Art. The Harbour or Road is one of the securest in
England,
and covered at the Entrance by
Landguard-fort,
and a Battery of Guns to the Seaward, just as at
Tilbury,
and which sufficiently defend the Mouth of the River. Tho' the Entrance or Opening of the River into the Sea is very wide, especially at High-water, at least two Miles, if not three, over; yet the Chanel, in which the Ships must keep and come to the Harbour, is deep, narrow, and lies only on the Side of the Fort; so that all the Ships which come in, or go out, must come within Gunshot of the Fort.
The Fort is on the
Suffolk
Side of the Bay, but stands so far into the Sea, upon the Point of a Sand or Shoal running out towards the
Essex
Side, that, in a manner, it covers the Mouth of the Haven; and our Surveyors of the Country affirm it to be in the County of
Essex.
The making this Place, which was formerly no other than a Sand in the Sea, solid enough for the Foundation of so good a Fortification, cost many Years Labour, frequent Repairs, and a prodigious Expence; but 'tis now so firm, that neither Storms nor Tides affect it.
The Harbour is of a vast Extent; for the River
Stour
from
Maningtree,
and River
Orwel
from
Ipswich,
empty themselves here; and the Chanels of both are large and deep, and safe for all Weathers; and where they join, they make a large Bay, or Road, able to receive the biggest Ships of War, and the greatest Number that ever the World saw together. In the
Dutch
War, great Use was made of this Harbour; and there have been 100 Sail of Men of War with their Attendants, and between 3 and 400 Sail of Colliers, all riding in it at a time, with great Safety and Convenience.
Harwich
is the Port where the Packet-boats between
England
and
Holland,
go out and come in: the Inhabitants are far from being famed for good Usage to Strangers, but on the contrary, are esteemed a little extravagant in their Reckonings, in the Publick-houses; this has encouraged the setting up of Sloops, which they now call Passage-boats, to go directly from the River of
Thames
to
Holland:
tho' the Passage may be something longer, yet the Masters of the Sloops are said to be more obliging to Passengers, and more reasonable in the Expence, and the Vessels good Sea-boats.
Harwich
has been a Sufferer on this Account.
The People of
Harwich
boast, that their Town is walled, and their Streets paved with Clay, and yet that one is as strong, and the other as clean, as those that are built or paved with Stone. The Fact is indeed true; for there is a sort of Clay in the Cliff, between the Town and the Beacon-hill adjoining, which, when it falls down into the Sea, where it is beaten with the Waves and the Weather, turns gradually into Stone. But the chief Reason assigned is from the Water of a certain Spring or Well, which rising in the Cliff, runs down into the Sea among those Pieces of Clay, and petrifies them as it runs; and the Force of the Sea often stirring, and perhaps turning the Lumps of Clay, when Storms of Wind may give Force enough to the Water, causes them to harden every-where alike; otherwise those which were not quite sunk in the Water of the Spring, would be petrify'd but in part. These Stones are gathered up to pave the Streets, and build the Houses, and are indeed very hard. 'Tis also remarkable, that some of them, taken up before they are thoroughly petrify'd, will, upon breaking them, appear to be hard as a Stone without, and soft as Clay in the Middle; whereas others, that have lain a due time, shall be thorough Stone to the Centre, and full as hard within as without. The same Spring is said to turn Wood into Iron: but this I take to be no more or less than the Quality, which (as I mentioned of the Shore at the
Ness
) is found to be in much of the Stone along this Shore, of the Copperas Kind: and 'tis certain, that the
Copperas-stone
(so called) is found in all that Cliff, and even where the Water of this Spring has run; and I presume, that those who call the hardened Pieces of Wood, which they take out of this Well, by the Name of Iron, never tried the Quality of it with the Fire or Hammer; if they had, it is not unlikely, that they would have given some other Account of it.
On the Promontory of Land, which they call
Beacon-hill,
which lies beyond or behind the Town, toward the Sea, is a Light-house, to give the Ships Direction in their sailing by, as well as their coming into the Harbour at Night.
This Town was formerly fortify'd; but in the Reign of King
Charles
I. the Fortifications were demolished. It has since been ordered to be fortify'd again, and Ground has been bought accordingly, to the King's Use, by Act of Parliament: but there is nothing more done in it yet; and indeed it is many Years since the Government, having a better Security in the
British
Shipping, have had Occasion to fortify Towns to the Landward.
It was incorporated in the 13th of
Edward
II. The
Harwich
Men pretended a Grant from
Edw.
III. to take Custom-duties for Goods coming into the Haven, till on a Complaint made by the Town of
Ipswich,
that it was an Infringement upon their Liberties, an Inquisition was appointed by that Prince at
Ipswich
in the 14th of his Reign, by which it was determined against
Harwich,
in favour of
Ipswich.
Harwich,
after all, may be said to be a neat, clean, well-built Town, enjoys a good Maritime Trade, is governed by a Mayor,
&c.
has a Market every
Tuesday
and
Friday,
and two annual Fairs, one on
May-day,
the other on
October
the 18th.
Landguard-fort
was built in the Reign of King
James
I. and was a much more considerable Fortification than at present; having had four Bastions, named the
King's,
the
Queen's, Holland's,
and
Warwick's,
mounted with 60 very large Guns, particularly those on the Royal
Bastion,
where the King's Standard was display'd, which would throw a 28 Pound Ball over
Harwich
; and it had a constant Garison, with a Chapel and many Houses, for the Governor, Gunners, and other Officers. But it has been demolished, and a small Platform made instead of it by the Water-side; but yet, as the particular Current of the Chanel, which Ships must keep in, as I have said, obliges them to pass just by the Fort, the Harbour is sufficiently defended on the Sea-side from sudden Invasion.
And now, being at the Extremity of the County of
Essex,
of which I have given you some View, as to that Side next the Sea only; I shall conclude this Part of my Circuit, by telling you, that I will take the Towns which lie more towards the Centre of the County, in my Return by the North and West Part, that I may give you a few Hints of some Towns which were near me in my Rout this way.
On the Road from
London
to
Colchester,
before I came into it at
Witham,
lie four good Market-towns at near equal Distance from one another;
viz. Rumford, Brentwood, Ingatstone,
and
Chelmsford. Rumford
stands first, and is noted for two Markets, one for Calves and Hogs, the other for Corn and other Provisions, mostly bought up for
London
Market.
At the farther End of this Town, in the Middle of a stately Park, stood
Guldy-hall,
vulgarly
Giddy-hall,
an antient Seat of one Sir
Thomas Coke,
Lord-Mayor of
London Anno
1462. in the Reign of
Edward
IV. whose great Riches being his principal Crime, exposed him in bad Times to so great Sufferings, that tho' he was acquitted, by the Integrity of his Judge, of the Crimes laid to his Charge, yet he was fined to the Value very nearly of his whole Estate. It is since pulled down to the Ground, and there now stands a stately Mansion-house, built upon the Spot by Sir
John Eyles,
lately Lord-Mayor of
London.
Brentwood
and
Ingatstone
are two others, and are large thorough-fare Towns, full of good Inns, chiefly maintained by the Multitude of Carriers and Passengers, constantly passing this Way to
London,
with Droves of Cattle, Provisions and Manufactures.
Chelmsford
is the 4th, chiefly supported by the fame Business. It is the County-town, where the Assizes are often held, and stands on the Conflux of two Rivers, the
Chelmer,
whence the Town derives its Name, and the
Cann
; and has a good Free-school belonging to it.
South-east of
Brentwood
lies
Billiricay,
a pretty considerable Market-town.
Near
Chelmsford
stands a Seat of the Right Honourable the Earl of
Fitzwalter,
which is seen on the Left-hand of the Road, just before you enter the Town. The House is large, and hath been lately new fronted, so that it makes a handsome Appearance. There are also several new Plantations about it, and in time, if his Lordship continues his Design of improving it, it will become a fine Seat.
I shall take notice, in my Return through these Parts, of the noble Seat of the Lord
Petre,
and his Lordship's great Improvements in this County.
At
Lees,
or
Lee's-Priory,
as some call it, is to be seen an antient House, in the Middle of a beautiful Park, formerly the Seat of the Duke of
Manchester
; but after the Death of the Duke it was sold to the Duchess Dowager of
Buckinghamshire,
and since purchased by Mr.
Hoare.
Five Market-towns fill up the rest of this Part of the Country;
Dunmow, Braintree, Thaxted, Halsted,
and
Coggshall
; all noted for the Manufacture of Bays. But
Dunmow
I must particularly mention, on account of its famous old Story of its Flitch of Bacon; which is this:
One
Robert Fitzwalter,
a powerful Baron in this County, in the Time of
Henry
III. instituted a Custom in the Priory here; That
whatever married Man did not repent of his being married, or differ and
dispute with his Wife within a Year and a Day after his Marriage, and would swear to the Truth of it, kneeling upon two hard pointed Stones in the
Priory Church-yard,
set up for that Purpose, in Presence of the Prior and Convent, such Person should have a Flitch of Bacon.
This has been actually claimed and received, as appears by Record there; but the Priory being dissolved, there is an End of the Flitch; and it were well, if no worse Consequence had attended the Dissolution of Religious Houses. For as there was no Danger of many Claimants, there were the fewer to regret the Loss.
Of
Braintree
and
Bocking
I shall take notice in my Return to
London.
Formerly, 'tis thought, the Forests of
Epping
and
Henault
took up all the South Part of the County; but particularly we are assured, that it reached to the River
Chelmer,
and into
Dengy
Hundred; and from thence again West to
Epping
and
Waltham,
where it continues to be a Forest still.
Probably that of
Epping
has been a Weald or Forest ever since this Island has been inhabited, and may shew us, in some Parts of it,
where Inclosures and Tillage have not broke in upon it,
what the general Face of this Island was, before the
Romans
landed in
Britain.
The Constitution of this Forest is best seen, as to its Antiquity, by the pleasant Grant of it from
Edward the Confessor,
before the
Norman
Conquest, to
Randolph Peperking,
one of his Favourites, who was after called
Peverell,
and whose Name remains still in several Villages in this County; as particularly that of
Hatfield Peverell,
in the Road from
Chelmsford
to
Witham,
which is supposed to be originally a Park (called a Field in those Days); and
Hartfield
may be as much as to say, a Park for Deer; for the Stags were in those Days called
Harts
; so that this was neither more nor less than
Randolph Peperking
's
Hart-field,
or
Deer-park.
This
Randolph
or
Ralph Peverell
had, it seems, a beautiful Lady to his Wife, who was Daughter of
Ingelrick,
one of
Edward the Confessor
's Noblemen: He had two Sons by her,
William Peverell,
a famed Soldier, and Lord or Governor of
Dover-castle
; which he surrendered to
William the Conqueror,
after the Battle in
Sussex
; and
Pain Peverell,
his youngest, who was Lord of
Cambridge.
When the eldest Son delivered up the Castle, the Lady above-named was there; and the Conqueror fell in Love with her, and had a Son by her, who was called
William,
after the Conqueror's Christian Name, but retained the Name of
Peverell,
and was afterwards, as History acquaints us, created by the Conqueror Lord of
Nottingham.
This Lady, as is supposed, by way of Penance for her Frailty, founded a Nunnery at the Village of
Hatfield-Peverell,
mentioned above, where she lies buried in the Parish-church, and her Memory is preserved by a Tombstone under one of the Windows. The Grant I have mentioned being to be found in
Camden,
I shall not transcribe it here.
I shall now, in pursuance of my first Design, proceed to the County of
Suffolk.
From
Harwich
therefore, having a mind to view the Harbour, I sent my Horses round by
Maning-tree,
a good, but dirty Market-town, where there is a Timber-bridge over the
Stour,
or, as it is more usually called,
Maningtree-water
; and took a Boat for
Ipswich
up the River
Orwel,
known best by the Name of
Ipswich-water,
by which Passage from
Harwich
to
Ipswich,
it is about twelve Miles.
In a Creek in this River called
Lavington-creek,
we saw at low Water such Shoals of Muscles, tha
great Boats might have loaded with them and th
Quantity scarce diminished to the Eye. Near this Creek Sir
Samuel Barnardiston
had a fine Seat, as also a Decoy for wild Ducks, and a very noble Estate; but it is divided into many Branches since his Death.
Ipswich
is seated at the Distance of 12 Miles from
Harwich,
upon the Edge of the River, which takeing a short Turn to the West, the Town forms there a kind of Semi-circle, or Half-moon, upon the Bank of the River. It is very remarkable, that tho' Ships of 500 Tuns may upon a Spring-tide come up very near this Town, and many Ships of that Burden have been built there; yet the River is scarce navigable above the Town, not even for the smallest Boats; nor does the Tide, which rises sometimes 13 or 14 Feet, and gives them 24 Feet Water very near the Town, flow much farther up the River than the Town.
No Place in
Britain
is qualified like
Ipswich,
for carrying on the
Greenland
Fishery; whether we respect the Cheapness of building and fitting out their Ships and Shalloops; furnishing, victualling, and providing them with all kind of Stores; Convenience for laying up the Ships after the Voyage; Room for erecting their Magazines, Ware-houses, Roap-walks, Cooperages,
&e.
on the easiest Terms; and especially for the noisome Cookery, which attends the boiling their Blubber, which may be on this River, remote from any Places of Resort: then the Nearness to the Market for the Oil, when it is made, and, which above all ought to be regarded, the Conveniency that arises from this Consideration, that the same Wind which carries them from the Mouth of the Haven, is fair to the very Seas of
Greenland.
Ipswich
was formerly much more considerable for Trade than at present; but yet it may be accounted a very neat and well-built Town, and much larger than many Cities; carries on still a considerable Maritime Trade; and tho' it is but thinly inhabited, to what it has been, yet whoever looks into the Churches and Meeting-houses of a
Sunday,
will not, even in this Particular, think so meanly of it as some have done.
It has a very spacious Market-place; in the midst of that is a fair Cross, in which is the Corn-market. Adjoining is the Shambles or Butchery, very commodious, and vulgarly, but erroneously, supposed to have been built by Cardinal
Wolsey
; for it owes its Original to a much later Date,
viz.
to the 40th Year of Queen
Elizabeth.
Behind this is the Herb-market, and in a spacious Street a little distant, is a Market for Butter, Poultry, and other Country Provisions, and another for Fish, with which the Town is served in great Plenty. It has five Market-days weekly;
Tuesday
and
Thursday
for small Meat;
Wednesday
and
Friday
for Fish; and
Saturday
for all sorts of Provisions. It has also five annual Fairs; one on
April
23. one on
May
7. and 8. one on
July
25. one on the 11th and 12th of
August
for Cattle also; and the fifth on
September
14. which is a very considerable one for Butter and Cheese, to which the whole Country round resort, to furnish themselves with Winter Stores; as do also many of the
London
Dealers in those Commodities, who, however, are not suffered to buy till after the first three Days of the Fair.
There are even now in this Town 12 Parish-churches, out of 14, which there once were; and two Chapels in the Corporation-liberty, out of several which have been demolished, besides Meeting-houses,
&c.
and it once abounded with Religious Houses, which have yielded to the Fate of the Times.
Here is also a fair Town-hall, with a spacious Council-chamber, and other commodious Apartments; a Shire-hall, where the County Sessions are held for the Division of
Ipswich
; a large publick Library, adjoining to a noble Hospital founded by the Town, called
Christ's Hospital,
for the Maintenance of Poor Children, old Persons, Maniacks; and in it Rogues, Vagabonds, and sturdy Beggars, are kept to hard Labour. Also adjoining to this is a good Free-school; and there is likewise the noble Foundation of Mr.
Henry Tooly, Anno
1556, for poor old Men and Women.
It is a Town Corporate, governed by two Bailiffs, a Recorder, 12 Portmen, four of which, besides the Bailiffs, are Justices of the Peace, two Coroners, 24 Common-council-men, who are also High-constables, and 12 of them Headboroughs, and 15 Petty Constables.
Its Privileges are extraordinary; for the Bailiffs pass Fines and Recoveries, hear and determine Causes, as well Criminal as Civil, arising in the Town, and even Crown Causes, preferably to any of his Majesty's Courts at
Westminster.
They appoint the Assize of Bread, Wine, Beer,
&c.
No Freeman can be obliged to serve on Juries out of the Town, or bear any Offices for the King, without his own Consent, Sheriffs for the County excepted. Nor are they obliged to pay any Tolls or Duties in any other Parts of the Kingdom, having cast the City of
London
in a Trial at Law for Duties demanded by the City of Freemens Ships, in the River
Thames.
They are intitled to all Waifs, Estrays,
&c.
to all Goods cast on Shore within their Admiralty-Jurisdiction, which extends on the Coast of
Essex
beyond
Harwich,
and on both Sides the
Suffolk
Coast; and their Bailiffs even hold their Admiralty-court beyond
Landguard
Fort,
&c.
And by a solemn Decision in their Favour by an Inquisition taken at
Ipswich,
in the 14th of
Edward
III. they carried the Point, which
Harwich
contested with them, of taking Custom-duties for Goods coming into
Harwich
Haven, which was determined to belong solely to the Bailiffs and Burgesses of
Ipswich,
as I before hinted. In King
John
's Reign, there was a Mint in this Town.
I shall just mention, in this Place, tho' it be generally known, that the famous Cardinal
Wolsey,
Archbishop of
York,
was born in this Town, his Father being a Butcher in it, tho', according to Dr.
Fiddes,
who published his Will, he seems to have been a Man of Substance for those Times. This Prelate rose to the highest Pitch of Honour and Grandeur, that it was possible for a Subject to attain to, and was suddenly stripped of all, having been cast in a Praemunire, whereby he incurr'd a Forfeiture of all his Effects and Preferments; and being afterwards pardoned and restored to some Part thereof, particularly to the Archbishoprick of
York,
he was arrested for High-Treason at his Archiepiscopal Palace at
Cawood
in
Yorkshire
; and died at
Leicester
Abbey, as he was carrying to
London,
where he was buried.
The
French
Refugees, when they first came over to
England
began a little to take to this Place; and some Merchants attempted to set up a Linen Manufacture in their Favour; but it did not meet with the expected Success, and at present I find very little of it. The poor People are however employ'd, as they are all over those Counties, in spinning Wooll for other Towns where Manufactures are settled.
The Country round
Ipswich,
as are all the Counties so near the Coast, is applied chiefly to Corn, of which a very great Quantity is continually shipped off for
London
; and sometimes they load Corn here for
Holland,
especially if the Market abroad is encouraging.
There is a great deal of very good Company in this Town; and tho' here are not so many of the Gentry as at
Bury,
yet it has more than any other Town in the County.
I take this Town to be one of the most agreeable Places in
England,
for Families who have lived well, but may be reduced to live within a narrow Compass; for
1. Here are good Houses, at very easy Rents.
2. An airy, clean, and well-govern'd Town.
3. Very agreeable and improving Company, almost of every Kind.
4. Plenty of all Manner of Provisions, whether Fish or Flesh, very good of the Kind, and very cheap.
5. Easy Passage to
London,
either by Land or Water, the Coach going thro' to
London
in a Day.
The Lord Viscount
Hereford
had a very fine Seat and Park in this Town; the House indeed was built in the antient Taste, but very commodious; 'tis called
Christ-church,
and had been a Priory, or Religious House, in former Times. The Green and Park is a great Addition to the Pleasantness of this Town, the Inhabitants being allowed to divert themselves there with Walking, Bowling,
&c.
This Seat has been lately purchased by, and is now in the Possession of
Claude Fonnereau,
Esq
The Country round
Ipswich,
is an inexhaustible Store-house of Timber; of which, now their Trade of building Ships is abated, they send very great Quantities to the King's Building-yards at
Chatham
; which by Water is so little a Way, that they often run to it from the Mouth of the River at
Harwich
in one Tide.
I cannot omit in this Place the following Account of an excellent Charity for the Relief and Support of the Widows and Orphans of poor Clergymen of the County of
Suffolk,
which was begun in the Year 1704. by a voluntary Subscription of a small Number of Gentlemen and Clergy, in and about
Ipswich
and
Woodbridge,
and has since that Time been carried on with such great Success, that the yearly Collection, which in 1704. was but 6
l.
by gradual Advances every Year, amounted in the Year 1740. to 312
l.
2
s.
6
d.
and in the Whole 37 Years to the Sum of 4416
l.
9
s.
9
d.
Besides the yearly Subscriptions, there have been divers Gifts and Legacies given to the said Society, to the Uses above-mentioned, to the Amount of 554
l.
17
s.
So much of which is laid out in
South-Sea
Annuities, and kept for raising a capital Stock for the general Benefit of the Charity; and the Interest arising from it hath been, and still is, every Year applied to the Relief and Support of the said Widows and Orphans, that they may not mourn without a Comforter, and that the Sons and Daughters of the poor Clergy intitled to this Relief, may not be suffered to wander as Vagabonds up and down the Earth, exposed to those Miseries and Temptations which attend upon extreme Poverty.
From
Ipswich
I took a Turn to
Hadley,
famous for the Martyrdom of Dr.
Rowland Taylor,
who was burnt at
Aldham Common, Anno
1555. On the Place where he was martyr'd, I observed a Stone, with this Inscription:
Anno
1555.
Dr.
Taylor,
for defending what was good,
In this Place shed his Blood.
It has been a Town Corporate, governed by a Mayor,
&c.
But a
Quo Warranto
being brought against their Charter, in the Reign of King
James
II. it has not been renewed since. Here are two weekly Markets, and two annual Fairs. It deals much in Corn, and abounds with all manner of Provisions. The Town is large, and tolerably well built; but being in a Bottom, is generally dirty. Its Church is a very handsome Building, graced with a Spire Steeple, and being near the Middle of the Town, is an Ornament to it. 'Tis of some Note still for the Manufacture of Woollen Cloths, but not so much as formerly.
A little to the South-west lies
Neyland,
a large Market-town, in a Bottom; upon the
Stour
; over which is a very good Bridge. The Bays-trade is carried on here too.
Higher up to the North-west, upon the same River, stands
Sudbury,
situate on the
Stour
; which is now made navigable for Barges from
Maningtree
hither, and gives a great Addition to their Trade. It is a very antient Town, governed by a Mayor, and at present consists of three distinct Parishes, which have each a handsome and large Church; the Names of which are
St. Gregory
's,
St. Peter
's, and
All-Saints
; tho'
St. Peter
's is rather a Chapel of Ease to
St. Gregory
's. This Town is pretty well built, but the Streets, being unpaved, are dirty. It has an handsome Bridge over the
Stour,
leading into
Essex.
This Town was one of the first Places where King
Edward
III. placed the
Flemings,
whom he allured hither to teach the
English
the Art of manufacturing their own Wool, of which before they knew nothing; and here the Woollen Trade hath continued ever since in a flourishing Way. The Inhabitants at present employ themselves in making Says, Perpetuanas,
&c.
Simon Theobald,
surnamed
Sudbury,
Archbishop of
Canterbury,
translated thither from
London Anno
1375. was a Native of this Town. He was murdered at the Instigation of one
John Ball,
a seditious and fanatical Preacher in
Wat Tyler
's Rebellion. He was a Prelate of very good Character for Learning and Charity. He built the Upper-end of
St. Gregory
's Church in
Sudbury,
where his Head is still shewn: it was, not long since, intire, covered with the Flesh and Skin dried by Art, the Mouth wide open, occasioned by Convulsions thro' the hard Death he died, having suffered eight Blows before his Head was cut off. He founded in the Place where his Father's House stood, a neat College, which he furnished with Secular Priests, and other Ministers, and likewise endowed it bountifully.
Near
Sudbury
is
Melford,
a pleasant Village, and perhaps the largest in
England,
being about a Mile in Length. The Church is a very fine Edifice, and stands at the North-end of it. There were two Chantries in it.
Weaver
says, That on some Part of the Outside of the Church are these Words:
Pray for the Souls of
John Clopton,
and
Richard Boteler,
of whose Goodys this Chapel was built
; and that several of the antient Family of
Clopton
are there buried. This Town has given two Lord Mayors to
London,
Sir
John Milburn,
Draper, in 1521. and Sir
Roger Martin,
Mercer, in 1567. It has an annual Fair, divers good Inns, many handsome Houses, and creditable Inhabitants. Here lived the unhappy Mr.
Drew,
who in the Year 1739. was barbarously murdered; and his Son, Mr.
Charles Drew,
executed for it, who effected it either with his own Hands, or by those of another Person, whom he procured to do it, for the sake of enjoying his Estate. The Parricide was attended with Circumstances of great Horror; but the Particulars being well known, and the Fact so recent, I shall not say any more of it here.
In my Way from hence to
St. Edmond's-bury,
I passed due North thro'
Lavenham,
or
Lanham,
a pretty good Town, standing upon a Branch of the River
Breton.
It has a spacious Market-place, which was formerly of much better Account than at present. It had many Years ago great Advantage from its Trade in Blue Cloths; but tho' this is lost, yet it has a good Trade for Serges, Shalloons, Says,
&c.
made here; spins a great deal of fine Yarn for
London,
and has of late flourished much, by setting up a Hall for selling Wool, the Town being conveniently situated for that Purpose.
The Church and Steeple here are justly accounted the finest in the County. It is situate on a Hill on the West-side of the Town, the Steeple being 137 Feet high. It has Six tuneable Bells in it, and the Inhabitants boast much of their Tenor, which, they say, out-does all the Bells in
England
for its deep Note; and tho' it weighs but 23 Hundred Weight, they say it sounds like a Bell of 40 Hundred. This Town is also remarkable for the many charitable Bequests made to its Poor; and gave
London
a Lord Mayor in 1462. in the Person of Sir
Thomas Cooke,
Draper, the Son of
Robert Cooke
of this Town.
East of
Lavenham,
and pretty near it, is
Bildeston,
a Market-town, noted for the Cloathing-trade, its good Church, its mean Buildings, and Dirtiness.
Bury St. Edmunds
is situate on the West-side of the River
Lach,
which within these few Years has been made navigable from
Lynn
to
Fornham,
a Mile North of the Town. It is so regularly built, that almost all the Streets cut one another at Right Angles. It stands on an easy Ascent, and overlooks a most fruitful inclosed Country on the South and South-west; on the North and North-west the most delightful champain Fields, which extend themselves to
Lynn,
and that Part of the
Norfolk
Coast; and on the East the Country is partly inclosed, and partly open. No wonder then that it is called the
Montpellier
of
Suffolk,
and even of
England:
and indeed a certain antient Author says no more than it deserves;
"That the Sun shines not upon a Town more agreeable in its Situation."
It is governed by an Alderman, which is their chief Magistrate, a Recorder, 12 capital Burgesses, and 24 common Burgesses.
It has two plentiful weekly Markets on
Wednesdays
and
Saturdays
; and three annual Fairs; one three Days before and three Days after the Feast of St.
Matthew
; and it is generally protracted to an uncertain Length, for the Diversion of the Nobility and Gentry that resort to it, in great Numbers.
The Abbey, once so famous, was first built of Wood by
Sigebert
King of the
East-Angles,
soon after Christianity was planted here; and when finished, about the Year 638, that King retired into it, and shut himself up from the World.
King
Edmund,
from whom the Town takes its Name, began to reign over the
East-Angles Anno
855, in the 14th Year of his Age, and reigned 15 Years; being killed
Anno
870, as supposed, at
Hoxne,
at 29 Years old, and his Corps was 33 Years after removed to
Bury.
The Abbey being much enriched thereby, the Monks, who were of the
Benedictine
Order, found means, about the Year 1020, to get it intirely to themselves, excluding the Seculars; and King
Canute,
in the 4th Year of his Reign, founded a more magnificent Church, in Honour of St.
Edmund,
which was finished in 12 Years, and dedicated to
Christ,
St.
Mary,
and St.
Edmund.
Uvius,
Prior of
Hulm,
who was consecrated the first Abbot,
Anno
1020, got the Abbey exempted from Episcopal Jurisdiction, and encompassed that and the Town with a Wall and Ditch; the Ruins of which, in several Places, are still to be seen: and the Abbots afterwards were made Parliamentary Barons. But in the Reign of King
Henry
VIII. it run the common Fate of all Religious Houses, and that Prince put an End to all its Glory.
When the Abbey was in its Prosperity, there was a Chapel at every one of the five Gates, and the Town abounded with Chapels and Oratories. 'Tis possible these might be Hospitals; for there was an Hospital of
St. Peter
's without
Rishy gate
; an Hospital of
St. Saviour
's without
North-gate
; an Hospital of
St. Nicolas
at or near
East-gate
; and
God's-house,
or
St. John
's, at the
South-gate
; a College of Priests with a Gild to the
Holy
or
Sweet Name of Jesus,
the Situation of which I could not find; and an House of
Grey Friers
at
Babwell,
or the
Toll-gate.
But at this time there are only two Churches, which indeed are very beautiful and stately, and stand in the same Church-yard; the one dedicated to St.
Mary,
the other, built in the Reign of
Edward
VI. to St.
James.
The latter has a convenient Library; and at the West End of the South Isle are interred
James Reynolds,
Esq
late Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, and his Lady, to whose Memories two large Monuments are erected. The Church of
St. Mary
has, on the North-side of the Altar, (to which we approach by a fine Ascent of Six Steps) the Tomb of
Mary
Queen of
France,
Sister to
Henry
VIII. and Wife to
Charles Brandon,
Duke of
Suffolk.
Her Coffin is of Lead, and has this Inscription on it;
Mary Queen,
1533.
of France. Edmund H----.
There are other handsome Monuments in this Church.
The other most remarkable publick Buildings are the Abbey-gate, which is still a fine Monument of what the Abbey once was; the Guild hall; the Wool-hall; the Shire-house; the Market-cross; and the Grammar-School, endowed by King
Edward
VI.
Such as is the Town for Situation, is the Neighbourhood and Gentry about it for Politeness; and no Place glories in brighter Ladies, or better Families.
In the Path-way between the two Churches it was that
Arundel Coke,
Esq
a Barrister at Law, in the Year 1721. attempted (with the Assistance of one
Woodbourne,
a barbarous Assassin) an unheard-of Outrage on his Brother-in-law,
Edward Cris,
Esq
for the sake of possessing what he had. He had invited him, his Wife and Family, to Supper with him; and in the Night, on Pretence of going to see a Friend to them both, he led him into the Churchyard, when, on a Signal he gave, the Assassin made at Mr.
Crisp
with a Hedge-bill, and in a most terrible manner mangled his Head and Face; and supposing him dead, there left him; and
Coke
returned, as if he knew nothing of the Matter, to the Company. But it happening that Mr.
Crisp
was not killed, and coming back to
Coke
's House to the Company all bloody, and cruelly mangled, the shocking Sight amazed and confounded them all;
Coke,
that he was not dead; the rest, that he had met with so strange a Disaster. Mr.
Crisp
has survived this Outrage many Years, and
Coke
and
Woodburne,
the hired Assassin, were justly executed for a Villainy so detestable, that it hardly had its Parallel. The Gentleman being not killed, the Assassins were tried and condemned on the Statute for defacing and dismembring, called
The Coventry Act:
And
Coke
was so
good
a Lawyer, and so
hardened
a Wretch, that he thought to have saved himself, by pleading that he intended not to
deface,
but to
kill.
Some nice People say, the Law was a little strained in their Punishment, as the Gentleman recovered; but, surely, if in any Case the
Letter
might be dispensed with, and the
Spirit
be brought in Aid of it, it was right in this: and it would have been next to a national Disgrace, not to have a Law that would reach so flagrant and complicated a Wickedness.
There is very little or no Manufacturing in this Town, except Spinning; the chief Business of the Place depending upon the neighbouring Gentry, who cannot fail to cause Trade enough by the Expence of their Families and Equipages, among the People of a Country Town. Our Monarchs,
Edward
I. and II. had a Mint at
Bury,
and some of their Pennies coined there, are yet remaining.
Stow,
in his Survey of
London, p.
83. says, That here was also a Mint in King
John
's Time.
This Town is famous for two great Events: One, That a Parliament was held here in the Year 1447. in the 25th Year of
Henry
VI. The other, That at the Meeting of this Parliament, the good
Humphry,
Duke of
Gloucester,
Regent of the Kingdom, during the Absence of King
Henry
V. and in the Minority of his Son
Henry
VI. and, to his last Hour, the Safeguard of the whole Nation, and Darling of the People, was basely murdered here; by whose Death the Gate was opened to that dreadful War between the Houses of
Lancaster
and
York,
which ended in the Confusion of the very Race, who are supposed to have contrived that Murder.
As I made some Stay at
Ipswich
and
Bury,
being obliged to wait the Leisure of a Gentleman who accompanied me Part of this Journey, I made several Excursions more Inland than I had at first intended when I set out, and visited the following Towns:
As, first,
Boxford,
which is about Seven Miles from
Sudbury,
and is a neat and well-built Village, and carries on a considerable Traffick.
At
Bures
on the
Stour
King
Edward
was crown'd, and not at
Bury.
It has a good Bridge on that River.
Anno
1733. the Spire of the Steeple of the handsome Church here was burnt by Lightning, the Bell-frames destroyed, and the Bells melted.
Clare
is situate on the
Stour,
about 14 Miles from
Bury,
and is but a poor Town, and dirty, the Streets being unpaved. But yet the Civil and Spiritual Courts are held at it, and it has a good Church; and shews still the Ruins of a strong Castle, and an old Monastery. It gives Title of Earl to his Grace the Duke of
Newcastle
of the
Pelham
Family, as it did to that of
Holles
before.
Not far from
Clare
is
Honedon,
where, in the Year 1687. the Sexton, digging a Grave, found a large Quantity of
Saxon
Coins.
Cavendish
upon the
Stour
deserves Mention, for giving Name to the Noble Family of the Dukes of
Devonshire.
Haverhill
stands partly in
Essex,
and partly in
Suffolk.
By the Ruins of a Church and Castle still to be seen here, it appears to have been of greater Consequence formerly, than at present. Now I am at this Place, I shall just mention
Ledgate,
on account of its giving Birth and Name to the famous Poet, Orator, Mathematician and Philosopher,
John Ledgate,
who died in 1440. Here are to be seen the Ruins of a strong Castle.
Stoke juxta Neyland
gave a Lord Mayor to
London
in 1503.
viz.
Sir
William Capel,
of the Drapers Company, from whom is descended the present Earl of
Essex.
It has a fair Church and Steeple.
Giffard
's-
hall
in this Parish is a noble old Seat belonging to Sir
Francis Mannock,
Bart. And
Pendering-hall
is the new-built fair Seat of Sir
John Williams,
Alderman of
London.
Stratford
is a thorough-fare Village of great Traffick, and is employed in the Woollen Manufactures.
Easterbergholt,
near four Miles from
Stratford,
and half a Mile North of the
Stour,
is a large and handsome Village, employ'd in the Woollen Way, but not to so great a Degree as formerly. It has a good Church, but the Steeple is in Ruins, and the Bells are rung by Hand, in a kind of Cage set up in the Church-yard. A little South of the Church is an elegant House of Sir
Joseph Hankey,
Alderman of
London.
Hemingston
may bear the Mention for the merry Tenure by which that Manor was held, according to
Camden,
by Serjeanty, the Possessor being obliged every
Christmas-day
to perform before the King one
Saltus,
one
Sufflatus,
and one
Bombulus
: or, as is read elsewhere, it was held by a
Saltus,
a
Sufflatus,
and a
Pet
; that is, as
Camden
interprets the Words, he was to dance, make a Noise with his Cheeks puffed out, and let a F--t.
Needham
is a thorough-fare Town, about nine Miles North-west from
Ipswich.
It is tolerably well built, has several considerable Dealers in it, and formerly carried on a large Trade in the Woollen Manufactures, which it has lost for some Years.
Bildeston
is a meanly built, dirty Town, but has a good Church.
Stow-market,
about three Miles from
Needham,
is a tolerable Town, with a spacious Church and Spire-Steeple.
And five Miles further, being eight from
Bury,
is
Wulpit,
famous for the white Bricks made there. It has a handsome Church and Spire-Steeple.
At
Norton,
near
Wulpit,
King
Henry
VIII. was induced to dig for Gold. He was disappointed, but the Diggings are visible at this Day.
Ixworth,
about seven Miles from
Bury,
is a dirty, ill-built Town, with a mean Market; but is a thorough-fare Town, and has two annual Fairs.
Botesdale
is a long, mean-built, dirty, thorough-fare Town; yet it is remarkable for a Grammar Free-school founded by Sir
Nicolas Bacon,
and established by Queen
Elizabeth.
The Master and Usher are to be elected out of
Bennet
College
Cambridge,
where Sir
Nicolas
was educated. The Master enjoys a Salary of 20 Pounds
per Annum,
besides the Benefit of the School-house, and the Usher eight Pounds, with a House and Yard. The School-house is now in the Gift of
Edmund Britiffe,
Esq
Sir
Nicolas
also bequeathed 20
l.
a Year to the said College for six Scholars out of this School, to whom likewise Archbishop
Tenison
was said to have given six Pounds annually. There is a mean Market here every
Thursday,
and an annual Fair on
Holy Thursday.
Milden-hall,
about 12 Miles from
Bury,
is situate on the River
Larke
; it is a Town of very extensive Limits, pleasant and well-built, and has a noble Church, and lofty Steeple. It has a plentiful
Friday
Market, and a very considerable annual Fair, which lasts four Days. A little North of the Church is the Mansion-house of Sir
Thomas Hanmer,
Bart. who in the Reign of Queen
Anne
was Speaker of the House of Commons. In the Year 1507. a great Part of this Town was consumed by Fire. It furnished the City of
London
with two Lord Mayors, Sir
Henry Barton,
Skinner,
Anno
1428. and Sir
William Gregory,
of the same Company,
Anno
1451.
Ickworth
was once a Parish, but now is a noble Park, in which is the Seat of the Earl of
Bristol.
It is a Place of great Antiquity, and what confirms it is, what that learned Antiquarian Dr.
Battley,
Archdeacon of
Canterbury,
writes, That in his Memory a large Pot of
Roman
Money was found here.
Debenham
is a tolerably clean, tho' mean-built Town, and among very dirty and heavy Roads, being seated on a Hill. The Church is a good Building, the Market-place tolerable, and there is a Free-school founded by Appointment of Sir
Robert Hitcham.
Crows-hall,
about a Mile South-east of this Town, was formerly the Seat of the
Gawdies
; till Sir
Charles Gawdy,
Bart. convey'd it to
John Pit,
Esq
in a Descendant of whose Family it still remains.
Mendlesham
is a dirty and poor Town, but has a handsome Church, and a small
Tuesday's
Market.
Eye
is a Town Corporate, governed by two Bailiffs, ten principal Burgesses, and 24 Common-councilmen, and gives Title of Baron to the Lord
Cornwallis.
It is situate in a Bottom between two Rivers, is meanly built, and the Streets dirty. Near the West-end of the Church are still to be seen some of the ruinous Walls of the Castle.
My Friend having finished his Business in those Parts of
Suffolk,
which lie round the Towns of
Bury
and
Ipswich,
gave me an Opportunity of resuming my Journey according to the Plan I laid down at the Beginning of the Letter; and so from the former of these Towns I returned by
Stow-market,
and
Needham,
to
Ipswich,
that I might keep as near the Coast as was proper to my designed Circuit; having determined to take the Opportunity, which he told me his Affairs would give me, of making two or three Excursions from
Woodbridge, Aldborough,
and
Southwould,
to make my Observations on that Part of
Suffolk,
which I have not yet touched upon. From
Ipswich
therefore I went to visit the Sea again, and so to
Woodbridge,
and from thence to
Orford
on the Sea Coast.
Woodbridge
is a Market-town, situate on the River
Deben,
about 11 Miles from the Sea. This River being navigable to the Town for Ships of considerable Burden, it drives a pretty good Trade with
Holland, Newcastle,
and
London,
and has Passage Hoys, that go to and return from
London
weekly. It has a fine Church and Steeple, and traded formerly in Sackcloth, and now in refining Salt. The Shire-hall is a handsome Pile of Building, where the Quarter-Sessions for this Part of the County are held, and under it is the Corn-cross. One Street in it, called
Stone-street,
is well-built and paved, but the rest are dirty. The Market-place and Thoroughfare are also well enough built; but the rest of the Town is mean. The Quays and Ware-houses are very commodious, and here is a Grammar-school, and an Alms-house, erected in 1587. by
Thomas Seckford,
Master of the Requests, for Thirteen Men and Three Women, which is well endowed. It has a pretty good Market on
Wednesdays,
and two annual Fairs.
Walton
has been an antient Market-town, and tho' the Market is now disused, the Cross is still remaining. In the neighbouring Parish of
Felixstow,
on the Cliff by the Sea, and about a Mile from the
Colne
Side of
Woodbridge-haven,
are discerned the Ruins of a quadrangular Castle advantageously situated; of which nothing now remains but the Foundation of one Side of the Wall. The rest has been devoured by the Sea; and in all Probability these Remains must in a few Years undergo the same Fate. It was built principally of Rock-stones; but the many
Roman
Bricks still to be seen, and
Roman
Coins, which have been discovered among the Ruins of the Side Walls, as they have been washed away by the Sea in the present Age, are an undeniable Evidence, that it was a Place of considerable Antiquity, probably a
Roman
Colony, which might give Name to the Hundred of
Colnies,
in which it stood.
Now begins that Part which is ordinarily called
High-Suffolk
; which being a rich Soil, is, for a long Way wholly employed in Dairies; and famous for the best Butter, and perhaps the worst Cheese in
England:
the Butter is barrelled, and sometimes pickled up in small Casks, in which it keeps so well, that I have know a Firkin of
Suffolk
Butter sent to the
West-Indies,
and brought back to
England
again, perfectly good and sweet, as at first.
From hence turning down to the Shore, we see
Orfordness,
a noted Point of Land for the Guide of the Colliers and Coasters, and a good Shelter for them to ride under, when a strong North-east Wind blows, and makes a foul Shore on the Coast.
Orford
is situate on the North-west Side of the River
Ore,
whence it had its Name. It was formerly a Town of good Account, having a strong Castle of reddish Stone for its Defence, of which, and of a
Benedictine
Nunnery near the Quay, there are still to be seen considerable Ruins. The Sea has so much withdrawn itself from this Town, that it is robbed of its chief Advantage, and deserves not the Name of a Harbour. The Town is mean, and no one contends for an Interest in it, but such as want to make themselves a Merit in the Choice of the two Members which it returns to Parliament. It is a Town Corporate, and is governed by a Mayor, eight Portmen, and twelve Burgesses; it has also a mean
Monday
Market, and an annual Fair. It had the Honour to give Title of Earl to the brave Admiral
Russel:
but that is now extinct.
About three Miles from
Orford,
is
Aldburgh,
a Town pleasantly situated in a Valley. It has two Streets, each near a Mile long; but its Breadth, which was more considerable formerly, is not proportionable, and the Sea has of late Years swallowed up one whole Street. The Town, tho' meanly built, is clean and well peopled in the Sea-faring way. The Sea washes the East-side of it, and the River
Ald
runs not far from the South-end of it, affording a good Quay. In the adjacent Seas, Sprats, Soles, and Lobsters, are caught in abundance. The Town trades to
Newcastle
for Coals; and from hence Corn is transported. The Manor of
Aldburgh,
as also the Manors of
Scots
and
Taskards
in the Neighbourhood, formerly belonged to the Monastery of
Snape,
and were first granted with that Monastery, to Cardinal
Wolsey,
and soon after to
Thomas
Duke of
Norfolk. Aldburgh
is pretty well situated for Strength, and has several Pieces of Cannon for its Defence. The Church, which is a good Edifice, stands on a Hill, a little West of the Town. It is a Town Corporate, governed by Two Bailiffs, Ten capital Burgesses, and Twenty-four inferior Officers.
From
Aldburgh,
I passed thro'
Saxminden,
a little dirty Market-town, to
Dunwich,
a very antient Town, which, by
Roman
Coins dug up there, is supposed to have been a
Roman
Station. In the Reign of
the Conqueror,
it was so considerable a Place, that it had 130 Burgesses, and was valued to that King at 50
l.
and 60,000 Herrings. We read that in the Reign of
Henry
II. it was a very famous Village, well stored with Riches, and fortified with a Rampart, some Remains of which still appear.
Before these Times, in the Reign of King
Sigebert, Anno
630.
Dunwich
was a Bishop's See; and so continued, till the
Conqueror
made his Chaplain Bishop of it, and translated the See to
Thetford,
which was afterwards translated from thence to
Norwich.
There were several Religious Houses in
Dunwich,
and, some pretend, no less than fifty Churches: but there is a certain Account of six Parish-churches, and three Chapels, besides the several Religious Houses. Four of these Parish-churches, and the three Chapels, have been long devoured by the Sea; and one of the others met with the same Fate in this Age, so that there is only one now standing; and what remains of this once famous Place, is but a pitiful Parcel of sorry Cottages.
Hereabouts they begin to talk of Herrings, and the Fishery. And here also, and at
Swole
or
Southwould,
the next Sea-port, they cure Sprats in the same manner as they do Herrings at
Yarmouth.
From
Dunwich
we went to
Southwould,
pleasantly situated on a Hill, and almost surrounded with the Sea, and the River
Biyth,
over which it has a Bridge. It drives a considerable Trade in Salt and old Beer, and in Herrings, Sprats,
&c.
The Church is large, and very strong. The Bay, called corruptly
Sowl
or
Sole-bay,
is a commodious Place for Anchorage, and occasions a great Resort of Mariners to it, which adds greatly to its Trade and Commerce.
The Traffick of my Friend at
Woodbridge, Aldburgh,
and this Place, gave me the Opportunity I hinted at, of making Excursions into the main-inland Parts of
Suffolk,
adjacent to those Towns, which I shall transcribe from my Memorandum-book, in the Order I set them down.
Ufford
is at present of no great Remark; but has the Ruins of a Chapel, called
Sogenhoc
Chapel.
Richard Lufkin
was Rector of this Parish 57 Years, and was buried
September
23. 1678. in the 111th Year of his Age. He performed all the Offices of his Function to the last, and preached the
Sunday
before his Death. He was plundered in the grand Rebellion, and lost all that he had except a Silver Spoon, which he preserved by hiding it in his Sleeve.
In the Hundred of
Hartsmere
stands
Broome,
a noble old Mansion, which for many Ages has been the Seat of the noble Family of
Cornwallis.
In this Parish of
Broome
is an Alms-house for poor Widows, fronting the Hall; but not endowed.
Wickham
Market is situated about four Miles from
Woodbridge.
The Church is built on a Hill, and tho' but 23 Yards high, affords the best Prospect of any in
Suffolk
; for in a clear Day, near 50 Parish-churches may be seen from it. It is now only a Village, but has some Trade, and the Civil and Spiritual Courts are held in it.
Snape
was once noted for a famous Monastery, few Remains of which are to be seen. It has a considerable annual Fair for Horses, which lasts four Days, beginning
August
11. to which the
London
Jockeys resort.
At
Sudbourne
is a fine Seat of the Lord Viscount
Hereford.
At
Easton
is the Seat of the Earl of
Rochford,
formerly belonging to the
Wingfield
Family.
Letheringham
was of Note for a little Priory, which was obtained at the Dissolution by Sir
Antony Wingfield
; and Sir
Henry Spelman
tells us, that, as a Judgment for the Sacrilege, he died without Issue Male. It was converted into a Mansion-house, and is now the Seat of the antient Family of the
Nauntons.
Sir
Roger Naunton
was in the Reign of King
James
I. Secretary of State, and Master of the Court of Wards and Liveries. He died
Anno
1630. In the Abbey is a long Gallery, adorned with several valuable Pictures: And in
Letheringham
Church are, some elegant and magnificent Monuments of the
Wingfields
and
Nauntons.
Rendelsham
was antiently famous for being the Royal Residence of
Redwald,
King of the
East-Angles. Hugh Fitz-Otho
procured a Market and Fair for this Town, from King
Edward
I. Digging here about 50 Years ago, an antient Silver Crown was found weighing about 60 Ounces, supposed to have belonged to
Redwald,
or some other King of the
East-Angles
; which was sold and melted down for the sake of the Metal.
At
Butley
was a Priory of Canons Regular; founded by
Ranulph de Glanville,
chief Justice of
England,
to the Honour of the Blessed Virgin. The Ruins of the Abbey, which are still to be seen, shew it to have been very large; and the Gate-house is a magnificent Building: it remains intire, and is embellished in the Front with many Coats of Arms, finely cut in Stone.
Framlingham
is situate North of
Aldburgh,
a large Town, well-built, and pleasantly seated near the Head of the River
Ore
; it has a spacious Market-place; the Church is built of black Flint, and is a very stately and noble Edifice, wherein several of the
Mowbrays
Dukes of
Norfolk
lie buried. The Castle is a fair Piece of Antiquity, being a large, beautiful and strong Building; and contains within the Walls now standing an Acre 1 Rood 11 Perches, and was formerly much larger. Its Walls are 44 Feet high, and thick, and are standing pretty intire; and it has 13 Towers, 14 Feet higher than the Walls, two of which are Watch-towers. It was both by Art and Nature formerly very strong. There are two good Alms-houses, and a Free-school, founded by Sir
Robert Hitcham,
(who is interred in the Church) for 40 poor Boys, who are taught to read, write, and cast Accounts, and 10
l.
is given to settle each of them Apprentice. This Gentleman bought of the Duke of
Norfolk
the Castle, Manor,
&c.
and gave them to
Pembroke-hall
in
Cambridge.
To this Castle Queen
Mary
I. retired, when the Lady
Jane
was proclaimed Queen by the
Northumberland
Faction.
Blithburg
was formerly a Place of good Note, but now has nothing to recommend it but its Church, which is a fine old Building, and kept in good Repair.
At
Chediston,
is the fine Seat of
Walter Plumer,
Esq
who bought it lately, and rebuilt the Hall in a beautiful manner.
Halesworth
is North-east of
Framlingham,
a large and good Market-town, situated upon the River
Blyth,
which runs thro' it. The Streets are clean, and partly paved. It has a very neat Church, beautifully decorated within, and is noted for Linen-yarn, which is spun in the Neighbourhood, and sold here.
Hoxne
is the Place where
Edmund
King of the
East-Angles
was murdered by the Pagan
Danes,
because he would not renounce his Faith,
Anno
870. and his Body was removed to
Bury,
as above-mentioned.
Bungay
is a well-frequented Market-town, pleasantly situate upon and almost surrounded with the
Waveney,
which is navigable thither for Barges. It lies North-east of
Halesworth.
Its Streets are mostly unpaved; but the Town is handsome and well-built since the great Fire, which broke out about Sunrising on
March
1. 1688-9. in a small uninhabited House; and in four Hours time consumed the whole Town, except one small Street. The whole Loss was computed at 29,896
l.
and upwards. It has two Parish-churches, one of which is a very noble one; and has a beautiful Steeple. The Ruins of a
Benedictine
Nunnery, and a very strong Castle, are still to be seen here. The latter was so strong, that
Hugh Bigod,
its Owner, in the Wars between the Empress
Maud
and King
Stephen,
with the latter of whom he sided, made this Boast upon it:
Were I in my Castle of
Bungay,
Upon the River
Waveney,
I would not care for the King of
Cockney.
But yet he was forced afterwards to compound with King
Henry
II. for its Preservation. It has a Grammar-school with 10 Scholarships, for
Emanuel
College
Cambridge.
In this Excursion I stretched to
Beccles,
still further North-east; a large ill-built Market-town, situate on the
Waveney,
which is navigable hence from
Yarmouth
to
Bungay,
as I have said. It has a noble Church and Steeple, and a Grammar and
English
School, well endowed. It has a plentiful Market, and a Common of above 1000 Acres. The Streets are well paved and clean, but the Houses are but ordinary. The Ruins of another Church, called
Ingate
Church are to be seen here, which was formerly the Parish Church to the Town.
Burgh-castle
scituate at the Mouth of the
Waveney,
was a Place of considerable Note in the Time of the
Romans.
The Walls on the East, North, and South Sides, are still standing, pretty intire; and the River being a Defence on the West, no Wall was wanting there.
I returned from these Excursions to
Southwould,
in order to proceed on my Journey, according to my first Plan. But it may not be amiss to mention, before I proceed, That this Town is made famous by an Engagement at Sea, in the Year 1672, between the
English
and
Dutch
Fleets, in the Bay opposite to the Town; in which the brave
Montague
Earl of
Sandwich,
Admiral under the Duke of
York,
lost his Life: his Ship,
Royal Prince,
carrying 100 Guns, which was under him commanded by Sir
Edward Spragg,
was burnt, and several other Ships lost, and about 600 Seamen.
At this Town in particular, and so at all the Towns on this Coast, from
Orfordness
to
Yarmouth,
is the ordinary Place where our Summer Friends the Swallows first land when they come to visit us; and here they may be said to begin their Voyage, when they go back into warmer Climates. I was some Years before at this Place, about the Beginning of
October
; and lodging in a House that looked into the Church-yard, I observed in the Evening an unusual Multitude of Swallows sitting on the Leads of the Church, and covering the Tops of several Houses round about. This led me to inquire what was the Meaning of such a prodigious Multitude of Swallows sitting there: I was answered, That this was the Season when the Swallows, their Food failing here, began to leave us, and return to the Country, where-ever it be, from whence they came; and that this being the nearest Land to the opposite Coast, and the Wind contrary, they were waiting for a Gale, and might be said to be
Wind-bound.
This was more evident to me, when in the Morning I found the Wind had come about to the Northwest in the Night, and there was not one Swallow to be seen.
Certain it is, that the Swallows neither come hither merely for warm Weather, nor retire merely from Cold: they, like the Shoals of Fish in the Sea, pursue their Prey; being a voracious Creature, and feeding as they fly; for their Food is the Insects, of which, in our Summer Evenings, in damp and moist Places, the Air is full; and when cold Weather comes in, and kills the Insects, then Necessity compels the Swallows to quit us, and follow their Food to some other Climate.
This passing and repassing of the Swallows is observed no-where so much as on this Eastern Coast; namely from above
Harwich
to the East Point of
Norfolk,
called
Wintertonness,
North; which is opposite to
Holland.
We know nothing of them any farther North; the Passage of the Sea being, as I suppose, too broad from
Flambro'
Head, and the Shore of
Holderness
in
Yorkshire,
&c.
This Part of
England
is remarkable for being the first where the Feeding and Fattening of Sheep and other Cattle, with Turneps, was first practised in
England,
which is made a very great Part of the Improvement of their Lands to this Day; and from whence the Practice is spread over most of the East and South Part of
England,
to the great enriching of the Farmers, and Increase of fat Cattle: and tho' some have objected against the Goodness of the Flesh thus fed with Turneps, and have fansied it would taste of the Root; yet upon Experience 'tis found, that there is no Reason for this Fancy.
The County of
Suffolk
is particularly famous for furnishing the City of
London,
and all the Counties round, with Turkeys; insomuch that more Turkeys are bred in this County, and the Part of
Norfolk
that joins to it, for Sale, than in all the rest of
England.
Nor will this be found an inconsiderable Article, if it be true, that 300 Droves of Turkeys have passed, in one Season, over
Stratford-bridge
on the River
Stour,
on the Road from
Ipswich
to
London
; each Drove generally containing from 300 to 1000 Turkeys, which at 500, one with another, will be 150,000 in all; and yet the Numbers which are driven by
New Market-heath,
and the open Country, and the Forest, and also those by
Sudbury
and
Clare,
are much greater.
For the further Supplies of the Markets of
London
with Poultry, in which these Countries particularly abound, they have within these few Years found it practicable to make the Geese travel on foot too, and prodigious Numbers are brought up to
London
in like Droves from the farthest Parts of
Norfolk,
even from the Fen-Country, about
Lynn, Downham, Wisbich,
and the
Washes
; as also from all the East-side of
Norfolk
and
Suffolk
; and 'tis very frequent now to meet 1000, or 2000, in a Drove. They begin to drive them generally in
August,
when the Harvest is almost over, that the Geese may feed on the Stubble as they go. Thus they hold on to the End of
October,
when the Roads begin to be too stiff and deep for their broad Feet and short Legs to march in.
Besides such Methods of driving these Creatures on Foot, they have of late invented a new kind of Carriage, being Carts formed on purpose, with four Stories or Stages, to put the Poultry in, one above another, whereby one Cart will carry a very great Number; and for the smoother going, they drive with two Horses abreast, like a Coach; thus quartering the Road for the Ease of the Poultry, and changing Horses, they travel Night and Day; so that they bring the Fowls 70, 80, or 100 Miles in two Days and one Night: The Horses are fasten'd together by a Piece of Wood lying cross-wise upon their Necks, by which they are kept even and together, and the Driver sits on the Top of the Cart, as in the publick Carriages for the Army,
&c.
In this manner vast Numbers of Turkey-poults and Chickens are carried to
London
every Year, which yield a good Price at Market; and more out of this County than any other Part of
England,
which is the Reason of my speaking of it here.
In this Part, which we call
High Suffolk,
there are not so many Families of Gentry or Nobility, as in the other Side of the Country: But 'tis observed, that tho' their Seats are not here, their Estates are; and the Pleasure of
West Suffolk
is much of it supported by the Wealth of
High Suffolk:
For the Richness of the Lands, and Application of the People to all Kinds of Improvement, are scarce credible. The Farmers also are so very considerable, and their Farms and Dairies so large, that 'tis very frequent for a Farmer to have 1000
l.
Stock upon his Farm in Cows only.
From
Southwould,
Coast-wise, I proceeded to
Leostoff,
a considerable Market-town, standing near the Sea. It is indifferently well built. The Church, which is situate near a Mile on the West-side of the Town, is a good Building; but for the Ease of its Inhabitants, there is a Chapel in the Town, wherein divine Service is sometimes celebrated. The
Ness
below the North-end of the Town is (since the washing away of
Eastonness
) the most Eastern Point of Land in
Great Britain.
Its principal Trade is Fishing for Herrings and Maycril. It has a noted Market weekly on
Wednesdays
; and two small Fairs yearly, the one on the 1st Day of
May,
and the other on the 29th of
September.
Besides the present Chapel, here was formerly, at the South-end of the Town, a Chapel called
Good-cross-chapel,
which hath long since been destroyed by the Sea. This Town, having been Part of the antient Demesnes of the Crown, hath a Charter, and a Town-seal: But the greatest Privilege they now enjoy from their Charter, is, that of not serving on Juries, either at the Sessions or Assizes.
From
High Suffolk,
I passed the
Waveney,
near
Schole-Inn,
and so came into
NORFOLK.
But, I believe, Sir, you will allow, that I have written enough in all Conscience for one Letter. I will therefore only further add, that I am,
Your humble Servant.
LETTER II. CONTAINING A Description of the Counties of
NORFOLK
and
CAMBRIDGE,
and that Part of
ESSEX
not touched on in the former.
SIR,
I N my Journey from
High Suffolk,
to
Norfolk,
I saw at
Redgrave
(the Seat of the Family) a beautiful Monument of that excellent Judge Sir
John Holt,
with the following Inscription upon it.
M. S.
D.
Johannis Holt,
Equitis Aur.
Totius
Angliae
in Banco Regis
per
21
Annos continuos
Capitalis Justitiarii; Gulielmo
Regi, Annae
que
Reginae,
Consiliarii perpetui;
Libertatis ac Legum
Anglicarum
Assertoris, Vindicis, Custodis,
Vigilis, Acris, & Intrepidi.
Rolandus
Frater Unicus & Haeres
Optime de se Merito
Posuit.
Die Martii Vto.
1709.
sublatus est
ex Oculis nostris.
Natus
30
Decembris, Anno
1640.
In
English
thus:
Sacred to the Memory of Sir
John Holt,
Knight, Lord Chief Justice of the
King's-bench,
for the Space of 21 Years successively, and of the Privy Council to King
William
and Queen
Anne.
A vigilant, penetrating and intrepid Assertor, Vindicator and Guardian of the Liberty and Laws of
England.
Rowland,
his only Brother and Heir, erected this Monument to him, who deserved all things at his Hands. He departed this Life the fifth Day of
March, Anno
1709. And was born the 30th of
December, Anno
1642.
When we come into
Norfolk,
we see a Face of Diligence spread over the whole Country; the vast Manufactures carried on chiefly by the
Norwich
Weavers, employ all the Country round in spinning Yarn for them; and also use many thousand Packs of Yarn, which they receive from other Countries, even from as far as
Yorkshire
and
Westmorland,
of which I shall speak in its Place.
This Side of
Norfolk
is very populous, and filled with a great Number of considerable Market-towns; insomuch that between the Borders of
Suffolk
and the City of
Norwich
on this Side, which is not above 22 Miles in Breadth, are the following Market-towns,
viz.
Thetford,
Dis,
Harling,
Bucknam,
Hingham,
West Deerham,
Attleboro',
Windham,
Harleston,
East
Deerham,
Watton,
Loddon,
&c.
Most of these Towns are very populous and large; but that which is most remarkable is, that the whole Country round them is interspersed with Villages so large, and so full of People, that they are equal to Market-towns in other Counties.
An eminent Weaver of
Norwich
gave me a Scheme of their Trade on this Occasion, by which, calculating from the Number of Looms at that time employ'd in the City of
Norwich
only, he made it appear very plain, that there were 120,000 People busy'd in the Woollen and Silk Manufactures of that City only; not that the People all lived in the City, tho'
Norwich
is very large and populous; but they were employ'd for spinning the Yarn used for such Goods as were all made in that City.
This shews the wonderful Extent of the
Norwich
Manufacture, or Stuff-weaving Trade, by which so many thousand Families are maintained.
This Throng of Villages continues thro' all the East Part of the Country, which is of the greatest Extent, and where the Manufacture is chiefly carried on: If any Part of it be thin of Inhabitants, it is the West Part, drawing a Line from about
Brandon,
South, to
Walsingham,
North. This Part of the Country indeed is full of open Plains, and somewhat sandy and barren, but yet feeds great Flocks of good Sheep.
NORWICH
is the Capital of the County, and the Centre of all the Trade and Manufactures which I have just mentioned; an antient, large, rich, and populous City: If a Stranger was only to ride thro' or view the City of
Norwich
on ordinary Days, he would be induced to think it a Town without Inhabitants; but on the contrary, if he was to view the City, either on a
Sabbath-day,
or on any publick Occasion, he would wonder where all the People could dwell, the Multitude is so great: But the Case is this; the Inhabitants being all busy at their Manufactures, dwell in their Garrets at their Looms, and in their Combing-shops, as they call them, Twisting-mills, and other Work-houses; almost all the Works they are employ'd in, being done within Doors. There are in this City 32 Parishes, besides the Cathedral, and a great many Meeting-houses of Dissenters of all Denominations. The Castle is antient and decayed, and now for many Years past made use of for a Gaol.
This City, as 'tis said, was built by the
Saxons
out of the Ruins of
Venta Icenorum,
now called
Caster,
where some Years since were found several
Roman
Urns. In the Time of the
Saxons
it was the principal Seat of the
East Angles,
and was reduced to Ashes by
Sueno
the
Dane.
It was re-edified, and Famine only compelled it to yield to
William the Conqueror.
The famous Rebellion of
Kett,
the Tanner of
Windham,
in the Reign of
Edward
VI. reduced it again to a ruinous State; but it was happily restored by Queen
Elizabeth,
who sent hither Part of the
Flemings,
that came over from the cruel Persecution of the Duke of
Alva
; to whose Industry and Example is owing the rich Manufacture of Stuffs, for which this City is so famous.
The Walls of this City are reckoned three Miles in Circumference, taking in more Ground than the City of
London,
within the Walls; but much of that Ground lies open in Pasture-fields and Gardens; nor does it seem to be, like some antient Places, a decayed declining Town, the Walls only marking out its antient Dimensions; for we do not see room to suppose, that it was ever larger or more populous than it is now. But the Walls seem to be placed, as if it was expected, that the City would in time increase sufficiently to fill them up with Buildings. There are 12 large Gates, which give Entrance to the City.
The Cathedral is a fine Fabrick, and the Spire-Steeple beautiful, and, next
Salisbury,
the highest in
England.
It is not antient, the Bishop's See having been first at
Thetford,
from whence it was not translated hither till the 12th Century; yet the Church has so many Antiquities in it, that our late great Scholar and Physician, Sir
Thomas Brown,
thought it worth his while to write a whole Book to collect the Monuments and Inscriptions in this Church, to which I refer the Reader. It has an Hospital in it, for 100 poor Men and Women, and a fine Market-cross. That called
Bridewell
is a large and most beautiful Building of square Flint.
The River
Yare
runs through it, and is navigable thus far without the Help of Locks or Stops; and being increased by other Waters, passes afterwards through a long Track of the richest Meadows, and the largest, take them all together, that are anywhere in
England,
lying for 30 Miles in Length, from this City to
Yarmouth,
including the Return of the said Meadows on the Bank of the
Waveney,
South, and on the River
Thyrn,
North.
There are Six large Bridges over the River running thro' the City, called
Hellesden, Coslany, Black-fryers, Tye-bridge, White-friers,
and
Bishopsgate
Bridges; and to repair these Bridges, as also the Walls and Gates, and the City Wastes, Stathes and Wharfs, (which were become so ruinous, that the ordinary Revenue of the City was insufficient for that Purpose) an Act of Parliament passed in the Year 1725-6. which laid divers Tolls and Imposts on particular Goods and Merchandizes brought into the City; the Produce of which were also to repair the great Roads leading from
Norwich
towards
London
; by which means these Roads, Bridges, Walls,
&c.
were put into good Condition, and kept so.
One thing is proper to be mentioned here, which History accounts not for. It is this: The River
Waveney
is a considerable River, and of a deep and full Chanel, navigable for large Barges as high as
Beccles
and
Bungay
; it runs for a Course of about 50 Miles, between the two Counties of
Suffolk
and
Norfolk,
as a Boundary to both; and pushing forward, tho' with a gentle Stream, no one would doubt, when they see the River growing broader and deeper, and going directly towards the Sea, even to the Edge of the Beach, and within a Mile of the main Ocean, but that it would make its Entrance into the Sea at that Place, and afford a noble Harbour for Ships at the Mouth of it; when, on a sudden, the Land rising high by the Sea-side, crosses the Head of the River, like a Dam, checks the whole Course of it, and it returns, bending its Course West, for two Miles, or thereabouts; and then turning North, thro' another long Course of Meadows, (joining to those just now mentioned) seeks out the River
Yare,
joins its Water with hers, and both find their Way to the Sea together.
Some of our Historians tell a long fabulous Story of this River's being once open, and a famous Harbour for Ships belonging to the Town of
Leostof
adjoining; but that
Yarmouth
envying the Prosperity of
Leostof,
made War upon them; and that after many bloody Battles, as well by Sea as by Land, they came at last to a decisive Action at Sea with their respective Fleets; but the
Leostof
Fleet being overthrown, and utterly destroyed, the
Yarmouth
Men either actually stopped up the Mouth of the said River, or obliged the vanquished
Leostof
Men to do it themselves, and bound them never to attempt to open it again.
I see no Authority for this Relation, neither do the Relators agree either in the Time or in the Particulars of the Fact.
In this vast Tract of Meadows are fed a prodigious Number of Black Cattle, which are said to produce the fattest Beef, tho' not the largest, in
England
; and the Quantity is so great, as that they not only supply the City of
Norwich,
the Town of
Yarmouth,
and the County adjacent, but send great Quantities of them weekly, in all the Winter Season, to
London.
And this in particular is worthy Remark, That the gross of all the
Scots
Cattle, which come yearly into
England,
are brought to a small Village lying North of the City of
Norwich,
called St.
Faith
's, where the
Norfolk
Grasiers go and buy them.
These
Scots
Runts, as they call them, coming out of the cold and barren Mountains of the Highlands in
Scotland,
feed so eagerly on the rich Pasture in these Marshes, that they thrive in an unusual manner, and grow very fat; and the Beef is so delicious for Taste, that the Inhabitants prefer them to the
English
Cattle, which are much larger and fairer to look at. Some have told me, and I believe with Truth, that there are above 40,000 of these
Scots
Cattle fed in this County every Year, and most of them in the Marshes between
Norwich, Beccles,
and
Yarmouth.
Yarmouth
is an antient Town, much older than
Norwich
; and tho' not extending over so much Ground, yet better built, and more complete, and not much inferior in Number of Inhabitants; and for Wealth, Traffick, and Advantage of its Situation, infinitely superior to
Norwich.
It is situated on a Peninsula between the River
Yare
and the Sea; the two last lying parallel to one another, and the Town in the Middle: The River lies on the West-side of the Town, and being grown very large and deep, by the Receiving of all the Rivers on this side the County, forms the Haven: and the Town facing to the West also, and open to the River, makes the finest Quay in
England,
if not in
Europe,
at least equalling that of
Marseilles
itself.
The Ships ride here so close, as it were, keeping up one another, with their Head-fasts on Shore, that for half a Mile together, they go cross the Stream with their Boltsprits over the Land, their Bows or Heads touching the very Wharf; so that one may walk from Ship to Ship as on a floating Bridge, all along by the Shore-side. The Quay reaching from the Draw-bridge almost to the South-gate, is so spacious and wide, that in some Places 'tis near 100 Yards from the Houses to the Wharf. In this pleasant and agreeable Range of Houses are some very magnificent Buildings, and, among the rest, the Custom-house and Town-hall, and some Merchants Houses, which look like little Palaces, rather than the Dwelling-houses of private Men.
The greatest Defect of this beautiful Town seems to be, that tho' it is very rich, and increasing in Wealth and Trade, and consequently in People, there is not Room to inlarge it by new Buildings; being precluded on the West and South-sides by the River, and on the East-side by the Sea, so that there is no Room but on the North-end without the Gate; and there the Land is not very agreeable: but had they had a larger Space within the Gates, there would before now, have been many spacious Streets of Buildings erected, as we see is done in some other thriving Towns in
England.
During the Fishing-fair, as they call it, one sees the Land covered with People, and the River with Barks and Boats, busy Day and Night, landing and carrying off the Herrings, which they catch here in almost incredible Quantities. I happened to be there during their Fishing-fair, when I told, in one Tide, One hundred and ten Barks and fishing Vessels coming up the River, all loaden with Herrings, taken the Night before; and this, over and above what was brought on Shore on the Dean (that is the Sea-side of the Town) by open Boats, which they call
The
Cobles
are open Boats, which come from the North, from
Scarbro', Whitby,
&c. and come to
Yarmouth
to let themselves out to fish for the Merchants during the Fair-time.
Cobles,
and which often bring in two or three
A Last is ten Barrels, each Barrel containing a thousand Herrings.
Lasts of Fish at a Time. The
The Barks come from the Coast of
Kent
and
Sussex,
as from
Folkston, Dover,
and
Rye
in
Kent,
and from
Brighthelmston
in
Sussex,
and let themselves out to fish for the Merchants during the said Fair, as the
Cobles
do from the North.
Barks often bring ten Lasts apiece.
This Fishing-fair began on
Michaelmas-day,
and lasts all the Month of
October,
by which time the Herrings draw off to Sea, shoot their Spawn, and are no more fit for the Merchants Business; at least not those that are taken hereabouts.
We have very different Accounts of the Quantity of Herrings caught here, in this Season; some have said, that the Towns of
Yarmouth
and
Leostoff
only, have taken 40,000 Lasts in a Season: I will not venture to confirm that Report; but I have heard the Merchants themselves say, that they have cured 40,000 Barrels of merchantable red Herrings in one Season, which (tho' far short of the other) is a very considerable Article; and it is to be added, that these are over and above all the Herrings consumed in the Country Towns of both those populous Counties, for 30 Miles from the Sea, whither very great Quantities are carried every Tide during the whole Season.
But this is only one Branch of the great Trade carried on in this Town; another Part of its Commerce is in the exporting these Herrings after they are cured; and for this its Merchants have a great Trade to
Genoa, Leghorn, Naples, Messina,
and
Venice,
as also to
Spain
and
Portugal
; exporting likewise with their Herrings great Quantities of Worsted Stuffs, and Stuffs made of Silk and Worsted; Camblets,
&c.
the Manufactures of the neighbouring City of
Norwich,
and of the Places adjacent.
Besides this, they carry on a very considerable Trade with
Holland,
exporting a vast Quantity of Woollen Manufactures every Year. Also they have a Fishing-trade to the North Seas for white Fish, which from the Place are called the North Sea Cod.
They have likewise a considerable Trade to
Norway,
and to the
Baltick,
from whence they bring back Deals, and Fir Timber, Oaken Plank, Baulks, Spars, Oars, Pitch, Tar, Hemp, Flax, Canvas, and Sail-cloth; with all manner of Naval Stores, for which they generally have a Consumption in their own Port, where they build a very great Number of Ships every Year, besides refitting and repairing the old.
Add to this the Coal-trade between
Newcastle
and the River of
Thames,
in which they are so improved of late Years, that they have now a greater Share of it than any other Town in
England
; and have quite worked the
Ipswich
Men out of it, who had formerly the chief Share of the Colliery in their Hands.
For the carrying on all these Trades, they have a very great Number of Ships, either of their own, or employed by them; and it may in some measure be judged of by this, That in the Year 1697. I had an Account from the Town Register, that there were then 1123 Sail of Ships using the Sea, belonging to the Town, besides such Ships as the Merchants of
Yarmouth
might be concerned in, and be Part-owners of, belonging to any other Ports.
To all this I must add, without Compliment to the Town, that the Merchants, and even the generality of Traders of
Yarmouth,
have a very good Reputation in Trade, as well Abroad as at Home, for fair and honourable Dealing; and their Seamen, as well Masters as Mariners, are justly esteemed among the ablest and most expert Navigators in
England.
This Town, however populous and large, had till lately but one Parish-church, dedicated to St.
Nicolas,
tho' it is very large. It has a high Spire, which is an useful Sea-mark. It was built by that famous Bishop of
Norwich, William Herbert,
who flourished in the Reign of
William
II. and
Henry
I.
William
of
Malmsbury
calls him
Vir pecuniosus,
from the Works of Charity and Munificence, which he has left as Witnesses of his immense Riches; for he built the Cathedral Church, the Priory for 60 Monks, the Bishop's Palace, and the Parish-church of St.
Leonard,
all in
Norwich
; this great Church at
Yarmouth,
the Church of St.
Margaret
at
Lynn,
and of St.
Mary
at
Elmham.
He removed the Episcopal See from
Thetford
to
Norwich,
and instituted the
Cluniack
Monks at
Thetford,
and gave them, or built them, a House.
But in the Reigns of Queen
Anne,
and the late King
George
I. two Acts passed for Building a new Church or Chapel of Ease in
Yarmouth,
and for enlightening the Streets of the Town, and other Purposes, all which is performed in so complete a manner as is worthy of the Place.
Also in the Year 1723. an Act passed for Clearing, Depthening, Repairing, Extending, Maintaining and Improving the Haven and Piers of
Yarmouth,
and for depthening and making more navigable the several Rivers emptying themselves at that Town; and also for preserving of Ships wintering in the Haven from Accidents by Fire: This Provision was a very necessary one; for the Haven is so very commodious for the secure and safe lying of Ships in the Winter Season, that several hundred Sail are yearly laid up and winter in it, which lie so contiguous to one another, and so near the Houses, that in case of Fire, not only the Ships, but the Town, would be in Danger of being totally destroyed.
Here is one of the finest Market-places, and the best served with Provisions in
England, London
excepted. The Streets are all exactly strait from North to South, from Lanes or Alleys, which they call
Rows,
crossing them in strait Lines also from East to West; so that it is the most regular-built Town in
England,
and seems as if it had been erected all at once upon one uniform Plan.
They have particular Privileges in this Town, and a Jurisdiction by which they can try, condemn, and execute in especial Cases, without waiting for a Warrant from Above; and this they exerted once very smartly, in executing a Captain of one of the King's Ships of War in the Reign of King
Charles
II. for a Murder committed in the Street; the Circumstance of which did indeed call for Justice: but some thought they would not have ventured to exert their Power as they did; however, I never heard that the Government resented it, or blamed them for it.
It is a very well governed Town; and I have nowhere in
England
observed the
Sabbath-day
so exactly kept, or the Breach of it so constantly punished, as in this Place, which I mention to their Honour.
From
Yarmouth
I resolved to pursue my first Design,
viz.
To view the Sea-side on this Coast, which is particularly noted for being one of the most dangerous and most fatal to the Sailors in all
Britain
; and the more so, because of the great Number of Ships which are continually going and coming this Way, in their Passage between
London
and all the Northern Coasts of
Great Britain.
The Reason of which is, that the Shore from the Mouth of the River of
Thames
to
Yarmouth
Road, lies in a strait Line from South-south-east to North-north-west, the Land being on the West or Larboard Side. From
Wintertonness,
which is the utmost easterly Point of Land in the County of
Norfolk,
and about four Miles beyond
Yarmouth,
the Shore falls off for near 60 Miles to the West, as far as
Lynn
and
Boston,
till the Shore of
Lincolnshire
tends North again for about 60 Miles more, as far as the
Humber
; whence the Coast of
Yorkshire,
or
Holderness,
which is the East-Riding, shoots out again into the Sea, to the
Spurn,
and to
Flambro' Head,
as far East almost as the Shore of
Norfolk
had given back at
Winterton,
making a very deep Gulph, or Bay, between those two Points of
Winterton
and the
Spurn Head
; so that the Ships going North are obliged to stretch away to Sea from
Wintertonness
; and leaving the Sight of Land in the deep Bay I have mentioned, that reaches to
Lynn,
and the Shore of
Lincolnshire,
they go, as I observed, North or still North-north-west, to meet the Shore of
Holderness,
which, as I said, runs out into the Sea again at the
Spurn
; this they leave also, and the first Land they make, is called as above,
Flambro' Head
; so that
Wintertonness
and
Flambro' Head
are the two Extremes of this Course. There is, indeed, the
Spurn Head
between; but as it lies too far in towards the
Humber,
they keep out to the North to avoid coming near it.
In like manner the Ships which come from the North, leave the Shore at
Flambro' Head,
and stretch away South-south-east for
Yarmouth
Roads; and the first Land they make is
Wintertonness,
as above. Now, the Danger of the Place is this: If the Ships coming from the North are taken with a hard Gale of Wind from the South-east, or from any Point between North-east and South-east, so that they cannot weather
Wintertonness,
they are thereby kept within that deep Bay; and if the Wind blows hard, are often in Danger of running on Shore upon the Rocks about
Cromere,
on the North-coast of
Norfolk,
or stranding upon the flat Shore between
Cromere
and
Wells.
All the Relief they have, is good Ground-tackle to ride it out, which is very hard to do there, the Sea coming very high upon them; or if they cannot ride it out, then to run into the Bottom of the great Bay, to
Lynn
or
Boston,
which is a very difficult and desperate Push: so that sometimes in this Distress whole Fleets have been lost here all together.
In the same Danger are Ships going Northward; for if, after passing by
Winterton,
they are taken short with a North-east Wind, and cannot put back into the Roads, which very often happens, they are driven upon the same Coast, and embay'd just as the latter. The Danger on the North-part of this Bay is not the same, because if Ships going or coming should be taken short on this side
Flambro',
there is the River
Humber
open to them, and several good Roads to have recourse to; as
Burlington
Bay,
Grimsby
Road, the
Spurn
Head, and others, where they ride under Shelter.
The Dangers of this Place being thus considered, 'tis no wonder, that upon the Shore beyond
Yarmouth,
there are no less than Four Light-houses kept flaming every Night, besides the Lights at
Castor,
North of the Town, and at
Goulston,
South. All which are to direct the Sailors to keep a good Offing, in case of bad Weather, and to prevent their running into
Cromere-bay,
which the Seamen call the
Devil's Throat.
As I went by Land from
Yarmouth
North-west, along the Shore towards
Cromere
aforesaid, and was not then fully Master of the Reason of these things, I was surprised to see, in all the Way from
Winterton,
that the Farmers, and Country People had scarce a Barn, Shed, Stable, or Pales to their Yards and Gardens, or a Hog-stye, or Necessary-house, but what was built of old Planks, Beams, Wales and Timber,
&c.
the deplorable Wrecks of Ships, and Ruins of Mariners and Merchants Fortunes; and in some Places were whole Yards filled, and piled up very high, with the same Stuff laid up for the like building Purposes.
About the Year 1692. there was a melancholy Example of what I have said of this Place: A Fleet of 200 Sail of light Colliers went out of
Yarmouth
Roads with a fair Wind, to pursue their Voyage, and were taken short with a Storm of Wind at North-east. After they were past
Wintertonness,
a few Leagues, some of them, whose Masters made a better Judgment of Things, or who were not so far out as the rest, tacked and put back in time, and got safe into the Roads; but the rest, pushing on, in hopes to keep out to Sea, and weather it, were by the Violence of the Storm driven back, when they were too far embay'd to weather
Wintertonness,
a above; and so were forced to run West, every one shifting for themselves, as well as they could; some run away for
Lynn Deeps,
but few of them (the Night being so dark) could find their Way thither; some, but very few, rid it out, at a Distance; the rest, being above 140 Sail, were all driven on Shore, and dashed to Pieces, and very few of the People on Board were saved. At the very same unhappy Juncture, a Fleet of loaden Ships were coming from the North, and being just crossing the same Bay, were forcibly driven into it, not able to weather the
Ness,
and so were involved in the same Ruin as the light Fleet was; also some coasting Vessels loaden with Corn from
Lynn
and
Wells,
and bound for
Holland,
were with the same unhappy Luck just come out, to begin their Voyage, and some of them lay at Anchor: these also met with the same Misfortune, so that in the whole, above 200 Sail of Ships, and above 1000 People, were lost in the Disaster of that one miserable Night, very few escaping.
Cromere
is a Market-town close to the Shore of this dangerous Coast: I know nothing it is famous for (besides its being thus the Terror of the Sailors) except good Lobsters, which are taken on that Coast in great Numbers, and carried to
Norwich,
and in such Quantities sometimes too, as to be conveyed by Sea to
London.
Farther within the Land, and between this Place and
Norwich,
are several good Market-towns, and a great many Villages, all diligently applying to the Woollen Manufacture, and the Country is exceeding fertile, as well in Corn as Pasture; particularly, (which was very pleasant to see) the Pheasants were in such great Plenty, as to be seen in the Stubble like Cocks and Hens; a Testimony tho' (by the way) that the County had more Tradesmen than Gentlemen in it. Indeed this Part is so intirely given up to Industry, that what with the Seafaring-men on the one Side, and the Manufactures on the other, we saw no idle Hands here, but every Man busy. Some of the principal of these Towns are;
1.
Hickling
and
North-Waltham,
noted only for a Market each.
2.
Alsham,
a poor Town, noted for Knitters.
3.
Worsted,
for the Invention and twisting of Yarn, so called; also famed for Stockens and Stuffs.
4.
Catton,
noted for a brazen Hand being carried before the Steward of the Demesne, instead of a Mace, and for a Bridge over the
Duze.
5.
Reepham,
for a good Malt-market; having no Church at all out of three: for there are only the Ruins of one of them standing.
6.
Holt,
for giving two Lord Mayors of the Name of
Gresham
(who were Brothers) to
London,
in 1537. and 1547.
7.
Fakenham,
noted for nothing at all, but formerly for having Salt-pits; and,
8.
St. Faiths,
whither the Drovers bring their Black Cattle to sell to the
Norfolk
Graziers, as I observed above.
Not far from
Cromere
is
Gresham,
the Birth-place of the generous Founder of the
Royal Exchange
and
Gresham Col
ge, London.
From
Cromere
we rode on the Strand or open Shore to
Weyburn Hope,
the Shore so flat, that in some Places the Tide ebbs out near two Miles From
Weyburn
West lies
Clye,
where there are large Salt-works, and very good Salt made, which is sold all over the County, and sometimes sent to
Holland
and
ick.
From
Clye
we go to
Marham
and to
Wells,
all Towns on the Coast, in each whereof there is a very considerable Trade carried on with
Holland
for Corn, which that Part of the County is very full of, besides the great Trade driver here from
Holland,
back again; which I take to be a Trade carried on with much less Honesty than Advantage, especially while the Art of Smuggling was so much in Practice, which the Laws have of late rendered more difficult than it was; tho' far from suppressing it.
The Seven Burnhams,
which are so many small Towns called by the same Name, and each employed in the same
Holland
Trade as
Marham
and
Wells,
lie on and near the Sea-coast to the North-west of
Walsingham.
From the Sea-coast we turned to the South-west, thro'
Snetham,
a small Market-town, to
Castle-Rising,
an old decayed Borough Town, with hardly Ten Families in it, which yet sends Two Members to Parliament; but shews a great many Marks of
Roman, Saxon,
and
Danish
Antiquities in and about it.
On our Left we saw
Walsingham,
an antient Town, famous for the old Ruins of a Monastery there, and the Shrine of our Lady, as noted as that of St.
Thomas-a-Becket
at
Canterbury
; hence called,
Our Lady of Walsingham.
Two Wells here are still called by the Name of the
Blessed Virgin.
Near this Place, at
Raynham,
is the Seat of the Lord Viscount
Townshend
; and not far distant, at
Houghton,
that noble new-built one of Sir
Robert Walpole
; the Gardens and Plantations of which are very large and beautiful.
The general Plan and Front of the House and Offices extend to 450 Feet; the great Hall is a Circle of 40 Feet; the Salon 40 by 30 Feet; and all the other Rooms in the four great Apartments are 18 Feet high; the Attick Story is 12 Feet high, and the Rustick Story the same, all above Ground, under which is an intire Story of Cellars all arched. The Front to the great Entrance extends to 166 Feet, lying open to the Park. The Building is finished with two Towers, dressed with two Rustick
Venetian
Windows. The Section of the great Hall all in Stone, the most beautiful in
England.
The whole Building is of Stone, and without pretending to excuse any seeming or real Defect, it may be truly said to be a House of State and Conveniency worthy of a Prince's Residence.
This stately Structure, begun in the Year 1722. was completely finished, Inside and Outside, in the Year 1735. the noble Founder having had the singular Felicity all the time to continue at the Helm of Affairs, as he does still,
Anno
1741.
On the Foundation-stone, placed in the South-east Angle, is this Inscription:
Hic me posuit
ROBERTUS
ille
WALPOLE,
Quem tu non nescies, Posteritas;
Fandamen ut essem Demus
In Agro Natali extruendae,
24o
die Maii, A. D.
MDCCXXII.
Faxit Deus,
Postquam nea urus aevi Dominus
Diu laetatu fuerit, ab
lutâ,
Incolumens tueantur incolumes,
Ad summam Diem,
Et Nati Natorum, & qui nascentur
ab illis.
Which may be
Englished
thus.
Here that Sir
ROBERT WALPOLE,
with whom, O Posterity! thou shalt not be unacquainted, has fixed me to stand as the Foundation of a Seat designed to be built in his native County, the 24th Day of
May
in the Year 1722. God grant, that after its Master, to a mature Old Age, shall have long enjoy'd it in Perfection, his latest Descendants may safely and securely possess it to the End of Time.
The noble Founder had doubtless in his Thoughts, in this Inscription, the uncertain State of Prime Ministers, and of the superb Structures built by them in the Height of their Power in all Ages and Countries; and we hope the Merits of him and his Descendants to their native Country may induce the Almighty to give a
Fiat
to his Prayer.
We proceeded hence to
Lynn,
another rich and populous Port-town, well built, and well situated, at the Mouth of the River
Ouse
; which has the greatest Extent of inland Navigation, of any Port in
England, London
excepted. The Reason whereof is, that more navigable Rivers empty themselves here into the Sea, including the Washes, which are Branches of the same Port, than at any one Mouth of Waters in
England,
except the
Thames
and the
Humber.
By these navigable Rivers the Merchants of
Lynn
supply about six Counties wholly, and three Counties in Part, with their Goods, especially Wine and Coals;
viz.
By the little
Ouse,
they send their Goods to
Brandon
and
Thetford
; by the Lake, to
Mildenhall, Barton-Mills,
and
St. Edmundsbury
; by the River
Grant
to
Cambridge
; by the great
Ouse
itself, to
Ely,
to
St. Ives,
to St.
Neots,
to
Barford-bridge,
and to
Bedford
; by the River
Nyne,
to
Peterboro
'; by the Drains and Washes to
Wisbich,
to
Spalding, Market-deeping,
and
Stamford
; besides the several Counties, into which these Goods are carried by Land Carriage, from the Places where the Navigation of those Rivers ends; which has given Rise to this Observation on the Town of
Lynn,
That they bring in more Coals, than any Sea-port between
London
and
Newcastle,
and import more Wines than any Port in
England,
except
London
and
Bristol
; their Trade to
Norway,
and to the
Baltick Sea,
is also great in Proportion, and of late Years they have extended it farther to the Southward.
There are many Gentry, and consequently more Gayety, in this Town than in
Yarmouth,
or even
Norwich,
the Place abounding in very good Company; and indeed it is so considerable, that it merits as particular a Description as the Nature of this Work will admit; and which, therefore, I will give as succinctly as I can.
To begin then: This Town was first called
Lynn-Episcopi,
as the Property of the Bishop of
Norwich,
till the Dissolution of Monasteries by King
Henry
VIII. when that Prince, becoming its Possessor, conferred on it the Name of
Lynn Regis.
It is situated towards the Mouth of the
Great Ouse,
encompassed with a deep Trench, walled almost all round, containing about 2400 Houses, and divided by four Rivulets arched over with about 15 Bridges. It extends along the East-side of the River; which in high Spring-tides flows above 20 Feet perpendicular, and is about the Breadth of the
Thames
above Bridge, for the Length of a Mile, and is divided into nine Wards. On the North-end, towards the Sea, stands
St. Anne's Fort,
with a Platform of 12 large Guns, commanding all Ships which pass by the Harbour; and towards the Land, besides the Wall, there are nine regular Bastions and a Ditch, nearly in the Form of a Semicircle, which make it above half a Mile in Breadth. The Town is so antient as to be supposed the same with
Maiden-Bower,
according to several old Historians.
It has many remarkable Places, which deserve a more particular Description than I have Room for: however, I shall touch upon them briefly; as,
St. Margaret
's Church, the
Town-hall, Bridewell,
the
Custom-house
and
Exchange,
the
Market-cross, St. Nicolas
's Chapel,
All-Saints
Church, the
Free-School,
the
Hospitals,
the Statue of King
James
II. King
John
's Sword and Cup, the common
Stath-yard,
the
Lady's Mount,
the publick Libraries, the King's
Stath-yard,
and other Remarkables, of which in their Order; and first of
St. Margarets
Church.
This Church, which was formerly an Abbey, and is one of the largest Parochial Churches in
England,
is adorned with a very fair and high Lanthorn, covered with Lead, containing the Clock-bell, lately cast, which may be heard all over the Town. Its Height is 132 Feet. At the West-end stands a Stone Tower, 82 Feet high; and facing the Street a Moon-dial, designed to tell the Increase and Decrease of that Planet, with the exact Hour of the Day▪ It moves by Clock-work. Over the Tower is a Spire 193 Feet high in form of a Pyramid; near to which is the Bell-tower built of Free-stone, 86 Feet high, containing a Ring of eight Bells. In this Church is kept the Bishop's Court, when he comes hither on his Visitation.
The Town-house, called
Trinity-hall,
is an antient and noble Building, which makes a fine Appearance.
Adjoining to it is the House of Correction called
Bridewell,
with Apartments proper for the Reception of such as are put there; who beat and dress Hemp during their Confinement.
The
Exchange
is a fair Structure of Free-stone, with two Orders of Columns, situated in the Middle of the Town, and built at the Expence of Sir
John Turner,
Knight; and within it is the
Custom-house,
containing several commodious Apartments.
The
Market-house
is a new Edifice of Free-stone, in the modern Taste, 70 Feet high, erected on four Steps, neatly adorned with Statues, and other Embellishments; with an Inscription giving an Account of its former Condition, and present Rebuilding.
St. Nicolas
's Chapel is very antient, and stands at the North-end of the Town. It is an Appendage to
St. Margaret
's, and is esteemed one of the fairest and largest religious Fabricks in
England
; it has a Bell-tower of Free-stone, and a pyramidical octangular Spire over it, both which together are 170 Feet from the Ground.
All-Saints
Church, in
South-Lynn,
belonged formerly to the
Carmelite
and
White
Friers, on the Ruins of whose Monastery it is built. Tho' not large, it is neat, solid and regular, in form of a Cross, within a Church-yard well walled in.
On the North-side of
St. Margaret
's Church-yard is the
Free-school,
a strong and beautiful Building.
The only Fabrick formerly belonging to any religious Order, now standing, is the
Grey-Fryers
Steeple, a noted Sea-mark; which was repaired and amended out of the Ruins of a demolished Chapel in the Year 1539. It may not be amiss to mention here a remarkable and laudable Order, that was made in the Year 1588. That on every first
Monday
in the Month there should be a Meeting of the Mayor, Aldermen, some of the Common-Council, and the Preachers, in order to settle Peace and Quietness between Man and Man, and to decide all manner of Controversies: this was called
The Feast of Reconciliation.
In the Parish of
All-Saints
is a small
Hospital
for four poor Men to live rent-free.
St. Mary Magdalen
's
Hospital,
founded in the Reign of King
Stephen,
for a Prior, and 12 Brethren and Sisters, continued in a flourishing Condition about 400 Years; and devolved to the Crown at the making the Statute for Dissolution of religious Houses in the Reign of
Edward
VI. in whose Time it was robbed, and almost levelled with the Ground, by
Kett
's Mutineers, at their Return from their frustrated Attempt to surprise
Lynn:
so that it remained destitute of Brethren and Sisters, except some poor People, whom the Mayor and Burgesses maintained with Design to support the antient Hospital, till King
James
I. upon Petition restored them their Lands, granted them many Privileges, and incorporated them: but in the Year 1643. it was a second time destroy'd by Fire by the Earl of
Manchester
's Forces, when they besieged
Lynn,
then standing out for the King. In the Year 1649. the Corportation rebuilt it very commodiously, as at present, with two Courts, a Chapel, and convenient Apartments for the Master, Brethren, and Sisters, and several Inscriptions commemorating the late Disaster. It is now committed to the Care of Two of the Elder Aldermen, chosen for that Purpose by the other Governors.
There is in the great Market-place a Statue erected in the Year 1686. to the Honour of King
James
II. with an Inscription that may serve for a Satire on the undue Compliments which are frequently paid to Princes, during the Time of their Prosperity. It stands on a Pedestal, which has several Embellishments, and is inclosed within a Palisade of Iron. The Inscription is as follows:
Non immemor
Quantum Divinis invictiss. Principis
JACOBI II.
Virtutibus debeat,
Hanc Regiae Majestatis Effigiem,
Aeternum Fidei et Obsequii
Monumentum, erexit
S. P. Q. L.
Anno Salutis
1686.
In
English,
thus:
The Aldermen and Common Council of
Lynn,
not forgetting how much they owe to the divine Virtues of the invincible King
James
II. as a lasting Monument of their Faith and Loyalty, have erected this Statue of his Royal Majesty,
Anno
1686.
In 1682. an old ruinous Building, which was once a Chapel, was, by the Corporation, and other Inhabitants, made a publick Receptacle for poor Children to learn to spin Wooll: here they are also taught to read. It is now, by Act of Parliament, settled and vested in the Guardians of the Poor.
There was a Church formerly in the Town, dedicated to St.
John,
and belonging to the Hospital of that Name, both which are alike extinct.
The Corporation boasts of having been presented by King
John
with a very rich double-gilt Cup and Cover, weighing 73 Ounces, which is preserved to this Day, and used on publick Occasions; and at the same time a large Sword, with a Silver Mounting, from his own Side, as is engraven on the Inscription on the Hilt.
The Entrance into the common
Stath-yard
from the
Tuesday
Market is by two large Gate-ways with habitable Rooms over them. It is a beautiful large square Area, with a commodious Quay or Wharf, surrounded with Ware-houses and Granaries for all sorts of Merchandize with spacious Vaults.
At a small Distance from the Town, stands a ruinous Pile, called
The Lady's Mount,
or
Red Mount
; wherein formerly was a Chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, which served as a Receptacle for Pilgrims travelling this Way towards the celebrated Convent of
Our Lady
at
Walsingham.
The Library at
St. Nicolas
was erected by a voluntary Subscription of several Hundred Pounds; to which the late Lord
Townshend,
(who took his Title of Baron from this Town) Sir
Robert Walpole,
Sir
Charles Turner,
and
Robert Britiffe,
Esq
deceased, were considerable Benefactors. There is also another Library at
St. Margaret
's, to which the late
Thomas Thurlin,
D. D. President of
St. John
's in
Cambridge,
bequeathed all his Books; and also left an Exhibition of Six Pounds a Year to a poor Scholar, who should go from the Grammar-school to
St. John
's College in
Cambridge
; and forty Shillings yearly towards the Cloathing three of the poorest Inhabitants of
Gaywood,
&c.
The Inhabitants of
Lynn
suffer great Inconvenience from the want of fresh-water Springs within the Town; with which Element, however, they are supplied from a River running by
Gaywood,
and by leaden Pipes from
Middleton
and
Mintling.
The Church of
St. Edmund,
in
North-Lynn,
was long ago intirely swallowed up by the Sea.
The King's
Stath-yard
is a very handsome Square, with Brick Buildings fronting each Way; in the Centre of which stands the Statue of
James
I. in a Nich fronting the West. Here the greatest Part of imported Wines are landed, as it has a convenient Quay, and large Wine-vaults.
At the South-end of the Town stood an Oil-mill, framed in
Holland,
and brought over hither near 100 Years ago. It gave a pleasant Prospect to every Part of the Town; but in the Year 1737. was consumed by Fire
From what has been said, it will be observed, that the Situation of this Town renders it capable of being made very strong; and in the late Wars it was so, a Line of Fortification being drawn round it at a Distance from the Walls; the Ruins, or rather Remains of which Works appear to this Day; nor would it be a hard Matter to restore the Bastions, with the Ravelins and Counterscarp, upon any sudden Emergency, to a good State of Defence; especially because they are able to fill all their Ditches with Water from the Sea, in such a manner as that it cannot be drawn off.
They pass over here in Boats into the Fen Country, and over the famous Washes into
Lincolnshire
; but the Passage is very dangerous and uneasy; for here Passengers often miscarry, and are lost; but then it is usually on their venturing at improper times, and without the Guides, which if they would be persuaded not to do, they would very rarely fail of going or coming safe.
From
Lynn,
I bent my Course Southward to
Downham,
where is an ugly wooden Bridge over the
Ouse
; at which, as
Hollingshead
informs us, in
October
1568. were taken 17 monstrous Fishes, from 20 to 27 Feet long.
When we were at
Downham,
we took a Turn to the antient Town of
Thetford,
situated partly in
Norfolk,
and partly in
Suffolk.
It was raised on the Ruins of the antient
Sitomagus,
which was destroy'd by the
Danes.
It is at present but meanly built; but by the Ruins of Churches and Monasteries still remaining, appears to have been formerly of great Account; and even so far back as the Time of King
Edward the Confessor,
it had 947 Burgesses, and in that of
William the Conqueror
720 Mansions. On the
Suffolk
Side there now remain the Ruins of six Churches and Monasteries, and there were several others in the Town; but now there are but three Parish Churches standing intire, one on the
Suffolk,
and two on the
Norfolk
Side. It is, however, a Town Corporate, governed by a Mayor, Aldermen and Common-council; has three annual Fairs, a plentiful weekly Market, and is a kind of See suffragan to that of
Norwich.
In the 7th Year of King
James
I. an Act passed for the Founding of an Hospital, a Grammar-school, and Maintenance of a Preacher in this Town for ever, according to the last Will of Sir
Richard Fulmarston:
And Sir
Joseph Williamson,
Secretary of State to King
Charles
II. built here a new Council-house, and was otherwise a good Benefactor to the Place. The
Lent
Assizes are usually held here.
From
Thetford
we crossed the
Ouse,
to
Brandon,
which gives the Title of an
English
Duke to Duke
Hamilton
of
Scotland.
This is no ill-built Town, and has a good Church belonging to it. It gave a Lord Mayor to
London, Anno
1445;
viz.
Sir
Simon Eyre,
Draper, who built
Leadenhall
for the Use of the City, and left 5000 Marks, a very great Sum in those Days, to charitable Uses.
Brandon
has lost its Market, but stands conveniently upon the
Ouse,
over which it has a Bridge, and a Ferry, to convey Goods to and from the Isle of
Ely,
to which we directly bent our Course.
We made an Excursion from
Ely
Northwards up to the
Fens
; but we saw nothing that Way worth our Curiosity, or remarking, but deep Roads, vast Drains and Dykes of Water, which are all navigable; but with all this, a very rich Soil, bearing a great Quantity of Hemp, but a bad unwholsome Air.
Wisbich,
however, which lies on the Northern Extremity of the County, has not only been of Note in the Conqueror's Time, who built a Castle here; but is now a well-built Market-town, has a good Town-hall, and is esteemed the best Trading-town in the Isle, as having the Convenience of good Water-carriage to
London,
whither they send great Quantities of Oil and Butter, and bring back all sorts of Commodities, with which the whole Isle is furnished; for it has a plentiful Market.
A good way lower down, to the South, are the two Market-towns of
Mersh
and
Thorney
; the first is very inconsiderable, the other is delightfully situated; and the Land about it very fruitful in Grass and Trees.
The
Isle of Ely
is encompassed with the
Ouse,
and other Waters. The City is situated on a Hill, in the Middle of a great Plain. It is full of Springs, insomuch that in the principal Street, in the East Part of the Town, there are Wells bricked up Knee-high almost at every hundred Yards, which the whole Year generally overflow from one to another, all the way down the Declivity of the Hill on which the Town stands. The Soil is exceeding rich, and the City is encompassed with Gardens, the Produce of which is so excellent, that it furnishes all the County for 20 Miles round, even as far as
Cambridge,
and
St. Ives
; the former of which has almost all its Garden-stuff from hence. Great Quantities of Strawberries are cultivated here, particularly of the white Wood sort.
The most remarkable thing that I observed of the Minster was, that it is seen for many Miles round; but is so old, that it seems to totter with every high Gust of Wind.
On the East-side of the
Cam,
a little below
Ely,
stands
Soham,
a little Market-town towards the Borders of
Suffolk,
near the Marshes, which were formerly dangerous to pass; but now there is a Causey made, which leads very securely over them. Here are the Remains of an antient Church, which was ruined by the
Danes.
We proceeded from hence to
Newmarket.
Near
Snaybell,
as we went, we saw a noble Seat of Admiral
Russel,
created Earl of
Orford,
for the glorious Victory obtained under his Command over the
French
Fleet, and the burning their Ships at
La Hogue.
The Situation of this House is low, and on the Edge of the Fen Country; but the Building is fine, the Apartments noble, and the Gardens well-finished. On the Earl's Death it devolved to
Samuel Sandys,
Esq
in Right of his Wife, one of the Earl's Heirs, who now possesses it.
Arriving at
Newmarket
in the Month of
October,
I had the Opportunity to see the Horse-races, and a great Concourse of the Nobility and Gentry, as well from
London,
as from all Parts of
England
; but they were all so intent, so eager, so busy upon what is called the sharping Part of the Sport, of Wagers and Bets, that to me they seemed rather like so many Horse-coursers in
Smithfield,
than Persons of Dignity and Quality, who descend so low as even to circumvent one another; and, if I may speak it, pick one another's Pockets. To see a Person of Distinction who, perhaps, being ennobled, his Word of Honour, by the Laws of the Land, is to be esteemed and received with equal Sanction as an Oath in our Courts of Justice, level himself with a Groom, or a Riding-boy, and put his Credit and Honour in his Hands with a Bribe, to betray his Master and his Trust, is a thing scarce credible among those who are really Men of Honour; and yet it is too often the Case, to the indelible Shame of Men of Rank and Quality be it spoken in particular, and to the Reproach of the Nation in general! How different is this Conduct from that of those in the
Circus
at
Rome?
How much more different from those who gained so much Honour in the
Grecian
Races? What
Pindar
could be found in these Days to celebrate them? What must his Subject be, Tricks and Circumventions! Alas! How degenerate! And yet these Races were instituted with a very good Intent, to raise an Emulation in our Nobility and Gentry, to keep up and preserve a Race of good Horses, in Honour of the Nation in general; but as the Institution is debased, it is not the best Horse that wins the Race; but that which is destined for it by a Combination.
Before I was let into the Secret, as 'tis called, which is indeed nothing but the knavish Part of the Sport, I was much diverted with these Races; but when I was, I rejoiced not a little at the Regulation that it has met with from the Power that only had Authority to make it. For this Diversion becoming a publick Nuisance, by spreading itself in little Matches all over the Kingdom, the Legislature took Cognizance of it, and in the 13th of King
George
II. a Law passed, which injoins as follows;
viz.
That none but the Owners of Horses shall enter them, and but one Horse at a Time.
That no Plate under 50
l.
Value shall be run for, on Penalty of 200
l.
—and 100
l.
to such as shall advertise, print, or publish any Advertisement of a Plate to be run for of less Value than 50
l.
Five Years old Horses to carry 10 Stone; Six, 11; Seven, 12; on the Forfeiture of the Horse, and 200
l.
The Race to be begun and ended in one Day.
Matches to be at
Newmarket
; and
Black-Hambleton, Yorkshire,
only; on Penalty of 200
l.
But Gifts left for annual Races not to be alter'd.
Somersetshire
Penalties to go to
Bath Hospital.
Entrance Money to be paid to the second-best Horse.
I went in the Intervals of the Sport to see the fine Seats of the Gentlemen in the neighbouring County; for this Part of
Suffolk,
being an open champain Country, and in a healthy Air, is formed for Pleasure, and all kinds of rural Diversion; Nature, as it were, inviting the Gentlemen to visit her, where she is plentifully furnished to receive them; and the Country is accordingly in a manner covered with fine Palaces of the Nobility, and pleasant Seats of the Gentry.
Euston-hall,
the Seat of the Duke of
Grafton,
lies in the open Country towards the Side of
Norfolk,
not far from
Thetford
; a Place capable of all that is pleasant and delightful in Nature, and greatly improved by Art.
From thence I went to
Rushbrook,
formerly the Seat of the noble Family of
Jermyns,
lately Lord
Dover,
and now of the House of
Davers.
Then we saw
Brently,
the Seat of the Earl of
Dysert,
and the antient Palace of my Lord
Cornwallis,
with several others most agreeably situated, and adorned with the Beauties-both of Art and Nature.
Newmarket
is a handsome well-built Town, and being a Thorough-fare, reaps no small Advantage by that means as well as from the Races. It consists chiefly of one long Street, the North-side of which is in
Suffolk,
and the South in
Cambridgeshire.
The King has a House of his own, where he resides when he thinks fit to come to the Races. The Town has two Churches belonging to it, and a Free-school endowed by King
Charles
II.
We entered
Cambridgeshire
out of
Suffolk
with all the Advantage that can be imagined; just upon those pleasant and agreeable Plains, called
Newmarket-Heath.
Across which extends a Fortification, or Ditch, with a Rampart, commonly called
The Devil's Dyke,
as Works of an extraordinary Nature are generally, by the Vulgar, attributed to that Prince of Darkness thro' the Nation; but among the Gentry it is best known by the Name of
Rech Dyke,
from
Rech,
a small Market-town lying near the Heath. It is supposed to have been the Boundary of the Kingdom of the
East-Angles.
Passing this Ditch, we see from the Hills called
Gogmagog,
or rather
Hogmagog,
a rich and pleasant Vale Westward, covered with Corn-fields, Gentlemens Seats, Villages; and at a Distance, to crown all the rest, that antient and truly famous Town and University of
Cambridge,
Capital of the County.
Cambridgeshire,
except the Fen Country, is almost wholly a Corn Country; and of that Corn five Parts in six of all they sow, is Barley, which is generally sold to
Ware
and
Royston,
and other great Malting-towns in
Hertfordshire,
and is the Fund from whence that vast Quantity of Malt, called
Hertfordshire
Malt, is made, which is esteemed the best in
England.
As
Essex, Suffolk
and
Norfolk,
are taken up in Manufactures, and famed for Industry, this County has no Manufacture at all; nor are the Poor, except the Husbandmen, noted for any thing so much as Idleness and Sloth, to their Scandal be it spoken! What the Reason of it is, I know not.
On the Top of
Hogmagog Hills
appears an antient Camp, or Fortification, with a treble Rampart and Ditch, which most of our Writers say was neither
Roman
nor
Saxon,
but
British.
King
James
II. caused a spacious Stable to be built in the Area of this Camp, for his Running-horses, and made old Mr.
Frampton
Master or Inspector of them: The Stables remain still there, tho' they are not often made use of. The Earl
Godolphin
has here a fine House on the very Summit of the Hill, to which his Lordship frequently resorts, especially in the Racing-season.
As we descended Westward, we saw the Fen Country on our Right, almost all covered with Water like a Sea. The
Michaelmas
Rains, having been very great that Year, sent down vast Floods of Water from the Upland Countries; and those Fens being the Sink of no less than 13 Counties, they are often thus overflowed. The Rivers which thus empty themselves into these Fens, and carry off the Water, are the
Cam
or
Grant,
the
Great Ouse,
and
Little Ouse,
the
Nene,
the
Welland,
and the River which runs from
Bury
to
Milden-hall.
The Counties which these Rivers drain, as above, are those of
Lincoln,
*
Cambridge,
*
Huntingdon,
*
Bedford,
Warwick,
Oxford,
Leicester,
*
Northampton.
Rutland,
Norfolk,
Suffolk,
and
Essex.
Those mark'd with (*) empty
all
their Waters this Way, the rest but
in Part.
In a Word, all the Water of the Middle Part of
England,
which does not run into the
Thames
or the
Trent,
comes down into these Fens.
In these Fens are abundance of those admirable Pieces of Art call'd
Duckoys,
and it is incredible what Quantities of Wild-fowl of all sorts, Duck, Mallard, Teal, Wigeon,
&c.
they take in them every Week during the Season: It may indeed be guessed at in some measure by this, that there is a Duckoy not far from
Ely,
which yields the Landlord 500
l.
a Year clear of the Charge of maintaining a great Number of Servants for the Management; from whence alone they assured me at
St. Ives,
(a Town on the
Ouse,
whither the Fowls are always brought to be conveyed to
London
) that they generally sent up 3000 Couples a Week.
There are more of these about
Peterborough,
from whence Waggon Loads are sent up twice a Week to
London.
I have seen these Waggons, before the Act of Parliament to regulate Carriers, drawn by ten or twelve Horses apiece, they were loaden so heavy.
As these Fens appear overwhelm'd with Water, I observed that they generally at this latter Part of the Year appear also covered with Fogs; so that, when the Downs and higher Grounds of the adjacent Country glistered with the Beams of the Sun, the
Isle of Ely
seemed wrapped up in Mist and Darkness, so that nothing could be discerned but now and then the Cupola of
Ely
Minster.
One could hardly see this from the Hills, without Concern for the many thousand Families confined to those Fogs, who had no other Breath to draw, than what must be mixed with the choaking Vapours, which spread over all the Country: but notwithstanding this, the People, especially those that are used to it, live as healthy as those in a clearer Air, except now-and-then an Ague, which they make light of; and there are great Numbers of very antient People among them. An Act passed a few Years ago for the effectual Draining and Preservation of
Haddenham Level
in the
Isle of Ely,
which contains 6500 Acres, which were overflowed chiefly thro' the Neglect of preserving and clearing the Out-falls into the Sea; and as these Grounds are naturally very rich and fertile, it may be imagined what a Benefit must accrue to the Publick by this means, when the Draining and Recovery of them can be completed.
Having been at
Sturbridge-fair,
when it was in its Height in the Month of
September,
the Year before I was at
Newmarket,
I must say, that it is not only the greatest in the whole Nation, but I think in
Europe
; nor is the Fair at
Leipsick
in
Saxony,
the Mart at
Frankfort
on the
Main,
or the Fairs at
Nuremberg,
or
Ausburg,
reputed any way comparable to this at
Sturbridge
This Fair is pretty much dwindled since this Account of it; tho' it is still very considerable.
.
It is kept in a large Corn-field, near
Casterton,
extending from the Side of the River
Cam,
towards the Road, for about half a Mile square.
If the Field be not cleared of the Corn before a certain Day in
August,
the Fair-keepers may trample it under-foot, to build their Booths or Tents. On the other hand, to balance that Severity, if the Fair-keepers have not cleared the Field by another certain Day in
September,
the Plowmen may re-enter with Plow and Cart, and overthrow all into the Dirt; and as for the Filth, Dung, Straw,
&c.
left behind by the Fair-keepers, which is very considerable, these become the Farmers Fees, and make them full Amends for the trampling, riding, carting upon, and hardening the Ground.
It is impossible to describe all the Parts and Circumstances of this Fair exactly; the Shops are placed in Rows like Streets, whereof one is called
Cheap-side
; and here, as in several other Streets, are all Sorts of Traders, who sell by Retale, and come chiefly from
London.
Here may be seen Goldsmiths, Toymen, Brasiers, Turners, Milaners, Haberdashers, Hatters, Mercers, Drapers, Pewterers, China-ware-houses, and, in a Word, all Trades that can be found in
London
; with Coffee-houses, Taverns, and Eating-houses in great Numbers and all kept in Tents and Booths.
This great Street reaches from the Road, which, as I said, goes from
Cambridge
to
Newmarket,
turning short out of it to the Right towards the River, and holds in a Line near half a Mile quite down to the River-side. In another Street parallel with the Road are the like Rows of Booths, but somewhat larger, and more intermingled with Wholesale Dealers; and one Side, passing out of this last Street to the Left-hand, is a great Square, formed of the largest Booths, called the
Duddery
; but whence so called, I could not learn. The Area of this Square is from 80 to 100 Yards, where the Dealers have room before every Booth to take down and open their Packs, and to bring in Waggons to load and unload.
This Place being peculiar to the Wholesale Dealers in the Woollen Manufacture, the Booths, or Tents are of a vast Extent, have different Apartments, and the Quantities of Goods they bring are so great, that the Insides of them look like so many
Blackwell-halls,
and are vast Warehouses piled up with Goods to the Top. In this
Duddery,
as I have been informed, have been sold 100,000 Pounds-worth of Woollen Manufactures in less than a Week's time; besides the prodigious Trade carried on here by Wholesale-men from
London,
and all Parts of
England,
who transact their Business wholly in their Pocket-books, and meeting their Chapmen from all Parts, make up their Accounts, receive Money chiefly in Bills, and take Orders. These, they say, exceed by far the Sales of Goods actually brought to the Fair, and delivered in Kind; it being frequent for the
London
Wholesale-men to carry back Orders from their Dealers, for 10,000 Pounds-worth of Goods a Man, and some much more. This especially respects those People, who deal in heavy Goods, as Wholesale Grocers, Salters, Brasiers, Iron-merchants, Wine-merchants, and the like; but does not exclude the Dealers in Woollen Manufactures, and especially in Mercery Goods of all sorts, who generally manage their Business in this manner.
Here are Clothiers from
Halifax, Leeds, Wakefield
and
Huthersfield
in
Yorkshire,
and from
Rochdale, Bury,
&c. in
Lancashire,
with vast Quantities of
Yorkshire
Cloths, Kerseys, Pennistons, Cottons,
&c.
with all sorts of
Manchester
Ware, Fustians, and Things made of Cotton Wooll; of which the Quantity is so great, that they told me there were near 1000 Horse-packs of such Goods from that Side of the Country, and these took up a Side and Half of the
Duddery
at least; also a Part of a Street of Booths were taken up with Upholsters Ware; such as Tickens, Sackens,
Kidderminster
Stuffs, Blankets, Rugs, Quilts,
&c.
In the
Duddery
I saw one Warehouse, or Booth, consisting of six Apartments all belonging to a Dealer in
Norwich
Stuffs only, who, they said, had there above 20,000
l.
Value in those Goods.
Western Goods had their Share here also, and several Booths were filled with Serges, Duroys, Druggets, Shalloons, Cantaloons,
Devonshire
Kersies,
&c.
from
Exeter, Taunton, Bristol,
and other Parts West, and some from
London
also.
But all this is still out-done, at least in Appearance, by two Articles, which are the Peculiars of this Fair, and are not exhibited till the other Part of the Fair,
for the Woollen Manufacture,
begins to close up: These are the WOOLL, and the HOPS. There is scarce any Price fixed for Hops in
England,
till they know how they sell at
Sturbridge-fair
; the Quantity that appears in the Fair is indeed prodigious, and they take up a large Part of the Field, on which the Fair is kept, to themselves; they are brought directly from
Chelmsford
in
Essex,
from
Canterbury
and
Maidstone
in
Kent,
and from
Farnham
in
Surrey
; besides what are brought from
London,
of the Growth of those and other Places.
Inquiring why this Fair should be thus, of all other Places in
England,
the Centre of that Trade, and so great a Quantity of so bulky a Commodity be carried thither so far; I was informed by one thoroughly acquainted with that Matter, That Hops, for this Part of
England,
grow principally in the two Counties of
Surrey
and
Kent,
with an Exception only to the Town of
Chelmsford
in
Essex,
and there are very few planted any-where else.
There are indeed in the West of
England
some Hops growing; as at
Wilton,
near
Salisbury
; at
Hereford
and
Broomsgrove,
near
Wales,
and the like; but the Quantity is inconsiderable, and the Places so remote, that none of them come to
London.
Formerly in the North of
England,
few Hops were used, their Drink being chiefly pale smooth Ale, which required but little Hops; and consequently they planted none North of
Trent.
But as for some Years past, they not only brew great Quantities of Beer in the North, but also use Hops in the Brewing their Ale much more than they did before, so they all come South of
Trent
to buy their Hops; and here being vast Quantities brought, 'tis great Part of their back Carriage into
Yorkshire,
and
Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire,
and all those Counties; nay, of late, since the Union, even so far as
Scotland
; for I must not omit here also to mention, that the River
Grant,
or
Cam,
which runs close by the North-west Side of the Fair, in its Course from
Cambridge
to
Ely,
is navigable; and that by this means, all heavy Goods are brought to the Fair-field, by Water-carriage from
London,
and other Parts; first to the Port of
Lynn,
and then in Barges up the
Ouse,
from the
Ouse
into the
Cam,
and so to the very Edge of the Fair.
In like manner great Quantities of heavy Goods, and Hops among the rest, are sent from the Fair to
Lynn
by Water, and shipped there for the
Humber,
to
Hull, York,
&c. and for
Newcastle upon Tyne,
and by
Newcastle,
to
Scotland.
Now, as they do not yet plant Hops in the North, tho' the Consumption there is great and increasing daily, this is one Reason why at
Sturbridge-fair
there is so great a Demand for them: besides, there were very few Hops, if any worth naming, growing in all the Counties even on this side
Trent,
above 40 Miles from
London,
those Counties depending on
Sturbridge-fair
for their Supply; so the Counties of
Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Northampton, Lincoln, Leicester, Rutland,
and even to
Stafford, Warwick
and
Worcestershire,
bought most of, if not all, their Hops at
Sturbridge-fair.
This is a Testimony of the prodigious Resort of the trading People of all Parts of
England
to this Fair; where surprising Quantities of Hops formerly have been sold.
The Article of Wooll is of several Sorts; but principally Fleece Wooll, out of
Lincolnshire,
where the longest Staple is found, the Sheep of those Parts being of the largest Breed.
The Buyers are chiefly the Manufacturers of
Norfolk, Suffolk,
and
Essex,
and it is a prodigious Quantity they buy.
Here I saw what I have not observed in any other County of
England,
a
Pocket
of Wooll, which seems to have been at first called so in Mockery, this
Pocket
being so big, that it loads a whole Waggon, and reaches beyond the most extreme Parts of it, hanging over both before and behind; and these ordinarily weigh a Ton or 2500
lb.
Weight of Wooll, all in one Bag.
The Quantity of Wooll only, which has been sold at this Place at one Fair, has been said to amount to 50 or 60,000
l.
in Value; some say, a great deal more.
By these Articles a Stranger may make some Guess at the immense Trade which is carried on at this Place; what prodigious Quantities of Goods are bought and sold, and what a vast Concourse of People are seen here from all Parts of
England.
I might proceed to speak of several other Sorts of
English
Manufactures, which are brought hither to be sold; as all Sorts of wrought Iron, and Brass Ware from
Birmingham
; edged Tools, Knives,
&c.
from
Sheffield,
Glass Wares, and Stockens, from
Nottingham
and
Leicester
; and unaccountable Quantities of other Things of smaller Value every Morning.
To attend this Fair, and the prodigious Crouds of People which resort to it, there are sometimes no less than 50 Hackney Coaches, which come from
London,
and ply Night and Morning to carry the People to and from
Cambridge
; for there the Gross of them lodge; nay, which is still more strange, there are Wherries brought from
London
on Waggons, to ply upon the little River
Cam,
and to row People up and down, from the Town, and from the Fair, as Occasion presents.
It is not to be wondered at, if the Town of
Cambridge
cannot receive or entertain the Numbers of People that come to this Fair; for not
Cambridge
only, but all the Towns round are full; nay, the very Barns and Stables are turned into Inns, to lodge the meaner Sort of People: As for the Fair People, they all eat, drink, and sleep in their Booths, which are so intermingled with Taverns, Coffee-houses, Drinking-houses, Eating-houses, Cooks Shops,
&c.
and so many Butchers and Higglers from all the neighbouring Counties come in every Morning with Beef, Mutton, Fowls, Butter, Bread, Cheese, Eggs, and such Things, and go with them from Tent to Tent, from Door to Door, that there's no Want of Provisions of any Kind, either dressed, or undressed.
In a Word, the Fair is like a well-governed City, and there is the least Disorder and Confusion (I believe) that can be seen any-where, with so great a Concourse of People.
Towards the latter End of the Fair, and when the great Hurry of Wholesale Business begins to be over, the Gentry come in, from all Parts of the County round; and tho' they come for their Diversion, yet 'tis not a little Money they lay out, which generally falls to the Share of the Retalers; such as the Toy-shops, Goldsmiths, Brasiers, Ironmongers, Turners, Milaners, Mercers,
&c.
and some loose Corns they reserve for the Puppet-shews, Drolls, Rope-dancers, and such-like; of which there is no Want. The last Day of the Fair is the
Horse-fair,
where the Whole is closed both with Horse and Foot-races, to divert the meaner Sort of People only; for nothing considerable is offered of that Kind, and the late Act, I presume, must have put an End to the former. Thus ends the whole Fair, and in less than a Week more, scarce any Sign is left, that such a thing has been there, except by the Heaps of Dung and Straw, and other Rubbish which is left behind, trod into the Earth, and is as good as a Summer's Fallow for the Land; and as I have said above, pays the Husbandman well for the Use of it.
I should have mentioned, that here is a Court of Justice always open, and held every Day in a Shed built on purpose in the Fair: this is for keeping the Peace, and deciding Controversies in Matters arising from the Business of the Fair. The Magistrates of the Town of
Cambridge
are Judges in this Court, as being in their Jurisdiction, or they holding it by special Privilege. Here they determine Matters in a summary way, as is practised in those we call
Pye-Powder Courts
in other Places, or as a
Court of Conscience
; and they have a final Authority without Appeal.
Having just mentioned the Puppet-shews, Drolls,
&c.
with which the People are entertained during the Time of this Fair, I cannot but relate a deplorable Accident that happened on this Occasion, at
Barnwelt
in this Neighbourhood, as follows.
On the 8th of
September,
1727. about Eight at Night, a Puppet-shew being to be acted in a Barn built of
Barnwell
Stone, and thatched with Straw, a Fellow attempted to thrust himself in without paying; but being refused, and the Door locked, and, as some report, nailed, to keep out Intruders, the Villain threatened he would set the Barn on Fire over their Heads, in Revenge. There was a Place adjoining to the Barn, where were Hay and Straw; and a Boy setting down a wooden Lantern with a short Candle in it at a little Distance, whilst he was looking thro' a Hole at the Sight, the villainous Fellow aforesaid beat the Lantern about, till the Fire took the Straw, which he left burning, and run away. There was a Floor above them, and the Flame, getting into the false Roof, spread like Wildfire. The People, in the utmost Consternation, all making to the Door, which opened inwards, fell upon one another, and became, as it were, so many Barricadoes to hinder its being opened: and just at this fatal Crisis, the Fire having seized some, and dreadful Shrieks and Cries resounding from all, the Floor fell in, and smothered almost all; for not above five or six escaped of the Whole, and about 120 Men, Women, and Children, miserably perished. The next Day it was one of the most shocking Sights that ever was beheld, to see the Relations of the unhappy Persons flocking thither, to find and own the Bodies, some of their Brothers, some of their Children, some of their Wives and Husbands, which they found Difficulty enough to discover; for some of them had their Heads burnt off, some their Legs, some their Hands and Arms, and others, in a manner, consumed to Ashes. And at last, most of the mangled Bodies were carried in Carts, and put promiscuously into a large Hole dug in the Church-yard for that Purpose. Among the unfortunate Sufferers were several young Gentlewomen of considerable Fortunes. About four Years after this, another terrible Fire happened, which almost consumed the whole Town of
Barnwell.
Within these few Years, a fine Road, of about four Miles in Length, is completed, from the Town of
Cambridge
to
Hogmagog-hills
; which, by reason of the Badness of the Way in that Place, is an exceeding useful Benefaction to the Town; which generous Work was done in pursuance of the Will of
William Wortes,
Esq
of
Cambridge,
as I think they told me the Gentleman's Name was.
The Two Universities of
Cambridge
and
Oxford
are so much the Glory of this Nation, that it would be an almost unpardonable Defect in me, not to take particular Notice of them. I shall refer that of
Oxford
to its proper Place; and here give as brief an Account as I can of this of
Cambridge,
and of the Originals and Founders of the several Colleges, together with the Favours and Advantages that have been within these few Years conferred upon it by his late Majesty, and other Benefactors.
The Town is governed by a Mayor and Aldermen; but with regard to the Government of the University, that has a
Chancellor,
eligible every three Years,
aut manere in eodem Officio durante tacito consensu Senatus Cantabr.
He hath under him a
Commissary,
who holds a Court of Record of Civil Causes for all privileged Persons and Scholars, under the Degree of Master of Arts.
They have also a
High Steward,
chosen by the Senate, and holding by Patent from the University.
The
Vice-Chancellor
is annually chosen on the 4th of
November,
by the Body of the University, out of Two Persons nominated by the Heads of Colleges.
Two
Proctors
are also annually chosen, as at
Oxford
; as also are Two
Taxers,
who, with the Proctors, have Cognizance of Weights and Measures, as Clerks of the Market.
The University has also a
Custos Archivorum,
or
Register
; Three
Esquire Beadles,
One
Yeoman Beadle,
and a
Library-keeper.
The Vice-chancellor sometimes visits the Taverns and other Publick-houses in his own Person: but the Proctors do it very frequently, and have Power to punish offending Scholars, and to fine the Publick-houses who entertain them after Eight at Night in the Winter, or Nine in Summer.
As to the
Antiquity
of the University of
Cambridge
; the Story goes, That
Cantaber,
a
Spaniard,
270 Years before Christ, first founded it; and that
Sebert,
King of the
East-Angles,
restored it,
Anno Christi
630. Afterwards, as the learned
Camden
observes, it lay a long time neglected, and was overthrown by the
Danish
Storms, till all Things revived under the
Norman
Government. Soon after Inns, Hostels, and Halls were built for Students, tho' without Endowments. There are now 16 Colleges and Halls, which differ only in Name, being equally endowed and privileged; 16 Masters, 406 Fellowships; about 662 Scholarships, 236 Exhibitions; and the whole Number of Masters, Fellows, Scholars, Exhibitioners, and other Students, are about 1500.
I shall now give a brief Account of the Colleges, and begin with
1. PETER-HOUSE.
Which was founded by
Hugh Balsham,
Bishop of
Ely, Anno
1257, when only Prior of
Ely.
But at first the Scholars had no other Conveniences than Chambers, which exempted them from the high Rates imposed on them by the Townsmen for Lodgings. The Endowment was settled by the same
Hugh
when Bishop,
Anno
1284, for a Master, 14 Fellows,
&c.
Which Number might be increased or diminished according to the Improvement or Diminution of their Revenues. It seems to have taken its Name from the Church of St.
Peter,
in its Neighbourhood.
2. CLARE-HALL
Was founded in the Year 1340, by
Richard Badew,
Chancellor of the University, with the Assistance of the Lady
Elizabeth Clare,
Countess of
Ulster.
He had before built a House called
University-hall,
wherein the Scholars lived upon their own Expence for 16 Years, till it was accidentally destroyed by Fire. The Founder, finding the Charge of Rebuilding would exceed his Abilities, had the kind Assistance of the said Lady, thro' whose Liberality it was not only rebuilt, but endowed. It has been lately new-built, all of Free-stone, and is one of the neatest and most uniform Houses in the University, and delightfully situated on the Banks of the River, which forms for it a Kind of natural Canal.
3. PEMBROKE-HALL
Was founded in the Year 1347, by the Lady
Mary St. Paul,
Countess of
Pembroke,
third Wife to
Audomare de Valentia,
Earl of
Pembroke
; who having been unhappily slain at a Tilting on his Wedding-day, she intirely sequestered herself from all worldly Delights, and, amongst other pious Acts, built this College, which has been much augmented since by the Benefactions of others.
4. ST. BENNET's, or CORPUS-CHRISTI COLLEGE,
Was founded by the Society of Friers in
Corpus-Christi,
in the Year 1346. This arose out of Two Guilds or Fraternities, one of
Corpus Christi,
and the other of the
Blessed Virgin,
which after a long Emulation, being united into one Body, by a joint Interest built this College, which took its Name from the adjoining Church of
St. Benedict.
Their greatest modern Benefactor was Dr.
Matthew Parker,
once Master of the College, and afterwards Archbishop of
Canterbury,
who by his prudent Management recovered several Rights of the College; and, besides Two Fellowships, and Five Scholarships, gave a great Number of excellent MSS. to their Library, which were mostly collected out of the Remains of the old Abbey-Libraries, Colleges, and Cathedrals, and chiefly relate to the History of
England.
5. TRINITY-HALL
Was founded about the Year 1353, by
William Bateman,
Bishop of
Norwich.
It was built upon a Place which once belonged to the Monks of
Ely,
and was a House for Students before the Time of Bishop
Bateman,
who by Exchange for the Advowsons of certain Rectories, got it into his own Possession. He was a great Master of Civil and Canon Law; whereupon the Master, two Fellows, and three Scholars, (the Number appointed by him at the first Foundation) were obliged to follow those two Studies. It has been since much augmented by Benefactors, and the Number of its Members is proportionably increased.
6. GONEVIL AND CAIUS COLLEGE.
Anno
1348,
Edmund Gonevil
founded a Hall, called after his Name, upon the Place where now are the Orchard and Tennis-court of
Bennet-college.
But within Five Years after it was removed into the Place where it now stands, by Bishop
Bateman,
Founder of
Trinity-hall. Anno
1607,
John Caius,
Doctor of Physic, improved this Hall into a new College, since chiefly called by his Name; and it has of late Years received considerable Embellishments,
&c.
7. KING'S COLLEGE
Was founded in the Year 1451, by King
Henry
VI. It was at first but small, being built by that Prince for a Rector and 12 Scholars only. Near it was a little Hostel for Grammarians, built by
William Bingham,
which was granted by the Founder to King
Henry,
for the Inlargement of his College. Whereupon he united these two, and having inlarged them by adding the Church of
St. John Zachary,
founded a College for a Provost, 70 Fellows and Scholars, three Chaplains,
&c.
The Chapel belonging to this College is deservedly reckoned one of the finest Buildings of its Kind in the World. It is 304 Feet long, 73 broad, and 91 high to the Battlements, and has not one Pillar in it. It has 12 large Windows on each Side, finely painted, and the Carving, and other Workmanship of the numerous Stalls, surpasses any thing of the Kind. It constitutes one Side of a large Square; for the Royal Founder designed, that the College should be a Quadrangle, all of equal Beauty: but the Civil Wars in which he was involved with the House of
York,
prevented his accomplishing it; and the Prosecution of his good Design was reserved to our own Time; for what has been added within these few Years past, is not only an Ornament to the College, but to the whole University: and it is to be hoped, that the College will be enabled, in Time, to finish the noble Work. This new Part runs from the West-end of the Chapel, a little detached from it to the Southward, and makes another Side of the Square, and contains spacious Chambers and Apartments, being 236 Feet in Length, and 46 in Breadth, built with great Regularity, and modern Beauty.
Febr.
1734, the Workmen digging for the Foundation of the new Buildings of this College, found a great Number of Broad Pieces of Gold, of the Coin of King
Henry
V. exceeding fair. As soon as it was known, the Governors of the College got out of the Workmens Hands a considerable Number, which they made Presents of to their particular Benefactors, and divided among themselves, and the Fellows of the College; but it is supposed, that the Workmen secreted many; for this Coin was very scarce before, but after this was much easier to be met with.
8. QUEEN'S COLLEGE
Was founded by Queen
Margaret
of
Anjou,
Wife of King
Henry
VI. in the Year 1448; but the troublesome Times that followed, would not give her leave to complete the Fabrick. The first Master of it,
Andrew Ducket,
procured great Sums of Money from well-disposed Persons, towards finishing of this Work, and so far prevailed with Queen
Elizabeth,
Wife of King
Edward
IV. that she perfected what her professed Enemy had begun. The Reverend Mr.
Ferdinando Smithes,
Senior Fellow of
Queen's College,
who died in
November
1725. gave 1500
l.
to the same, to be appropriated to the Use of three Batchelors of Art, till the Time of their taking their Masters Degree.
9. CATHARINE-HALL
Was founded in the Year 1459 by
Robert Woodlark,
third Provost of
King's College,
and the Hall was built over-against the
Carmelites
House, for one Master and three Fellows; and the Numbers have been since greatly increased, as well as the Revenues. A great Part of it is lately new-built, and may be said to be a beautiful and regular Fabrick.
10. JESUS COLLEGE
Was founded
Anno
1497 by
John Alcocke,
Bishop of
Ely,
out of an old Nunnery dedicated to St.
Radegund,
given him by King
Henry
VII. and Pope
Julius
II. on account of the scandalous Incontinence of the Nuns, in order to be by him converted to this Use. And this Prelate established in it, a Master, Six Fellows, and Six Scholars. But their Numbers have been much increased by great Benefactions.
11. CHRIST'S COLLEGE
Was founded by the Lady
Margaret
Countess of
Richmond,
Mother to King
Henry
VII.
Anno
1506. upon the Place where
God's House
formerly stood. She settled there a Master and 12 Fellows,
&c.
which Number in King
Edward
VI's Time being complained of as favouring of Superstition, by alluding to our Saviour and his 12 Disciples, that Prince added a 13th Fellowship, with some new Scholarships. This College has been within these few Years past adorned with a very fine new Building.
12. ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE
Was founded about the Year 1506 by the same Lady, upon the Place where,
Anno
1134,
Nigel
or
Neal
second Bishop of
Ely
founded an Hospital for Canons Regular; which by
Hugh de Balsham
was converted into a Priory dedicated to St.
John,
and by the Executors of the said Countess of
Richmond,
into a College, under the Name of the same Saint. For she died before it was finished, which retarded the Work for some Time; but it was afterwards carried on by her said Executors: And in the Beginning of the Reign of King
James
I. was greatly inlarged with fair new Buildings. This College, pleasantly situated by the River, is no less remarkable for its Number of Students, and its beautiful Groves and Gardens, than for its strict and regular Discipline. It has a noble Library, which has been of late Years greatly augmented, by the Accession of the Library of Dr.
Gunning,
late Bishop of
Ely,
who bequeathed the same to it.
13. MAGDALEN COLLEGE
Was founded
Anno
1542 by
Thomas Audley,
Lord Chancellor of
England,
and was afterwards inlarged and endowed by Sir
Christopher Wrey,
Lord Chief Justice of
England.
This College stands by itself on the North-west Side of the River, and hath been of late Years improved and adorned by a handsome Piece of Building. A Fellowship of a considerable Value has been lately founded at this College, which is appropriated to Gentlemen of the County of
Norfolk,
and called
The Travelling
Norfolk
Fellowship.
To the Library of this College was left a valuable Collection of Pamphlets, by
------ Pepys,
Esq
as also great Numbers of Papers relating to the Navy and Admiralty. The Benefactor bequeathed the Presses as well as the Books and Papers, and they are kept in the manner he left them.
14. TRINITY COLLEGE.
Was founded
Anno
1546 by King
Henry
VIII. out of three others:
St. Michael
's College built by
Hervie
of
Stanton,
in the Time of
Edward
II.
King's-hall,
founded by
Edward
III. and
Fishwick's Hostel.
Its worthy Master,
T. Nevil,
Dean of
Canterbury,
repaired or rather new-built this College, with that Splendor and Magnificence, that for Spaciousness, and the Beauty and Uniformity of its Buildings, it is hardly to be outdone. All which has been since still further improved, by a most noble and stately Library, begun by the late famous Dr.
Isaac Barrow:
A Building, for the Bigness and Design of it, says a Right Reverend Prelate, perhaps not to be matched in these Kingdoms. Nor is the Learning of the present Master easily to be parallel'd, any more than the Troubles given to the College by the Contention between him on the one Side, and the College and Bishops of
Ely,
its Visitors, on the other: which, take them all together, in their Causes, Progress, and invalid Decision against him, as it hitherto proves, is one of the most extraordinary Affairs that ever happened in the University.
15. EMANUEL COLLEGE
Was founded
Anno
1584 by Sir
Walter Mildmay,
Chancellor of the Exchequer to Queen
Elizabeth,
in a Place where was formerly a Convent of
Dominicans,
founded in the Year 1280. by the Lady
Alice,
Countess of
Oxford.
After the Suppression of Monasteries it came into the Possession of Mr.
Sherwood,
of whom Sir
Walter
seems to have bought it. It has a very near Chapel, built not many Years ago, by the Bounty of Dr.
William Sancroft,
Archbishop of
Canterbury,
and others. And the Library belonging to it has received of late Years a fine Addition, by the valuable Collection of Books of the same Archbishop, given to it on the Decease of that Prelate.
16. SIDNEY-SUSSEX COLLEGE
Was founded by virtue of the Will of the Lady
Frances Sidney,
Countess of
Sussex,
who died
Anno
1589, and by her Will left 5000
l.
for the founding of a College, to be called
Sidney-Sussex.
It was erected on the Place where formerly the Monastery of
Grey Friers
built by King
Edward
I. had flourished. But tho' this College owes its Rise to the Bequest of this Lady, and the Care of her Executors, it is exceedingly improved by the Benefactions of Sir
Francis Clerk,
who besides erecting a Set of new Buildings, augmented the Scholarships, and founded four Fellowships with eight Scholarships more; and moreover Sir
John Brereton
left to it above 2000
l.
These are the Sixteen Colleges or
Halls
in this University.
The
New Senate-house
is a fine Edifice, and with the Schools, the University-Library, and some other Buildings intended to be erected opposite to it, will form a stately Quadrangle. It is in Length 101 Feet, and in Breadth 42; and is adorned with fluted Pillars, a triangular Pediment, and other beautiful Decorations.
The Schools of this University were at first in private Houses, hired from Ten Years to Ten Years for that Purpose, by the University, in which Time they might not be put to any other Use. Afterwards Publick Schools were built at the Charge of the University, in or near the Place where they now stand; but the present Fabrick, as it is now built of Brick and rough Stone, was erected partly at the Expence of the University, and partly by the Contributions of several Benefactors.
The
University Library
was first built by
Rotheram
Archbishop of
York,
who, with
Tonstal
Bishop of
Durham,
furnished it with choice Books; few whereof are to be found at present. But it contained nevertheless about 14000 Books, when his late Majesty King
George
I. was graciously pleased, in the Beginning of his Reign, to purchase the large and curious Library of Dr.
John Moor,
Bishop of
Ely,
who died
July
30. 1714; and as a Mark of his Royal Favour, to bestow it upon this University.
There have been very lately great Additions and Alterations made in the Library, for the better Disposition of this valuable Royal Present, which consisted of upwards of 30,000 Volumes, and cost the King 6000 Guineas. And we cannot but observe, in this Place, That the late Lord Viscount
Townsbend,
having understood that the University, to shew their Gratitude, and do Honour to the Memory of his late Majesty King
George
I. intended to erect a Statue of that Prince in the said Library, was pleased to offer to cause the same to be carved and set up at his own Expence; which generous Tender was received by the University in the Manner it deserved, and with Circumstances equally to their own and his Lordship's Honour. And in the Month of
October
1739. in pursuance thereof, a fine Marble Statue of this great Prince was accordingly erected in the Senate-hall of
King's College
; on which are the following Inscriptions;
viz.
On the Front:
GEORGIO
Optimo Principi,
Magnae Britanniae Regi,
Ob insignia ejus in banc Academiam
Merita,
Senatus Cantabrigiensis
In perpetuum
Grati Animo Testimonium
Statuam
Mortuo ponendam
Decrovit.
That is,
The Senate of
Cambridge
has decreed, That this Statue should be erected to his late most excellent Majesty
George
I. King of
Great Britain,
as a perpetual Monument of their Gratitude, for his signal Benefits to this University.
On the Left:
CAROLUS
Vicecomes Townshend,
Summum tum Academiae, tum
Reipublicae Decus,
Pro Eximia, qua Regem Coluerat,
Pietate, Preque singulari,
Qua Academiam feverat,
Caritate, Statuam
A Senatu Academito Decretam
Sumptibus suis e Marmore
Faciendam Locavit.
That is,
Charles
Lord Viscount
Townshend,
a principal Ornament both of the University and the State, agreeably to his singular Loyalty towards his Prince, and the particular Affection, wherewith he had cherished the University, engaged to have the Statue, which was decreed by the Senate of
Cambridge,
made of Marble at his own Expence.
CAROLUS
Filius
Vicecomes Townshend,
Virtutum aeque ac Honorum
Paternorum Haeres,
Statuam,
Quam Pater Morte subita abreptus
Imperfectam reliquerat,
Perficiendam,
Atque in hoc ornatissimo
Academiae Loco collocandam,
Curavit.
That is,
Charles
the Son, Lord Viscount
Townshend,
Heir alike to the Virtues and Dignities of his Father, has caused the Statue, which his Father, seized by sudden Death, had left imperfect, to be finished, and erected in this most honourable Place of the University.
This great King was not contented with having given this noble Instance of his Royal Bounty to the University of
Cambridge,
but in the Year 1724 was graciously pleased to confer another Mark of his Favour upon them, and which extended not only to that, but to the University of
Oxford
; in creating a new Establishment in a most useful Branch of Learning, which was much wanted, and for which till then there had been no Provision: which was to appoint two Persons not under the Degree of Master of Arts, or Batchelor of Laws, skilled in Modern History, and in the Knowledge of Modern Languages, to be nominated King's Professors of Modern History, one for the University of
Cambridge,
and the other for that of
Oxford
; who are obliged to read Lectures in the Publick Schools, at particular Times, each of which Professors to have a Stipend of 400
l. per Annum
; out of which each Professor is obliged to maintain, with sufficient Salaries, Two Persons at least, well qualified to teach and instruct in writing and speaking the said Languages
gratis,
Twenty Scholars of each University, to be nominated by the King, each of which is obliged to learn Two, at least, of the said Languages.
The same excellent Prince also was pleased to appoint Twelve Persons, chosen out of each of the Universities, to be Preachers in the Royal Chapel of
Whitehall,
at stated Times, with handsome Salaries; and declared that he would cause a particular Regard to be had to the Members of the Two Universities in the Dispositions of those Benefices which fell in the Royal Gift.
Some other Benefactions to this University, within these few Years past, are as follow.
Dr.
John Woodward,
who died
April
25. 1728, left to the University of
Cambridge
a Sum of Money, for erecting a Professorship for
Natural Philosophy,
with a Provision of 150
l. per Annum
for the Support and Maintenance of the same for ever. He likewise bequeathed to the said University his Collection of Fossils, and other natural Curiosities, and such a Part of his Library moreover, as was necessary to illustrate his said Collection.
On the Death of Mrs.
Addenbroke (Mar.
1720) Widow of an eminent Physician of that Name, the Sum of about 4000
l.
devolved to this University; which, by the Doctor's Will, is to be applied to the Building and Furnishing a Physical Hospital in
Cambridge,
in which poor diseased People are to be admitted for Cure,
gratis.
The Master and Fellows of
Catharine-hall
are appointed Trustees of this Charity.
I shall not here enter into the puerile Dispute, (which has so much engaged several learned Pens, that might have been better employed) whether this University, or that of
Oxford,
is the most ancient. Their Emulation ought to be more worthily founded; and indeed they have so much to boast, as to the great and shining Ornaments they have respectively produced to Church and State, and the Figure they make in the Commonwealth of Learning, that it is strange so trifling a Contention should have been so warmly maintained.
Cambridge-castle
was built by
William the Conqueror,
as one of those many which he erected in divers Parts, to curb his newly conquered People. It was strong and stately, and had in it, among other spacious Apartments, a most magnificent Hall. This being neglected, the Stones and Timber of it were afterwards begged of
Henry
IV. by the Master and Fellows of
King's-hall,
towards the Building of their Chapel. Nothing is now standing but the Gatehouse, which is the Prison, and an artificial high Hill of a steep Ascent, and level at Top.
The Town of
Cambridge
is very large, most of its Streets are narrow, the Houses very ill-built, and the greatest Part of them much out of Repair; so that, were it not for the Colleges, and other publick Edifices, it would make a very mean Appearance.
From
Cambridge
the Road lies North-west, on the Edge of the Fens, to
Huntingdon
; on which stands the little Market-town of
Caxton,
remarkable for the Birth-place of
Caxton,
the first Printer in
England.
The
Roman
Way passes from
Arington
S. E. thro'
Holm
into this Town, and so on to
Papworth,
higher up on the same Road; which three last-mentioned Places are Villages only. On this Side, 'tis all an agreeable Corn Country, adorned with several Seats of Gentleman; but the chief is
Wimple-Hall,
formerly built at a vast Expence, by the late Earl of
Radnor.
It was afterwards bought by his Grace
John Holles Cavendish,
late Duke of
Newcastle
; in a Partition of whose vast Estate, it fell to
Edward
late Earl of
Oxford
and
Mortimer,
in Right of his Lady, the only Daughter of the said Duke; who brought the Earl this Estate, and many others, sufficient to denominate her one of the richest Heiresses in
Great Britain
; but his Lordship parted with, it a little before his Death, to the Right Hon. the Lord Chancellor
Hardwick,
who now possesses it. It is situated in a very dirty Country; and notwithstanding the Cost bestowed upon it from its first Owner to this Time, the Gardens and Buildings are both in a very bad Taste.
From
Cambridge,
my Design obliging me, and the direct Road in part concurring, I came back thro' the West Side of the County of
Essex,
to
Saffron-Walden,
passing by
Linton,
a small Markettown of no Note, saying that a
Roman
Military Way falls into the
Ikening
here.
Saffron-Walden
is a fair Town, with a good Church, where stands a Monument of the Lord
Audley,
Chancellor to King
Henry
VIII. who made him a Grant of certain Lands belonging to a dissolved Monastery near this Town, which takes its Name from the great Quantities of Saffron which formerly grew in the Grounds, and were cultivated hereabouts, and answered exceeding well in the Manufacturing; but how it came into Decay, nobody could account to me, though there may be still seen a great many Acres of Saffron-ground about this Town. This Commodity was never known to grow in
England,
till the Reign of
Edward
III. This Town gives Title of Baron to the Earl of
Suffolk,
whose eldest Son is by Courtesy called Lord
Walden.
Near this Town, on the Side of
Cambridge
Road, stands the noble and stately Palace of
Audley-Inn,
on
Audley-end,
formerly the largest Palace of any in
England
; and tho' a great Part of it has been pulled down, is still one of the most magnificent Structures in the whole Kingdom. It was built out of the Ruins of the above-mentioned Monastery, by
Thomas
second Son of
Thomas
Duke of
Norfolk,
who married the only Daughter and Heir of the afore-named Lord
Audley.
This
Thomas
was summoned into Parliament in Queen
Elizabeth
's Time, as Lord
Audley
of
Walden
; and was afterwards created Earl of
Suffolk
by King
James
I. to whom he was first Chamberlain, and afterwards Lord High-Treasurer. It was designed for a Royal Palace for that King, and when it was finished with all the Elegance and Politeness of Taste of the Times, the King was invited to see it; and as he passed to
Newmarket,
he took up a Night's Lodging there. And after having viewed it with great Surprise and Astonishment, the Earl asked him, How he approved of it? Who answer'd, Very well. But troth, Man, said he, 'tis
too much
for a
King
; but it may
do
for a
Lord High-Treasurer
; and so left it upon the Earl's Hands, who is reported to have had then an Estate of 50,000
l.
a Year, which has been gradually decaying ever since, and is now reduced to about 3000
l.
a Year with Incumbrances upon it. King
Charles
II. purchased this House, and so it became, what it was originally designed for, a Royal Palace. The King mortgaged the Hearth-tax to the Earl, to answer the Purchase-money; and appointed
James,
then Earl of
Suffolk,
House-keeper thereof, with a Salary of 1000
l.
a Year; which Office continued in the Family till the Revolution, when the Hearth-tax was abolished. And the Exigence of the State being such as it could not afford to pay the Purchase-money, King
William
III. regranted the said House to the Family; upon which
Henry,
Earl of
Suffolk,
(who in his Father's Life-time was created Earl of
Bindon,
to qualify him to hold the Marshal's Staff) pull'd down a great Part of this noble Edifice, and reduced it considerably. And yet it is still very large, and makes a grand Appearance. You enter in at a large wide Pair of Iron Gates into a most spacious Court-yard, on each Side of which was formerly a Row of Cloysters, in which stood the Out-offices belonging to the House; which have been all pulled down, and supplied with a Stone Wall. You pass in at the Fore-front, thro' Part of the House, into a large open Quadrangle, inclosed by four different Parts of the House, and almost surrounded with Cloysters. The Apartments above and below are very lofty and spacious; and there is a very long wide Gallery, which extends the whole Length of the Back-front of the House. The Gardens are very indifferent, but very capable of Improvement. Behind the House is a fine Park, extending to
Saffron-Walden,
well stored with Deer, but not over-burdened with Timber; in which there is a rising Spot of Ground, whereon if the House had been erected, it would have had a much better Effect as to Prospect; for its present Situation is low, neither are the Grounds about it very fertile, or, I think, healthy.
But however great and magnificent this noble House appears, it bears an indelible Stain, if what is said be true, That it was built with
Spanish
Gold, upon the Ruin of the Great and Learned
Ralegh,
who fell by the Revenge of
Spain,
the Arts of
Gundamor,
the Avarice of
Suffolk,
and the unpardonable Weakness of his own King. But the present Earl's Mind is more nobly endowed than that of his great Ancestor, as being a generous and truly charitable Nobleman, which he has testified by many beneficent Acts among his poor Neighbours, especially during the great Frost in the Winter of 1739.
At a little Town called
Littlebury,
not far from
Audley-Inn,
is a House which was erected by the famous Mr.
Winstanley,
who built
Eddy-stone
Light-house, and perished in it, as I shall mention in its Place. Here he had made many odd Contrivances of Chairs running on Springs,
&c.
which usually much surprised Strangers, who came to see the House. The Person appointed to shew it generally placed the greatest Stranger into a particular Chair, which, on touching the Spring, ran backward thro' the House into the Garden. The same Gentleman was famous also for his Water-works, full of whimsical, but ingenious Contrivances.
But I ought not to omit, that near
Icleton
and
Strethal,
upon the River
Cam,
lies
Chesterford
; where, in the Year 1719, were discovered the
Vestigia
of a
Roman
City. The Foundation of the Walls is very apparent quite round, tho' level with the Ground, including about 50 Acres. Great Part of it serves for a Causeway to the publick
Cambridge
Road from
London.
The
Crown Inn
is built upon it. In the North-west End of the Town is the Foundation of a
Roman
Temple. Many
Roman
Coins have been found in the
Borough-field,
as they term the antient City, whose Name was
Camboritum,
according to Dr.
Stukely.
In this Parish, they say, has been a Royal Manor. Not far off, by
Audley-Inn,
is a great
Roman
Camp, upon an Eminence, where now stands an Hunting-tower of Brick.
A little North of this Part of the Country rises the River
Stour,
which, for a Course of fifty Miles or more, parts the two Counties of
Suffolk
and
Essex
; passing thro' or near
Haveril, Clare, Cavendish, Halsted, Sudbury, Buers, Nayland, Stretford, Dedham, Manningtree,
and into the Sea at
Harwich.
As we came on this Side, we saw at a Distance
Braintree
and
Bocking,
two large and populous Towns, which join together, being parted by a little Stream of Water. These were formerly very rich and flourishing, occasioned by the great Trade for Bays, which were manufactured in such Quantities in these two Towns, as to send weekly to
London
Four, Five, or Six Waggons laden with them; but this Trade having greatly decreased in a few Years, the Inhabitants are in a very miserable Condition at present; for by an Increase of their Poor, their Parish Rates are risen so high, as in the Year 1738 the Poors Rate in
Bocking
Parish was Nine Shillings in the Pound; which, together with their other Rates and Taxes, rendered it very burdensome to all the Inhabitants: and at the same time, the Small Pox having infested both the Towns, their Markets were almost deserted by the Country People. The Parish of
Bocking
is a Deanery, and the living is valued at upwards of 500
l. per Annum.
Near
Braintree
is the Parish of
Black Notely,
in which are a few scattered Houses, scarcely worth noticing, except for the Memory of the late learned Mr.
Ray,
who resided many Years in this Place, and was buried in the Church-yard, over whose Grave a Monument was erected, with an Inscription in
Latin
; which being long, we shall refer the Learned to the Original, and content ourselves with giving the
English,
for the sake of our common Readers, and in regard to so great a Man, who was an Honour to his Country. It may be thus rendered:
"The mortal Part of the most learned
John Ray,
A. M. is deposited in this narrow Tomb; but his Writings are not confined to one Nation; and his Fame, every-where most illustrious, renders them immortal. Formerly he was Fellow of
Trinity-College
in
Cambridge,
and of the Royal Society in
London,
a singular Ornament of both. In every kind of Science, as well divine as human, most expert. And, like a second
Solomon,
(to whom alone, perhaps, he was inferior) from the Cedar to the Hyssop, from the largest of Animals to the smallest Insects, he arrived at a consummate Knowledge. And not only did he most accurately discourse of Plants spread over the Face of the whole Earth; but, making a most strict Search, even into its inmost Bowels, whatever deserved Discussion throughout all Nature, he describ'd. While on his Travels abroad, he diligently discovered what had escaped the Observation of others, and first brought to Light many things most worthy of Remark. Further than this, he was endowed with so unaffected a manner of Behaviour, that he was learned without Pedantry; of a sublime Genius, and at the same time (which is rarely known) of an humble and modest Disposition. Not distinguished by an illustrious Extraction; but (what is greater) by his own Virtue. Little solicitous about obtaining Wealth and Titles, he chose rather to deserve than to possess them. Content with his own Lot, he grew old in a private Station, worthy a more ample Fortune. In every other respect he readily observed Moderation; in Study, none.
"To conclude: To all these Perfections he added a Piety free from Artifice; bearing an intire and hearty Veneration for the Church of
England,
which he confirmed with his last Breath. Thus, happily, in a virtuous Retirement, lived he, whom the present Age reveres, and Posterity will admire."
N.B.
This Monument beginning to want Repair, by standing exposed in the Church-yard, hath been lately removed, and set up in the Chancel of
Black Notely
Church. To the former Epitaph is added, on the Table on the East-side, a
Latin
Inscription, which may be thus rendered:
"This Cenotaph, formerly exposed to the open Air in the Church-yard, defaced by the Injuries of the Weather, and just falling into Ruins, was by
J. Legge,
M. D. repaired, and removed under Shelter,
March
17. 1737."
The Country hereabout is very pleasant, having many Risings and Falls, with great Plenty of Water. The Fields are well cultivated, so as to render the whole Face of the Country like a Garden. But what is often very surprising to Strangers, is, the Nakedness of most of the large Trees growing in their Hedge Rows, and on the Sides of the Road, even in the Month of
May
; at which time few of them have put out any Leaves; but, upon Inquiry, I found they were a peculiar Sort of Elm, which rarely puts out Leaves before the Middle of
May
; and this is one of the most common Trees of this Country.
Near
Braintree
is
Felsted,
a small Place, but noted for a flourishing Free-School, of an antient Foundation.
Near to this is the Priory of
Lees,
which I mentioned before (
P.
20.); and hence keeping the
London
Road, I came to
Chelmsford,
mentioned also before, and
Ingatestone,
five Miles West, which I mention again, as I promised, (
Pag.
20.) to have an Opportunity to speak of the noble Family of Lord
Petre,
and of the Improvements making at his Seat near this Place, by the present Lord, who is a Nobleman of fine Taste, and great Qualities.
Ingatestone-hall,
one of his Lordship's Seats, lies at a small Distance from the publick Road, on the Right-hand, about a Quarter of a Mile short of
Ingatestone
Town.
The House is situated very low, so as not to be seen at a small Distance. It is a very large, irregular Building, and the Gardens are old; tho' there were many Alterations made in them for the better, by the present Lord, before he came of Age; but as this was not the Seat where he intended to reside, so his Lordship did not employ his fine Genius in modelling of these Gardens; but his whole Thoughts were bent to embellish his noble Seat at
Thorndon,
which is situated on a rising Ground, about three Miles on the Right-hand of
Brentwood
in
Essex:
where his Lordship has been some Years laying of a Plan for a House and Gardens, which when executed, will be an Honour to the Nation.
The House, when finished, will be 265 Feet in Front, exclusive of the Offices. The principal Front is to the South-east Aspect, where is designed a spacious Court. Before this is designed a Terrace-walk near 200 Feet broad, and of a great Length; on the other Side of this, will be a Lawn of Grass, containing near 200 Acres of Land, which is bounded by Plantations of Trees, and handsome Farms.
On the Back-front of the House is a noble Range of Stoves, for tender Exotick Plants; which when finished will far exceed whatever has been done of this Nature, even by the greatest Princes in
Europe.
The Park, which lies on the North-east and North-west Side of the House, is very large, and well stocked with Timber, which, fully grown, adds greatly to the Beauty of the Place. In many Parts of this Park are large Inclosures, which have been made by the present Lord, and are converted to Nurseries, which are completely stored with all Trees and Shrubs, that will live in the open Air in this Climate; so that when these Trees are planted out, according to his Lordship's Design, it will be the most beautiful and complete Plantation perhaps in
Europe.
Thro' the Park there is already an Avenue cut, leading from
Brentwood
to the House, three Miles in Length; on each Side of it are designed Plantations of Trees, in regular Clumps, which, when finished, will have a noble Effect, as People pass thro', up to the House.
The Kitchen-garden is already finished, and laid out with equal Elegance and Usefulness. This is situated behind the Offices, so that it does not appear in Sight from the House, and is detached from the other Gardens; and thereby is not exposed to Strangers, who may have Admittance to walk thro' the Pleasure-garden and Plantations.
In short, the whole Plan is the most extensive and grand of any yet executed in this Kingdom.
In the Parish-church of
Ingatestone
are to be seen the Monuments of his Lordship's Ancestors, who by a constant Series of beneficent Actions to the Poor, and Bounty upon all charitable Occasions, gained to themselves an affectionate Esteem thro' all that Part of the Country, such as no Prejudice arising from a Difference in Religion could or ought to impair; for great and good Actions command our Respect, whatever the Opinions of the Donors may be.
From hence we crossed the Country to the great Forest, called
Epping Forest,
reaching almost to
London.
The Country on that Side of
Essex
is called the
Roodings,
I suppose because there are no less than ten Towns almost together, called by the Name of
Roding
; and is famous for good Land, good Malt, and dirty Roads; the latter being in the Winter hardly passable for Horse or Man. In the Midst of this we see
Chipping Onger, Hatfield Broad-Oak, Epping,
and many Forest-towns, famed also for Husbandry, and good Malt. On the South-side of the County is
Waltham-abbey,
which was formerly a Monastery, built by
Harold
Son to Earl
Godwin,
in Honour of the Cross. The Town is said to be built and peopled by one
Tovius
towards the Latter-end of the
Saxons
Reign. This Town is seated on the River
Lee,
where the Streams, being divided, inclose several small Islands, which in times of great Floods are commonly overflowed: but these Meadows produce great Plenty of Grass in Summer, so that here are many Dairy Farms which turn to good Account.
The Abbey is turned into a Seat, which is now in the Possession of
---- Jones,
Esq
The Gardens belonging to this House, were, some Years since, in great Repute; but since the Taste for inclosed Gardens has been condemned, they have been little frequented, unless by some curious Persons, to see the
Tulip-tree,
which grows on a Grass-plat near the House, and is one of the finest and most flourishing of the Kind in
England,
producing annually a great Quantity of Flowers in the Month of
July.
At this Abbey was bury'd the Body of King
Harold,
slain in the great Battle in
Sussex
against
William the Conqueror,
whose Mother begged that Favour of
the Conqueror
; but no Monument was built for him, only a flat Grave-stone, on which was significantly engraven,
Harold Infelix!
From hence I came again over the Lower or Western Part of the Forest, where it is bespangled with Villages, filled with fine Seats, most of them built by Citizens of
London
; but the Lustre of them seems to be intirely eclipsed by the magnificent Palace of Earl
Tilney,
which I barely mentioned, (
Pag.
3.) and intimated that I would touch upon it again; as I shall now briefly do. This noble Seat was prepared by his Lordship's Father Sir
Josiah Child,
in his Life-time, who added to the Advantage of its Situation a vast Number of Rows of Trees, planted in curious Order for Avenues and Vista's, all leading up to the Spot of Ground where the old House stood.
In the Place adjoining, the present Lord, before he was ennobled, and some Years before he began the Foundation of his new House, laid out the most spacious Pieces of fine Ground in Gardens, that are to be seen in this Part of
England.
The Green-house is an excellent Building, fit to entertain a Prince; 'tis furnished with Stoves, and artificial Places for Heat, from an Apartment which has a Bagnio, and other Conveniencies, which render it both useful and pleasant; and these Gardens have been so much the Admiration of the Publick, that it has been the general Diversion of the Citizens to go out to see them, till the Crouds grew so great, that his Lordship was obliged to restrain the shewing them to particular and stated Times.
The House was built since these Gardens were finished. It is all of
Portland
Stone in the Front, which gives it a most magnificent Effect at a Distance; as the Nature of that Stone, except in
London,
where it is tinged with Smoke, is to grow whiter and whiter, the longer it stands in the open Air.
As the Fore-front of the House looks through a long Row of Trees, reaching to the great Road at
Leighton-stone
; so the Back-front respects the Gardens, from which you fall down an easy Descent, which lands you upon the Terrace, and gives a most beautiful Prospect to the River, which is all formed into Canals and Openings, to answer the Views from above; and beyond the River, the Walks and Wildernesses go on to such a Distance, and in such a Manner, up the Hill, as they before went down, that the Sight is lost in the Woods adjoining, and it looks all like one continued planted Garden, as far as the Eye can see.
I have not Room in this Letter to say half what might be said of this truly noble Palace, nor for a particular Description of the beautiful House and Gardens erected at
Low-Layton,
by the late Sir
Fisher Tench
; which the Duke
d'Aumont,
Embassador from
France,
about the Year 1711, said was one of the neatest Boxes he had seen in
England
; and so shall hasten to conclude this Letter.
From Earl
Tilney
's House, and the rest of the fine Dwellings on that Side of the Forest, (for there are several very good Houses at
Wanstead,
only that they seem, as I have said, all lost in the Lustre of his Lordship's Palace) I went South, towards the great Road over that Part of the Forest called the
Flats:
And by this Turn came necessarily on to
Stratford,
where I set out. And here I shall conclude my second Letter, with assuring you, that I am
Your most Humble Servant.
LETTER III. CONTAINING A
DESCRIPTION
of the County of
KENT,
&c.
SIR,
I SHALL begin my Account of the famous County of
Kent
at
Deptford.
It was antiently called
West-Greenwich,
and is a very large Town, and of late so very much improved, that a handsome new Church has been built there, dedicated to St.
Paul.
Here was built, by King
Henry
VIII. a Store-house, who also incorporated certain Officers by the Name of Master and Wardens of the
Holy Trinity:
These were to take care of the Building, Keeping and Conducting of the Royal Navy. Their Hall or House was adjoining to the Church: and the Treasurer of the Navy had also a convenient House at the Dock for his Residence.
Here is a Foundation belonging to the said Corporation of
Trinity-house,
by whom it was built at different Times, and in two Places, not quite contiguous. The old Part contains 21 Houses, the new 38, for decayed Pilots or Masters of Ships, or the Widows of such; the Men are allowed 20
s.
the Women 16
s. per
Month.
But what
Deptford
is most noted for, is its noble Dock, where the Royal Navy was used to be built and repaired, till it was found more convenient to build the larger Ships at
Woolwich,
as I shall mention in its Place: notwithstanding which, the whole Area of the Yard is now inlarged to more than double what it formerly was: it has a wet Dock of Two Acres, for Ships, and another of an Acre and half, for Masts; besides an Inlargement of its Store-houses, Dwelling-houses, Launches,
&c.
suitable to it.
Near the Dock is a Seat belonging to Sir
John Evelyn,
which is called
Say's-court.
This was originally in the Family of the
Magmenots,
who were
Normans,
one of whom was Lord Warden of the Ports, and Governor of
Dover-castle.
The
Red House
at
Deptford
was a noted Collection of Warehouses, and Storehouses for many Sorts of Merchandizes, and particularly Hemp, Flax, Pitch, Tar,
&c.
But on
Thursday
the 5th of
July
1739, a dreadful Fire broke out there, which consumed the same. The Loss was incredible; for the Materials were so combustible, that nothing could be saved, nor could the Flames be extinguished, till they had nothing to prey upon.
From
Deptford
I proceeded to
Greenwich,
one of the most delightful Spots of
Great Britain.
The Park, in which is the fine Observatory called
Flamstead-house,
from the late famous Mathematician of that Name, the Royal House, but more especially the noble Hospital, deserve particular Notice.
The Ground on which Part of this Hospital now stands, is the same on which was formerly situated the Royal Palace of our Kings. Here
Henry
VIII. held his Feasts with Jousts and Tournaments; and the Ground, which was called the
Tilt-yard,
is the Spot on which the East Wing of the Hospital is built.
The Park was inlarged, walled about, and planted, by King
Charles
II. soon after the Restoration; and the Design or Plan of a Royal Palace was then laid out, one Wing of which was finished in a magnificent Manner, and makes now the First Wing of the Hospital, towards
London.
The Royal Palace now remaining was originally built by
Humphrey
Duke of
Gloucester,
surnamed
the Good,
Brother of
Henry
VI. and called by him
Placentia.
King
Henry
VII. much inlarged it, added to it a small House of
Friers-Mendicant,
and finished a Tower begun by Duke
Humphrey
on the Top of the Hill, where now stands the Royal Observatory; from which is a most pleasant Prospect down to the winding River, and the green Meadows. It was completed by King
Henry
VIII. and afterwards much inlarged and beautified by
Henry Howard,
Earl of
Northampton,
who dwelt in it. Here Queen
Mary
and Queen
Elizabeth
were born, and here died King
Edward
VI.
The Hospital was founded by King
William
and Queen
Mary,
in the Year 1694, for the Relief of Seamen, their Widows, and Children, and Encouragement of Navigation. Three Tables are hung up at the Entrance into the Hall, which record the Names of several generous Benefactors to this noble Charity, amounting in the Whole to the Sum of 58,209
l.
And in the Year 1732, the forfeited Estate of the late Earl of
Derwentwater,
(being, by means of the Right Honourable the Lord Viscount
Gage,
a Peer of
Ireland,
recovered out of the Hands of certain private Persons, who had purchased the same at a Rate vastly disproportioned to the Value) amounting to near 6000
l. per Annum,
was given by Parliament to carry on and complete this Work; which will enable them to prosecute it with Vigour and Success; and accordingly they have made a great Progress since that time in the second Wing, and other Parts of this sumptuous Edifice.
The Hall is very noble, and finely painted by the late Sir
James Thornhill.
At the Upper-end of it, in an Alcove, are represented the present Royal Family, the late Princess
Sophia,
King
George
I. King
George
II. and Queen
Caroline,
the Queen Dowager of
Prussia,
the Prince of
Wales,
the Duke, and the five Princesses. On the Ceiling, over the Alcove, are her late Majesty Queen
Anne,
and Prince
George
of
Denmark.
And on the Ceiling of the Hall, are King
William,
and Queen
Mary,
with several fine emblematical Figures.
On a Pedestal in the Middle of the Area of the Hospital, fronting the
Thames,
is a Statue of his Majesty King
George
II.
Anno
1705, 100 disabled Seamen were the first that were received into this Hospital; but the present Number was made up in
December
1737, a complete 1000. To each 100 Pensioners Six Nurses are allowed, who are to be Seamens Widows, at 10
l. per Annum,
and 2
s. per
Week more to those who attend in the Infirmary. Their common Cloathing is Blue, with Brass Buttons.
The Church of
Greenwich
is a very handsome new-built Edifice, dedicated to St.
Alphage,
Archbishop of
Canterbury,
who is said to have been killed by the
Danes
on the Spot where the Church stands,
Anno
1012.
There are two Free-Schools in this Parish, one founded by Sir
William Boreman,
Kt. The other was set up by Mr.
John Roan,
who left his Estate for Teaching Boys in Reading, Writing, and Arithmetick; allowing 2
l. per Annum
for each Boy's Cloaths: their Number is Twenty.
There is also a handsome College in this Town, which fronts the River, for the Maintenance of Twenty poor Men and a Master, founded and well endowed by
Henry
Earl of
Northampton,
and committed by him to the Care of the Mercers Company of
London.
A Chapel belongs to this College, where the Earl's Body is laid, which, as well as his Monument, was removed hither a few Years ago, from the Chapel of
Dover
Castle, whereof he was Constable.
This Town may be said to be one of the genteelest, as well as pleasantest, in
England
; the Inhabitants are many of them Persons of Note and Fashion, who have served abroad in the Fleets or Armies, and here pass the Remainder of their Days in Ease and Delight, having the Pleasure to reflect upon the Dangers they have gone thro', and the faithful and honourable Parts they have acted on the publick Stage of Life, in their Country's Cause.
A Market was erected in the Year 1737, at this Town, the Direction of which is in the Governors of the Hospital; and the Profits which shall arise from it, are to be carried to the Use of that fine Foundation.
The River of
Thames
is here very broad, and the Chanel deep, and the Water at some very high Spring-tides is salt; but in ordinary Tides, sweet and fresh.
The Country behind
Greenwich
adds to the Pleasure of the Place:
Black-heath,
both for Beauty of Situation, and an excellent Air, is not out-done by any Spot of Ground in
England.
Near this is a vast Hill, used as a Butt for Archers, and in great Request among the neighbouring People, till King
Henry
VIII's Time; whence it took the Name of
Shooters-hill.
On the East-side of
Black-heath
stands the Hospital built by Sir
John Morden,
Bart. a
Turkey
Merchant. Several Years before his Death, which happened in 1708, he erected this spacious Structure, in form of a College, solely at his own Charge, in a Field called
Great Stone Field,
not far from his own Habitation, for the Reception of poor, decayed, honest Merchants, whereof in his Life-time he placed Twelve there. But by reason of great Losses, they were reduced to Four in the Lady
Morden
's Time, who was forced to retrench the Expences of the House, because the Share allotted her by the last Will of Sir
John,
and some Parts of his Estate, did not answer so well as was expected.
When she died, Sir
John
's whole Estate coming to the College, the Number was again increased, and there are at this Time 35 poor Gentlemen in the House; and the Number not being limited, they are to be increased as the Estate will afford; for the Building was designed for, and will conveniently hold 40.
Seven
Turkey
Merchants have the Direction and Visitation of this Hospital, and the Nomination of the Persons to be admitted into it; and as often as any of these Seven die, the Survivors are to chuse others to fill up that Number.
Every Treasurer of this Hospital has 40
l. per Annum.
There is also a Chaplain, who is to read Prayers twice a Day in the Chapel, and to preach twice every
Sunday.
His Salary at first was 30
l.
a Year; but the Lady
Morden
doubled it at her Death. She was in other respects a Benefactress to the College; and as she put up her Husband's Statue in a Niche over the Gate of the College, the Trustees have also put up hers in another Niche adjoining to that of her Husband.
The Pension is 20
l. per Annum
each. At first they wore Gowns, with the Founder's Badge; which they have not done for some Years.
The Chapel within the College is neatly wain-scotted, and hath a costly Altar-piece, and it has a Burying-place adjoining, for the Members of the College. The Founder, according to his own Desire, was buried in a Vault under the Communion-table of this Chapel.
The Chaplain, the Treasurer, the Merchants, are all indispensably obliged to be resident there; and unless in case of Sickness, no other Persons are to reside, live, or lodge there; and no Person is to be admitted as a Pensioner, who cannot bring a Certificate to prove himself upwards of 60 Years of Age.
In a Word, as the Situation of the Place is pleasant, the Air very good, and the Endowment very sufficient, this may be said to be one of the most comfortable and elegant Pieces of Charity in
England.
Near this College is the noble House, or rather Palace, of Sir
Gregory Page,
Bart. whose Father was a Brewer at
Greenwich,
a few Years ago. It is one of the finest Seats in
England,
belonging to a private Gentleman; and the Park, Gardens, and Country round it, contribute to make it a most delightful and truly noble Habitation.
It was begun and intirely raised and covered in the Space of Eleven Months, which shews how soon a large Building may be finished, where Money, the Sinews of Building,
&c.
is not wanting.
Over this Heath the famous
Roman Watling-street
ran, towards
Shooters-hill
; and so on to
Rochester, Canterbury,
and
Dover.
Here are great Numbers of small
Tumuli,
with some large and eminent ones, out of which Bones have been dug by the late learned Dr.
Gale,
(who resided many Years on this Heath) which shew that many Persons of Eminence have been formerly buried here.
On this Heath the
Danish
Army lay a great while encamped,
A. D.
1011; and many Trenches, and other Remains of the Lines of Camps, are still visible.
On the other Side of the Heath, North, is
Charlton,
a well-built pleasant Village. The Church was beautified and repaired by Order of Sir
Edward Newton,
Bart. who was Tutor to King
James
the First's Son, Prince
Henry
; and it is one of the finest Churches in this County.
At the Entrance of this Village, fronting
Black-heath,
stands the antient House built by Sir
Edward Newton,
who had this Manor granted to him by King
James
I. It is a long Pile of Building in a
Gothick
Taste, having Four Turrets on the Top: the Court before the House is spacious, at the Entrance of which are too large
Gothick
Piers to the Gates, and in a Line on the Out-side of the Wall is a long Row of
Cypress Trees,
which are some of the oldest in
England.
On the Back of the House are large Gardens, remaining in the same Taste in which they were formerly laid out; and behind these is a small Park, which joins to
Woolwich Common.
This House is now in the Possession of the Earl of
Egmont.
Near the Church are two fine Houses, one of which was built by the late Lord
Romney,
who married a Daughter of Sir
Cloudesly Shovel
; the other was in the Possession of the late Governor
Hunter,
before he went to
Jamaica.
These Houses stand on the Edge of the Hill, having their Gardens sloping down towards the River, which, tho' it renders the Prospect to the River very delightful in the Heat of Summer, yet as it exposes their Gardens to the North Winds, their Fruit-trees are generally blighted; and in the Spring, when the Wind usually blows from the North, and East, these Gardens are so much exposed to them, that it is very few Days, during that Season, that Persons can walk with any Pleasure in them.
It is true, that in these Gardens you have a large Reach of the River in View, so that every Tide of Flood, a great Number of Ships are generally sailing by to
London
; as in the Tide of Ebb, many are passing toward
Gravesend
; which affords a very delightful Sight, as it shews the great Trade carried on by the Metropolis: yet as the Country on the other Side of the Water is a dead Flat for a great Number of Miles, and this often covered with Water in Winter, so the Winds not only come very cold over this Flat, but also bring Fogs, Damps, and a very unwholsome Air with them, which greatly diminishes the Pleasure of these Seats.
Charlton
is noted for the Fair held in its Neighbourhood on St.
Luke
's-
day, Octob.
18. called
Horn-fair
; the Rudeness of which, in a civilized, well-governed Nation, may well be said to be unsufferable. The Mob at that Time take all Kinds of Liberties, and the Women are especially impudent that Day; as if it was a Day that justified the giving themselves a Loose to all manner of Indecency without any Reproach, or without incurring the Censure which such Behaviour would deserve at another time.
And this in a Circumstance, which (far from being to be gloried in) ought to be discountenanced by the Sex, as fixing the Brand of Incontinence on too many of them, which they have little Reason to be proud of.
A vulgar Tradition gives the following Origin to this disorderly Fair: It pretends to say, that one of the Kings of
England,
some say, King
John,
who had a Palace in this Neighbourhood, at
Eltham,
being a hunting near
Charlton,
then a pitiful Hamlet only, and separated from his Attendants, entered into a Cottage, and found the Mistress of it alone; and she being handsome, the King took a Liking to her, and having prevailed over her Modesty, just in the critical Moment, her Husband came in; and vowing to kill them both, the King was forced to discover himself, and to compound with Gold for his Safety, giving him moreover all the Land from thence as far as the Place now called
Cuckold's Point
; and making him Master of the whole Hamlet, established a Fair in favour of his new Demesne; and in Memory thereof, Horns, and Wares, and Toys of all Sorts made of Horn, are sold at this Fair.
Thro' this Town lies the Road to
Woolwich,
a Town situated on the Bank of the River, and wholly taken up by, and in a manner raised from, the Yards and Works erected there for the Naval Service. For here, when the Business of the Royal Navy increased, and Queen
Elizabeth
built larger and greater Ships of War than were usually employed before, new Docks and Launches were erected, and Places prepared for the Building and Repairing Ships of the largest Size; because here was a greater Depth of Water, and a freer Chanel, than at
Deptford.
The Docks, Yards, and all the Buildings belonging to it, are encompassed with a high Wall, and are exceeding spacious and convenient; and so prodigiously full of all Sorts of Stores of Timber, Plank, Masts, Pitch, Tar, and other Naval Provisions, as can hardly be calculated.
Besides the Building-yards, here is a large Ropewalk, where the biggest Cables are made for the Men of War; and on the East, or Lower-part of the Town, is the Gun-yard, commonly called the
Park,
or the
Gun-park
; where is a prodigious Quantity of Cannon of all Sorts for the Ships of War, every Ship's Guns apart; heavy Cannon for Batteries, and Mortars of all Sorts and Sizes; insomuch that, as I was inform'd, here have been sometimes laid up, at one Time, between seven and eight Thousand Pieces of Ordnance, besides Mortars and Shells almost beyond Number.
Here also is the House where the Firemen and Engineers prepare their Fire-works, charge Bombs, Carcasses, and Granadoes for the publick Service.
Here is usually a Guard-ship riding, especially in time of War. The Town of late Years is much inlarged and beautified, several fine Docks, Ropeyards, and capacious Magazines added; and the Royal Foundery for Cannon repaired and improved. The
Thames
is here at high Water near a Mile over, and the Water salt upon the Flood; and as the Chanel lies strait East and West for about three Miles, the Tide runs very strong, and the River is intirely free from Shoals and Sands, and has seven or eight Fathom Water; so that the biggest Ships may ride here with Safety, even at low Water.
The Parish-church of
Woolwich
has been lately rebuilt as one of the Fifty new Churches, in a very handsome manner.
From this Town, till we come to
Gravesend,
the whole Shore is low, and spread with Marshes and unhealthy Grounds, except some few Intervals, where the Land bends inward, as at
Erith, Greenhythe, North-fleet,
&c. in which Places the Chalk Hills almost join the River; and from thence the City of
London,
the adjacent Countries, and even
Holland
and
Flanders,
are supplied with Lime, or with Chalk to make it.
From these Cliffs on the River-side, the Rubbish of the Chalk, which they must be otherwise at the Charge of removing, is bought and fetched away by Lighters and Hoys, and carried to all the Forts and Creeks in the opposite County of
Essex,
and even to
Suffolk
and
Norfolk,
and sold there to the Farmers to lay upon their Land, which they do in prodigious Quantities; and are glad to give from 2
s.
6
d.
to 4
s.
a Load for it, according to the Distance.
This is the Practice in all the Creeks and Rivers in
Essex,
even to
Malden, Colchester,
the
Nase,
and into
Harwich
Harbour up to
Maningtree,
and
Ipswich
; as also in
Suffolk,
to
Aldborough, Orford, Dunwich, Swold,
and as high as
Yarmouth
in
Norfolk.
Thus the barren Soil of
Kent
(for such the chalky Grounds are esteemed) make the strong clayey Lands of
Essex
rich and fruitful; and the Mixture of Earth forms a Composition, which out of two barren Extremes, makes one prolifick Medium.
Behind these marshy Grounds in
Kent,
at a small Distance, lies the Road from
London
to
Dover,
on which, or near it, are several good Towns; for Example,
Eltham,
formerly a Royal Palace, when the Court was kept at
Greenwich
; and Queen
Elizabeth,
who (as before said) was born at
Greenwich,
was often carried to
Eltham
by her Nurses, to draw in the wholsome Air of that agreeable Place; but at present there are few or no Signs of the old Palace to be seen.
It is now however a pleasant Town, very handsomely built, full of good Houses; and many Families of rich Citizens inhabit there, who bring a great deal of good Company with them.
Near
Eltham
lies
Chesilhurst,
where is the Burying-place of the Family of the
Walsinghams,
who resided in this Parish for several Generations.
In this Parish is an antient Seat called
Frog-pool,
or
Fragnall,
which in the Reign of King
Henry
III. was in the Possession of
Thomas le Barbur,
who in the 38th Year of the late King's Reign, had a Charter of
Free-Warren
for his Lands here. This Seat is now in the Possession of Mr.
Tryon,
a Merchant of
London.
This Village is famous for the Retirement of the famous Mr.
Camden,
who resided here for several Years, and here composed the greatest Part of his
Annals of Queen
Elizabeth.
Near this are several other Towns and Villages, as
Bexley, Crayford, Wilmington, Foots-cray, North-cray,
&c. which being Places of little Note, I shall pass over with only observing, that about these Villages are many Woods, chiefly of
Birch,
from whence the Broom-makers in
Kent-street, Southwark,
are supplied with their Birch, which bring in a considerable Profit to the Land-owners.
From this Side of the Country, all pleasant and gay, we go over
Shooter's-hill,
where the Face of Things seems quite altered; for here we have but a chalky Soil, and far from rich; much overgrown with Coppice-wood, which is cut for Faggots and Bavins, and sent up by Water to
London.
Here they make those Faggots which the Wood-mongers call Ostrey-wood, and in particular those small light Bavins which are used in Taverns in
London
to light their Faggots, and are called in the Taverns a
Brush,
and by the Wood-men
Pimps.
'Tis incredible what vast Quantities of these used to be laid up at
Woolwich, Erith,
and
Dartford
; but since the Taverns in
London
are come to make Coal-fires in their upper Rooms, that Trade declines; and tho' that Article would seem to be trifling in itself, 'tis not immaterial to observe what an Alteration it makes in the Value of those Woods in
Kent,
and how many more of them than usual are yearly grubbed up, and the Land made fit for the Plough.
In
July
1739, a very good Design was begun to be put in Execution on
Shooters-hill,
a Number of Hands being employ'd in cutting a new Road, wide enough for three Carriages to pass abreast on the Eastern Descent of the Hill, which was formerly so narrow that it was impossible for a Passenger, if way-laid, to escape falling into a Ruffian's Hands, and which gave Occasion to many Robberies being committed here.
Dartford
is a handsome large Town, having many good Houses in it, and is finely watered by two or three very good Springs; the River goes thro' the Town, and discharges itself into the
Thames.
On this River the first
Paper-mill
in
England
was built, by Sir
John Spillman,
in the Reign of King
Charles
I. who granted him a Patent, with a Salary of 200
l. per Annum
for his Encouragement.
The first Mill also for Slitting of Bars of Iron for making of Wire, was on this River.
There are two Church-yards here, one about the Church, and the other on the Top of the Hill towards
North-fleet
; in the latter of which you may look over the Tower of the Church, the Ground rising suddenly so very high.
Here is a very good Market for Corn on
Saturdays,
and an annual Fair on the 22d of
July.
January
31. 1737-8, the Powder-mill at
Dartford
blew up, with this remarkable Circumstance, That tho' all the Servants were about their respective Employments, not one of them received any Hurt. And it is further remarkable, that within eight Years, this is the fourth Time that this Mill has been blown up, and no Damage done by the Disaster to the Persons of the People belonging to it.
Gravesend
lies on the North-side of
Kent,
on the River
Thames,
about six Miles North-east from
Dartford,
and about the same Distance from
Rochester.
The Town of
Gravesend
and
Milton
were incorporated in the 10th Year of Queen
Elizabeth,
by the Name of the
Port-Reeve,
Jurats and Inhabitants of the Towns of
Gravesend
and
Milton.
As this Place is the most frequented Passage of taking Boat for
London,
by Persons who come from
Dover, Rochester, &c.
or thro' any Part of
Kent,
from foreign Parts, so Queen
Elizabeth
ordered the Mayor, Aldermen, and Companies of the City of
London,
to receive all eminent Strangers and Embassadors here, in their Formalities, and so to attend them to
London
in their Barges, if they came up by Water: and if they came by Land, they were ordered to meet them on
Black-heath,
on Horse-back, in their Gowns. So much did that wise Queen consult the Honour and Grandeur of the City!
King
Henry
VIII. raised here a Platform of Guns, and another at
Milton,
as well as two others over-against them on the
Essex
Side, for the Security of the River. But since the Erection of
Tilbury-fort,
these have been demolished.
In the Year 1380, this Town was burnt by the
French
and
Spanish
Galleys, and the Enemies carried away most of the Inhabitants Prisoners.
Here is a very handsome Charity, given by one Mr.
Henry Pinnock,
in the Year 1624, of 21 Dwellings, and a House for a Master Weaver to employ the Poor: And a good Estate is also settled for the Repairs.
In this Town, on the East-side, is still standing the Body of an antient Chapel, which seems to have belonged to some Religious House, for Places in the Walls of the Vault remain still for Holy Water. A Market is kept here on
Wednesdays
and
Saturdays,
and an annual Fair on the 13th of
October,
which lasts a Week.
There have been very great Improvements made of the Lands near this Town within a few Years past, by turning them into Kitchen-gardens, the Land being fresh for this Purpose, as also pretty moist, and the Town having good Quantity of Dung made in it, with which they manure the Land: it produces very good Garden-stuff in great Plenty, wherewith they not only supply the Towns for several Miles round, but also send great Quantities to the
London
Markets; particularly
Asparagus,
which is so much esteemed, that the Name of
Gravesend
will bring a better Price than what is brought from any other Place, this having obtained a much greater Reputation than
Battersea,
which was some Years since famous for
Asparagus.
As
Gravesend
is the great Ferry (as they call it) between
London
and
East-Kent.
It is hardly credible what Numbers of People pass here every Tide, as well by Night as by Day, between this Town and
London.
Almost all the People of
East-Kent,
when they go for
London,
go no farther by Land than this Town; and then for 6
d.
in the Tilt-boat, or 1
s.
in a small Boat or Wherry, are carried to
London
by Water.
Another Thing for which this Town is worth notice, is, that all the Ships which go to Sea from
London,
take, as we say, their Departure from hence; for here all outward-bound Ships must stop, come to an Anchor, and suffer what they call a second Clearing;
(viz.)
here a Searcher of the Customs comes on board, looks over all the Coquets or Entries of the Cargo, and may, if he pleases, romage the whole Lading, to see if there are any more Goods than are entered; which however they seldom do, tho' they forget not to take a Compliment for their Civility, and besides being well treated on board, have generally Three or Five Guns fired in Honour to them, when they go off.
The Method of causing all Ships to stop here is worth observing, and is as follows:
When a Merchant-ship comes down from
London,
(if they have the Tide of Ebb under Foot, or a fresh Gale of Wind from the West, so that they have what they call Fresh-way, and the Ships come down apace) they generally hand some of their Sails, haul up a Fore-sail or Main-sail, or lower the Foretop-sail, so to slacken her Way, as soon as they come to the
Old Man's Head
; when they open the Reach, which they call
Gravesend
Reach, which begins about a Mile and half above the Town, they do the like, to signify that they intend to bring to, as the Sailors call it, and come to an Anchor.
As soon as they come among the Ships that are in the Road, (as there are always a great many) the Centinel at the Block-house on
Gravesend
Side fires his Musket, which is to tell the Pilot he must
bring
to
; if he comes on, as soon as the Ship passes Broad-side with the Block-house, the Centinel fires again, which is as much as to say,
Why don't you bring to?
If he drives a little farther, he fires a third time, and the Language of that is,
Bring to immediately, and let go your Anchor, or we will make you.
If the Ship continues to drive down, and does not let go her Anchor, the Gunner of the Fort is call'd; and he fires a Piece of Cannon, tho' without Ball; and that is still a Threat, tho' with some Patience, and is to say,
Will you come to an Anchor, or will you not?
If he still ventures to go on, by which he gives them to understand he intends to run for it, then the Gunner fires again, and with a Shot; and that Shot is a Signal to the Fortress over the River,
viz. Tilbury Fort,
(which I describ'd in my Account of
Essex, p.
5.) and they immediately let fly at the Ship from the Guns on the East Bastion, and after from all the Guns they can bring to bear upon her: It is very seldom that a Ship will venture their Shot, because they can reach her all the Way to the
Hope,
and round the
Hope-Point
almost to
Hole-Haven
; tho' 'tis said, this has been done once or twice: but the Occasion must be very extraordinary to make a Ship run the Risque. As for Ships coming in, they all go by here without any Notice taken of them, unless it be to put Waiters on board, if they are not supply'd before.
On the 24th of
August
1727, a dreadful Fire happen'd here, which burnt down and destroyed the Church, and the greatest Part of the Town; and in 1731, an Act of Parliament passed for rebuilding the Church, as one of the Fifty new ones; and the Town too, being mostly rebuilt, makes a better Appearance for the Calamity it underwent.
The Passage to and from
Gravesend
to
London
is now made more commodious and safe for Passengers than before, by Act of Parliament passed in 1736-7, for regulating the Company of Watermen,
&c.
between
Gravesend
and
Windsor
; which limits the Number of Passengers to Forty at the most, on board the Tilt-boats, and Ten at most by the Wherries; directs the Burden of the said Boats; prohibits close Decks and Bails nailed down in the Wherries; prescribes the Times of Departure of the Tilt-boats and Wherries, and the Age of the Watermen navigating the said Boats, and directs a Punishment against such Watermen as wilfully lose their Tide, or set the Passengers on Shore two Miles short of the Place to which they are bound. And the Rulers of the Watermens Company are thereby obliged to provide Officers at
Billinsgate,
and at
Gravesend,
who, as near as is possible, Night and Day, at every Time of High-Water, and first of Flood, are, at the respective Places, to ring publickly a Bell set up for that Purpose, for Fifteen Minutes, to give Notice to the Tiltboats and Wherries to put off, and make the best of their Way, without lying by, or putting on Shore, being within two Miles of their respective Ports. Which excellent Provisions must be a great Ease and Safety to all Persons who are obliged to use this Passage.
A remarkable Occurrence happening the last Time I was at
Gravesend,
deserves to be mentioned here in Honour to a brave and excellent
English
Mariner. The Case was thus:
On
Saturday, December
16. 1738, the Ship
Anne
and
Thomas,
Captain
Ogilvie,
Commander, outward-bound for
Africa,
lying at
Gravesend,
was, by the boiling over of a Kettle of Pitch, set on Fire: to extinguish which, the Crew at first made an Attempt; but finding the Flames increase upon them, they were all upon the Point of leaving her, for Fear of 100 Barrels of Gunpowder which were on board: when happily the Mate, returning from a Visit he had been making to a Brother Officer of a neighbouring Ship, stopp'd their Design, and with a noble Resolution, cutting the Boats clear of the Ship, told them they had no Means left to escape perishing, either by Fire or Water, but by heartily joining their Endeavours to extinguish the Flames. When they found themselves in so bad a Dilemma, they unanimously attempted it, and after some time providentially got it under, to the no small Joy of the Town of
Gravesend,
as well as of all the Ships near them, who were in the utmost Consternation for Fear of the Gunpowder, and every Moment in Expectation of the terrible Blow.
We see nothing remarkable on the Road hereabouts but
Gad
's-
Hill,
a noted Place for robbing of Seamen, after they have received their Pay at
Chatham.
Here it was that a famous Robbery was committed in or about the Year 1676, which deserves to be mentioned: It was about Four o'Clock in the Morning, when a Gentleman was robb'd by one
Nicks
on a Bay Mare, just on the Declivity of the Hill, on the West Side.
Nicks
came away to
Gravesend,
and, as he said, was stopp'd by the Difficulty of getting the Boat, near an Hour, which was a great Discouragement to him; but he made the best Use of it, as a kind of Bait to his Horse: from thence he rode cross the County of
Essex,
to
Chelmsford:
here he stopp'd about half an Hour to refresh his Horse, and gave him some Balls; from thence to
Braintree, Bocking, Wethersfield
; then over the Downs to
Cambridge,
and from thence, keeping still the cross Roads, he went by
Fenny Stratford
to
Godmanchester
and
Huntingdon,
where he baited himself and his Mare about an Hour; and, as he said himself, slept about half an Hour; then holding on the North Road, and keeping a full Gallop most of the Way, he came to
York
the same Afternoon; put off his Boots and riding Cloaths, and went dress'd as if he had been an Inhabitant of the Place, to the Bowling-green, where, among other Gentlemen, was the Lord-Mayor of the City. He, singling out his Lordship, studied to do something particular, that the Mayor might remember him by; and then takes Occasion to ask his Lordship what o'Clock it was, who pulling out his Watch, told him the Hour, which was a Quarter before, or a Quarter after Eight at Night.
Upon a Prosecution for this Robbery, the whole Merit of the Case turn'd upon this single Point; the Person robb'd swore to the Man, to the Place, and to the Time, in which the Fact was committed; but
Nicks,
proving by the Lord-Mayor, that he was as far off as
Yorkshire
at that Time, the Jury acquitted him on a bare Supposition, that it was impossible the Man could be at two Places so remote, on one and the same Day.
On the Road from
Gad
's-
Hill
to
Rochester,
are very large Cherry-Orchards, especially on the Righthand of the Road: these Cherries are sent up to
London
in Hoys, and were formerly a great Branch of Trade to the Land-owners of this Country; but of late Years there has been such Plenty of this Fruit, that they have scarce paid for gathering and sending to
London,
which has occasioned many of the Owners of these Orchards to destroy them.
From
Gad
's-
Hill
we come to
Rochester-Bridge,
the longest, highest, and the strongest built of all the Bridges in
England,
except that of
London.
Some indeed say, the Bridge of
Newcastle upon Tyne
exceeds all the Bridges in
England
for Strength; but then it is neither so high, nor so long, as this at
Rochester.
It is supported by eleven Arches, and was built by Sir
Robert Knowles
in the Reign of
Henry
IV. and railed in with Iron at the Charge of Archbishop
Warham.
The River
Medway,
at this Place, is very broad and rapid, foaming most violently.
Rochester
was the
Roman
City
Durobrivis,
and was very strong, being wall'd about and ditch'd. Many Antiquities have been found hereabouts. This City stands in an Angle of the River, and seems to have been of a square Form, the
Watling-street
running directly thro' it. Most of the Walls still remain; and a large Piece of the
Roman
Wall, made of Rubble-stone laid sloping side-ways, is to be seen near that Angle below the Bridge, encompassed by the River with
Roman
Bricks in several Places.
Rochester, Stroud,
and
Chatham,
are three distinct Places, but in a manner contiguous.
Rochester
has suffer'd very much by Fire and War. It consists chiefly of a large ill-built broad Street.
Stroud
is separated from it only by a Bridge, and may alone pass for a small City, and is well-built, but has nothing very remarkable in it.
The Castle of
Rochester
was erected by King
William
I. out of one Angle of the River. The Walls of the great Tower now left, are four Yards thick. The Body of the Cathedral is of the original Structure before the Conquest, and repair'd by Bishop
Gundulph,
an Architect, who likewise built the Castle. The great Tower is call'd
Gundulph
's
Tower.
The chalky Cliff under the Castle Wall, next the River, is a romantick Sight. The Rapidity of the Stream wastes it away, and then huge Tracts of the Wall fall down. On the North Side of the North-west Tower of the Church is
Gundulph
's Effigies. The Front of the Church is of the old Work, but a new Window put in the Middle. The Eastern Gate of the City was pull'd down not very long ago, the Stones of which were of a
Roman
Cut. The Town-house and Charity-school are two of the best publick Buildings in
Rochester
and
Stroud,
except the Churches.
But
Chatham
being the chief Arsenal of the Royal Navy of
Great Britain,
is the most considerable of the Kind in the World. The private Buildings, as the Houses of the Sea-Officers, Directors, Inspectors, and Workmen belonging to the Royal Navy, are well-built, and many of them stately. But the publick Edifices there are indeed, like the Ships themselves, surprisingly large, and in their several Kinds beautiful. The Ware-houses, or rather Streets of Ware-houses, and Store-houses for laying up the Naval Treasure, are the largest in Dimension, and the most in Number, that are any-where to be seen in the World. The Rope-walks for making Cables, and the Forges for Anchors and other Iron-work, bear a Proportion to the rest; as also the Wet-dock, Canals, and Ditches, for keeping Masts and Yards of the greatest Size, where they lie sunk in the Water to preserve them: The Boat-yard, Rope-yards, the Anchor-yard, Forges, Founderies, all not easy to be described.
We come next to the Stores themselves, for which all this Provision is made; and first, to begin with the Ships that are laid up there: The Sails, the Rigging, the Ammunition, Guns, great and small Shot, small Arms, Swords, Cutlasses, Half-pikes, with all the other Furniture belonging to the Ships that ride at their Moorings in the River
Medway,
Powder excepted, which is generally carried to particular Magazines, to avoid Disaster, all these Stores are reposited in separate Buildings and Store-houses appropriated for the Furniture of every Ship, and may be taken out on the most emergent Occasion, without Confusion.
Besides these, are Ware-houses for laying up the Furniture, and Stores for Ships in general, and for the furnishing other Ships to be built, or for repairing and supplying the Ships already there, as Occasion may require.
For this Purpose there are separate and respective Magazines of Pitch, Tar, Hemp, Flax, Tow, Resin, Oil, Tallow; also of Sail-cloth, Canvas, Cables, standing and running Rigging, ready fitted, and Cordage not fitted; with all Kinds of Ship-chandlery Necessaries, such as Blocks, Tackles, Runners,
&c.
with the Cooks, Boatswains, and Gunners Stores, and also Anchors of all Sizes, Grapnells, Chains, Bolts, and Spikes, wrought and unwrought Iron, Cast-Iron Work, such as Pots, Caldrons, Furnaces,
&c.
also Boats, spare Masts and Yards, with a great Quantity of Lead and Nails, and other Necessaries, too many to be enumerated.
To observe these Things deliberately, one would almost wonder what Ships they were, and where they should be found, which could either for Building or Repairing, Fitting or Refitting, call for such a Quantity of all these Things; but when, on the other hand, one sees the Ships, and considers their Dimensions, and consequently the Dimensions of all Things which belong to them; how large, how strong every thing must be; how much of the Materials must go to the making every thing proportionable to the Occasion, the Wonder would change its Prospect, and one would be as much amazed to think how and where they should be supply'd.
The particular Government of these Yards is very remarkable, the Commissioners, Clerks, Accomptants,
&c.
within Doors; the Store-keepers, Yard-keepers, Dock-keepers, Watchmen, and all other Officers without Doors, with the Subordination of all Officers one to another respectively, as their Degrees and Offices require. The Watchmen are set duly every Night at stated and certain Places within the several Yards, with every one a Bell over his Head, which they ring or toll every Hour, giving so many Strokes as the Hour reckons; and then one taking it from another through every Part of the Yard, and of all the Yards, makes the Watch be perform'd in a very exact and regular manner. In the River is a Guard-boat, which, like the Main-guard in a Garison, rows the Grand Rounds at certain Times, by every Ship in the River, to see that the People on board are at their Post: If the Man placed to look out in each Ship, does not call,
Who comes there?
the Guard-boat boards it immediately, to examine into the Defect of Duty.
The Expedition that has been sometimes used here in fitting out Men of War, is scarce credible; for the Workmen told us, That the
Royal Sovereign,
a First Rate of 106 Guns, was riding at her Moorings, intirely unrigg'd, and nothing but her three Masts standing, as is usual when a Ship is laid up; and that she was completely rigg'd, all her Masts up, her Yards put to, her Sails bent, Anchors and Cables on board, and the Ship sailed down to
Black-Stakes
in Three Days, Sir
Cloudesly Shovell
being then her Captain.
I do not vouch the Thing; but when I consider, first, that every thing lay ready in her Store-houses, and wanted nothing but to be brought out and carried on Board; a Thousand or Fifteen hundred Men to be employ'd in it, and more, if they were wanted; and every Man knowing his Business perfectly well; Boats, Carriages, Pullies, Tackles, Cranes, and Hulk all ready; I do not know but it might be done in one Day, if it was tried. Certain it is, the Dexterity of the
English
Sailors in those things is not to be matched by any in the World.
The Building-yards, Docks, Timber-yard, Deal-yard, Mast-yard, Gun-yard, Rope-walks, and all the other Yards and Places set apart for the Works belonging to the Navy, are like a well-order'd City; and tho' you see the whole Place, as it were, in the utmost Hurry, yet you see no Confusion; every Man knows his own Business; the Master-builders appoint the Working or Converting, as they call it, of every Piece of Timber, and give to the other Head-workmen or Foremen, their Moulds for the squaring and cutting out of every Piece, and placing it in its proper Byrth (so they call it) in the Ship that is in Building; and every Hand is busy in pursuing those Directions, and so in all the other Works.
Rochester
has a Market on
Fridays,
and it hath, by Grant from King
Henry
I. two annual Fairs,
viz. May
the 19th, and
Nov.
the 30th. The Ground on that Side of the Town next the River is very low and marshy, being overflowed by every high Tide, which renders the Situation unpleasant, and the Air unwholsome, from the Vapours which arise from these salt Marshes.
It may not be amiss in this Place to take Notice, that there is in the River
Medway,
at
Rochester,
and in several of its Creeks and Branches within the Jurisdiction of the City, an Oyster-Fishery, which is free to every one who has served Seven Years Apprenticeship to any Fisherman or Dredger, who is free of the said Fishery; and the Mayor and Citizens of
Rochester
hold a Court, commonly call'd
An Admiralty-Court,
once a Year, or oftener, when Occasions have required it, for the regulating of the said Fishery, and to prevent Abuses committed in it. In these Courts they appoint, from Time to Time, when Oysters shall and shall not be dredged and taken, which they call
Opening and Shutting the Grounds
; after the Quantity each Dredgerman shall take in a Day, which is usually called
Setting the Stint.
They have a Power to go on board, and enforce these Orders; and when they have found them not duly observed, or that the
Brood
or
Spat
has been taken which should have been preserved, they seize and throw into the River and Creeks the
Brood,
or such Oysters as have exceeded the prescribed Quantity.
Persons who dredge or fish for Oysters, not being Free of the Fishery, are called
Cable-hangers,
and are presented and punished by the Court. Every licensed Dredger pays six Shillings and Eight-pence yearly to the Support of the Courts. But several licentious Persons having, in Process of Time, contested the Authority of this Court, and great Inconveniences arising from it, to the endangering the Fishery, and to the Destruction of all good Order and Rule, the Corporation and Free Dredgermen apply'd to Parliament, and an Act passed,
Anno
1729, establishing the Jurisdiction of the City of
Rochester,
and enforcing the Authority of the said Courts; and since that another Act explaining and supplying Defects; so that at present this Fishery is in a flourishing Condition, and all the fair Dealers in this Commodity find their Account in it.
It is about sixteen or eighteen Miles from
Rochester
Bridge to
Sheerness
Fort by Water, on the River
Medway
; of this it is about fourteen Miles to
Black-stakes
; the Chanel is so deep all the Way, the Banks so soft, and the Reaches of the River so short, that, in a Word, 'tis the safest and best Harbour in the World; and we saw two Ships of eighty Guns, each riding afloat at Low-water, within Musquet-shot of
Rochester
Bridge. The Ships ride as in a Mill-pond, or a Wet-dock, except that being moored at the Chains, they swing up and down with the Tide; but as there is Room enough, they are moored in such manner, that they cannot swing foul of one another; nor did I ever hear of any Accident that befel any of the King's Ships here by Storms and Weather, except in that dreadful Tempest in 1703, when the
Royal Catharine
was driven on Shore, and, receiving some Damage, sunk; and the Ship also being old, could not be weigh'd again.
There are Two Castles on the Shore of this River, the one at
Upnor,
where is a good Platform of Guns, and which guards Two Reaches of the River, and is supposed to defend all the Ships which ride above, between that and the Bridge; also on the other Shore is
Gillingham
Castle, form'd for the same Purpose, and well furnish'd with Guns which command the River; besides which there is a Fort or Platform of Guns at a Place call'd
The Swamp,
and another at
Cockham
Wood. But these are principally added since the Time that the
Dutch
made that memorable Attempt upon the Royal Navy in this River on the 22d of
June,
in the Year 1667; for at that Time all was left unguarded, and there were but Four Guns that could be used at
Upnor,
and scarce so many at
Gillingham,
the Carriages being rotten and broken; and, in a Word, every thing concurring to invite the Enemy. There were about Twelve Guns at the Isle of
Shepey,
where now
Sheerness
Fort is built; but the
Dutch
soon dismounted most of them; after which they went boldly up to
Black-stakes
with their whole Squadron; and after that Seven of their biggest Men of War went up as high as
Upnor,
where they did what Mischief they could, and went away again, carrying off the
Royal Charles,
a First-rate Ship of 100 Guns, and burning the
London,
and several others, besides damaging most of the Ships that were within their Reach; and, all things consider'd, it was a Wonder, that they went away without ruining all the rest of the Navy that was in that River.
This Alarm gave
England
such a Sense of the Consequence of the River
Medway,
and of the Docks, and Yards at
Chatham,
and of the Danger the Royal Navy lay exposed to there, that all these Doors, which were open then, are lock'd up and sufficiently barr'd since; and 'tis not now in the Power of any Nation, unless they were Masters at Land as well as Sea, to give us such another Affront; for besides all these Castles, Lines of Guns, and Platforms on each Side the River
Medway,
as we go up, there is now a Royal Fort built at the Point of the Isle of
Shepey,
call'd
Sheerness,
which guards that Entrance into the River. This is a regular Fortification, and has such a Line of heavy Cannon commanding the Mouth of the River, that no Fleet of Men of War could attempt to pass by, as the
Dutch
did, without hazarding being torn to pieces. I took a View, while I was in these Parts, of
Cobham-hall,
six Miles from
Chatham,
the Seat of the Earl of
Darnley,
a handsome Brick-house, remarkable for the excellent Marble Chimney-pieces in most of the Rooms.
At
Raynham
Church near
Rochester,
we saw several Monuments of the Family of the Earl of
Thanet
; and the Steeple is reckoned a Sea-mark.
SHEERNESS
is not only a Fortress, but a good Town with several Streets in it, and Inhabitants of several Sorts, but chiefly such whose Business obliges them to reside here. The Officers of the Ordnance have here an Office; they being often obliged to be at this Place many Days together, especially in Time of War, when the Rendezvous of the Fleet is at the
Nore,
to see to the furnishing every Ship with military Stores, as Need requires, and to cheque the Officers of the Ships in their Demands of those Stores, and the like.
Here is also a Yard for building Ships, with a Dock, intended chiefly for repairing Ships that may meet with any sudden Accident. But then it is to observed, that those are generally but for Fifth and Sixth-rate Ships, small Frigates, Yachts, and such Vessels; tho' once, when I was there, I saw one upon the Stocks of Sixty-four Guns. This Yard is a late Thing also, and built many Years since the Fort.
Shepey-Isle
is supposed to be so called from its being one of the first Places in
England,
where Sheep were kept, or from its affording a great Plenty of those useful Animals. This Island is encompassed with the mix'd Waters of the
Thames,
and the
Medway
on the West; with the
Swalle
on the South, and with the main Ocean on the North and East. It hath great Plenty of good Corn, but wants Wood. It is about twenty-one Miles in Compass.
Here are several
Tumuli
in the marshy Parts all over the Island, some of which the Inhabitants call
Coterels
; these are supposed to have been cast up in Memory of some of the
Danish
Leaders, who were buried here; for the
Danes
have often made this Island the Scene of their Ravages and Plunder.
There was antiently a Bridge and Causeway, between this
Isle
and
Harty:
this was called
Thrembethe-bridge,
as afterwards the Ferry was called
Tremod-Ferry:
The common Way into this Island, from the main Land of
Kent,
is by
King's-Ferry,
where a long Cable of about a hundred and forty Fathom, being fastened at each End across the Water, serves to get over the Boat by hand.
On the main Side of the Ferry is a small Stone-building, which will hold Nine or Ten Persons: this is said to have been erected by one
George Fox,
who staying once there a long while in the Cold, waiting for the Ferry-boat, and being much affected with it, he built this Place to shelter others from the like Inconvenience. For the Maintenance of this Ferry, and keeping up the Highway leading to it, thro' the Marshes for above a Mile in length, the Land Occupiers tax themselves one Penny
per
Acre for fresh Marsh-land, and one Penny for every Ten Acres of salt Marsh-land
per Ann.
This Tax, together with some Lands belonging to the Ferry, has from time to time kept the said Ferry and Causeway, with a Wall against the Sea, in good Repair; as also the
Boats, Cables,
and a House for the Ferry-keeper, who is obliged to tow all Travellers over free, except on four Days yearly,
viz. Palm-monday, Whit-monday, St. James's-day
and
Michaelmas,
when a Horseman pays Two-pence, and a Footman one Penny: But on
Sundays,
or after Eight o'Clock at Night, there is no Passage
gratis
; so that at such Times, the Ferry-keeper will demand Six-pence of every Horseman, and Two-pence of every Footman; and in these Cases the Land Occupiers pay as well as Strangers. The Keeper of this Ferry is allowed 24
l. per Ann.
by the Land Occupiers, beside what he makes in carrying over Passengers in the Night-time, and on
Sundays:
And to this he has another Perquisite added; which is to dredge for Oysters within the Compass of his
Ferry-loop,
which extends one Tow's Length, (as they term it)
i. e.
sixty Fathoms on each Side of the Castle.
In the upper Grounds of this Island, is great Plenty of good Corn; but equal Scarcity of fresh Water, most of their Springs being brackish; tho' within a few Years past, a Well was sunk so deep as to lie below the Bed of the Sea, which has furnish'd the Garison at
Sheerness
with fresh Water: but before this the People of the Garison had a Yacht, which was employ'd in bringing fresh Water from
Deptford.
A great Number of Marine Plants grow in the salt Marshes, which occasions the Curious in Botany to visit this Island frequently in the midst of Summer, when the Plants are in their Perfection.
At the South-west Point of the Isle of
Shepey,
where the East
Swale
parts from the West, and passes on as above, stands
Queenborough
; so called by King
Edward
III. in Honour of his Queen
Philippa,
Daughter to
William
Earl of
Hainault
and
Holland.
Here was a Castle erected by King
Edward,
as a Defence of the Mouth of the River
Medway.
In the Building of this Castle that Prince was assisted by
William of Wickham,
who was then Surveyor of the King's Works, and afterwards made Bishop of
Winchester.
This Castle was afterwards repaired in the Year 1536, by King
Henry
VIII. who at the same time built others at
Deal, Walmer,
&c. for the Defence of the Sea-coasts. The Governors of
Queen-borough
Castle were formerly honoured with the Title of Constable; and by the List of them, it appears, that many of them were Men of great Consideration.
This Castle was standing in the Year 1629; for Mr.
Johnston,
in his little Book, intituled,
Iter Plantarum Investigationis ergo susceptum,
tells us, That he saw there a noble large Dining-room, or Hall, round the Top of which were placed the Arms of the Nobility and Gentry of
Kent
; and, in the Middle, those of Queen
Elizabeth,
with the following
Latin
Verses under, in great Letters:
Lilia virgineum pectus regale leonis
Significant; vivas virgo, regas
que
leo:
Umbra placet vultus, vultus quia mentis imago;
Mentis imago placet, mens quia plena Deo:
Virgo Deum vita, regina imitata regendo,
Viva mihi vivi fiat imago Dei.
Qui Leo de Juda est, et Flos de Jesse, leones
Protegat et flores,
Elizabetha,
tuos.
A. D. 1593.
In
English
thus:
Lilies the Lion's Virgin Breast explain;
Then live a Virgin, and a Lion reign.
Pictures are pleasing; for the Mind they shew;
And in the Mind the Deity we view.
May she, who God in Life and Empire shows,
To me th' eternal Deity disclose!
May
Jesse
's Flow'r, and
Judah
's Lion, deign
Thy Flow'rs and Lions to protect, O Queen!
A. D.
1593.
At present there are not any Remains of this Castle to be seen; the Ground where it stood is moated round; and there is a Well about 40 Fathom deep, still remaining. By the several Ordinances which were made by King
Edward
III. relating to Naval Affairs, it appears this Place was then very famous; but at present it is a miserable dirty Fishing-town; yet has a Mayor, Aldermen,
&c.
and sends Two Burgesses to Parliament; altho' the chief Traders of this Town seem to be Ale-house-keepers, and Oyster-catchers, and their Votes at an Election for Parliament-men are the principal Branch of their scandalous Traffick. A pernicious Practice! too much followed in better Towns, and which may one Day be of fatal Consequence to the Liberties of
Britain.
Here we took Boat, and went up the
East Swale,
to
Milton,
or
Middleton,
as formerly called, which lies, as it were, hid among the Creeks; for 'tis almost out of Sight as well by Water as by Land, and yet it is a large Town, has a considerable
Saturday
Market, for Corn, Fruit, and other Provisions; and the Oysters taken in the Grounds about this Town, are the most famous of any in
Kent.
This Town is governed by an Officer, who is called by the old
Saxon
Name
Port-reve
; he is chosen annually on St.
James
's-
day,
and he supervises the Weights and Measures all over the Hundred of
Milton.
It had antiently a Royal Palace for the
Kentish
Kings.
From hence, keeping the Coast, and the great Road together, for they are still within View of one another, we come to
Sittingburn,
formerly a Market-town, but still a considerable Thorough-fare, and full of good Inns.
Just by the Town are the Ruins of a Fortification raised by King
Alfred,
when in Pursuit of the
Danes,
called
Bavord-castle.
They boast here much, of one
Norwood
having entertained King
Henry
V. on his triumphant Return from
France
; and tho' the Entertainment was, according to the Times, very elegant, yet the whole Expence of it amounted to no more than 9
s.
and 9
d.
From
Sittingburn
we came to
Feversham
; which is a large fair Town, having one long and broad Street: it has a very good Market-house, where the Market is kept on
Wednesdays
and
Saturdays
; and there are Two annual Fairs in this Town, of Ten Days each;
viz.
on
February
the 14th, and on
August
the 1st. This Town is well peopled, and in a very flourishing State, being in the Neighbourhood of one of the best Parts of
Kent,
and having a very commodious Creek to bring in, or carry out their Goods; but many of the Inhabitants have carried on the Smuggling Trade for Years, for which this Creek lies very convenient.
Brandy,
and often
French Wines,
are sold here at very low Rates, especially at such times as the Smugglers have been apprehensive of Discovery; to prevent which they have been known to sell their Wines to any Persons who would venture to purchase them, for 2
d. per
Quart.
The Fishermen here have a very good Custom: They will admit no one to take out his Freedom, unless he be a married Man. The Trade for Oysters here with the
Dutch
is so large, as to bring in between 2 and 3000
l. per Annum,
ready Money, from
Holland,
for this Commodity only.
At
Feversham
are the Remains of a Monastery founded by King
Stephen,
where he was buried with his Family. At present nothing is left but two Gate-houses, of mean Structure. At the Dissolution, they say, the Coffin of Lead, which held the Royal Body, was taken up and sold; but the Corps was thrown into the
Thames,
and taken up by some Fishermen. Here, in the Year 903, King
Ethelstan
enacted Laws.
It was at the Mouth of this
Swale,
namely, at
Shellness,
so called from the Abundance of Oyster-shells always lying there, that the Smack in which the late King
James
II. embarked for his Escape into
France,
ran on Shore, and being boarded by the Fishermen, the King was taken Prisoner; and I must mention it to the Reproach of the People of
Feversham,
whatever the Conduct of that unfortunate Prince had been, that the Fishermen and Rabble treated him, even after they were told who he was, with the utmost Indecency, using his Majesty with such personal Indignity, and giving him such opprobrious and abusive Language, and searching him in so rude a manner, that the King himself said,
he was never more apprehensive of losing his Life than at that Time.
He was afterwards carried by them up to the Town, where he was not much better treated for some time, till some neighbouring Gentlemen of the County came in, who understood their Duty better, by whom he was preserved from farther Violence, till Coaches and a Guard came from
London,
by the Prince of
Orange
's Order, to conduct him with Safety and Freedom to
London
; where he was much better received.
While I was near this Town some Years before, a terrible Accident happened; namely, the blowing up of a Powder-mill, which stood upon the River, close to the Town; the Blast shatter'd the whole Town, broke the Windows, blew down Chimneys, and Gable-ends; and several People were killed at the Powder-house itself, tho' not any, as I remember, in the Town. But what was most remarkable in it all, was, that the eldest Son of the Master of the Powder-mill, a Youth of about Fifteen Years of Age, who was not in the Mill, or near it, when it blew up, but in a Boat upon the River, rowing cross for his Diversion, was killed by a Piece of the Materials of the Mill, which were blown up into the Air, and fell down upon him in the Boat.
After I have mentioned the Tombs of King
Stephen
and his Queen, in
Feversham,
I know nothing else this Town is remarkable for, except the most notorious Smuggling Trade, which I have mentioned, and which is carried on partly by the Assistance of the
Dutch,
in their Oyster-boats; nay, even the Owling Trade, or clandestine Exporting of Wool, seems removed from
Romney Marsh,
to this Coast; and a great deal of it has been carried on between the Mouth of the
East-Swale
and the
North Foreland.
From this
East-Swale,
and particularly from these last Three Towns,
Queenborough, Milton,
and
Feversham,
the Fish-market at
Billinsgate
is supplied with several Sorts of Fish; but particularly with the best and largest Oysters, such as some call Stewing, others,
Milton
Oysters; as they are from the
Essex
Side with a smaller and greater Sort, called
Wallfleet.
I shall now cross the Hills from
Milton
to
Maidstone,
on the River
Medway,
near 10 Miles distant from
Rochester
to the South-east.
Maidstone
is a very antient Town: the River
Medway,
over which it has a Bridge, is navigable up to it by large Hoys, of 50 or 60 Tons Burden, the Tide flowing quite up to the Town. In 1739, an Act passed for making it further navigable, of which I shall take proper Notice, when I come to speak of the Timber in
Sussex.
Here is carried on a Manufacture of Linen-thread, and likewise, in the Neighbourhood, are great Plantations of Hops, which were supposed to be first planted here at the Beginning of the Reformation, which gave Occasion to that old Distich,
Hops, Reformation, Bays,
and
Beer,
Came into
England
all in a Year.
Maidstone
is eminent for Plenty of Provisions, for Richness of Lands, and for the best Market in the County, not excepting either
Rochester
or
Canterbury.
It has also a handsome Bridge, which, in the Opinion of some, is inferior only in Length to that of
Rochester.
From this Town, and the neighbouring Parts,
London
is supplied with more Particulars than from any single Market-town in
England
; which I mention in pursuance of my first Resolution of observing how every Part of
England
furnishes something to the City of
London.
1. From the
Weald of Kent,
which begins but about Six Miles off, and particularly from that Part which lies this Way, they being the large
Kentish
Bullocks.
2. From hence are brought great Quantities of the largest Timber for Supply of the King's Yards at
Chatham,
and often to
London
; most of which is at present brought by Land-carriage to
Maidstone.
3. From the Country adjoining, great Quantities of Corn are brought up to
London
; also Hops, Apples, and Cherries.
4. A Kind of Paving Stone, about Eight or Ten Inches square, exceeding durable, used to pave Court-yards,
&c.
5. Fine white Sand for the Glass-houses, esteemed the best in
England
for melting into Flint-glass, and Looking-glass Plates; and for the Stationers Use also, vulgarly called Writing-sand.
All that Side of the County which I have mentioned, as it is marshy and unhealthy, by its Situation among the Waters, is chiefly inhabited by Ship-builders, Fishermen, Seafaring-men, and Husbandmen, and such as depend upon them; and very few Families of Note are found among them. But as soon as we come down
Boxley-hill
from
Rochester,
or
Hollingbourn-hill
from
Milton,
to the well-watered Plain on the Banks of the
Medway,
we find the Country every-where bespangled with populous Villages, and delicious Seats of the Nobility and Gentry; and especially on the North-side of the River, beginning at
Aylesford
on the
Medway,
the Seat of the Earl of that Name, and looking East towards the Sea, to
Eastwell
near
Ashford,
the Seat of the Earl of
Winchelsea.
Among these are the antient Families of
Fane, Colepeper, Deerham, Honywood, Wotton, Roberts, Hales,
&c.
This genteel Neighbourhood makes
Maidstone
a very agreeable Place to live in; for here is what is not often found, namely, a Town of very great Business and Trade, and yet full of Gentry, and good Company.
There is not much Manufacturing in this County: what is left is chiefly at
Canterbury,
and in this Town of
Maidstone,
and its Neighbourhood. The Manufacture of this Town is principally Linen-thread, as I have said, which they make to pretty good Perfection, tho' not extraordinary fine. At
Cranbrook, Tenterden, Goudhurst,
and other Villages in the Neighbourhood of this Place, was once a considerable Cloathing-trade carried on; and the
Yeomen of Kent,
of whom so much has been famed, and who inhabited these Parts, were generally much enriched by it; but that Trade is now quite decay'd, and scarce Ten Clothiers left in all the County.
The Farmers, and Descendents of these Clothiers, upon the Elections of Members for the County, shew themselves still there; for there are ordinarily 14 or 1500 Freeholders brought from this Side of the County, who for the Plainness of their Appearance are called the
Grey Coats of Kent
; but are so considerable, that whoever they vote for, is sure to carry it; and therefore the Gentlemen are very careful to preserve their Interest among them.
This Town of
Maidstone
is a Peculiar of the Archbishop of
Canterbury,
who is the proper Incumbent, and puts in a Curate to officiate for him. The Archbishop has a Palace here, which is esteemed very antient, to which there is a Chapel belonging. The Architecture is
Gothick,
but good of the Kind; and some Parts of it have been repaired after the modern Manner.
Maidstone
is a
Roman
Station, named
Vagniacis
or
Madviacis,
from the
British
Word
Maedwaeg
the Meadows on the River
Vaga,
which are here beautiful. The Archiepiscopal Palace was founded by
John Ufford,
and finished by
Simon Islep.
The College or Hospital was erected by Archbishop
Boniface,
and a Chantry by
Thomas Anindel,
now the Free-school. About the Year 1720, several Canoes were dug up, made of hollowed Trees, in the Marshes of the River
Medway
above
Maidstone,
one of which is used for a Boat to this Day. In the Hands of Dr.
Dodd
at
Addington,
near
Malling,
in the Year 1720, a
British
Coin of Amber was found, in the Foundation of a Stone Wall. The convex Side was plain; on the Concave was a
British
Horse, rude enough. The Assizes are generally held here, and always the County Elections; and it is governed by a Mayor, and Twelve Jurats.
Charing,
not far off, was the antient
Durolenum,
situated upon a Spring of the River
Len.
Here the Archbishops of
Canterbury
had a castellated Palace, given them by some of the first
Saxon
Kings, of which there are large Ruins.
In my Way to
Maidstone,
on a former Journey, I saw
Mareworth
Castle, a pretty Fabrick, belonging to the Earl of
Westmorland
and on a rising Ground, within a Mile of
Aylesford,
viewed an Antiquity, vulgarly called
Ketts-cotty-house,
which are three great Stones piled on each other, and deemed the Tombs of
Kentigern
and
Horbus,
two
Danish
Princes, slain in Battle, and there bury'd.
In prosecuting my Journey from
Maidstone
to
Canterbury,
I cannot help mentioning
Lenham,
a Town about 17 Miles distant from that City; in relation to which the Rt. Rev. Continuator of
Camden
records the following extraordinary Circumstance.
"At
Lenham,
says he, is a thing exceeding remarkable, mentioned on the Tomb of
Robert Thompson,
Esq
in the Church there, who was Grandchild to that truly religious Matron,
Mary Honeywood,
Wife of
Robert Honeywood,
of
Charing,
Esq
She had at her Decease, lawfully descended from her, 367 Children; 16 of her own Body; 114 Grandchildren; 228 in the third Generation; and 9 in the fourth. Her Renown liveth with her Posterity: her Body lieth in this Church, and her Monument may be seen in
Marks-hall,
in
Essex,
where she died."
From hence I pursued my Journey to
Canterbury,
which all Writers agree was called, by the
Britons, Kent,
and is the
Duroverno
of the
Romans
; of which Town, and its Antiquities, so much has been said, and so accurately, that I need do no more than mention it briefly. However, I observe here.
1. That
Augustine,
the Monk, the first Christian Preacher that came from
Rome
into this Island, settled in this Place: but that he was the first that preached Christianity in the Island (as some have suggested) is a Mistake; as the famous Conference between him and the Monks of
Banchor
in
Wales,
sufficiently testify.
2. That Seven Bishops of
Canterbury,
including that
Augustine
; lie buried here in one Vault.
3. That
Thomas à Becket,
Archbishop of this See, insulted the King his Sovereign in an unsufferable Manner; insomuch that in the Reign of
Henry
II. he was here murdered by the Connivance, as some say, of the King; and they shew what they call his Blood upon the Pavement at this Day.
4. That they shew the Stone-steps ascending to his Shrine, (he being afterwards canonized) worn away to a Slope, by the Knees of the Pilgrims, who visited it.
5. That the Bodies of King
Henry
IV. and of
Edward the Black Prince,
are buried here, and the magnificent Effigies of the latter, very curiously carved, lies on his Tomb or Monument. Here is a pretty Chapel, originally design'd for the Celebration of Masses for the Soul of King
Henry
IV.
6. That the immense Wealth offered by Votaries and Pilgrims, for several Ages, to the Shrine of
Becket,
was such, that the famous
Erasmus,
who saw it, says of it thus:
"All shone, sparkled, glittered with rare and very large Jewels; and even in the whole Church appeared a Profuseness above that of Kings."
In short, Gold was one of the meanest Treasures of his Shrine: and at the Dissolution, as
Dugdale
observes, the Plate and Jewels filled Two great Chests, each whereof required Eight Men to carry out of the Church. And
Camden
says, the Name of
Christ,
to whom it was dedicated, was almost laid aside for that of St.
Thomas.
7. That all this immense Treasure, with the Lands and Revenues of the whole Monastery, were seized upon by King
Henry
VIII. at the general Suppression of Religious Houses, except such as are annexed to the Deanery and Chapter, and to the Revenue of the Archbishoprick, which are not very considerable. There is an old Picture of
Becket
's Martyrdom, and an antient Painting upon the Wall, of the Siege of
Jerusalem,
in the Habits of our Ancestors.
8. Here are also to be seen the Monuments of Cardinal
Courticello,
Cardinal
Pole,
Archbishop
Chichley
; Bp.
Peckham
's, carved in Wood upwards of 450 Years ago; Bishop
Wharton,
the Duke of
Clarence,
Archbishop
Langton
; with many others of less Account.
The Cathedral is a large and noble Pile of Building: very curious Remnants of painted Glass are still to be seen in the Windows. It is intirely vaulted with Stone, and of a very pretty Model; but much too high for its Breadth, as all
Gothick
Buildings were. The Metropolitan Chair is of grey Marble, standing behind the High Altar. The Cloisters are pretty good, and near them a very large Chapel, called the
Sermon-house,
wainscotted with
Irish
Oak. Under it is a large Protestant
French
Church, given first by Queen
Elizabeth
to the
Walloons,
who fled hither from the Persecution of the Duke
d'Alva.
The Number of these Refugees has been since very much increased by
French
Protestants obliged to leave their native Country, thro' the Cruelty of
Louis
XIV.
The Close where the Houses of the Prebendaries stand, is very spacious and fair, and a great many very good Houses are built in it, and some with good Gardens.
Here are many Remains of
Roman
and
Saxon
Buildings. The City is strongly walled about, and many Towers at due Intervals, a deep Ditch close underneath, and a great Rampart of Earth within. The Materials of the Walls are chiefly Flint.
The Castle was built in the Reign of King
William
I. of the same Form, and the Walls of the same Thickness, with that of
Rochester. Dungeonhill,
a very high Mount, seems to have been Part of the old Castle. Opposite to it, without the Walls, is an Hill, seeming to have been raised by the
Danes,
when they besieged the City. The Top of
Dungeon-hill
is equal to the Top of the Castle, and exhibits a fine Prospect over the City and Country.
Of
Augustine
's Monastery, two Gates remain next the City, and both very stately. Perhaps one belonged to King
Ethelbert
's Palace, the other to the Monastery, which doubtless was very splendid; for it covers a great Compass of Ground, and is surrounded with a very high Wall. There were continual Quarrels between the Monks of
Augustine
and of
Thomas à Becket,
both very rich, and very contentious.
Near this Monastery is a vast angular Piece of a Tower, (besides half of another) about 30 Feet high, which has been undermined by digging away a Course at Bottom, in order to be thrown down; but it happened only to disjoint itself from the Foundation, and lodged itself in the Ground in the present inclining State. Thus being equally poised, it presents a View of Terror, and forbids a too near Access.
The adjacent Close is full of religious Ruins, and in a Corner of it are the Walls of a Chapel, said to have been a Christian Temple before
Augustine
's Time, and reconsecrated by him to St.
Pancras.
Near it is a little Room, said to have been King
Ethelbert
's Pagan Chapel. The Vulgar say, here are the Marks of the Devil's Claws.
Eastward of this, and farther out of the City, is
St. Martin
's Church, said to be
Augustine
's first See, and the Place whither King
Ethelbert
's Queen used to repair to divine Service. It is built mostly of
Roman
Brick. In the Middle is a very large old fashioned Font, supposed to be that where the King was baptized.
North of the City is a very small Remainder of
St. Gregory
's Chapel, founded probably by
Augustine
to the Honour of that Pope, his Patron.
The City has been much advantaged by the Settlement in it of Two or Three thousand
French
Protestants, Men, Women, and Children, owing to the above-mentioned Expulsion of the Protestants under
Louis
XIV.
The Employment of those Refugees was chiefly
Broad Silk Weaving,
which has suffered several Changes and Alterations; but is still carried on here to some Account.
But what has added most to the Advantage of
Canterbury,
is the Hop-grounds all round the Place, to the Amount of several Thousand Acres, insomuch that
Canterbury
was, for some time, the greatest Plantation of Hops in the whole Island; but now they have a Rival, if not an Over-match, about
Farnham,
as I shall observe in its Place.
In
January
1738, were found in a Shave belonging to the Estate of Sir
John Hales,
who lives in this Neighbourhood, and within his Manor of
Tunstall
near
Sittingbourn,
several Hundreds of broad Pieces of Gold, which were thought to be concealed in the Time of the late Civil Wars by an Ancestor of Sir
John.
They were found by a poor Boy, who was rambling in the Coppice; and not knowing what to make of them, was playing with some of them at a Farmer's in the Neighbourhood of
Canterbury,
and the Farmer got Possession of them; but not being able to keep the Secret, he refunded 624 of the Broad-pieces for the Use of the Crown: Tho' Sir
John
laid Claim to the Whole.
The Shore from
Whitstable,
and the
East-Swale,
affords nothing remarkable but Sea-marks, and small Towns on the Coast, till we came to
Margate,
noted for King
William
's frequently Landing here in his Returns from
Holland,
and for shipping a vast Quantity of Corn for
London
Market, most, if not all of it, the Product of the Isle of
Thanet,
in which it stands. There is lately erected here a Salt-water Bath, which has performed great Cures in nervous and paralytick Cases, and in Numbness of the Limbs; and seems every Day to become more and more in Request.
But it may not be unacceptable to transcribe a few Lines from
Camden,
in Honour to the Industry of the Inhabitants in this Part of the Isle of
Thanet,
which I recommend to the
Admiration,
for I doubt it would be too much to say
Imitation,
of the rest of
Britain,
both North and South. It is as follows:
"Nor must I here omit the mention of a Thing very much to the Honour of the Inhabitants of
Thanet,
those especially who live near the Roads or Harbours of
Margate, Ramsgate,
and
Brodstear
; namely, that they are exceeding industrious, and are, as it were,
amphibious Creatures,
and get their Living both by Sea and Land: they deal in both Elements, are both Fishers and Ploughmen, both Husbandmen and Mariners; and the self-same Hand that holds the Plough, steers the Ship. According to the several Seasons, they make Nets, fish for Cod, Herring, Mackarel,
&c.
go to Sea themselves, and export their own Commodities. And those very Men also dung their Ground, plough, sow, harrow, reap, inn, being quick and active in both Employments; and so the Course of their Labours runs round. And when there happen any Shipwrecks, as there do here now and then, (for those Shallows and Shelves so much dreaded by Seamen lie over-against it; namely, the
Godwin,
the
Brakes,
the
Four-foot,
the
Whitdick,
&c.) they are extremely industrious to save the Lading."
I shall only add, That it is highly to the Reputation of those People, if they continue to deserve this excellent Character; but I have heard of some late Instances, that are not at all to their Honour in this latter Particular.
At
Stanar
in the Isle of
Thanet,
the
Rutupiae
of the
Romans,
is to be seen the Sepulchre of
Vortimer,
King of the antient
Britons,
who having vanquished the
Saxons
in many Battles, and at last driven them out of the Island, ordered, before his Death, that he should be buried here, on a fond Conceit that his Corpse would fright them from landing any more upon this Coast. Like the great
Scipio,
who having subdued the
Carthaginians,
ordered his Tomb to be turned towards
Africa,
to fright them from the Coast of
Italy.
But the poor
Britons
soon found the Difference between a
King
in the
Field,
and
one
in the
Grave.
On the North-east Point of this Land, is the Promontory, or Head-land, which I have often mentioned, called the
North-Foreland
; which, by a Line drawn due North to the
Nase
in
Essex,
about Six Miles short of
Harwich,
makes the Mouth of the River of
Thames,
and the Port of
London.
As soon as any Vessels pass this
Foreland
from
London,
they are properly said to be in the open Sea; if to the North, they enter the
German
Ocean; if to the South, the Chanel, as 'tis called, that is, the narrow Seas between
England
and
France
; and all the Towns or Harbours before we come this Length, whether on the
Kentish
or
Essex
Shore, are called Members of the Port of
London.
From this Point Westward, the first Town of Note is
Ramsgate,
a small Port; the Inhabitants are mighty fond of having us call it
Romans-gate
; pretending that the
Romans,
under
Julius Caesar,
made their first Attempt to land here, and that, being driven back by a Storm, he soon returned, and coming on Shore with a good Body of Troops, beat back the
Britons,
and fortify'd his Camp, just at the Entrance of the Creek, where the Town now stands; while others as positively assert, that that great Commander first landed at
Deal
; as I shall observe anon.
Richborough-castle
is a Mile distant from
Stanar
and
Sandwich.
At the Foot of it runs the River coming from
Canterbury.
This River at first discharged itself into the Sea by
Ebbesflete,
North of the
Roman
City
Rutupiae,
now
Stanar
; till the Sand pouring so directly upon it, obliged the Stream to slide under the Cliff by
Richborough-castle,
and so by
Sandwich.
The Castle is a most noble Remnant of
Roman
Antiquity. The Walls on Three Sides are pretty intire, and in some Places still about 25 or 30 Feet high, without any Ditch. The Side next the Sea being upon a kind of Cliff, the Top of the Wall is but level with the Ground. Here, in the latter Times of the Empire, the
Legio
II.
Aug.
was quartered. And from the Condition of the Walls it must have been destroy'd with great Violence, probably by the
Saxons.
In the Way to
Sandwich,
upon an Eminence, is the Remainder of an Amphitheatre made of Turf, probably for the Exercise and Diversion of the Garison. Before
Sandwich
Gates are two
Roman Tumuli,
on one of which stands a Windmill. And South of
Sandwich,
on the Sea-shore, are Six large and broad
Celtic Tumuli,
at equal Distances. This flat Coast is fenced against the Ocean by the Sand-downs. From
Sandwich
as far as
Hythe,
the Coast of
France
was visible all the Way as we rode. The Reverend Mr.
Lewis
has published, within these few Years, a curious History of the Isle of
Thanet,
to which I shall refer for several Particulars, which deserve the Attention of a Traveller.
Sandwich,
one of the Cinque-ports, lies in the Bottom of a Bay, at the Mouth of the River
Stour,
formerly a Town of great Repute and Trade. It decay'd in the
Saxons
Time, and was utterly ruined by the
Danes.
Being raised again, it had the Misfortune to be reduced to Ashes in King
John
's Reign; after which it was rebuilt. But in the Reign of Q.
Mary,
the Mouth of its Harbour was so choaked up by a Ship of great Burden, which sunk in it, and gave Opportunity to the Sands and Beach so to fill it up, that it was incurable: the Town of consequence fell to Decay, and it is now a very poor Place.
Sandwich
is noted for Carrots, which are brought to
London
during the Winter Season; and from hence it is that most of the Markets are supplied with these Roots, which are esteemed the sweetest, as they are also the largest which are produced in
England,
or perhaps in
Europe.
From this Place also the Seedsmen in
London
are furnished with the greatest Quantity of their Seeds: the Land being light, sandy, and fresh, is very good for producing most Sorts of Seeds, and the Ground being pretty low, the Seeds do not so often receive a Blight, as in many other Places.
Not far from hence is
Wingham,
which gives Title of Baron to Earl
Cowper.
From hence I went to
Deal,
called by
Caesar Dola,
having landed not far from this Place. It is the famous Road for Shipping, so well known all over the trading World by the Name of the
Downs,
and where almost all Ships which arrive from Foreign Parts for
London,
or go from
London
to Foreign Parts, and pass the Chanel, generally stop; the Homeward-bound, to dispatch Letters, send their Merchants and Owners the good News of their Arrival, and set their Passengers on Shore; and the Outward-bound, to take in fresh Provisions, to receive their last Orders, Letters, and Farewels from Owners, and Friends,
&c.
Sometimes, when the Wind presents fair, Ships come in here, and pass thro' at once, without coming to an Anchor; for they are not obliged to stop, but for their own Convenience.
The
Downs
would be a very wild and dangerous Road for Ships, were it not for the
South-Foreland,
a Head of Land forming the East Point of the
Kentish
Shore; and is called the
South,
as its Situation respects the
North-Foreland
; and which breaks the Sea off, which would otherwise come rolling up from the West, to the Flats or Bank of Sands, which for Three Leagues together, and at about a League, or League and half Distance, run parallel with the Shore, and are dry at low Water; so that these two, breaking all the Force of the Sea, on the East, South, and South-west, make the
Downs
accounted a very good Road.
And yet on some particular Winds, and especially, if they over-blow, the
Downs
proves such a wild Road, that Ships are driven from their Anchors, and often run on Shore, or are forced on the said Sands, or into
Sandwich-bay,
or
Ramsgate-pier,
in great Distress; this is particularly when the Wind blows hard at South-east, or at East-by-north, or East-north-east, and some other Points; and terrible Havock has been made in the
Downs
at such times.
But the most unhappy Instance that can be given of any Disaster in the
Downs,
was in the time of that terrible Tempest, which we call, by way of Distinction,
The Great Storm,
being on the 27th of
Nov.
1703: Unhappy in particular, for that there chanced at that time to be a great Part of the Royal Navy come into the
Downs,
in their way to
Chatham,
to be laid up.
Five of the biggest Ships had the good Fortune to push thro' the
Downs
the Day before, finding the Wind then blew very hard, and were come to an Anchor at the
Gunfleet
; and had they had but one fair Day more, they had been all safe at the
Nore,
or in the River
Medway
at
Black-stakes.
There remained in the
Downs
about 12 Sail, when this terrible Tempest began, at which time
England
may be said to have received the greatest Loss that ever happened to the Royal Navy at one time, either by Weather, by Enemies, or by any Accident whatsoever. The short Account of it is as follows:
The
Northumberland,
a Third Rate, carrying 70 Guns, and 353 Men; the
Restoration,
a Second Rate, carrying 76 Guns, and 386 Men; the
Sterling Castle,
a Second Rate, carrying 80 Guns, and 400 Men, but had only 349 Men on board; and the
Mary,
a Third Rate, of 64 Guns, having 273 Men on board; these were all lost, with all their Men, except one Man out of the
Mary,
and 70 Men out of the
Sterling-Castle,
who were taken up by Boats from
Deal.
All this is besides the Loss of Merchants Ships, which was exceeding great, not here only, but in almost all the Ports in the South and West of
England,
and also in
Ireland.
The Town of
Deal
carries on some Foreign Trade, and is very much improved of late Years, to which the great Resort of Seamen to it from the Ships in the
Downs
has not a little contributed.
I took a Niew of
Sandown-castle, Deal
and
Walmer-castles.
Sandown-castle
is composed of four Lunets of very thick arched Work of Stone, with many Port-holes for great Guns. In the Middle is a great round Tower, with a Cistern at-top; and underneath, an arched Cavern Bomb-proof. A Foss encompasses the Whole, to which is a Passage over a Draw-bridge.
Deal-castle
and
Walmer-castle
are, like the former, all built, as I have said, by K.
Henry
VIII. to guard this Coast. Between
Walmer-castle
and
Deal
was probably the Spot where
Caesar
landed in his first Expedition, because it is the first Place where the Shore can be ascended North of
Dover
; and exactly answers his assigned Distance of eight Miles. In his second Expedition, with many more Ships, and upon a perfect Knowledge of the Country, he might land at
Deal.
Dover
stands in a most romantick Situation: it is a great Valley, and the only one about this Coast, where Water is admitted inwards of the Cliff, which is here very high. The Sea formerly came a good way higher up, and made a large Port. Anchors have been found above the Town. The
Roman
City
Dubris
was to the South of the River. The
Watling street
enters it as
Bigin-gate,
coming very strait from
Canterbury
over
Barham-down,
where it is very perfect. Some of the Walls are left. The Churches are of a very antique Make: that of
St. Martin
is Collegiate, founded by
Wightred
King of
Kent,
and is a venerable Ruin. It was built in Form of a Cross. Of the Priory, now a Farm-house, are large Remains. The Hospital overagainst it is made a Store-house. Here the Knights Hospitalers or Templers lodged, as they came into, or went out of the Kingdom. The Piers which form the Haven or large Bason, are costly and great Works. Above is a Fort with four Bastions of modern Date. The broad Beach, which lies at the Mouth of this great Valley, and was the Harbour in
Caesar
's Time, is very delightful. One long Street here is nam'd
Snaregate,
from the most tremendous Rocks of Chalk, which project directly over the Houses.
Dover
Castle is very large, and situated upon a Rock rugged and steep on every Side; but towards the Sea it rises to an extraordinary Height. Tho' of late Years neglected, it was once so well fortify'd, and of such Importance, as to be accounted the Key of
England.
And
William the Conqueror,
when he had an Eye upon the Kingdom, took an Oath of
Harold,
that he should deliver into his Hands this Castle with the Well, which is Sixty Fathoms deep, and said to be the Work of
Julius Caesar.
In short it was the strongest old Fortification in the World; and takes up thirty Acres of Ground.
In the late War with
France,
1500 Prisoners were confined in the great Castle. The Brass Gun, call'd
Queen
Elizabeth
's Pocket-Pistol,
is a great Curiosity, twenty-two Feet long. It is excellently well wrought, requires Fifteen Pounds of Powder, and carries a Ball Seven Miles. Here are Two very old Keys, and a brass Horn, which seem to be the Ensigns of Authority belonging to the Constable of the Castle, or Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. One Part of the Fortifications consists of a circular Work, in which stands an old Church, said to have been built by
Lucius,
the first Christian King in
Britain,
out of some of the
Roman
Ruins; for there are huge Quantities of
Roman
Brick laid into the Work; and the Remainder is of Stone, originally cut by the
Romans.
It is in Form of a Cross, and has a square Tower in the Middle. The Stone Windows are of much later Date than the Building: but the greatest Curiosity is the Pharos or
Roman
Watch-tower, standing at the West-end of the Church. This Building was made use of as a Steeple, and had a pleasant Ring of Bells, which Sir
George Rooke
procur'd to be carried away to
Portsmouth.
Since when, the Lead which cover'd it, has been taken away by Order of the Officers of Ordnance; so that this rare Piece of Architecture is left exposed to the Sea and Weather. Here was found a Coin of
Dioclesian.
The
Erpinghams
Arms are patch'd up against one Side of the
Pharos
; so that it seems to have been repair'd in the Days of King
Henry
V. when the Lord
Erpingham
was Warden of
Dover-castle.
Upon another Rock over-against that on which the Castle is situated, and almost as high, are the Remains of an old Watch-tower, now vulgarly called
Bredenstone,
otherwise
Devil's-drop,
from the Strength of the Mortar. Here the new Constable of the Castle is sworn. Under this Place King
Henry
VIII. built the Mole or Pile called the
Pier,
that Ships might ride therein with great Safety. But tho' it was done with vast Labour and Expence, by large Beams fastened in the Sea, bound together with Iron, and great Piles of Wood and Stone heap'd upon all; yet the Fury of the Sea was soon too hard for the Work, and the Timbers beginning to disjoint, Queen
Elizabeth
expended great Sums upon it. And several Acts have passed to repair and restore the same; which also including the Restoration and Preservation of the Harbour of
Rye,
I shall take Notice of both, when I mention that of
Rye.
Dover,
the
Portus Dubris
of the
Romans,
is one of the Cinque Ports, and was formerly bound to send twenty-one Ships for the Wars. It affords a See to the Suffragan of the Archbishop of
Canterbury,
as often as any such is appointed. Most of the Business relating to these Ports in general is done, and all the Courts kept here. The other Cinque Ports are
Hastings, Hythe, Romney
and
Sandwich. Hastings
has two Appendages, namely,
Winchelsea
and
Rye,
which, as well as
Hastings,
are in
Sussex,
and the others in
Kent
; they have all great Privileges: their Burgesses are called Barons; who on the Coronations of our Sovereigns, support the Canopies over their Heads, have a Table at the King's Right Hand, the Canopy for their Fee, and enjoy other Privileges. The Lord Warden of these Five Ports is generally one of the first Noblemen in the Kingdom.
The Packets for
France
go off here, as also those for
Ostend,
with the Mails for
Flanders,
and all those Ships which carry Freights from
New-York
to
Holland,
and from
Virginia
to
Holland,
come generally hither, and unlade their Goods, enter them with the Custom-house Officers, pay the Duties, and then enter them again by Certificate, reload them, and draw back the Duty by Debenture, and so they go away for
Holland.
As we pass from
Dover
to the smaller Cinque Ports of
Hythe, Romney,
and
Rye,
we see
Folkstone,
a little Village now, which the Sea has made great Inroads upon; but which formerly made a greater Figure. A copious Spring went thro' the Town. Two Pieces of old Wall, seemingly
Roman,
hang frightfully over the Cliff. Here are some old Guns, one of Iron of a very odd Cast, doubtless as old as the Time of King
Henry
VIII. Many
Roman
Coins have also been found. And here a Nunnery was built by
Eanswide,
Daughter of
Eadbald,
King of
Kent.
This Place is now principally of Note for a Multitude of Fishing-boats belonging to it, which are one Part of the Year employed in catching Mackarel for the City of
London.
The
Folkstone
Men catch them, and the
London
and
Barking
Mackarel-Smacks, of which I have spoken at large in
Essex,
come down and buy them, and whisk away to Market under such a Croud of Sails, that one would wonder they could bear them. About
Michaelmas
these
Folkstone
Barks, among others from
Shoreham, Brighthelmston
and
Rye,
go away to
Yarmouth
and
Leostoff,
on the Coast of
Suffolk
and
Norfolk,
and catch Herrings for the Merchants there. It hath been observed of some Hills in the Neighbourhood of
Folkstone,
as the Right Rev. Continuator of
Camden
takes Notice, that they have visibly sunk and grown lower, within the Memory of Man.
Sandgate
Castle, situated in the Bottom of Two Hills, on the Sea-shore, hath about Sixteen Guns to defend the Fishing-craft from the Insults of Privateers, in Time of War: it hath several good Houses about it, and was built by King
Henry
VIII.
After we have passed this Castle, we enter upon the Beach. Here are many Springs, which descending from the higher Ground, sink immediately into this Beach, rendering it a little boggy.
Hythe,
one of the Cinque Ports, stands on the Edge of the less Ridge; but the Marsh has intercepted it from the Sea.
Hythe
in
Saxon
signifies a
Port
or
Station
; but at present it hardly answers the Name; for the Sands have so choaked it up, that the Sea is shut out from it to a great Distance. This Town, as also
West-Hythe,
from which the Sea retir'd above 200 Years ago, owe their Original to
Lemanis,
or
Limne,
a
Roman
Port, of which more anon, now a little Village adjoining, which was formerly a very famous Port, before it was shut up with Sands, thrown in by the Sea, which gave Rise to the two
Hythes
before-mentioned, which, in their Turns, have met with the same Fate. A particular Providence happened at
Hythe, April
24. 1739. About Eleven o'Clock the Steeple of their Church, in which were Six Bells, fell down. About Ten Persons were present when it fell, waiting in the Church-porch for the Keys to go up into the Steeple for a View; but some Delay being made in bringing them, they happily receiv'd no other Damage than being terribly frightened. In a Vault under the Church we saw a vast Heap of human Bones, some of an extraordinary Size, said to be gathered up after a bloody Battle fought between the
Britons
and
Danes.
About a Mile distant from it is
Saltwood-Castle,
a very strong Seat of the Archbishop of
Canterbury.
The outer Wall has Towers and Battlements, and a deep Ditch. Within, and on one Side, stands the main Body of the Palace. There are two great and high Towers at the Gate of this, over which are the Arms of Archbishop
Courtney,
the Founder. This inner Work has a stronger and higher Wall, with a broad embattled Parapet at top. Within is a Court, but the Lodgings are all demolish'd. The Floor of the ruinous Chapel is strongly vaulted. In the Middle of the Court is a large square Well, seemingly
Roman.
They say that Anchors have been dug up hereabouts, which makes it likely that the
Romans
had here an Iron Forge; and some will have it, that the Sea came up formerly to it, and ground this Opinion on these Anchors found here.
A little Way further, at the End of the
Stane-street,
the
Roman
Road from
Canterbury,
is the Port of
Lemanis
or
Limne
mention'd above. At
Limne
Church, from the Brow of the Hill, may be discern'd the ruinous
Roman
Walls, situate almost at the Bottom of the Marshes. A pretty Brook, which rises from the Rock, West of the Church, runs for some Space on the East Side of the Wall; then passes thro' it, and so along its lowermost Edge, by the Farm-house at Bottom: here Coins have been found. Once the Sea-bank broke, and admitted the Ocean into all the adjacent Marshes. The Port is now call'd
Shipway,
where the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports was formerly sworn, the Courts kept, and all the Pleas relating thereto, till
Dover
superseded it. The People of
Limne
had a Horn and Mace, the remaining Ensigns of their Authority.
Romney
is a large fine Village, and likewise a Cinque Port; it is the chief Town of the Marsh-Grounds, which were antiently part of the Sea, called
Romney Marsh,
and has
Old Romney
and
Lech
for its Members. It is seated on a high Hill of Gravel and Sand, and on the West Side of it, had a pretty large Harbour guarded against most of the Winds, before the Sea retir'd from it. In the Year 1287, when the Town was at its Height, it was divided into Twelve Wards, had Five Parish Churches, a Priory, and an Hospital for the Sick. But it has been dwindling till it came to its present low Condition, ever since the Reign of
Edward
I. when an Inundation of the Sea destroy'd Men, Cattle and Houses, threw down a whole populous Village called
Prom-Hill,
and remov'd the
Rother,
(in
British
Yz Odz) which used to empty itself into the Sea at
Romney,
out of its Chanel, stopping up its Mouth, and opening it a nearer Passage into the Sea by
Rye
; leaving here only a little Bay for Fishing-boats.
From
Romney-Marsh
the Shore extends itself a great way into the Sea, and makes that Point of Land called
Dengyness.
Just by the River
Rother,
stands the little Town of
Appledore,
which, by Disuse, has lost its Market, and is of no Note now. The Sea formerly came up to it.
Tenterden,
a Mayor Market-town, lies a little to the N. W. of
Appledore,
near the
Weald.
It has a very good and high Steeple, which they say was the Cause of the
Godwin-Sands,
which was an Estate that belonged to Earl
Godwin,
and was guarded from the Sea by a Wall; but they were so intent on building the Steeple, that the Wall was neglected, and the Land overflowed, which they could never afterwards recover.
Ashford,
also a Mayor-town, stands on the great Road, upon the River
Stour.
It is a pretty well built Market-town. The Church is large, and was formerly Collegiate: they hold Pleas for any thing not exceeding twenty Marks.
Newenden
deserves to be mentioned for what it once was, having been formerly a fine City, which
Camden
calls
Anderida.
It was destroy'd by the
Saxons,
but rebuilt in the Reign of
Edward
I. and called
Newenden,
as much as to say, according to
Camden
's Etymology, a new City in a little Valley. It had then an Harbour much frequented; but it is now a most miserable Village, with a few poor Houses in it; the best an Ale-house, and the Church is ill-built, and out of Repair. It has a very indifferent Bridge over the
Rother,
a rapid River, which divides at this Place
Kent
from
Sussex,
and about Nine Miles off empties itself into the Harbour of
Rye. Roman
Coins have been dug up here.
North-west of
Newenden
is
Cranbrook,
a large Market-town, noted for having been one of the first Places where the Cloth-manufacture was set up in
England,
which is now very much in its Wane here. But here I will conclude my Third Letter; and am, Sir,
Yours,
&c.
LETTER IV. CONTAINING A
DESCRIPTION
of the County of
SUSSEX,
other Parts of
KENT,
and Part of
HANTS, SURREY,
&c.
SIR,
I NOW enter the County of
Sussex,
and shall begin my Letter with the Account of
Rye.
It is situated in the most Eastern Part of
Sussex,
upon an Hill, which is encompassed with Rocks, that are inaccessible on the Sea-side. There is nothing now but some Remains of its old Walls to be seen, and the Ditches are almost filled up. Its Trade is in Hops, Wool, Timber, Kettles, Cannon, Chimney-backs,
&c.
which are cast at the Iron-works at
Bakely,
about Four Miles from
Rye,
on the North-west, and
Breed,
about Five Miles distant South-west. It is a very great Misfortune, that its Harbour has been so much damaged by the Sea, and neglected; for it is almost filled up in several Places, where it was formerly the deepest, and most convenient. Some considerable Families, who have Lands near, have taken Advantage of this, to extend them further upon those Sands, which the Sea in Storms has thrown up against them; and by digging Ditches, and making Drains, there are now Fields and Meadows, where antiently was nothing but Water. By this means Ships only of a middle Size can come within any convenient Distance of the Town, whereas formerly the largest Vessels, and even whole Fleets together, could anchor just by the Rocks, on which the Town stands; and as this Port lies over-against
Dieppe
in
France,
and that there is no other Port between
Portsmouth
and
Dover,
which can receive Ships of Burden, not only the Danger of the Sea, but in Time of War, of the Enemy, were escaped by the Conveniency of this Harbour. But it being by the Means I have mentioned, and by the Inning of the Chanel and waste Lands, (which prevented the Flux and Reflux of the Tide) in Danger of being utterly lost, an Act of Parliament passed in 1721, which enacts, That no new Walls, Banks, Dams, or Stops, shall thereafter be erected on either Side of the Water, that might stop or alter the Flux or Reflux of the Sea, between the Mouth of the Harbour, bounded by the
Camber
and
Castle-Points,
and
New Shutt
near
Craven
Sluice.
In 1723 another Act passed for completing the Repairs of the Harbour of
Dover,
and for restoreing the Harbour of
Rye
to its antient Goodness, which still continued to be choak'd up, and almost ruin'd, by the Shifting of the Beach without, and Settling of the Sullage within, and stopping the Flux of the Tide, which this Act proposed should have its free Course thro' the
Scotch-flat
and
Craven
Sluices, or into such other Cut or Chanel as should be found most proper and expedient.
And in 1724 another Act passed for making the last Act more effectual, so far as it related to the Harbour of
Rye,
in which a Power was given to change the Design of making a Passage by the above-named Sluices, and to open a new Cut from the
Winchelsea
Chanel, right out to the Sea. And they actually began, in pursuance of this Act, to cut a broad and deep Canal, which was to be carried to the Sea on the Side of
Winchelsea,
for the Use of the two Boroughs. But still these Provisions being found insufficient, another Act pass'd in 1737-8, for continuing the Term and Powers granted by the former Acts, for repairing the Harbour of
Dover,
and for restoring that of
Rye
to its antient Goodness, to which I must refer the Reader.
The Houses of
Rye
are well-enough built, and of Brick, tho' generally old-fashion'd; but there are some very neat ones of a modern Taste. There is a small Settlement of
French
Refugees in this Town, mostly Fishermen; they have a Minister of their own, who is paid by the Archbishop of
Canterbury.
The Church is handsome and large; but there are so many Dissenters in the Town, and so few of the Establish'd Church, that they have wall'd off, and converted the Western Part of it into a Magazine for Planks. But there are two well-built Meeting-houses, one for the Presbyterians, and the other for the Quakers. Another Church, which belong'd to a Monastery now demolish'd, is also turn'd into a kind of Store-house for Planks, Hops, and other Merchandize. At the North-east of
Rye
are the Remains of an old Fort, which commands the Town and Harbour, and serves for the Town-gaol.
His late Majesty King
George
I. on his Return from
Hanover, January
3. 1725-6, was obliged to put in here, after a very dangerous and tempestuous Passage, the Fleet being unable to make
Dover
; and it was then experienced, what a Benefit it would have been to have had this only considerable Haven, as it formerly was, between
Portsmouth
and
Dover,
restor'd to its pristine flourishing State; for his Majesty was under great Difficulties to land there, and the larger Ships were unable to follow him.
This Town was, as I have said, one of the Appendages, as
Winchelsea
was the other, to
Hastings,
as a Cinque-port, and enjoy'd the same Privileges.
Old Winchelsea
stood upon the Sea-shore, about Two or Three Miles from the Place where the
New
stands. It had formerly a large and spacious Harbour, was a Place of great Trade, and had no less than Eighteen Churches in it. But it was intirely destroyed by the Sea, and that small Part which is not bury'd in the Sands, is now Marsh and Meadow-land. To the S. E. of
Rye,
and the N. W. of
New Winchelsea,
is still to be seen, in the Midst of a large Plain, an old Tower, which probably stood by the Sea.
New Winchelsea
is said to have been built by King
Edward
I. partly on a Hill about Two Miles from the
Old,
and the like Distance from
Rye,
and partly in a little Valley, where it had an Harbour; but
Anno
1250, the latter Part of this met with the same Fate as the former. It never was comparable to the old Town, having but three Parish Churches when it flourish'd, and now there only remains the Chancel of one, which is more than large enough for the Inhabitants. But yet the Town was everywhere accommodated with fine stone arch'd Vaults for stowing of Merchandize, and was laid out with admirable Regularity, the Streets being divided into 32 Quarters. Some of the Stone-work of the Three Gates are still to be seen. The Sea is now above a Mile distant from it, the Harbour being choaked up with Sands; and Grass grows not only where the Harbour was, but even in the Streets; and indeed there are only a few Houses remaining in the upper Part of the Town. Among the Ruins of the Walls to the S. E. are the Remains of a Castle, as some say; or of a Monastery, as others will have it.
Hastings
is the Chief of the Five Cinque-ports, and with its Two Members above, was obliged to furnish the King with Twenty Ships for any Naval Expedition, in Recompence for the ample Immuninities it enjoy'd, as one of the Five Ports. It is about Eight Miles from
Winchelsea.
It consists of Two great Streets, with a Parish Church in each, and has several good Houses; but its Harbour, formerly so famous, is now a poor Road for small Vessels, having been ruined by the Storms that from time to time have been so fatal to its neighbouring Ports of
Rye
and
Winchelsea.
We saw here the Ruins of an ancient Castle; and about Three Miles off,
Bull-hide
Haven, where
William the Conqueror
is said to have landed in his Invasion of
England
; tho' some say it was at
Hastings,
and others at
Pevensey,
an Harbour more Westward, which has likewise been destroy'd by the Sea; but be that as it will, it was at
Hastings
that he muster'd his Army, after he had burnt his Ships, being determin'd to conquer or perish in the Attempt; or rather, as another Author has observ'd, that he might not be obliged to divide his Army, which must have been the Case, if he had preserv'd his Ships; and probably, while he made an Advance into the Country, at the Head of part of his Army,
Harold
might have stepp'd in between, and cut off those who were left to guard the Ships, and then with more Ease have attack'd, and, perhaps, beat that Part commanded by the
Norman
himself.
The decisive Battle which he fought
Anno
1066, with King
Harold,
was upon a Plain call'd
Heathfield,
about Seven Miles from
Hastings,
for an Account of which I shall refer to the Historians. In the Place where
Harold
's Body was found, the
Norman
instituted an Abbey of
Benedictine
Monks, dedicating it to St.
Martin
; and from the Fight aforesaid, it is called
Battle-Abbey
; and soon drew to it, by a Fair held every
Sunday
and Holiday, such a Resort, that it became a handsome Town. It still retains the Name of
Battle,
and some Remains of the Abbey are yet to be seen, and make Part of the House of the Lord Viscount
Montacute,
a Roman-catholick Peer; of which more in another Place.
A little beyond
Hastings
to
Bourn,
we ride upon the Sands in a strait Line for Eighteen Miles, all upon the Coast of
Sussex,
passing by
Pemsey,
or
Pevensey
Haven afore-mentioned, and the Mouth of the River, which comes from
Battle,
without so much as knowing, that there was a River, the Tide being out, and all the Water sinking away in the Sands. This Town of
Battle
is remarkable for little now, but making the finest Gun-powder, and the best perhaps in
Europe.
Near
Battle
they shew us a Hill with a Beacon upon it, now called
Beacon-hill,
but was formerly call'd
Standard-hill
; where the
Norman
set up his Great Standard of Defiance, the Day before the decisive Battle with
Harold
and the
English.
From the Beginning of
Romney-marsh,
that is to say, at
Sandgate,
or
Sandfoot
Castle, near
Hythe,
to this Place, the Country is a rich fertile Soil, full of feeding Grounds; and an incredible Number of large Sheep are fed every Year upon them, and sent up to
London
Market. These
Romney-marsh
Sheep are counted rather larger than the
Leicestershire
and
Lincolnshire
Sheep, of which so much is said elsewhere.
Besides the vast Flocks of Sheep, as above, abundance of large Bullocks are fed in this Part of the Country; and especially those they call Stall'd or House-fed Oxen, from their being kept within the Farmers Sheds or Yards all the latter Season, where they are fed for the Winter-market, and generally deemed the largest Beef in
England.
In
Romney-marsh,
as in other Parts of
England,
are found great Timber-trees, lying at Length under Ground, as black as Ebony, and fit for Use, when dried in the Sun.
From hence it was that, turning North, and traversing the deep, dirty, but rich Part of these Two Counties, my Curiosity led me to see the great Founderies, or Iron-works, which are in this County, and where they are carried on at such a prodigious Expence of Wood, that even in a Country almost all over-run with Timber, they begin to complain of the great Consumption of it by those Furnaces, and the Apprehension of leaving the next Age to want Timber for building their Navies. I must own however, that I conceived that Complaint was intirely groundless, the Three Counties of
Kent, Sussex,
and
Hampshire,
(all which lie contiguous one to another) being an inexhaustible Store-house of Timber for this Purpose.
After I had been fatigued in passing this deep and heavy Part of the Country, I thought it would not be foreign to my Design, if I refreshed myself with a View of
Tunbridge-wells,
which were not then above 12 Miles out of my Way.
When I came to the
Wells,
which were Five Miles nearer to me than the Town, supposing me then at
Battle,
to the Southward of them, I found a great deal of good Company there; and particularly made an Observation, that those People who have nothing to do any-where else, seem to be the busiest People at
Tunbridge.
After the Appearance is over at the Wells, (where the Ladies are all in
Deshabile
) and at the Chapel, the Company go home; and, as if it was another Species of People, or a Collection from another Place, you are surprised to see the Walks covered with Ladies completely dressed, and gay to Profusion; where rich Cloaths, Jewels, and Beauty, dazzle the Eyes from one End of the Range to the other.
As for Gaming, Sharping, Intriguing, as also Fops, Beaux, and the like,
Tunbridge
used to be as full of these as most other publick Places; but the Act lately passed against Gaming has, in a great measure, cured this Evil. Of this Act I shall say more, when I come to
Bath.
The Air here is excellent, and the Provisions of all Sorts very reasonable: particularly they are supplied with excellent Fish, of almost all Sorts, from
Rye,
and other Towns on the Sea-coast; and I saw a Turbut of near twenty Pounds Weight sold there for Three Shillings. In the Season of Mackarel, they have them here from
Hastings,
within three Hours of their being taken out of the Sea; and the Difference which that makes in their Goodness, I need not mention.
They have likewise here abundance of Wild-fowl, of the best Sorts; such as Pheasants, Partridges, Woodcocks, Snipes, Quails,
&c.
particularly they have from the
South-downs
the Bird called a
Wheatear,
or which I think I may call the
English Ortolan,
—the most delicious Taste for one Mouthful, (for 'tis hardly more) that can be imagined; but these are very dear at
Tunbridge:
they are much cheaper at
Seaford, Lewes,
and that Side of the Country.
Tunbridge
is situated upon the little River
Tunn,
which runs into the
Medway
hard by. On the Southern Bank of the River are to be seen the Ruins of an old Castle, built by a natural Son of
Richard
I. Duke of
Normandy,
who, as Mr.
Camden
tells us, exchanged his Lordship of
Bryany
in that Duchy for
Tunbridge.
The Church is a modern Building; the Houses in the Town are mostly ill-built, and the Streets sorrily paved.
The Wells are about Four Miles from the Town, and the Rocks about Ten Miles from them, and worth a Traveller's Curiosity to see, as they are several prodigious Heaps of firm Stone Rocks, tho' some Miles distant from the Sea.
The Buildings at the Wells have much the Advantage of those in
Tunbridge,
and may be said to constitute a large and populous Town themselves. There is a Church, or rather Chapel of Ease, which is very neat. This new Town, as I may call it, stands in a Bottom between Two Hills, one of which is called
Mount Sion,
and the other
Mount Ephraim,
which are generally covered with good Houses, fine Gardens, and Fruit-trees. The Wells might be more properly called
Spelhurst Wells
; for the Water rises in a Parish of that Name. The Well which contains them is well-paved, like a Cistern, and surrounded with a low Wall, with a Pair of Stairs to go down. The Company walk upon the Two above-named Hills, after they have drank the Waters, and divert themselves with Bowls, Dancing, or other Exercises, as the Weather will permit, and the Physicians prescribe. Near the Well is a long Gallery, paved and covered over, wherein to walk in bad Weather, and while they are taking the Waters, and where likewise the Band of Musick have place. There are also Rooms to drink Chocolate or Coffee, and to play at Cards,
&c.
likewise a Hall to dance in. Not far off the Well is a Market well stored with Provisions of all Sorts.
A very eminent Physician is of Opinion, that the Waters of
Bath, Tunbridge, Chiltenham,
(or
Scarborough,
which partake of the same Qualities) and
Bristol,
make the general Kinds of most of the various Mineral Waters on the Globe; and that he therefore who understands these, cannot be much at a Loss to determine the Virtues and Efficacy of any new Kind. And as this learned Gentleman has favoured me with his Opinion of these several Waters, I shall communicate the same in their respective Places.
And, first, this is what he says of the Nature, Efficacy and Qualities of these of
Tunbridge.
"
Tunbridge
Waters, says he, are nothing but an Impregnation of Rain, or compressed Cloudwaters in some of the Eminencies of the neighbouring Country. And indeed all Hills, and conspicuous Elevations, are mere hollow Nests of some Minerals. Iron and Sulphur are the most common and universal Minerals; and almost all Kinds of Stone fit for making Fences or Edifices, have in their Composition one or both of them. All the Varieties of hard, black, dark or greyish Stones, abound with ferrugineous Particles; and Iron is so necessary, especially in Countries between the Tropicks and the Poles, for Husbandry, that there is scarce a Mile square within this Compass, where it may not be found with its impregnated Waters. This is demonstrable by the Action of the Loadstone on most Minerals, the Magnet itself seeming to be scarce any thing but a purer Clod of Iron: and pure polished Iron, we know, with very simple Management, becomes highly magnetick. Hence we account for the Frequency of chalybeat Mineral Waters, of some Degree of Strength or other, so readily to be found between the Poles and Tropicks. And this is a bountiful Provision of Nature to those colder Climates, where animal Food, and fermented Liquors, are so necessary for the Support, Comfort, and greater Proportion of animal Force required in them, for their Defence from the Swarming of ravenous Animals, and for hunting animal Food, where the Vegetable is neither so proper, nutritive, nor abounding, as in these kindlier Climates between the Tropicks towards each Side of the Equator. Mineral Chalybeat Waters brace the Solids, which animal Food, and fermented Liquors, in any Plenty, are apt to relax; and wind up the Springs of animal Motion, to keep the Blood fluid, which the just mentioned Indulgencies are disposed to thicken. Soft Stone, Marl, alkalious Clay, and all Kinds of bituminous Earths, have a larger Quantity of Sulphur in them; for Sulphur, Oil, and Bitumen, always leave Earth brittle, spongy, and alkalious (Alkalies being only an harder earthy Sponge); and when the watry Impregnations meet, they naturally produce by Fermentation some Degree of Heat in the Mixture. There is in Nature, as this learned Gentleman thinks, but one kind of Salt, which is Nitre; and that the Variety arises from a Mixture of Sulphur, Earth, or Iron, in different Proportions combined in their Composition. Nitre however, and Seasalt, have their principal Efficacy from the predominant Principle in their Texture: and thus
Tunbridge
Waters are only a finer Solution of blue Vitriol, or natural Salt of Steel, or Rain-waters, inimitable by Art in such salutary Effects as Nature always produces. For Example: Tho' Art may imitate, in precious Stones, all the Varieties of Colours, Reflexions, Refractions, and Emissions of Light; yet there is always some one peculiar Property, as of Hardness, Weight, or Water, which discovers the Sophistication. In like manner, all the Wines on the Globe may be so imitated, that neither Eye, nor Palate, nor the Perception of their Effects on Animal Bodies, can discover the Fiction; and this without one Drop of the Juice of the Grape, from the saccharine Quality only of almost all Fruits, Seeds, or Herbs: yet by analysing them in some proper Menstruum, the Cheat may be found out. Thus we may imitate all the several Mineral Waters on the Earth, and pretty nearly conciliate all their general or grosser salutary Virtues on diseased Animals: yet there is an unaccountable Something in the Taste, Lightness on the Stomach, Chearfulness and Alacrity they give, which all our Skill can never bestow. The Principle of Individuation, the Size of their last and least Particles, the Proportion of the several Parts of the Composition to the watry Menstruum, and the due Time of their Impregnation, are and ever will be unknown to us; as will consequently the Degree required to wind up, strengthen and contract the relaxed Solids of diseased human Bodies, to such a Height, that they may be enabled to grind, dissolve, and thin the concreted Juices, as these active, strong, and invigorating Waters of
Tunbridge
usually do: for in all robust Constitutions but partially depraved, in the cold chronical Distempers of such Habits, in nervous Disorders, and low Spirits, in weak Digestions, and gross Habits, they are extremely successful, especially in the hotter Seasons of the Year."
Thus far this learned Gentleman.
During the time I was at
Tunbridge
formerly, I made an Excursion to
Knowl-house,
about Seven Miles from
Tunbridge,
and One from
Sevenoak,
belonging to the Duke of
Dorset:
it is situated in the Middle of a Park, and at that time was an antient Stone Fabrick; but had nothing more remarkable in it, than some excellent Pictures.
I left
Tunbridge,
and came to
Lewes,
through the deepest, dirtiest, but in many respects the richest, and most profitable Country in all that Part of
England.
The Timber I saw here was prodigious, as well for Size as Plenty, and seemed in some Places suffered to grow, only because it was so far off of any Navigation, that it was not worth carrying away. In dry Summers, indeed, a great deal is carried away to
Maidstone,
and other Places on the
Medway
; and sometimes I have seen one Tree on a Carriage, which they call there a
Tug,
drawn by 22 Oxen; and even then 'tis carried so little a Way, (being thrown down, and left for other
Tugs
to take up, and carry on) that sometimes 'tis Two or Three Years before it gets to
Chatham
; for if once the Rains begin, it stirs no more that Year, and sometimes a whole Summer is not dry enough to make the Roads passable.
And here I shall observe, according to my Promise,
p.
151. That in the Year 1739-40, an Act passed, intituled,
An Act to revive, explain and amend an Act made in the
16
th and
17
th Years of the Reign of his late Majesty K.
Charles II.
intituled, An Act for making the River of
Medway
navigable, in the Counties of
Kent
and
Sussex: And which, when completed, must be of very great Use to the Publick, as well as to the Counties of
Kent
and
Sussex
in particular.
The Preamble to this Act will set this Matter in a proper Light, and it is to this Effect; That the above-mentioned Act of Parliament of the 16th and 17th of
Charles
II. was never yet carried into Execution; altho' the making the said River navigable was likely to be of great Utility to the Publick, by reason of great Quantities of Timber growing on the
Wealds
of
Kent
and
Sussex,
which is allowed to be the best in the Kingdom, for the Use of the Royal Navy, and which now, thro' the Badness of the Roads in those Parts, cannot be convey'd to any Market but at a large Expence.
That therefore the present Undertakers, being desirous to begin, carry on and complete the Navigation of such Part of the antient River
Medway
and Streams falling into it, as run from
Forest-row
in
Sussex,
to
Maidstone
in
Kent,
this Act incorporates them for that Purpose, by the Name of
The Company of Proprietors of the Navigation of the River
Medway.
We must refer to the Act itself for farther Particulars, and shall only observe, That when this Work is completed, it will be of inconceivable Advantage to the Publick; not only for the excellent Timber which it will be a Means of conveying to proper Markets, but for the easy and speedy Carriage of Iron, Ordnance, Balls, and other Materials of War forged in or near the said River, which at some times of the Year cannot be brought thro' the
Wealds
of the Two Counties; and for the Carriage of Wood, Corn, Grain, Hay, Hops, Wooll, Leather, and all manner of Provisions, as also of Coals, Lime, Stone Wares, and all other Necessaries and Commodities, to the great Improvement of Trade and Commerce.
A few Miles North-west of
Tunbridge
lies
Sevenoak,
so called from Seven large Oaks that grew near the Place. It is a Market-town, governed by a Warden and Assistants; but is noted for nothing more than being a great Thorough-fare Town. It has a good Hospital for maintaining and teaching poor Children, erected by Sir
William Sevenoak,
Lord Mayor of
London,
who was a Foundling, and took his Name from the Town.
Lewes
is a pleasant Town, large, well-built, agreeably situated in the Middle of an open Champain Country, and on the Edge of the
South-downs,
the most delightful of their Kind in the Nation; it lies on the Bank of a little wholsome fresh River, within 12 Miles of the Sea, and was formerly incompassed with a Wall; but there are few Remains of it now to be seen. But what contributes to the Advantage of this Town is, that both it and the Country adjacent, are full of Gentlemen of good Families and Fortunes; of which the
Pelhams
must be named with the first, whose Chief is his Grace the Duke of
Newcastle.
Here are also the antient Families of
Gage, Shelly,
&c. formerly Roman-catholicks, but now Protestants, with many others,
Lewes
has Five Churches in it. Near it is an old demolish'd Castle, in the Neighbourhood of which was fought that bloody Battle between King
Henry
III. and his Barons; the Event of which constrained the King to accept of hard Conditions of Peace, and to give his Son as an Hostage for Performance.
I ought not to forget, that
Newhaven
in this Neighbourhood was formerly noted for its safe and good Harbour for Ships of considerable Burden; but for want of a Provision for maintaining the Timber Piers, which it had for Time immemorial, it was quite neglected, and the Harbour choaked up with Sand and Beach, and the Piers were rotten and decay'd. To remedy these Evils, an Act passed,
Anno
1731, for Repairing and Keeping in Repair the said Piers and Harbour. And when brought to Effect, not only
Lewes,
but the adjacent Parts, as well as the whole Kingdom, will be the better for it.
From
Lewes,
following still the Range of the
South-Downs,
West, we ride in View of the Sea, and on a fine Carpet Ground, for about 12 Miles to
Brighthelmston,
a poor Fishing-town, old-built, and on the very Shore of the Sea. Hence again, as I mentioned at
Folkstone
and
Dover,
the Fishermen, having large Barks, go away to
Yarmouth,
on the Coast of
Norfolk,
to the Fishing Fair there, and hire themselves out for the Season to catch Herrings for the Merchants; and they tell us, that these make a very good Business of it.
The Sea is very unkind to
Brighthelmston,
having by its continual Encroachments, so gained upon the Town, that in a little time more the Inhabitants may reasonably expect it will eat away the whole Place, above 100 Houses having been devoured by the Water in a few Years past.
From hence, still keeping the Coast on the Left, we come to
Shoreham,
a Sea-faring Town, chiefly inhabited by Ship-carpenters, Ship-chandlers, and all the several Trades depending upon the Building and Fitting up of Ships, which is their chief Business. They are indeed justly noted for good Sailors, and for building neat and stout Sea-boats, which yet, in Strength and Duration, do not come up to those of
Yarmouth, Ipswich,
and the North.
The Builders of Ships seem to have settled here chiefly because of the exceeding Quantity and Cheapness of Timber in the Country behind them; being the same wooded Country I mentioned above, which still continues thro' this County and the next. The River this Town stands upon, tho' not navigable for large Vessels, yet serves to bring down this large Timber in Floats from
Bramber, Steyning,
and the Country adjacent; which is, in a manner, all covered over with Timber.
Here in the Compass of about Six Miles are Three Borough Towns, sending Members to Parliament,
(viz.) Shoreham, Bramber,
and
Steyning. Shoreham
and
Steyning
are pretty little Market-towns; but
Bramber,
after I have mentioned the Ruins of an old Castle, hardly deserves the Name of a Town, having not above 20 Families in it, and of them but few above asking Alms, as you ride by. The chief House in the Town, when I was there, was a Publick-house, the Landlord whereof boasted, that upon an Election, just then over, he had made 300
l.
of one Pipe of Canary.
This is not the only Town in this County, where the Elections have been scandalously mercenary, insomuch that it has been said, there was in one King's Reign more Money spent at Elections than all the Lands in the Parishes were worth, at 20 Years Purchase. I shall name in particular but one more, and that is
Winchelsea,
which is rather the Skeleton of an antient City, than a real Town, where the old Gates stand near Three Miles from one another over the Fields, and the very Ruins are so buried, that they have made good Corn Fields of the Streets, and the Plough goes over the Foundations, nay, over the first Floors of the Houses, and where nothing of a Town seems to remain; yet at one Election for Members, the Struggle was such, between Sir
John Banks,
and Colonel
Draper
a neighbouring Gentleman, that I was assured the latter spent 11,000
l.
and lost it too. What the other spent, who opposed him, may be guessed at, seeing he who spent most was always sure to carry it.
Near
Steyning,
the famous Baronet of the Name of
Fagg
hath an antient Seat. And thence passing by the Seat of Sir
John Shelly,
prettily situated in the Middle of a Grove, we come to
Arundel,
a decay'd Town also. It stands near the Mouth of the River
Arun,
which heretofore had a good Harbour called
Arundel Port,
or the Harbour of
Little Hampton,
capable of receiving Ships and Vessels of a considerable Burden; but a Beach being thrown up by the Sea, it was quite choaked up, and the Navigation of the
Arun
obstructed, so that the Harbour was rendered in a manner useless. But in the Year 1733, an Act passed for erecting Piers in, and for Repairing and Keeping in Repair the Harbour there, by cutting a Chanel thro' the Beach and old Piers, and erecting Locks,
&c.
One great Advantage to the Country from this River, is the Shipping off great Quantities of large Timber here; which is carried up the
Thames
to
Woolwich
and
Deptford,
and up the
Medway
to
Chatham
; as also Westward to
Portsmouth,
and even to
Plymouth,
to the new Dock there, and indeed to all the King's Yards, where the Business of the Navy is carried on. The Timber shipped off here is esteemed the best and largest that is brought by Sea from any Part of
England
; also great Quantities of Knee Timber are had here, the largest of which is valuable in its kind above the strait Timber.
This River, and the old, decay'd, once famous Castle at
Arundel,
which has the Privilege to give to its Possessor the Title of an Earl and Peer of the Realm, without Creation, and which belongs to the noble Family of
Howard,
Earls of
Arundel,
and Dukes of
Norfolk,
is all that is remarkable here; except it be, that in the Church are Four old and stately Monuments of the Earls of
Arundel,
and that in this River are catch'd the best and largest Mullets in
England,
a Fish very good in itself, and much valued by the Gentry round, and often sent up to
London.
From hence to the City of
Chichester
are 12 of the most pleasant and beautiful Miles in
England,
whether we go by the Hill, or Downs, or by the Plain, or inclosed Country.
To the North of
Arundel,
and at the Bottom of the Hills, and consequently in the
Weald,
is the Town of
Petworth,
a large handsome Country Market-town, and very populous; and as it stands upon an Ascent, and is dry and healthy, it is full of Gentlemens Families, and good well-built Houses, both in the Town and Neighbourhood; but the Beauty of
Petworth
is the antient Seat of the old Family of
Piercy,
Earls of
Northumberland,
now extinct; whose Daughter, the sole Heiress of all his vast Estates, married
Charles Seymour
Duke of
Somerset
; and among other noble Seats brought his Grace this of
Petworth.
The Duke pull'd down the antient House, and on the same Spot built from the Ground one of the best-modell'd Houses then in
Britain:
it had the Misfortune to be once almost demolished by Fire, but the Damage has been fully repaired.
The Apartments are very noble, well contrived, and richly furnished; but it cannot be said, that the Situation of the House is chosen so happily, as to boast of equal Judgment with the rest; the Avenues to the Front want Space, the House stands, as it were, with its Elbow to the Town; its Front has no
Vista
answerable, and the West Front look'd not to the Parks or fine Gardens, but to the old Stables.
To rectify this, when it was too late to order it any other way, the Duke was obliged to pull down those noble Buildings; I mean the Meuse, or Stables, the finest of their kind in all the South of
England,
and equal to some Noblemens whole Houses: and yet even the demolishing the Pile has done no more than opened a Prospect over the Country, whereas, had the House been set on the rising Ground, on the Side of the Park, over-against the North Wing of the House, and a little more to the Westward, the Front had been South to the Town, the back Front to the Parks; but now all these Advantages lie on one Angle, or opposite to one Wing of the House. Nevertheless it is a noble Pile of Building, and by far the finest in all this Part of
Britain.
From
Petworth
West, the Country is a little less woody than the
Weald
; and a great many fine Seats begin to shew their Heads above the Trees; as the Duke of
Richmond
's Seat at
Godwood,
near
Chichester
; the Seats of the late Earl of
Tankerville,
and the Earl of
Scarborough
; and a great many others.
But the Seat of the Right Honourable the Lord Visc.
Montacute,
called
Cowdrey,
near
Midhurst,
the
Midae
of the
Romans,
deserves a particular Mention. It is situated in a Valley encompassed with Lawns, Hills, and Woods, thrown into a Park, the River running underneath, which renders the Place very agreeable in Summer, but makes it dampish in Winter. The House is square, and at each Corner is a
Gothick
Tower, which have a very good Effect, when viewed from the rising Grounds. The Hall is ceiled with
Irish
Oak, after the antient manner. The Walls are painted with Architecture by
Roberti,
the Statues by
Goupé,
the Stair-case by
Pelegrini.
The large Parlour or Room at the End of the Hall, is of
Holbein
's Painting; where that great Artist has described the Exploits of King
Henry
VIII. before
Boloigne, Calais,
his Landing at
Portsmouth,
his magnificent Entry into
London,
&c. In the other Rooms are many excellent Pictures of the Ancestors of the Family, and other History Paintings of
Holbein,
relating to their Actions in War. The whole Circuit of Rooms are stately and well-furnished, adorned with many Pictures. There is a long Gallery with the Twelve Apostles as big as the Life; another very neat one, wainscotted with
Norway
Oak, where are many antient Whole-length Pictures of the Family, in their proper Habits. There are four History-pieces, two Copies of
Raphael
's Marriage of
Cupid
and
Psyche
; several old religious and military Paintings from
Battle-abbey.
The Park is very noble, having a great Variety of Grounds in it, and is well wooded with
Pines, Firs,
and other Evergreen-trees, which are grown to a large Size; and here are some of the largest Chesnut-trees perhaps in
England.
The Valleys which run thro' the Park, are well supplied with Water, which keeps the Grass in a constant Verdure.
Chichester
is a neat and pretty large City walled round. The River
Lavant
runs under Part of the Walls. Two principal Streets cross it at right Angles upon the cardinal Points, where stands a curious Cross, and Market-house upon Pillars, erected by Bishop
Read.
The Church takes up one of these Quadrants. It is remarkable for Two Side-isles on both Sides, and the Pictures of all the Kings and Queens of
England
since
Cissa,
(the South
Saxon
Monarch, who made this his Royal Seat; and repaired the antient
Roman
Castle or Walls, leaving his Name to the Place) on the Southern Wall, as on the opposite Wall, all the Bishops. The Spire is a Piece of excellent Workmanship, but it received such a Shock some Years ago, that it was almost miraculous, that the Steeple did not fall down; which, if it had, would probably have demolished the whole Church.
It was what the Inhabitants call a Fire-ball, or rather Lightning, which broke upon the Steeple, with such irresistible Force, that it drove several great Stones out of it, and carried them clear off, to a prodigious Distance from the Steeple. One of these Stones, of at least a Ton Weight, was blown over the South Side or Row of Houses in the West Street, and fell on the Ground in the Street, at a Gentleman's Door, on the other Side of the Way: and another of them, almost as big, was blown over both Sides of the said West Street, into the same Gentleman's Garden, and no Hurt done by either of them. This Account I relate from a Person of undoubted Credit, who was an Eye-witness, and saw the Stones. The Breach made thereby in the Spire, tho' within about 45 Feet of the Top, was incredibly large, and yet the Steeple stood fast, and is now very substantially repaired; which shews, that it was originally an admirably sound and well finished Piece of Workmanship. The Monuments of Bishop
Carleton
and Bishop
King
are in this Church, whose Effigies are curiously done in Marble.
In the Year 1723, in digging a Foundation at
Chichester,
was found, pretty deep in the Ground, a large Stone Six Feet long and Three broad, with a
Roman
Inscription on it. In digging up the Stone, a few of the Letters were eras'd, but they were easily supplied.
Neptuno et Minervae Templum, pro salute domus divinae, ex auctoritate Tiberii Claudii, Cogidubni regis, legati Augusti in Britannia, Collegium fabrorum, et qui in eo a sacris, vel honorati sunt, de suo dedicaverunt; donante aream Pudente Pudentini filio.
That is,
This Temple was dedicated to
Neptune
and
Minerva,
for the Safety of the Imperial Family, by the Authority of
Tiberius Claudius.
It was erected by the College of Artificers of King
Cogidubnus, Augustus
's Lieutenant in
Britain,
and by those who officiated as Priests, or were honoured in it, at their own Expence; the Ground being given by
Pudens,
the Son of
Pudentinus.
This Stone was presented to his Grace the Duke of
Richmond,
who has placed it in a Temple on a Mount in his Garden at
Godwood,
between two Statues of
Neptune
and
Minerva.
This City is not a Place of much Trade, nor is it very populous; but within these few Years they are fallen into a new way of managing the Corn Trade here, which turns very well to Account; for whereas the Farmers, generally speaking, used to carry all their Wheat to
Farnham
Market, which is very near Forty Miles by Land-carriage, and from some Parts of the Country more than that, some money'd Men of
Chichester, Emsworth,
and other Places adjacent, join'd their Stocks together, and built large Granaries near the
Crook,
where the Vessels come up; and here they buy and lay up all the Corn which the Country on that Side can spare; and having good Mills in the Neighbourhood, they grind and dress the Corn, and send it to
London
in the Meal, by long Sea.
This is a great lessening to
Farnham
Market; but if the Market at
London
is supply'd, the coming by Sea from
Chichester
is every whit as much a publick Good, as the encouraging of
Farnham
Market, which is of itself the greatest Corn-market in
England; Hempstead
in
Hertfordshire,
and
London,
excepted. This carrying of Meal by Sea is now practised from several other Places on this Coast, even as far as
Southampton.
Chichester,
besides the Cathedral, has Five small Churches. About Three Miles from it, is a House of his Grace the Duke of
Richmond,
called
Godwood.
It was the antient Seat of the Earls of
Northumberland,
and in a very ruinous Condition; but the Duke of
Richmond
has lately built some Offices, which are to correspond with a Mansion-house design'd by
Colin Campbel,
and publish'd by him in his
Vitruvius Britannicus.
His Grace has a noble
Menagerie,
where he keeps a great Variety of foreign Animals and Birds; but the Park is small and ill-planted.
However, it has an easy Descent to the East, South and South-west, with the Prospect of a rich and beautiful Landskip, bounded by the Sea for Thirty Miles in Length. The
Isle of Wight
terminates the South-west Prospect, and the famous
St. Rookshill
covers it from the North.
About Three Miles to the East of
Godwood,
lies
Charlton,
a small Village, remarkable for being the Seat of Fox-hunters; here are many small Hunting-houses built by Persons of Quality, who reside there during the Season for Fox-hunting; but the most beautiful of these Buildings, is that of his Grace the Duke of
Richmond.
Here is also a large Room, which was design'd by the Right Hon. the Earl of
Burlington,
where the Gentlemen Fox-hunters dine every Day together, during their Stay at the Village.
By the Side of this Village is a Forest, which was formerly in the Possession of the
Lumlies,
but has been for some Years his Grace the Duke of
Richmond
's, who has greatly beautified it, by cutting fine Ridings thro' the several Parts of it, and making many new Plantations therein.
From
Chichester,
the Road lying still West, we pass in Sight of the Earl of
Scarborough
's fine Seat at
Stansted,
a House surrounded with thick Woods, thro' which there are the most agreeable Vista's cut, that are to be seen any-where in
England
; and particularly at the West Opening, which is from the Front of the House, they sit in the Dineing-room, and see the Town and Harbour of
Portsmouth,
the Ships at
Spithead,
and also at
St. Helen
's; which, when the Royal Navy happens to be there, is a most glorious Sight.
In our Passage to
Portsmouth,
we pass'd by
Fareham,
and by
Portchester,
a Castle built out of a
Roman
City.
In
Portsmouth
Haven a Thousand Sail of the biggest Ships may ride secure. The Mouth is not so broad as the
Thames
at
Westminster,
and that secur'd on
Gosport
Side by
Charles
Fort,
James
Fort,
Borough
Fort, and
Block-house
Fort, which has a Plat-form of above 20 great Guns level with the Water. On the other Side by
Portsmouth,
stands
South-sea
Castle, built by King
Henry
VIII. The Government has within these few Years bought more Ground for additional Works, and no doubt it may be made impregnable; for a shallow Water may be brought quite round it. The Yards, the Docks, the Store-houses, where all the Furniture is laid up in the exactest Order, so that the Workmen can find any Implement in the Dark, exceed Imagination; as do the immense Quantities of all sorts of military and naval Stores. The Rope-house is 870 Feet long, one continued Room, almost a Quarter of a Mile. I had the Pleasure of seeing a great Cable made here: it requires 100 Men to work at it, and so hard is the Labour, that they can work but Four Hours in the Day. The smallest Number of Men continually employed in the Yard is 1000, and that but barely sufficient.
Here is also a good Counterscarp, and double Mote, with Ravelins in the Ditch, and double Palisadoes, and advanc'd Works to cover the Place from any Approach, where it may be practicable. The Strength of the Town is also considerably augmented on the Land-side, by the Fortifications raised of late Years about the Docks and Yards; and those Parts made a particular Strength by themselves; and tho' they are indeed in some Sense independent one of another, yet they cover and strengthen one another, so that they cannot be separately attack'd on that Side, while they are both in the same Hands.
Edw.
IV. began these Fortifications;
Henry
VII. considerably augmented them;
Charles
II. much improv'd them; and King
James
II. greatly added to them. I was sorry to leave this amazing Scene of naval Grandeur, for the Sight of a wretched Statue of King
William
III. gilt indeed in an extraordinary manner, but the very worst of all the bad Works of this kind I have yet seen. I observ'd the great Quantity of Water and Ditches hereabout is apt to render the Place aguish.
These Docks and Yards are now like a Town by themselves, and are a kind of Marine Corporation within themselves; there being particular large Rows of Dwellings, built at the publick Charge, within the new Works, for all the principal Officers of the Place; especially the Commissioner, the Agent of the Victualling, and such-like.
The Town of
Portsmouth
is a well inhabited, thriving Corporation; and hath been greatly enriched of late by the Fleet's having so often and so long lain there, as well as large Fleets of Merchant-men; besides, the constant fitting out of Men of War here, and the often paying them at
Portsmouth,
has made a great Resort of People to it. Mr.
Camden,
so long ago as the Reign of Queen
Elizabeth,
takes notice, that
Portsmouth was populous in time of War, but not so in time of Peace:
but now the Business of the Navy is so much increased, and so much of it always done here, that it may be said, that there is more to do at
Portsmouth
now in time of Peace, than was then in time of War.
The Government of the Place is by a Mayor and Aldermen,
&c.
and the Civil Government is no more interrupted by the Military, than if there was no Garison there: so that we have very seldom had any Complaint either of Want of Discipline among the Soldiers, or Want of Prudence in the Magistrates.
Since the Increase of Business at this Place, the Confluence of People has been so great, that the Town not admitting any Inlargement for Buildings, a kind of Suburb, or rather a new Town, has been built on the heathy Ground adjoining, which is so considerable, that it threatens to outdo, for Numbers of Inhabitants, and Beauty of Buildings, even the Town itself; and the rather, as it is unconfin'd by the Laws of the Garison, and unincumber'd with the Corporation Burdens, Freedoms, Town-duties, Services, and the like.
Next we arriv'd at the
Portsdown
Hills, which are of Chalk, and at a reasonable Distance from the Shore extend themselves into
Sussex.
Here we turn'd to admire the Face of the Ground we had pass'd. The Ports, Creeks, Bays, Ocean, Castles and Ships, the
Isle of Wight, Portchester,
the considerable Town of
Gosport, Portsmouth, Southampton, Chichester,
and all the Coast from
Portland
Isle to
Sussex,
were comprehended under one View.
From
Portsmouth,
West, the Country lies low and flat, is full of Creeks and Inlets of the Sea and Rivers, all the Way to
Southampton,
so that we ferry over three times in about 18 Miles; besides going over the Bridge at
Tichfield.
The first of these Ferries is at
Portsmouth
itself,
(viz.)
cross the Mouth of the Harbour, from the
Point
above-mention'd, to
Gosport,
a large Town, and of great Trade, especially in time of War. From thence we ride to
Tichfield
as above, where we pass the River
Alre,
which rises in the same County at
Alresford,
or near it, which is not above Twenty-two Miles off; and yet it is a large River here, and makes a good Road below, call'd
Tichfield-bay.
Thence at about Four Miles we pass another River at
Busselton,
narrow in Breadth, but exceeding deep, and eminent for its being able to carry the largest Ships: here is a Building-yard for Ships of War; and in King
William
's Time, Two Eighty-gun Ships were launch'd here. It seems, the Safety of the Creek, and the Plenty of Timber in the Country behind it, is the Reason of Building so much in this Place.
From hence, when we come opposite to
Southampton,
we pass another Creek, being the Mouth of the River
Alre,
which comes down from
Winchester,
and is both very broad and deep; and the Ferrymen having a very sorry Boat, we found it dangerous enough passing it. On the opposite Bank stands the antient Town of
Southampton,
on the other Side of which comes down another large River, called the
Test,
entring
Southampton
Water by
Red-bridge
; so that the Town of
Southampton
stands upon a Point running out into the Sea, between Two very fine Rivers, both navigable for some Way up the Country, and particularly useful for the bringing down Timber out of one of the best wooded Counties in
Britain
; for the River on the West-side of the Town comes by the Edge of
New-forest:
here we saw a prodigious Quantity of Timber, of an uncommon Size, vastly large, lying on the Shore of the River, for above Two Miles in Length, which they told us was brought thither from the Forest, and left there to be fetch'd by the Builders at
Portsmouth-dock,
as they had Occasion for it.
In riding over the South Part of
Hampshire,
I made this Observation, That notwithstanding the very great Consumption of Timber since the Revolution, by Building or Rebuilding almost the whole Navy; and notwithstanding so many of the King's Ships were built hereabouts, besides abundance of large Merchant-ships, which were about that time built at
Southampton,
at
Red-bridge,
and at
Busselton, &c.
yet I saw the Gentlemens Estates, within Six, Eight, or Ten Miles of
Southampton,
so over-grown with Wood, and their Woods so full of large wellgrown Timber, that it seem'd as if they wanted Sale for it, and that it was of little Worth to them. In one Estate at
Hurseley
in particular near
Winchester,
formerly belonging to Mr.
Cromwell,
Grandson to
Oliver Cromwell,
tho' the whole Estate was not above 800
l. per Ann.
in Rent, they might have cut Twenty thousand Pounds worth of Timber down, and yet have left the Woods in a thriving Condition; in another Estate between that and
Petersfield,
of about 1000
l. per Ann.
they told me they could fell a Thousand Pounds a Year in good large Timber fit for Building, for Twenty Years together, and do the Woods no Harm. The late Colonel
Norton
also, whose Seat at
Southwick
was within Six Miles of
Portsmouth,
and within Three of the Water-carriage, had, as I was told, at that time, an immense Quantity of Timber upon it, some growing within Sight of the very Docks in
Portsmouth.
Farther West it is all the same, and as I rode thro'
Newforest,
I saw the antient Oaks of many hundred Years standing, grown white with Age, and perishing with their wither'd Tops in the Air.
I shall give other Hints of the like, when I come to speak of
Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire,
and the Counties which we call Inland, where the Timber is but of small Value, for want of Water-carriage to bring it away; likewise again of the Counties Northward, bordering upon the
Humber,
and upon all the Northern Rivers, not to say a Word of
Ireland
; which is still a Store-house of Timber, more inexhaustible, if possible, than
England.
But having mention'd the late Col.
Norton,
we cannot pass over in Silence his extraordinary Will, which made so much Noise in the World.
This Gentleman dy'd in
Dec.
1732, and left his Real Estate of about 6000
l. per Ann.
and a Personal, said to be to the Value of 60,000
l.
to the
"Poor, Hungry, and Thirsty, Naked and Strangers, Sick and Wounded, and Prisoners, to the End of the World."
And appointed the Parliament of
Great Britain
to be his Executors; and in case of their Refusal, the Bishops; and left his Pictures, and other Valuables to the King. But his Will has been since set aside on the score of Insanity, strong Marks of which it carry'd in the Face of it.
This Gentleman was famous for acting several Parts in Plays with great Propriety, particularly the Part of
Falstaff
in
Shakespear
's
Henry the Fourth,
and the
Merry Wives of Windsor,
at a neat Theatre erected by himself, at his House at
Southwick,
to which, in a Vacation, he often drew down and entertain'd the most celebrated
London
Actors.
This Gentleman's Seat at
Southwick
was formerly an old Monastery, and many of the Walls of it are yet remaining; the House being a Part of it: the Situation is very low and wet, having a great deal of boggy Ground about it; but from the House the Park rises to the highest Point of
Portsdown,
mention'd above, where there are two very large Clumps of
Scots
Fir-trees, which were planted by the late Col.
Norton,
and have thriven so well (tho' greatly exposed to the Sea Winds) as to become a Land-mark at a considerable Distance at Sea, and may be seen near Twenty Miles at Land. Between these two Clumps of Trees, I was informed, that Gentleman intended to have erected a lofty Building; which must have had an exceeding good Effect: for from the level Ground on this Spot, you have a full View of
Portsmouth
Town, Harbour and Docks, under the Eye; and
St. Helen
's in the
Isle of Wight,
is another Point of View, with an unbounded Prospect of the Sea to the South-east; and on the Land-side, a large extensive Vale, well planted and cultivated, bounded with Hills spread with Woods, and the
South downs
covered with Sheep, just under the Eye; so that this Prospect may be justly esteemed one of the finest in
England.
Southampton
is a truly antient Town, which having been many Years decaying in its Trade, of late has very much improv'd in that of
Portugal
Wines, which are imported here and sent into many Places inland, where formerly the
London
Merchants used to deal; and that in great measure owing to the Duties being easier at
Southampton
than at
London.
They also carry on some Trade with the Isles of
Jersey
and
Guernsey
; and not a little, as their Enemies say, of the Smuggling Trade. The Town is large and populous, has a fair High-street, a spacious Key; and, if its Trade should thoroughly revive, is able to contain great Numbers of People. There is a
French
Church, and no inconsiderable Congregation belonging to it. Here are still some Merchants who trade to
Newfoundland
for Fish, which they carry to the
Streights,
&c. and some Ship-building also is carried on here, tho' not near so much as formerly.
This Town had formerly the sole Privilege from the Crown of importing Wines from thence; which, tho' a vast Advantage to it, the Corporation either wantonly or corruptly sold to
London.
The Situation of
Southampton
between two Rivers was to its Advantage formerly, in point of Strength; and is besides strongly wall'd with very large Stones, full of those little white Shells, like Honey-combs, which grow upon the Back of Oysters. This is a sort of Stone extremely hard, and seems to be gather'd near the Beach of the Sea. These Walls have many Lunets and Towers, in some Places double ditch'd; but the Sea encompasses near half the Town. It was built in the Reign of
Edward
III.
I observe they have a Method of breaking the Force of the Waves here, by laying a Bank of
Sea-ore,
as they call it. It is composed of long, slender and strong Filaments, like pill'd Hemp, very tough and durable; I suppose thrown up by the Sea: and this performs its Work better than Walls of Stone, or natural Cliff.
At the South-east Corner, near the Quay, is a Fort with some Guns upon it, call'd the
Tower.
On one was an Inscription, denoting its being erected by King
Henry
VIII. in the Year 1542. In the North-west Corner was a strong Castle, with a Mount, wall'd about at-top as a Keep: upon this a round Stone Tower, with a winding Ascent.
The Main of this Town consists of one broad Street, running thro' its Length. There are many old religious Ruins, and great Ware-houses, Cellars, Store-houses,
&c.
The old
Roman
City call'd
Trausantum,
stood more Eastward upon the Banks of the River
Itching,
coming from
Winchester,
where now is a Hamlet nam'd
St. Mary
's. There is a handsome new Church built upon the Ruins of an old one, which, they say, was burnt in some
French
Wars. It is near the present Ferry, and opposite to
Bittern,
where was an old
Roman
Castle, surrounded with a Ditch, into which the Sea-water flow'd. It was ruin'd in the
Danish
Wars, and
Southampton
arose from its Ashes. This Place is memorable for the Experiment of King
Canute,
who to silence the vain Flattery of his Courtiers, seated himself on the Banks of the River, with all his Regal Apparatus, and commanded the Tide not to approach his Footstool.
About a Mile from this Town, on the Banks of the River
Itching,
is a vast large Pile of Earth, which rises in the Form of a Cone, from a large wide Foundation of great Extent and Circumference, which they call
Bevis-Mount.
It is supposed to be an antient Fortification, thrown up by the
Saxons,
under the Command of
Bevis,
to oppose the Passage of the
Danes
over the River, who lay encamp'd on the other Side. The River is not very large, but the Tide running up into it a good Way beyond the Town, forms a kind of Bay just under this great Mount, which being contiguous to an Estate belonging to the late Earl of
Peterborough,
his Lordship purchased it, and converted it into a kind of Wilderness; and as it is full of Trees and Brambles, he has cut through them divers circular Walks and Labyrinths, so very intricate, that it is hardly possible to avoid being lost in them. His Lordship used frequently to divert himself by dropping his Friends in the midst of this Wilderness, and, stealing away, let them wander up and down, till they found their Way out of it. The Mount terminates above, as is feign'd of
Parnassus,
in a kind of Fork; and between the two Spires is a Bowling-green or Parterre, adorn'd with fine
Italian
Marble Statues, brought by his Lordship from abroad. It lies open on the Side-facing the River, and when the Tide is in, gives a most agreeable Prospect. On one Side of this Parterre, declining gradually from the Top of one of the Spires to the Green, is planted a little Vineyard, exposed to the South; and on the other Side, on the very Summit of the Spire, stands a fine Summer-house, very elegantly built and contrived, with a good Cellar under it, where his Lordship kept his Wines, having no good Cellerage at his House, which is near a quarter of a Mile from the Mount, from which his Lordship called it
Bevis-Mount.
He intended to rebuild the House, and convert all the Grounds lying between it and the Mount, into Gardens, had he lived a little longer. The Beauty of the Improvements which his Lordship has made in this Mount, are hardly to be conceived. He has adorn'd it with Statues, Grottoes and Alcoves, and diversify'd it up and down with something new and surprising, at every turn, peculiar to his own fine Taste and Genius in Gardening, wherein no Nobleman excell'd, and few equall'd him in
Europe.
He left this little Seat, and Lands about it, to his Lady, who now enjoys them.
There are as many things fabled here of
Bevis,
as there are in
Wales
and
Cornwall
of King
Arthur,
both of whom have suffer'd much from Legendary Writers and Tradition; for as King
Arthur
perform'd many brave and valiant Acts in War, and was of great bodily Strength, so
Bevis,
who was a
Saxon
Lord, was a Man of much military Courage and Conduct, as well as personally strong. He was a great Opposer of the
Normans,
and followed them down to
Wales,
and gave them Battle, near
Caerdiff,
in
Glamorganshire,
but was there defeated. 'Tis said his Sword may be still seen at
Arundel
Castle; yet there are some who, from the Fables, with which their Stories are mingled, doubt whether ever there were such Persons as either of them.
I here took a Passage over to the
Isle of Wight,
and in Two Hours arriv'd at
Cowes,
by the Way passing by
Calshot
Castle, where some Years ago were to be seen the Main-top-mast Head of a
Dutch
Man of War, sunk in that Place, a very dangerous Sand lying there in the middle of the Current.
Cowes
is the chief Sea-port Town in this Island; and in Time of War the general Place of Rendezvous for Merchant-ships waiting for Convoys, being secur'd, in some measure, by the Guns of the Castle, but more by the Neighbourhood of
Portsmouth.
We walked Four Miles, and came to
Newport,
the principal Town in the Island; large and populous. At a pretty strong Castle, about a Mile distant, resides the Governor.
The Island is very pleasant, and so fruitful, that one Year's Crop will serve the Inhabitants for Seven Years; who therefore supply
Portsmouth,
and the Parts adjacent, with the Surplus. It abounds particularly in Corn, Cattle, Hares, Rabbets, Wildfowl, Fish,
&c.
It is Sixty Miles in Circumference: its Militia is the best disciplined in
England.
Its Wool, in Fineness, is next to that of
Cotswold. Carisbrook
Castle is famous for being the Place of Imprisonment of King
Charles
I.
Sanham,
in this Island, has also a Castle; so has
South-Yarmouth,
so called, to distinguish it from
Great-Yarmouth,
in
Norfolk. Spithead
between
Portsmouth
and this Island, and
St. Helen
's, near to the
Isle of Wight,
are famous for the Rendezvous of the Royal Navy of
England. Appledore-come
is a very beautiful Seat in this Isle, belonging to Sir
Robert Worsley,
B
rt.
This Island is also noted for having been once advanced to the Title of a Kingdom, by King
Henry
VI. in behalf of
Henry Beauchamp,
Earl of
Warwick,
his great Favourite, who was crown'd King of
Wight,
and of the Isles of
Jersey
and
Guernsey,
in 1445, but dying Two Years after, the Isle lost the Title of a Kingdom. For King
Edward
IV. who succeeded
Henry,
bestow'd this Island upon his Father-in-law,
Richard Woodville,
Earl
Rivers,
with the Title of
Lord of Wight,
as the late Earl of
Derby
was Lord of the
Isle of Man.
Returning to
Southampton,
I was at the Extent of my intended Journey West, intending to look no farther this Way for the present. I went North-east, leaving
Winchester
a little on the Left, and came into the
Portsmouth
Road at
Petersfield,
a Town chiefly noted for good Inns, and standing in the Middle of a Country overgrown with a prodigious Quantity of Oak-timber. From hence we came to
Alton,
and in the Road thither began a little to taste the Pleasure of the Western Downs, which reach from
Winchester
almost to that Place.
The Duke of
Bolton
has Two very noble Seats in this Country, one between
Alton
and
Alresford
; and one at
Basing,
of which hereafter.
Alton
is a small Market-town, of no Note, neither is there any considerable Manufacture in all this Part of
England,
except a little Drugget and Shalloon-making; otherwise the whole Counties of
Kent, Sussex, Surrey
and
Hampshire,
are not employ'd in any considerable Woollen Manufacture.
From
Alton
we came to
Farnham,
a large populous Market-town, the farthest that Way in the County of
Surrey,
from
London
; and, excepting
Hempstead
and
London,
as we observ'd above, the greatest Corn-market in
England,
particularly for Wheat, of which so vast a Quantity is brought hither every Market-day, that a Gentleman told me, he once counted 1100 Teams of Horse, all drawing Waggons, or Carts, loaden with Wheat; every Team of which is supposed to bring a Load, which is Forty Bushels, in the whole 44,000 Bushels; but I do not take upon me to affirm this for Truth of my own Knowledge, tho' I know some have thought the Quantity has been much more; but this also was, I suppose, before the People of
Chichester
and
Emsworth
on one Side, and
Southampton, Tichfield,
and
Redbridge
on the other, took to the Trade of sending their Wheat in Meal to
London
by Sea, as I mentioned before.
The Toll-dish, some Market-days, used to amount to above a Load of Wheat; and yet about 100 Years ago, it was so short of it, that one
Busk,
whose Property it was, sold it for Forty Shillings; so greatly was this Manufacture increased within that Period. But if
Farnham
has been a Loser by the Method lately fallen upon by the People of
Chichester
and
Southampton,
it has made itself amends by another Product, which it has taken to within these Twenty Years past, and that is Hops, which it has so vastly improved in, that it may be said to outdo
Canterbury, Maidstone,
and any of the Places in
Kent,
most noted for that Commodity; and this not only in Quantity, but Goodness. In short, all the Neighbourhood about
Farnham
is one general Hop-ground; and to shew the Excellency of the Product,
Farnham
Hops now lead the Price at all the Markets in
England.
At this Town is a Castle built by a Bishop of
Winchester,
which has been in a constant Succession possessed by the Bishops of the Diocese ever since King
Stephen
's Time to this Day, and is their usual Place of Residence. This Palace is a magnificent Structure, deeply moated, and strongly wall'd, with Towers at proper Distances. It stands upon the Edge of an Hill, where is a fine Park. One large and broad Street of the Town below-hill fronts the Castle. The Main of the rest of the Town, consists of a long strait Street, crossing it at right Angles. The River went parallel to it on the South.
About Two Miles from
Farnham,
is
More-park,
formerly the Seat of Sir
William Temple,
who, by his Will, ordered his Heart to be put into a China-bason, and buried under a Sun-dial in his Garden, which was accordingly perform'd. This House is situated in a Valley, surrounded on every Side with Hills, having a running Stream thro' the Gardens, which, with a small Expence, might be made to serpent thro' all the adjoining Meadows, in a most delightful manner. At about a Quarter of a Mile from the House, is a large Grotto in the Side of a Hill, from whence you may command a Prospect of the Meadows and Woods which lie below it; and these are bounded again by Hills, which makes the whole one of the most romantick Places imaginable.
From
Farnham,
that I might take in the whole County of
Surrey,
I took the Coach Road over
Bagshot-heath,
and that great Forest, as it is call'd, of
Windsor.
Bagshot-heath,
which at present is a horrid barren Country, is capable of great Improvement, as may be judg'd by the several Inclosures on the Borders of it, and some in the Centre also, which from being in the same Condition, (as we at present see the whole Face of the Country thereabouts, very barren, producing nothing but Heath and Whorts) now produces good Corn and Grass, and in some Parts are good Plantations of Trees, which thrive well. On the Edge of this Heath are several Seats of Noblemen; but those which require Notice are, first, the Right Hon. the Earl of
Arran
's, which is a large Inclosure, the Wood-walks and other Plantations being upward of Two Miles in Circumference; and the Park, which runs on the other Side of the House, is upward of Three Miles. The Plantations in this Inclosure have made good Progress, which is a Proof, that the Soil thereabout is capable of great Improvement.
The next Seat is that of the Right Hon. the Earl of
Anglesea,
which is an antient House, situated very near the Church, and almost surrounded with large Trees, so that only the Front appears to View.
The Duke of
Roxborough
has also a Seat in this Place, where his Grace used to reside a great Part of the Summer and Autumn, for the Pleasure of Shooting, being very fond of that Sport.
This Desert lies extended so much, that some say there is not less than 100,000 Acres of this barren Land that lies all together, reaching out every Way in the Three Counties of
Surrey, Hampshire,
and
Berkshire
; besides a great Quantity of Land, almost as bad as that between
Godalmin
and
Petersfield,
on the Road to
Portsmouth,
including some Hills call'd the
Hind-head,
and others.
It may not be amiss to take notice of a common Mistake in relation to
Bagshot
Mutton, so much valued by the Gentry, which they suppose to be fed there, and from the Poorness of the Soil, render'd smaller than most other Mutton in
England,
whereas I am credibly inform'd, that none of the Sheep are fed at
Bagshot,
being brought from and fed upon
Hampshire
Downs, and all kill'd by the Butchers of
Bagshot,
and sent to
London.
Thro' this Desert, for I can call it no less, we come into the great Western Road, leading from
London
to
Salisbury, Exeter,
&c. and pass the
Thames
at
Stanes.
The Bridge of
Stanes,
and
Egham
Causeway, which are part of the Highway from
London,
to the West of
England,
having been, for some time, in a ruinous and dangerous Condition, and the Tolls and Duties laid by an Act passed in the Reign of
Henry
VIII. and another in that of Queen
Elizabeth,
amounting to no more than the clear Sum of 45
l. per Annum,
the Bridgemasters were obliged to exact at the Ferry there exorbitant Rates for conveying Passengers over the
Thames,
in order the better to support the said Bridge and Causeway; and yet all proving insufficient, as well as burdensome, an Act passed in the Session of 1739-40, for the more effectual Maintenance and well-keeping of them both; and will be a great Benefit to Passengers, as also to the River, and the Towns adjacent; and the Act provides, that in case of the Reparation of the Bridge, or any other Accident which shall hinder Passengers or Carriages going over the Bridge, the Ferry shall exact no higher Rate for conveying over such Passengers,
&c.
than are laid for passing over the Bridge.
Here recollecting that I had yet left the Inland Towns of the Two Counties of
Kent
and
Sussex,
and great Part of the County of
Surrey,
out of my Account; and that having, as it were, taken a Circuit round the Coast only, I had a great many Places worth viewing to give an Account of; I therefore left
Windsor,
on one Side of the River, and
Hampton-Court
on the other, to be the Subject of another Letter; and resolv'd to finish my present Purpose in the Order I had begun it, that is to say, to take in the whole Country as I came on; that I might make as few Transitions as possible from one remote Part of
England
to another.
From
Stanes
therefore I turn'd S. and S. E. to
Chertsey,
another Market-town, and where there is a Bridge over the
Thames:
this Town is noted for the Burial-place of
Henry
VI. whence his Bones were afterwards removed to
Windsor
by
Henry
VII. and also by its being the Retreat of the incomparable
Cowley,
where he lived distant from the Hurries of the Court and Town, intirely taken up in Country Business, Farming and Husbandry, for his Diversion, and where he also dy'd.
From this Town, wholly employ'd in Malting, and in Barge Carriages down the River to
London,
I went away South to
Working,
a private Country Market-town, so out of the Way, that 'tis very little heard of in
England.
It claims however some Honour, from its being once the Residence of a Royal Branch of the Family of
Plantagenet,
the old Countess of
Richmond,
Mother to King
Henry
VII. who made her last Retreat here, where the King her Son built, or rather repair'd, an old Royal House, on purpose for her Residence, and where she ended her Days in Honour and Peace; the former Part of her Life having been much exposed to Storms and Dangers under the turbulent Reigns of the Two preceding Monarchs.
From hence we came to
Guilford,
a well known and considerable Market-town. Here sometimes the Assizes are held, but always Elections for Parliament Men for the County. The River, which, according to Mr.
Camden,
is called the
Wey,
and which falls into the
Thames
at
Oatlands,
is made navigable to this Town, which adds greatly to its Trade; and by this Navigation a very great Quantity of Timber is brought down to
London,
not from the Neighbourhood of this Town only, but even from the woody Parts of
Sussex
and
Hampshire
above Thirty Miles from it, the Country Carriages bringing it hither in the Summer by Land. This Navigation is also a great Support to the Corn-market at
Farnham:
for as the Meal-men, and other Dealers, buy the Corn at that Market, a good deal of it is brought to the Mills on this River; which is not above Seven Miles distant, and being first ground and dress'd, is then sent down in the Meal by Barges to
London,
at a small Expence.
Here is a small Remainder of an old Manufacture, in the Clothing-trade; and it extends itself to
Godalmin, Haselmere,
and the Vale Country, on the Side of the
Holmwood,
(of which I shall speak on another Occasion) quite to
Darking.
These Cloths of a middling Price have formerly been in great Repute, but afterwards lost their Credit for some time, till, by the Application and Skill of the Clothiers, of late they revived, whilst the Clothiers of
Cranbrook
and
Tenterden
in
Kent,
whose Goods are of the same Kind, are almost sunk to nothing, as I have already observed.
This Clothing-trade, however small, is yet very assisting to the Poor of this Part of the Country, where the Lands, as I have noted, are but indifferent, the Inhabitants generally Cottagers, living chiefly by the Commons and Heath Ground thereabouts.
On
Wednesday
the 23d of
April
1740, the Upper Church at
Guilford
in
Surrey
fell down. It was an antient Building, and, not long before, 750
l.
was expended upon it in Repairs; there was Preaching in it on the
Sunday
before, and Workmen were employ'd in taking down the Bells, who providentially had quitted the Spot about a Quarter of an Hour before the Accident happened, so that not one Person received any Hurt, tho' great Numbers were Spectators: Three Bells had been taken down, and the other Three fell with the Steeple, which broke the Body of the Church to Pieces, tho' the Steeple received but little Damage by the Fall.
From
Guilford
the Road to
Farnham
is very remarkable; for it runs along West from
Guilford,
upon the Ridge of a high chalky Hill, no wider than the Road itself, and the Declivity begins on either hand, at the very Hedge that bounds the Highway, and is very steep and high. From this Hill is a Prospect either way, so far, that 'tis surprising; insomuch that one sees to the North, or North-west, over
Bagshot-heath,
one way, to the South-east into
Sussex,
the other way, almost to the
South-downs,
and West to an unbounded Length, where the Horizon only restrains the Eye. This Hill being all Chalk, a Traveller feels the Effect of it in a hot Summer's Day, when the Reflection of the Sun make the Heat almost insupportable. This Hill reaches from
Guilford
so far as within a Mile and a half of
Farnham.
The Hill, or rather the Ascent of it from
Guilford,
is called
St. Catharine's-hill
; on the Summit whereof stands the Gallows, which is so placed, that the Towns-people, from the
High-street,
may sit at their Shop-doors, and see the Criminals executed.
Near
Guilford,
on the Left-hand Side of the Road leading to
Godalmin,
are the Remains of an antient Chapel, situated on the Summit of a Hill, so as to be seen at a considerable Distance every way. This is called
St. Catharine's
Chapel. The Materials with which this was built, are a sort of Tile, which when broken, has the Appearance of Iron within; and the Cement which joins these Titles, is now so hard, as scarcely to be penetrated with the strongest Instrument. The only Remains of this Chapel, are the outside Walls, which being built with these Materials, have resisted the Weather, and the common Fate of Things.
The great Road from
London
to
Chichester,
and from
London
to
Portsmouth,
lying thro'
Guilford,
it is consequently a Town very well furnished with Inns for Accommodation of Travellers, as is
Godalmin
also, the next Town, within Three Miles of it, noted likewise, of late Years, for the Place of Residence of the Impostor
Mary Tofts,
who so long amused Statesmen, Physicians, Anatomists, and, in short, all Degrees of Men, learned and unlearned, with her infamous Rabbet-productions,
&c.
From
Guilford
lies a Cross-road, as it may be called, to
London,
not frequented by Coaches or Carriers, or the ordinary Passengers to
London,
tho' 'tis by some reckoned the nearest Way, and is without Question much the pleasanter Road, if not the pleasantest in this Part of
England; viz.
From this Town to
Leatherhead,
10 Miles; from
Leatherhead
to
London,
over
Banstead-downs,
15 Miles; or, if you please, by
Epsom,
17 Miles; which, tho' it is called the farthest Way, makes Amends abundantly by the Advantage and Pleasantness of the Road.
In the Road from
Guilford
to
Epsom,
being 15 Miles, you meet with a Town almost at every Two Miles End, in or near which is a handsome Seat. The Road is always good, being a very hard Gravel. On the Right-hand of the Road lie the
Downs,
which have constantly a great Number of Sheep feeding on them; and on the Left, the Parks, Gardens, and cultivated Fields, belonging to the several Gentlemen who inhabit those Seats; all which render the Road very pleasant and agreeable.
The Seat of the Lord
Onslow,
which is the first on the Road from
Guilford,
is but indifferently situated; the Front which faces the Road, is obscured by the Wood, so that it can be seen only in one Point of View; and the House standing very low, does not command any Prospect from the neighbouring
Downs:
the Avenues to it are very narrow, and the Building, tho' very large, is executed in a very bad Taste.
On the same Road lies an antient Seat, now in the Possession of
James Fox,
Esq
which tho' an old Building, yet having an open Situation, in Front, toward the
Downs,
is rendered very pleasant; and the present Possessor, being a Person of fine Taste, is beautifying the House within, and making pleasant Plantations about it; which will be a great Embellishment to the Seat.
Near this Road also lies the Seat of the Honourable Sir
Conyers Darcy
; which is situated on an Eminence, so as to be seen many Miles distant. The House is a large new Edifice, having a Park behind it, and is pretty well timbered on every Side. I ought not to omit mentioning the Seat of the late
Arthur Moore,
Esq
at
Fetcham,
near
Leatherhead,
now in the Possession of
Thomas Revel,
Esq
where no Cost has been spared to make a most beautiful Situation by Nature more delightful by Art.
Two Miles from
Guilford,
on the Banks of the
Wey,
is a fine Seat, which belonged, when I saw it, to the late
Denzil Onslow,
Esq
called
Pyrford,
and is exceeding pleasant, especially for the beautiful Intermixture of Wood and Water in the Park, Gardens, and Grounds adjoining; whereby that Gentleman, whose Genius lay wonderfully in improving Lands, and rendering Things more profitable and pleasant, brought
Pyrford
to such a Perfection, as to be inferior to very few, if any, of the finest Houses in
Surrey.
Adjoining to the Park is a very convenient and ingenious Decoy, the first of the Kind in this Part of
England.
At the North-east End of this Range of fine Seats, is
Leatherhead,
a little Thoroughfare-town, with a Stone Bridge over the
Mole,
a River so called, from its remarkable Sinking into the Earth, at the Foot of
Box-hill,
near a Village called
Mickleham,
and working its Way under Ground like a Mole, rising again at or near this Town of
Leatherhead
; where its wandering Streams are united again, and form a pretty large River, as they were before, running together under
Leatherhead
Bridge, and from thence to
Cobham,
and so it pursues its Course to the
Thames,
which it joins at
Molesey,
which doubtless takes its Name from the River.
And here I cannot but take Notice of an unaccountable Error, into which all the Writers I have met with have unwarily fallen, on account of this little River hiding itself in the Earth, and finding its Way under Ground, from the Foot of
Beechworth,
or
Betsworth-castle,
near
Box-hill,
and then rising again at
Leatherhead,
as above; as if the Water had at once ingulph'd itself in a Chasm of Earth, or sunk in a Whirlpit. The great
Camden
has not a little contributed to this Error in his Account thereof; but as he is in some measure set right by an Observation and Note in the last Edition of his
Britannia,
by the Right Rev. Continuator, I shall have the less Occasion to insist upon the Matter; and shall therefore refer to them, and only mention what I have myself observed on this Occasion, having resided some time in the Neighbourhood.
The Current of the River being much obstructed by the Interposition of
Box-hill,
which, interrupting its free Course, forces the Waters to find their Way thro' as well as they can; and in order to this, coming near that Part called the
Stomacher,
the Waters sink insensibly away, lessening the Stream for near Two Miles, and these Chanels they call the
Swallows
; and the whole Ground on the Bank of the River, where it is flat and low, is full of these subterraneous Passages; so that if on any sudden Rain the River swells over the Banks, it is observed not to go back into the Chanel again when the Flood abates, but to sink away into the Earth in the Meadows, where it spreads.
These
Swallows,
for there are many, and not one called the
Swallow,
as is said in Mr.
Camden
; tho' they diminish the Stream much, do not so drink it up, as to make it disappear: but when it crosses the Roof near
Mickleham,
it runs very sharp and broad, nor did I ever know it without Water in the driest Summer in that Place. On the contrary, I have known it so deep, the Waggons and Carriages have not dared to go thro'.
Below this Place the Hills rise again on the other Side very high, and particularly on the Ridge, which the Country People call the
Ashcomb-hills,
and they seem to force the River again West; so it surrounds most of the Park formerly belonging to Sir
Richard Studdolph,
and has several Bridges upon it; and by this time indeed, so much of it is sunk away, that sometimes the Chanel, tho' full of Water in Pits and Holes, cannot be perceived to run; but this must be in a very dry Season, and still the Chanel is visible, where it runs at other times rapidly enough.
This Part, which has the least Water, continuing about half a Mile, we then perceive the Stream very visibly to be increased; so that it takes Vent again, now, in thousands of little Springs, till, in another half Mile, it is an ample River again, and passes in full Streams under
Leatherhead
Bridge, as above.
A further Proof of the gradual sinking away of the Water, take as follows: In
October
1676, there happened a very sudden hasty Land-flood, which swelled the River to a very great Height; and particularly so high, that at
Beechworth-castle,
and at other Gentlemens Seats, near the River, where they had Fish-ponds that were fed by the River, it overflowed their Ponds, and carried off all their Fish. Sir
Adam Brown
lived then at
Beechworth-castle
; and his Son, and the young Gentlemen of the neighbouring Families, disturbed at the Loss of their Fish, came all down to
Darking
; where they raised a little Troop of the young Fellows and Boys of the Town, and all went together, to that Part of the River which runs by the Foot of the
Stomacher
of
Box-hill.
There was a low flat Piece of Meadow-ground, lying close to the River on one Side; just opposite to which, the Hill, lying also close to the River, made up the Bank on the other: this Piece of Ground might contain about Four or Five Acres, and lying hollow in the Middle, like the Shape of a Drippingpan, was by the Overflowing of the River so full of Water, that the Bank, which lay close to the River, tho' higher than the rest, was not to be seen.
The Gentlemen set themselves to raise this Bank, so as to separate the Water in the hollow Part of the Field, from that in the River, and then made a Return to it, at the Upper, or East-end of the Field; so that no more Water could run into the Field from any Part of the River. And the Event was, that in about Two Nights and a Day, exclusive of the Time they took in making their Dams, the Water sunk all away in the Field; and the Fish being surrounded, were caught, as it were, in a Trap; and the Purchace fully recompensed their Labour; for the like Quantity of Fish, great and small, I believe, was never taken at once in this Kingdom, out of so small a River.
This Story I mention, as a Demonstration of the Manner of this River losing itself under Ground, or being
swallowed up,
as they call it; for this Field, where the Water sunk away is just at the Place, which Mr.
Camden
calls
Swallow,
near the Village of
Mickleham,
and under the Precipice of the Hill; and yet the Water was Two Nights and a Day sinking leisurely off. And in this manner, and no other, does so much of the River as passes under Ground, sink away.
The Town of
Darking
is eminent for several little Things worth Observation; as, first, for the great
Roman
Highway, called
Stoney-street,
which passes thro' the Church-yard of this Town: Secondly, for a little Common or Heath, called the
Cottman Dean,
or the Heath of
Poor Cottages,
(for so the Word signifies) belonging to the Town; and where their Alms-house stands, which some learned Physicians believe to be the best Air in
England:
Thirdly, for Mr.
Howard
's House and Garden, called
Deepden
; which stand in a small Valley, environed with steep Hills on every Side; the Level-ground about the House was laid out into pleasant Walks and Gardens, which were planted with a great Variety of Exotick Trees and Plants, and the Hills were planted with Trees on every Side (excepting the South Aspect) which was planted with Vines; and formerly there has been some tolerable good Wine made there, tho' the Hill is so steep, that it is very difficult to walk up it. At present the Gardens and Vineyard are neglected, and many of the Exotick Trees have been destroy'd. On the Summit of the Hill, above the Vineyard, is a Summer-house, from which, in a clear Day, you may discern the Sea over the
South-downs,
near
Arundel.
The Market of
Darking
is the most famous in
England,
for Poultry; and particularly for the fattest Geese, and the largest Capons. They are brought hither from as far as
Horsham
in
Sussex
; and 'tis the Business of all the Country, on that Side, for many Miles, to breed and fatten them up; and some are so large, as to be little inferior to Turkeys; I have seen them sold for 4
s.
to 4
s.
6
d.
each, and weighing from 4 to 5 or 6 lb. a-piece.
On
Holy Thursday,
here is also a Fair, chiefly for Lambs, and the greatest in
England
of that Kind: I have passed over the so much celebrated House of Mr.
Evelyn
at
Wotton,
near
Darking,
not that it is not worth Notice; but because so many others have said so much of it.
From
Box-hill,
and particularly from this Part of it, is a fair View, in clear Weather, quite over the
Weald
of
Sussex,
to the
South-downs
; and by the Help of Glasses, the Town of
Horsham, Ashdown
Forest, the Duke of
Somerset
's House at
Petworth,
and the
South-downs,
as they range between
Brighthelmston
and
Arundel,
may be plainly seen; besides an unbounded Prospect into
Kent.
The Vale beneath this Hill is, for many Miles East and West, called the
Holmward,
or
Holmsdale
; in the woody Part of which are often found Out-lying Red Deer; and in the Days of King
James
II. or while he was Duke of
York,
they have hunted the largest Stags here that have been seen in
England.
The Duke took great Care to have them preserved for his own Sport; but they have, since that, been most of them destroy'd.
This
Holmward
is now chiefly overgrown with Furz; but was famous for producing such Quantities of Strawberries, that they were carried to Market by Horse-loads.
It is suggested, that this Place was in antient Times the Retreat for many Ages of the native
Britons,
whom the
Romans
could never drive out; and, after that, it was the like to the
Saxons,
when the
Danes
harassed the Nation, and ravaged the Country where-ever they came. On this Account they retain here in Memory the following Lines:
This is
Holmesdale,
Never conquer'd, never shall.
The Country, tho' wild still, and perhaps having the same Countenance now in many Places, as it had a thousand Years ago; yet in other Places is cultivated, and has Roads passable enough in the Summer quite thro' it, on every Side, and the Woods are in a great measure cleared off.
Keeping along the Bottom of these Hills, and yet not entering into this Vale, the Country is dry, sandy or gravelly, and full of Gentlemens Houses, and good Towns; tho' if we go but a little to the Right-hand South, into the wild Part, 'tis a deep, strong, and, in the wet Season, an unpassable Clay.
In passing thro'
Holmesdale
(upon the Ridge of Mountains which extend from
Kent
to the
Land's-end
) you come to
Wotton,
a small Village, near which is the antient Seat of the
Evelyns,
which is situated amongst Meadows, having pleasant Streams of Water passing thro' them, and the neighbouring Hills covered with Woods, which renders the Situation pleasant in the Summer-season; but the Roads about it being very bad in Winter, it is not so convenient an Habitation at that Season.
Near this Place is situated
Lith-hill,
which rises gradually from hence, for near Three Miles to the South; from the Top of which you have a full Prospect of the whole Counties of
Surrey
and
Sussex,
Part of
Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Kent,
and
Essex
; the whole Extent of this Prospect being thought near 200 Miles, and that without the Help of Glasses.
Travelling East at the Foot of the Hills, we came to
Rygate,
a large Market-town, situated in the Valley of
Holmesdale
; where are still to be seen the Ruins of a Castle, with a long Vault, and a Room at the End of it; in which 'tis said the Barons who were in Arms against King
John,
held their private Meetings.
Near this also are two miserable Borough Towns, which nevertheless send each of them Two Members to Parliament, to wit,
Gatton
under the Side of the Hill, almost at
Rygate
; and
Bleechingly
more Eastward.
At
Nutfield,
between
Rygate
and
Beechingly,
is another Branch of the Family of
Evelyn,
who have flourished there many Years.
From hence, crossing still all the Roads leading from
London
into
Sussex,
we came again to a Village called
Godstone,
which lies on the Road from
London
to
Lewes.
And keeping on East, we came to
Westerham,
a neat, handsome, well-built Market-town, the first in
Kent
on that Side. The late Earl of
Jersey
built (or rather finished, for it was begun by a private Gentleman) a very noble House here, called
Squirries,
which is now in the Possession of
John Warde,
Esq
Son to Sir
John Warde,
who was Lord Mayor of
London
in the Year 1724. The House stands on a small Eminence, regarding the Land in the Front; but on the Back of the House, the Ground rises very high, and is divided into several steep Slopes, which renders the Situation damp and cold. Near the House are some Woods, thro' which the present Possessor has cut several Ridings; and on the other Side of the Hill, behind the House, arise Nine considerable Springs, which unite at a small Distance; and these form the River
Dart,
which runs thro'
Dartford,
and afterwards discharges itself into the
Thames.
All this Part of the Country, from
Guilford
to this Place, is very agreeably pleasant, healthy, and fruitful; and is overspread with good Towns, Gentlemens Houses, populous Villages, abundance of Fruit, with Hop-grounds and Cherry-orchards, and the Lands well cultivated; but all on the Right-hand, that is to say, South, is over-grown with Timber, has abundance of waste and wild Grounds, and Forests, and Woods, with many large Iron-works, at which they cast Iron-caldrons, Chimney-backs, Furnaces, Retorts, Boiling-pots, Iron Cannon, Bomb-shells, Stink-pots, Hand-grenadoes, Cannon-ball,
&c.
From hence going forward East, we come to
Riverhead,
a Town on the Road from
London
to
Tunbridge
; and then having little to speak of in
Kent,
except some petty Market-towns, such as
Wrotham,
commonly called
Rootham, Town-Malling, Cranbrook,
and the like, of which I have taken some Notice before; I turned North, and came to
Bromley,
a Market-town, made famous by an Hospital, or College, built there by Dr.
John Warner,
Lord Bishop of
Rochester,
for the Relief of 20 poor Widows of loyal and orthodox Clergymen, who are allowed each 20
l. per Annum,
and a Chaplain 50
l.
and has had many Gifts and Charities bestowed on it since.
Near this Town we turned away by
Beckenham,
and thro'
Norwood
to
Croyden
; in the Way we saw
Dulwich
or
Sydenham-wells,
where great Crouds of the lower Class of People throng every Summer from
London,
to drink the Waters there and at
Stretham
; and the rather, because it lies so near
London,
that they can walk to it in the Morning, and return at Night.
Croydon
has a great Corn-market, but chiefly for Oats and Oatmeal for the Service of
London.
The Town is large, and full of Citizens from
London:
in it is the antient Palace of the Archbishops of
Canterbury,
and several of them lie buried in the Church here; particularly Archbishop
Whitgift,
who not only repaired the Palace, but built and endowed the famous Hospital, (which is for a Warden and 28 Men and Women) and the Free-school.
From hence we passed by
Beddington,
where is the Seat or Mansion-house of the antient Family of the
Carews.
The House is noble, and the Gardens fine; yet Architects say, that the two Wings are too deep for the Body of the House; that they should either have been more asunder, or not so long. The Court before them is extremely fine, as is the Canal in the Park, before the Court, having a River running thro' it; the Gardens take up all the flat Part of the Park, with Vista's, or Prospects, for Two or Three Miles. The Orange-trees continue, and are the only ones in
England
that grow in the natural Ground: they have moving Houses to shelter them in the Winter from the Inclemencies of our Climate, and are loaded with Fruit in the Summer. They have stood in the Ground where they now grow, above 100 Years.
From hence it is but a little Mile to
Cashalton,
a Country Village situate among innumerable Springs of Water, which, all together, form a River in the very Street of the Town, and joining the other Springs, which come from
Croydon
and
Beddington,
make one Stream, called the
Wandell.
This Village, tho' lying among such delightful Springs, is yet upon firm Chalk; and having the
Downs
adjoining, makes the most agreeable Spot on this Side of
London,
as is abundantly testify'd by its being crouded, as it were, with fine Houses of the Citizens of
London
; some of which are built with such a Profusion of Expence, that they look rather like Seats of the Nobility, than the Country-houses of Citizens and Merchants. Mr.
Scawen,
Knight of the Shire for this County, design'd a noble House here; but it is not proceeded with. That which once belonged to Sir
John Fellows,
Sub-governor of the
South-Sea
Company in the fatal Year 1720, was built by Dr.
Ratcliff
; but the Gardens were made by Sir
John.
It was purchased by the Right Honourable
Philip
Lord
Hardwick,
Lord High Chancellor of
Great Britain,
by whom it was lately sold to
William Mitchel
of
Huntingdon,
who now possesses it. I cannot dwell on the Description of all the fine Houses in this and the neighbouring Villages: I shall speak of them again in bulk with their Neighbours of
Mitcham, Stretham, Tooting, Clapham,
and others; but I must take a Trip here cross the
Downs
to
Epsom.
Banstead-downs
need no Description other than this, that being so near
London,
and surrounded as they are with pleasant Villages, the Ground smooth, soft, level and dry, (even in but a few Hours after Rain) they conspire to make the most delightful Spot of Ground of that Kind, in all this Part of
Britain.
About four Miles over those delicious
Downs
bring us to
Epsom,
a well-built, large, and handsome Village, which abounds with fine Houses, the Retreats principally of the
London
Merchants. It was very much frequented a few Years ago, on account of its Mineral Waters, which issue from a rising Ground nearer
Ashted
than
Epsom:
but they are now, tho' not impaired in their Virtues, yet pretty much so in their Reputation; possibly owing, more than any thing else, to the Place being too near
London
for a Journey for the Quality and Gentry; according to the old Saying,
Far-fetch'd and dearbought is fittest for the Ladies.
The Hall, Galleries, and other publick Apartments, are run to Decay; and there remains but one House on the Spot, which is inhabited by a Countryman and his Wife, who carry the Waters in Bottles to the adjacent Places.
There are a great many fine Seats around this Place, which we have not Room to describe: such as the Lord
Baltimore
's, Lady
Fielding
's, Mr.
Mitchell
's at
Cashalton,
just mention'd, Mr.
Scawen
's, and many others; particularly that formerly called
Nonsuch,
which was once a Royal Palace, and finely situated. King
Charles
II. gave it to the Duchess of
Cleveland,
and she sold it to my Lord
Berkeley,
who built a fine Seat with the Materials of it, near
Epsom,
called
Durdans. Nonsuch
is now but a Farm-house, and
Durdans
is in the Possession of the Lord
North
and
Guilford
; but his Royal Highness
Frederick
Prince of
Wales
has lately taken it for a pleasurable Retreat, when he is not disposed to go so far as
Cliefden
in
Bucks.
From
Epsom,
that I might thoroughly visit the County of
Surrey,
I rode over stiff Clays, and thro' very bad Roads, to
Kingston
; from whence I had a fine View of
Hampton-court,
at a Distance; but that I reserve for another Journey.
Kingston
is a good Market-town, remarkable for a Free-school, erected and endowed by Queen
Elizabeth
; an Alms-house built in 1670 by Alderman
Cleaver
of
London,
and endowed with Lands of 80
l.
a Year, a House were formerly resided the great Earl of
Warwick,
surnamed
Make-king,
besides
Coomb,
which was likewise his, but now in the Family of the
Harveys
; from whence the Waters of certain Springs are said to be conveyed in leaden Pipes under the Road, and the
Thames,
to
Hampton-court,
Three Miles in Length. Several of the old
Saxon
Kings were not only crowned, but had their actual Residence here; whence it took its Name of
Kingstown.
It had once the Privilege of sending Burgesses to Parliament, but now that is lost.
From hence turning Southward, on the Road to
Guilford,
we come to
Esher,
where was formerly a Seat built by Cardinal
Wolsey,
to which, during his Ministry, he frequently retired for Amusement. The Gate to this
Gothick
Building remaining, was turned into a Dwelling-house, which was lately sold to the Right Honourable
Henry Pelham,
Esq
who has beautified the old Part, and made additional Buildings to it in the same
Gothick
Style, and laid out the Grounds about it in so elegant a Taste, as makes it one of the finest Seats in the Neighbourhood of
London:
but the House stands so low, as not to be seen until you come very near it; and the River
Mole,
running near the Back of the House, renders it very damp, which greatly diminishes the Pleasure of the Place, tho' there has been no Cost spared to render it elegant.
Near
Esher,
on the Left-hand of the great Road, lies
Claremont,
which was a small House built under a Hill covered with Wood, by the late Sir
John Vanbrugh,
and purchased by his Grace the Duke of
Newcastle,
who has been at a great Expence in beautifying the Gardens,
&c.
and has added to the House a great Extent of Buildings, in the same Style with the original House; and has also built one large Room, in which his Grace entertains Foreign Embassadors, and where all the magnificent Dinners which the Duke makes in the Country, are served up. The House is situated so near the Hill, that the Moisture issuing from thence, occasions it to be very damp; and the Winds, being reverberated back from the Woods on the House, cause most of the Chimneys to smoke, so that this is a bad Habitation in Winter: but as it is the Place to which his Grace usually retires from publick Business, whenever his Leisure will permit, he has not spared Expence to render it as agreeable as possible; tho', as several Persons have had the Contrivance of his Gardens and Buildings, there is not any uniform Taste to be found in either, which is greatly to be regretted, since the noble Owner has been so much intent on having it worthy of himself.
From hence, turning on the Right towards the River of
Thames,
we pass
Walton,
and
Weybridge,
where are several fine Seats; but particularly those of the Earls of
Lincoln,
and
Portmore.
In the first of these is a noble Terrace-walk, elevated so high above the Level of the neighbouring Ground, as to afford a Prospect of the Country, as also a View of the River.
The other Seat was beautified by the Countess of
Dorchester,
in the Reign of King
James
II. Here is a Walk planted with
Acacia
Trees, which at that Time were esteemed great Curiosities.
The Country hereabout is very low and flat, so that in Winter the Meadows are generally flooded, which renders the Air damp and cold, and the Roads are sometimes almost impassable; but in Summer the Meadows afford a good Quantity of Hay, which sufficiently recompenses the Owner for the Disadvantage of Situation.
Near
Weybridge
is a pleasant small Seat, now in the Possession of
Philip Southcoat,
Esq
called
Wobourn-farm.
The House is situated low, but is not very damp; and has the Advantage of being screen'd from the Violence of strong Winds, by tall Trees in the Neighbourhood. In the Front of the House is a small Island, which in Summer is stocked with Sheep, who are constantly feeding in View of the principal Rooms of the House. The Water surrounding this Island is conducted in a serpentine Form, so as to have little Resemblance to Art. The Fields above the House are kept very neat, being rolled and fed; so that there is a fine Carpet of Grass, the Walks round them being made dry by Gravel, and, on each Side, planted with sweet Shrubs and Flowers, in a rural manner. At the Upper-part of these Fields, is a Spot of Ground laid out in Gardens, which, being too regular, do not so well correspond with the other Parts, which are laid out to answer the Name of a Farm, very properly: but this Part has something of too much Stiffness and Regularity to agree with the rest.
From this Spot of Ground is a most delightful Prospect over a large Extent of Meadows bounded by the River
Thames,
which winds in an agreeable manner; and having frequently large West Country Barges floating in it, with their broad Sails, appear as so many moving Objects in a Picture, and greatly enliven the Prospect.
From hence also are seen Ten or Twelve Villages, and several fine Houses; and
Chertsey
Bridge appears as if it were intended for a principal Object. Indeed the whole Spot may justly be deemed one of the sweetest Retirements near
London.
Keeping the River now on my Left, as I did before on my Right-hand, drawing nearer to
London,
we came to
Ham
and
Petersham,
little Villages; the first, famous for a most pleasant Palace of the late Duke of
Lauderdale,
close by the River, now possessed by the Earl of
Dysert
; a House King
Charles
II. used to be frequently at, and was exceedingly pleased with. The Avenues of this fine House to the Land-side, lead up to the End of the Village of
Petersham,
where the Wall of
New Park
comes also close to the Town, on the other Side; in an Angle of which stood a most delicious House, built by the late Earl of
Rochester,
Lord High Treasurer in King
James
II.'s Reign, as also in Part of Queen
Anne
's Reign. This fine House was burnt down in the Year 1720, by an accidental Fire, so sudden and furious, that the Family, who were all at home, had scarce time to save their Lives.
Nor was the House, tho' so exquisitely finished, so beautiful within and without, the greatest Loss sustained; the rich Furniture, the curious Collection of Paintings, and the inestimable Library of the first Earl of
Clarendon,
Lord Chancellor of
England,
and Author of that most excellent
History of the Rebellion,
of which the World knows so much, were here wholly consumed; a Loss irreparable, as the latter contained among other valuable Things, several Manuscripts relating to those Times, and to Things transacted by himself and by the King his Master, both at Home and Abroad, besides other rare and curious Collections made by that noble and learned Author in foreign Countries.
The Offices escaped the Fate the House met with: and on the same Spot of Ground, where the House stood, the Right Honourable the Lord
Harrington,
Secretary of State, erected another, after the Design of the Right Honourable the Earl of
Burlington
; and when I have said this, I need not say it is equally a convenient and elegant Edifice. The Front indeed next the Court, has not a very striking Appearance, being very plain, and the Entrance into the House not greatly to be praised: But the South Front next the Garden, tho' very plain, yet is bold and regular. The Apartments next the Garden, which are chiefly designed for State, are also very elegant, and beautifully finished.
The Gardens, which before were crouded with Pluntations near the House, are now laid open in Lawns of Grass; and the Kitchen-garden, which was situated on the East-side of the House, is removed out of Sight, and that Ground is now converted to an open Slope of Grass, which leads up to a Terrace of great Length; from which is a Prospect of the River
Thames,
the Town of
Twickenham,
and all the beautiful Seats round about that Part of the Country, almost to
Kingston-bridge.
On the other Side of the Terrace, on a rising Ground, is a large Plantation of Wood; and on the Summit of the Hill is erected a fine Pleasure-house, which commands a Prospect of the Country every Way, for many Miles; so that by Foreigners this View is esteemed the most beautiful of any near
London.
From hence we came to
Richmond,
lately the delightful Retreat of his Majesty and his Royal Consort the Queen, who took great Delight therein to the Time of her Death; and made not only vast Improvements and Alterations there, but purchased several fine Houses on
Kew-green
; as that of Lady
Eyre,
for his Royal Highness the Duke; that of Sir
Thomas Abney
for the Princesses; and his Royal Highness Prince
Frederick,
mean while, made considerable Improvements in the fine House and Gardens belonging formerly to the Lady
Capell
; while her Majesty was used to divert herself at her Royal Dairy-house, and in her beautiful Hermitage,
Merlin
's Cave, and in other charming Improvements, which she made in the Park and Gardens of this delightful Place. All which are so well known, that we need not insist upon them.
The Court, being so near, must needs have filled
Richmond,
which was before a most agreeable Retreat for the first and second-rate Gentry, with a great deal of the best Company in
England.
And indeed this Town, and the Country all round it, have much increased in Buildings lately.
The Lord Viscount
Palmerston,
the worthy Son and Successor to the Honour and Estate of the great Sir
William Temple,
has a fine Seat and Gardens (hard by) at
Sheen:
The Gardens were finished, as well as contrived, by the great Genius of Sir
William
; and as they were his last Delight in Life, so they were every way suited to be so, to a Man of his Sense and Capacity, who knew what kind of Life was best fitted to make a Man's last Days happy.
It is not easy to describe the Beauty with which the Banks of the
Thames
shine on either Side of the River, from hence to
London,
much more than our Ancestors, even but one Age ago, knew any thing of. If for pleasant Villages, great Houses, Palaces, Gardens,
&c.
it was true in Queen
Elizabeth
's Time, according to the Poet, that
The
Thames
with Royal
Tyber
may compare;
What may be said of it now? when, for One fine House to be seen then, there are, for aught I know, an hundred, even as you sit in a Boat, and pass up and down the River.
First, beginning from
Ham-house,
as above,
Richmond
Palace salutes the Eye, being formerly no more than a Lodge in the Park, but now makes a Royal Figure.
From
Richmond
to
London
the River Sides abound with Villages, and those Villages so full of beautiful Buildings, charming Gardens, and rich Habitations of Gentlemen of Quality, that nothing can equal it; no, not the Country for 20 Miles round
Paris,
tho' that indeed is a kind of Prodigy.
It is impossible to view these Countries from any rising Ground. and not be ravished with the delightful Prospect. For Example, Suppose you take your View from the little rising Hills about
Clapham,
if you look to the East, there you see the pleasant Villages of
Peckham
and
Camberwell,
with some of the finest Dwellings about
London:
then turning South, we see
Loughborough
House near
Kennington
; the Duchess of
Bedford
's at
Stretham
; other fine Seats about
Croydon
; a whole Town of fine Houses at
Cashalton
; Sir
Nicolas Carew
's and others, at
Beddington
; Sir
Theodore Janssen
's, and that lately built by the Duchess Dowager of
Marlborough,
at
Wimbleton
; other fine Houses at
Tooting
; besides a very great Number in
Clapham
itself. On the South-west also you have Mr.
Harvey
's at
Coomb,
formerly the Palace of the afore-mentioned
Make-king,
Earl of
Warwick,
and from him called
Coombnevil
; with all the Villages mentioned above, and the Country adjoining, filled with the Palaces of the
British
Nobility and Gentry already spoken of; looking North, behold, to crown all, a fair Prospect of the City of
London,
the most glorious Sight, without Exception, that the World at present can shew, or perhaps could since the Sacking of
Rome.
It is impossible in one Journey to describe effectually this Part of the County of
Surrey,
lying from
Kingston
to
London
and
Greenwich,
where I set out: that is, including the Villages of
Richmond, Petersham, Eastsheen, Mortlake, Putney, Wandsworth, Barn-elms, Battersea, Wimbleton, Tooting, Clapham, Camberwell, Peckham
and
Deptford
; and I must therefore quit the ample Subject, and come to
Southwark,
a Suburb to, rather than a Part of
London:
but of which this may be said with Justice, that it would be
A Royal City, were not
London
by.
To give you a brief Description of
Southwark,
it might be called a long Street, of about Nine Miles in Length, as it is now built on Eastward; reaching from
Vaux-hall
to
London-bridge,
and from the Bridge to
Deptford,
and up to
Deptford
Bridge, which parts it from
Greenwich,
all the Way winding and turning as the River does; except only in that Part, which reaches from
Cuckold's-point
to
Deptford,
which winds somewhat more than the River.
In the Centre, which is opposite to the Bridge, it is thicken'd with Buildings, and may be reckoned near a Mile broad;
viz.
from the Bridge to the End of
Kent-street
and
Blackman-street,
and about the
Mint.
The Borough of
Southwark
is exceeding populous. Take it as it was antiently bounded, it contained Nine Parishes; but as it is now extended, and joins with
Deptford,
it contains Eleven large Parishes.
The first Thing we meet with considerable, is at the
Spring-garden,
just at the Corner, where the Road turns away to go from
Vaux-hall
Turnpike towards
Newington.
There are the Remains of the Lines cast up in the Time of the
Romans,
which were repaired in the Civil Wars, as a Fortification to this Part of the Town; at the Corner was a very large Bastion, or Fort, which commanded the Pass on that Side; and farther on, at the Corner of
St. George's-fields,
by the
Ducking Pond,
was another; the Water of what is now called the
Ducking Pond,
still appears to have been the Moat to the Fort; and the Lines are still so high, and undemolished, that it would be no difficult Matter to repair and perfect them again.
That this was formerly a
Roman
Camp or Station, is plain, from the many
Roman
Urns and Coins,
Opera Tessellata,
and other Antiquities, which have been frequently dug up hereabouts. And as there are pretty good Authorities of antient
London
lying on the South-side of the
Thames,
it is but a reasonable Conjecture, that these Lines were cast up and fortified, to prevent the Incursions of the
Britons
into
Kent
; for the Military Way crossed the River at the
Horse-ferry
at
Lambeth,
from thence proceeded to
Vaux-hall,
then turned round to the
Ducking Pond,
went on to the Wind-mill in
St. George's-fields,
where it crossed the Road to the End of
Kent-street
; where there was a very strong Fortification of Stone, the Foundations of which were dug up in the Year 1685; this ran cross a Garden about a Quarter of a Mile from the Stones-end. In digging up of this Foundation there appeared two antient Pillars of a large Gate; upon each of them had been placed Heads with two Faces curiously cut in Stone, one of which was taken up; but the other lying in a Quicksand, from whence the Springs flowed out pretty freely, was rendered more difficult to be taken up; and the Curiosity of the People being not very great, they contented themselves with getting up one of the Heads; which was placed over the Gardener's Door, where it remained for several Years, until it was known to the Learned Dr.
Woodward,
who purchased it, and kept it in his valuable Collection of Curiosities. These Lines were drawn from hence to the
Grange
near
Bermondsey-street
; where you see another Fort so plain, and so undemolished, (the Grass now growing over the Works, and tho', on the Bastion itself, there is frequently Corn sowed) that it is almost as visible as it was when it was first thrown down. By the Direction of these Lines, it is very manifest, that
Southwark
was once well fortified; for these Lines seem to have been thrown up from the
Thames
at
Lambeth,
quite round to the
Thames
at
Deptford
; which takes in the whole Extent, on the Land; and the
Thames
was a Barrier on the other Side.
A farther Description of
Southwark
I refer till I come to speak of
London,
as one general Appellation for the Two Cities of
London
and
Westminster
; for all the Borough of
Southwark,
and all the Buildings and Villages included within the Bills of Mortality, make but one LONDON, in the general Appellation. I am,
&c.
LETTER V. CONTAINING A Description of Part of the County of
MIDDLESEX,
Part of
HANTS,
and the County of
WILTS,
&c.
SIR,
A S I came down from
Kingston,
in my last Circuit, by the South Bank of the
Thames,
on the
Surrey
Side of the River; so I go up to
Hampton-court,
now, on the North Bank, and on the
Middlesex
Side; which I mention, because, as the Sides of the Country bordering on the River lie parallel, so the Beauty of the Country, the pleasant Situations, the Splendor of innumerable fine Buildings, Noblemens and Gentlemens Houses, and Citizens Retreats, are so equal a Match to what I had described on the other Side, that one knows not to which to give the Preference: but as I must speak of them again, when I come to write of the County of
Middlesex,
which I have now purposely omitted; I pass them over here, except the Palace of
Hampton
only, which I mentioned in
Middlesex,
for the Reasons above.
Hampton-court
lies on the North Bank of the River
Thames,
about Two small Miles from
Kingston.
It was built by Cardinal
Wolsey,
and fell to the Crown, when the King seized his Effects and Estate, as did also
Whitehall,
another House of the Cardinal's building.
Whoever knew
Hampton-court
before it was begun to be rebuilt, or alter'd, by the late King
William,
must acknowledge, it was a very complete Palace then, and fit for a King; and tho' it might not, according to the modern Method of Building, or of Gardening, pass for a Thing exquisitely fine, yet it shewed a Situation exceedingly capable of Improvement, and of being made one of the most delightful Palaces in
Europe.
This her Majesty Queen
Mary
was so sensible of, that while the King had ordered the pulling down the old Apartments, and building them up in that most beautiful Form, which we see them now appear in, her Majesty, impatient of enjoying so agreeable a Retreat, fixed upon a Building formerly made use of chiefly for landing from the River, and therefore called the
Water Gallery
; here she ordered all the little, neat, curious Things to be done, which suited her own Conveniency, and made it the pleasantest little Place within Doors, that could possibly be made; tho' its Situation would not allow it to stand after the great Building was finished.
The Queen had here her Gallery of Beauties, being the Pictures, at full Length, of the principal Ladies in her Retinue. Her Majesty's Apartments for her private Retreat only, were exquisitely furnished, and there were among the Furniture several curious Pieces of her own Work.
The Ground on the South-west Side of the Building, has received many Alterations since the pulling down of the Water-gallery (which stood before this handsome Front of the House, and intercepted the Prospect of it from the River). This Spot was then laid out into small Inclosures, surrounded with tall Hedges, to break the Violence of the Winds, and render them proper for the Reception of such Exotick Plants in Summer, as were removed out of the Conservatories during that Season. In each of these Places is contrived a Bason, which is constantly supplied with Water for the Support of these Plants in dry Weather; and as these are situated near the great Apartments, most of the Plants may be viewed from the Windows: and the lower Part of the House, under the great Apartments, being contrived for a Greenhouse, the Plants need not be carried far, when they are removed out or into the Conservatory, which was very properly contrived by the Designers.
At the West-end of this Spot was a large Hot-house, for the maintaining such tender Exotick Plants, as require a large Share of Warmth to preserve them in this Climate. Of all these Parts of Gardening Queen
Mary
was so very fond, that she allowed a handsome Salary to Dr.
Plukenet,
a very learned Botanist, for overlooking and registering the curious Collection of Plants, which were then in that Garden; but, since the Death of that Queen, these Things have been so much neglected, that very few of the most curious Plants are now in Being there, which is much to be lamented; for, however the Taste for this Part of Gardening may have with Reason been neglected by private Persons, yet, surely, at a Royal Palace, all these Things should be kept up in the utmost Magnificence, as an Encouragement to Ingenuity, and for the Honour of the Kingdom. This Taste was, by
Lewis
XIV. of
France,
carried to a very great Height; and had the Persons employed by that Prince been so well acquainted with the Construction of these Conservatories, as many of the
English
are at this Day, we might have expected, in his Royal Gardens, to have seen most of the curious Plants in the known Parts of the World.
Here stand advanced, on Two Pedestals of Stone, Two Marble Vases, or Flower-pots, of exquisite Workmanship; the one done by an
Englishman,
and the other by a
German.
'Tis hard to say which is the best Performance, tho' the doing of it was a kind of Trial of Skill between them; but it gives us room, without any Partiality, to say they were both Masters of their Art.
The Parterre on that Side descends from the Terrace-walk by Steps, and on the Left a Terrace goes down to the Water-side, overlooking the Garden on the Eastward Front, and affords a most pleasant Prospect.
This Part of the Garden was at first laid out in a Parterre of Scroll-work in Box, which was not only very costly at first making, but was also very expensive in keeping constantly clipped; which, together with the ill Scent, which frequently reached to the Royal Apartments, occasioned its being demolished, and the Ground disposed into another Form. And if at the same time all the shorn ever-green Trees had been thrown out, and a finer Disposition made of the Ground, it would have much better corresponded with the noble Apartments which overlook it, than it does at present.
On the North Side of the House, where the Chapel, and some Part of the old Buildings, required to be covered from View, the Ground was laid out in a Wilderness, with a Labyrinth surrounded by high Espalier Hedges; and this was, at that time, thought one of the finest disposed Parts of the Garden. But as the whole Contrivance of the Plantations is in regular strait Walks, bounded on each Side by tall clipped Hedges, which divide the whole Ground into angular Quarters, to every Person of Taste it must be very far from affording any Pleasure, since nothing can be more disagreeable than to be immured between Hedges, so as to have the Eye confined to a strait Walk, and the Beauty of the Trees growing in the Quarters, intirely secluded from the Eye. And at the same time as you are walking in this unmeaning Plantation, you are denied the Benefit of Shade, by being confined to these regular Walks, where it would be deemed an unpardonable Fault, to suffer the neighbouring Trees to diffuse their Branches over these shorn Hedges; so that, in the midst of a Wood, a Person may faint for Shade in a sultry Day, the Air being excluded from these Walks by the taller Trees in the Quarters; and pent up Air is much more troublesome in hot Weather, than the Heat of the Sun in the most open exposed Plain.
As this Wilderness lies opposite to
Bushy-park,
so there was designed a grand Entrance thro' it to the Palace, fronting the Gates of the Park; where Two large Pillars were erected, to support a magnificent Iron Gate, which was designed to have been put up there; but how it came to be left unfinished, and the pitiful low Gates (which by no means correspond with the Pillars) put in the Place, I could never learn.
The House itself is every way answerable on the Outside to the beautiful Prospect, and the Two Fronts are the largest, and, beyond Comparison, the finest of the kind in
England.
The great Stairs go up from the second Court of the Palace on the Righthand, and lead you to the South Prospect.
King
William
brought into
England,
and placed here in a Gallery, built purposely for them, the famous
Cartoons,
as they are called, which are Five Pieces of such Paintings, as are not to be match'd in
Europe.
It is reported, but with what Truth, I know not, that the late
French
King offer'd 100,000
Louis
d'Ors
for these Pictures. The King brought a great many other fine Pieces to
England,
and from him the Love of fine Paintings so universally spread itself among the Nobility and Persons of Figure all over the Kingdom, that it is incredible what Collections have been made by
English
Gentlemen since that Time; and how all
Europe
has been romaged, as we may say, for Pictures to bring over hither, where, for Twenty Years together, they brought in vast Profit to such as collected them for Sale. But the Rates are abated since, and we are now glutted with the Copies and Frauds of the
Dutch
and
Flemish
Painters, who have imposed grosly upon us.
Queen
Mary
lived not to see this Palace completely finish'd; and, 'tis said, King
William
design'd to have made it more capacious and noble, had he lived.
After the Death of King
William, Hampton-Court
seem'd in a manner neglected. It is an Observation made by some, that
Hampton Court
has, ever since the Time of King
Charles
I. been favoured by every alternate Prince; King
Charles
I. delighting in Country Retirements, took great Pleasure here, and, had he liv'd, had purposed to improve it considerably; but it became at last one of his Prisons.
King
Charles
II. may well be said to have a Dislike to the Place, for the Treatment his Royal Father met with there; and particularly as
Cromwell
afterwards made it his Summer Residence. He therefore chose
Windsor,
and bestow'd a vast Sum in beautifying the Castle there, which brought it to the Perfection we see it in at this Day, some few Alterations excepted, made in the Time of King
William.
King
James
took but little Delight in retired Palaces, his Bent and Taste inclining another way. But King
William
fix'd upon
Hampton-Court,
and improv'd it as before-mention'd.
Queen
Anne
being taken up for one Part of her Reign, in her kind Regards to the Prince her Spouse, was obliged to consult his Health, and reside where that confin'd him, which for the most part was at
Kensington,
where he died; but her Majesty always discover'd her Delight for
Windsor,
where she chose the little House, as 'twas call'd, opposite to the Castle, and frequently took the Air in her Chaise in the Parks and Forest.
In the Reign of King
George
I.
Hampton-Court
came into Request again.
From
Hampton-Court,
I directed my Course for a Journey into the South-west Part of
England
; and, to take up my Beginning where I concluded my last, I cross'd to
Chertsey
on the
Thames,
a Town I mention'd before; from whence crossing the
Black Desart
of
Bagshot,
I took in my Way to
Hampshire, Ockingham
in
Berkshire,
lying on the Skirts of
Windsor Forest
: it is a pretty large Town, and has a well-frequented Market, and a good Market-house in the Middle. It is govern'd by an Alderman, Recorder and Burgesses, has a Free-school, and likewise an Hospital, with a Chaplain belonging to it. It carries on a good Trade in Silk Stockens and Cloth.
From hence I fell down towards
Basingstoke,
which is situate in the midst of Woods, and rich fertile Pastures: the Country round about is spread with the Houses of the Nobility and Gentry. A little before we came to the Town, we pass'd by a House built out of the Ruins, and on the Scite of
Old Basing-house,
a famous Fortress in the Time of the Civil Wars, belonging to the then Marquis of
Winchester,
Ancestor of the Duke of
Bolton.
This House, garison'd by a resolute Band of old Soldiers, under the Command of the Marquis, was a great Curb to the Parliament Party throughout that whole War; till, after a vigorous Defence, it was taken, and the brave Marquis in it, by
Cromwell,
who, in Revenge for the obstinate Resistance it made, put almost all the Garison to the Sword, and burnt down the noble Fabrick to the Ground, which he said was fitter for the Residence of an Emperor than a Subject. The present House is in no wise equal to the Magnificence which Fame gives to the antient House; whose Strength of Building was such as to resist the Battery of Cannon in several Attacks. 'Tis incredible what Booty the Garison of this Place pick'd up, lying, as they did, just on the great Western Road, where they intercepted the Carriers, plunder'd the Waggons, and suffer'd nothing to pass; to the great Interruption of the Trade of the City of
London.
Basingstoke
is a Corporation, and a large populous Town: it has a good Market for Corn, especially Barley, as there are a great many Maltsters there. Some few Years ago a Manufacture of making Druggets and Shalloons, was set up here, and as successfully carried on, which employs a great Number of poor People.
Near this Town a bloody Battle was fought in 871, between the
Saxons
and
Danes.
From this Town the great Western Road goes on to
Whitchurch,
a mean Town, which however has a Market, and is govern'd by a Mayor. North-east of which lyes
Kingsclere,
a pleasant Market-town on the
Oxford
Road from
Basingstoke.
It was antiently famous for having been the Seat of the
Saxon
Kings, and from thence takes its Name.
But I had like to have forgot the famous
Vindomia,
or
Silchester,
which is situated in
Hants,
on the Borders of
Berkshire,
and is famous for its Antiquity.
Its Situation is very high, hid with Wood. Many were the
Roman
Roads which met here, tho' now scarce any; which is one Reason why 'tis so little known: another is its want of Inns for the Accommodation of Travellers; for
Aldermaston,
a pretty neat Village, beautifully situated, which is Three Miles distant, is the nearest Town where Lodging is to be found. The Walls of this City are standing, more or less perfect, quite round; perhaps the most intire in the
Roman
Empire, especially the Northside, which is a most agreeable Sight. It is composed of Flint and Rag-stone. There was a broad Ditch quite round, and now almost impassable, and full of Springs. Here-and-there
Roman
Bricks are left in the Walls. Tho' on the Outside they are of a considerable Height, yet the Ground within is so raised, as nearly to be equal to the Top, and that quite round cover'd with Oaks, and other Timbertrees, of no mean Bulk.
Constantius,
the Son of
Constantine the Great,
is said to have built it, and sow'd Corn in the Track of the Walls, as an Omen of their Perpetuity. Now indeed the whole City is arable, and in the Fields
Roman
Bricks, and other Reliques, are scatter'd, and Coins daily found. It has only one Farm-house and a Church. The Reverend and Learned Mr.
Betham,
late Minister of this Place, is buried under the North Wall of the Chancel without-side; within is another Monument of a Person of Quality. They both were drown'd in
Fleet-ditch.
A Spring rises from under the Wall of the Church-yard.
Five hundred Feet without the City, on the North-east Side, is a great Curiosity, which the Vulgar think was a Castle, but in reality an Amphitheatre, in all respects like that of
Dorchester.
This noble Antiquity has from Time immemorial been a Yard for Cattle, and a Watering-pond; so that it is a Wonder their Trampling has not defaced it much more than it has. My Resolution being to take in my Way what I had pass'd by before, I was obliged to go off to the Left-hand, to
Alresford
and
Winchester.
Alresford
was a flourishing Market-town, and tho' it had no great Trade, and very little, if any, Manufactures, yet, what is very remarkable, there was no Collection made in the Town for the Poor, nor any low enough to take Alms of the Parish.
But this happy Circumstance, which so distinguish'd
Alresford
from all her Neighbours, was brought to an End in 1710, when, by a sudden and surprising Fire, the whole Town, with both the Church and Market-house, was reduced to a Heap of Rubbish; and, except a few poor Huts at the remotest Ends of the Town, not a House left standing. The Town is since very handsomely rebuilt, and the neighbouring Gentlemen contributed largely to the Relief of the People, especially by sending in Timber towards their Building.
Here is a very large Pond, or Lake of Water, kept up to a Head by a strong
Battre d'eau,
or Dam, which, 'tis said, was made by the
Romans
; and is part of the great
Roman
Highway, which leads from
Winchester
to
Alton,
and, as supposed, on to
London,
tho' we no-where see any Remains of it, except between
Winchester
and
Alton,
and chiefly between this Town and the last mention'd.
Near this Town, a little North-west, the Duke of
Bolton
has another Seat, which tho' not large, is a very handsome beautiful Palace, and the Gardens not only very exact, but very finely situate, the Prospect and Vista's noble and great, and the Whole very well kept. His Grace has no less than Three Seats almost within Sight of one another,
viz. Abbotstone, Basing,
and
Hawkwood.
From hence at the End of Seven Miles over the
Downs,
we come to the very antient City of
Winchester,
called in
British Caer Gwent,
which signifies the white Town, from the chalky Hills near it. Not only the great Church, which is so famous all over
Europe,
and has been so much talk'd of, but even the whole City, has, at a Distance, a venerable and antient Face; and yet here are many modern Buildings too, and some very handsome; as the College Schools, with the Episcopal Palace, built by Bishop
Morley,
since the Civil Wars; the old Palace of the Bishop having been ruin'd by that known Church-Incendiary, Sir
William Waller,
and his Crew of Plunderers; who, if my Information is not wrong, destroy'd more Monuments of the Dead, and defac'd more Churches, than all the
Round-heads
in
England
beside.
This Church, and the Schools also, are accurately describ'd by several Writers, especially by the
Monasticon,
where their Antiquity and Original is fully set forth: the Outside of the Church is as plain and coarse, as if the Founders had abhorr'd Ornaments. There is neither Statue, nor a Niche for a Statue, to be seen on all the Outside, no carv'd Work, no Spires, Towers, Pinacles, Balustrades, or any thing but mere Walls, Buttresses, Windows, and Quoins, necessary to the Support and Order of the Building: it has no Steeple, but a short Tower cover'd flat, as if the Top of it had fallen down, and it had been cover'd in haste to keep the Rain out, till they had Time to build it up again.
But the Inside of the Church has many very good things in it, and worth Observation; it was for some Ages the Burying-place of many
English, Saxon,
and
Norman
Kings; whose Remains the impious Soldiers, in the Civil Wars, threw against the painted Glass. The Reliques of some of these, at the Repair of the Church, were collected by Bishop
Fox,
and, being put together into Six large wooden Chests, lin'd with Lead, were again interr'd at the Foot of the great Wall in the Choir, Three on one Side, and Three on the other; with an Account whose Bones are in each Chest, viz.
Rufus, Egbert, Adulphus, Edredus, Edmundus, Canutus,
and those of Queen
Emma.
Queen
Mary
was here marry'd to
Philip
of
Spain.
The Chair used in that Ceremony is still preserv'd. In the Body of the Church is a pretty Cross of
Gothick
Workmanship, but ill repair'd. The Steps ascending to the Choir make a fine Shew, having the Statues of King
James
I. and his Son
Charles,
in Copper, finely cast; the first on the Right-hand, and the other on the Left, as you go up to the Choir.
The Choir is said to be the longest in
England.
The Ornaments of the Choir are the Effects of the Bounty of several Bishops; the fine Altar (the noblest in
England
by much) was given by Bishop
Morley
; the Roof, and the Coat of Arms of the
Saxon
and
Norman
Kings, by Bishop
Fox
; and the fine Throne for the Bishop in the Choir, was given by Bishop
Mew
in his Life-time; and it was well it was; for if he had order'd it by Will, there is Reason to believe it had never been done: that Reverend Prelate, notwithstanding he enjoy'd so rich a Bishoprick, scarce leaving Money enough behind him to pay for his Coffin.
There are a great many Persons of Rank buried in this Church, besides the
Saxon
Kings mention'd above; particularly, here lies, as they told us, under a grey Marble,
Lucius,
the first Christian King of this Island, who dy'd 180 Years after Christ; and, as is pretended, founded the Church where the Cathedral now stands. There are also the Monuments of Bishop
Fox,
Founder of
Corpus Christi
College,
Oxon
; Bishop
Wainfleet,
Founder of
Magdalen
College, in the same University; in Regard to whose Memory the said College keep his Monument in neat Repair. He is represented lying at length with a Heart in his Hand. The Tomb of
William of Wickham,
the magnificent Founder of this Cathedral, very richly gilt. Just under the Altar lies a Son of
William the Conqueror,
without any Monument; and behind the Altar, under a very fine Monument, lies the famous Lord Treasurer
Weston,
Earl of
Portland,
Lord High Treasurer of
England
in the Reign of King
Charles
I. His Effigies is in Copper Armour, at full Length, with his Head rais'd on Three Cushions of the same, and is a very magnificent Work. There is also a very fine Monument of Cardinal
Beaufort,
in his Cardinal's Robes and Hat.
The Monument of Sir
John Cloberry
deserves Notice more for his Story, than for any thing extraordinary in the Figure. This Gentleman was the Person solely entrusted with the Secret of the Restoration of King
Charles
II. as the Messenger that pass'd between General
Monk
on one hand, and Mr.
Montague,
and others intrusted by King
Cha.
II. on the other; by which Service Sir
John,
then a private Musqueteer only, raised himself to the Honour of a Knight, with the Reward of a good Estate from the Bounty of the King.
It may not be amiss to say a Word or two of the famous
William of Wickham,
who built the Body of the Church.
He was a Courtier before a Bishop; and tho' he had no large Share of Learning, he was a great Promoter of it: his natural Genius was much beyond his acquired Parts, and his Skill in Politicks beyond his Ecclesiastick Knowledge. He is said to have put his Master, King
Edward
III. to whom he was Secretary of State, upon the Two great Projects which made his Reign so glorious;
viz.
(1.) Upon setting up his Claim to the Crown of
France,
which brought on the War with
France,
in which that Prince was three times victorious in Battle. (2.) Upon instituting the Order of the Garter; in which he obtain'd the Honour for the Bishops of
Winchester
to be always Prelates of the Order, as an Appendix to the Bishoprick; and he himself was the first: the Ensigns of that Honour are join'd with his Episcopal Ornaments, in the robing of his Effigies on the Monument above.
To the great Honour of this Bishop there are other Foundations of his, as much to his Fame as that of this Church, of which I shall speak in their Places, but particularly the College in this City, which is a noble Foundation indeed. The Building consists of Two large Courts, in which are the Lodgings for the Masters and Seventy Scholars, and in the Centre a very noble Chapel; beyond that, in the second Court, are the Schools, with a large Cloister beyond them, and some Inclosures laid open for the Diversion of the Scholars. There also is a great Hall, where the Scholars dine. In the Chapel Window belonging to the College is good painted Glass of Imagery. In the middle of the Cloisters is the Library, a strong Stone Building, well contriv'd to prevent Fire.
In digging the Foundation of a House near the College, in a Stone Coffin, was found a Stone set in a Gold Ring, with this Inscription in very odd Characters; supposed to be about the Sixth Century,
Domino Comite fidele meo,
i. e.
The Lord being my Guide and faithful Companion.
Over the Door of the School stands a very good Statue of the Founder, made by
Cibber,
whose Workmanship are the two excellent Figures over
Bethlehem-gate,
the Father of that excellent Comedian
Colley Cibber,
Poet-Laureat.
The Scholars have Exhibitions at a certain time of Continuance here, if they please to study, in the new College at
Oxford,
built by the same noble Benefactor.
The Clergy here live very elegantly in the Close belonging to the Cathedral; where, besides the Bishop's Palace, mentioned above, are very good Houses, and very handsomely built, for the Prebendaries, Canons, and other Dignitaries of this Church: The Deanry is a very pleasant Dwelling, the Gardens are large, and the River runs thro' them; but the Floods in Winter sometimes much incommode them.
This School has fully answer'd the End of the Founder, who, tho' he was no great Scholar, resolv'd to erect a House for making the Ages to come more learned than those that went before; and many learned and great Men have been educated here.
As the City stands in a Vale on the Bank, and at the Conjunction of Two small Rivers, so the Country rising every way, but just as the Course of the Water keeps the Valley open, you must necessarily, as you go out of the Gates, go up Hill every way: but when once ascended, you come to the most charming Plains, and most pleasant Country of that Kind in
England
; which continues, with very small Intersections of Rivers and Valleys, for above Fifty Miles, as I shall observe more particularly in the Sequel of this Journey.
At the West Gate of this City was antiently a Castle, in which, 'tis said, the
Saxon
Kings kept their Court, which however is doubtful, and must be meant of the
West-Saxons
only. As to the Tale of King
Arthur
's round Table, and his Two Dozen of Knights, which Table being one Piece of Wood, supported by Marble Pillars, they still shew in the Town-hall, said to be Part of the said Castle, as a Piece of Antiquity of 1200 Years standing, and has, as they pretend, the Names of the said Knights in
Saxon
Characters, and yet such as no Man can read: all this Story I see no Ground to give the least Credit to.
Where this Castle was said to stand, the late King
Charles
II. mark'd out a very noble Design; which, had he lived, would certainly have made that Part of the Country the Resort of the Quality and Gentry of all Parts of the Kingdom; for the Country hereabout far exceeds that of
Newmarket-heath,
for all kinds of Sport and Diversion.
The Building was so far prosecuted, that the Front next the City was carried up to the Roof, and cover'd; but what was further intended was not proceeded on. There was a Street of Houses designed from the Gate of the Palace down to the Town, but it was never begun to be built; the Park mark'd out was exceeding large, near Ten Miles in Circumference, and ended West upon the open Downs, in View of
Stockbridge.
This House, with a Royal Revenue, was afterwards settled by Parliament, as an Appenage upon Prince
George
of
Denmark
for his Life, in case he had out-liv'd the Queen: but his Royal Highness dying before her Majesty, all Hope of seeing this Design perfected, or the House finish'd, is now vanish'd. And his late Majesty King
George
I. made a Present to the Duke of
Bolton
of the fine Pillars of
Italian
Marble, which were to have supported its Stair-case.
There are several other publick Edifices in this City, and in the Neighbourhood, which I have not Room to describe, as the Hospitals, and Building adjoining near the East-gate. Towards the North is a Piece of an old Monastery undemolish'd, and which is still preserv'd to the Religion, being the Residence of some private Roman Catholick Gentlemen, where they have an Oratory, and, as they say, live still according to the Rules of
St. Benedict.
This Building is call'd
Hide-house
; and as they live very usefully, and to the highest Degree obliging among their Neighbours, they meet with no Obstruction from any body.
Beyond the River Eastward is a high Hill call'd
St. Giles
's, from an Hospital whose Ruins only are now visible; and a Church-yard seeming to have been a Camp, besides the Marks of Bastions, and Works of Fortifications in the modern Style. Here
Waltheof,
Earl of
Northumberland
and
Huntingdon,
was beheaded by Order of King
William
I. whose Body was carried to
Crowland,
and said to work Miracles.
Winchester
is a Place of no Trade, other than is naturally occasion'd by the Inhabitants of the City, and neighbouring Villages, one with another: here is no Manufacture, no Navigation; there was indeed an Attempt to make the River navigable from
Southampton,
and it was once made practicable; but it never answered the Expence, so as to give Encouragement to the Undertakers to keep it up.
Here is a great deal of good Company; and Abundance of Gentry being in the Neighbourhood, it adds to the Sociableness of the Place: the Clergy also here, are, generally speaking, rich, and very numerous.
The magnificent Hospital called
Holy-cross,
on the South of this City, at a Mile's Distance on the Road to
Southampton,
is worth Notice: it was founded by Bishop
Blois.
The Church is in the Form of a Cross, and has a large square Tower. Every Traveller, that knocks at the Door of this House, in his Way, and asks for it, claims the Relief of a Piece of white Bread, and a Cup of Beer; and this Donation is still continued. A Quantity of good Beer is set apart every Day to be given away; and what is left is distributed to other Poor, but none of it kept to next Day.
How the Revenues of this Hospital, which should maintain the Master, and Thirty private Gentlemen, whom they call
Fellows,
but ought to call
Brothers,
are now reduced to maintain only Fourteen, while the Master lives in a Figure equal to the best Gentleman in the County, would be well worth the Inquiry of a proper Visitor, if such can be nam'd. 'Tis a Thing worthy of Notice, when publick Charities, design'd for the Relief of the Poor, are imbezzled by the Rich, and turn'd to the Support of Luxury and Pride.
An Infirmary is establish'd lately in this Town, by voluntary Subscription, after the laudable Examples of those of
St. James
's
Westminster,
and
St. George
's at
Hyde-Park Corner,
and has met with great Success, being principally owing to the Zeal and Pains of the Reverend Doctor
Alured Clarke.
I have not room to say all that might be said on this Head, and so must refer you to the Account given by the Doctor, of the Rise and Progress, Rules and Orders, of this excellent Institution.
I made an Excursion from
Winchester,
to see the antient Town of
Romsey,
noted for its delightful Situation, having all round it Woods, Corn-fields, Meadows and Pastures. The River, and Rivulets, which are many, have a rapid Course. The Town was questionless
Roman,
and its Name declares as much. The Church is a noble Pile of Architecture, arch'd with Stone, in Form of a Cross, with Semi-circular Chapels in the upper Angles. The Churches hereabouts called
Minsters,
as
Wimburn-minster,
in the neighbouring County of
Dorset,
were built by the
Saxon
Kings, as soon as they became Christian. At the West-end is the Piece of an old Wall, probably belonging to the Nunnery built here by King
Edgar.
Returning to
Winchester
we struck up North-west and came to
Stokebridge,
a poor sorry Borough Town, noted for its Corruption in electing Members of Parliament, and being a great Thorough-fare on the South-western Road: it has however a great many good Inns, and as well provided as any on that Road, tho' it has no Market.
The ingenious Sir
Richard Steele
once represented this Town in Parliament; and tho' he was powerfully opposed, yet carried his Election by a Stratagem, which made all the Women of his Side: Having made a great Entertainment for the Burgesses and their Wives, and after having been very free and facetious among them, he took up a large Apple, and stuck it full of Guineas, and declared it the Prize of that Man, whose Wife should be first brought to-bed after that Day Nine Months. This occasioned a great deal of Mirth, and what with the Entertainment, and with the Hopes of getting the Prize, the good Women prevailed on their Husbands to vote for Sir
Richard,
whom they to this Day commemorate; and, as it is said, once made a strong Push to get a standing Order of the Corporation made, that no Man should be received as a Candidate for that Borough, who did not offer himself upon the same Terms.
Still rising Northward, we arriv'd at
Andover,
a Mayor, Market and Borough Town, and also noted for being a great Thorough-fare on the direct
Western
Road, as well from
Newbury
to
Salisbury,
as from
London
to
Taunton,
and all the manufacturing Towns of
Somersetshire,
whereby it is greatly inriched, and is a thriving, handsome, well built and populous Town. It is very healthy and pleasantly situated just on the Borders of those Downs, which are commonly, tho' not properly called
Salisbury-plain.
Near this Town is a Village called
Weyhill,
where the open Down Country begins; and here upon these Downs is the famous
Weyhill,
where the greatest Fair for Sheep in the Nation is kept; and principally of Ewes for Store-sheep for the Farmers of the Counties of
Berks, Oxford, Bucks, Bedford, Hertford, Middlesex, Kent, Surrey
and
Sussex,
who send for them to this Place.
From
Andover
we bent our Way towards
Wiltshire,
by
Quarley-hills,
on the West-side of which are the Remains of a great Fortification, consisting of two outward Trenches, and other Works of great Strength; and then entering that County, and leaving
Luggershall
(a small Hamlet-town, noted only for having been formerly the Castle of
Jeoffrey Fitzpiers,
on the North of us, we came to
Ambresbury,
a very antient Town, pretty large, standing on the River
Avon,
and having several good Inns, but its Market is much decayed, and almost discontinued. It is said to have taken its Name from
Ambrius,
who founded here a Monastery of
Benedictines,
long before the coming in of the
Saxons,
who destroyed it, or from
Aurelius Ambrose,
a
British
Prince, who rebuilt it, and fill'd it with 300 Monks, to pray for the Souls of those noble
Britons
who were slain by the Treachery of the perfidious
Hengist,
the
Saxon,
who massacred here 300 of the antient
British
Nobility, in cold Blood, whom he had invited with their King
Vortigern,
to meet him there without Arms, to treat of a League of Amity, and rejoice together.
The treacherous
Saxon
sav'd only the King, whom he obliged to give him near a Third of his Kingdom Eastward, before he would set him at Liberty.
The Monastery at
Ambresbury
was converted into a Nunnery, and
Eleanor,
King
Henry
III.'s Queen retir'd and dy'd here; whose Example induced the Princess
Mary,
King
Edward
's second Daughter, and Thirteen Noblemens Daughters, to take the Veil together in this House.
The stupendous Piece of Antiquity called
Stone-henge,
deserves our particular Notice; and I shall therefore borrow from Dr.
Stukeley
's Piece lately published, intituled,
Stone-henge, a Temple restored to the British Druids,
the following brief Account and Description of it, referring to that elaborate Performance itself (which well deserves the Attention of the Learned and Curious) for a more satisfactory Account, and for the Doctor's Reasons for his Hypothesis, which we think he has made out with as much Certainty, as the Nature of the Subject will admit.
The
Wiltshire
Downs, or
Salisbury-Plain,
as this Gentleman observes, is one of the most delightful Spots in
Britain
; and
Stone-henge,
by the extravagant Grandeur of the Work, has attracted the Admiration of all Ages. Mr.
Camden
himself says of it, That he was grieved, that the Founders of it could not be traced out: but Dr.
Stukeley
has very happily made it more than probable, that it was a Temple of the
British
Druids, and (the Cathedral, as it may be called) the chief of all their Temples in this Island.
The Stones of which it was composed are not factitious; for that would have been a greater Wonder, than to bring them together to the Place where they are; but undoubtedly were brought Fifteen or Sixteen Miles off, prodigious as they are, from those called the Grey Weathers, near
Abury
on
Marlborough
Downs, all the greater Stones, except the Altar, being of that sort; for that, being designed to resist Fire, is of a still harder kind; 'tis a Composition of Crystals of red, green, and white Colours, cemented by Nature with opaque Granules, of flinty or stony Matter. The Stone at the upper End of the Cell, which is fallen down and broken in half, the Doctor tells us, weighs above Forty Tons, and would require above 140 Oxen to draw it, and yet is not the heaviest Stone neither. Judge then what a stupendous Labour it was to bring together, so many Miles, such a Number as were used here; and this has induced many inconsiderate People to imagine, that the Founders had an Art of making Stone, which has been lost for so many Ages.
The present Name is
Saxon,
tho' the Work is beyond all Comparison older, signifying a hanging Rod or Pole,
i. e.
a Gallows, from the hanging Parts, Architraves, or rather Imposts; and pendulous Rocks are still in
Yorkshire
called
Henges.
But the antient Name was most probably the
Ambres,
for which our learned Author, to whom we refer, gives very satisfactory Reasons; and hence the adjacent Town of
Ambresbury,
which I have taken Notice of, has its Name.
Stone-henge
stands not upon the Summit of a Hill, but near it, however: at half a Mile Distance the Appearance is awful; but as you come up the Avenue, in the North-east of it, which Side is most perfect, the Greatness of its Contour fills the Eye in an astonishing manner. It is inclosed in a circular Ditch, which having passed, we ascend Thirty-five Yards before we come at the Work. The Stones are chissell'd, and far from rude, tho' not cut to that Preciseness as the Ruins in
Old Rome,
and the Inside of them had more Pains taken with them then the Outside; for so, as our Author observes, the polite Architects of the Eastern World were wont to do; not like our
London
Builders, who carve every Moulding, and croud every Ornament they borrow from Books, on the Outside of the publick Structures, that they may the more commodiously gather the Dust and Smoke.
When you enter the Building, whether on Foot or Horseback, and cast your Eyes around upon the yawning Ruins, you are struck into an ecstatick Reverie, which no one can describe, and they only can be sensible of, who feel it. Other Buildings fall by piece-meal, but here a single Stone is a Ruin. Yet is there as much undemolish'd as enables us sufficiently to recover its Form when in its most perfect State. When we advance farther, the dark Part of the ponderous Imposts over our Heads, the Chasms of Sky between the Jambs of the Cell, the odd Construction of the Whole, and the Greatness of every Part, surprises. If you look upon the perfect Part, you fansy intire Quarries mounted up into the Air; if upon the rude Havock below, you see, as it were, the Bowels of a Mountain turn'd inside out.
The whole Work, being of a circular Form, is about 108 Feet in Diameter, from out to out. The Intention of the Founders was this: the whole Circle was to consist of Thirty Stones, each Stone to be
This Cubit is the old
Hebrew, Phoenician,
or
Egyptian
Cubit, and what the Founders of
Stone-benge
went by, and amounts to Twenty Inches Four-fifths
English
Measure.
Four Cubits broad, each Interval Two Cubits; Thirty times Four Cubits is twice Sixty: Thirty times Two Cubits is Sixty; so that thrice Sixty Cubits completes a Circle, whose Diameter is Sixty. A Stone being Four Cubits broad, and Two thick, is double the Interval, which is a Square of Two Cubits. Change the Places between the Stones and their Intervals, and it will make a good Ground-plot for a circular Portico of
Greek
or
Roman
Work. Tho' these Bodies of Stone, which are in the Nature of Imposts or Cornices, never had, or were intended to have, any Mouldings upon them, like
Greek
and
Roman
Works, they are wrought perfectly plain, and suitable to the Stones that support them; and the Chisseling of the upright Stones is only above Ground; for the Four or Five Feet in Length below Ground, is left in the original natural Form. The upright Stones are made very judiciously to diminish a little every way; so that at-top they are but Three Cubits and a half broad, and so much nearer as to suffer their Imposts to meet a little over the Heads of the Uprights, both within-side and without; by which means the Uprights are less liable to fall or swerve.
It is to be fear'd some indiscreet People have been digging about the great Entrance, with ridiculous Hopes of finding Treasure, and so have loosen'd the chalky Foundation; for the upper Edge of the Impost overhangs no less than Two Feet Seven Inches, which is very considerable in a Height of Eighteen. The whole Breadth at the Foundation is but Two Feet and an half; and this noble Front is now chiefly kept up by the Masonry of the Mortaise, and Tendon of the Imposts.
The Contrivance of the Founders in making Mortaises and Tenons between the upright Stones and the Imposts, is admirable; but so contrary to any Practice of the
Romans,
that it alone oversets their Claim to the Work. These Tenons and Mortaifes of this outer Circle are round, and fit one another very aptly. They are Ten Inches and one half in Diameter, and resemble half an Egg, rather than an Hemisphere, and so effectually keep both Uprights and Imposts from Luxation, that they must have been thrown down with great Difficulty and Labour. The whole Height of Upright and Impost is Ten Cubits and an half; the Upright, Nine; the Impost over the grand Entrance is in its middle Length Eleven Feet Ten Inches, and so is larger than the rest, and it is also a little broader, measuring on the Inside.
Of the outer Circle of
Stone-henge,
which in its Perfection consisted of Sixty Stones, Thirty Uprights, and Thirty Imposts, there are Seventeen Uprights left standing, Eleven of which remain continuous by the grand Entrance, Five Imposts upon them. One Upright at the Back of the Temple, leans upon a Stone of the inner Circle. There are Six more lying upon the Ground, whole or in Pieces, so that Twenty-four out of Thirty are still visible at the Place. There is but one Impost more in its proper Place, and but Two lying upon the Ground; so that Twenty-two are carry'd off. Hence our Author infers, this Temple was not defac'd when Christianity prevailed; but that some rude Hands carried the Stones away for other Uses. So much for the larger Circle of Stones with Imposts.
As to the lesser Circle, which never had any Imposts, it is somewhat more than Eight Feet from the Inside of the outward one, and consists of Forty lesser Stones, forming, with the outward Circles, as it were, a circular Portico, a most beautiful Work, and of a pretty Effect; they are flat Parallelograms, as those of the outer Circle; and their general and design'd Proportion is Two Cubits, or Two and an half, as suitable Stones were found. They are a Cubit thick, and Four and one half high, which is more than Seven Feet; this was their stated Proportion, being every way the half of the upper Uprights. These Stones are of a harder Composition than the rest, as the better to resist Violence, as they are lesser, and they have sufficient Fastenings in the Ground. There are but Nineteen of the Forty left; but Eleven of them are standing
in situ,
Five in one Place contiguous, Three in another, Two in another.
The Walk between these Two Circles, which is 300 Feet in Circumference, is very noble, and very delightful.
The
Adytum,
or Cell, into which we may suppose none but the upper Order of Druids were to enter, is composed of certain Compages of Stones, which our Author calls
Trilithons,
because made each of two upright Stones, with an Impost at top, and there are manifestly Five of these remaining; Three of which are intire, Two are ruin'd, in some measure, but the Stones remain
in situ.
It is a magnificent Niche Twenty-seven Cubits long, and as much broad, measuring in the widest Place. The Stones that compose it, are really stupendous; their Height, Breadth, and Thickness are enormous, and to see so many of them placed together in a nice and critical Figure, with Exactness; to consider, as it were, not a Pillar of one Stone, but a whole Wall, a Side, an End of a Temple, of one Stone; to view them curiously, create such a Motion in the Mind as Words cannot express. One very remarkable Particular in the Constitution of this
Adytum,
has escap'd all Observers before our Author, which is this: as this Part is composed of Trilithons set two and two on each Side, and one right before, they rise in Height and Beauty of the Stones, from the lower End of the
Adytum
to the upper End. That is, the two hithermost Trilithons corresponding, or those next the grand Entrance, on the Right-hand, and on the Left, are exceeded in Height by the Two next in Order; and those are exceeded by that behind the Altar, in the upper End of this Choir; and their Heights respectively are Thirteen Cubits, Fourteen Cubits, Fifteen Cubits.
The Imposts of these are all of the same Height, and Ten Cubits may be supposed their medium Measure in Length. The Artifice of the Tenons and Mortaises of these Trilithons and their Imposts, what Conformity they bear to that of the outer Circle, is exceedingly pretty, every thing being done very geometrically, and as would best answer every Purpose from plain and simple Principles; and 'tis wonderful, that in the Management of such prodigious Stones as these are, fix'd in the Ground, and ramm'd in like Posts, there is not more Variation in the Height, Distance,
&c.
Of these greater Stones of the
Adytum,
as is observed before, there are none wanting, being all on the Spot, Ten Uprights, and Five Cornices. The Trilithon first on the Left-hand is intire
in situ,
but vastly decay'd, especially the Cornice, in which such deep Holes are corroded, that in some Places the Daws make their Nests in them. The next Trilithon on the Left is intire, composed of three most beautiful Stones. The Cornice, happening to be of a very durable
English
Marble, has not been much impair'd by the Weather. Our Author took a Walk on the Top of it, but thought it a frightful Situation. The Trilithon of the upper End was an extraordinary Beauty; but probably, thro' the Indiscretion of some body digging between them and the Altar, the noble Impost is dislodg'd from its airy Seat, and fallen upon the Altar, where its huge Bulk lies unfractur'd. The Two Uprights that supported it, are the most delicate Stones of the whole Work. They were, our Author thinks, above Thirty Feet long, and well chissell'd, finely taper'd and proportion'd in their Dimensions. That Southward is broken in two, lying upon the Altar. The other still stands intire; but leans upon one of the Stones of the inward Oval; the Root-end, or unhewn Part of both, is raised somewhat above Ground. The Trilithon towards the West is intire, except that some of the End of the Impost is fallen clean off, and all the upper Edge is very much diminish'd by time. The last Trilithon, on the Right-hand of the Entrance into the
Adytum,
has suffer'd much. The outer Upright, being the Jamb of the Entrance, is still standing; the other Upright and Impost are both fallen forwards into the Adytum, and broke each into Three Pieces, as supposed, from digging near it. That which is standing has a Cavity in it, which Two or Three Persons may
it in warm from the Weather.
Stone-henge
is composed of Two Circles and Two Ovals, respectively concentrick. The Stones that form these Ovals rise in Height as nearer the upper End of the
Adytum
; and their mediate Measure is Four Cubits and Four Palms. They are of a much harder Kind than the larger Stones in the lesser Circle; the Founders no doubt intending, that their lesser Bulk should be compensated by Solidity. Of these there are only Six remaining upright; the Stumps of Two are left on the South-side by the Altar; one lies behind the Altar dug up, or thrown down, by the Fall of the Upright there. One or Two were probably thrown down by the Fall of the Upright of the first Trilithon on the Right-hand; a Stump of another remains by the Upright there still standing.
The whole Number of Stones may be thus computed. The great Oval consists of Ten Uprights; the inner with the Altar of Twenty; the great Circle of Thirty; the inner of Forty, which are One hundred upright Stones; Five Imposts of the great Oval; Thirty of the great Circle; the Two Stones on the Bank of the Area; the Stone lying within the Entrance of the Area, and that standing without; there seems to be another lying on the Ground, by the
Vallum
of the Court, directly opposite to the Entrance of the Avenue: all added together make just One hundred and forty Stones, the Number of which
Stone-henge,
a whole Temple, is composed. Behold the Solution of the mighty Problem! the magical Spell, which has so long perplex'd the Vulgar, is broken! They think it an ominous thing to count the true Number of the Stones, and whoever does so shall
certainly
die after it!
As to the Altar, it is laid toward the upper End of the
Adytum,
at present flat on the Ground, and squeez'd into it, as it were, by the Weight of the Ruins upon it. 'Tis a kind of blue coarse Marble, such as comes from
Derbyshire,
and laid upon Tombs in our Churches and Church-yards. Our Author believes its Breadth is Two Cubits Three Palms, and that its first intended Length was Ten Cubits, equal to the Breadth of the Trilithon, before which it lies. But it is very difficult to come at its true Length. 'Tis Twenty Inches thick, a just Cubit, and has been squar'd. It lies between the two Centres, that of the Compasses and that of the String; leaving a convenient Space quite round it, no doubt as much as was necessary for this Ministration.
The Heads of Oxen, Deer, and other Beasts have been found upon digging in and about
Stone-henge,
undoubted Reliques of Sacrifices, together with Wood-ashes. Mr.
Camden
says, Mens Bones have been found hereabouts; he means in the adjacent Barrows, and such our Author saw thrown out by the Rabbets, which have been brought hither of late Years, and by their burrowing threaten these noble Ruins; as the greedy Plough more and more invades the neighbouring Plain.
But eternally, as he observes, is to be lamented the Loss of that Tablet of Tin, which was found at this Place in the Time of
Henry
VIII. inscribed with many Letters; but in so strange a Character, that neither Sir
Thomas Elliot,
a learned Antiquary, nor Mr.
Lilly,
First High Master of St.
Paul
's School, could make any thing out of; and which, no doubt, was a Memorial of the Founders, written by the Druids; and had it been preserv'd till now, would have been an invaluable Curiosity.
In the Year 1635, as they were plowing by the Barrows about
Normanton-Ditch,
they found so large a Quantity of excellent Pewter, as, at a low Price, they sold for Five Pounds. There are several of these Ditches, being very narrow, which run across the Downs, which perhaps are Boundaries of Hundreds, Parishes,
&c.
These Pewter Plates might very possibly have been Tablets, with Inscriptions; but falling into such rude Hands, they could no more discern the Writing, than interpret it. No doubt, says Dr.
Stukeley,
this was some of the old
British Stannum,
which the
Tyrian Hercules,
surnam'd
Melcarthus,
first brought
ex Cassiteride Insula,
or
Britain:
Which
Hercules
lived in
Abraham
's Time, or soon after.
Mr.
Webb
tells us, the Duke of
Buckingham
dug about
Stone-henge,
perhaps much to the Prejudice of the Work. Mr.
Webb
also did the like, and found what he imagined was the Corner of a
Thuribulum.
Mr.
Hayward,
late Owner of
Stone-henge,
likewise dug about it, and found Heads of Oxen, and other Beasts Bones, and nothing else.
Dr.
Stukeley
himself, in 1723, dug on the Inside of the Altar, about the middle, Four Feet along the Edge of the Stone, Six Feet forward toward the middle of the
Adytum
: at a Foot deep he came to the solid Chalk, mix'd with Flints, which had never been stirr'd. The Altar was exactly a Cubit-thick,
i. e.
Twenty Inches Four-fifths, but broken in Two or Three Pieces by the ponderous Masses of the Imposts, and one upright Stone of that Trilithon, which stood at the upper End of the
Adytum,
being fallen upon it. Hence appears the Commodiousness of the Foundation for this huge Work! They dug Holes in the solid Chalk, which would of itself keep up the Stones as firm as if a Wall was built round them; and no doubt but they ramm'd up the Interstices with Flints. But he says, he had too much Regard to the Work, to dig any-where near the Stones. He took up an Ox's Tooth above Ground, without the
Adytum,
on the Right-hand of the lowermost Trilithon Northward.
The Time our Author assigns for the building of
Stone-henge
is not long after
Cambyses
's Invasion of
Egypt
; when he committed such horrid Outrages there, and made such dismal Havock with the Priests and Inhabitants in general, that they dispersed themselves to all the Parts of the World; some as far as the
East-Indies
; and some, it is not questioned, as far Westward, into
Britain,
and introduced some of their Learning, Arts and Religion among the
Druids,
and perhaps had a Hand in this very Work, the only one where the Stones are chissell'd; all other Works of theirs being of rude Stones, untouch'd of the Tool, exactly after the
Patriarchal
and
Jewish
Mode, and therefore older than this; and this Conjecture is the more probable, because, at the time mention'd, the
Phoenician
Trade was at its Height, which afforded a readier Conveyance hither. This was before the second Temple at
Jerusalem
was built; before the
Grecians
had any History.
For farther Particulars of this stupendous Work, and other curious Matters relating and adjacent to it (such as its Antiquity before the Time of the
Belgae,
the
Romans,
the
Saxons,
and
Danes
; of the
Wansdike
; of
Vespasian
's Camp at
Ambresbury
; the Introduction of the
Druids
into
Britain,
which he puts about
Abraham
's Time; its antient Name, [the
Ambres
]; the Water Vases of
Stone-henge
; the Avenue to it; the
Cursus
); we must refer our Readers to the Work itself, having already exceeded the narrow Bounds to which the Nature of our Design confines us. But this we may add, that doubtless they had some Method in former Days, in foreign Countries, as well as here, to move heavier Weights than we now find practicable. How else did
Solomon
's Workmen build the Battlement, or additional Wall, to support the Precipice of
Mount-Moriah,
on which the Temple was erected; which was all built of
Parian
Marble, each Stone being Forty Cubits long, Fourteen broad, and Eight Cubits thick. And so much for this celebrated Temple of
Stone-henge.
We shall now proceed to give some Account of the famous Barrows on these Downs, and we shall borrow from the same learned Author, the following curious Particulars relating to them.
The Tops of all the Hills, or rather easy Elevations, round
Stone-henge,
are in a manner cover'd over with th
se Barrows, which make an agreeable Appearance, adorning the bare Downs with their Figures. This Ring of Barrows, however, reaches no farther, than till you lose Sight of the Temple, as we now make no doubt to call
Stone-henge,
or thereabouts. Many, from the great Number of these sepulchral
Tumuli
here, injudiciously conclude, that there have been great Battles upon the Plain, and that the Slain are buried there; but they are really no other than Family Burying-places set near this Temple, for the same Reason as we bury in Church-yards, and consecrated Ground.
We may readily count Fifty at a time in Sight from the Place, especially in the Evening, when the sloping Rays of the Sun shine on the Ground beyond them. They are most of them of a very elegant Bell-like Form, and done with great Nicety; in general they are always upon elevated Ground, and in Sight of the Temple, as we have said; for they all regard it, and are assuredly the single Sepulchres of Kings and great Personages buried, during a considerable Space of Time, and in Peace. There are many Groups of them together, as if Family Burial-places; and the Variety in them seems to indicate some Pre-eminence in the Persons interred. Most of them have little Ditches around; in many is a circular Ditch, 60 Cubits in Diameter, with a very small
Tumulus
in the Centre. Sixty, or even 100 Cubits, is a very common Diameter in the large Barrows. Often they are set in Rows, and equidistant, so as to produce a regular and pretty Appearance, and with some particular Regard to the Parts of the Temple, the Avenues, or the
Cursus.
Upon every Range of Hills, quite round
Stone-henge,
are successive Groups of Barrows for some Miles; and even that nam'd
King-barrow,
by Lord
Pembroke
's Park Wall at
Wilton,
which our Author calls the Tomb of
Carvilius,
is set within View of
Stone-henge.
In 1722, the late Lord
Pembroke
opened a Barrow, in order to find the Position of the Body observed in those early Days. He pitched upon one of the double Barrows, where two are inclosed in one Ditch. He made a Section from the Top to the Bottom, an intire Segment from Centre to Circumference. The Composition was good Earth quite thro', except a Coat of Chalk of about Two Feet thick, covering it quite over, under the Turf. Hence it appears, that the Method of making these Barrows, was to dig up the Turf for a great Space round, till the Barrow was brought to its intended Bulk; then with the Chalk dug out of the invironing Ditch, they powder'd it all over. And the Notion of Sanctity annexed to them, forbad People trampling on them till perfectly settled and turfed over; whence the Neatness of their Form to this Day. At the Top or Centre of this Barrow, not above Three Feet under the Surface, my Lord found the Skeleton of the Interred, perfect, of a reasonable Size, the Head lying Northward towards
Stone-henge.
The Year following, by my Lord's Order, Dr.
Stukeley
began upon another double Barrow. He began upon the lesser, and made a large Cut on the Top from East to West. After the Turf, he came to the Layer of Chalk, as before, then fine Garden Mould. About Three Feet below the Surface, a Layer of Flints humouring the Convexity of the Barrow, which are gathered from the Surface of the Downs in some Places, especially where it has been ploughed. This being about a Foot thick, rested on a Layer of soft Mould another Foot; in which was inclosed an Urn full of Bones. The Urn was of unbaked Clay, of a dark reddish Colour; crumbled into pieces. It had been rudely wrought with small Mouldings round the Verge, and other circular Chanels on the Outside, with several Indentions between, made with a pointed Tool. The Bones had been burnt, and crouded all together in a little Heap, not so much as a Hat-crown would contain; the Collar-bone, and one side of the Under-jaw remaining very intire. It appears to have been a Girl of about Fourteen Years old, by their Bulk, and the great Quantity of Female Ornaments mixed with the Bones; as great Numbers of glass Beads of all Sorts, and of divers Colours, most yellow, one black; many single, many in long Pieces, notched between, so as to resemble a String of Beads, and these were generally of a blue Colour. There were many of Amber, of all Shapes and Sizes, flat Squares, long Squares, round, oblong, little and great; likewise many of Earth, of different Shapes, Magnitude and Colour; some little and white, many large and flattish, like a Button, others like a Pully; but all had Holes to run a String thro', either thro' their Diameter or Sides: Many of the Button Sort seem'd to have been covered with Metal, there being a Rim worked in them, wherein to turn the Edge of the Covering. One of these was covered with a thin Film of pure Gold. These were the young Lady's Ornaments, and had all undergone Fire, so that what would easily consume, fell to-pieces as soon as handled; much of the Amber burnt half thro': this Person was a Heroine; for we found the Head of her Javelin in Brass. At Bottom are two Holes for the Pin that fastened it to the Staff; besides, there was a sharp Bodkin, round at one End, square at the other, where it went into the Handle. Our Author preserved whatever is permanent of these Trinkets; but recompos'd the Ashes of the illustrious Defunct, and covered them with Earth, leaving visible Marks at Top of the Barrow having been open'd (to dissuade any other from again disturbing them): and this was his Practice in all the rest.
He then opened the next Barrow to it, inclosed in the same Ditch, which he supposed the Husband or Father of this Lady. At 14 Inches deep, the Mould
ng mixed with Chalk, he came to the intire
ton of a Man, the Skull and all the Bones
ingly rotten and perished, thro' Length of Time: tho' this was a Barrow of the latest Sort, as he
ctured. The Body lay North and South, the Head to the North, as that Lord
Pembroke
ed.
Next he went Westward to a Group of Barrows,
Stone-henge
bears East-north-east. Here is a large Barrow ditch'd about, but of an antient Make. On that Side next
Stone-henge
are Ten lesser, small,
were, crouded together. South of the great
Barrow, larger than those of the Gr
up, but not equalling the first: it would seem, that a Man and his Wife were buried in the Two larger, and that the rest were of their Children or Dependents. One of the small ones, 20 Cubits in Diameter, he cut thro', with a Pit Nine Feet in Diameter, to the Surface of the natural Chalk, in the Centre of the Barrow, where was a little Hole cut. A Child's Body, as it seems, had been burnt here, and covered up in that Hole; but thro' Length of Time consumed. From Three Feet deep he found much Wood-ashes, soft, and black as Ink, some little Bits of an Urn, and black and red Earth very rotten; some small Lumps of Earth red as Vermilion; some Flints burnt thro'; toward the Bottom, a great Quantity of Ashes, and burnt Bones. From this Place he counted 128 Barrows in Sight.
Going from hence more Southerly, is a circular dish-like Cavity, 60 Cubits in Diameter, dug in the Chalk, like a Barrow reversed. 'Tis near a great Barrow, the least of the South-western Group. This Cavity is Seven Feet deep in the Middle, extremely well turn'd; and out of it, no doubt, the adjacent Barrow is dug. The Use of it seems to have been a Place for sacrificing and feasting in Memory of the Dead, as was the antient Custom. 'Tis all overgrown with that pretty Shrub
Erica Vulgaris,
then in Flower, and smelling like Honey. He made a large cross Section in its Centre, upon the Cardinal Points, and found nothing but a Bit of red earthen Pot.
He then dug up one of those he calls
Druids
Barrows, a small
Tumulus,
inclosed in a large circular Ditch.
Stone-henge
bears hence North-east. He made a cross Section Ten Feet each way, Three Feet broad over its Centre upon the Cardinal Points: At length he found a squarish Hole cut in the solid Chalk, in the Centre of the
Tumulus
; it was Three Feet and an half,
i. e.
Two Cubits long, and near Two Feet broad,
i. e.
One Cubit, pointing to
Stone-henge
directly. It was a Cubit and an half deep from the Surface. This was the
Domus exilis Plutonia,
covered with artificial Earth, not above a Foot thick from the Surface. In this little Grave he found all the burnt Bones of a Man, but no Signs of an Urn. The Bank of the circular Ditch is on the Out
ide, and is 12 Cubits broad. The Ditch is Six Cubits broad, (the
Druid
's Staff); the Area is 70 Cubits in Diameter. The Whole 100.
He opened another of these of like Dimensions, next to that Lord
Pembroke
first opened, South of
Stone-henge
; and found a burnt Body in a Hole in the Chalk, as before.
In some other Barrows he opened, were found large burnt Bones of Horses and Dogs, along with human; also of other Animals, as seem'd of Fowl, Hares, Boars, Deer, Goats, or the like; and in a great and very flat old-fashioned Barrow, West from
Stone-henge,
among such Matters, he found Bits of red and blue Marble, Chippings of the Stones of the Temple, so that probably the Interred was one of the Builders.
Homer
tells of
Achilles
slaying Horses and Dogs at the Funeral of his Friend
Patroclus.
Lord
Pembroke
told the Doctor of a Brass Sword dug up in a Barrow here, which was sent to
Oxford.
In that very old Barrow near
Little Ambresbury,
was found a very large Brass Weapon of 20 Pounds Weight, like a Pole-ax, said to be given to Colonel
Wyndham.
In the great long Barrow farthest North from
Stone-henge,
which our Author supposes to be an
Archdruid's,
was found one of those Brass Instruments called
Celts,
which he thinks belong'd to the
Druids,
wherewith they cut off the Misleto. Mr.
Stallard
of
Ambresbury
gave it to Lord
Burlington,
now in Sir
Hans Sloane
's Cabinet, 13 Inches long. They dug a Cell in a Barrow East of
Ambresbury,
and it was inhabited for some time. There they saw all the Bones of a Horse. We find evidently, adds the Doctor, these antient Nations had the Custom of burning their dead Bodies, probably before the Name of
Rome.
So
Lacrymatories
we read of in Scripture, antienter than
Greek
or
Roman
Times.
Psalm
lvi.8.
Salisbury
Plains are certainly the most charming that can any-where be seen. The numerous Flocks of Sheep all around, which way soever we turn, are a fine Sight; 'tis ordinary for these Flocks to contain from 3000 to 5000 each; and several private Farmers hereabouts have Two or Three such Flocks.
But 'tis more remarkable still, how a great Part of these Downs comes, by a new Method of Husbandry, not only to be made arable, but to bear plentiful Crops of Wheat, tho' never known to our Ancestors to be capable of any such Thing; nay, they would probably have laughed at any one that had gone about to plough up the wild Downs and Hills, which they thought only fit for Sheep-walks; but Experience has made the present Age wiser, and more skilful in Husbandry; for by only folding the Sheep upon those Lands, after they are turn'd up with the Plough, (which generally goes within Three or Four Inches of the solid Rock of Chalk) they become abundantly fruitful, and bear very good Wheat, as well as Rye and Barley. I shall say more of this, when I come to speak of the same Practice farther in the Country.
This plain open Country continues in Length from
Winchester
to
Salisbury
25 Miles, from thence to
Dorchester
22 Miles, thence to
Weymouth
six Miles, so that they lie near 50 Miles in Length and Breadth; they reach also in some Places fron 35 to 40 Miles: Those who would make any practicable Guess at the Number of Sheep which usually feed on these Downs, may take it from a Calculation made, as I was told, at
Dorchester,
that there were 600,000 Sheep fed within the Circumference of Six Miles around that Town.
As we passed this open plain Country, we saw the Ruins of a great many old
Roman
and
British
Camps, and other Remains of the antient Inhabitants of this Kingdom, and of their Wars, Battles, Entrenchments, Encampments, Buildings, and other Fortifications, which are indeed very agreeable to a Traveller, that has read the History of the Country.
Old Sarum,
which is the next Place we come to, is as remarkable as any of these, where there is a double Entrenchment, with a deep Graff, or Ditch, to either of them. 'Tis said it was a
Roman
Station, and the antient
Sorbiodunum.
It was deserted in King
Henry
III.'s Time, for want of Water, when the Inhabitants founded
New Sarum.
The old City is of an orbicular Form, erected on one of the most elegant Designs imaginable. It was, first, a Fortress of the antient
Britons.
The Prospect of this Place is at present very august, and would have afforded us a most noble Sight, when in Perfection. In the Angle to the North-west stood the Cathedral, and Episcopal Palace. The City fills up the Summit of an high and steep Hill, near the Bottom of which runs the River
Avon.
Here Synods and
British
Parliaments have formerly been held; and hither the States of the Kingdom were summoned to swear Fealty to
William
I. In this City was the Palace of the
British
and
Saxon
Kings, and of the
Roman
Emperors. Near it is one Farm-house, and that is all which is left of this antient City: yet this is called the Borough of
Old Sarum,
and sends Two Members to Parliament, who are chosen by the Proprietors of certain Lands.
Whom
those Members can justly say
they represent,
would however be hard for them to answer.
Salisbury
is a large, well-built, and pleasant City; and the Founders of it seemed to have run from one Extreme to another; for as the old City wanted Water, this has rather too much, the Water running thro' the Middle of every Street, which, I think, does not add to the Beauty of the Town, but just the contrary; for it keeps the Streets always dirty, full of Wet and Filth, and Weeds, even in the Middle of Summer.
The City lies at the Confluence of Two Rivers, the
Avon,
and the
Willy,
each of them singly a considerable River, but very large, when joined together; and yet much larger, when they receive the
Nadder,
a third River, which joins them near
Clarendon
Park about Three Miles below the City; when, with a deep Chanel, and a Current less rapid, they run down to
Christ-church,
where they empty themselves into the Sea. From that Town upwards, to within Two Miles of
Salisbury,
they are made navigable; but the Strength of the Stream would not permit to make them so up to the City.
Salisbury,
and all the County of
Wilts,
are full of a great Variety of Manufactures; and those too of the most considerable in
England
; as the Cloathing Trade, and that of Flanels, Druggets, and also several other Sorts of Manufactures, of which in their Place.
Salisbury
has, in particular, Two remarkable Manufactures that flourish in it, which employ the Poor all around; namely, fine Flanels, and Long Cloths for the
Turkey
Trade, called
Salisbury Whites.
The Close adjacent to the Cathedral, in which live the Canons and Prebendaries, is so large and well-built, that it looks like a fine City of itself.
The Cathedral is famous for the Height of its Spire, which is without Exception the highest and the handsomest in
England,
being from the Ground 410 Feet, and yet the Walls so exceeding thin, that at the Upper-part of the Spire, upon a View made by the late Sir
Christopher Wren,
the Wall was found to be less than five Inches thick; upon which a Consultation was had, whether the Spire, or at least the Upper-part of it, should be taken down, it being supposed to have received some Damage by the great Storm in the Year 1703; but it was resolved in the Negative, and Sir
Christopher
ordered it to be strengthened with Bands of Iron Plates, which have effectually secured it; and I have heard some of the best Architects say, it is stronger now than when it was first built.
They tell us here long Stories of the great Art used in laying the first Foundation of this Church, the Ground being marshy and wet, occasioned by the Chanels of the Rivers; that it was laid upon Piles, according to some; and upon Woolpacks, according to others: But this is not to be believed by those who know, that the whole Country is one Rock of Chalk, even from the Tops of the highest Hills, to the Bottom of the deepest Rivers. And the Foundation of Woolpacks is, no doubt, allegorical, and has respect to the Woollen Trade.
This Church was begun by Bishop
Poore,
continu'd by
Robert Bingham,
and
William
of
York,
and finished by
Giles de Brideport,
Bishop of this See, all in the Space of 40 Years. The Model is after the Figure of a Cross; and it cost an immense Sum of Money; but it must be acknowledged, that the Inside of the Work is not answerable, in the Decoration of Things, to the Workmanship without. The Painting in the Choir is mean, and more like the ordinary Method of a common Drawingroom, or Tavern-painting, than that of a Church. The Carving is good, but there is very little of it, and it is rather a fine Church, than finely set off.
But it now makes a better Appearance than it has done, having very lately been repaired by the Contributions of the Bishop and Prebendaries, set on foot by Bishop
Sherlock,
who, it seems, thought that the Dignitaries ought to support what supported them; and that all they got by the Church was not designed merely to make or inrich their Families.
The ordinary Boast of this Building, in the following Verses, must not be omitted:
As many Days as in One Year there be,
So many Windows in One Church we see;
As many Marble Pillars there appear,
As there are Hours throughout the fleeting Year;
As many Gates as Moons One Year do view:
Strange Tale to tell, yet not more strange than true!
Some of the Windows which escaped the Fury of the Zealots of 1641, are well painted.
There are some very fine Monuments in this Church; particularly in that they call the
Virgin Mary's Chapel,
behind the Altar, is a noble Monument for a late Duke and Duchess of
Somerset,
with their Pourtraits at full Length. The late Duchess of
Somerset,
of the
Piercy
Family, also her Daughter the Marchioness of
Caermarthen,
and a second Son of her Grace, both by the present Duke, are likewise interred here.
The Figure of one
Bennet,
who endeavoured to imitate our Saviour in Fasting Forty Days and Forty Nights, as is there represented, carried his Point so far, that being reduced to a Skeleton, he fell a Victim to his presumptuous and enthusiastick Folly. The Bodies of the Bishops
Jewell, Uvall, Chest,
were also interred here. Here is likewise a Monument to the beneficent Dr.
Seth Ward,
Bishop of this See, who founded (amidst other Benefactions, which we shall take notice of in
Hertfordshire
) a handsome College for the Widows of Ten Ministers, allowing to each 15
l. per Annum
; and which has been since obliged to Dr.
Gilbert Burnet,
Bishop of this See.
They shew you also the Monument of the Lord
Stourton,
in the Reign of
Philip
and
Mary,
which is made remarkable by a particular Incident; as follows:
This Lord
Stourton,
being guilty of a Murder, which was aggravated with very bad Circumstances, could not obtain the usual Grace of the Crown, to be beheaded; but Queen
Mary
positively ordered, that, like a common Malefactor, he should die at the Gallows. After he was executed, his Friends desiring to have him bury'd at
Salisbury,
the Bishop would not consent, that he should be buried in the Cathedral, unless, as a farther Mark of Infamy, they would submit to this Condition, (
viz.
) That the silken Halter in which he was hanged, should be placed over his Grave in the Church, as a Monument of his Crime; which was accordingly done, and there it is to be seen at this Day.
The putting this Halter up here, was not so wonderful to me, as it was, that the Posterity of that Lord, who remained in good Rank some Time after, should never prevail to have that Mark of Infamy taken from the Tomb of their Ancestor.
The Cloister is 160 Feet square, the inner Cioister 30 Feet wide, with 10 Arches on each Side, the Top vaulted, and covered with Lead. Over the East Walk of the Cloister, is a spacious Library, but not over-well stocked with Books. The Chapter-house is Octagon, and is 150 Feet in Circumference; the Roof bearing all upon one small Marble Pillar in the Centre, which seems so feeble, that it is hardly to be imagined it can be any great Support to it, which makes it the more curious; and indeed, I believe, it is hardly to be matched in
Europe.
The Corporation of
Sarum
have lately purchased a very fine Original Piece of Painting of her late Majesty Queen
Anne,
drawn by the celebrated
Dahl,
and have put it up in the Council-chamber of the City. This Picture formerly belonged to the Society of Gentlemen (all Members of Parliament) known by the Name of the
October Club,
and was set up in the great Room belonging to the
Bell
(now
Crown
) Tavern in
Westminster,
where they used to meet till the Death of Queen
Anne.
In 1736-7, an Act passed for the better Repairing and Paving the Highways, Streets, and Water-courses within this City, and for Enlightening the Streets, Lanes, and Passages, and better regulating the Nightly Watch.
From hence directing my Course to the Sea-side, in pursuit of my first Design of viewing the whole Coast of
England
; I left the great Road, and went down the East-side of the River towards
New-Forest
and
Lymington
; and here I saw the antient House and Seat of
Clarendon,
which gives Title to the Earl of that Name. This Place should be called
Clorendon,
from the memorable
Roman
Camp, half a Mile off the Park, near the
Roman
Road, made or repaired by
Constantius Chlorus,
Father of
Constantine.
It is a beautiful Fortification, of a round Form, upon a dry chalky Hill. Within is a circular Ditch, supposed to be a less Sort of Camp for the Summer. The Park is a sweet and beautiful Spot. Here King
John
built a Palace, where several Parliaments have been held. Part of the Fabrick is still left, tho' they have for many Years been pulling it down. The Meterials are chiefly Flint, and it was built upon the Side of an Hill, but no way fortified, tho' it took up much Ground. This Palace is called the
Manor,
and from it lies a subterraneous Passage to the
Queen's Manor.
Between the Camp and the Park, was a
Roman
Road, from
Sorbiodunum,
or
Old Sarum,
to
Winchester.
But this being a large County, and full of memorable Branches of Antiquity, and modern Curiosity, I made several little Excursions from this beautiful Spot, to view the Northern Parts of the County.
I have mentioned, that this County is generally a vast continued Body of high chalky Hills, whose Tops spread themselves into fruitful and pleasant Downs and Plains, upon which great Flocks of Sheep are fed,
&c.
But the Reader is desired to observe, these Hills and Plains are most beautifully intersected, and cut thro', by the Course of divers pleasant and profitable Rivers; along, and near the Banks of which, there always is a Chain of fruitful Meadows, and rich Pastures, and those interspersed with a great many pleasant Towns, Villages, and Houses, and among them many of considerable Magnitude; so that, while you view the
Downs,
and think the Country wild and uninhabited, yet when you come to descend into these Vales, you are surprised with the most pleasant and fertile Country in
England.
No less than Four of these Rivers meet all together, at or near the City of
Salisbury,
the Waters of Three of which run thro' the Streets of the City;
viz.
the
Nadder,
the
Willy,
and the
Avon.
1. The
Nadder
rises near the End of the
Blow Mill Course,
and passes by
Chilmark,
a pleasant Village, noted for its Quarries of very good white Stone, which rises in many Dimensions, insomuch that there is now a single Stone lying over the Mouth of the Quarry like an Architrave, full 60 Feet long, 12 in Thickness, and perfectly without Flaw. 2. The
Willy
rises about
Warminster
; runs by
Yarnbury,
a vast
Roman
Camp (where some distinguish
Vespasian
's Name; a great semicircular Work at the Entrance; over-against which, on the other Side the
Willy,
is another Camp); then running by
Orchestra,
remarkable for a Kind of Grass 25 Feet in Length, with which they fatten Hogs, it gives Name to
Wilton,
and forms the Canal before the Front of
Wilton
House; and then joining the
Nadder,
runs thro' the Gardens at the End of the Avenue. 3. The
Avon
rises from under a great Ridge of Hills, which divide
Wiltshire
into North and South, adorn'd with the
Wansdike.
It passes Southward thro' a great Number of Villages to
Ambresbury.
What is most worth a Man of Curiosity's seeing in this County, is
Wilton
House. It is situated in a pleasant Vale, having
Wilton
Town on one Side, and a spacious Park on the other.
The Building was begun in the Reign of
Hen.
VIII. The great Quadrangle was finished in the Time of
Edward
VI. and the Porch was designed by
Hans Holbein.
The Hall-side, being burnt down some Years ago, was rebuilt by the late
Thomas
Earl of
Pembroke,
then Lord High-Admiral of
England,
in a very noble and sumptuous manner. The other Parts, rebuilt by the first
Philip
Earl of
Pembroke,
were all designed by the famous
Inigo Jones,
and finished by him in the Year 1640.
The Canal before the House lies parallel with the Road, and receives into it the whole River
Willy,
or at least is able to do so; it may indeed be said, that the River is made into a Canal. When we come into the Court-yards before the House, there are several Pieces of Antiquity to entertain the Curious; as particularly a noble Column of Porphyry, with a Marble Statue of
Venus
on the Top of it; which, as they told me, is 32 Feet high, and of excellent Workmanship, and that it came last from
Candia,
but formerly from
Alexandria.
As the late Earl of
Pembroke
was a Nobleman of great Learning, beyond most Men of his high Rank, and a Master of Antiquity, he took Delight in collecting such valuable Pieces of Painting and Sculpture, as made
Wilton
House a perfect
Museum,
or Receptacle of Rarities; and we meet with several Things there, which are to be found no-where else in the World. I shall particularize but a few; for a Volume might be employ'd in a full Description of them.
The Piece of our Saviour's washing his Disciples Feet, which they shew you in one of the first Rooms you go into, is admirable. At the Foot of the great Stair-case is a
Bacchus
as large as the Life, done in fine
Peloponnesian
Marble, carrying a young
Bacchus
on his Arm, the young one eating Grapes, and shewing by his Countenance, he is pleased with the Taste of them. One ought to stop every Two Steps of this Stair-case, as we go up, to contemplate the vast Variety of Pictures that cover the Walls, and of some of the best Masters in
Europe
; and yet this is but an Introduction to what is beyond them.
The great Geometrical Stair-case itself is deservedly admired, and was the first of this Kind in
England
; and the rich and magnificent Door-case can hardly be parallell'd.
'Tis universally acknowledged, that the grand Apartment is one of the noblest Pieces of Architecture that has been hitherto produced; particularly the
Salon
; which is 60 Feet long, 30 high, and 30 broad; and when you are enter'd these grand Apartments, such Variety strikes upon you every Way, that you scarce know to which Hand to turn yourself first. On one Side you see several Rooms filled with Paintings, all so curious, and various, that it is with Reluctance you leave them; and looking another way, you are called off by a vast Collection of Busts, and Pieces of the greatest Antiquity of the Kind, both
Greek
and
Roman.
In one End of the grand Room is the celebrated Family-picture by
Vandyke,
20 Feet long, and 12 Feet high, containing 13 Figures as big as the Life; which rather appear as so many real Persons, than the Production of Art: and all the other Pictures there are of the same incomparable Hand. It would be endless to describe the whole Set of the Family-pictures, which take up this Room, unless we would enter into the Roof-tree of the Family, and set down a Genealogical Line of the whole House.
After this fine Range of Beauties are seen, we are far from being at an End of our Surprize: there are three or four Rooms still upon the same Floor, filled with Wonders: nothing can be finer than the Pictures themselves, nothing more surprising than the Number of them. At length you descend the Backstairs, which are large, tho' not like the other, where not a Hand's Breadth is left vacant between the Pictures; and even the upper Rooms have some very good Pieces in them.
In most of the Apartments are Marble Chimney-pieces of the most exquisite Workmanship, all carved in
Italy,
with many curious Statues, Basso Relievo's, and Pictures of the most famous Masters. The
Loggio
in the Bowling-green, (which has Pillars beautifully rusticated, and is inriched with Niches and Statues) the
Grotto,
(the Front of which is curiously carved without, as it is all Marble within, and has black Pillars of the
Ionic
Order, with Capitals of white Marble, and Four fine Basso Relievo's from
Florence
) the Stables, and other Offices, are all Beauties in their Kind, which would tire Description.
The Collection of Head-pieces, Coats of Mail, and other Armour for both Horse and Man, are also a Curiosity. They shew those of King
Henry
VIII.
Edward
VI. and of an Earl of
Pembroke,
nicknamed
Black Jack,
which he wore when he besieged and took
Bulloign
in
France,
being the General who commanded in chief under the King; they are very curious and imboss'd. Twelve other complete Suits of Armour, of extraordinary Workmanship, are also there; the rest, being about 100, are only for common Horse-men.
The Garden Front is justly esteemed one of the best Pieces of the renowned
Inigo Jones,
and is 194 Feet long.
The Gardens are on the South of the House, and extend themselves beyond the River, a Branch of which runs thro' one Part of them; and still South of the Gardens is the great Park, which reaches beyond the Vale; the View opens to the great Down, which is properly called, by way of Distinction,
Salisbury-plain,
and leads from the City of
Salisbury,
to
Shaftsbury.
Here also his Lordship has a
Harewarren,
as 'tis called, tho' improperly. It has indeed been a Sanctuary for the Hares for many Years; but the Gentlemen complain, that it mars their Game; for that, as soon as they put up a Hare
for their Sport,
if it be any-where within two or three Miles, away she runs for the Warren, and there is an End of their Pursuit. On the other hand, it makes all the Countrymen turn Poachers, and destroy the Hares, by what Means they can. The present Earl of
Pembroke,
who, as his Father had, has also a fine Taste in Architecture, has made a further Improvement with regard to Prospect, at this noble House, throwing down the Walls of the Garden, and making instead of them the newly introduced Haw-haw Walls, which afford a boundless View all around the Country from every Quarter. His Lordship has also built a most magnificent Bridge over the River in his Garden, which is esteemed the principal Ornament without Doors of this noble Seat.
From this pleasant and agreeable Place I returned to
Clarendon.
The Road from
Wilton
to
Shaftsbury,
called
The Ten Mile Course,
is a fine Ridge of Downs, continued upon the Southern Bank of the River
Nadder,
with a sweet Prospect to the Right and Left all the way over the Towns and the Country on both Sides. The late Earl of
Pembroke
has placed a number'd Stone at every Mile, for the Benefit of Travellers. Between the 5th and 6th Mile is a pretty large Camp, called
Chiselbury,
probably
Roman
in the Decline of the Empire. At the End of this Course are three or four
Celtic
Barrows. In this Hill is a Quarry of Stone very full of Sea Shells. Not far off, in the Parish of
Tisbury,
near
Warder-castle,
is a great Entrenchment in a Wood, which was probably a
British
Town near the
Nadder.
Returning, we see, upon the highest Eminence which overlooks
Wilton,
and the fertile Valley at the Union of the
Nadder
and
Willy,
the noted Place called
King-barrow,
mentioned
p.
267. This is certainly
Celtick,
says Dr.
Stukeley,
and, with great Probability, the very Tomb of that
Carvilius,
who attacked
Caesar
's Sea-camp in order to divert his renown'd Enemy from his close Pursuit of
Cassibelan.
This Prince is supposed to have kept his Royal Residence at
Carvilium,
now
Wilton,
near which Place King
Edgar's
Queen spent the latter Part of her Life in a religious Retirement, and for that Purpose built a House there.
The Downs and Plains in this Part of
England
being so open, and the Surface so little subject to Alteration, there are more Remains of Antiquity to be seen upon them, than in other Places; and, as they tell us, no less than Three-and-fifty antient Incampments, or Fortifications, in this one County; some of which are very visible, and are of different Forms, and erected by different Nations; as
British, Danish, Saxon,
and
Roman
; particularly at
Ebbdown, Burywood, Oldburgh-hill, Cummerford, Roundway-down, St. Anne's-hill, Bratton-castle, Clay-hill, Stournton-park, Whitecole-hall, Battlebury, Scrathbury, Yanesbury, Frippsbury, Suthbury-hill, Ambresbury,
mentioned before;
Great Bodwyn, Easterley, Merdon, Aubery, Martenscil-hill, Barbury-castle,
&c. At
Aubery,
or
Aukbury,
in particular, on the East Side of the
Avon,
by
Great Dornford,
is a very large Camp, covering the whole Top of a Hill. On the other Side of the River, a little higher up, is
Vespasian
's Camp, called
The Walls.
Near these are two other Camps, which seem Remains of
Vespasian
's Victories, and intimate that he subdued the Country by Inches.
North of these is
Martin's-hall-hill,
a vast Stationary
Roman
Camp. On two Sides the Precipice is dreadfully steep. The Earl of
Winchelsea
has a Brass
Alexander Severus
found here; on the Reverse,
Jupiter fulminans.
On the West Side, at Top of the Hill, without the Camp, is a round Pit full of good Spring-water, always to the Brim (but never overflowing) in the dryest Summers; which at those Seasons is of the greatest Service to the Country round; and Thousands of Cattle are every Day driven thither, from a considerable Distance, to drink. I am informed, there is such another upon the Top of
Chute-hill,
South-east from hence, very high, and no other Water within some Miles of it. The Prospect from
Martin's-hall
is exceeding fine.
At
Farlo,
not far from
Clarendon-Park,
was the Birth-place of Sir
Stephen Fox,
and where the Town, sharing in his good Fortune, shews several Marks of his Bounty; as particularly the building a New Church from the Foundation, and getting an Act of Parliament passed, for making it Parochial, it being but a Chapel of Ease before to an adjoining Parish: also Sir
Stephen
built and endowed an Alms-house here for Six poor Women, with a Master and a Free-school. The Master is to be a Clergyman, and to officiate in the Church, which, including the School, is a very good Maintenance.
I am now to pursue my first Design, and shall take the West Part of
Wiltshire
in my Return, where are several Things to be still taken notice of. In the mean time I went on to
Langbro',
a fine Seat of my Lord
Colerain,
which is very well kept.
From hence in my Way to the Sea-side I came to
New-Forest,
of which I have said something already with relation to the great Extent of Ground; which lies waste, and has a vast Quantity of large Timber.
This Part of the Country is a lasting Monument of the
Conqueror
's Tyranny and Oppression, who laid it open and waste for a Forest, and for Game; for which Purpose he unpeopled the Country, pulled down the Houses and the Churches of several Parishes and Towns, and of abundance of Villages, turning the poor People out of their Habitations and Possessions, for the sake of his Deer. The same Histories likewise record, that Two of his own Sons, and particularly his immediate Successor
William Rufus,
lost their Lives in this Forest;
William Rufus
being shot with an Arrow directed at a Deer, which glancing on a Tree, changed its Course, and striking the King full on the Breast, killed him. And another Son, whilst in hot Pursuit of the Game, was caught up by the Boughs of a Tree, and hanged like
Absalom.
These they relate as just Judgments of God on the cruel Devastation made here by the Conqueror, and they still shew the Tree on which the Arrow glanced. In King
Charles
II's Time, the Tree was ordered to be surrounded with a Pale, great Part of which is now fallen down; and whether the Tree be really so old or not, is to me a great Question, the Action being about 700 Years ago.
I cannot omit mentioning here a Proposal made some Years ago to the Lord Treasurer
Godolphin,
for repeopling this Forest, which I can be more particular in than any other Man, because I had the Honour to draw up the Scheme, and argue it before that noble Lord, and some others who were principally concerned at that time in bringing over, or rather providing for, when they were come over, the poor Inhabitants of the
Palatinate
; a Thing in itself commendable; but, as it was managed, made of no Benefit to
England,
and miserable to those poor People.
Some Persons being ordered by the noble Lord above-mentioned, to consider of Measures how those poor People should be provided for, without Injury to the Publick, NEW FOREST in
Hampshire
was singled out to be the Place for them.
Here it was proposed to draw a great square Line, containing 4000 Acres of Land, marking out Two large Highways or Roads thro' the Centre, crossing both Ways, so that there should be 1000 Acres in each Division, exclusive of the Land contained in the said Cross-roads.
Then to single out 20 Men and their Families, who should be recommended as honest industrious People, expert in, or at least capable of being instructed in Husbandry. To each of these should be parcelled, but in equal Distributions, 200 Acres of this Land; so that the whole 4000 Acres should be distributed to the said 20 Families, for which they should have no Rent to pay, and be liable to no Taxes, but such as would provide for their own Sick or Poor, repairing their own Roads,
&c.
This Exemption to continue for 20 Years, and then to pay each 50
l.
a Year to the Crown.
To each of these Families, it was proposed to advance 200
l.
in ready Money, as a Stock to set them to work, and to hire and pay Labourers, to inclose, clear, and cure the Land; which it was supposed, the first Year, could not be so much to their Advantage as following Years, allowing them Timber out of the Forest to build themselves Houses and Barns, Sheds and Offices, as they should have Occasion; also for Carts, Waggons, Ploughs, Harrows, and the like necessary Things.
These 20 Families would, by the Consequence of their own Settlements, employ and maintain such a Proportion of others of their own People, that the whole Number of
Palatines
would have been provided for, had they been many more than they were, and that without being any Burden upon, or Injury to the People of
England
; on the contrary, they would have been an Advantage, and an Addition of Wealth and Strength to the Nation, and to the Country in particular, where they should be thus seated.
Two Things would have been answered by the Execution of this Scheme;
viz.
1. That the annual Rent to be received for all those Lands after 20 Years, would abundantly pay the Publick for the first Disburses, which would amount to 80,000
l.
that Rent being then to amount to 40,000
l. per Annum.
2. More Money than would have done this, was thrown away upon them here, to keep them in Suspense, and afterwards starve them; sending them a begging all over the Nation, and shipping them off to perish in other Countries.
The Spot where the Design was laid out, was near
Lindhurst,
in the Road from
Rumsey
to
Lymington:
whither I now directed my Course.
Lymington
is a little, but populous Sea-port, standing opposite to the Isle of
Wight,
in the narrow Part of the Streight, which Ships sometimes pass thro' in fair Weather, called the
Needles
; and right against the antient Town of
South-Yarmouth,
in that Isle which I have mentioned before. This Town of
Lymington
is chiefly noted for making excellent Salt; from whence all these South Parts of
England
are supplied, as well by Water as Land-carriage.
From hence are but few Towns on the Sea-coast West, tho' several considerable Rivers empty themselves into the Sea; nor are there any Harbours or Sea-ports of Note, except
Pool.
As for
Christ-church,
tho' it stands at the Mouth of the
Avon,
which, as I have said, comes down from
Salisbury,
and brings with it all the Waters of South and East Parts of
Wiltshire,
and receives also the
Stour
and
Piddle,
Two
Dorsetshire
Rivers, which bring with them all the Waters of the North Part of
Dorsetshire
; yet it is a very inconsiderable poor Place, scarce worth seeing, and less worth mentioning in this Account. But here I will close this my fifth Letter, with assuring you, that I am
Yours,
&c.
LETTER VI. CONTAINING A
DESCRIPTION
of the County of
DORSET,
Part of
SOMERSETSHIRE, DEVONSHIRE, CORNWALL,
&c.
SIR,
NOW enter into the County of
Dorset
; and first I rode North-west into it, to see the antient Town of
Wimburn,
or
Wimburnminster.
It stands
large extended fertile Vale, like a M
ow, with much Wood about it.
with Fish. Here was a Nunnery
Year 712, by
Cuthberga,
Sister to King
.
The Church is a very great one, antient, and well-built, with a very firm strong square Tower,
high; but was, without doubt, much
it stood a most ex
may be cre
,
its Situation
question,
.
In this Church are the Monuments of several noble Families, and of King
Etheldred,
who was slain in Battle by the
Danes.
He was a Prince fam'd for Piety and Religion, and, according to the Zeal of those Times, was esteem'd a Martyr; because he died fighting for his Religion and his Country, against the Pagan
Danes.
The Inscription upon his Grave is preserv'd, and has been carefully repair'd so as easily to be read, and is as follows:
In hoc loco quiescit Corpus
S. Etheldredi,
Regis
West Saxonum,
Martyris, qui Anno Dom. DCCCLXXII. xxiii.
Aprilis,
per Manus
Danorum
Paganorum Occubuit.
That is,
Here rests the Body of St.
Etheldred,
King of the
West Saxons,
and Martyr, who fell by the Hands of the Pagan
Danes,
in the Year of our Lord 872, the 23d of
April.
Here also are the Monuments of the great Marchioness of
Exeter,
Mother of
Edward Courtney,
Earl of
Devonshire,
and last of the Family of
Courtneys,
who enjoy'd that Honour; as also of
John de Beaufort,
Duke of
Somerset,
and his Wife, Grandmother of King
Henry
VII. by her Daughter
Margaret
Countess of
Richmond.
This last Lady I mention, because she was Foundress of a very fine Free-School, which has since been inlarg'd, and had a new Benefactress in Queen
Elizabeth,
who augmented the Stipend, and annex'd it to the Foundation. The famous Cardinal
Pool
was Dean of this Church before his Exaltation.
The Inhabitants of
Wimburnminster
are numerous, but poor, and chiefly maintain'd by the Manufacture of knitting Stockens, which employs great Part of the County of
Dorset,
of which this is the first Town Eastward.
Wimbourn St. Giles
's, in this Neighbourhood, is a very handsome Seat belonging to the Earl of
Shaftesbury.
From hence I went to
Ringwood,
upon the River
Avon,
over a deep sandy Moor. 'Tis a large thriving Place, full of good new Brick Houses, seated by the Side of a great watry Valley, the River dividing itself into several Streams, and frequently overflowing large Quantities of the Meadow. Here they deal pretty much in Leather, Stockens, Druggets, and narrow Cloth.
South of
Wimburn,
over a sandy, wild and barren Country, we came to
Pool,
a considerable Sea-port, and indeed the most considerable in all this Part of
England
; for here I found some Ships, some Merchants, and some Trade; especially here was a good Number of Ships fitted out every Year to the
Newfoundland
Fishing, in which the
Pool Men
have been particularly successful for many Years past.
The Town sits in the Bottom of a great Bay, or Inlet of the Sea, which, entering at one narrow Mouth, opens to a great Breadth within the Entrance, and comes up to the very Shore of this Town; it runs also West up almost to
Warcham,
a little below which it receives the
Froom
and
Piddle,
the Two principal Rivers of the County.
This Place is famous for the best and biggest Oysters in all this Part of
England,
which the People of
Pool
pretend to be famous for pickling; and they are barrell'd up here, and sent not only to
London,
but to the
West-Indies,
and to
Spain, Italy,
and other Parts. 'Tis observ'd, more Pearl are found in the
Pool
Oysters, and larger, than in any others in
England.
As the Entrance into this large Bay is narrow, so it is made narrower by an Island called
Branksey,
which lying in the very Mouth of the Passage, divides it into two, and where there is an old Castle, call'd
Branksey
Castle, built to defend the Entrance, and was of no small Advantage to the Trade of this Port, in the time of the late War with
France.
Wareham
has been a
Roman
Town. There has been a Castle by the Water-side, West of the Bridge, built by King
William
I. perhaps upon the
Roman.
'Tis an old Corporation, now decay'd, the Sands obstructing the Passage of the Vessels. And
Pool
being better seated, from a Fisher-Town, has risen to be a rich Sea-port. They say here have been a Mint, and many Parish-Churches, of which Three remain. I saw a ruinous Religious House, as I pass'd by the River
Frome.
This Haven is of vast Extent, like a Sea, having a narrow Entry. Two Rocks about
Corf-Castle
have an odd Appearance hence.
South of
Wareham,
and between the Bay I have mention'd, and the Sea, lies a large Track of Land, which being surrounded by the Sea, except on one Side, is call'd an Island, tho' it is really more properly a Peninsula. This Track of Land is better inhabited than the Sea Coast of this West End of
Dorsetshire
generally is, and the Manufacture of Stockens is carry'd on there also. It is call'd
The Isle of Purbeck,
and has in the middle of it a large Market-town, call'd
Corf
; and from the famous Castle there, the whole Town is now call'd
Corf-Castle.
This Part of the Country is eminent for vast Quarries of Stone, which is cut out flat, and used in
London
in great Quantities, for paving Court-yards, Alleys, Avenues to Houses, Kitchens, Foot-ways on the Sides of the High-streets, and the like; and is very profitable to the Place, as also in the Number of Shipping employed in bringing it to
London.
There are also several Rocks of very good Marble, only that the Veins in the Stone are not black and white, as the
Italian,
but grey, red, and other Colours. It is also noted for excellent Tobacco-pipe Clay, sold at
London
for Thirty Shillings
per
Ton.
From hence to
Weymouth
we rode in View of the Sea. The Country is open, and in some respects pleasant, but not like the Northern Parts of the Country, which are all fine Carpet Ground, and the Herbage so sweet, that their Sheep are esteem'd the best in
England,
and their Wool extremely fine.
From hence we turned up to
Dorchester,
the County Town. It is regular and clean. The
Isening-s
reet
enters it by the North of
Winterburn
at
West-gate.
This is by the ignorant Country-people referr'd to the Work of the Devil, who, they say, cast it up in a Night's time. The Foundations of the antient
Roman
Wall appear qui
e round the Town; but Eastward a Street is built upon it, and the Ditch fill'd up: 'tis still call'd
The Walls
; for that way the Town is swell'd out into a considerable Village, with a Church, and handsome Tower, nam'd
Fordington
or
Farington.
There are Three other Churches in the Town, and the Streets are wide and handsome. On the South and West Side, without the Walls, a handsome Walk of Trees is planted, looking pleasantly into the Country; tho' being common S
camores, they are inconvenient by harbouring Flies. The Banks of the River here are steep; for the Town stands on high Ground. Beyond the River are Meadows, and warm sandy Lands; on this Side, the fine chalky Downs, pleasant for riding, and profitable in excellent Grain. The Air must needs be wholsome, the Climate warm, and a sufficient Distance from the Sea. The People of
Fordington
rose in Arms, and prevented the Farmers from levelling a great Barrow. The late Rev. Mr.
Place,
known for his Philosophical Works, liv'd here, and possess'd a great Quantity of
Roman
Coins, call'd here
Dorn-money,
or
King Dor's Money.
Near this Place is a noble
Roman
Amphitheatre. The Vulgar call it
Maumbury
; but have no Notion of its Purpose, tho' 'tis a common Excursion for the Inhabitants; and the Terrace on the Top is a noted Place of Rendezvous, affording an agreeable circular Walk, a Prospect of the Town, and wide Plains of Corn Fields all around.
Dorchester
is a regular Town, with handsome wide Streets, but the Houses, tho' built of Stone, are old and low. It is kept very clean, by reason of its high Situation, and the River on which it is situated.
The Inhabitants Care in setting the able Poor to work, and relieving the Aged and Impotent, is highly praise-worthy. And Sir
Josiah Child,
in his Treatise on Trade, recommends their Example as worthy to be followed by other Places. It is famous also for excellent Beer.
On the pleasant Downs round this Town, they told me, there were 600,000 Sheep fed within Six Miles of the Town every way, which is 12 Miles in Diameter, and 36 Miles in Circumference; and when I viewed the Country round, I confess I could not but incline to believe it.
It is observable of these Sheep, that they are exceedingly fruitful; and the Ewes generally bringing Two Lambs, they are for that Reason bought by all the Farmers thro' the East Part of
England,
who come to
Burford
Fair in this County for that Purpose; and carry them into
Kent
and
Surrey
Eastward, and into
Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire,
and
Oxfordshire
North. Even our
Banstead-Downs
in
Surrey,
so fam'd for good Mut
on, is supplied from this Place. The Herbage of these Downs is full of the most aromatick Plants, such as nourish the Sheep to a great Degree, and the Sheeps Dung again nourishes that; so that the Valleys are render'd extremely fruitful by the washing of the Water in hasty Showers from off these Hills.
From
Dorchester
it is Six Miles to the Sea-side South, and the Ocean in View almost all the Way: The first Towns we come to are
Weymouth
and
Melcomb,
two Towns lying at the Mouth of a little Rivulet, call'd
The Wey,
for it scarce deserves the Name of a River: however, the Entrance makes a very good, tho' small Harbour, and they are join'd by a wooden Bridge, so that nothing but the Harbour parts them; yet they are separate Corporations, and choose each of them Two Members of Parliament.
Weymouth
is a sweet, clean, agreeable Town, (considering its low Situation) and close to the Sea: 'tis well-built, and has a great many substantial Merchants in it, who drive a considerable Trade, and have a great Number of Ships belonging to the Town: they carry on, in time of Peace, a Trade with
France
; but besides this, they trade also to
Portugal, Spain, Newfoundland,
and
Virginia
; and have a large Correspondence up in the Country for the Consumption of their Returns. The Wine and
Newfoundland
Trade are both considerable here; and they have a Custom-house and good Key.
Without the Harbour is an old Castle, call'd
Sandfoot Castle
; and over-against them is
Portland Castle,
situated in the Isle of that Name, and the Road called
Portland Road,
which affords a safe Harbour for Ships in bad Weather.
From this Isle of
Portland
comes our best and whitest Free-stone, with which the Cathedral of St.
Paul
's, the Monument, and all the publick Edifices in the City of
London,
are chiefly built; and the Quarries whence these Stones are dug, are well worth the Observation of a Traveller.
The Island is indeed little more than one continued Rock of Free-stone, about Seven Miles in Compass, and the Height of the Land is such, that from this Island they see, in clear Weather, above half over the Chanel to
France,
tho' here 'tis very broad. The Sea off this Island, and especially to the West of it, is counted the most dangerous Part of the
British
Chanel. Due South, there is almost a continued Disturbance in the Waters, by reason of what they call Two Tides meeting; which I take to be no more than the Sets of the Currents from the
French
Coast, and from the
English
Shore: this they call
Portland Race
; and several Ships, not aware of these Currents, have been embay'd to the West of
Portland,
and driven on Shore on the Beach, (of which I shall speak presently) where they have been lost.
To prevent this Danger, and guide the Mariner in these Distresses, they have set up Two Light-houses on the Two Points of that Island, which are very useful and serviceable to Ships.
This Island, tho' seemingly miserable, and thinly inhabited, yet the Inhabitants being almost all Stone-cutters, we found there were no very poor People among them; and when they collected Money for the rebuilding St.
Paul
's, they got more in this Island than in the great Town of
Dorchester.
Tho'
Portland
stands a League from the main Land of
Britain,
yet it is almost join'd by a prodigious Riff of Beach, that is to say, of small Stones cast up by the Sea, which runs from the Island so near the Shore of
England,
that they ferry over with a Boat and a Rope, the Water not being above half a Stone's-throw over; and the said Riff of Beach ending, as it were, at that Inlet of Water, turns away West, and runs parallel with the Shore quite to
Abbotsbury,
a Town about Seven Miles beyond
Weymouth.
I name this to explain what I said before, of Ships being embay'd and lost here: this is when, coming from the Westward, they omit to keep a good
Offing,
or are taken short by contrary Winds, and cannot weather the high Land of
Portland
; but are driven between
Portland
and the main Land, and run on Shore on that vast Beach.
On the Inside of this Beach, and between it and the Land, is the said Inlet of Water, which they ferry over, as above, to pass and repass to and from
Portland.
This Inlet opens at about Two Miles West, grows very broad, and makes a kind of Lake within the Land of a Mile and a half broad, and near Three Miles in Length, the Breadth unequal. At the farthest End West of this Water is a large Decoy, and the Verge of the Water well grown with Wood, and proper Groves of Trees for Cover for the Fowl. In the open Lake, or broad Part, is a continual Assembly of Swans: here they live, feed and breed; and the Number of them is such, that, I believe, I did not see so few as 7 or 8000. We saw several of them upon the Wing, very high in the Air; whence we supposed, they flew over the Riff of Beach, which parts the Lake from the Sea, to feed on the Shores.
From this Decoy West, the Lake narrows, and at last almost closes, till the Beach joins the Shore; and so
Portland
may be said not to be an Island, but Part of the Continent. And now we came to
Abbotsbury,
a Town antiently famous for a great Monastery, and now eminent for nothing but its Ruins.
From hence we went on to
Bridport,
a pretty large, but not well-built Corporation Town on the Sea Shore: here we saw Boats all the way on the Shore fishing for Mackerel, which they take in the easiest manner imaginable, and in such prodigious Plenty, that there has been a Watch set to prevent Farmers dunging their Land with them, which, it was thought, might be apt to infect the Air.
In the Year 1722 an Act passed for restoring and rebuilding the Haven and Piers of
Bridport,
in order to bring it to its antient flourishing State; for heretofore it was a Place of great Trade and Commerce; but by reason of a great Sickness, which formerly swept away the greatest Part of its most wealthy Inhabitants, and by other Accidents, the Haven became neglected, and choaked with Sands; the Piers fell to Ruin, and the Town, of consequence, to Decay; so that there was no Security for Ships that happened to be driven by Stress of Weather into the deep and dangerous Bay, wherein the Haven formerly was, which occasioned frequent Shipwrecks. The Act therefore authorizes the Bailiffs and Burgesses of
Bridport
to levy certain Tolls and Duties on divers Merchandizes,
&c.
in order to restore the said Piers and Harbour.
Bridport
was formerly the only Place for twisting of Ropes for the Royal Navy: and it is still used for that Purpose, the neighbouring Lands yielding plenty of Hemp.
From
Bridport
we came to
Lyme,
a Town particularly made famous by the Landing of the Duke of
Monmouth, June
11. 1685, in the Time of King
James
II. with only Twelve Men. Many of his Party were afterwards put to Death on the Spot, and their Limbs hung up in the Town. Before that Time the Duke of
Tuscany
set Footing here in his Tour to
England.
This is called
Lyme-Regis:
it is a Town of good Figure, and has in it several eminent Merchants, who carry on a considerable Trade to
France, Spain, Newfoundland,
and the
Streights
; and tho' they have neither Creek or Bay, Road or River, they have a good Harbour; and such as is not in all
Britain
besides, if in the World.
It is a massy Pile of Building, consisting of high and thick Walls of Stone, raised, at first, with all the Methods that Art could devise, and maintain'd now with very little Difficulty: the Walls are raised in the main Sea, at a good Distance from the Shore. It consists of one main and solid Wall of Stone, large enough for Carts and Carriages to pass on the Top, and to admit Houses and Ware-houses to be built on it; so that it is broad as a Street. Opposite to this, but farther into the Sea, is another Wall of the same Workmanship, which crosses the End of the first, and comes about with a Tail, parallel to that.
Between the Point of the first or main Wall, is the Entrance into the Port; and the second or opposite Wall breaking the Violence of the Sea from the Entrance, the Ships go into the Basin, and ride there as secure as in a Mill-pond, or Wet-dock.
This Work is call'd the
Cobb:
the Custom-house Officers have a Lodge and Ware-house upon it. It might be strengthen'd with a Fort, and the Walls themselves are firm enough to carry what Guns they please to plant upon it; but they did not seem to think it needful: and as the Shore is convenient for Batteries, they have some Guns planted in proper Places, for the Defence of the
Cobb,
and the Town.
This Town is under the Government of a Mayor and Aldermen, and may pass for a Place of Wealth, considering the Bigness of it. Here we found the Merchants began to trade in the Pilchard Fishing, tho' not to so considerable a Degree as they do farther West; the Pilchards seldom coming up so high Eastward as
Portland,
and not very often so high as
Lyme.
I visited from hence some of the Towns in the North-west Part of this Country, as
Blandford,
on the River
Stour,
in the Road between
Salisbury
and
Dorchester,
a handsome well-built Town, pleasantly seated in a Flexure of the River, before charming Meadows, and rich Lands. Wood thrives exceedingly here. Indeed this County is a fine Variety of Downs, Woods, Lawns, Arable and Pasture Land, rich Valleys, and an excellent Air. The dry Easterly Winds, the cold Northern, and the Western Moisture, are temper'd by the warm Southern saline Breezes, wasted hither from the Ocean. But
Blandford
is chiefly famous for making the finest Bonelace in
England,
where they shewed me, in my first Visit to it, some so exquisitely fine, as I think I never saw better in
Flanders, France,
or
Italy,
and which they said they rated at above 30
l.
Sterling a Yard.
This was the State and the Trade of the Town, when I was there in my first Journey: but
June
4. 1731, the whole Town, except Twenty-six Houses, was consumed by Fire, together with the Church. The Consternation of the People was so great, and the Fire so furious, that few saved any Goods.
An Act passed in 1732, for the better and more easy Rebuilding of this Town, and for determining Differences touching Houses and Buildings burnt down or demolished therein; and as several wise Regulations were made by it,
Blandford
now makes a much better Appearance than ever.
From
Blandford
I went West to
Stourbridge,
which, and the Country round, is employ'd in the Manufacture of Stockens; it was once famous for making the finest, best, and highest-pric'd knit Stockens in
England
; but that Trade is much decay'd, by the Increase of the Knitting-stocken Engine, or Frame. which has destroyed the Hand Knitting-trade for fine Stockens thro' the whole Kingdom, of which I shall speak in another Place.
From hence I came to
Shireburn,
a large and populous Town, with One Collegiate or Conventual Church, and may justly claim to have more Inhabitants in it than any Town in
Dorsetshire,
tho' it is neither the County Town, nor sends Members to Parliament. It was once a Bishop's See, which was removed to
Salisbury.
The Church is still a Reverend Pile, and shews the Face of great Antiquity. Here begins the
Wiltshire
Medley Cloathing, tho' this Town be in
Dorsetshire
; of which I shall speak at large in its Place.
Shaftesbury
is also on the Edge of this County, adjoining to
Wiltshire
and
Dorsetshire,
being Fourteen Miles from
Salisbury,
over that fine Down or Carpet Ground, call'd
Salisbury-plain.
It is not an extraordinary Town; but situated upon the Top of a high Hill, and which closes the Plain or Downs, and whence a new Scene is presented, (
viz.
) a Prospect of
Somerset
and
Wiltshire,
where 'tis all inclosed, and grown with Woods, Forests, and planted Hedge-Rows; the Country rich, fertile and populous, the Towns and Houses standing thick, and being large and full of Inhabitants, and those Inhabitants fully employ'd in the richest and most valuable Manufacture in the World, (
viz.
) the
English
Cloathing, as well the Medley, or mix'd Cloathing, as Whites, both for the Home and foreign Trade; on which I shall be more particular in my Return thro' the West and North Part of
Wiltshire.
Shaftesbury
has however lately received some Improvements from the Generosity of a neighbouring Gentleman, and particularly in a fine Plantation on the Top of
Park-Hill
; which he was so kind as to indulge the Inhabitants with for a Place of Walking and Diversion; but attempting, on the Strength of his good Offices to the Town, to prescribe to them in the Choice of a Member of Parliament, he has not met with the grateful Return he might have expected, Violence having been done to the very Plantation he had so generously devoted to the publick Service and Pleasure of the Inhabitants.
In my Return to my Western Progress, I pass'd some little Part of
Somersetshire,
as thro'
Evil,
or
Yeovil,
upon the River
Ivil
; in going to which we descend a long steep Hill, called
Babylon-hill
; but from what Original, I could find none of the Country People able to inform me.
Northward upon an high sandy Hill, by the Bank of the River
Ivel,
is a
Roman
Camp called
Chesterton
; under which lies the Town of
Sandy,
the
Salinae
of the
Romans,
where abundance of
Roman
and
British
Antiquities have been found, and immense Quantities of Coins.
Yeovil
is a Market-town of good Resort, and some little Cloathing is carried on, in and near it. Its main Manufacture at this Time is Gloves. It deals also in Corn, Cheese, Hemp, and all Sorts of Provisions.
It cannot pass my Observation here, that when we are come this Length from
London,
the Dialect of the
English
Tongue, or the Country way of expressing themselves, is not easily understood. It is true, that it is so in many Parts of
England
besides, but in none in so gross a Degree as in this Part. As this Way of boorish Speech is in
Ireland
called the Brogue upon the Tongue, so here 'tis named
Jouring.
It is not possible to explain this fully by Writing, because the Difference is not so much in the Orthography, as in the Tone and Accent; their abridging the Speech,
Cham,
for
I am; Chill,
for
I will; Don,
for
do on,
or
put on
; and
Doff,
for
do off,
or
put off
; and the like.
From
Evil
or
Yeovil
we came to
Crookorn,
thence to
Chard,
which immediately brought me into
Devonshire.
It may not be unacceptable here to insert a general Description of this large County, which may convey to the Reader some Idea of the Nature of the Soil, its Productions, and the Method of Improvement as well as the Manufactures, and Merchandizes, on which the Trading Part of the Inhabitants subsist.
To begin then: The Western Part of the County bordering on
Cornwall, viz.
about
Tavystock, Briddestow, Oakhampton, Holsworthy, Bideford, Great Torrington, Chulmleigh, Chagford, Moreton, Hampsted,
and all round the Skirts of
Dartmore,
as well as that large Forest itself, consists of a very coarse, moory, or fenny Soil, very barren in its Nature; in some Places productive of nothing but a dwarf Kind of Furze of little or no Value. At other Places grow nothing but Rushes, or a coarse, four Kind of Pasturage, which the Cattle will not feed upon; and therefore it dries up and withers into a Sedge. The Soil here is generally a stiff Clay, thro' which the Water cannot soak away: this renders it very unhealthy, especially to Sheep, which in those Parts are of a small Kind, and very subject to the Rot, which (in wet Seasons especially) destroys them in great Numbers: and what adds to the Malady is, that neither the Industry of the Husbandman (for which this County is deservely famous) nor any Compost that has yet been found out, will to any purpose cure this Sterility.
The principal, and indeed the only profitable Return that the Inhabitants can make out of those Lands, is by breeding Black Cattle, for which they are very well adapted; for here are bred those fine Oxen, in great Numbers, which, by the Drovers of
Somersetshire,
and thereabouts, are brought up, and in their flat Feeding Lands, betwixt
Bridge-water
and
Wells,
(which I have seen almost covered with them) fattened fit for
Smithfield
Market, where they drive, and sell them to the
Londoners,
who have not so good Beef from any other Part of the Kingdom.
The Northern Parts of the County are of a quite different Nature from the former; for this generally consists of a dry healthy Soil, especially about
Ilfordcombe, South Moulton, Dulverton,
and all along the Brim of the Forest of
Exmore.
Those Downs are far from being a luxuriant Feeding, but are very good Grazing for Sheep; and being well dressed with Lime, (which is brought over hither by Water from
Wales
) Dung, Sand, and other Compost, manured by the indefatigable Labour of the Inhabitants, produce tolerable Crops of Corn. I say
tolerable
ones; for tho' they far exceed the Productions in
Dorset, Wilts, Hants,
&c. (where Sluggishness so far prevails as to leave Dame Nature destitute of the least human Assistance) the Fertility is by no means comparable to that of the
Eastern
and
Middle
Parts of the County, in the
former
of which a rich Marl, in some Parts, and a fertile, sandy Soil in others; and in the
latter
a fat, strong Soil, of a deep-red Colour, intermixed with Veins of different Kinds of Loam, produce very great Crops of Corn, and Pease of the best Kind, not to be excelled in the whole Island. Neither doth it fall behind in Meadow Ground, and Pasturage, Clover, Eaver, and Trefoil Grass, and Turneps; as is evident to a Person who goes thro' any of the Markets, and beholds the fine, well-fed Beef and Mutton, with which they are plentifully stored.
About
Teingmouth, Dartmouth, Totnes, Modbury, Plymouth, Ashburton,
and all the South Parts of the County, (called the
South-Hams
) the Lands are generally of a different Kind from any of the former; in most Places very good for Arable and Pasture, but especially for Cyder Fruits. A great Part of this large Track lies on a
Stratum
of Marble, which the Inhabitants break up, and burn into Lime; and therewith dress their Lands, to their very great Improvement. Neither is this all the Advantage they make of those Quarries; for in many of them is found Stone, which for its Hardness, Soundness, and beautiful Veinings, rivals the best
Italian
Marbles, and falls very little, if any thing, short of them in Lustre. Great Quantities of this Stone are sent to
London,
and other Places, where they are wrought up for the noblest Purposes. At other Places on this South-coast, are Quarries of Slate, for covering Houses, and this likewise of the best Kind; which are not only fetched away by Land-carriage, to the Distance of Ten, Twelve, and Sixteen Miles, but great Quantities of them are sent Coast-wise, to all the Towns on the
British
Shore; and exported to
Holland, Flanders,
and other Places beyond Sea.
The Reader will not, by this Description, conclude that the Lands in any Part of the County are all one and the same Kind; Downs, Fens, Rocks, and Wood-grounds, are interspersed among the best Lands; as there are also some good Arable and Pasture, amongst the most desolate and barren; and whoever looks round him in his own Situation, will know in what Sense to take this general Description. To proceed:
At divers Places are found large Quantities of very good Oak Timber, as well as Ash, Elm, Beech,
&c.
and such of it as grows in Places whence it can be convey'd either by Land or Water-carriage, to
Plymouth
Dock, are there served in for the Use of his Majesty's Navy.
Coppice-wood
is so very plenty, that altho' the Woollen Manufacturers take off great Quantities in Charcoal, and yet greater Quantities are expended in common Firing, (there being no Coal raised in this County) yet the Price is so low, that the Lands where it thrives well, will not generally produce more than 5
s. per
Acre
(communibus annis).
The Lands in
Devonshire,
save only the Forest of
Dartmore, Hallden-hill,
and some Heaths, Moors, and coarse Downs of no very large Extent, (which, for the most part, are not capable of Improvement, not even by
Devonshire
Husbandry) are divided into small Inclosures, and (in Places where any Shrubs will grow) by quickset Hedges, banked up Four or Five Feet high with Earth. And as the Inclosures are small, so are the Farms or Tenements in these Parts, even to a very manifest Inconvenience: for the general Method here is, for Gentlemen to lease out the Tenements of their Manors for 99 Years, determinable on Three Lives; taking Fines for such Leases, and reserving no more than about One Shilling in the Pound of the yearly Value.
By this means, Men of small Fortunes find an Opportunity to lay out the little Money they have, in what they call
Purchasing an Estate,
which likewise serves for a Settlement upon a Wife, for the Money she brings. Hence a Family comes on, and craves a Maintenance out of a Farm of perhaps 20
l.
a Year; which surely can produce but a very poor one: whereas 2 or 300
l.
sunk in this Purchase, would have enabled him to manage a Farm of 200
l.
a Year; out of which, by Industry and good Management, the Family might not only live in a more plentiful manner, the Children be better educated, and instructed to understand the Business of the Farm; but Money likewise laid up every Year towards setting them out in the same Method of living. This I take to be the principal Cause of the Poverty and Hardship that appears in Country Places, and of the Difficulty of getting a good Tenant at Rack-rent, for any Farm whose Value exceeds 100
l.
a Year.
I should have mentioned, that in my Way to
Chard,
I passed thro'
Axminster,
a pretty considerable Market-town, and the first in the County of
Devon.
The great Western Road to
London
goes thro' this Town. Here my Curiosity led me to go into the Church, and view the Monuments of the
Saxon
Princes (or rather the Bishop of
Sherburne
and Two Dukes) who were slain at the Battle of
Brunaburgh
in that Neighbourhood, fought by King
Athelstane
with Seven
Danish
Princes; over whom he obtained the Victory, in a Field thence called
King's-field
to this Day. The Monuments of those
Saxon
Worthies were under Arches in the Walls of the Church, Two of which have been lately filled up.
Here, in Memory of the Victory, King
Athelstane
founded a Minster for Seven Priests, which in After-ages were reduced to Two; for whom a Portion of Land was allotted called
Priest-aller,
which, with the Parsonage, now belongs to Two Prebendaries of the Church of
York.
The Manor continued in the Crown till the Reign of King
John,
who gave it to the Lord
Brewer,
a Daughter and Coheir of which Family
(Alicia)
brought it in Marriage to Lord
Mobun
of
Dunstar,
whose Posterity, with Consent of King
Henry
III.
Anno Gratiae,
1246. 8.
Id. Jan. regnant. H. Fil. Johann. Reginaldus Mohun filius Reginaldi & Aliciae Brewer fundavit Abbatiam de Newnham in Maner. de Axminster in Com. Devon.
Abbot
Gill,
the 8th of
March,
31
Hen.
VIII. surrendered it to the King. The yearly Value, at that time, was 227
l.
7
s.
7
d.
Ford Abbey
is in this Neighbourhood, heretofore a stately Fabrick, lofty and very magnificent, adorned with curious Carvings and Embellishments of the
Gothick
kind, some of whose Beauties still remain, as may be seen in a modern Print thereof, published by Mr.
Buck.
It was first founded by
Adeliza,
Daughter of
Baldwin de Brioniis,
Baron of
Oakhampton, Anno
1140, and dedicated to the Virgin
Mary,
for
Cistercian
Monks: At the Surrender it was valued at 381
l.
10
s.
8
d.
Half-penny, yearly.
Near
Axminster
lies
Kilmington,
quasi
Kill-men-town,
from the great Slaughter there made at the Battle before-mentioned; and
Membury,
i. e.
Maim-burgh,
whither the Maimed in that Battle were sent to be relieved; now famous for the best
Devonshire
Cheese.
At
Northleigh,
or rather, at
Uplime,
(which Manor was formerly the Inheritance of the Abbey of
Glastonbury
) was born Mr.
Nathanael Carpenter,
the Author of the Treatise of Geography, and divers others Tracts that bear his Name.
Cullyford,
in this Neighbourhood, was the Habitation of Sir
Thomas Gates,
who in 1609, bound to
Virginia,
(of which Colony he was then made Governor) was in a violent Tempest shipwreck'd, and with Sir
George Somers
cast on Shore, by which Accident they were made the first Possessors of the Island of
Bermudas,
or
Summer Island.
This Track abounds with Lands, which were formerly appropriated to Churches and Religious Houses;
viz.
at
Smallridge, Axmouth, Farwood, Salcombe, Dunkerwell,
(a Monastery of
Cistercian
Monks)
Sidbury, Sidmouth, Branscombe, Monketon, Luppit, Awlscombe,
and at divers other Places; which from the Richness of the Soil makes good the Observation, That the Religious of those Days, made it their chief Endeavour to possess themselves of the best Things of this World.
At
Tidwell,
alias
Tideswell,
is a Pond or Pool, which boils up like that of the same Name at
Weeden,
in
Derbyshire.
The same Road I was before in, brought me from
Axminster
to
Honiton.
This is a large and beautiful Market-town, very populous and well-built; and is so very remarkably paved with small Pebbles, that on both Sides the Way a little Chanel is left shouldered up; so that it holds a small Stream of fine clear running Water, with a little square Dipping-place left at every Door; so that every Family in the Town has a clear clean running Rivulet (as it may be called) just at their own Door; and this is much finer, pleasanter, and more agreeable to look on, than that at
Salisbury,
which they so much boast of.
Here we see the first of the Serge-manufacture of
Devonshire
; a Trade too great to be described in Miniature. It takes up this whole County, which is the largest and most populous in
England, Yorkshire
excepted; but
Devonshire
is so full of great Towns, and those Towns so full of People, and those People so universally employ'd in Trade and Manufactures, that it cannot be equall'd in
England,
nor perhaps in
Europe.
Honiton
stands in the best and pleasantest Part of the whole County; and I cannot but recommend it to Gentlemen who travel this Road, that if they observe the Prospect at
Honiton
for half a Mile, till they come down the Hill, and to the very Entrance into
Honiton,
the View of the Country is the most beautiful Landskip in the World, and I do not remember the like in any one Place in
England.
'Tis observable, that the Market of this Town was kept originally on the
Sunday,
till it was changed by the Direction of King
John.
This Town is now much employ'd in the Trade of Lace-making.
On the Road from
Honiton
they have a beautiful Prospect almost all the Way to
Exeter,
which is 12 Miles.
On the Left-hand of this Road lies the Town of
St. Mary Ottery,
so called, as some say, from the River
Otter,
and that from the Otters found formerly in it. This Town was given by King
Edward the Confessor
to the Church of
St. Mary
at
Roan
in
Normandy
; but was afterwards bought by
Grandison,
Bishop of
Exeter,
who made of it a Quarter College in 10
Edward
III. and therein placed secular Priests, with other Ministers, to whom he gave the whole Manor, Parish, Tythes, Fines, Spiritual Profits,
&c.
which amounted to 304
l.
2
s.
10
s.
yearly.
Bicton,
formerly
Bicheton,
was given by
William the Conqueror,
to one of his Servants, called
William Porto.
It afterwards reverted to the Crown, and by
Henry
I. was given to one
John Janitor,
so called from his Office; for by his Tenure, he was to keep the Prison for this County, by which Service it is held to this Day, by the worthy Owner thereof
Henry Rolle,
Esq
who is at this time Knight of this Shire. His Ancestor, Sir
Henry Rolle,
Esq
had it by Marriage with
Anne,
the Daughter of Sir
Thomas Dennis,
to whose Family it came from the before-mentioned
Janitor,
thro'
Ballister, Sackville,
and
Coplestone.
From hence we came to
Exeter,
the Capital of the County of
Devon,
a City which hath often changed its Name: for it was the
Pen-Caer
and
Caer-Eske
of the
Britons
; the
Augusta
of the
Romans
; the
Isca
of
Ptolemy
; the
Isca-Damnoniorum
of
Antonine
; the
Exancester
of the
Saxons,
which was afterwards abreviated to
Excester
and
Exeter,
from the great Number of Monks there. It had for some time the Name of
Monketon,
but at length, from that large River which washes its Walls, and bears the Name of
Exe,
(whether from the Forest of that Name where it rises, or the Forest from it, I cannot determine) it retains that of
Exeter,
which it seems now to be varying for
Exon.
It was first fortified with a Stone Wall (which still remains intire) by King
Athelstane
; and was for some time the Seat of the
West-Saxon
Kings.
That the
Romans
were here, is highly probable, among other Proofs, from their Coins, that have been dug up at divers Places: in particular, a Gold one of
Nero
at
Exeter
; one of
Theodosius,
near
Barnstaple
; several Silver ones of
Severus,
and other Emperors; but especially from a great Quantity of them dug up about Twenty Years since at
Exeter,
within the Close, together with the Urn in which they were buried. I saw a great Number of those, some of which were of Silver; but the greatest Part of them were a Mixture of Tin and Copper; they had the Impression of
Gordianus, Philippus,
and other Emperors.
King
Athelstane
founded here a Monastery to St.
Mary
and St.
Peter,
for Monks of the Order of St.
Benedict.
The Chapel of
St. Mary
now fitted up for a Library, and furnished with a pretty great Number of Books, (which are but of little Use, because placed in a very confused Order) is the very Eastermost Part of the Cathedral, and was doubtless the first Beginning of that now handsome Fabrick. King
Etheldred
founded also, within the Close, a House for Monks, and another for Nuns. Divers other Religious Houses, as the Priories of
St. James, St. Nicolas, St. John Baptist
; the
Grey Fryers,
&c. were the Work of After-ages.
The Walls are in pretty good Repair, and make a Walk round the City, with the Pleasure of seeing a fine Country on opposite Hills, full of Wood, rich Ground, Orchards, Villages, and Gentlemens Houses. The Beauty of the Place consists of one long Street, called
High-street,
broad and strait. The Houses are of a very old, but good Model, spacious, commodious, and not inelegant. This Street is full of Shops well furnished, and all sorts of Trades look brisk. The People are industrious and courteous: the Fair Sex are truly such, as well as numerous; their Complexion, and generally their Hair, of a fair Cast: they are genteel, disengaged, of easy Carriage, and good Mien. There has been of late a vast Increase of Buildings within and without the City. The Situation renders it of Necessity clean, dry and airy. The Soil thither from
Honyton
is rather sandy than stony; whence it must needs be very healthful. There are many Booksellers. In Dr.
Musgrave
's Garden an Head of the Empress
Julia Domna,
of a Colossean Size, was dug up. The Head-dress is suitable to those Times; and neither the Manner nor Carving are despicable, tho' the Graver has not done it Justice. 'Tis the noblest Relique of
British
Antiquity which we know of this Sort: 'tis 21 Inches from the Top of the Attire to the Chin, and belonged to a Statue of 12 Feet Proportion, originally set upon some Temple or Palace. There is also an Inscription of
Camillus.
This Country remarkably abounds with Persons afflicted with the Gout; which is attributed to the Custom of marling the Lands with Lime, and the great Use of poor, sweet Cyder, especially among the meaner People.
In the Northern Angle of the City, and highest Ground, stands
Rugemont-castle,
once the Residence of the
West-Saxon
Monarchs, afterwards of the Earls of
Cornwall.
'Tis of a squarish Figure, not very large, inviron'd with a high Wall, and deep Ditch. It has a Rampire of Earth parallel to the Top of the Wall, forming a Terrace, which overlooks the City and Country. Here are the Assize-house, and a Chapel.
The Bridge over the
Exe
is of great Length, and has Houses on both Sides, and at both Ends, with a considerable Vacancy in the Middle. In the
Guild-hall
are the Pictures of General
Monk,
and the Princess
Henrietta-Maria.
The Bishop's See of this Western Diocese hath had several Removes; for it was first at
Bodmyn
for the County of
Cornwall,
and since that at
Tawton
for this County. Afterwards both were joined and placed at
Crediton.
And lastly, about the Year 1050, King
Edward the Confessor,
and his Queen
Edyth,
inthroned
Leofricus
(who had been Three Years Bishop of
Crediton)
into the See of
Exeter,
in the following very solemn manner:
On the South-side of the high Altar, in the Cathedral, were erected (and are there still to be seen perfect, as when first made) Three Seats, or Alcoves, adorned with
Gothick
Carvings, to the Height of about 25 Feet, which are supported with Brass Pillars; in the Middle of these was the Bishop installed, by the King and Queen. The Form of Words thus:
I Kynge Edward, taking Leofricke bye the Ryghte
aunde, and Edythe my Queene bye the Leste, doe installe hym the fyrste and most famous Byschoppe of
ron, wythe a grate Desyre of Aboundance of Blessynges to all such as shall furder and encrease the same; but wythe a fearful and execrable Curse on all such as shall diminish or take anye thynge from it.
The Church was about 400 Years in building, and very remarkable it is to behold the Uniformity with which it was carried on; for nobody can discover the least Incongruity in the Parts; so much is it like the Workmanship of one and the same Architect.
There are some antient funeral Monuments in the Cathedral; but first, as Matter of the greatest Antiquity, let me take notice of the Bishop's Throne in the Choir, which, at the Dissolution of Episcopacy in King
Charles
I.'s Time was (as a useless Thing) taken down; but whether the Workman imploy'd to do it were well affected to that Order, or else had some private Instructions from somebody in Power, who foresaw that it would some time or other be of Use again, certain it is, that a great deal of Care was taken of the Materials; for it is now replaced, and every Part of it as sound and good as when first made. The
Gothick
Carvings about the Canopy are at least 60 Feet high, and a vast deal of good Workmanship (of that Kind) there is about it: it is, I believe, coeval with the See.
The antique Monuments, as I before mentioned, to be seen here, are particularly those of
Humphry Bohun
Earl of
Hereford, Hugh Courtenay,
Earl of
Devon,
and his Lady; the Lord
Chichester,
Sir
Peter Carew,
Sir
Thomas Speke,
Sir
Richard Stapleton, Dowrich
of
Dowrich
; the Bishops
Leofricus, Stafford, Branscombe, Oldham, Bradbridge, Lacy, Cary,
and others, especially that of Bishop
Stapleton,
the pious Founder of
Exeter-college
in
Oxford
; which Society, in grateful Remembrance of their Benefactor, have lately repaired and beautified his Monument, which in regard to some of the Carvings about it, excess any thing I ever saw of so old a Date in the
Gothick
way.
The Altar-piece, done 100 Years ago, is a Representation of the Inside of the Church in Perspective, an exquisitely fine Piece of Painting, and (excepting only a little Injury it received from the Swords of the Saints Militant in the great Rebellion) exceedingly well preserved. The fine painted Glass, of which there is a great deal, underwent the Fury of the same pious Reformers, who after they had made a forcible Entry, and
"taken to themselves
this
House of God in Possession,"
under the Umbrage of an Ordinance of Parliament of the 28th of
August
1643, broke out the best of those Paintings, and irretrievably ruined all the Scripture History therein represented: neither was their Rage confined to those brittle Materials; for the carved Figures of the Patriarchs, Prophets, Kings,
&c.
of which there were a great many, became Objects of their furious Zeal and Ignorance; for there the maimed Bodies are now to be seen, some without the Head; others have lost one or both Legs, or Arms,
&c.
all of them some way or other mangled. And having by this means taken away what they feared would draw them into
, they divided this Cathedral by a Partition-wall betwixt the Choir and the main Body of it, one of which Divisions was made use of by an Independent, and the other by a Presbyterian Congregation.
And now, that I am taking notice of the Decorations of this magnificent Piece of Antiquity, let me just mention, that in one of its Towers is a very large Bell of about Sixty hundred Weight; and, in the other, a fine Ring of Ten large ones. An Organ of very good Workmanship, and supported by a Tetra-style of very beautiful
Gothick
Columns, stands where the before-mentioned Partition-wall did. The largest Pipes in this Instrument are of a great Length, and 15 Inches in Diameter, which is said to be Two Inches more than those at
Ulm,
which is so famed for its Largeness.
The well-finished Alcove of modern Work, for the Bishop, and the Pulpit, and Pews of the like, in the Nave or Body of the Church, together with the neat Marble Font, and the Two Suits of Hangings for the Choir, one of Tapestry, and the other of Velvet, and the fine Suit of gilt Plate for the Communion Service, is all that I shall further add about the grave and well-adapted Ornaments and Furniture of this Temple, or House of God.
To complete this Description with a Circumstance which I think ought by no means to be passed over: The Solemnity, Decency, and affecting Harmony, with which the Service, and Musick vocal and instrumental, is generally performed, by the Choral-vicars, Organist, and Choristers; and (which is well worthy of Imitation
'Tis no uncommon Thing to see 500 People here in a Morning, which is at least five times as many as usually attend at
St. Paul
's, or any other Six o'clock Chapel I was ever at: And 'tis commendable, that the
Reader
doth not here curtail the Morning Service, by leaving out any Part thereof, as in other Places they do. Here are Two Morning Lectures preached weekly;
viz. Tuesday
and
Friday
Mornings.
) the numerous Congregation, which, Winter and Summer, attend the daily Prayers at Six in the Morning; and their grave and pious Behaviour there; I say, all this together, render this Cathedral a Glory to the Diocese, the Envy of other Choirs, and the Admiration of Strangers.
Other antique Buildings of a publick Nature are the Chapter-house and Cloisters, the Bishop's Palace, the Houses belonging to the Dean, the Chancellor, Treasurer, and other Dignitaries of the Church; the
Guildhall,
the Walls, and Gates of the City, with those of the Castle, and the Close; the Hospital of
St. John the Baptist,
20 Parish Churches within the City and Liberties thereof, the Bridge over the River
Exe,
a large and very handsome Conduit for Water, in the Centre of the Four principal Streets; to which may be added, some Chapels and Alms-houses yet standing, and the Ruins of divers others; which are Monuments of the Piety of their Founders, and the Impiety of those who neglect them.
Modern Buildings of a publick Nature this City hath not many to boast of:
St. Paul
's, (one of the Twenty Churches before-mentioned) the Chancellor's House, a very handsome and well contrived Work-house for the Poor, Three or Four Meeting-houses, a Quay for landing Goods, and a Custom-house, include all that have been erected within 40 Years past.
The Civil Government of this City is by a Mayor, Aldermen, and Common-council; a Recorder, Sheriff, Four Stewards, a Chamberlain, and Town-clerk, who are attended by a Sword-bearer, who wears the Cap, and carries the Sword given by King
Henry
VII. before them to Church, and on all publick Processions; Four Serjeants at Mace, and as many Staff-bearers; the former in Gowns, and the latter in Liveries, with Badges; and, which adds not a little to their Splendor, they keep a Band of Four Musicians in constant Pay.
There are, moreover, Twelve Companies of incorporated Trades, who, on publick Occasions, and on Gaudy-days, walk in the Mayor's Train, dressed in Gowns, each Company having a Beadle, in a laced Cloak, bearing the Ensigns of their several Professions, to usher them.
For supplying the Inhabitants with Water, there is brought-in a pretty large Quantity by subterraneous Pipes, from some Springs in the Parish of
St. Sidwell,
without
East-gate,
Part of which is reposited for common Use in the Conduit before-mentioned, and another Part is conveyed to the Houses of the Bishop, Dean, Canons,
&c.
within the Close, and to a common Pump, just at the West Entrance of the Cathedral. But all this would be far short of a sufficient Supply, and therefore an exceeding good Engine is fixed in the River, the great Wheel of which working by the same Water, forces the River Water thro' Elm-trees bored for that Purpose, into a large Reservoir, fixed about 20 Feet above Ground, in the highest Part of the City adjoining to the
Guildhall
; from whence, thro' other Pipes, it is dispersed to all Parts of the City in great Plenty. The Expence of which, to each House-keeper that will have it, is from 15 to 30
s.
a Year, according to the Quantity their Occasions require.
The River
Exe
was, heretofore, in its main Stream navigable to the Walls of the City; but, on a Difference between the Mayor, and the then Earl of
Devon,
on a very trifling Occasion;
viz.
Which of their Purveyors should be first served with a Pot of Fish in the Market, that Earl revenged himself by choaking the Mouth of the River, and by making Weirs with Timber, Sand,
&c.
thereby intirely ruining the Navigation thereof farther up than
Topsham.
And so great was the Power and Obstinacy of the Earl at that time, that tho' the Citizens obtained a Decree in Equity for their Relief, it was never executed.
To remove this Inconvenience, the Inhabitants, about 40 Years since, by Aid of an Act of Parliament, at a great Expence perfected a Work, which had been begun above 100 Years before; they cut a new Chanel for the Water, cross which they placed Sluices or Flood-gates: thro' the lowermost of those Gates, they let in the flowing Tide, the Ebb of which immediately shuts the Gate, and that keeps up a Body of Water for about Two Miles, sufficient to carry up the Vessels so far in their Way; at which Place another of those Gates shuts, after the Vessel is past it, by Capsterns there fixed for that Purpose. It must be considered, that the Floor of the Dyke is thus far on a Level, and consequently the Water of an equal Depth, without the Inconvenience of any Current, the lower Sluice being shut as before.
The whole Declivity from the Quay at
Exeter,
to the lowermost Flood-gate at
Topsham,
which gives the River its Current, is about Eight or Ten Feet, all which is sunk at once here, above this second Sluice; and therefore, in order to bring up Ships over this Fall, it was necessary, that a third Floodgate should be added; which is accordingly done, at about 200 Feet from the former. And now, the Ship being between these two Flood-gates, (the lower being kept shut) the uppermost of the two is opened, and by this means the Water between them raised to a Level with that of the Remainder of the Dyke above; and the Ship, by this Contrivance, floats freely over the rising Ground; and thence, on the fresh Water, (for the Tide is of no farther Use) for about Two Miles more, which brings her to the Head of the Works, where there is another Flood-gate; and this ponds the whole River, so as to throw the waste Water, over a strong Stone Weir, into its natural Chanel. The Water so kept back by this Upper-sluice, and the Weir, makes a stagnant Pool above; and here the Vessels lie at their Moorings, and unload at a Quay adjoining to the City Walls.
Semper fidelis,
is the Motto to the City Arms; and how just a Title they have thereto, will appear from their Behaviour, when they have been attacked by the Enemies of their lawful Sovereign, of which take the following short Sketch:
1. When the Town was quitted by the
Romans,
the Citizens defended it against the
Saxons
for their then lawful Masters, the
Britons
; and held it out for 300 Years, after the Eastern Parts of the Island had submitted.
2. When they had been compelled to admit the
Saxons
into a sort of Co-ordinate Power with them, they courageously withstood the
Danes,
and tho' at last overcome by them, they took the first Opportunity, and joined with King
Alfred,
who with their Assistance routed the
Danes.
3. After this, as long as they were able, they upheld a Share of Government with the
Saxons,
until King
Athelstane
wholly subdued them, and (as before-mentioned) fortified the Town with a Wall and Gates. This generous Prince was so well pleased with their Bravery, that he granted them many Privileges and Immunities.
4. In the Year 875, the Citizens again defended themselves stoutly against the
Danes,
who came upon them by Sea, but landed, and formed a Camp on the North-side thereof, in a Place called
Danes-castle
to this Day, where their Trenches are yet to be seen.
5. The Town held out for a Month, against
Swain
King of
Denmark,
and was at last taken by Treachery.
6. When
William the Conqueror
came against it, the Citizens defended themselves until a Part of the City Wall fell down.
7. The loyal Townsmen took Part with
Maud
(their undoubted Sovereign) against King
Stephen,
and were at last reduced by Famine.
8. In 1469, the Earl of
Devon
came before it in behalf of the then rightful Claimant King
Edw.
IV. and the Citizens delivered it up, sending away the Lords and others of the
Lancastrian
Party to
Calais.
9. They shew'd their Loyalty to King
Henry
VII. by defending the Town against
Perkin Warbeck,
the Pretender of that Time. In Testimony whereof, that King gave them the Sword and Cap; which
Regalia
are no small Part of their Pomp, to this Day.
10. The rebellious Commons of
Devon
and
Cornwall
met with a very stout Resistance here, and tho' grievously pinched with Famine, the Town held it out until the 6th of
August
; when they were relieved by the Lord
Russel.
In Memory of which that is still a Gaudy-day, and a Sermon is preached yearly on the Occasion, by the Mayor's Chaplain.
11. In the grand Rebellion it was twice besieged, and held out for the Royal Cause until the King's Affairs grew every-where desperate. And as soon as General
Monk
appeared in Opposition to the illegal Powers, the Citizens assembled themselves, and declared for a free Parliament.
12. When the Prince of
Orange
landed at
Torbay,
and sent a Detachment to take Possession of this City, the Inhabitants received them but coldly; and tho' they knew themselves incapable of making any Resistance, and were as sensible as other Parts of the Kingdom, of the Danger they were in from arbitrary Power; yet were they very tender of joining in any Affair that might be construed a Rebellion to their lawful Prince.
To the Account of Religious Houses, and Lands formerly appropriated thereto, let me add here, the Priory of
Polesloe,
and that of
Cowick,
each of them but one Mile from
Exeter
; at a greater Distance, (but must be mentioned here, or not at all)
Canons-leigh, Canons-Teing, Indio
; and larger than either of these, the Abbey of
Buckfastleigh,
Part of whose Ruins are yet to be seen, and not one Instance is there amongst them all, that contradicts my former Observations in relation to the Goodness of the Soil.
Near the Mouth of the River
Exe,
on the West Banks thereof, is
Powderham-castle,
now, and for many Ages past, the Seat of a Family of
Courtenays,
Descendants from the Earl of
Devon
of that Name. This Seat, built in the manner of a Castle, is a very grand Piece of Antiquity; and was the Work of
Isabel,
the Daughter of
Baldwin de Rivers,
and Widow of
William de Fortibus,
in the Reign of King
Henry
III.
Halldown
is a pretty large, dry, heathy Common of about Seven Miles in Length, and about Three in Breadth, which, tho' separated by some inclosed Grounds of a pretty good Nature, seems to be the same Vein of Land, of which the Forest of
Dartmore,
and the downy Part of
Ashburton, Ilsington, Bridford, &c.
consist.
On the North, and quite home to the Brink of this Down, is that rich Track of Land which I have already described, as Part of the most fertile Soil in this County.
Tho' this Down is in itself a very flinty barren Soil; yet is its Situation so delightful, the open Prospect, both by Sea and Land, so engaging, and the whole Circuit thereof so adapted to rural Recreations, that the like Number of Gentlemens Seats as lie round the Skirts thereof within so little Compass of Ground, are not to be met with at any Place that I know of, save only about
London
; which is not only a Confirmation of what I have observed, but a very great Addition to the Delight arising from the large Extent of the View.
And here it cannot be foreign to my Subject to insert the Names of those genteel Habitations, and that of their several worthy Owners and Possessors.
1.
Ugbrook,
the Lord
Clifford,
Baron of
Chudleigh
; a Family of great Honour and Worth, tho' of the
Romish
Persuasion.
2.
Dawlish,
the Country Seat of the Right Reverend Dr.
Weston,
present Lord Bishop of
Exon.
3.
Powderham-castle,
the Honourable Sir
William Courtnay,
Bart.
4.
Hallden,
Sir
Thomas Chudleigh.
5.
Lyndridge,
the Reverend Dr.
John Finney.
6.
Mowlish, William Oxenham,
Esq
7.
Newhouse, William Oxenham,
Esq
8.
Peamore,
thr two Daughters and Heiresses of the late
Stephen Northleigh,
Esq
9.
Canons-Teing, ---- Hellyar,
Esq
10.
Oxton, William Martyn,
Eq;
11.
Trehill, Waltham Savery,
Esq
12.
Kenbury, Samuel Cooke,
Esq
13.
Kenn, John Short,
Esq
14.
Holloway, ------ Geare,
Esq
15.
Whiteway, Gilbert Yard,
Esq
16.
Doddescombleigh, Richard Duck,
Esq
17.
Maurhead, Thomas Balle,
Esq
18.
Wood, Thomas Comyns,
Esq
19.
Place,
formerly a House of the Bishops of
Exon,
late
Robert Woolcombe,
Esq
20.
Indio, Caleb Juglett,
Esq
21.
Park-place, John Langdon,
Esq
22.
Bellemarsh, James Shepherd,
Esq
23.
Lowell, James Shepherd,
Esq
24.
Burrough, ------ Davenport,
Esq
25.
Bowhay,
formerly the Seat of
------ Petre,
Ancestor of the present Lord
Petre.
Exeter
is particularly famous for two Things, which we seldom find united in the same Town;
viz.
That it is full of Gentry, and yet full of Trade and Manufactures.
The Serge-market held here every Week, is very well worth a Stranger's seeing, and, next to the
Brigg Market
at
Leeds
in
Yorkshire,
is the greatest in
England.
The People assured me, that at this Market is generally sold from 60 to 70 to 80, and sometimes a Hundred thousand Pounds Value in Serges in a Week.
The
Exe,
or
Esk,
is a very considerable River, and the principal in the whole County, and by the Contrivance we have mentioned, Ships of 150 Tons now come up to the City.
Exeter
drives a very great Correspondence with
Holland,
as also directly to
Portugal, Spain
and
Italy
; shipping off vast Quantities of their Woollen Manufactures, especially to
Holland,
the
Dutch
giving very large Commissions here for the buying of Serges, Perpetuanas, and such Goods; which are made not only in and about
Exeter,
but at
Crediton, Honiton, Culliton, St. Mary Ottery, Newton-bushell, Ashburton,
and especially at
Tiverton, Cullumpton, Bampton,
and all the North-east Part of the County; which Part is, as it may be said, fully imploy'd, the People made rich, and the Poor well maintained by it. Some are of Opinion, however, that
Exeter
has of late Years visibly diminished in its Trade, some Part of which has, it is said, removed itself to other Quarters.
On the North-side of the Castle, (and which was formerly its Counterscarp) is a very beautiful Terrace-walk, bounded by a double Row of fine Elms, and extended round one Quarter of the City;
viz.
from the East-gate to the North-gate. This, for the Fineness of the Air, Length of the Walk, and the Landschape in View, is not perhaps inferior to any thing of the kind in
England.
This County, and this Part of it in particular, has been famous for the Birth of several Persons, eminent as well for Learning and Arts, as for War: Particularly, 1. Sir
William Petre,
who was Secretary of State, and Privy-Counsellor to King
Henry
VIII.
Edward
VI. Queen
Mary,
and Queen
Elizabeth
; and Seven times sent Embassador into foreign Countries.
2. Sir
Thomas Bodley,
famous, and of grateful Memory to all learned Men, and Lovers of Letters, for his collecting and establishing the best Library in
Britain,
which is now at
Oxford,
and is called after his Name the
Bodleian Library.
3. Sir
Francis Drake,
born at
Plymouth.
4. Sir
Walter Raleigh.
5. The learned Mr.
Richard Hooker,
Author of the
Ecclesiastical Polity,
&c.
6. Dr.
Arthur Duck,
a Civilian, well known by his Works among the learned Advocates of
Doctors Commons.
7. Dr.
John Moreman
of
Southold,
famous for being the first Clergyman in
England,
who ventured to teach his Parishioners the
Lord's Prayer, Creed,
and
Ten Commandments
in the
English
Tongue; and reading them publickly in the Parish Church of
Mayenhennet,
in this County, of which he was Vicar.
8. Dr.
John de Brampton,
a Man of great Learning, who flourished in the Reign of
Henry
VI. was famous for being the first that read
Aristotle
publickly in the University of
Cambridge,
and for writing several learned Books, which are now lost.
9.
Peter Blundel,
a Clothier, who built the Free-School at
Tiverton,
and endowed it very handsomely.
10. Sir
John Glanvill,
a noted Lawyer, and one of the Judges of the Common-Pleas.
11. Serjeant
Glanvill,
his Son, as great a Lawyer as his Father.
12. Sir
John Maynard,
an eminent Lawyer of later Years; one of the Commissioners of the Great Seal under King
William
III. All these Three were born at
Tavistock.
13. Sir
Peter King,
Recorder of
London,
Lord Chief Justice of the Common-Pleas, several Years Lord High-Chancellor of
England,
and created a Peer of this Realm.
14. General
Monk,
the great Instrument in the Restoration of our Civil and Ecclesiastical Government, Laws and Liberty.
15. The great Duke of
Marlborough,
Captain-General of the
English
Forces in Q.
Anne
's Wars.
I shall take the North Part of this County in my Return from
Cornwall
; so I must now lean to the South-coast, for in going on indeed we go South-west.
About 22 Miles from
Exeter,
and thro'
Newtonbushel,
a large, but meanly built Market-town, we go into the antient Town of
Totness,
on the River
Dart.
It was formerly of great Note, and still is a pretty good Town, and has some Trade, but has more Gentlemen in it than Tradesmen of Note: they have a very fine Stone Bridge here over the River, which being within 7 or 8 Miles of the Sea, is very large, and the Tide flows 10 or 12 Feet at the Bridge. Here we had the Diversion of seeing them catch Fish, with the Assistance of a Dog; in this manner: On the South Side of the River, and on a Slip, or narrow Cut or Chanel made on purpose, stands a Corn-mill; the Mill-tail, or Floor for the Water below the Wheels, is wharfed up on either Side with Stone, above High-water Mark, and for above 20 or 30 Feet in Length below it, on that Part of the River toward the Sea. At the End of this Wharfing is a Grating of Wood, the Cross Bars of which stand bearing inward, sharp at the End, and pointing towards one another, as the Wires of a Mouse-trap.
When the Tide flows up, the Fish can with Ease go in between the Points of these Cross-bars, but the Mill being shut down, they can go no farther upwards; and when the Water ebbs again, are left behind, not being able to pass the Points of the Grating, which like a Mouse-trap keeps them in; so that they are left at the Bottom with about a Foot, or a Foot and half Water. We were carry'd hither at Low-water, where we saw about 50 or 60 small Salmon, from 17 to 20 Inches long, which the Country-people call
Salmon Peal
; and to catch these, they throw in a Net on a Hoop at the End of a Pole, the Pole going cross the Hoop, which, in some Places, they call a Shove Net. The Net being fix'd at one End of the Place, they put in a Dog, who is taught his Trade before-hand, at the other End, and he drives all the Fish into the Net; so that only holding the Net still in its Place, the Man took up Two or Three-and-thirty Salmon Peal at the first time.
Of these we had Six for our Dinner, for which they ask'd a Shilling only; and for such siz'd Fish, and not so fresh, I have seen 6
s.
6
d.
each given at a
London
Fish-market, whither they are sometimes brought from
Chichester
by Land-Carriage. They have also delicate Trouts here.
This excessive Plenty of so good Fish, (other Provisions being cheap in Proportion) makes the Town of
Totness
a very good Place to live in; especially for such as have large Families, and but small Estates; and many such are said to come into those Parts on purpose for saving Money.
This Town made itself remarkable for the Address of the Inhabitants to King
George
I. on the Union of the Emperor and King of
Spain,
by the Treaty of
Vienna
: they profess'd their Zeal and Loyalty to his Person; and when the good Town of
Totness
had but a very insignificant Share of Property, assur'd the King of their Readiness to grant not only 4
s.
a Pound Land-tax, but to give into the Bargain the other 16
s.
if his Majesty's Service requir'd it; together with several other extravagant Declarations of Zeal and Ostentation, which made them the Subject of Ridicule all over the Kingdom, for being so lavish in their Professions, when, as a Corporation, they had little or nothing to give.
About Ten Miles North of
Totness,
lies
Ashburton,
a good Market-town, and Thoroughfare from
Exeter
to
Plymouth.
This is one of the Four Stannary Towns for the County of
Devon,
and lies but a little Way in from the Forest of
Dartmore.
The principal Trade of this Town, and indeed all the Towns and Villages in the whole County, is in the Woollen Manufacture.
The Three other Stannary Towns are
Tavistock, Plympton,
and
Chagford,
the last of which is a very poor inconsiderable Place, and neither that nor
Plympton
are capable of entertaining the Suitors, if the Lord Warden should be ever inclined to adjourn the Court thither.
And now having mentioned this Court of Stannary, it may not be improper to give a further Description thereof.
By divers Charters granted to the Tinners by King
Edward
I.
&c.
the Court is to be held at
Crockeren Torr,
a noted Hill and Rock in the middle of the Forest, far distant from any House: the Lord Warden of the Stannaries is the Judge of this Court, on whose Summons the Jurors appear, who are generally Gentlemen within the Jurisdiction. I had my Information from a Gentleman, who, if I mistake not, told me he had served as a Juror; and that when the Earl of
Bath
was Lord Warden, and held a Court there, he was attended by 300 Gentlemen well mounted.
At this desolate Place (where no Refreshment is to be had, but what the Company bring with them, no Shelter from the Weather, nor any thing to sit upon, but a Moor-stone Bench) the Court is called: but then the next Act of the Steward is to adjourn to one of the Stannary Towns, (usually
Tavistock)
and the Company immediately makes the best of their Way thither.
At this Court, in former Times, when the Tin Mines in this County were in a flourishing State, a great deal of Business was dispatched; the Price of the Tin was fix'd, Differences in relation to the Works adjusted, and Acts made for Regulation of every thing relating thereto. Several Presentments of the Jurors are printed, and this Meeting is vulgarly called,
The Parliament for the Stannaries
; the Place of Meeting in the Forest,
The Parliament House
; and the Presentment of the Jurors,
Acts of Parliament.
The Abbey of
Tavistock,
the Priory at
Plympton,
and the Monastery at
Buckland Monachorum,
were very large Endowments; and their Scite well establishes the Observation I have several times before made, in relation to the Fertility of the Soil where those Orders of Men generally seated themselves. An Observation, I have made rather to confirm that of other Writers, than as Matter of Wonder or Reflection; for would it not be strange, if the Ecclesiasticks should not be as capable of chusing for themselves as other People? or that they should chuse the worst, if they might have the best?
At
Tavistock
I saw some stately Remains of that grand Building; and among other things, part of the Butments of the Arch of a Bridge over the
Tavy,
which the Inhabitants call
Guile-bridge,
and relate the following Story;
viz.
That one
Childe,
Owner of the Manor of
Plymstock,
made his Will, and gave the said Lands to the Church where his Body should be buried; and that afterwards, hunting in the Forest, he lost his Company and his Way, and tho', as his last Shift, he kill'd his Horse, and got into the warm Belly of him, he at length died there with the Extremity of Cold. The Body, after some Search, was found by the
Tavistoch
Men, (who had, by some means, come to the Knowledge of his Will) and by them carried away towards their Abbey. The
Plymstock
Men, hearing thereof, lay in Ambush for them at a Bridge, where they apprehended they must pass: but in this they were deceived; for the Priests built a slight Bridge on Purpose, over which they carried the Corps; by which Statagem they obtain'd the said Land; and hence, says the Tradition, this is called
Guile-bridge.
From
Totness
we went still South about Seven Miles (all in View of the River) to
Dartmouth,
a Town of Note, seated at the Mouth of the River
Dart,
where it empties itself into the Sea, at a very narrow, but safe Entrance. The Opening into
Dartmouth Harbour
is not broad, but the Chanel deep enough for the biggest Ship in the Royal Navy: The Sides of the Entrance are high mounded with Rocks; without which, just at the first Narrowing of the Passage, stands a good strong Fort beyond a Platform of Guns, which commands the Port.
The narrow Entrance is not much above half a Mile, and then it opens and makes a Basin, or Harbour, able to receive 500 Sail of Ships, where they may ride with the greatest Safety, and the Entrance may be chain'd up on Occasion. I went out in a Boat to view this Entrance, and the Castle or Fort that commands it; and coming back with the Tide of Flood, I observ'd some small Fish to skip and play upon the Surface of the Water; upon which I ask'd, What Fish they were? Immediately one of the Rowers or Seamen started up in the Boat, and throwing his Arms abroad, as if he had been mad, cries out as loud as he could bawl,
A Scool! a Scool!
The Word was taken on the Shore as hastily as it would have been on Land, if he had cry'd Fire; and by that Time we reach'd the Quays, the Town was all in a kind of an Uproar.
The Matter was, that a great
Shoal,
or, as they call it, a
Scool
of Pilchards, came swimming with the Tide, directly out of the Sea into the Harbour. The Boat-owner lamented his being unprepared for them; for he said, that if he could but have had a Day or two's Warning, he might have taken 200 Tun of them; in short, nobody was ready for them, except a small Fishing-boat or Two; one of which went into the Middle of the Harbour, and at Two or Three Hawls took about 40,000.
It was observ'd, that beyond the Mouth of the Harbour was a whole Army of Porpoises, which, it seems, pursu'd these Pilchards, and, 'tis probable, drove them into the Harbour. The
Scool
drove up the River a great Way, even as high as
Totness
Bridge, as we heard afterwards; so that the Country-people, who had Boats and Nets, caught as many as they knew what to do with.
Dartmouth
is situated on the West-side of this Basin, or Harbour, in a kind of a Semicircle, on the Ascent of a steep Hill, which, tho' large and populous, is but meanly built; yet the Quay is large, and the Street before it spacious. Here live some very flourishing Merchants, who trade very prosperously, and to the most considerable trading Ports of
Spain, Portugal, Italy,
and the Plantations; but especially to
Newfoundland,
and from thence to
Spain
and
Italy
with Fish; and they drive a good Trade also in their own Fishery of Pilchards, which is hereabouts carried on with the greatest Number of Vessels of any Port in the West, except
Falmouth.
Dartmouth,
like other Towns in
Devonshire,
is full of Dissenters, who have here a very large Meeting-house. The
French
burnt it in
Richard
I.'s Time, and attempted it afterwards, but were bravely repulsed, and chiefly by the Women, who fought desperately, and took Monsieur
Castel,
their General, Three Lords, and Twenty-three Knights Prisoners, and made a great Slaughter among them besides; but how this glorious Action fell to the Share of the Women, and whether the Men were inactive, or absent, is not mentioned.
A little to the Southward of this Town, and to the East of the Port, is
Torbay,
a very good Road for Ships, about Twelve Miles in Circuit, tho' sometimes, especially with a Southerly or South-east Wind, Ships have been obliged to quit the Bay, and put out to Sea, or run into
Dartmouth
for Shelter.
In the Bottom of this Bay is a beautiful, well-built, and finely-situated House, call'd
Torr-Abbey,
formerly a Religious House; but now the Inheritance of
— Cary,
Esq.
Vespasian
is said to have landed here, when he came to attack
Arviragus,
King of
Britain.
And here it was that King
William
III. enter'd with a Fleet of 6000 Transports, and 50 Sail of Men of War, under the Conduct of Admiral
Herbert,
since Lord
Torrington.
About Three Miles to the West of
Dartmouth,
is a little Fishing-town, call'd
Brixham,
remarkable for a Spring of Water, that ebbs and flows very sensibly; a Description of which may not be unacceptable, especially as the Account I give of it is the Result of my own Observations; for I had so much Patience as to sit by it for Fourteen Hours together, and carefully observe its Periods, and the Quantity of its ebbing and flowing.
The Situation of this Spring is pretty near the Foot of a large Ridge of Hills, and the Quantity of Water that flows from it is considerable. It falls into a large Basin, where it is very easy to observe (by lying in an inclining Plain) the perpendicular Height of its Ebbing and Flowing, as well as the Time between high and low Water.
By a careful Observation of a great Number of Fluxes and Refluxes, I find, that when it proceeds regularly, (as it does sometimes for Eight Hours together) it is Eleven times in an Hour: for thus the 10th of
July
1733, I observ'd it high Water at 8h . 31′ in the Morning, and continued to observe it until 3h . 3′ in the Afternoon; in which Interval of Seven Hours it had ebb'd and flow'd exactly Seventy-seven times.
There happens sometimes an Intermission of those Ebbings and Flowings; for in the Morning of the same Day, I observ'd that from 6h . 37′, to 6h . 58′, it had no Motion at all; and at another time I found it to intermit for an Hour, or more.
The Basin which receives the Water, contains, as I guess, about Twenty Feet in Area; and the perpendicular Height of the Flowing, when I observ'd it, (which was in the Middle of Summer, and at a dry Season) was various,
viz.
sometimes an Inch and three Quarters, and at other times not above half an Inch; but generally about one Inch and one Eighth.
The Reader will be rather pleased with this Description, as it may, in some measure, confirm that ingenious, and very probable Hypothesis, which was read by Dr.
Atwell
before the Royal Society, and is publish'd in their Transactions, touching reciprocating Springs; and of this (which is called
Lay-well
) in particular.
From
Dartmouth
we went to
Plympton
before-mentioned, as a poor Town, though it was formerly of great Account, and the Glory of the antient Earls of
Devon,
where are Tenures at this Day, called
Castle-guard,
for defending and repairing the Walls of the Castle, which however is now in Ruins. From thence the Road lies to
Plymouth,
Distance about Six Miles.
Plymouth
is indeed a Town of Consideration and Importance. The Situation of it is between Two very large Inlets of the Sea, and in the Bottom of a large Sound or Bay, which is incompass'd on every Side with Hills, and the Shore generally steep and rocky, tho' the Anchorage is good, and it is pretty safe Rideing. In the Entrance to this Bay, lies a large and most dangerous Rock, which at High-water is cover'd, but at Low-tide lies bare, where many a good Ship has been lost, when they have thought all their Dangers at an End.
Upon this Rock, which was called the
Eddystone,
from its Situation, the ingenious Mr.
Winstanley,
whom I have mention'd before,
p.
107. undertook to build a Light-house for the Direction of Sailors, and with great Art and Expedition finish'd it: which Work, considering its Height, the Magnitude of its Building, and the little Hold there was to fasten it to the Rock, stood to Admiration, and bore out many a bitter Storm.
Mr.
Winstanley
often visited, and frequently strengthen'd the Building by new Works; and was so confident of its Firmness and Stability, that he usually said, to those who doubted its Standing in hard Weather, that he only desir'd to be in it, when a Storm should happen.
But in the dreadful Tempest of
Nov.
27. 1703, when he happen'd to be so unhappy as to have his Wish, he would fain have been on Shore, making Signals for Help; but no Boats durst go off to him; and in the Morning after the Storm, nothing was to be seen but the bare Rock, the Light-house being gone, in which Mr.
Winstanley,
and all that were with him, perish'd; and a few Days after, a Merchant's Ship, call'd the
Winchelsea,
Homeward-bound from
Virginia,
not knowing the Light-house was down, ran foul of the Rock, and was lost with all her Ladeing, and most of her Men: but there is now another Light-house built on the same Rock by the Corporation of
Trinity-house,
in Pursuance of an Act of Parliament passed in the Fifth of Queen
Anne.
As
Plymouth
lies in the Bottom of this
Sound,
in the Centre between the Two Waters, so there lies against it, in the same Position, an Island which they call
St. Nicolas,
on which is a Castle that commands the Entrance into
Ham-Ouze,
and indeed that also into
Catwater
in some Sort. On the Shore, over-against this Island, is the Citadel of
Plymouth,
a small, but regular Fortification, inaccessible by Sea, but not exceeding strong by Land; except that they say the Works are of a Stone hard as Marble, and would not soon yield to the Batteries of an Enemy: but that is a Language our modern Engineers laugh at. It is surrounded with a deep Trench, out of which was dug the Stone that built the whole Citadel, which is about three Quarters of a Mile in Circumference, and has 300 great Guns on its Walls, which stand thickest towards the Sea. Several Guns are also planted on part of the old Fort, lying almost level with the Water, all which gives the greatest Security to the Ships in the Harbour.
The Town stands above the Citadel, upon the same Rock, and lies sloping on the Side of it, towards the East, the Inlet of the Sea (which is call'd
Catwater,
and is a Harbour capable of receiving any Number of Ships, and of any Size) washing the Eastern Shore of the Town, where they have a kind of natural Mole, or Haven, with a Quay, and all other Conveniencies for bringing in Vessels for loading and unloading; nor is the Trade carried on here inconsiderable in itself.
The other Inlet of the Sea, as I term it, is on the other Side of the Town, and is cal'd
Ham-Ouze,
being the Mouth of the River
Tamar,
a considerable River, which parts the Two Counties of
Devon
and
Cornwall.
Here the War with
France
making it necessary, that the Ships of War should have a Retreat nearer Hand than at
Portsmouth,
the late King
William
order'd a wet Dock, with Yards, dry Docks, Launches, and Conveniencies of all kinds for building and repairing of Ships, to be built. These wet and dry Docks are about Two Miles up the
Ham-Ouze,
and for the Neatness and Excellency of the Work, exceed all that were ever built of the Kind, being hewn out of a Mine of Slate, and lin'd with
Portland
Stone. The dry Dock is built after the Mould of a First-rate Man of War, and the wet Dock will contain Five of the same Bigness. What follow'd these, as it were of Course, was the Building of Store-houses and Ware-houses for the Rigging, Sails, naval and military Stores,
&c.
of such Ships as may be appointed to be laid up there, with very handsome Houses for the Commissioners, Clerks, and Officers of all kinds usual in the King's Yards, to dwell in. It is, in short, now become as complete an Arsenal, or Yard, for building and fitting out Men of War, as any the Government are Masters of; and perhaps much more convenient than some of them, tho' not so large; and this has occasion'd a proportional Increase of Buildings to the Town.
Here are Two fine Churches, and Two or Three Meeting-houses for Dissenters, and
French
Refugees; as also a Free-school, and an Hospital for Blue-coat Boys.
Opposite to this Place, on the other Side
Ham-Ouze,
is situated
Mount Edgcumbe,
the Seat of
Richard Edgcumbe,
Esq
deem'd one of the noblest Prospects in
England
; overlooking at once the Sea, the Harbour, Citadel, and Town of
Plymouth,
and the County adjacent for a great Way.
From
Plymouth
we pass the
Tamar,
over a Ferry to
Saltash,
a little poor shatter'd Town, the first we set Foot on in the County of
Cornwall.
The
Tamar
here is very wide, and the Ferry-boats bad, so that I thought myself well off, when I got safe on Shore in
Cornwall.
Mr.
Carew
publish'd, in the Reign of King
James
I. a very judicious Survey of this County, dedicated to Sir
Walter Raleigh.
The Reader may there inform himself, in a very particular manner, of its Natural History, and the Produce, Customs, and Rarities, which it abounds with. Among other Curiosities, he may there find complete Lists of the Knights Fees, Barons, Knights, and Men at Arms, together with the Survey of the Acres taken by
Solomon de Roff,
and his Fellows, Justices itinerant, at
Launceston,
in the Reign of King
Edward
I. by which Survey it appears, that this County contain'd, at that Time, 5555 Acres; and the Author tells us, that a
Cornish
Acre, or one fourth Part of a Knight's Fee, contained Nine Farthings Land, each of which was, as he thinks, about Thirty of our Statute Acres. If all this be true, then that County contained, at that time, One million and Five hundred thousand Acres, which is more, by one Third, than it is now estimated to be, and doth, in some measure, strengthen the Conjecture, that a great Part of the Land on this Coast is devoured by the Sea, and that the
Scilly
Rocks were formerly a Part of the Land, tho' now Ten Leagues distant.
Among the natural Productions of this County, ought not to be omitted their Slate, the best in
Europe
for covering of Houses; the
Moor-stone,
which, by a very laborious Polishing, (a Matter very lately attempted) equals in Beauty the
Egyptian Granate.
I take no Notice of the Gold, Silver, Copper, Tin, Lead; the Marble, Agat, Coral, and even Diamonds, which are here found, because these have been observ'd by all who mention the Productions of this Western County; and for the same Reason shall omit the manner of their working their Mines, and refining the Ore.
The Inhabitants have been remarkable for their Strength of Body; witness, among numberless others,
John Bray,
who carried on his Back Six Bushels of Meal, of Fifteen Gallons to the Bushel, and the Miller, a Man of Twenty-four Years of Age, on the Top of it; also
John Roman,
who carried, at one time, the whole Carcase of an Ox.
Saltash
seems to be the Ruins of a larger Place, it is govern'd by a Mayor and Aldermen, has many Privileges, sends Members to Parliament, has the sole Oyster-Fishing in the whole River, which is considerable. It has also Jurisdiction upon the River
Tamar,
down to the Mouth of the Port, so that they claim Anchorage of all small Ships, that enter the River: their Coroner sits upon all Bodies that are found drown'd in the River, and the like. Here is a good Market, and it is very much benefited by the Increase of the Inhabitants of
Plymouth,
as lying near the Dock at the Mouth of
Ham-Oze
; for those People choose rather to go to
Saltash
to Market by Water, than to walk to
Plymouth
by Land for their Provisions: because, first, as they go in the Town-boat, the same Boat brings home what they buy, so that it is much less Trouble; secondly, because Provisions are bought much cheaper at
Saltash
than at
Plymouth:
and of late, they have some Ships that use the
Newfoundland
Fishery.
There is no other Town up the
Tamar,
till we come to
Launceston,
the County Town, which I shall take in my Return, except
Kellington,
a pretty good Market and Portreve Town, where is a good Market-house, and a neat Church, which, as well as the other Buildings in the Town, are in good Condition; so I turn'd West, keeping the South Shore of the County, to the
Land's-end.
From
Saltash
I went to
Leskard,
about Seven Miles. This is a considerable Town, well-built, has People of Fashion in it, and a very great Market: it is one of the Five Stannary Towns, and was once still more eminent, and had a good Castle, and a large House, where the antient Dukes of
Cornwall
kept their Court: it also enjoy'd several considerable Privileges, especially by the Favour of the
Black Prince,
who, as Prince of
Wales,
and Duke of
Cornwall,
resided here: and in Return, they say, this Town, and the Country round it, raised a great Body of stout young Fellows, who entered into his Service, and followed his Fortunes in his Wars. But these Buildings are so decay'd, that there are now scarce any of the Ruins of the Castle, or of the Prince's Court, remaining. Here was also antiently a Chapel, much resorted to by Pilgrims in Popish Times; and in the Town is a Fountain of very clear Water, to which many miraculous Cures were attributed.
It still boasts of its
Guild,
or
Town-hall,
on which is a Turret with a fine Clock; a good Free-School, well provided; a very fine Conduit in the Market-place; an antient large Church, dedicated to St.
Martin
; and a large new-built
Meeting-house
for the Dissenters; which I name, because they assured me there were but Three more, and those inconsiderable, in all the County of
Cornwall
; whereas in
Devonshire,
which is the next County, there are reckoned about 70, some of which are exceeding large and fine.
This Town is also remarkable for the Defeat of the Parliament Army by Sir
Ralph Hopton,
and for a very great Trade in all Manfactures of Leather, such as Boots, Shoes, Gloves, Purses, Breeches,
&c.
and some Spinning of late Years is set up here, encourag'd by the Woollen Manufacturers of
Devonshire.
Between these Two Towns of
Saltash
and
Leskard,
is the Borough of
St. Germans,
now a Village, decay'd, and without any Market, but the largest Parish in the whole County; in the Bounds of which are contained 17 Villages, and the Town of
Saltash
among them; for
Saltash
Church, it seems, was but a Chapel of Ease to
St. Germans.
It has been antiently a Bishop's See, which was translated from
Bodmyn
hither, and afterwards from
St. Germans
to
Crediton,
then one of the best Towns in the County, and thence to
Exeter.
This Town takes its Name from St.
German,
Bishop of
Auxerre
in
Burgundy,
who came over from
France,
to preach against the Heresy of
Pelagius,
which then began to spread in
England,
and took up his Residence here. The Ruins of the Episcopal Palace at
Cuttenbeck,
a Mile and half from the Town, which afterwards dwindled into a Farm-house, are still visible. A Gentleman of the Name of
Elliott
was lately a great Benefactor to this Town, having endowed a publick School there, repaired the Sessions-house, and beautify'd the Church; where he was buried, and has a fine
Italian
party-coloured Marble Monument erected to his Memory by his Widow. There is still an Episcopal Chair in the Church, and several other Seats belonging to Canons. The Town stands on a rising Ground, and is built in the Form of an Amphitheatre.
In the Neighbourhood of these Towns are many pleasant Seats of
Cornish
Gentry, who are indeed very numerous, and the most sociable, generous, and kind Neighbours to one another that are to be found; and usually intermarry among themselves; from whence, they say, the Proverb,
That all the
Cornish
Gentlemen are Cousins.
It is the very same in
Wales,
where the greatest Compliment that one Gentleman can make to another of the same County, is to call him Cousin. There is a great Conformity of Manners, Customs, and Usages between the
Welsh
and
Cornish,
who are accounted of the same Origin, and Descendants also of the antient
Britons
; and there is likewise a great Affinity between the old
Cornish
and
Welsh
Language.
On the Hills North of
Leskard,
and in the Way between that Town and
Launceston,
are many Tin Mines, and some of the richest Veins of that Metal in the whole County; which when cast at the Blowing-houses into Blocks, are sent to
Leskard
to be coined.
From
Leskard,
in our Course West, we are necessarily carried to the Sea-coast, because of the River
Fowey,
which empties itself into the Sea, at a very large Mouth; and hereby, this River rising in the Middle of the Breadth of the County, and running South, and the River
Camel
rising not far from it, and running North, with a like large Chanel, the Land from
Bodmyn
to the Western Part of the County, is almost made an Island, and in a manner cut off from the Eastern; the Isthmus, or Neck of Land between, being not above Twelve Miles over.
In the Parish of
St. Cleer
is a Piece of Antiquity, which they call,
The other Half-stone,
which are indeed Two Stones fixed in the Ground; and by Mortaises in each, they seem to have been heretofore joined together. Both of them were curiously wrought by Diaper-work-carvings; but one of them hath an Inscription in very antique Characters, as follows:
Which seem to express thus much;
Doniert. Rogavit pro Anima
; implying that
Dungarth
or
Doniert
(King of
Cornwall,
who was drown'd
A. D.
872.) gave this Land for the Good of his Soul.
Not far distant is a Heap of large Stones, under which lies a great Stone, fashioned like a Cheese, and seems to the Eye, as if it were press'd into that Form by the Weight that lies upon it; and hence they call it
Wring-cheese.
On the South from
Leskard
we come to
Foy,
or
Fowey,
an antient Borough-town, and formerly very large and potent; for the
Foyens,
as they were then call'd, were able to fit out large Fleets, not only for Merchants Ships, but even of Men of War; and with these, not only fought with, but several times vanquished and routed, the Squadron of the Cinqueport Men, who in those Days were very powerful.
Mr.
Camden
observes, that the Town of
Foy
quarters some Part of the Arms of every one of those Cinque-ports with their own; intimating, that they had at several times triumph'd over them all: and indeed they were once so powerful, that they fitted out their Fleets against the
French,
and took several of their Men of War, when they were at Variance with
England,
and enriching their Town by the Spoil of their Enemies.
Edward
IV. favour'd them much; and because the
French
threaten'd to come up their River with a powerful Navy to burn their Town, he caused Two Forts to be built at the publick Charge, for its Security, the Ruins of which are still to be seen: but the same King
Edward
was some time after so disgusted at the Townsmen, for officiously falling upon the
French,
after a Truce was proclaimed, that he effectually disarmed them, took away their whole Fleet, Ships, Tackle, Apparel and Furniture; and since that time we do not read of any of their Naval Exploits, nor that they ever attempted to recover their Strength at Sea. However,
Foy,
at this time. is a very fair Town; it lies extended on the East Sid, of the River, for above a Mile, the Buildings fair, and there are a great many flourishing Merchants in it, who have a great Share in the Fishing-trade, especially for Pilchards. In this Town, is also a Coinage for the TIN, of which a great Quantity is dug up in the Country North and West of the Town. The Church at
Fowey
is antient, and very fine.
The River
Fowey,
which is very broad and deep here, was formerly very navigable by Ships of good Burden as high as the Borough-town of
Lestwithiel,
an antient, and once a flourishing, but now a decay'd Place, and as to Trade and Navigation quite destitute; which is occasioned by the River being filled up with Sand.
Lestwithiel
was called, in the
British
Times,
Pen Uehel Coed,
i. e. an high Place with Wood. It became since the antient Residence of the Dukes of
Cornwall.
The Ruins of a Castle belonging to them are still to be seen, on a rising Ground, at a little Distance from the Town. The Church is an handsome Edifice; but the Steeple carries the Marks of the Civil Wars in the Reign of
Charles
I. when the great Hall and Exchequer of the said Dukes of
Cornwall
were also utterly defaced. Some say this Town was formerly the County Town and still retains several Advantages which supports its Figure; as, 1. That it is one of the Coinage or Stannary Towns. 2. The common Gaol for the whole Stannary is here, as are also the County Courts for
Cornwall.
There is a mock Cavalcade kept up at this Town, which is very remarkable; the Particulars, as they are related by Mr.
Carew,
in his
Survey
of
Cornwall,
take as follows:
"Upon little
Easter Sunday,
the Freeholders of this Town and Manor, by themselves, or their Deputies, did there assemble: amongst whom, one, (as it fell to his Lot by turn) bravely apparell'd, gallantly mounted, with a Crown on his Head, a Sceptre in his Hand, and a Sword borne before him, and dutifully attended by all the rest, also on Horseback, rode thro' the principal Street to the Church: the Curate in his best
Beseen
solemnly received him at the Church-yard Stile, and conducted him to hear Divine Service. After which, he repaired with the same Pomp to a House provided for that Purpose, made a Feast to his Attendants, kept the Table's-end himself, and was served with kneeling Assay, and all other Rights due to the Estate of a Prince: with which Dinner the Ceremony ended, and every Man returned Home again. The Pedigree of this Usage is deriv'd from so many Descents of Ages, that the Cause and Author out-reach Remembrance. Howbeit, these Circumstances afford a Conjecture, that it should betoken Royalties appertaining to the Honour of
Cornwall.
"
Behind
Foy,
and nearer to the Coast, at the Mouth of a small River, which some call
Loe,
tho' without any Authority, stand Two Borough-towns opposite to one another, bearing the Name of
East Loe,
and
West Loe.
These are both good trading Towns, and especially for Fish; and, which is very particular, are, like
Weymouth
and
Melcomb
in
Dorsetshire,
separated only by the Creek or River; and yet each of them sends Members to Parliament. These Towns are joined together by a very beautiful and stately Stone Bridge, having 15 Arches.
East Loe
was the antienter Corporation of the Two, and some Ages ago the greater and more considerable Town; but now they tell us
West Loe
is the richest, and has the most Ships belonging to it; but has neither Church or Chapel, nor Meeting-house in it. Were they put together, they would make a very handsome Sea-port Town.
Passing from hence, and ferrying over
Foy
River, we come into a large Country without many Towns in it of Note, but very well furnished with Gentlemens Seats, and a little higher up with Tin Works.
The Sea making several deep Bays here, they who travel by Land are obliged to go higher into the Country, to pass above the Water, especially at
Trewardreth-bay,
which lies very broad, above Ten Miles within the Country; which passing at
Trewardreth,
a Town of no great Note, tho' the Bay takes its Name from it, the next Inlet of the Sea is the famous
Firth,
or Inlet, called
Falmouth Haven.
It is certainly, next to
Milford Haven
in
South Wales,
the fairest and best Road for Shipping that is in the whole Isle of
Britain
; whether we consider the Depth of Water for above 20 Miles within Land; the Safety of Riding, shelter'd from all kind of Winds or Storms; the good Anchorage, and the many Creeks, all navigable, where Ships may run in and be safe.
There are Six or Seven very considerable Places upon this
Haven,
and the Rivers from it:
viz. Grampound, Tregony, Truro, Penryn, Falmouth, St. Mawes,
and
Pendennis.
The Four first of these send Members to Parliament; altho' the Town of
Falmouth,
as big as all of them together,
(Truro
excepted) and richer than Ten such, sends none. But how so considerable a Sea-port and Town, comes to be debarr'd that Privilege, doth not appear. 'Tis certain, that a great Number of small inconsiderable Boroughs in this County do now enjoy it; but until the 6th of
Edward
VI. none but
Launceston, Leskard, Lestwithiel, Truro, Bodmyn, Helston,
and
Bossiney,
sent any. And whether it were then imposed on the rest as a Punishment, or conferred as a Favour, is uncertain. I cannot agree with those who think it was obtain'd at their Request, by the Interest of their Duke, because they were invested with it by King
Edward
VI. and Queen
Elizabeth,
when no Person bore that Title.
St. Mawes,
and
Pendennis
or
Pen-dinas,
(which signifies in the old
British,
the End or Head of a City) are Two Fortifications placed at the Points, or Entrance, of this
Haven,
opposite to one another, tho' not with a Communication or View. They are very strong; the former principally by Sea, having a good Platform of Guns, pointing 'thwart the Chanel, and planted on a Level with the Water; but
Pendennis
Castle is strong by Land as well as by Water, is regularly fortified, has good Out-works, and generally a strong Garison, and each of them has a Governor.
St. Mawes,
otherwise called
St. Mary
's, has a Town annex'd to the Castle, and is a Borough, sending Members to Parliament; but has neither Church, Chapel, Meeting-house, Fair, or Market, in it.
The Town of
Falmouth
is by much the richest, and best trading Town in this County, tho' not so antient as its Neighbour Town of
Truro
; and indeed, is in some things obliged to acknowlege its Seigniority, and the
Truro
Men receive several Duties collected in
Falmouth
; particularly Wharfage for the Merchandizes landed, or shipped off: but the Town of
Falmouth
has gotten the Trade, at least the best Part of it, from the other, which is chiefly owing to the Situation; for lying upon the Sea, but within the Entrance, Ships of the greatest Burden come up to the very Quay, and the whole Royal Navy might ride safely in the Road; whereas the Town of
Truro,
lying far within, and at the Mouth of Two fresh Rivers, is not navigable for Vessels of above 150 Tons, or thereabouts; the Trade at
Truro
being chiefly, if not altogether, for the Shipping off of Block TIN and COPPER Ore, the latter being lately found in large Quantities in some of the Mountains between
Truro
and
St. Michael's,
and which is much improv'd since the several Mills are erected at
Bristol,
and other Parts, for the Manufactures of Battery-ware, as 'tis called.
Falmouth
is well-built, has abundance of Shipping belonging to it, is full of rich Merchants, and has an increasing Trade, because of the setting up of late Years the
English
Packets between this Port and
Lisbon,
which occasions a new Commerce between
Portugal
and this Town, amounting to a very great Value.
It is true, Part of this Trade was founded in a clandestine Commerce, carried on by the said Packets at
Lisbon
; where being the King's Ships, and claiming the Privilege of not being searched or visited by the Custom-house Officers, they found Means to carry off great Quantities of
British
Manufactures, which they sold on Board to the
Portuguese
Merchants, and they convey'd them on Shore, as 'tis supposed, without paying Custom.
But the Government there getting Intelligence of it, and Complaint being made in
England
also, where it was found to be prejudicial to the fair Merchant, that Trade has been effectually stopp'd; but the
Falmouth
Merchants, having by this means gotten a Taste of the
Portuguese
Trade, have maintained it ever since in Ships of their own. These Packets bring over vast Quantities of Gold in Specie, either in
Moidores,
or in Bars of Gold, on Account of the Merchants at
London.
The Custom-house for all the Towns in this Port, and the Head-collector, is established at this Town, where the Duties, including those of the other Ports, are very considerable. Here is also a very great Fishing for
Pilchards,
and the Merchants of
Falmouth
have the chiefest Stroke in that gainful Trade.
Truro,
tho' it gives Place to
Falmouth,
is however a considerable Town. It stands up the Water North-and-by-east from
Falmouth,
in the utmost extended Branch of the Haven, at the Conflux of Two Rivers, which, tho' not of any long Course, have a very good Appearance for a Port, and make a large Wharf between them in the Front of the Town; and the Water here makes a very good Port for small Ships, tho' it be at the Influx, but not for Ships of Burden. There are at least Three Churches in it, but no Dissenters Meeting-house, that I could hear of.
Tregony,
or
Tregenen,
(which in
British
signifies the Mouth-town) is a Borough-town upon the same Water North-east from
Falmouth,
distant about 16 Miles from it, but is a Town of very little Trade; nor indeed have any of the Towns so far within the Shore, notwithstanding the Benefit of the Water, any considerable Trade, but what is carried on under the Merchants of
Falmouth
or
Truro.
Grampound
is a Market-town and Borough, about Four Miles farther up the Water. This Place indeed has a Claim to Antiquity, and is an Appendix to the Duchy of
Cornwall,
of which it holds at a Free-farm Rent, and pays to the Prince of
Wales,
as Duke, 10
l.
11
s.
1
d. per Annum.
It has no Parish-church, but only a Chapel of Ease to an adjacent Parish. Here are some Remains to be seen of the famous
Coedfala,
which, in the
British,
signifies
Felon-wood,
granted, with all the Lands in it, to the Town, in King
Edward
III.'s Time.
Penryn,
another Borough-town, is up the same Branch of the Haven as
Falmouth,
but stands Four Miles higher towards the West, upon a Hill; yet Ships come to it of as great a Size as can come to
Truro.
It is a very pleasant agreeable Town, and for that Reason has many Merchants in it, who would perhaps otherwise live at
Falmouth.
The chief Commerce of these Towns, as to their Sea-affairs, is the Pilchards, and
Newfoundland
Fishing, which is very profitable to them all. It had formerly a Conventual Church, with a Chantry, and a Religious House, a Cell to
Kirton
; but they are all demolished, and scarce the Ruins of them distinguishable enough to know one Part from another. This Town is full of Orchards, and looks like a Town in a Wood. The Sea embraces it on each Side. Its Name is
British,
as all those Words beginning with
Pen,
and
Tre,
and
Lan,
(which occur often in this County) are.
Quitting
Falmouth
Haven, from
Penryn
West, we came to
Helston,
another Borough-town, at about Seven Miles Distance: It stands upon the little River
Cober,
which however admits the Sea so into its Bosom, as to make a tolerable good Harbour for Ships, a little below the Town. It is the Fifth Town allowed for the Coining TIN, and several of the Ships called
Tin
Ships are laden here.
This Town is large and populous, and has Four spacious Streets, an handsome Church, and a good Trade. Beyond this is a Market-town, tho' of no Resort for Trade, called
Market-Jew:
it lies indeed on the Sea-side, but has no Harbour or safe Road for Shipping.
At
Helford
is a small but good Harbour, between
Falmouth
and this Port, where many times the TIN Ships go in to load for
London
; also here are a good Number of Fishing Vessels for the
Pilchard
Trade, and abundance of skilful Fishermen.
Pensance,
in
British, Pensand,
i. e. the Head, or End of the Sand, is the farthest Town, of any Note, West, being 254 Miles from
London,
and within about Ten Miles of the Promontory called the
Land's-end
; so that this Promontory is from
London
264 Miles, or thereabouts. This is a Market-town of good Business, well-built and populous, has a good Trade, and a great many Ships belonging to it, notwithstanding it is so remote. Here are also a great many good Families of Gentlemen, tho' in this utmost Angle of the Nation: and, which is yet more strange, the Veins of Lead, Tin, and Copper Ore, are said to be seen, even to the utmost Extent of Land at Low-water Mark, and in the very Sea. So rich, so valuable a Treasure is contained in these Parts of
Great Britain,
tho' they are supposed to be very poor, because so remote from
London,
which is the Centre of our Wealth.
Between this Town and
St. Burien,
a Town midway between it and the
Land's-end,
stands a circular Temple of the
Druids,
consisting of 19 Stones, the Distance between each being 12 Feet, and a 20th in the Centre, much higher than the rest; and are not unlike those at
Stonehenge
in
Wiltshire.
The Parish where they stand is called
Biscard-woune,
from whence the antient and now noble Family of
Boscawen
derives its Name.
In
Cleer
Parish in this County, Six or Eight Stones of prodigious Bigness likewise stand up in a Circle; a Monument of the like Nature.
These are probably, as those at
Stonehenge
and
Burien,
Remains of
Druids
Temples.
And we shall mention in this Place, that at
Stantondrew,
in
Somersetshire,
is another Temple of the
Druids,
called
The Weddings.
The
Maen-amber,
near this Town of
Pensance,
was also a very remarkable Stone, which, as Mr.
Camden
tells us, tho' it be of a vast Bigness, yet might be moved with one Finger, notwithstanding a great Number of Men could not remove it from its Place. It was destroy'd, as one of the same Sort was in
Fifeshire, Scotland,
by one of
Oliver
's Governors: for these Reformers had a Notion of these Works being of a superstitious kind.
Maen
is a
British
Word for a great Stone: There is one of these Stones, as Dr.
Stukely
tells us, in
Derbyshire
; and Mr.
Toland
acquaints us, that there are also such in
Ireland,
as well as
Wales
; he gives the following Account of this Piece of Antiquity.
"At a Place called
Maen-amber,
says he, is a Heap of Stones roundish, and of vast Bulk; but so artificially pitch'd on flat Stones, sometimes more, sometimes fewer in Number, that touching the great Stone lightly, it moves, and seems to totter, to the great Amazement of the Ignorant; but stirs not, at least not sensibly, when one uses his whole Strength."
Near
Pensance,
but open to the Sea, is that Gulph they call
Mounts-bay,
named so from a high Hill standing in the Water, which they call
St. Michael's Mount
; the Seamen call it only
the Cornish Mount.
It has been fortify'd, tho' the Situation of it makes it so difficult of Access, that, like the
Bass
in
Scotland,
there needs no Fortification. Like the
Bass
too, it was once made a Gaol for Prisoners of State, but now it is wholly neglected. Here is a very good Road for Shipping, which makes the Town of
Pensance
a Place of good Resort.
A little up in the Country towards the North-west is
Godolchan,
which tho' a Hill, rather than a Town, gives Name to the antient and now noble Family of
Godolphin
; and nearer on the Northern Coast is
Ryalton,
which gives the second Title to the Earl
Godolphin.
This Place also is infinitely rich in
Tin
Mines.
But I must not end this Account at the utmost Extent of the Island of
Great Britain
West, without visiting those kind of
Excrescences
of the Island, the Rocks of
Scilly,
where many good Ships are almost continually dashed in Pieces, and many brave Lives lost, in spite of the Mariner's best Skill, or the Light-houses and other Sea-marks best Notice.
These Isles, called in
Latin, Silurum Insulae,
are supposed by some to be the
Cassiterides
of the Antients: they lie about 60 Miles from the
Land's-end,
and are a Cluster of small Islands, to the Number, as some reckon, of 145.
Scilly
was once the chief in Estimation. But
St. Mary
being the fruitfullest and largest, tho' but Nine Miles about, has now the Pre-eminence; and it has a very good Harbour, fortify'd with a Castle built by Queen
Elizabeth.
These Isles were conquer'd by
Athelstane,
one of the
Saxon
Kings, and from his Time they are deemed a Part of the County of
Cornwall.
These Islands lie so in the Middle between the Two vast Openings of the North and South narrow Seas, or, as the Sailors call them, the
Bristol Chanel,
and
The Chanel,
(so called by way of Eminence) that it cannot, or perhaps never will be avoided, but that several Ships in the Dark of the Night, and in Stress of Weather, may by being out in their Reckonings, or other unavoidable Accidents, mistake; and if they do, they are sure, as the Sailors call it, to run
Bump ashore
upon
Scilly,
where they find no Quarter among the Breakers; but are beat to pieces, without any Possibility of Escape.
One can hardly mention the Rocks of
Scilly,
without letting fall a Tear to the Memory of Sir
Cloudesly Shovel,
and all the gallant Spirits with him; who, in the Admiral Ship, with Three Men of War, and all their Men, running upon these Rocks, right afore the Wind, in a dark Night, were lost, and not a Man saved, in his Return from a fruitless Expedition against
Toulon.
They tell us of Eleven Sail of Merchant Ships Homeward-bound, and richly laden from the South-ward, who had the like Fate, in the same Place, a great many Years ago; and that some of them coming from
Spain,
and having a great Quantity of Bullion or Pieces of Eight on board, the Money frequently drives on Shore still, and that in good Quantities, especially after stormy Weather.
This may be the Reason why, as we observed during our short Stay here, several Mornings after it had blown something hard in the Night, the Sands were covered with Country People, running to and fro to see if the Sea had cast up any thing of value. This the Seamen call
going a shoring
; and it seems they often find good Purchace. Sometimes also dead Bodies are cast up here, the Consequence of Shipwrecks among those fatal Rocks and Islands; as also broken Pieces of Ships, Casks, Chests, and almost every thing that will float, or roll on Shore by the Surges of the Sea.
Nor is it seldom that the savage Country People scuffle and fight about the Right to what they find, and that in a desperate manner; so that this Part of
Cornwall
may truly be said to be inhabited by a fierce and ravenous People, like those on the Coast of
Sussex
; for they are so greedy and eager for Prey, that they are charged with strange, bloody, and cruel Dealings, even sometimes with one another; but especially with poor distressed Seamen, when they are forced on Shore by Tempests, and seek Help for their Lives, and where they find the Rocks themselves not more merciless, than the People who range about them for their Prey.
Here also, as a farther Testimony of the immense Riches which have been lost at times upon this Coast, we found several Engineers and Projectors with Diving Engines, attempting to recover what had been lost, and that not always unsuccessfully.
From the Tops of the Hills, on this Extremity of the Land, you may see out into what they call the
Chaps of the Chanel
; which, as it is the greatest Inlet of Commerce, and the most frequented by Merchant Ships of any Place in the World; so one seldom looks out to Sea-ward, but something new presents of Ships passing, or repassing, either on the great or lesser Chanel.
This Point of the
Lizard,
which runs out to the Southward, and the other Promontory mentioned above, make the Two Angles, or Horns, as they are called, from whence 'tis supposed this Country received its first Name of
Cornwall,
or, as Mr.
Camden
says,
Cornubia
in the
Latin,
and in the
British, Kerneu,
as running out in two vastly extended Horns.
The
Lizard
Point is still more useful (tho' not so far West) than the other, which is more properly called the
Land's-end,
being more frequently first discovered from the Sea; and is therefore the general Guide, and the Land which the Ships chuse to make first; being then sure, that they are past
Scilly.
Nature has fortify'd this Part of the Island of
Britain
in a strange manner, and so as is worth a Traveller's Observation.
First, there are the Islands of
Scilly,
and the Rocks about them; which are placed like Out-works to resist the first Assaults of this Enemy the Ocean, and so break the Force of it; as the Piles or Stirlings (as they are called) are placed before the solid Stone-work of
London-bridge,
to fence off the Force, either of the Water, or Ice, or any thing else that might be dangerous to the Work.
Then there are a vast Number of
sunk Rocks,
(so the Seamen call them) besides such as are visible, and above Water; which gradually lessen the Quantity of Water, that would otherwise lie with an infinite Weight and Force upon the Land. 'Tis observed, that these Rocks lie under Water for a great way off into the Sea on every Side the said Two Horns or Points of Land; so breaking the Force of the Water, and lessening the Weight of it.
But besides this, the whole
Terra Firma,
or Body of the Land, which makes this Part of the Isle of
Britain,
seems to be one solid Rock, as if it was formed by Nature to resist the otherwise irresistible Power of the Ocean. And indeed, if one was to observe with what Fury the Sea comes on sometimes against the Shore here, especially at the
Lizard Point,
where there are but few, if any Out-works, (as I call them) to resist it; how high the Waves come rolling forward, storming on the Back of one another, particularly when the Wind blows
off Sea,
one would wonder, that even the strongest Rocks themselves should be able to resist and repel them. But, as I said, the Country seems to be one great Body of Stone, and prepar'd so on purpose.
And yet, as if all this was not enough, Nature has provided another strong Fence, and that is, that these vast Rocks are, in a manner, cemented together by the solid and weighty Ore of TIN and COPPER, especially the latter, which is plentifully found upon the very outmost Edge of the Land, and with which the Stones may be said to be solder'd together, lest the Force of the Sea should separate and disjoint them, and, breaking in upon these Fortifications of the Island, destroy its chief Security.
This is certain, that there is a more than ordinary Quantity of Tin, Copper, and Lead also, fixed by the Great Author of Nature in these very remote Angles; so that the Ore is found upon the very Surface of the Rocks a good way into the Sea, and does not only lie, as it were, upon or between the Stones among the Earth, which in that Case might be wash'd from it by the Sea; but is even blended or mix'd in with the Stones themselves, so that the Stones must be split into Pieces to come at it. By this Mixture the Rocks are made exceedingly weighty and solid, and thereby still the more qualified to repel the Force of the Sea.
Upon this remote Part of the Island we saw great Numbers of that famous kind of
Crows,
which is known by the Name of the
Cornish Chough:
they are the same kind which are found in
Switzerland
among the
Alps,
and which,
Pliny
pretended, were peculiar to those Mountains, and calls the
Pyrrhocorax.
The Body is
Black,
the Legs, Feet, and Bill, of a
Yellow,
almost to a
Red.
I could not find, that it was affected for any good Quality it had, nor is the Flesh good to eat, for it feeds much on Fish and Carrion; it is counted little better than a Kite, for it is of a ravenous Quality, and is very mischievous; it will steal and carry away any think it finds about the House, that is not too heavy, tho' not fit for its Food; as Knives, Forks, Spoons and Linen Cloths, or whatever it can fly away with; sometimes, they say, it has stolen Bits of Firebrands, or lighted Candles, and lodged them in the Stacks of Corn, and the Thatch of Barns and Houses, and set them on Fire.
I might take up many Sheets in describing the valuable Curiosities of this little
Chersonese,
called the
Land's-end,
in which lies an immense Treasure, and many Things worth Notice, besides those to be found upon the Surface: but I am too near the End of this Letter. If I have Opportunity, I shall take Notice of some Part of what I omit here, in my Return by the Northern Shore of the County. In the mean time,
I am,
&c.
The END of VOL. I.
INDEX TO THE FIRST VOLUME.
A
ABbotsbury
Page
297, 298
Addenbroke,
Dr.
103
Addington 154
Alcocke,
Bishop of
Ely 97
Ald,
River
41
Aldburgh
ibid.
Aldermaston 244
Aldham Common 28
Alexander Severus,
his Coin
285
Alfred,
King, raises a Fortification
148.
Routs the
Danes 320
Alphage,
St. Archbishop of
Canterbury,
kill'd
120
Alre,
River
199
Alresford 245
Alsham 66
Alton 207
Alva,
Duke
de,
his Persecution
157
Ambresbury 255
Ambrius
founds a Monastery ibid.
Amphitheatre 162.
Another
294
Anderida 172
Andover 254
Anglesey,
Earl of, his Seat
209
Anindel, Thomas 154
Anne and Thomas,
Accident which befel that Ship
134, 135
Anne,
Queen, delights in
Windsor 242
St.
Anne's Fort 70
Appledore 171
Appledore-come 206
Arington 104
Arran,
Earl of, his Seat
209
Arthur,
King, his round Table
250, 251
Arun,
River
189
Arundel
ibid.
Arundel,
Earl of, without the Royal Creation
190
Ashburton 328
Ashcomb-hills 217
Ashford 152, 172
Asparagus,
the best
p. 131
Athelstane,
King, where he enacted Laws
149.
Founds a Minster
308.
A Monastery
312.
Subdues
Exeter 320.
Conquers the Isles of
Scilly 352
Aubery 285
Audley, Thomas,
Lord Chancellor
98.
His Monument
105
Audley-end 105
Augustine,
the Monk
155.
His Monastery
157.
Chapel
158.
Aumont,
Duke
de,
his Opinion of Sir
Fisher Tench
's Seat
115
Avon,
River
274, 280, 285, 292
Aurelius Ambrose,
King, rebuilds a Monastery
255
Axminster 307
Aylesford 152
B
Bacon,
Sir
Nicolas 37
Badew, Richard 93
Bagshot-heath 209, 210
Bakely 173
Ball, John,
a seditious Preacher
29
Balsham, Hugh,
Bishop of
Ely 93.
Institutes a Priory
98
Banstead-downs 225
Barham-downs 165
Barking 3
to
7
Barnardiston,
Sir
Samuel,
his Seat
23
Barnwell 90, 91
Barrington,
Lord Viscount
10
Barrow,
Dr.
Isaac 99
Barrows
describ'd
266
to
272
Barnstable
Hundred
8
Barton,
Sir
Henry 38
Basingstoke 242, 243
Bateman, William,
Bishop of
Norwich 95
Battle-abbey 178
Battley,
Archdeacon
38
Bavard-castle 148
Beacon-hill
Light-house
18, 178
Beaufort,
Cardinal, his Monument
248
Beaulieu 10
Beccles 46
Beckenham 223
Becket, Thomas à 155, 156
Beckman,
Sir
Martin 5
Beddington, 124, 232, 233
Beechworth-castle 218
Bennet,
his Enthusiasm
277
Bentley,
Dr.
Richard 99
Bevis-mount 204, 205
Bicton 311
Bigin-gate 165
Bigod, Hugh,
his Boast
46
Bildeston 31
Billericay 20
Bingham, William 95
Birch
Woods
128
Bittern 204
Black-heath 121
Black Jack,
Earl of
Pembroke 283
Black-Notely 109
Blackstakes 142
Black Tayl,
the Sand
7
Blackwater,
River
p. 6
Blandford 300, 301
Bleechingley 222
Blithbury 45
Blois,
Bishop
252
Blow-mill-course 280
Blundel, Peter 325
Blyth,
River
42, 45
Boadicea,
Queen
10
Bocking 108, 109
Bodley,
Sir
Thomas 325
Bolton,
Duke of, his Seats
207, 245
Boniface,
Archbishop of
Canterbury 154
Boreman,
Sir
William 120
Boscawen,
Family
350
Botesdale 37
Boxford 35
Box-hill 216
Boxley-hill 152
Braintree 108
Bramber 188
Brampton,
Dr.
John de 325
Brandon 76
Branksey 292, 293
Bray, John,
his Strength
338
Bredenstone 167
Breed 173
Brentley 80
Brentwood 19
Brereton,
Sir
John 100
Bridport 298, 299
Brighthelmston 187, 188
Bristol,
Earl of, his Seat,
38
Britiffe, Edmund,
Esq
37
Britiffe, Robert,
Esq
74
British
Camps
273
Brixham 332, 333
Bromley 223
Broome 43
Brown,
Sir
Thomas 54
Brunaburgh
Battle
308
Buckfastleigh 322
Buckland Monachorum 329
Bull-hide
Haven
177
Bungay 45
Bures 35
Burgh-castle 46
St.
Burien 350
Burnet,
Bishop
277
Bury St. Edmunds 31
to
35
Busselton 199
Butley 44
C.
Calshot-castle 205
Cam,
River
77, 82, 108
Camalodunum 10
Camberwell 232
Camboritum 108
Cambridge
Town and University
92
to
104.
Castle
104
Cambridgeshire,
described
80, 81
Camden,
the Place of his Retirement
128.
Quoted
159.
Rectify'd
216, 217
Camel,
River
341
Candy
Island
7
Cann,
River
20
Canons-leigh,
and
Canonsteing 322
Canterbury 155
to
158
Canute,
King, founds a Church
32.
His Command to the Tide
204
Capel,
Sir
William 36
Carew,
Mr. his Survey of
Cornwall p. 337
Carisbrook-castle 206
Carleton,
Bishop, his Monument
193
Carrots,
the best, where
162
Carvilium 285
Carvilius,
his Tomb
268, 284
Cashalton 224, 225, 232
Cassiterides 352
Caster 53, 64
Castle-Rising 67
St.
Catharine's Hill 213, 214
Catton 66
Cawtater 335
Cavalcade,
an extraordinary one
344
Cavendish 36
Caxton,
first
English
Printer
104
Chagford 328
Chanel 352
Chaps of the Chanel 354
Chard 303
Charing 154
Charlton
in
Kent 123, 124,
in
Sussex 195
Chatham 137
to
141
Chediston 45
Chelmer,
River
6, 20
Chelmsford 20, 111
Chertsey 211.
Its Bridge
229
Chefilhurst 128
Chest,
Bishop
277
Chesterford 108
Chesterton 303
Chichester 192
to
195
Chichley,
Archbishop, his Monument
156
Child,
Sir
Josiah 141
Chilmark 280
Chipping-Onger 113
Chiselbury 284
Choughs, Cornish
ones
356
Christ-church,
in
Wilts 274, 289
Chute-hill 286
Cibber,
Statues made by him
249
Cinque-ports 168
Cissa,
King
193
Clapham 232, 233
Clare 35
Clare,
Lady
Elizabeth 93
Claremont 227, 228
Clarence,
Duke of, his Monument
156
Clarendon-house 278
Clarke,
Dr.
Alured 259
Cleaver,
Alderman
226
St.
Cleer 341, 350
Clerk,
Sir
Francis 100
Cloberry,
Sir
John,
his Monument
248
Clothing Trade 212, 213
Clyde 66
Cobb 300
Cober,
River
349
Cobham 216
Cobham-hall 144
Cobles,
what
58
Cockham
Wood
143
Coke, Arundel,
Esq
condemn'd for a barbarous Outrage
33, 34
Coke,
Sir
Thomas 19
Colchester 11
to
13
Colchester-water 7.
Oysters taken there
8
Coln,
River
12
Colnies Hundred 40
Constantius
builds
Silchester p. 244
Constantius Chlorus
makes a Road
278, 279
Coombe 226, 233
Corse 293
Cornish
Choughs
356
Cornwall
described
337, 338
Cornwallis,
Ld. his Palace
80
Coterels,
what
144
Cottman,
Dean
219
Courticello,
Cardinal, his Monument
156
Courtney,
Archbishop
170
Cowdrey 191, 192
Cows 205, 206
Cowick Priory 322
Cowley,
his Retirement
211
Cranbrook 153, 172
Crockhaven Torr 328, 329
Cromere 65
Cromere Bay,
what called by the Sailors
64
Crook,
River
194
Crookhorn 303
Crooksea-water 8
Crouch,
River ibid.
Cows-hall 38
Croydon 224, 232
Cuckold's Point 126
Cullyford 309
Cuthberga
builds a Monastery
290
Cuttenbeck 340
D
Dagenham 5
Dahl,
his fine Painting of Queen
Anne 278
Darcy,
Sir
Conyers,
his Seat
215
Darking 219, 220
Dart,
River
223, 326, 330
Dartford 129, 130
Dartmouth 330
to
332
Davers,
their Seat
80
Deal 163
to
165
Deben,
River
39
Debenham 38
Deepden 219
Dengy Hundred 8
Dengyness 171
Deptford 117, 118
Devil's-drop 167
Devil's-dyke 80
Devonshire
described
307
Devonshire,
Earl of, his violent Resentment on a trifling Account
318
Dioclesian,
his Coin
167
Dola 163
Dorchester 294, 295
Dorn-money,
what ibid.
Dover 165
to
168.
Dover
Castle
166
Downham 75
Downs 163
to
165
Drake,
Sir
Francis 325
Drew,
Mr. murder'd
30
Druids,
one of their Temples
350
Dubris 165
Duck,
Dr.
Arthur 325
Ducket, Andrew 97
Duckoys 82
Dulwich-wells 223, 224
Dungarth,
King of
Cornwall,
drown'd
342
Dungeon-hill 157
Dunmow,
the Flitch of Bacon in the Priory there
p. 20
Dunwich 41
Durdans 226
Durobrivis 136
Durolenum 154
Duroverus 155
Dutch,
their Attempt on the Royal Navy
143
Duze,
River
66
Dysert,
Earl of, his Seat
80
E
Eanswide,
Princess, builds a Nunnery
168
East-Angles,
the Boundary of that Kingdom
80
Easterbergholt 36
East-Loe 344, 345
Easton 43
East-Tilbury 5
Eastwell 152
Ebbesflete 161
Eddystone 334
Edgar,
King, builds a Nunnery
253
Edmund,
King
32.
Where murdered
45
Edward
the Elder, King
10
Edward III.
places the
Flemings
at
Sudbury 29.
Founder of
King's-hall 99.
Builds
Queenborough
ana the Castle
146.
Makes several Ordinances relating to Sea Affairs
147
Edward the Black Prince 155
Edward IV.
begins
Portsmouth
Fortifications
197.
His capricious Conduct to the
Foy-men 343
Edward VI.
his Benefactions to
Christ's-college 97.
His Armour
283
Egham Causway 210
Egmont,
Earl of, his Seat
124
Eleanor,
Consort of
Henry III. 255
Elizabeth,
Consort of
Edward IV. 97
Elizabeth,
Queen, sends the
Flemings
to
Norwich 54.
Builds larger Ships than were used before
126.
Her Care for the Grandeur of the City of
London 130.
Inscription to her Honour
147.
Gives the
Walloons
a Church
157.
Her Pocket-pistol
166.
She builds a Castle
352
Elliott ------
a Benefactor to
St. Germans 340
Eltham, 125, 128
Ely 77
Epping Forest 21, 113, 114, 116
Epsom 225, 226
Erasmus,
his Description of
Thomas à Becket
's Shrine
156
Erpingham,
Lord
167
Esher 227
Essex
describ'd
p. 2, 4, 11, 111
Ethelbert
King, his Palace
157. Pagan
Chapel
158.
His Queen ibid.
Etheldred,
King, his Monument
291.
Founds Two Convents
312
Exe,
River
311, 317, 318, 322, 224
Exeter,
Marchioness of, her Monument
291
Exeter
City
311
to
322
Eye 38
Eyles,
Sir
John,
his House
19
Eyre,
Sir
Simon 76
F
Fagg,
Sir
Robert,
Bart. his Seat
189
St.
Faith
's
56, 66
Fakenham 66
Falmouth
Haven and Town
346
to
348
Farnham 196
Farlo 286
Farnham 207, 208
Farnham
Market
194, 195
Feast of Reconciliation
at
Lynn 72
Felixstow 40
Felsted 111
Fens 75, 76, 81, 82, 83
Fetcham 215
Feversham 148
to
151
Fishes,
Seventeen monstrous ones taken
75.
Great Number caught at once
218, 219
Fishwick
's Hostel
p 99
Fitzwalter,
Earl of, his Seat
p 20
Flamstead-house p 118
Flats p 116
Fleet-ditch,
a Person of Quality, and the Reverend Mr.
Betham,
drowned there
p 244
Folkstone p 168
Fonnereau, Claude,
Esq
his Seat
p 27
Ford-abbey p 308
Fordington p 294, 295
Fornham p 31
Fowey,
River
p 343
Fox,
Bishop, his Monument
p 247
Fox, George,
his Stone Building
p 145
Fox, James,
his Seat
p 215
Fox,
Sir
Stephen,
his Beneficence
p 286
Foy p 342, 343
Framlingham p 44
Frampton,
Mr.
p 81
Fulmerston,
Sir
Richard,
his Will
p 76
Frog-pool p 128
Froom,
River
p 292, 293
G
Gad's-hill p 135
Gale,
Dr. digs Bones out of several Tumuli
p 123
Gates,
Sir
Thomas,
shipwreck'd
p 309
Gatton p 222
George I.
his Benefactions to the Universities of
Cambridge
and
Oxford p. 101, 102, 103.
His dangerous Voyage
175, 176.
Brings
Hampton-court
into Request
242
George II.
his Statue at
Greenwich 120
St.
Germans 340
Giffard's-hall 36
St.
Giles's-hill 252
Gillingham-castle 141
Glanvill,
Sir
John,
and Sergeant
326
Godalmin 214
Godolchan 351
Godolphin,
Earl, his Seat
81
Godstone 222
Godwood 191, 194, 195
Gogmagog-hills 81
Gonevil, Edmund 95
Goodwin Sands 171
Gosport 199
Goudhurst 153
Grampound 345
Grant,
River
82
Gravel-pits 2
Gravesend 130
to
135
Green-Man 3
Greenwich 118
to
121
Gregory,
Sir
William 38
Gresham,
the Town
66
Greshams,
Brothers, Lord-Mayors of
London
ibid.
Grey-coats
of
Kent 153
G
le-bridge 329, 330
G
ford 212, 213, 214
Guldy hall 19
Gundulph,
Bishop, his Effigies
137
Gunning,
Bishop of
Ely 98
Gunpowder
Treason, where contriv'd
4
D
Hackney Marsh,
Stone Causeway there
2
Haddenham
Level
83
Hadley 28
Hales,
Sir
John 159
Halesworth 45
Halldown 322
Ham 229
Ham-Ouze 335, 336
Hampton-court 236
to
242
Hankey,
Sir
Joseph,
his Seat
36
Hanmer,
Sir
Thomas,
his Seat ibid.
Harold,
King, builds a Monastery
113.
His Gravestone
114
Harrington,
Lord, his Seat
230, 231
Hartsmere Hundred 43
Harwich 15
to
17
Hastings 177
Hatfield-Peverel 21, 22
Haverhill 36
St.
Helens 206
Helford 349, 350
Helston 346
Hemingston,
its merry Tenure
36
Henault Forest 3, 21
Hengist,
his Treachery
255
Henry II. 46.
Connives at the Murder of
Thomas à Becket p. 155
Henry III.
his Battle with the Barons
187
Henry V.
some of his Broadpieces found
96
Henry VI.
the Founder of
King's
College
95.
Makes the Isle of
Wight
a Kingdom
206
Henry VII.
abolishes a Nunnery
97.
Inlarges
Greenwich
Palace,
&c. 119.
Augments
Portsmouth
Fortifications
197.
Removes the Bones of
Henry VI. 211.
Gives the Sword to the City of
Exeter 317
Henry VIII.
his Seat
10.
Demolishes the Abbey at
Bary 32.
Digs in vain for Gold
37.
Changes the Name of
Lynn Episcopi
to
Regis 69.
Founder of
Trinity
College
Cambridge 99.
Builds a Store-house, and establishes the Corporation of
Trinity-house
at
Deptford 117.
Holds his Feasts at
Greenwich 118.
Completes
Greenwich
Palace
119.
Repairs
Queenborough
Castle, and builds others
146.
Seizes on the Monastery at
Canterbury 156.
Builds
Dover-pier 167.
Builds
Sandgate-castle 169.
Builds
Southampton
Fort
203.
His Armour
283
Herbert, William,
Bishop of
Norwich 60
Hereford,
Lord Viscount, his Seat
27
Hertford-castle 10
Hervey
of
Stanton 99
Hickling 66
Hide-house 251, 252
Hitcham,
Sir
Robert 38
Hithe,
at
Colchester 12
Hoare,
Mr. his Seat
20
Hogmagog-hills 81
Hollingbourn-hill 152
Holm 104
Holmward 220, 221
Holt,
Lord Chief Justice, his Monument
51
Holt,
the Town
66
Holy-cross
Hospital
252
Honedon 36
Honiton 309, 310
Hooker,
Mr.
Richard 325
Hop-grounds 158
Hops,
great Plantations of them
151
Hopton,
Sir
Ralph,
defeats the Parliament Army
339
Horndon 6
Horn-fair 125
Horse-races 78
Houghton 67
Hoxne 32, 45
Humphrey,
Duke of
Gloncester 35, 119
Hunter,
Governor, his Seat
124
Hurseley 200
Hythe 169
I.
James I.
incorporates
St. Mary Magdalen
's Hospital
p. 72
James II.
deprives
Hadley
of its Charter
28.
His Statue, and its servile Inscription
72, 73.
Builds a Stable on
Hogmagog-hills 81.
Ill treated
149, 150.
Adds to
Portsmouth
Fortifications
197
Jane,
Lady, proclaimed Queen
45
Iciani 11
Ickworth 38
Icleton 108
Jewell,
Bishop
277
Ilford 4
Indio 322
Infirmary
at
Winchester 253
Ingatestone 19
Ingatestone
Hall and Town
111
Inigo Jones 283
John,
King, his Gifts to the Corporation of
Lynn 73.
His amorous Adventure at
Charlton 125.
Builds a Palace
279.
Changes the Day of
Honiton
Market
310
Jones -----
Esq
his Seat
114
Jouring,
what
303
Ipswich 23
to
27
Isening-street 294
Islip, Simon,
Archbishop of
Canterbury 154
Itching,
River
203, 204
St.
Ives 82
Ivil,
River
303
Julia Domna,
her Head
312, 313
Julius Caesar,
where supposed to land
161, 163, 165
Julius II.
Pope, abolishes a Nunnery
97
Ixworth 37
K.
Kellington 338
Kelvedon 11
Kennington 232
Kent
described
117, 127, 128, 129, 152
Kentigern
and
Horbus,
their Tomb
154
Kett,
his Rebellion
53, 72
Kett's-cotty-house 154
Kew-green 231
Kilmington 308
King,
Bishop, his Monument
193
King,
Lord Chancellor
326
King-barrow 267, 284
Kingsclere 243
King's-ferry 145
Kingston 226
Knowles,
Sir
Robert 136
Knowl-house 184
L.
Lack,
River
31
Landguard
Fort
15, 16, 18
Land's-end 354, 356
Langbro' p. 286
Langton,
Bishop, his Monument
156
Larke,
River
38
A
Last,
what
58
Lavant,
River
192
Lavenham 30
Lavington-creek 22
Launceston 338
Layton,
or
Leighton-stone 3, 115
Leaden-hall 76
Leatherhead 216
Lech 171
Ledgate 36
Lee,
River
113
Lee
's Priory
20, 111
Leigh 6
Lemanis 169
Len,
River
154
Lenham
ibid.
Leostoff 50
Leskard 339
Lestwithiel 343, 344
Letheringham 43
Lewes 186, 187
Limne 169, 170, 171
Linton 105
Lisle,
Sir
George 11
Lith-hill 221, 222
Littlebury 107
Lizard Point 354, 355
Loe,
River
344
London,
the Ship, burnt
143
Loughborough-house 232
Low-Layton 115
Lucas,
Sir
Charles 11
Lucius,
King,
166, 247
Lufkin, Richard 43
Luggershall 255
Lyme-Regis 299, 300
Lymington 289
Lynn 68
to
75
M.
Madviacis 153
Maen-amber 351
Magmenots,
a
Norman
Family
118
Maiden-bower 70
Maidstone 151, 153
Malden 9
Malden-water 7
Manchester,
Earl of
72
Maningtree 22
Mareworth-castle 154
Margaret,
Queen
96
Margaret,
Countess of
Richmond 97, 98
Margate 159
Marham 66
Market-Jew 349
Marlborough,
Duke of
326
Martin,
Sir
Roger 30
Martin's-hall-hill 285, 286
Mary,
Queen of
France 33
Mary I.
retires to
Framlingham-castle 45.
Orders the Lord
Stourton
to be hang'd
277
Mary II.
founds the Hospital at
Greenwich 119.
Her Apartments at
Hampton-court 237.
Fond of Gardening
238
Mary,
Princess, becomes a Nun
255
St.
Mary
's
Hamlet 203
St.
Mary Isle 352
St.
Mary Ottery p. 310
Maryland Point 2
Maud,
Empress
46.
Assisted
Exeter 321
Maumbury,
what
295
St.
Mawes 346
Maynard,
Sir
John 326
Medway,
River
136, 141, 142, 143, 146, 151, 152, 154, 181, 185, 186
Melcomb 296
Melford 30
Membury 309
Mendlesham 38
Merlin
's Cave
231
Mersey
Island
8
Mersh 77
Mew,
Bishop
247
St.
Michael
's College
99
St.
Michael
's Mount
351
Mickleham 216
Midae 191
Midhurst
ibid.
Milburn,
Sir
John 30
Milden-hall 38
Mildmay,
Sir
Walter 99
Milton 148
Mineral Waters,
their Virtues
181
to
184
Mines,
Tin, Copper, and Lead
227
Mole,
River
216
to
219
Molesey 216
Monk,
General, his Picture
313.
Where born
326
Monmouth,
Duke of
299
Montacute,
Lord Viscount
178.
His Seat
191, 192
Moor,
Bishop of
Ely 101
Moor-stone 337
Morden,
Sir
John,
his Hospital at
Black-heath 121
to
123
More-park 208, 209
Morley,
Bishop of
Winchester 246
Mount-Edgcumbe 336
Mount's-bay 351
Mullets,
where the best caught
190
N.
Nadder,
River
274, 280, 284
Nase,
the Promontory
14
Needham 37
Needles,
the Streight so called
289
Nene,
River
82
Nero,
his Gold Coin
311
Nevil,
Dean of
Canterbury 99
New-chapel,
(a Chapel of Ease)
4
Newenden 172
New Forest 200.
Proposal for settling the
Palatines
there
287
to
289
Newhaven 187
Newmarket 78, 80
Newmarket
Heath
80
New Park 229
Newport 206
Newton,
Sir
Henry,
his Seat
124
Newton-bushel 326
Neyland 29
Nicks,
the Highwayman,
his prodigious Expedition
p. 135, 136
St.
Nicolas 335
Nigel,
second Bishop of
Ely 98
Nonsuch 226
Norfolk
describ'd
52, 53, 56, 65.
Duke of, his extraordinary Privilege
190
Northampton, Henry Howard
Earl of, founds a College at
Greenwich 120, 121
North-Foreland 14.
Brick Tower there
15.
Its Situation
161
Northleigh 309
North Waltham 66
Norton 37
Norton,
Colonel
200
to
202
Norwich 53, 54
Norwood 223
O.
Ockingham 242
Old Basing-house 242
Old Sarum 273, 274
Onflow,
Lord, his Seat
215
Orchestra 280
Ore,
River
40, 44
Orford 40
Orford,
Earl of
78
Orfordness 40
Orwel,
River
16, 22, 23
Osey
Island
7
Ouse,
River
68, 77
Ouse,
Great and Little
82
Oyster-fishery
at
Rochester 141.
The best where
151
P.
Palmerston,
Lord Viscount, his Seat
231, 232
Paper-mill,
the first in
England 129
Papworth 104
Parker,
Archbishop of
Canterbury 94
Park-hill 302
Peckham 232
Peckham,
Bishop, his Monument
156
Pelham, Henry,
Esq
his Seat
227
Pembroke,
Earl of, his Improvements at
Wilton-house 281
Pendennis 346
Pendering-hall 36
Penryn 349
Pensance 350
Pepys ----
Esq
98
Perry,
Captain, stops
Dagenham
Breach
5
Peterborough 82
Peterborough,
Earl of, his Maze
204
Petersfield 207
Petersham 229
Petre,
Lord
111
Petre,
Sir
William 325
Petworth 190
Pevensey
Harbour
177, 178
Peverell, Randolph,
his Story
22
Pheasants,
where in great Plenty
65
Philippa,
Queen
146
Piddle,
River
p. 289
Piercies,
Earls of
Northumberland,
their Seat
190
Pilchards,
a great Shoal of them
331.
Fishing for them
348, 349, 350
Pinnock,
Mr.
Henry 131
Placentia 119
Plymouth 334
to
336
Plympton 328, 329, 333
Pole,
Cardinal, his Monument
156
Polesloe
Priory
322
Pool 289, 292
Poore,
Bishop
276
Port
of
London,
its Extent
14
Portchester 196
Portland
and Castle
296
to
298
Portsdown-hills 198
Portsmouth 196
to
198
Powderham-castle 322
Powder-mill
blown up
150
Prom-hill
overflow'd
171
Purbeck 293
Purford 216
Pyrrhocorax 356
Q
Quarley-hills 255
Queenborough 146
to
149
R.
Raleigh,
Sir
Walter 325
Ramsgate 161
Ray,
the learned Mr. his Monument
109, 110
Rayley 6
Raynham 67, 144
Rech 80
Rech-dyke
ibid.
Redbridge 199
Redgrave 51
Redhouse
at
Deptford
burnt
118
Redwald,
King of the
East-Angles 44
Reepham 66
Rendleham 44
Richborough-castle 161
Richmond 231
Richmond,
Duke of, his Forest
196
Richmond,
Countess of, her Retirement
212
Ringwood 292
Riverhead 223
Roan,
Mr.
John 120
Rochester 136, 137, 141, 142
Rochester
Bridge
136
Rochester,
Earl of, his House burnt
229, 230
Rochester
Hundred
8
Rochford 6
Rocks,
the natural Fortification of
Britain 354
to
376
Roding 113
Rolle, Henry,
Esq
his Tenure
311
Roman Camp,
and Military Way
234, 235, 273
Roman
Inscription
194
Roman, John,
his Strength
338
Romney,
Ld. his Seat
p. 124
Romney,
the Village
171
Romney
Marsh ibid.
Old
Romney
ibid.
Romsey 253
Roodings 113
Rooke,
Sir
George 167
Rother,
River
171, 172
Rotherham,
Archbishop of
York 100
Roxborough,
Duke of, his Seat
210
Royal Catharine
sunk
142
Royal Charles
carry'd off
143
Royal Sovereign,
how soon fitted out
140
Rufus, William,
his Fate
286, 287
Rugemont-castle 313
Rumford 19
Russel,
Lord, relieves
Exeter 321
Rushbrook 80
Rutupiae 160
Ryalton 351
Rye 173
Rygate 222
S
Saffron-Walden 105
Salinae 303
Salisbury 272
to
278
Salisbury Plains 272, 273
Saltash 337
Saltwood-castle 170
Sancroft,
Archbishop of
Canterbury 99
Sandfort-castle 296
Sandgate-castle 169
Sandown-castle 165
Sandwich 162
Sandy 303
Sandys, Samuel,
Esq
78
Sanham 206
Saxminden 41
Say's-court,
the Seat of Sir
John Evelyn 118
Scarborough,
Earl of, his Seat
191
Scilly
Rocks
352
Scots
Runts, where and how fatten'd
56
Sea-coast
of
Yarmouth
very dangerous
62
to
64.
dreadful Instances of it
64, 65
Seckford, Thomas 39
Seven Burnhams 67
Sevenoak 186
Sevenoak,
Sir
William
ibid.
Severus,
his Silver Coins
311
Shaftesbury 302
Sheen 231
Sheep,
great Numbers of them
295
Sheerness 142, 143, 144
Shelly,
Sir
John,
his Seat
189
Shelness 149
Shepey
Isle,
143
to
146
Sherlock,
Bishop
276
Ships,
how caused to stop at
Gravesend 132, 133
Shipway 171
Shirebourn 301, 302
Shoe-beacon 7
Shoeberry
ibid.
Shoeberryness p. 7
Shooters-hill 121, 129
Shoreham 188
Shovell,
Sir
Cloudesly 140
His Fate
352, 353
Sigebert,
King
32
Silchester 243, 244
Silurum Insulae 352
Sitomagus 75
Sittingbury 148
Slate,
the best
337
Smithies,
Mr.
Ferdinando 97
Snape
Monastery
41, 43
Snare-gate 166
Snaybell 77
Snetham 67
Sogenhoc
Chapel
43
Sohan 77
Somers,
Sir
George,
ship-wreck'd
309
Somerset,
Duke of, his noble Seat
190, 191
Sorbiodunum 273
South-Foreland 163
Southampton, 199, 202
to
204
Southwark 233
to
235
Southwick 200
Southwould 42.
Sea-fight in its Bay
46, 47
Sowl bay 42
Spillman,
Sir
John 129
Spithead 206
Spits,
Sands so called
8
Spring-garden 234
Squirries 222
Stanar 160
Standard-hill 178
Stanes-bridge 210, 211
Stane-street 170
Stannary Towns 328, 329
Stansted-house 196
Stanton-drew 359
Steele,
Sir
Richard,
his Stratagem
250
Stephen,
King
46.
Founds a Monastery at
Feversham 149.
His and his Queen's Tombs
150
Steyning 188
Stoke juxta Neyland 36
Stokebridge 254
Stomacher 217
Stone-henge 256
to
266
Stoney-street 219
Storm,
the great
164
Stour,
River
16, 22, 35, 36, 108, 172, 289, 300
Stourbridge 301
Stourton,
Lord, his Crime, Execution, and Monument
277
Stow-market 37
Stratford,
in
Essex 2
Stratford,
in
Suffolk 36
Strethal 108
Stretham 224, 232
Stroud 137
Sturbridge Fair 83
to
90
Sudbourne 43
Sudbury 29
Sudbury, Simon Theobald,
Archbishop of
Canterbury
ibid.
Suffolk,
Subscription for the Widows and Orphans of Clergymen there
27, 28
Suffolk,
High, described
40, 49, 50.
For what particularly
famous
p. 48
Suffolk,
West, how supported
50.
Part of it described
79
Sussex
described
185
Swain,
King, takes
Exeter 320
Swale,
River
146
Swallows,
Account of their Departure
47
Swallows
in the River
Mole 217, 219
Swamp 142
T.
Tamar,
River
335, 336, 337, 338
Tankerville,
Earl of, his Seat
191
Tavistock 328, 329
Tavy,
River
329
Taylor,
Dr.
Rowland,
martyr'd
28
Temple,
Sir
William,
his Will
208
Tench,
Sir
Fisher,
his Seat
115
Ten-mile-course 284
Tenterden 153, 171
Test,
River
199
Thames,
River
121, 124, 127, 229, 232
Thanet,
Earls of, several of their Monuments
144
Thanet
Isle
159
Theodosius,
his Coin
311
Thetford 54, 75
Thompson, Robert,
Esq
his Tomb
154
Thorndon 111
to
113
Thorney
Isle
77
Thornhill,
Sir
James,
his fine Paintings at
Greenwich 120
Three Hundreds,
Marshes in
Essex
so called
6.
Their Names
8.
Fatal to the Fair Sex, and why ibid.
Thrembethe-bridge 145
Tichfield 199
Tidwell 309
Tilbury Fort 5, 6
Tilney,
Earl, his Seat
114, 115
Timber,
prodigious Quantities still remaining in
England 185, 190
Tin Mines 355, 356
Tofts, Mary,
the Rabbet-woman
214
Tonstal,
Bishop of
Durham 100
Tooting 233
Torbay 332
Torr-abbey
ibid.
Totness 326
to
328
Town-Malling 223
Townshend,
late Lord Viscount, his Benefactions
74, 101
Travelling Norfolk Fellowship 98
Trausantum 203
Tregony 345, 348
Tremod-ferry 145
Trewardreth
Bay and Town
345
Truro 345, 346, 347, 348
Tulip-tree,
a fine one
114
Tunbridge p. 179
to
184
Tunn,
River
180
Tunstall,
Broad-pieces found there
159
Turkeys,
prodigious Droves of them
48, 49
Turneps,
where first used for feeding Cattle
48
V.
Vaga 153
Vagniacis
ibid.
Venta Icenorum 53
Venus,
her Marble Statue,
281
Vespasian,
where he landed
332
Ufford 43
Ufford, John,
Archbishop of
Canterbury 154
Villa Faustini 10
Vindomia 243
Vortimer,
King, his Sepulchre
160
Uplime 309
Upnor 142
Uvall,
Bishop
277
Uvius,
Prior of
Hulm 32
W
Wainfleet,
Bishop, his Monument
247, 248
Waller,
Sir
William,
ruins the Bishop's Palace at
Winchester,
&c.
246
The
Walls 285, 294
Walmar-castle 165
Walpole,
Sir
Robert,
his Seat
67.
His singular Felicity
68.
Inscription on the Foundation stone of his House ibid.
Walsingham 67
Waltham-abbey 113
Waltheof,
Earl, beheaded by
William I. 252
Walton,
in
Essex,
Copperas found there
15
Walton
in
Suffolk 39
Walton
in
Surry 228
Wansdike 280
Wansled-house 3, 116
Ward,
Bishop, his Benefaction, and Monument
277
Wareham 293
Warham,
Archbishop, rails
Rochester
Bridge with Iron
136
Warminster 280
Warner,
Bishop of
Rochester 223
Warwick,
Earl of, and King of
Wight,
his Palace
206, 233
Watermen,
Act for regulating them
134
Watling-street 123, 137, 165
Waveney,
River
45, 46, 50, 55
Weald 190
The
Weddings 350
Welland,
River
82
Wells 66
Westerham 222
West-Hythe 169
West-Loe 344, 345
Wey,
River
p. 212, 216, 296
Weybridge 228
Weyburn-Hope 66
Weyhill 254, 255
Weymouth 294, 296
Whalebone 3
Wheatear,
the Bird
180
Whitchurch 243
Whitgift,
Archbishop, his Charities
224
Wickham
Market
43
Wight,
Isle
205
to
207
Wightred,
King of
Kent 165
William the Conqueror
translates the See of
Dunwich
to
Thetford 42.
Takes
Norwich 53.
Builds a Castle at
Cambridge 104.
Obliges
Harold
to take an Oath
166.
Where he landed
177.
His decisive Battle,
ibid.
Institutes an Abbey
ibid.
His Tyranny
286
William of Wickham,
Assistant to
Edward III.
in building
Windsor-castle 146.
His Monument
248.
His History
248, 249
William III.
restores
Audley-end
to the Earl of
Suffolk 106.
Founds
Greenwich
Hospital
119.
Improves
Hampton-court 237.
His Taste for Painting
240, 241
Where he landed
332.
Causes a wet Dock to be built at
Plymouth 336
Willy,
River
274, 280, 281, 284
Wilton-house,
and Town
280, 285
Wilts
describ'd
279
Wimbleton 233
Wimbourn, St. Gyles
's
292
Wimburn-minster 253, 290, 291, 292
Wimple-hall 104
Winchelsea,
Old and New
176, 189
Winchelsea,
the Ship, lost
334, 335
Winchester,
Bishop of, his Palace
208
Winchester 246
to
253
Windsor
Forest
209
Wingham 163
Winstanley,
Mr. his ingenious Contrivances
107, 108.
His unhappy Fate
334
Wintertonness 62
Wisbich 76
Witham
Town and Castle
10
Wobourn-farm 228, 229
Woelfleet
Bank and Oysters
7
Woking 211 212
Wolsey,
Cardinal, his Birth, and various Fortunes
26.
His Seat
227
Women,
their Bravery and Success at
Dartmouth 332
Woodbridge 39
Woodlark, Robert 97
Woodward,
Dr. his Benefactions to the University
of
Cambridge p. 103
Woolwich 126, 127
Worsted 66
Wotton 220, 221
Wren,
Sir
Christopher,
strengthens
Salisbury
Spire
275
Wrey,
Lord Chief Justice
98
Wring-cheese,
what
342
Wrotham 223
Wulpit 37
Wyvenhoe 8
Y
Yare,
River
54, 55, 57, 58
Yarmouth 57
to
62
Yarmouth,
South
206
Yarnbury 280
Yeomen
of
Kent 153
Yeovil 330