THE DIARY
OF
CELIA FIENNES
THE ACCOUNT OFF
severall Journeys into severall parts of England with many Remarkes; some wth my mother from Newtontony Wiltshire which is all on the downs a fine Champion Country pleasant for all sports, Rideing, Hunting, Courseing, Setting and shooteing. From Newtontony I went to Sarum 8 miles which is a Citty and Bishop’s Seat, pretty Large town Streetes broad but through ye midst of them runs a little rivulet of water which makes ye Streetes not so clean or so easye to pass in, they have stepps to Cross it and many open places for horses and Carriages to Cross itt—itt takes off Much from the beauty of ye streetes—the Cause of it was from the burning of the old town called Salsebury which was on a hill about a mile off this and it was so drye and farre from springs that it was destroyed by fire and only the ruines of the Castle is to be seen like a high wall with fortifications: this town now Stands low by the water by a great River, the houses are old Mostly timber Buildings, there is a large Market House with the town hall over it and a prison Just by—there is also a large Cross in another place and house over it for a Constant Market for fruite, fowle, Butter and Cheese and a fish Market; the town is well served with all provissions; there is good buildings in that part they call the Close, both New built and ye old good houses belonging to the doctors of the Church. Ye Dean has a very good house and Gardens, so is the Bishop’s Palace at ye end of a Row of trees—the roomes are lofty and Stately: all these houses are round ye Cathedrall which is esteemed the finest in England in all respects, it only lyes low in a watry meadow so yt the foundations is in the water, made of ffaggots and timber, yet notwithstanding its want of a Riseing ground to stand on ye steeple is seen many miles off, the spire being so high it appeares to us below as sharpe as a Dagger, Yet is in the Compass on the top as bigg as a Cart wheele; its all stone and Carved finely with spires and Arches, there are severall doores into ye Church, in the body of it stands the pulpet and seates on each side; there are two large Isle’s runnes up on either side; the font stands below opposite to the quire yt enters wth 2 or 3 steps assent from a large Cross Isle that leades to the Cloysters, in which is ye Chapter house which is very large and supported only by one small stone Pillar in ye middle, painted round the walls with figures Carved ye whole accō: of the book of Genesis, the Windows are painted very finely—Much of the History of the Bible. There is as many little Chappels in the Church as months in a yeare, as many doores as weekes, as many Marble pillars as dayes, as many windows as houres, as many partitions in the windows as minutes in the year. The roofe of the Church is very lofty and exactly neate in all things though not so large as some other Cathedralls—the top of the Qoire is exactly painted and it lookes as fresh as if but new done though of 300 yeares standing—there is a very good organ and a deske for the reader raised so high even with the organ for ye advantage of the voice to be heard, yet ye Church is so lofty yt ye Eccos drowns ye Intelligableness of the voice. The Comunion table, hangings and ye booses are all of crimson velvet with gold fringe, 2 large Candlestickes gilt wth great white tapers in them, a large gilt bason to receive ye offerings in—there is many good monuments there, also there are ye Statues of the 3 bishops that built the Church cut in stone—there are two large fine monuments above ye Rest—one all free stone for the lord George, his Effiges and ladyes att length on a bed in their Robes and ruffs on pillows, and ye four pillars are twisted, and over it Angels, figures of birds, beasts, flowers and leaves very fine, there sits Justice wth ye ballance in her hand, one scale laying over ye other twisted lookes very natural and well, with ye wreathed work all in free stone with their Armes cut about in Escutheons all about it; the other is a monument for the Duke of Summerset all in marble, a large bed his Effigee in garment and ruff all in Coullours, his lady the same only she is laid one step above him because she was Daughter to the Dowager of ffrance and sister to Henry ye 7th of England by her second husband Charles brandon Duke of Suffolk.
There is ye Effiges of their 2 sonnes, Lord Beachom at their head and Lord Seymour at ye feete in Armour on their Knees, and severall Daughters on their knees at ye bottom and 12 pillars of Irish gray marble. The Armes is cutt finely in Escutcheons &c. and in figures with ye supporters and severall sorts of beasts carved in a piramide fashion, and on ye top the Duke’s Corronet—these 2 monumts are railed in with Iron grates, there is the Effigee in stone off a doctor that starved himself to death attempting to imitate our Saviour to fast 40 dayes—but at 31 dayes end he became sensible of his evil and would have retrieved his life by eateing againe, but then by ye Just judgment of god could not swallow any thing down his throate;—there is a chaple or burying place of Judge poppums that had two very wild sonnes and by 2 pictures of his sonnes, pictured one with death ye other with a skeleton and set in ye room they were to come into by their father’s order, it pleased God to bless as a meanes to reclaim them. Ye pictures are still there; the windows of the Church but especially ye Quire are very finely painted and large of ye history of ye bible—the tower ffor ye bells are in ye yard at some distance from the Church—there are 6 Churches in the town and subburbs and ye County Goal at ye end of the town called ffisherton, just by the great river that runnes to Christ-Church in Salsebury. They keep the quarter session once in ye yeare the othr tymes are kept at Malbrough about 24 mile off and at ye Devises about ye same distance wch is a very neate little town with a very good market house and town hall sett on stone pillars; it is a bourrough and a very rich tradeing place ffor the Clothing trade, the fourth place ye session is kept is Warminster about ye same distance—its a pretty little town a good Market for corn and there is the Mindiffe Coale which is allmost as good as the sea Coale from New-Castle that is dugg out of the hills all about;—But ye Assizes is allwayes kept at Salsebury and is a Major town though Wilton about 2 mile off is ye County town and ye Knights of ye shire are chosen there, though its now but as a little village as it were, and only supported by the Earle of Pembrooke which lives there and has a very ffine house with large Courts one within another. At ye Entrance there is a lofty Hall with good Pictures, 3 or 4 dineing roomes and drawing roomes of State with very good bed Chambers and well furnished velvet damaske and tissue, one Gallery and ye dineing roome was all wanscoated with pictures of ye family—there is a drawing roome and Anti roome, ye wanscoate is painted with ye whole History of the Acadia romance made by Sr Philip Sidney, brother to the then Countess of Pembrooke and Composed by him in ye ffine woods above ye house.
Another room is painted wth all sorts of sports, Hunting, Hawking &c.—they are all finely painted on the Ceiling and very lofty. there is one dineing roome yt the Chimney is just under a window and the Tunnells runnes upon each side. there is one Chamber, the chimney stands Just by the window opposite to Salsebury, and on the black Marble Chimney piece soe finely polished you may see all the Cathedrall as in a Glass; I have seen it plaine. There are very fine Marble Chimney pieces in most of ye roomes, and marble windows. The Gardens are very fine with many gravel walkes with grass squaires set with fine brass and stone statues—fish ponds and basons with ffigures in ye middle spouting out water—dwarfe trees of all sorts and a fine flower garden—much wall fruite. Ye river runns through ye garden that easeily conveys by pipes water to all Parts.
A Grottoe is att ye end of the garden just ye middle off ye house—its garnished with many fine ffigures of ye Goddesses, and about 2 yards off the doore is severall pipes in a line that with a sluce spoutts water up to wett the strangers—in the middle roome is a round table and a large Pipe in the midst, on which they put a Crown or Gun or a branch, and so yt spouts the water through ye Carvings and poynts all round ye roome at ye Artists pleasure to wet ye Company—there are figures at Each corner of ye roome that Can weep water on the beholders and by a straight pipe on ye table they force up ye water into ye hollow carving of ye rooff like a Crown or Coronet to appearance but is hollow within to retaine ye water fforced into it in great quantetyes yt disperses in ye hollow Cavity over ye roome and descends in a Shower of raine all about ye roome—on each side is two little roomes which by the turning their wires ye water runnes in ye rockes—you see and hear it and also it is so contrived in one room yt it makes ye melody of Nightingerlls and all sorts of birds wch engages ye Curiosity of ye Strangers to go in to see, but at ye Entrance off each room is a line of pipes that appear not till by a Sluce moved—it washes ye spectators designed for diversion.
Ye Grottoe is leaded on ye top where are fish ponds, and just without ye grottoe is a wooden bridge over ye river. Ye barristers are set out wth Lyons set thick on Either Side wth their mouths open, and by a sluce spout out water each to other in a perfect arch ye length of ye bridge. There are fine woods beyond ye house and a large parke walled in. From thence I went to Blandford in Dorsetshire 18 miles through a haire waring and a forest of ye Kings.
Blandford is a pretty neate Country town. Thence to Merly by Wimborn over a great river Called the Stoure and a large Arched bridge to a Relations house, Sr William Constantines house—thence to Poole a little seaport town 4 miles off where was a very good Minister in ye publick Church—Mr Hardy.