Through England on a side saddle in the time of William and Mary

by Celia Fiennes

ffrom London to Amwell Berry in Hartfordshire 19 mile, thence to Bishops Startford in Essex 13 mile, w^ch is a very pretty Neat Market town, a good Church and a delicate spring of Water w^ch has a wall built round it, very Sweet and Cleare water for drinking. There is a little river runns by the town y^t feeds severall Mills.

Thence we Went to Andlyend 10 miles, a house of y^e Earle of Sussex w^ch makes a Noble appearance Like a town, so many towers and buildings off stone within a parke w^ch is walled round. A good River runs through it, we pass over the bridge. Its built round 3 Courts, there are 30 great and Little towers on the top, and a great Cupilow in the Middle. The roomes are Large and Lofty with good Rich old ffurniture tapistry, but Noe beds in y^t part we saw. There are 750 (150?) Roomes in the house.

The Cannall in the Midst of the parke Look’d very fine, its altogether a Stately palace and was built for one of y^e Kings. Thence to Little-berry one Mile, where is a house with abundance of Curiosityes all performed by Clock work and Such like, w^ch appears very Strange to the beholders, but the master was not at home so I saw no more than the Chaire they Set in when they are Carry’d about. All the Country is pleasant; between this and Cambridge you go in sight of so many neate villages w^th Rows of trees about them and very neate built Churches—Sometimes 5 or 6 of these are in view together in 3 or four mile of Each other—Y^e Churches are stone-work. We went to Babaram where was a house of S^r Rich^d Bennets in a pleasant parke prettyly situated, only it is in a Low ground, but y^e fine Rows of trees in the severall avenues Came just down to the Road: thence to Bornbridge 5 mile, thence to Hodmogoge hills 3 miles, w^ch looks at a distance Like a long Barn, but when you approach Near you see it a Great fortification or Ruines of a Castle, with great trenches one within another, and all y^e buildings—there is only a long string of Stables to keep y^e Kings hunting horses. The hill is of a great height from whence you have a great prospect of y^e whole Country and of Cambridge w^ch is 3 mile off. The town Lyes in a bottom and Marshy Ground all about it severall miles w^ch is Garnish’d with willows; y^e buildings are old and Indifferent. the Streetes mostly narrow, (except near the Market place), w^ch is pretty spacious—there stands the University Church. Trinity Colledg is the ffinest, yet not so Large as Christchurch College in oxford. In the first Court there is a very ffine ffountaine in the Middle of y^e Quadrangle w^th a Carved top and Dials round—there are Large Cloysters. The Library runns all y^e rang of building at y^e End and stands on 3 rows of stone pillars; it opens into the Gardens and walk w^th 3 Large Gates or doores of Iron Carv’d very ffine w^th fflowers and Leaves. The river runs at y^e back side of most of y^e Colleges; they have fine stone bridges over it and gates that Lead to fine walks; Y^e rivers name is Cam.

The Library farre exceeds that of Oxford, the Staires are Wanscoated and very large and Easye ascent, all of Cedar wood, y^e room spacious and Lofty paved w^th black and white marble, y^e sides are wanscoated and decked with all Curious books off Learning, their Catalogue and their Benefactors. There is two Large Globes at each End w^th teliscopes and microscopes and y^e finest Carving in wood, in flowers, birds, Leaves, ffigures of all sorts as I ever saw. There is a large Balcony opens at the End, very large, all finely painted all over y^e history of the New Testament. Its a hundred and twenty steps to y^e roofe and supported by noe pillars all Arch of Stone: You walke on y^e Arch or Cradle as its term’d. There is 32 Little windows Cut in Stone just as you ascend to y^e Cradle or Arch w^ch runns on Either side, and a p^r of Staires of 8 stepps to every 3 windows w^ch Lead up to the Arch; thence you ascend the Leads over all w^ch are fine, secured by battlements round, there are 4 large Spires: at each corner one. On these Leads you May see a vast Country round.

You see Ely-minster and y^e towers; this is a noble building and Stands on so advantagious a ground, and so Lofty built y^t its perspicious above y^e town; this is in Lieu of y^e Theatre at Oxford there being none here. St Johns College Garden is very pleasant for y^e fine walks both Close Shady walks and open Rows of trees and quickset hedges. There is a pretty bowling green with Cut arbours in the hedges. Queens Colledge is old but a stately and Lofty building. Claire Hall is very Little but most Exactly neate in all parts, they have walks w^th Rows of trees, and bridges over the river and fine painted Gates into y^e ffields. Katherine Hall is new built, the Chapple was not Quite ffinished; the apartments for y^e fellows and Gentlemen Commoners are very ffine, a Large dineing roome, a good Chamber and good Studdy and this for 8£ a year.

Here we are Entertained by some of our Companys acquaintance. From Cambridge we go just by Peterborough: we see the Minster and y^e town, very plaine all built with Stone. The road is very pleasant to Ffenistanton, 8 miles to Godmanchester, and from thence Huntington 1 mile. We cross the River Lin over a bridge and so Enter Huntingtonshire. This river goes to Lin in Norfolke its a very pleasant Country to travel in in y^e Summer, but after raines its in Some places deep, but the prospects are delighting; Little town and good Enclosure w^th woods and same of the Country’s. Huntington is but a Small Shire town; just by it is a house of the Lord Sandwich, y^t it is pretty large. We enter a good Lofty hall, in it hangs the Ship in w^ch he was lost, that is the representation of it Cut out in Little and all things Exactly made to it; there is a good parlour and drawing roome: well proportion’d are y^e rooms w^th good old ffurniture and good Pictures. There is a Large dineing roome above w^th good tapistry hangings, and its Ceil’d w^th jrish oake Carv’d with points hanging down like fine ffret worke; this wood no spider will weave on or endure. There are good bed Chambers with good furniture and fine pictures; over one of the Chimneys is a fine picture of Venus were it not too much uncloth’d. The Gardens and Wilderness and Greenhouse will be very fine when quite ffinished with the dwarfe trees and gravell walks. There is a large fountaine or bason which is to resemble that in the privy garden at Whitehall, which will ffront the house.

The high terrass walks Look out on the Road. all this Country is good Land and ffruitfull and much like Oxfordshire.

Ffrom Huntington we came to Shilton 10 mile, and Came in Sight of a great water on the Right hand about a mile off w^ch Looked Like Some Sea it being so high and of great Length: this is in part of the ffenny Country and is Called Whitlsome Mer, is 3 mile broad and six long. In y^e Midst is a little jsland where a great Store of Wildfowle breeds, there is no coming near it; in a Mile or two the ground is all wett and Marshy but there are severall little Channells runs into it w^ch by boats people go up to this place. When you enter the mouth of y^e Mer it lookes fformidable and its often very dangerous by reason of sudden winds that will rise Like Hurricanes in the Mer, but at other tymes people boate it round the Mer with pleasure. There is abundance of good ffish in it. This was thought to have been Sea some tyme agoe and Choak’d up and so remaines all about it for some miles a ffenny Marshy Ground for those little Rivers that runns into y^e Sea some distance of miles. Thence to Wangfford 2 miles, thence to Stamfford 5 miles.

We pass over a down where is a Cross that directs three wayes York, London and Oatly, and here we Come in Sight of a Gentlemans house that stands finely on a hill in a parke, pretty high with fine groves about it. A little farther when we are pass’d the water att Wansford we enter Ruttlandshire w^ch seems more woody than y^e others. Stamfford town is as fine a built town all of stone as may be seen; its on the side of a hill w^ch appears very fine in the approach.

Severall very good Churches with high Spires and towers very ornamentall, its not very Large, but much ffiner than Cambridge, and in its view has severall good houses. On the Right hand of Stamfford is a house of M^r Neals in a pretty neate parke pailed in; y^e house not very big but Lookes well. On the Side of y^e hill over against Stamfford and on the Left hand over against the town Stands My Lord of Exeters Burly house, Eminent for its Curiosity. The Situation is the finest I ever saw, on the Edge of the hill and severall Rows of trees of severall acres about it quite to the Road. It stands in a very fine parke w^ch is full of deer and fine Rows of trees. On Either side a very broad Glide or visto that Lookes finely to y^e River and to the adjacent hills, a distance, both with fine woods. The town of Stamfford appears very fine on the Left hand and most noble woods on the Right hand. The house Looks very nobly; y^e Garden very fine within one another w^th Lower and higher walls deck’d with all Sorts of trees and Greens; very fine Gravell walks and Grass squaires w^th Statues and fine Grass walks, dwarfs and all sorts of Green trees and Curious things: very fine fountaines, there is one in the middle of the Garden thats just to y^e Middle also of the house, that is of an exceeding great size. There is a fine vineyard, Warren and Groves w^ch makes its prospects very delightfull.