You enter a large Court walled, thence to a Space of Ground pretty Large, Encompass’d round wth a little wall of a yard High of free Stone very ffine wrought, on which are to be Iron railes and spires, that was not ffinish’d nor the space paved which is design’d to be of broad Stone: all before the house the little breast wall is in a Compass Like a halfe Moone.
The Sides up to the house are built in roomes for appartments, you ascend the house by Stone Steps—about 12—that all turn round; the upper Stepp is at Least 20 foot steps in Compass; the door you enter is of Iron Carv’d the ffinest I ever saw all sort of Leaves, flowers, figures, birds, beasts, wheate in ye Carving; very Large ye doors are—there is an Inside doore as Case to it. On the other side of the house is Such another door that Leads into a Court. The hall is a noble roome painted ffinely, ye walls with armory and Battles; its Lofty and paved with black and white Marble. You go thence into parlours, dineing rooms, drawing roomes and bed Chambers one leading out of another, at Least 20 that were very Large and Lofty, and most fine Carving in the Mantlepieces, and very fine paint in pictures, but they were all Without Garments or very little, that was the only fault, the immodesty of ye Pictures, Especially in My Lords appartment. This bed Chamber was ffurnish’d very Rich, the tapistry was all blew Silke and Rich Gold thread, so that the Gold appeared for ye Light part of all the worke. There was a blew velvet bed with gold ffringe and very Richly Embroidered, all the Inside with ovals on the head piece and tester, where the figures are so finely wrought in Satten stitch it Looks Like painting. There is also My Ladys appartt, Severall roomes very Richly ffurnished and very ffine tapistry with Silver and gold in Most; there was at Least 4 velvet beds 2 plaine and 2 figured—Crimson—green—Severall Coullours together in one; Severall Damaske beds and some tissue beds all ffinely Embroydered. My Ladys Closet is very ffine, the wanscoate of the best Jappan, the Cushons very Rich Work: there is a great deale of fine worke under Glasses and a Glass case full of all Sorts of Curiosityes of Amber stone Currall and a world of fine things. My Lord Excetter in his travells was for all sorts of Curious things if it Cost him never so much, and a great many of my Ladyes fine things were given her by her Mother ye Countess of Devonshire. There is a Chamber My Lady used to Lye in in the Winter, a green velvet bed and the hangings are all Embroydery of her Mothers work very ffine; the Silk Looks very fresh and ffigures Look naturall.
There is a drawing room by that, wch has a great Curiosity that my Lord brought from beyond sea, on the Mantlepiece under a glass; its nunns work the ffinest Embroidery that it Looks just Like point or the ffinest Linnen you can see; this Cost a great Sume. There are fine Chimney pieces of Marble and the windows the same, there are at least 20 rooms very Large and Lofty that are all painted on the top; there are at Least 20 on ye other side of the house all wth different ffrett work on the Ceiling, besides almost as many more roomes that are a building. Some the floores Not Laid, others Not ffinish’d yt the house will be a vast thing wn done. The floores were Inlaid in severall roomes, the Chapple is old and not to abide, the painting is good but the place is not Suteable to any part Else. The great variety of the roomes and ffine works tooke me up 2 full hours to go from one Roome to another over the house. The Bowling-green, Wilderness, nor Walke I was not in, being so great a tract of ground, but you see it all at a view on ye top of ye house; it is Esteemed the ffinest house and scituation that is in England and will be very Compleate when ffinish’d.
From thence we went to Streton 6 mile, a Little house of one Mr Horsman; very good Plantations of trees about it—Stone building. Rutlandshire seems more woody and Inclosed than some others. Thence to Colson where Lincolnshire Comes in; 2 mile thence towards Lincoln we go on a fine Champion Country much Like Salisbury plaine, and a Large prospect all round—at a distance you See woods and towns. This is the best part of this shire for most part is ffenny, and we went twenty six Miles all on Such Way quite to Lincoln town. We pass by Grantum which is a good town 16 mile from Lincoln, all built with Stone, but Lies down in a Low bottom. The Church has a very high Steeple, its Seen above a Great hill that is by it of a great Length and its a long tyme wn you see a great part of the Steeple before you come to see the Church or town it Lies so in a bottom. Lincoln opens to view at Least 6 miles off; it Stands on a very high hill and Looks very ffine; at the Entrance the houses Stand Compact together. The Streetes are but Little but its a vast hill to ascend into the town where the Minster stands, by that Means its very perspicious and Eminently in view a great Many Miles off. The tower, that Great Thoms nest, is 250 steps up, 8 persons may very well Stand up in the hollow of the bell together, its as much as a man Can Reach to the top of the bell with his hand when he is in the Inside; its rarely Ever rung but only by Ringing the Clapper to Each Side wch we did and that sounds all over the town. The houses are but small and not lofty nor ye Streetes of any breadth. The Sea has formerly Come up to the town and yre has been very deep water where now great part of ye town is built, so yt what was ye town formerly is that wch stands upon a precipice as it were of a hill. Ye water is Choake up now and ye sea Comes not near in Severall Miles and what water they have is Called Lincoln Dike—you pass it over on a bridge. We went thence by many very ffine Seates, we pass by Sr John Brownlows and Severall others; thence to Newark 12 mile in Nottinghamshire; just by it you see a very pretty new house of brick building of the Lord Lexingtons, wth the walls and towers that Looks very Well. Newark is a very neate Stone built town, the Market place is very Large and Look’d ffine; just by it is the Great Church wch is Large and with a very high Spire, there is prayers twice a day in it. There remaines the holes in the Church walls that the bullets made which were shott into the town in the Siege Laid to it by the Parliament army in the Civil warrs: the Castle was then demolish’d so yt only the ruinated walls remaine wch is washed by a very pretty river. At this we Enter Nottinghamshire and here I met wth the strongest and best Nottingham ale that Looked very pale but Exceeding Clear. Thence to Nottingham town, its 12 mile more and we ffery’d over the Trent wch in some places is so deep, but waggons and horses ffords it. I rode along 7 or 8 mile by the Trent wch is a ffine River tho’ not so broad as the Thames is at Kingston, but it look’d very pleasant to Ride by its bancks for so many miles, and on the other side was a high Ridge of hills shaded over from the top to the bottom wth fine trees and this for Severall Miles. When on the other hand you see a vast bottom Called Note Vale, ye wood belongs to one Mr Heckam. You pass by severall pretty houses by the river Side, Stone buildings, good Gardens, and a Little farther you see the Lord Kingstons house wch is Contigeous to Nottingham town, called Home Peirpoynt wch Looks finely in woods. The town of Nottingham is the neatest town I have seen, built of stone and delicate, Large and long Streetes much like London, and ye houses Lofty and well built. The Market place is very broad, out of wch runns a very Large Streete much like Holborn but the buildings ffine, and there is a Pyaza all along one side of one of the Streetes, wth Stone pillars for walking that runns the Length of the Streetes wch is a mile long. All the Streetes are of a good size all about ye town and well pitch’d, there are severall good houses in the town. There are 3 or 4 Large houses of the Duke of New-Castles wth the Castle wch is a fine thing—stands very high on a hill—and when you Come to the Castle you ascend 40 Steps to the Court and hall. The roomes are very Lofty and Large, 6 or 7 state roomes and a long gallery hung with fine Pictures of the ffamily; the wanscoate is most of Cedar. Some Roomes are hung with good tapistry. The Chamber of State is hung wth very Rich tapistry so much silver and gold in it that the 3 pieces that hung the Roome Cost 1500£: the bed was rail’d in as ye presence Chamber used to be, ye bed was damaske. The floore of the roome was jnlay’d wth Cyphers and the Corronet: here ye Princess Ann Lay when she fled in King James’s tyme when the prince of orange was Coming over. On the Leads you have a very fine prospect of ye whole town and river; You see the Earle of Kingstones and Sr Thomas Willoughby’s fine house on ye other side of ye town, and at a distance we see Beavior Castle the Earle of Rutland’s house, and a prospect more than 20 mile about, shewing the diversityes of Cultivation and produce of the Earth. The land is very Rich and fruitfull, so the Green Meadows wth the fine Corrn ffields wch seemes to bring forth in handfulls. They soe most of Barley and have great Encrease, there is all sorts of Graine besides, and plaines and Rivers and Great woods and Little towns all in view. They make brick and tile by ye town—the Manufacture of the town mostly Consists in weaving of Stockings wch is a very Ingenious art. There was a man that spunn glass and made Severall things in glass—birds and beasts. I spunn some of the glass and saw him make a swan presently wth divers Coull’d glass; he makes Buttons wch are very strong and will not breake. Nottingham is ffamous for good ale, so for Cellars, they are all dugg out of the Rocks and so are very Coole. Att ye Crown Inn is a Cellar of 60 stepps down, all in ye Rock Like arch worke over your head: in ye Cellar I dranke good ale. We were very well Entertained and very Reasonably att the Blackmoors head; thence we went to Mansfield 12 mile and pass’d some part of the fine fforest of Sherwood. Mansfield is a Little Market town built with Stone, there is a Little river; they make and dye Tammy’s here. There is one pretty Stone built house just by the water side of 40 Stepps ascent into it. At the End of the town is an hospital built by a quaker for ancient people, its a good neat building, they were to have 8 pound a year a piece and the roomes and Gardens, but its Chiefly for their friends. There is nothing remarkable here but the dearness of ye Inns, tho’ in so plentifull a Country. We went thence to Wursup and went through a parke of ye Duke of New-Castles and by his house Calld Welbeake. Ye house is but old and Low buildings, but the parke is the Noblest wood I Ever saw, fine and stately Straight. A mile thence is a fine pile of Buildings of Stone very uniforme and high Called Worsup Mannour built by a Coe heir of the Devonshire house—3 sisters built 3 noble buildings, this and Ardeck and Chattsworth. A little beyond this is another Building the remaines of Worsup Abby. All the way to Blith is a very heavy Sandy Way 12 miles. At Blith was a very Sweete house and Gardens and Grounds, it was of Brick work Coyn’d with Stones and the Windows with Stone, all sashes; the building was so neate and Exact, it was Square wth 4 juttings out at Each Corner; it Stands high and Commands the Sight of the Country about. The fine river by it with fish ponds and Meadows and fine woods beyond makes it look very pleasant. The Gardens are very neate and after the London Mode, of Gravel and Grass walks and Mount, and the Squaires with dwarfes and Cyprus, ffirre and all sorts of Greens and fruite trees, its very ffruitefull—I Eate good fruite there. Its just by the Church so that a Large Arch wch did belong to the Church is now made a shady Seate to the Garden with Greens over it, under wch is a Sepulchre for ye ffamily. It belongs to one Mr Mellish a Merchant in London, its in all parts a most Compleate thing and its scituation most pleasant. Almost all ye road between this and DonCaster is sandy way, to Rosdin 3 mile, thence to DonCaster 6 miles—here Yorkshire beginns and here the Musick wellcom’d us into Yorkshire. DonCaster is a pretty Large town of Stone buildings, the streetes are good, there is a handsome Market Cross advanc’d on 20 steps at Least. The Church is neate and pretty Large, Severall Little Monuments. This town stands on the River Don, wch gives name to the town, here is also a good Large Meeteing place. We were here the Lord’s day and well Entertained at the Angel. Thence we went to Wentbridge and pass’d by woods belonging to Sr Wentworth by his house 7 mile to Wentbridge, where had been a fire the night before Caused by the Lightening and thunder wch was remarkably great as we took notice of, 2 barnes and a house was burnt.
Thence we ascended a very Steepe hill and so to Fferrybridge 3 mile where we pass’d the fine River Called the Aire, Large for Barges as was most of those Rivers I have mention’d.
From thence to TodCaster 8 mile, wch is a very good Little town for travellers, mostly jnns and little tradesmens houses. This stands on a very large River Called the Whart. Just before you Come to ye town there is some of ye water wch on Great raines are not to be pass’d—it was very deep when I went through. Thence we go much on a Causey to Yorke 8 miles more, it stands high but for one of the Metropolis and the see of ye Archbishopp it Makes but a meane appearance. The Streetes are Narrow and not of any Length, save one wch you Enter of from the bridge that is over the Ouise which Lookes like a fine River when full after much raine. It is but Low in Comparison of Some Rivers, it bears Great Barges, it Looks muddy, its full of good ffish. We Eate very good Cod fish and Salmon and that at a pretty Cheape rate, tho’ we were not in the best jnn for the Angel is the best in Cunny Streete. The houses are very Low and as jndifferent as in any Country town and the Narrowness of ye Streetes makes it appear very mean.
Nottingham is so farre before it for its size—its true Nottingham is not a quarter so bigg, Else ye Streetes and buildings are so Much Nobler as Can be jmagin’d; it Lookes better att the approach because you see the towers off ye gates and Severall Churches in Compassing ye Minster and all ye Windmills round ye town of wch there are many. Ye River runns through the town and so its divided, ye buildings Look No better than the outskirts off London Wappen &c. The Bridg is fine arches and built on with houses; the Pavements wch is Esteem’d the Chiefe part of town where ye Market house and town hall stands is so mean that Southwarke is much before it. There are a Great Many pretty Churches 16 in Number, but the minster is a noble building and holds in view at Least 30 miles before you Come to it. I saw it and also at yt distance, and saw just by it a high hill or ffortification it appeared to be, but when I Came to York I found it to be only a very high hill wth stately high trees on it as thick as Could be, a Noble Grove. The Minster is very Large and fine of Stone, Carv’d all the outside, 3 high towers above the Leads; I was in one of them, the highest, and it was 262 steps and those very Steep Steps, there is a Gallery round the middle of the Church about halfe way that goes off these steps of the tower, where you may go round and Looke down into the body of ye Church and yt was so great a distance that the men and Ladyes that were Walking below look’d like Pigmyes a very little to us above. On the Leads of ye tower Shews a vast prospect of the Country, at Least 30 mile round, you see all over the town yt Lookes as a building too much Cluster’d together, ye Streetes being so narrow—some were pretty Long. There is another river wch fills the ditches round the town Called Ffosse. In the Minster there is the Greatest Curiosity for Windows I ever saw, they are so large and so Lofty, those in the Quire at ye End and on Each side that is 3 storys high and painted very Curious with History of ye Bible; the painting is very fine such as was in Kings Chapple in Cambridge, but the Loftyness of ye windows is more than I ever saw any Where Else and by all accounts is peculiar; There is such another Window at the End of the Cross jsle just by ye Quire—all ye other Windows are of ye usual Size of other Cathedralls. Ye body of ye Church is large and I thinke Larger than any Cathedrall I have seen, bigger than Winchester Cathedrall. All these Isles are broad the people of ffashion use them to Walke in and on that account its much [something left out] they keep it not Cleaner, the Quire has a very good Carving in Wood about it, there is a very good Organ, the table cloth and Cushons and books at ye Comunion table was Crimson velvet and hangings, and its Embroyder’d very Richly wth gold of a Great depth, and Gold ffringe at ye bottom: this was Given ye Church by Doctor Lamplue yt was the Arch-bishop whose Statue is in White Marble in ye wall wth Mitre and shepherds Crook. Just by him is ye Effigy of another Bishop Laying along cut in Stone, and by the aire and Mien he looks more Like a Soldier or Beau than a Bishop and so it seemes he was in humour. The Embriodery at the table is almost yard deep, that was given by Lamplue. In the vestry there is a well of Sweet spring-water called St Peter’s well, ye St of the Church, so it is St Peters ye Cathedrall is. There is a large hunters horne tipt with Silver and Garnish’d over and Engraved ffinely all double Gilt wth a Chaine, the same given by a Gentleman that also gave his Estate to add to the revenues of ye Church, on a dislike to disobedient Children; he used the horne When he hunted and drank in it too. I saw there the ffine tissue Cannopy that was held over the head of King James the first when he Came into England and ye head of 2 mace wch were Carry’d before him then. There I saw a Chest that was Triangular fashion, the Shape of ye Coapes when folded in ye Middle and so put into this Chest. The Chapter house is very finely Carv’d and fine painting on the windows all round, its all arched Stone and Supported by its own Work haveing no pillars to Rest on, tho’ its Length and breadth be Equal and at Least 24 ffoot Each. Here was a mint for Coyning the old money and plaite into new mill’d money; I saw them at work and Stamp’d one halfe Crown my Self—they dispatch worke very fast and have Coyn’d Severall 1000_£. I see all parts of the work about ye pounding, the boyling, defineing and makeing Barres and Cutting out in ye mill and Bakeing and Stamping, all but Milling which art they are Sworne to keep private.
The Bishops Seate was 4 or 5 mile out of town on the River Ouise. Ffrom thence we went over a marshy Comon to the Spaw at Marsborough 12 mile; the town is a pretty stone building, in it a large Market place; there is a River, the water Looks black, I ffancy it runns off from the Iron and sulpher mines which Changes the Coullr;—We pass it over on a large bridge, tho’ in some places they may ford it, its all on a Rock and the Sides of the hill by ye River is all rock and the Little houses are all built in the Rocks, there is a little Chapple cut out of the Rock and arch’d and Carved wth ffigures of Saints, I suppose its Called Sr Robert Chapple he was Esteemed a very devout man, his Effigee is Carv’d at the Entrance, there is an alter yt was deck’d wth flowers and the Ground wth Rushes for ye devout that did frequent it. Severall Papists there about and many that Came to ye Spaw and St Mongers well did say their prayers there. There was a Manuscript wth a long story of this Sr Robert. There is also the ruines of an abbey where there has been many bones taken up and some preserv’d as Reliques—there was a papist Lady Lodg’d where we did and our Land Lady at ye Inn where we were treated Civily she told us she went with this Lady among these ruines where the Lady would say her prayers, and one day some had been digging and brought up ye bone of a mans arme and hand and ye Ligature of ye Elbow held ye bones together wch by Strikeing Came asunder, and in ye hollow part of ye joynt was a jelly like blood that was moist, this Lady dipp’d ye End of her handkerchief in it and so Cut it off and put it up as a Relique. There are ye ruinated walls of the Castle remaines but of no use, but some part is made a prison and some vaults made Cellars. I dranke very Strong Clear ale in one of those Cellars.
We were in a very pretty Garden of a Gentlemans of our LandLady Mason’s acquaintance where was all manner of Curiosityes of fflowers and Greens—Great variety—there is also a Cherry Garden with Green walkes for ye Company to walk in and a Great Seate in a high tree that gives a pleasant prospect.
From thence we went over to Haragate wch is just by the Spaw, two mile further over a Common that belongs to Knarsborough; its all marshy and wett and here in the Compass of 2 miles is 4 very different springs of water; there is the Sulpher or Stincking spaw, not Improperly term’d for the Smell being so very strong and offensive that I could not force my horse Near the Well; there are two Wells together with basons in them that the Spring rises up in, which is ffurr’d with a White Scumm which rises out of the water, if you keep it in a Cup but a few hours it will have such a white Scumm on it, not withstanding it rises out of ye Spring very Cleare and so being a quick Spring itt Soone purges it Self Cleare againe, it Comes from Brimstone mines, for the taste and smell is much of Sulpher, tho’ it has an additionall offenciveness Like Carrion. The Ground is Bitumus or the Like that it runns over, it has a quality of Changing Silver into ye Coullr of Copper and that in a few minutes, much quicker than the Baths in the West County in Somersetshire. Its a quick purger and very good for all Scurbutick humours, some persons drink a quart or two, I dranke a quart in a Morning for two dayes and hold them to be a good Sort of Purge if you Can hold yr breath so as to drinke them down. Within a quarter of a mile is the sweete spaw or Chalibiet, a Spring which rises off Iron and steele like Astrup or Tunbridge and Like the German Spaw. This is a quick Spring and the Well made up with a bason, and a Cover of Stone over it Like an arch; this opperates as all jron springs does, tho I Could not find them so strong or spiriteous as those at Tunbridge. One thing I observ’d of the Stinking spaw tho’ its taste and opperation was like the Somersetshire bathes, yet this was not warme in the Least as those Bathes are. Just Between these two spaws is a fine Cleare and sweete Spring of Comon water very good to wash Eyes and pleasant to Drinke. The ffourth Spring wch is but two mile off these is of a petrifying quality turnes all things into stone. It rises in a banck on ye top of a hill and so runns along in a little Channell about a foote over and all the Ground it runns over is moorish and full of holes with water Standing in it, wch stincks just like the Sulpher Spaw and will turn Silver to the Coullour of Copper as yt does. Notwithstanding this Clear spring runns through it with a Swift Current to the brow of ye hill and then it spreads it Self all round ye hill wch is a Rock, and so runns down all over the brow of ye hill Continually, like a Nasty shower of Small and Great Raine, and so it meetes in ye bottom and runns all into the river Knarsborough, and this water as it runns—where it Lyes in the hollows of ye Rock does turn moss and wood into Stone or rather Crusts or Candys wood. I saw some wch had a perfect Shell of stone about it, but they tell me it does in tyme penetrate through the Wood. I took Moss myself from thence which is all Crisp’d and perfect Stone; all the Grass Straws or any thing that the water falls upon it does Convert to hardness like Stone. Ye Whole rock is Continually dropping with water besides ye Showering from the top wch ever runns and this is Called the dropping well. There is an arbour and ye Company used to Come and Eat a Supper there in any Evening to have the pleaseing prospect and the murmuring Shower to Divert their Eare; in a good Space of tyme it will harden Ribon Like Stone or any thing Else.