Thence I went to Woolsely 7 mile farther, to Sr Charles Woolsley where I staid 6 weekes it being my aunt his Lady who Engaged my stay. His seate stands very finely by ye river Trent; there is also a moate almost round ye house. Ye house is old timble building, only a Large parlour and noble stair Case wth handsome Chambers Sr Charles has new built. It is built round a Court wth a gate house wch Leads to ye outward Court that has a paved walke, broad stone ye same as ye first Court is paved with.
There are green spaces and a fine green banck wth box or philteroy hedge Cut round. There are very good gardens abundance of fruite of all sorts and ye ffinest dwarfe trees I ever saw, so thick like a hedge and a huge Compass Every single tree, and very full of fruite of apples, pears and Cherries; there are fine flowers, Heber roses white and yellow; there was a fine Sena trees yt bears a great Branch of yellow fflowers. Ye ground Lyes all well about ye house and a fine park by the End of it, part of wch is on a high hill ye side of wch the deer sport themselves, wch looks just on ye house and is wonderfull pleasant: its a Large parke 6 miles round full of stately woods and replenish’d wth red and fallow deer, one part of it is pretty full of Billberryes wch thrive under ye shade of ye oakes, its a black berry as big as a large pea and are Ripe about Harvest. There is a very ill Custome amongst them now not to be broken, when they are Ripe. The Country Comes and makes Boothes and a sort of faire ye outside of ye parke, and so gather ye berries and sell ym about ye Country. The greenes they Call Wissums and on these wissums the Deer Brouse in ye winter and on holly of which there is great quantetys. In Kankwood just by there is also great quantety’s of fferne wch tho’ it over runs their ground and so spoiles ye grass where its much, yet ye usefullness of it renders it necessary to be preserv’d; when it is at its maturity wch happens just before harvest or hay tyme, ye whole Country are Employ’d in Cutting it up and burning it in heapes for ye sake of ye ashes wch they make fine and Rowle them up in Balls and so sell them or use them all ye year for washing and scouring, and send much up to London, ye ashe balls being Easily sent about, without wch they would have no ashes in the Country for such uses; for their fewell is altogether Coales wch Indeed are very good and plenty, you might have a load for 3 or 4 shillings brought home yt would serve a poore mans familly ye winter. Its in great pieces and so Cloven burns light so as the poorer sort works by it and so it serves for heate and light: its very shineing Coale all about this Country tho’ they Complaine they have lost ye vein of the best sort wch they Call Channell Coale and is ye sort they have still in Wales and Lancashire wch burnt much Lighter and less waste, but this I thought to be very good, no better than it. I have in London given 40s for such a Load.
In this parke is severall ponds wch affords good ffish, as does ye moate and ye Trent as trout, Eeles, tench, perch &c, the Largest perch I ever saw just Caught and dress’d immediately wch Eates in perfection. Ye hill in ye parck Called Hartshill is so high that from ye top of it you see near 20 miles round, and shews all ye Country wch in this part of Staffordshire is full of woods and jnclosures and good land, Except ye Kanck-wood wch is but a barren heath ground, but good wood—its fine for Hawking in ye heath. Its full of little Brookes and Rivulets wch abounds with Crawfish and they were the sweetest and Largest I have seen any where. From hence to Stafford town is 5 mile—you go by ye banck of ye Trent most of ye way and passing over two Rivers on stone bridges, Called ye Sore and the Pink wch both Empt themselves into ye Trent and so Enter ye town through a gate. Its an old built town, timber and plaister pretty much, in Long peaked Rooffes of tileing; 3 gates to the town—there was another wch Leads to the Castle wch now is ruinated, and only remaines on a hill the fortification trenches yt are grown over wth green. Ye streetes are pretty Large and well pitched; a broad space for ye market place Wherein is a good Market house on stone pillars wth a handsome town hall over it—some of the houses are pretty good. This Country is much for Entertainments, in every house you must Eate and drinke.
From thence back to Woolsley againe 5 miles, from thence to Heywood parke wch was 2 mile where Lived a Daughter of my aunt Woolsley—marryed Mr Hedgewood—a little neate box they Live in.
From thence back againe 2 miles. To the Kank wood is pleasant Rideing, its 20 mile long belongs to ye Lord Paget, there are 4 lodges; in it a great deale of wood and deer and goates. I went to Ffurnes Coppice wch is 4 mile—on it a fine Covert of tall trees on a hill and a mile farther was a fine wood Called Hedgford; Poole a quarter of a mile long full of good fish; thence home 5 mile. Another day I went to Stiles Coppice 3 mile off wch is on a high hill and a fine tufft of trees, it Looks but Little at a distance but is a fine Covert for ye sheep and Cattle: I went quite round it from whence Could see ye Country a good distance and see into 7 Countys together, Warwickshire, Leicestershire Glocestershire Derbyshire Staffordshire Shropshire and Cheshire; so home againe by Ridgly a mile aboute so it was 4 mile.
Another day I went to Boudezworth the Lord Pagets house 4 mile off, and passed by ye Coale pitts where they were digging: they draw up the Coale in baskets with a Little wheele or Windlass like a well—its very good.
Lord Paget’s house is old Brick built, ye ffront is uniforme and very handsome with towers, but there is no good roome but a Long gallery thats worth seeing: its a fine parke; just by it is a high hill on wch is the remaines of an old ffortification, they Call it the Castle wall, its of very great antiquity but now grown over wth grass; from thence the prospect of the Country is great. The parke is of Large Extent and some of those pitts are in it—ye Channell Coales, but ye water has over flow’d some of them and spoyl’d their digging; thence I went home againe 4 miles—Another day I went to Panckeridge race over ye Kankwood 7 mile, where were most of ye Gentlemen and Ladies of the Country, severall Coaches and six horses, Indeed ye miles are Long and ye wayes bad in the winter that obliges them to drive more horses; these were persons of good Estates also. There appear’d only one horse to run for ye plaite which was a salver; thence to Woolesley again 7 mile more. Its a fine Country here about for Rideing one has a pleaseing prospect Every way Especially on any advanc’d ground.
I went to Brinsy Coppice wch was 4 mile, thence Could see towards Shrewsbury and ye high hill the Reekee, and in a Cleare day Could see something of Chester, and so home againe 4 mile more. Another day I went upon Jtching hill 1 mile wch is a sort of Rock, but ye stone is of a Red Coullour and looks Like a sandy stone by its Moldring, but they tell me when its wrought in a wall and have been season’d wth ye weather it grows very hard and serviceable in building. From thence I went a Compass round to Heywood parke 4 mile off and yn home againe 2 miles; and another day I went the same tour about to Heywood parke and back wch was 6 mile more. While I stay’d at Woolsley I went directly to Heywood parke above what I mentioned before and returned home wch was in all 8 miles, and another day I went to a poole in the Kanckwood 3 mile to ffish and from thence to Heywood parke thro’ a very fine Coppice of trees on a hanging brow of a hill wch Look’d very fine, and so home 2 mile more. I name ye number of miles I went only to see ye whole accō of miles I travell’d this yeare. These Coppices there are many of them wch is a good shelter for ye Cattle.
Another journey to Darby town from Woolsley by Colton and Blithbery 3 mile, thence to Yoxwell 3 mile over Nedwood forest of ye King, wch is 40 mile in Extent, all ye way you have a fine prospect of ye Country, Enclosed good lands, admirable Corne of all sorts, good grass: I went in sight of Tetbery Castle wch is ye Kings—a great ffortification, but all decay’d—here 4 mile more and there it was that I pass ye river Dove on a stone Bridge Called Dovebridge wch Enters me into Darbyshire and thence its 8 mile more to Darby town.
Darby town Lies down in a bottom built all of brick or for ye most part; in it are 5 Churches built of stone ye biggest of wch I was in, ye tower was finely Carv’d full of niches and Pedistals where on Statues had been set, but nothing worth notice in ye jnside except a monument wch was over ye vault of ye Duke of Devonshire, on wch stands 2 Effigees at length all of white marble ye Earle and his Countess of Devonshire wth an arch or Cannopy of Stone over their heads; this is rail’d in wth Iron gates. There is also another statue of marble painted and Gilded lying at length wch is also railed in. Ye River Derwent runns by the town and turns many mills, and ye water Engine wch turns ye water into ye pipes that serves ye town, ye same wheele grinds also, but they do it for a half penny a strike wch is the same measure as our Bushill. At this Engine they Can grind if its never so high a flood, wch hinders all ye other from working at ye flood, they are quite Choaked up, but this they Can set higher or lower just as the water is. There are bays wch they make wth stones to keep the water to run to ye mill and thence it falls againe into ye Derwent; there is also a fine stone Conduit in the Market place, wch is very spacious, well pitch’d a good Market Cross. This is a dear place for strangers notwithstanding ye plentyfullness of all provision. My Dinner Cost me 5s and 8d, only 2 servant men wth me and I had but a shoulder of mutton and bread and beer.