Here they mak great quantetys of gloves, I did not observe or Learn any other trade or Manufacture, they had only shops of all sorts of things. They Carry much of their Carriages on sledges to secure their pitching in the streetes. Thence I went to Chartly 6 mile Lord Fferrers, and thence Bradby Lord Chesterfields, and passed by a fine parke of some Gentlemans in wch was a summer house on ye side of ye hill amongst fine tall trees wch Look’d very well, and on ye Right hand I turned up to ye Earle of Chesterfields parke full of fine Rows of trees running up ye avenue to ye house. One Enters an outward Court and drives round a Little pond like a ditch all pav’d wth stone, or great basin of stone, in which were two swans swimming about in yt little Compass; ye gates are all jron barrs and the whole front of ye house open jron pallasadoe spikes in a Compass round Like a half moone. Answerable to yt beyond ye stable yard is another such a demy Circle of open pallasadoe, yt lets you out to ye prospect of ye grounds beyond, full of regular Rows of trees. Ye house has a visto quite thro’ by a glass bellcony door into ye gardens, and so to ye parke beyond on yt side. Ye front have something surpriseing in it; its all of free stone wch is dipt in oyle that adds a varnish to its Lustre as well as security to its foundation. Ye Roofe is not flatt as our Modern buildings so ye garret windows Come out on ye tileing wch is all flatt None of ye windows are sashes which in my opinion is ye only thing it wants to render it a Compleate building: its halfe a roman H. There is an ascent of 5 or 6 steps all stone to ye gates, and so you proceed on a broad paved walke wch is divided by a Cross walke of ye same towards ye upper End; thence ye ascent by as many more stone steps into a noble hall yt has a Row of white marble pillars at ye upper End. Ye middle a Little roome wth a marble table in the middle wch is ye Balcony into ye Garden, but yts without Steps down into ye Garden. From these Rows of Pillars on ye Right hand runs a passage to ye Servants roome and all the offices, and at ye End is a Chappell wch was very neate. Over ye alter is a large ovall of Glass of ye sort of Private glass used in Windows to obscure ye Sight from without, but hinders not ye Light wth inside; this Look’d pretty as being particular and uncomon.
There was a little organ and Closets for ye Lord and Ladies to sitt in. From ye hall on the left hand Enters into a Large roome wth a billiard table, from thence into a Large parlour and 2 drawing-roomes,—there was a good dineing roome. Above, ye drawing Roome had Company in it, ye Earle having just marry’d his Eldest daughter Lady Mary to one Mr Cooke a Gentleman of a good Estate hard by, so there was Company to wishe her joy; but I was in severall bed Chambers, one had a Crimson damaske bed, ye other Crimson velvet set upon halfe paces: this best was ye bride Chamber wch used to be Call’d ye Silver roome where ye stands, table, and fire utensills were all massy silver, but when plaite was in nomination to pay a tax, ye Earle of Chesterfield sold it all and ye plaite of ye house, so that when ye table was spread I saw only spoones, salts and forks and ye side board plaite, noe plaites or dishes and but few salvers. Ye pictures was all burnt by a fire and so there are only bare walls. One Roome was painted over head—ye others frettwork, but yt wch is most admired, and justly so to be by all persons, and Excite their Curiosity to Come and see is ye gardens and waterworks. Out of ye Billiard Roome ye first was with Gravell walks, and a large fountaine in the middle with flower potts and Greens set Round ye Brimm of ye fountaines that are paved wth stone. You see but one garden at a tyme. The Pipes in ye fountaines play very finely, some of a great height, some fflushes ye water about; then you Come to a descent of severall steps wch discovers anothr fine garden wth fountaines playing through pipes besett on ye branches wth all sort of Greens and flower trees, dwarfe honeysuckles in a Round tuff growing upright, and all sorts of flower trees and greens finely Cutt and Exactly kept. In one garden there are 3 fountaines wherein stands great statues; Each side on their pedistalls is a dial one for ye Sun ye other a Clock wch by ye water worke is moved and strikes ye hours, and Chimes ye quarters, and when they please play Lilibolaro on ye Chimes: all this I heard when I was there. On one side of this garden is a half Compass wth a breast wall on wch are high jron pallisadoes divided with severall Pillars, stone with Images on their tops about 2 yards distance; this opens to view ye parke and a sort of Cannall or pond wch is in it of a good bigness. Beyond this Garden is a Row of orange and Lemon trees set in ye ground, of a man’s height and pretty big, full of flowers and some Large fruit almost Ripe: this has a pent house over it wch is Cover’d up very Close in the winter. This Leads on to a great wilderness and Just by it is another Square wth a fountaine whose brim is deck’d with flower potts full of flowers and all sorts of greens; on Either side is 2 or 3 rows of orange and Lemon trees in boxes one below another in growth.
Just against this is a wall Cover’d over wth Lawrell finely Cutt, and also in ye middle is an arch, and on Either side stone staires ascends it wch terminate in a sort of half pace all Cover’d over wth Lawrell, and this Enters a doore into another Garden through a little garden house. This also has a fine fountaine Like ye others, only as most of ye others was green walks this was Gravell, so was the garden on ye Right side of ye house. Ye front Garden wch has ye Largest fountaine has also a fine Green house and very fine flowers, and ye beds and borders are Cut in severall formes; ye Greens are very fine and ye hedges Cutt in severall formes; there was one tree not much unlike ye Cyprus green but ye branches were more spread and of a Little yellower green, ye Barke of ye Limbs yellow—it was ye Cedar of Lebonus. There was also fine strip’d stocks, Double Like a Rose. There was a Large Ewe tree in ye middle of one Garden Cut in forms, fine ffirrs and Cyprus and ffilleroy of wch some was striped Like silver, white, others yellow Like Gold, wch gave them their different names, and fine gilded and striped Hollys.
There was one green in a pott Call’d St John ye baptists herb, it was full of many Leaves and ye Coullour not much unlike the green they Call Solomons Seale but longer and bigger Leaves; its an annual plant. Here just by ye wilderness is ye tulip tree wch runns up of a great height and ye flower is on ye top; it flowers in August. There is a great avery of Birds wch stands Like a sumer house open; there is also many Close averys of Birds and severall Green shady walks and Close arbours. There are very fine woodbines grows like tuffs all in flower Red and white. There is some of ye fountaines that have figures in them that throws up water a greate height—a Cascade of water.
Then I returned into ye hall and so into a Coole roome in wch was a fountaine where I dranke a Glass of wine and so proceeded. This was 3 miles from Chartry, thence through a fine visto or Glide of trees wch runs along ye parke and so to Burton on ye Trent 2 long miles. This is a pretty large town; here is a very long stone bridge over ye Trent: the Streetes are very well pitch’d and some very broad.
Thence over Nedwood fforest 6 mile, and thence to Yoxsell, wch is 6 mile more to Woolsley and they are all Long miles; then I went againe to Stafford town 5 miles and from thence to Jnstree Mr Thetwins—its bad way. You go by St Thomas’s wch was some old abbey—its still a good house.
Going along ye side of ye hill gives a great view of ye Country that is mostly jnclosures we passed between two parkes, ye one is Lord astons, and goe in sight of Tixall hall wch is a good house and Looks handsomely of stone building: the other was Mr Thetwins parke wch has fine Rows of trees—ffirrs Scots and Noroway and ye picanther—the ffront lookes nobly. Noe flatt Roofed houses in this Country but much in windows. Two Large bow windows on Each side runns up ye whole building, ye middle the same besides much flatt window between, so that ye whole is Little besides window. Its built brick and stone, the part to ye garden ward is new building of ye new fashion and sash windows. Ye Court is 2 or 5 stepps up wth open jron pallasadoes ye breadth of ye house and a broad paved walk wch Leads up to ye doore in the Middle. Ye visto is quite through ye house to ye gardens and through a long walke of trees of a mile through the parke to a Lodge or summer house at ye End, wch Lookes very finely, it being a Riseing ground up to ye parke. There is a Crosse paved walke in ye Court wch Leads to a little house on Each End like summer houses, wth towers and balls on ye top; ye one Leads through to ye Churchyard wch is planted wth Rows of Ewe trees very uniforme and Cutt neately. Ye Church is new and very handsome, good frettworke on ye top, the wood worke well Carv’d, its seates good wanscoate and with locks.
In the Chancell are two monuments of Marble, one all white, ye other white with a border Black, and with white pillars; the middle at ye bottom is alabaster. The pillars of ye Church is made of ye Red stone wch is plenty in this Country and they are all polished over; the ffront is all white marble; stem ye same veined bleu, ye foot is black, ye Cover is wood Carv’d very well. The porch is very high on wch is a dyal, it almost breakes ones neck to Looke up at it for yt ye tower in wch are 5 bells. There is just against this a garden.
On ye other side the dwelling house wch is severall steps up it—Gravell walkes full of flowers and greens and a box hedge Cut finely with Little trees, some Cut round, and another hedge of strip’d holly Cut Even and some of Lawrell Cut Even Likewise. Out of this you go into a flower garden divided into knotts, in which were 14 Cyprus trees wch were grown up very tall some of them, and kept Cutt Close in four squares down to ye bottom. Towards ye top they Enclined to a point or spire. Thence into another garden wth gravell walkes, and so into a summer house through wch you Enter a good Bowling green, wch also goes out of another garden, wch takes in ye whole breadth of ye house and is full of flowers and greens and dwarfe trees and little borders of Severall sorts of greens Cut Even and Close, of tyme, severall sorts and of savin wch is another Coullour, and of Lavender Cotten another Coullour, and Rosemary and severall others. From this Bowling green in ye Middle you descend 18 stepps in a Demi Circle inwards halfe way, then ye stones are set round and so ye half pace is, and ye other stepps are Round turned outward, and ye Lowest much ye Largest as was ye uppermost of ye first. This leads to a place designed for ponds to keep ffish in but this place will not admitt of any water works altho’ its a deep Dirty Country. They neither have good gravell or marle to make a pond secure to hold water, nor are they near Enough ye springs, but are forced to be supply’d wth water by pipes from ye River trent that is a mile off, and yet the whole place seems a quage, and when one is descended ye hill this seemes to be the only thing wanting, for just by the Bowling-green is a very fine wilderness with many Large walks of a great Length full of all sorts of trees, scycamores, willows, Hazel, Chesnutts, walnuts, set very thicke and so shorn smooth to ye top wch is left as a tuff or Crown—they are very Lofty in growth wch makes ye Length of a walke Look Nobly. There is also a Row on ye outside of firrs round Every grove 2 yards or 3 distant—some silver ffirrs—some Norroway—some Scotts and pine trees: these hold their beauty round ye groves in ye winter when ye others Cast their Leaves. This was from Stafford 3 mile and to Woolsley was 3 mile more through narrow stoney Lanes through great Heywood.
Att Jnstree, Mr Shetwins, I saw a fine pomegranate tree as tall as myself, the Leafe is a long slender Leafe of a yellowish green Edged wth red and feeles pretty thicke, ye Blossom is white and very double. There was a terrass walke in one of ye Gardens that gave ye full prospect of ye Country a great way about—its a deep Country—you are going these 3 miles to Woolsley a great while. There was at Sr Charles Woolsly’s some of ye best good land and some of ye worst, as is ye Kankwood, but here ye Roads are pretty good and hard wch makes it pleasant. There is much fine fruite here Sr Charles takeing great delight in his Gardens, I must say I never saw trees so well dress’d and pruned, ye walls so Equally Cover’d as there. There is severall sorts of strawbery’s but ye vermillion is ye finest, very large as any Garden strawbery and of a fine scarlet Coullour, but its a Later sort; there was a pretty almond tree in Bloome ye flower not unlike a Rosemary flower. From thence I tooke my progress Northward and went from hence to NewCastle under Line, through Stone wch was 9 miles, and then to Trentum, and passed by a great house of Mr Leveston Gore, and went on the side of a high hill below which the River Trent rann and turn’d its silver streame forward and backward into s. s wch Looked very pleasant Circleing about ye fine meadows in their flourishing tyme bedecked wth hay almost Ripe and flowers. 6 mile more to NewCastle under Line where is the fine shineing Channell Coale; so ye proverb to both ye New-Castles of bringing Coales to ym is a needless Labour, one being famous for this Coale thats Cloven and makes white ashes as is this, and ye NewCastle on ye Tyne is for ye sea Coale yt Cakes and is what is Common and famillier to every smith in all villages. I went to this NewCastle in Staffordshire to see the makeing of ye fine tea potts. Cups and saucers of ye fine red Earth in imitation and as Curious as yt wch Comes from China, but was defeated in my design, they Comeing to an End of their Clay they made use of for yt sort of ware, and therefore was remov’d to some other place where they were not settled at their work so Could not see it; therefore I went on to Beteby 6 miles farther and went by a Ruinated Castle ye walls still remaining Called Healy Castle—this was deep Clay way. This town is halfe in Staffordshire and halfe in Cheshire, one side of ye streete in ye one, and ye other in ye latter, so yt they often jest on it in travelling one wheele goes in Staffordshire ye other wheele in Cheshire.