Banbury is a pretty little town, the streets broad and well pitched, the whole Country is very pleasant and the land rich—a red earth. They make some of their fences with stones—dry walls without Morter. It seemes much on a flatt and you have a large prospect, from thence to London we go by Alesbury 20 mile, thence to London 30 mile.
A journey my mother went from Newtontony to Durly in the fforest 15 miles, thence to Nurstead 15 mile to a Relations house, (Aunt Holts,) a neate new built house with brick and stone—a hall, little parlour on ye left side, a back door into a Court built round with all the offices out to ye stables and barnes: on the right side a great parlour and drawing roome yt opened into the garden wch were fine gravel walks, grass plotts and beyond it a garden of flower trees and all sorts of Herbage, store of fruit, and freestone broad walke in ye Middle to ye house. Ye Chambers are very good and Convenient and in ye ffront is a place walled in, beyond is a long ground sett with rows of trees; on ye right side of ye house is a large grove of firrs halfe scotts halfe norroway which lookes very nobly. The roades all about this Country are very stony, narrow and steep hills or else very dirty as in most of Sussex, but good rich land; it is in 2 mile of petersffield in Hampshire wch is a good little neate town. In a mile of it is a Gentlemans house Called Maple Duram which Might now be new named into yew, ffor the great number of yew trees set thick in severall green walkes that grows high and is cutt close to the body up almost to the top, and ye tops are left in a great head that spreads and makes it very shady and pleasant. From thence we went to Guilford wch is a good town built with stone. The streetes are broad—thence to Kingston on the Thames 30 mile thence to London 10 mile, from London againe to Colebrooke 15 miles, thence to Maidenhead 10. You go in sight of Winsor Castle on the left hand and Eaton Colledge as you pass the bridge at Maidenhead, and on ye right hand you see Cliffton house a fine Building of ye Duke of Buckingams. Thence to Redding 5 miles wch is a pretty large place, severall Churches, in one lyes buried one of my sisters that Dyed at my Grandmothers there of the small pox, her monument of white marble stands up in the Chancell. From Redding to the Veale 5 miles, Sad Clay Deep way this is in Barkshire, thence to Newbery 8 mile all Clay Mirey ground.
Newbery is a little town famous for makeing the best whipps—its a good market for Corn and trade. Thence to Newtontony over Way hill famous for a Faire kept there on Michelmas day.
My journey to London after my Mothers death was by Sutton 14 mile thence to Baseing stoke 12 mile, a large town for to Entertaine travellers and commodious, 2 mile beyond we pass by Basen on the left side, a house of the Duke of Boltons wth a large parke and gardens. Ye house is not fine being much demolished and spoyled after the Civil warres, it being a garrison held by ye King. On the right hand at a mile distance you come in sight also of a great building like a little town—the house of Sr Robert Hendlys; so to Hartffordbridge is 8 mile more thats only a place full of jnns for the conveniency of the road. Thence over a heath you go to Bagshott that is 8 mile all on a heavy sand where you come by a parke of ye kings, and in it is a pretty house—thence to Eggum 8 mile very heavy sand, so to Staines where you cross the Thames on a bridge to Midlsex and so to Houndslow 4 mile, to Brandford 4 mile, to Turnumgreen 2, thence to Hammersmith 2 to Kensington 2 and London 2 miles.
Another journey ffrom London to Alsebury 30 mile, from thence to great Horrwood in Buckinghamshire 10 miles, from thence I went to Hillsdon a house of Mr Dentons 7 miles which stands on a Riseing in the middle of a fine Parke and lookes very well; its not large, a good hall wth 2 parlours and has a glide through the house into the gardens wch are neately kept—the grass and Gravel walkes wth dwarfs and flower beds and much fruit; the prospect is fine all over the gardens and parke, and the river and woods beyond them. We went to Thorndon Sr Thomas Tyrrells, a good old house and very good gardens, some walkes like Arbours Close, others shady others open, some gravel, others grass with Cyprus’ trees, a fine river runnes all the back side of the garden, where is very good ffish. The house is low but runnes much on the ground, so there are many roomes wch are lofty but its not built in many storyes. Thence we went 4 mile to Stow Sr Richd Temples new house that stands pretty high. You enter into a hall very lofty with a gallery round the top, thence through to a great parlour that opens in a Bellcony to the garden, and is a visto thro’ the whole house, so that on the one side you view the gardens wch are one below another wth low breast walls and Taress walkes, and is replenished with all ye Curiosityes or Requisites for ornament, pleasure and use, beyond it are orchards and woods with rows of trees; on the other side you see ye parke rowes of trees; the roomes are all lofty and good, the hall is not large but sutable to its height—a great many Chambers and roomes of state. Some the ground floores are inlaid, ffine Pictures and good staircase and gallery wch leads to the Ledds through a large Cupelow wch gives ye prospect of the whole Country. We went to horrwood 7 mile, by severall other seates of Sr Ralph Verny’s who has most exact ffine gardens: within two mile off Horrwood is a well of minerall waters from Iron just like Tunbridg and as good. I dranke them a fortnight—there are severall of the same sort of springs all about that Country. Thence I went to Buckinghamtown 7 mile, a very neate place and we passed the river Ouise over a very high bridge tho’ the river seemed not then so very full, but it swells after great raines which makes them build their arches so large. Thence to Banbury in Oxfordshire 13 miles, thence to morton Hindmost in Glocestershire 14 miles, thence to Hales 8 miles over steep stony hills, a house of Lord Tracy’s where my brother Say lived—a good old house, and there is a pretty Chappel with a Gallery ffor people of quality to sitt in wch goes out of the hall that is a lofty large roome: good parlour and severall good lodging roomes. You ascend into the house by Severall stone stepps. Within 2 mile of this is a better house of ye Lord Tracy with a very good parke which stands so high that by the Lodge I rode up ye banks I could see all the parke about and ye deer feeding and running.
There is a little river and large ponds—it gives you a good sight of the Country about, wch is pretty much inclosed and woods a rich deep Country and so the roads bad. There are severall high hills that I was on that gave a large prospect to ye eye. I saw some of this land improved in the produce of woods wch ye dyers use—its ordered in this manner, all the Summer season if drie for 4 or 5 months they sow it or plant it, but I thinke its sown—then its very Clean wedd when grown up a little out of ye ground, for it rises no higher then Lettice and Much in such tuffts; ye Coullour off ye Leafe is much like Scabins and the shape Resembling that: this they Cutt of Close to ye ground and soe out of ye same roofe Springs the Leafe againe, this they do 4 tymes, then in a Mill wth a horse they Grind the Leaves into a paste, so make it up in balls and drye them in a Penthouse to secure it from raine—only the wind dryes it. This plantation of about 12 acres would Employ 2 or 3 ffamilyes Men, Women and Children, and so they Generally Come and Make little hutts for themselves for ye Season to tend it.
Here I saw flax In the growth. The smell of the Woode is so strong and offencive you can scarce beare it at ye Mill: I could not fforse my horse neare it.
ffrom thence I returned. Backe by a place where is a stone stands to Divide ffour shires—Worcester, Oxford Glocester and Warwickshire—so I ascended there a high hill and travaill’d all on ye top of ye hills a pleasant and a good Roade. I came to Rowle Stone where are many such greate stones as is at Stonidge, one stands uppright, a broad Stone Called the King’s Stone, being the place a Saxon King was secured against his enemies; thence to Broughton in all 26 miles. Thence I went to Astrop where is a Steele water Much ffrequented by ye Gentry, it has some Mixture of Allum so is not so strong as Tunbridge. There is a ffine Gravell Walke that is between 2 high Cutt hedges where is a Roome for the Musick and a Roome for ye Company besides ye Private walkes. The well runnes very quick, they are not Curious in keepeing it, neither is there any bason for the spring to run out off only a dirty well full of Moss’s which is all Changed yellow by the water. There are Lodgings about for ye Company and a little place Called Sutton. this is four mile, thence to Oxfford 14 mile all in a very good Road and an exceeding pleasant Country. You pass by many ffine seates, Park’s, woods, the Land in Most part of this County is Rich Red Mould and deepe so as they are forced to Plough their Ground 2 or 3 tymes for wheate and Cannot use Wheeles to their Ploughs, its rich Land and produces plenty of all things.
Oxford opens to view 2 mile off, its Scituation is ffine on a Round hill Environ’d Round with hills adorn’d with Woods and Enclosures, yet not so neare as to annoy ye town which stands pleasant and Compact. There is a ffine Causy for neare two mile by the Road for the Schollars to walke on, ye Theater stands the highest of all and much in ye middle Encompass’d with ye Severall Colledges and Churches and other Buildings whose towers and Spires appeares very Well at a Distance; the Streetes are very Cleane and well Pitched and pretty broad. The high Streete is a very Noble one, soe Larg and of a Greate Length. In this is ye University Church Called St Maryes, which is very large and Lofty but Nothing very Curious in it. The Theater is a Noble Pile of building, its Paved with Black and White Marble, exceeding Large and Lofty, built Round and Supported by its own architecture all stone, noe pillars to support it; itt has windows all round and full of Gallery’s ffor the Spectators as well as Disputants when ye acts are at Oxford. Over the Rooff of this Large Roome are as Large roomes with Severall Divissions which are Used for the Drying the Printed Sheetes of bookes, and this has Light in Ovalls which is quite Round the Theater and in the Middle is a large Cupelow or Lanthorne Whence your Eye has a very ffine view of ye whole town and Country; this is all Supported on its own work. Under the theater is a roome wch is ffitted for printing, where I printed My name Severall tymes. The outside of ye theater there is a pavement and spikes of Iron in a Raile round with pillars of stone to secure it from the street. Just by it is a little building wch is full of Antiquityes wch have many Curiositys in it of Mettles, Stones, Ambers, Gumms.
There is the picture of a Gentleman yt was a Great benefactor to it being a travailer; the fframe of his picture is all wood carved very finely with all sorts of figures, Leaves, birds, beast and flowers. He gave them 2 ffine gold Meddals or Silve gilt wth two ffine great Chaines of the same, one was all curious hollow worke wch were given him by some prince beyond the Sea. There is a Cane which looks like a Solid heavy thing but if you take it in yor hands its as light as a feather, there is a Dwarfe shoe and boote, there are several Loadstones, and it is pretty to See how ye steele Clings or follows it, hold it on the top att some distance the needles stand quite upright, hold it on either side it moves towards it as it rises and falls.