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diff --git a/old/ttece10.txt b/old/ttece10.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2f1bbb9 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/ttece10.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4369 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tour through the Eastern Counties of England +by Daniel Defoe +(#5 in our series by Daniel Defoe) + +Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the +copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing +this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook. + +This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project +Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the +header without written permission. + +Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the +eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is +important information about your specific rights and restrictions in +how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a +donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved. + + +**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** + +**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** + +*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** + + +Title: Tour through the Eastern Counties of England, 1722 + +Author: Daniel Defoe + +Release Date: July, 1997 [EBook #983] +[This file was first posted on July 10, 1997] +[Most recently updated: May 21, 2003] + +Edition: 10 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: US-ASCII + +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, TOUR THROUGH THE EASTERN COUNTIES *** + + + + +Transcribed by David Price, email ccx074@coventry.ac.uk + + + + +Tour through the Eastern Counties of England, 1722 + + + + +I began my travels where I purpose to end them, viz., at the City +of London, and therefore my account of the city itself will come +last, that is to say, at the latter end of my southern progress; +and as in the course of this journey I shall have many occasions to +call it a circuit, if not a circle, so I chose to give it the title +of circuits in the plural, because I do not pretend to have +travelled it all in one journey, but in many, and some of them many +times over; the better to inform myself of everything I could find +worth taking notice of. + +I hope it will appear that I am not the less, but the more capable +of giving a full account of things, by how much the more +deliberation I have taken in the view of them, and by how much the +oftener I have had opportunity to see them. + +I set out the 3rd of April, 1722, going first eastward, and took +what I think I may very honestly call a circuit in the very letter +of it; for I went down by the coast of the Thames through the +Marshes or Hundreds on the south side of the county of Essex, till +I came to Malden, Colchester, and Harwich, thence continuing on the +coast of Suffolk to Yarmouth; thence round by the edge of the sea, +on the north and west side of Norfolk, to Lynn, Wisbech, and the +Wash; thence back again, on the north side of Suffolk and Essex, to +the west, ending it in Middlesex, near the place where I began it, +reserving the middle or centre of the several counties to some +little excursions, which I made by themselves. + +Passing Bow Bridge, where the county of Essex begins, the first +observation I made was, that all the villages which may be called +the neighbourhood of the city of London on this, as well as on the +other sides thereof, which I shall speak to in their order; I say, +all those villages are increased in buildings to a strange degree, +within the compass of about twenty or thirty years past at the +most. + +The village of Stratford, the first in this county from London, is +not only increased, but, I believe, more than doubled in that time; +every vacancy filled up with new houses, and two little towns or +hamlets, as they may be called, on the forest side of the town +entirely new, namely Maryland Point and the Gravel Pits, one facing +the road to Woodford and Epping, and the other facing the road to +Ilford; and as for the hither part, it is almost joined to Bow, in +spite of rivers, canals, marshy grounds, &c. Nor is this increase +of building the case only in this and all the other villages round +London; but the increase of the value and rent of the houses +formerly standing has, in that compass of years above-mentioned, +advanced to a very great degree, and I may venture to say at least +the fifth part; some think a third part, above what they were +before. + +This is indeed most visible, speaking of Stratford in Essex; but it +is the same thing in proportion in other villages adjacent, +especially on the forest side; as at Low Leyton, Leytonstone, +Walthamstow, Woodford, Wanstead, and the towns of West Ham, +Plaistow, Upton, etc. In all which places, or near them (as the +inhabitants say), above a thousand new foundations have been +erected, besides old houses repaired, all since the Revolution; and +this is not to be forgotten too, that this increase is, generally +speaking, of handsome, large houses, from 20 pounds a year to 60 +pounds, very few under 20 pounds a year; being chiefly for the +habitations of the richest citizens, such as either are able to +keep two houses, one in the country and one in the city; or for +such citizens as being rich, and having left off trade, live +altogether in these neighbouring villages, for the pleasure and +health of the latter part of their days. + +The truth of this may at least appear, in that they tell me there +are no less than two hundred coaches kept by the inhabitants within +the circumference of these few villages named above, besides such +as are kept by accidental lodgers. + +This increase of the inhabitants, and the cause of it, I shall +enlarge upon when I come to speak of the like in the counties of +Middlesex, Surrey, &c, where it is the same, only in a much greater +degree. But this I must take notice of here, that this increase +causes those villages to be much pleasanter and more sociable than +formerly, for now people go to them, not for retirement into the +country, but for good company; of which, that I may speak to the +ladies as well as other authors do, there are in these villages, +nay, in all, three or four excepted, excellent conversation, and a +great deal of it, and that without the mixture of assemblies, +gaming-houses, and public foundations of vice and debauchery; and +particularly I find none of those incentives kept up on this side +the country. + +Mr. Camden, and his learned continuator, Bishop Gibson, have +ransacked this country for its antiquities, and have left little +unsearched; and as it is not my present design to say much of what +has been said already, I shall touch very lightly where two such +excellent antiquaries have gone before me; except it be to add what +may have been since discovered, which as to these parts is only +this: That there seems to be lately found out in the bottom of the +Marshes (generally called Hackney Marsh, and beginning near about +the place now called the Wick, between Old Ford and the said Wick), +the remains of a great stone causeway, which, as it is supposed, +was the highway, or great road from London into Essex, and the same +which goes now over the great bridge between Bow and Stratford. + +That the great road lay this way, and that the great causeway +landed again just over the river, where now the Temple Mills stand, +and passed by Sir Thomas Hickes's house at Ruckolls, all this is +not doubted; and that it was one of those famous highways made by +the Romans there is undoubted proof, by the several marks of Roman +work, and by Roman coins and other antiquities found there, some of +which are said to be deposited in the hands of the Rev. Mr. Strype, +vicar of the parish of Low Leyton. + +From hence the great road passed up to Leytonstone, a place by some +known now as much by the sign of the "Green Man," formerly a lodge +upon the edge of the forest; and crossing by Wanstead House, +formerly the dwelling of Sir Josiah Child, now of his son the Lord +Castlemain (of which hereafter), went over the same river which we +now pass at Ilford; and passing that part of the great forest which +we now call Hainault Forest, came into that which is now the great +road, a little on this side the Whalebone, a place on the road so +called because the rib-bone of a great whale, which was taken in +the River Thames the same year that Oliver Cromwell died, 1658, was +fixed there for a monument of that monstrous creature, it being at +first about eight-and-twenty feet long. + +According to my first intention of effectually viewing the sea- +coast of these three counties, I went from Stratford to Barking, a +large market-town, but chiefly inhabited by fishermen, whose smacks +ride in the Thames, at the mouth of their river, from whence their +fish is sent up to London to the market at Billingsgate by small +boats, of which I shall speak by itself in my description of +London. + +One thing I cannot omit in the mention of these Barking fisher- +smacks, viz., that one of those fishermen, a very substantial and +experienced man, convinced me that all the pretences to bringing +fish alive to London market from the North Seas, and other remote +places on the coast of Great Britain, by the new-built sloops +called fish-pools, have not been able to do anything but what their +fishing-smacks are able on the same occasion to perform. These +fishing-smacks are very useful vessels to the public upon many +occasions; as particularly, in time of war they are used as press- +smacks, running to all the northern and western coasts to pick up +seamen to man the navy, when any expedition is at hand that +requires a sudden equipment; at other times, being excellent +sailors, they are tenders to particular men of war; and on an +expedition they have been made use of as machines for the blowing +up of fortified ports and havens; as at Calais, St. Malo, and other +places. + +This parish of Barking is very large, and by the improvement of +lands taken in out of the Thames, and out of the river which runs +by the town, the tithes, as the townsmen assured me, are worth +above 600 pounds per annum, including, small tithes. Note.--This +parish has two or three chapels of ease, viz., one at Ilford, and +one on the side of Hainault Forest, called New Chapel. + +Sir Thomas Fanshaw, of an ancient Roman Catholic family, has a very +good estate in this parish. A little beyond the town, on the road +to Dagenham, stood a great house, ancient, and now almost fallen +down, where tradition says the Gunpowder Treason Plot was at first +contrived, and that all the first consultations about it were held +there. + +This side of the county is rather rich in land than in inhabitants, +occasioned chiefly by the unhealthiness of the air; for these low +marsh grounds, which, with all the south side of the county, have +been saved out of the River Thames, and out of the sea, where the +river is wide enough to be called so, begin here, or rather begin +at West Ham, by Stratford, and continue to extend themselves, from +hence eastward, growing wider and wider till we come beyond +Tilbury, when the flat country lies six, seven, or eight miles +broad, and is justly said to be both unhealthy and unpleasant. + +However, the lands are rich, and, as is observable, it is very good +farming in the marshes, because the landlords let good pennyworths, +for it being a place where everybody cannot live, those that +venture it will have encouragement and indeed it is but reasonable +they should. + +Several little observations I made in this part of the county of +Essex. + +1. We saw, passing from Barking to Dagenham, the famous breach, +made by an inundation of the Thames, which was so great as that it +laid near 5,000 acres of land under water, but which after near ten +years lying under water, and being several times blown up, has been +at last effectually stopped by the application of Captain Perry, +the gentleman who, for several years, had been employed in the Czar +of Muscovy's works, at Veronitza, on the River Don. This breach +appeared now effectually made up, and they assured us that the new +work, where the breach was, is by much esteemed the strongest of +all the sea walls in that level. + +2. It was observable that great part of the lands in these levels, +especially those on this side East Tilbury, are held by the +farmers, cow-keepers, and grazing butchers who live in and near +London, and that they are generally stocked (all the winter half +year) with large fat sheep, viz., Lincolnshire and Leicestershire +wethers, which they buy in Smithfield in September and October, +when the Lincolnshire and Leicestershire graziers sell off their +stock, and are kept here till Christmas, or Candlemas, or +thereabouts; and though they are not made at all fatter here than +they were when bought in, yet the farmer or butcher finds very good +advantage in it, by the difference of the price of mutton between +Michaelmas, when it is cheapest, and Candlemas, when it is dearest; +this is what the butchers value themselves upon, when they tell us +at the market that it is right marsh-mutton. + +3. In the bottom of these Marshes, and close to the edge of the +river, stands the strong fortress of Tilbury, called Tilbury Fort, +which may justly be looked upon as the key of the River Thames, and +consequently the key of the City of London. It is a regular +fortification. The design of it was a pentagon, but the water +bastion, as it would have been called, was never built. The plan +was laid out by Sir Martin Beckman, chief engineer to King Charles +II., who also designed the works at Sheerness. The esplanade of +the fort is very large, and the bastions the largest of any in +England, the foundation is laid so deep, and piles under that, +driven down two an end of one another, so far, till they were +assured they were below the channel of the river, and that the +piles, which were shed with iron, entered into the solid chalk rock +adjoining to, or reaching from, the chalk hills on the other side. +These bastions settled considerably at first, as did also part of +the curtain, the great quantity of earth that was brought to fill +them up, necessarily, requiring to be made solid by time; but they +are now firm as the rocks of chalk which they came from, and the +filling up one of these bastions, as I have been told by good +hands, cost the Government 6,000 pounds, being filled with chalk +rubbish fetched from the chalk pits at Northfleet, just above +Gravesend. + +The work to the land side is complete; the bastions are faced with +brick. There is a double ditch, or moat, the innermost part of +which is 180 feet broad; there is a good counterscarp, and a +covered way marked out with ravelins and tenailles, but they are +not raised a second time after their first settling. + +On the land side there are also two small redoubts of brick, but of +very little strength, for the chief strength of this fort on the +land side consists in this, that they are able to lay the whole +level under water, and so to make it impossible for an enemy to +make any approaches to the fort that way. + +On the side next the river there is a very strong curtain, with a +noble gate called the Water Gate in the middle, and the ditch is +palisadoed. At the place where the water bastion was designed to +be built, and which by the plan should run wholly out into the +river, so to flank the two curtains of each side; I say, in the +place where it should have been, stands a high tower, which they +tell us was built in Queen Elizabeth's time, and was called the +Block House; the side next the water is vacant. + +Before this curtain, above and below the said vacancy, is a +platform in the place of a counterscarp, on which are planted 106 +pieces of cannon, generally all of them carrying from twenty-four +to forty-six pound ball; a battery so terrible as well imports the +consequence of that place; besides which, there are smaller pieces +planted between, and the bastions and curtain also are planted with +guns; so that they must be bold fellows who will venture in the +biggest ships the world has heard of to pass such a battery, if the +men appointed to serve the guns do their duty like stout fellows, +as becomes them. + +The present government of this important place is under the prudent +administration of the Right Honourable the Lord Newbrugh. + +From hence there is nothing for many miles together remarkable but +a continued level of unhealthy marshes, called the Three Hundreds, +till we come before Leigh, and to the mouth of the River Chelmer, +and Blackwater. These rivers united make a large firth, or inlet +of the sea, which by Mr. Camden is called Idumanum Fluvium; but by +our fishermen and seamen, who use it as a port, it is called Malden +Water. + +In this inlet of the sea is Osey, or Osyth Island, commonly called +Oosy Island, so well known by our London men of pleasure for the +infinite number of wild fowl, that is to say, duck, mallard, teal, +and widgeon, of which there are such vast flights, that they tell +us the island, namely the creek, seems covered with them at certain +times of the year, and they go from London on purpose for the +pleasure of shooting; and, indeed, often come home very well laden +with game. But it must be remembered too that those gentlemen who +are such lovers of the sport, and go so far for it, often return +with an Essex ague on their backs, which they find a heavier load +than the fowls they have shot. + +It is on this shore, and near this creek, that the greatest +quantity of fresh fish is caught which supplies not this country +only, but London markets also. On the shore, beginning a little +below Candy Island, or rather below Leigh Road, there lies a great +shoal or sand called the Black Tail, which runs out near three +leagues into the sea due east; at the end of it stands a pole or +mast, set up by the Trinity House men of London, whose business is +to lay buoys and set up sea marks for the direction of the sailors; +this is called Shoe Beacon, from the point of land where this sand +begins, which is called Shoeburyness, and that from the town of +Shoebury, which stands by it. From this sand, and on the edge of +Shoebury, before it, or south west of it, all along, to the mouth +of Colchester water, the shore is full of shoals and sands, with +some deep channels between; all which are so full of fish, that not +only the Barking fishing-smacks come hither to fish, but the whole +shore is full of small fisher-boats in very great numbers, +belonging to the villages and towns on the coast, who come in every +tide with what they take; and selling the smaller fish in the +country, send the best and largest away upon horses, which go night +and day to London market. + +N.B.--I am the more particular in my remarks on this place, because +in the course of my travels the reader will meet with the like in +almost every place of note through the whole island, where it will +be seen how this whole kingdom, as well the people as the land, and +even the sea, in every part of it, are employed to furnish +something, and I may add, the best of everything, to supply the +City of London with provisions; I mean by provisions, corn, flesh, +fish, butter, cheese, salt, fuel, timber, etc., and clothes also; +with everything necessary for building, and furniture for their own +use or for trade; of all which in their order. + +On this shore also are taken the best and nicest, though not the +largest, oysters in England; the spot from whence they have their +common appellation is a little bank called Woelfleet, scarce to be +called an island, in the mouth of the River Crouch, now called +Crooksea Water; but the chief place where the said oysters are now +had is from Wyvenhoe and the shores adjacent, whither they are +brought by the fishermen, who take them at the mouth of that they +call Colchester water and about the sand they call the Spits, and +carry them up to Wyvenhoe, where they are laid in beds or pits on +the shore to feed, as they call it; and then being barrelled up and +carried to Colchester, which is but three miles off, they are sent +to London by land, and are from thence called Colchester oysters. + +The chief sort of other fish which they carry from this part of the +shore to London are soles, which they take sometimes exceeding +large, and yield a very good price at London market. Also +sometimes middling turbot, with whiting, codling and large +flounders; the small fish, as above, they sell in the country. + +In the several creeks and openings, as above, on this shore there +are also other islands, but of no particular note, except Mersey, +which lies in the middle of the two openings between Malden Water +and Colchester Water; being of the most difficult access, so that +it is thought a thousand men well provided might keep possession of +it against a great force, whether by land or sea. On this account, +and because if possessed by an enemy it would shut up all the +navigation and fishery on that side, the Government formerly built +a fort on the south-east point of it; and generally in case of +Dutch war, there is a strong body of troops kept there to defend +it. + +At this place may be said to end what we call the Hundreds of +Essex--that is to say, the three Hundreds or divisions which +include the marshy country, viz., Barnstable Hundred, Rochford +Hundred, and Dengy Hundred. + +I have one remark more before I leave this damp part of the world, +and which I cannot omit on the women's account, namely, that I took +notice of a strange decay of the sex here; insomuch that all along +this country it was very frequent to meet with men that had had +from five or six to fourteen or fifteen wives; nay, and some more. +And I was informed that in the marshes on the other side of the +river over against Candy Island there was a farmer who was then +living with the five-and-twentieth wife, and that his son, who was +but about thirty-five years old, had already had about fourteen. +Indeed, this part of the story I only had by report, though from +good hands too; but the other is well known and easy to be inquired +into about Fobbing, Curringham, Thundersly, Benfleet, Prittlewell, +Wakering, Great Stambridge, Cricksea, Burnham, Dengy, and other +towns of the like situation. The reason, as a merry fellow told +me, who said he had had about a dozen and a half of wives (though I +found afterwards he fibbed a little) was this: That they being +bred in the marshes themselves and seasoned to the place, did +pretty well with it; but that they always went up into the hilly +country, or, to speak their own language, into the uplands for a +wife. That when they took the young lasses out of the wholesome +and fresh air they were healthy, fresh, and clear, and well; but +when they came out of their native air into the marshes among the +fogs and damps, there they presently changed their complexion, got +an ague or two, and seldom held it above half a year, or a year at +most; "And then," said he, "we go to the uplands again and fetch +another;" so that marrying of wives was reckoned a kind of good +farm to them. It is true the fellow told this in a kind of +drollery and mirth; but the fact, for all that, is certainly true; +and that they have abundance of wives by that very means. Nor is +it less true that the inhabitants in these places do not hold it +out, as in other countries, and as first you seldom meet with very +ancient people among the poor, as in other places we do, so, take +it one with another, not one-half of the inhabitants are natives of +the place; but such as from other countries or in other parts of +this country settle here for the advantage of good farms; for which +I appeal to any impartial inquiry, having myself examined into it +critically in several places. + +From the marshes and low grounds being not able to travel without +many windings and indentures by reason of the creeks and waters, I +came up to the town of Malden, a noted market town situate at the +conflux or joining of two principal rivers in this county, the +Chelm or Chelmer, and the Blackwater, and where they enter into the +sea. The channel, as I have noted, is called by the sailors Malden +Water, and is navigable up to the town, where by that means is a +great trade for carrying corn by water to London; the county of +Essex being (especially on all that side) a great corn county. + +When I have said this I think I have done Malden justice, and said +all of it that there is to be said, unless I should run into the +old story of its antiquity, and tell you it was a Roman colony in +the time of Vespasian, and that it was called Camolodunum. How the +Britons, under Queen Boadicea, in revenge for the Romans' ill-usage +of her--for indeed they used her majesty ill--they stripped her +naked and whipped her publicly through their streets for some +affront she had given them. I say how for this she raised the +Britons round the country, overpowered, and cut in pieces the Tenth +Legion, killed above eighty thousand Romans, and destroyed the +colony; but was afterwards overthrown in a great battle, and sixty +thousand Britons slain. I say, unless I should enter into this +story, I have nothing more to say of Malden, and, as for that +story, it is so fully related by Mr. Camden in his history of the +Romans in Britain at the beginning of his "Britannia," that I need +only refer the reader to it, and go on with my journey. + +Being obliged to come thus far into the uplands, as above, I made +it my road to pass through Witham, a pleasant, well-situated market +town, in which, and in its neighbourhood, there are as many +gentlemen of good fortunes and families as I believe can be met +with in so narrow a compass in any of the three counties of which I +make this circuit. + +In the town of Witham dwells the Lord Pasely, oldest son of the +Earl of Abercorn of Ireland (a branch of the noble family of +Hamilton, in Scotland). His lordship has a small, but a neat, +well-built new house, and is finishing his gardens in such a manner +as few in that part of England will exceed them. + +Nearer Chelmsford, hard by Boreham, lives the Lord Viscount +Barrington, who, though not born to the title, or estate, or name +which he now possesses, had the honour to be twice made heir to the +estates of gentlemen not at all related to him, at least, one of +them, as is very much to his honour, mentioned in his patent of +creation. His name was Shute, his father a linendraper in London, +and served sheriff of the said city in very troublesome times. He +changed the name of Shute for that of Barrington by an Act of +Parliament obtained for that purpose, and had the dignity of a +baron of the kingdom conferred on him by the favour of King George. +His lordship is a Dissenter, and seems to love retirement. He was +a member of Parliament for the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed. + +On the other side of Witham, at Fauburn, an ancient mansion house, +built by the Romans, lives Mr. Bullock, whose father married the +daughter of that eminent citizen, Sir Josiah Child, of Wanstead, by +whom she had three sons; the eldest enjoys the estate, which is +considerable. + +It is observable, that in this part of the country there are +several very considerable estates, purchased and now enjoyed by +citizens of London, merchants, and tradesmen, as Mr. Western, an +iron merchant, near Kelendon; Mr. Cresnor, a wholesale grocer, who +was, a little before he died, named for sheriff at Earl's Coln; Mr. +Olemus, a merchant at Braintree; Mr. Westcomb, near Malden; Sir +Thomas Webster at Copthall, near Waltham; and several others. + +I mention this to observe how the present increase of wealth in the +City of London spreads itself into the country, and plants families +and fortunes, who in another age will equal the families of the +ancient gentry, who perhaps were brought out. I shall take notice +of this in a general head, and when I have run through all the +counties, collect a list of the families of citizens and tradesmen +thus established in the several counties, especially round London. + +The product of all this part of the country is corn, as that of the +marshy feeding grounds mentioned above is grass, where their chief +business is breeding of calves, which I need not say are the best +and fattest, and the largest veal in England, if not in the world; +and, as an instance, I ate part of a veal or calf, fed by the late +Sir Josiah Child at Wanstead, the loin of which weighed above +thirty pounds, and the flesh exceeding white and fat. + +From hence I went on to Colchester. The story of Kill-Dane, which +is told of the town of Kelvedon, three miles from Witham, namely, +that this is the place where the massacre of the Danes was begun by +the women, and that therefore it was called Kill-Dane; I say of it, +as we generally say of improbable news, it wants confirmation. The +true name of the town is Kelvedon, and has been so for many hundred +years. Neither does Mr. Camden, or any other writer I meet with +worth naming, insist on this piece of empty tradition. The town is +commonly called Keldon. + +Colchester is an ancient corporation. The town is large, very +populous, the streets fair and beautiful, and though it may not +said to be finely built, yet there are abundance of very good and +well-built houses in it. It still mourns in the ruins of a civil +war; during which, or rather after the heat of the war was over, it +suffered a severe siege, which, the garrison making a resolute +defence, was turned into a blockade, in which the garrison and +inhabitants also suffered the utmost extremity of hunger, and were +at last obliged to surrender at discretion, when their two chief +officers, Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lisle, were shot to +death under the castle wall. The inhabitants had a tradition that +no grass would grow upon the spot where the blood of those two +gallant gentlemen was spilt, and they showed the place bare of +grass for many years; but whether for this reason I will not +affirm. The story is now dropped, and the grass, I suppose, grows +there, as in other places. + +However, the battered walls, the breaches in the turrets, and the +ruined churches, still remain, except that the church of St. Mary +(where they had the royal fort) is rebuilt; but the steeple, which +was two-thirds battered down, because the besieged had a large +culverin upon it that did much execution, remains still in that +condition. + +There is another church which bears the marks of those times, +namely, on the south side of the town, in the way to the Hythe, of +which more hereafter. + +The lines of contravallation, with the forts built by the +besiegers, and which surrounded the whole town, remain very visible +in many places; but the chief of them are demolished. + +The River Colne, which passes through this town, compasses it on +the north and east sides, and served in those times for a complete +defence on those sides. They have three bridges over it, one +called North Bridge, at the north gate, by which the road leads +into Suffolk; one called East Bridge, at the foot of the High +Street, over which lies the road to Harwich, and one at the Hythe, +as above. + +The river is navigable within three miles of the town for ships of +large burthen; a little lower it may receive even a royal navy; and +up to that part called the Hythe, close to the houses, it is +navigable for hoys and small barques. This Hythe is a long street, +passing from west to east, on the south side of the town. At the +west end of it, there is a small intermission of the buildings, but +not much; and towards the river it is very populous (it may be +called the Wapping of Colchester). There is one church in that +part of the town, a large quay by the river, and a good custom- +house. + +The town may be said chiefly to subsist by the trade of making +bays, which is known over most of the trading parts of Europe by +the name of Colchester Bays, though indeed all the towns round +carry on the same trade--namely, Kelvedon, Witham, Coggeshall, +Braintree, Bocking, &c., and the whole county, large as it is, may +be said to be employed, and in part maintained, by the spinning of +wool for the bay trade of Colchester and its adjacent towns. The +account of the siege, A.D. 1648, with a diary of the most +remarkable passages, are as follows, which I had from so good a +hand as that I have no reason to question its being a true +relation. + + + +A Diary: Or, An Account Of The Siege And Blockade Of Colchester, +A.D. 1648. + + + +On the 4th of June, we were alarmed in the town of Colchester that +the Lord Goring, the Lord Capel, and a body of two thousand of the +loyal party, who had been in arms in Kent, having left a great body +of an army in possession of Rochester Bridge, where they resolved +to fight the Lord Fairfax and the Parliament army, had given the +said General Fairfax the slip, and having passed the Thames at +Greenwich, were come to Stratford, and were advancing this way; +upon which news, Sir Charles Lucas, Sir George Lisle, Colonel Cook, +and several gentlemen of the loyal army, and all that had +commissions from the king, with a gallant appearance of gentlemen +volunteers, drew together from all parts of the country to join +with them. + +The 8th, we were further informed that they were advanced to +Chelmsford, to New Hall House, and to Witham; and the 9th some of +the horse arrived in the town, taking possession of the gates, and +having engineers with them, told us that General Goring had +resolved to make this town his headquarters, and would cause it to +be well fortified. They also caused the drums to beat for +volunteers; and a good number of the poor bay-weavers, and such- +like people, wanting employment, enlisted; so that they completed +Sir Charles Lucas's regiment, which was but thin, to near eight +hundred men. + +On the 10th we had news that the Lord Fairfax, having beaten the +Royalists at Maidstone, and retaken Rochester, had passed the +Thames at Gravesend, though with great difficulty, and with some +loss, and was come to Horndon-on-the-Hill, in order to gain +Colchester before the Royalists; but that hearing Sir Charles Lucas +had prevented him, had ordered his rendezvous at Billerecay, and +intended to possess the pass at Malden on the 11th, where Sir +Thomas Honnywood, with the county-trained bands, was to be the same +day. + +The same evening the Lord Goring, with all his forces, making about +five thousand six hundred men, horse and foot, came to Colchester, +and encamping without the suburbs, under command of the cannon of +St. Mary's fort, made disposition to fight the Parliament forces if +they came up. + +The 12th, the Lord Goring came into Colchester, viewed the fort in +St. Mary's churchyard, ordered more cannon to be planted upon it, +posted two regiments in the suburbs without the head gate, let the +town know he would take them into his Majesty's protection, and +that he would fight the enemy in that situation. The same evening +the Lord Fairfax, with a strong party of one thousand horse, came +to Lexden, at two small miles' distance, expecting the rest of his +army there the same night. + +The Lord Goring brought in prisoners the same day, Sir William +Masham, and several other gentlemen of the county, who were secured +under a strong guard; which the Parliament hearing, ordered twenty +prisoners of the royal party to be singled out, declaring, that +they should be used in the same manner as the Lord Goring used Sir +William Masham, and the gentlemen prisoners with him. + +On the 13th, early in the morning, our spies brought intelligence +that the Lord Fairfax, all his forces being come up to him, was +making dispositions for a march, resolving to attack the Royalists +in their camp; upon which, the Lord Goring drew all his forces +together, resolving to fight. The engineers had offered the night +before to entrench his camp, and to draw a line round it in one +night's time, but his lordship declined it, and now there was no +time for it; whereupon the general, Lord Goring, drew up his army +in order of battle on both sides the road, the horse in the open +fields on the wings; the foot were drawn up, one regiment in the +road, one regiment on each side, and two regiments for reserve in +the suburb, just at the entrance of the town, with a regiment of +volunteers advanced as a forlorn hope, and a regiment of horse at +the head-gate, ready to support the reserve, as occasion should +require. + +About nine in the morning we heard the enemy's drums beat a march, +and in half an hour more their first troops appeared on the higher +grounds towards Lexden. Immediately the cannon from St. Mary's +fired upon them, and put some troops of horse into confusion, doing +great execution, which, they not being able to shun it, made them +quicken their pace, fall on, when our cannon were obliged to cease +firing, lest we should hurt our own troops as well as the enemy. +Soon after, their foot appeared, and our cannon saluted them in +like manner, and killed them a great many men. + +Their first line of foot was led up by Colonel Barkstead, and +consisted of three regiments of foot, making about 1,700 men, and +these charged our regiment in the lane, commanded by Sir George +Lisle and Sir William Campion. They fell on with great fury, and +were received with as much gallantry, and three times repulsed; nor +could they break in here, though the Lord Fairfax sent fresh men to +support them, till the Royalists' horse, oppressed with numbers on +the left, were obliged to retire, and at last to come full gallop +into the street, and so on into the town. Nay, still the foot +stood firm, and the volunteers, being all gentlemen, kept their +ground with the greatest resolution; but the left wing being +routed, as above, Sir William Campion was obliged to make a front +to the left, and lining the hedge with his musketeers, made a stand +with a body of pikes against the enemy's horse, and prevented them +entering the lane. Here that gallant gentleman was killed with a +carabine shot; and after a very gallant resistance, the horse on +the right being also overpowered, the word was given to retreat, +which, however, was done in such good order, the regiments of +reserve standing drawn up at the end of the street, ready to +receive the enemy's horse upon the points of their pikes, that the +royal troops came on in the openings between the regiments, and +entered the town with very little loss, and in very good order. + +By this, however, those regiments of reserve were brought at last +to sustain the efforts of the enemy's whole army, till being +overpowered by numbers they were put into disorder, and forced to +get into the town in the best manner they could; by which means +near two hundred men were killed or made prisoners. + +Encouraged by this success the enemy pushed on, supposing they +should enter the town pell-mell with the rest; nor did the +Royalists hinder them, but let good part of Barkstead's own +regiment enter the head-gate; but then sallying from St. Mary's +with a choice body of foot on their left, and the horse rallying in +the High Street, and charging them again in the front, they were +driven back quite into the street of the suburb, and most of those +that had so rashly entered were cut in pieces. + +Thus they were repulsed at the south entrance into the town; and +though they attempted to storm three times after that with great +resolution, yet they were as often beaten back, and that with great +havoc of their men; and the cannon from the fort all the while did +execution upon those who stood drawn up to support them; so that at +last, seeing no good to be done, they retreated, having small joy +of their pretended victory. + +They lost in this action Colonel Needham, who commanded a regiment +called the Tower Guards, and who fought very desperately; Captain +Cox, an old experienced horse officer, and several other officers +of note, with a great many private men, though, as they had the +field, they concealed their number, giving out that they lost but a +hundred, when we were assured they lost near a thousand men besides +the wounded. + +They took some of our men prisoners, occasioned by the regiment of +Colonel Farr, and two more sustaining the shock of their whole +army, to secure the retreat of the main body, as above. + +The 14th, the Lord Fairfax finding he was not able to carry the +town by storm, without the formality of a siege, took his +headquarters at Lexden, and sent to London and to Suffolk for more +forces; also he ordered the trained bands to be raised and posted +on the roads to prevent succours. Notwithstanding which, divers +gentlemen, with some assistance of men and arms, found means to get +into the town. + +The very same night they began to break ground, and particularly to +raise a fort between Colchester and Lexden, to cover the general's +quarter from the sallies from the town; for the Royalists having a +good body of horse, gave them no rest, but scoured the fields every +day, and falling all that were found straggling from their posts, +and by this means killed a great many. + +The 17th, Sir Charles Lucas having been out with 1,200 horse, and +detaching parties toward the seaside, and towards Harwich, they +brought in a very great quantity of provisions, and abundance of +sheep and black cattle sufficient for the supply of the town for a +considerable time; and had not the Suffolk forces advanced over +Cataway Bridge to prevent it, a larger supply had been brought in +that way; for now it appeared plainly that the Lord Fairfax finding +the garrison strong and resolute, and that he was not in a +condition to reduce them by force, at least without the loss of +much blood, had resolved to turn his siege into a blockade, and +reduce them by hunger; their troops being also wanted to oppose +several other parties, who had, in several parts of the kingdom, +taken arms for the king's cause. + +This same day General Fairfax sent in a trumpet to propose +exchanging prisoners, which the Lord Goring rejected, expecting a +reinforcement of troops, which were actually coming to him, and +were to be at Linton in Cambridgeshire as the next day. + +The same day two ships brought in a quantity of corn and provisions +and fifty-six men from the shore of Kent with several gentlemen, +who all landed and came up to the town, and the greatest part of +the corn was with the utmost application unloaded the same night +into some hoys, which brought it up to the Hythe, being +apprehensive of the Parliament's ships which lay at Harwich, who +having intelligence of the said ships, came the next day into the +mouth of the river, and took the said two ships and what corn was +left in them. The besieged sent out a party to help the ships, but +having no boats they could not assist them. + +18th. Sir Charles Lucas sent an answer about exchange of +prisoners, accepting the conditions offered, but the Parliament's +general returned that he would not treat with Sir Charles, for that +he (Sir Charles) being his prisoner upon his parole of honour, and +having appeared in arms contrary to the rules of war, had forfeited +his honour and faith, and was not capable of command or trust in +martial affairs. To this Sir Charles sent back an answer, and his +excuse for his breach of his parole, but it was not accepted, nor +would the Lord Fairfax enter upon any treaty with him. + +Upon this second message Sir William Masham and the Parliament +Committee and other gentlemen, who were prisoners in the town, sent +a message in writing under their hands to the Lord Fairfax, +entreating him to enter into a treaty for peace; but the Lord +Fairfax returned, he could take no notice of their request, as +supposing it forced from them under restraint; but that if the Lord +Goring desired peace, he might write to the Parliament, and he +would cause his messenger to have a safe conduct to carry his +letter. There was a paper sent enclosed in this paper, signed +Capel, Norwich, Charles Lucas, but to that the general would return +no answer, because it was signed by Sir Charles for the reasons +above. + +All this while the Lord Goring, finding the enemy strengthening +themselves, gave order for fortifying the town, and drawing lines +in several places to secure the entrance, as particularly without +the east bridge, and without the north gate and bridge, and to +plant more cannon upon the works; to which end some great guns were +brought in from some ships at Wivenhoe. + +The same day, our men sallied out in three places, and attacked the +besiegers, first at their port, called Essex, then at their new +works, on the south of the town; a third party sallying at the east +bridge, brought in some booty from the Suffolk troops, having +killed several of their stragglers on the Harwich road. They also +took a lieutenant of horse prisoner, and brought him into the town. + +19th. This day we had the unwelcome news that our friends at +Linton were defeated by the enemy, and Major Muschamp, a loyal +gentleman, killed. + +The same night, our men gave the enemy alarm at their new Essex +fort, and thereby drew them out as if they would fight, till they +brought them within reach of the cannon of St. Mary's, and then our +men retiring, the great guns let fly among them, and made them run. +Our men shouted after them. Several of them were killed on this +occasion, one shot having killed three horsemen in our fight. + +20th. We now found the enemy, in order to a perfect blockade, +resolved to draw a line of circumvallation round the town; having +received a train of forty pieces of heavy cannon from the Tower of +London. + +This day the Parliament sent a messenger to their prisoners to know +how they fared, and how they were used; who returned word, that +they fared indifferent well, and were very civilly used, but that +provisions were scarce, and therefore dear. + +This day a party of horse, with 300 foot, sallied out, and marched +as far as the fort on the Isle of Mersey, which they made a show of +attacking, to keep in the garrison. Meanwhile the rest took a good +number of cattle from the country, which they brought safe into the +town, with five waggons laden with corn. This was the last they +could bring in that way, the lines being soon finished on that +side. + +This day the Lord Fairfax sent in a trumpet to the Earl of Norwich +and the Lord Goring, offering honourable conditions to them all, +allowing all the gentlemen their lives and arms, exemption from +plunder, and passes, if they desired to go beyond sea, and all the +private men pardon, and leave to go peaceably to their own +dwellings. But the Lord Goring and the rest of the gentlemen +rejected it, and laughed at them, upon which the Lord Fairfax made +proclamation, that his men should give the private soldiers in +Colchester free leave to pass through their camp, and go where they +pleased without molestation, only leaving their arms, but that the +gentlemen should have no quarter. This was a great loss to the +Royalists, for now the men foreseeing the great hardships they were +like to suffer, began to slip away, and the Lord Goring was obliged +to forbid any to desert on pain of present death, and to keep +parties of horse continually patrolling to prevent them; +notwithstanding which many got away. + +21st. The town desired the Lord Goring to give them leave to send +a message to Lord Fairfax, to desire they might have liberty to +carry on their trade and sell their bays and says, which Lord +Goring granted; but the enemy's general returned, that they should +have considered that before they let the Royalists into the town; +that to desire a free trade from a town besieged was never heard +of, or at least, was such a motion, as was never yet granted; that, +however, he would give the bay-makers leave to bring their bays and +says, and other goods, once a week, or oftener, if they desire it, +to Lexden Heath, where they should have a free market, and might +sell them or carry them back again, if not sold, as they found +occasion. + +22nd. The besieged sallied out in the night with a strong party, +and disturbed the enemy in their works, and partly ruined one of +their forts, called Ewer's Fort, where the besiegers were laying a +bridge over the River Colne. Also they sallied again at east +bridge, and faced the Suffolk troops, who were now declared +enemies. These brought in six-and-fifty good bullocks, and some +cows, and they took and killed several of the enemy. + +23rd. The besiegers began to fire with their cannon from Essex +Fort, and from Barkstead's Fort, which was built upon the Malden +road; and finding that the besieged had a party in Sir Harbottle +Grimston's house, called, "The Fryery," they fired at it with their +cannon, and battered it almost down, and then the soldiers set it +on fire. + +This day upon the townsmen's treaty for the freedom of the bay +trade, the Lord Fairfax sent a second offer of conditions to the +besieged, being the same as before, only excepting Lord Goring, +Lord Capel, Sir George Lisle, and Sir Charles Lucas. + +This day we had news in the town that the Suffolk forces were +advanced to assist the besiegers, and that they began a fort called +Fort Suffolk, on the north side of the town, to shut up the Suffolk +road towards Stratford. This day the besieged sallied out at north +bridge, attacked the out-guards of the Suffolk men on Mile End +Heath, and drove them into their fort in the woods. + +This day the Lord Fairfax sent a trumpet, complaining of chewed and +poisoned bullets being shot from the town, and threatening to give +no quarter if that practice was allowed; but Lord Goring returned +answer, with a protestation, that no such thing was done by his +order or consent. + +24th. They fired hard from their cannon against St. Mary's +steeple, on which was planted a large culverin, which annoyed them +even in the general's headquarters at Lexden. One of the best +gunners the garrison had was killed with a cannon bullet. This +night the besieged sallied towards Audly, on the Suffolk road, and +brought in some cattle. + +25th. Lord Capel sent a trumpet to the Parliament-General, but the +rogue ran away, and came not back, nor sent any answer; whether +they received his message or not, was not known. + +26th. This day having finished their new bridge, a party of their +troops passed that bridge, and took post on the hill over against +Mile End Church, where they built a fort, called Fothergall's Fort, +and another on the east side of the road, called Rainsbro's Fort, +so that the town was entirely shut in, on that side, and the +Royalists had no place free but over east bridge, which was +afterwards cut off by the enemy's bringing their line from the +Hythe within the river to the stone causeway leading to the east +bridge. + +July 1st. From the 26th to the 1st, the besiegers continued +finishing their works, and by the 2nd the whole town was shut in; +at which the besiegers gave a general salvo from their cannon at +all their forts; but the besieged gave them a return, for they +sallied out in the night, attacked Barkstead's fort, scarce +finished, with such fury, that they twice entered the work sword in +hand, killed most part of the defendants, and spoiled part of the +forts cast up; but fresh forces coming up, they retired with little +loss, bringing eight prisoners, and having slain, as they reported, +above 100. + +On the second, Lord Fairfax offered exchange for Sir William Masham +in particular, and afterwards for other prisoners, but the Lord +Goring refused. + +5th. The besieged sallied with two regiments, supported by some +horse, at midnight; they were commanded by Sir George Lisle. They +fell on with such fury, that the enemy were put into confusion, +their works at east bridge ruined, and two pieces of cannon taken, +Lieutenant Colonel Sambrook, and several other officers, were +killed, and our men retired into the town, bringing the captain, +two lieutenants, and about fifty men with them prisoners into the +town; but having no horse, we could not bring off the cannon, but +they spiked them, and made them unfit for service. + +From this time to the 11th, the besieged sallied almost every +night, being encouraged by their successes, and they constantly cut +off some of the enemy, but not without loss also on their own side. + +About this time we received by a spy the bad news of defeating the +king's friends almost in all parts of England, and particularly +several parties which had good wishes to our gentlemen, and +intended to relieve them. + +Our batteries from St. Mary's Fort and steeple, and from the north +bridge, greatly annoyed them, and killed most of their gunners and +firemen. One of the messengers who brought news to Lord Fairfax of +the defeat of one of the parties, in Kent, and the taking of Weymer +Castle, slipped into the town, and brought a letter to the Lord +Goring, and listed in the regiment of the Lord Capel's horse. + +14th. The besiegers attacked and took the Hythe Church, with a +small work the besieged had there, but the defenders retired in +time; some were taken prisoners in the church, but not in the fort; +Sir Charles Lucas's horse was attacked by a great body of the +besiegers; the besieged defended themselves with good resolution +for some time, but a hand-grenade thrown in by the assailants, +having fired the magazine, the house was blown up, and most of the +gallant defenders buried in the ruins. This was a great blow to +the Royalists, for it was a very strong pass, and always well +guarded. + +15th. The Lord Fairfax sent offers of honourable conditions to the +soldiers of the garrison if they would surrender, or quit the +service; upon which the Lords Goring and Capel, and Sir Charles +Lucas, returned an answer signed by their hands, that it was not +honourable or agreeable to the usage of war to offer conditions +separately to the soldiers, exclusive of their officers, and +therefore civilly desired his lordship to send no more such +messages or proposals, or if he did, that he would not take it ill +if they hanged up the messenger. + +This evening all the gentlemen volunteers, with all the horse of +the garrison, with Sir Charles Lucas, Sir George Lisle, and Sir +Bernard Gascoigne at the head of them, resolved to break through +the enemy, and forcing a pass to advance into Suffolk by Nayland +Bridge. To this purpose they passed the river near Middle Mill; +but their guides having misled them the enemy took the alarm; upon +which their guides, and some pioneers which they had with them to +open the hedges and level the banks, for their passing to Boxted, +all ran away, so the horse were obliged to retreat, the enemy +pretending to pursue, but thinking they had retreated by the north +bridge, they missed them; upon which being enraged, they fired the +suburbs without the bridge, and burned them quite down. + +18th. Some of the horse attempted to escape the same way, and had +the whole body been there as before, they had effected it; but +there being but two troops, they were obliged to retire. Now the +town began to be greatly distressed, provisions failing, and the +townspeople, which were numerous, being very uneasy, and no way of +breaking through being found practicable, the gentlemen would have +joined in any attempt wherein they might die gallantly with their +swords in their hands, but nothing presented; they often sallied +and cut off many of the enemy, but their numbers were continually +supplied, and the besieged diminished; their horse also sunk and +became unfit for service, having very little hay, and no corn, and +at length they were forced to kill them for food; so that they +began to be in a very miserable condition, and the soldiers +deserted every day in great numbers, not being able to bear the +want of food, as being almost starved with hunger. + +22nd. The Lord Fairfax offered again an exchange of prisoners, but +the Lord Goring rejected it, because they refused conditions to the +chief gentlemen of the garrison. + +During this time, two troops of the Royal Horse sallied out in the +night, resolving to break out or die: the first rode up full +gallop to the enemy's horse guards on the side of Malden road, and +exchanged their pistols with the advanced troops, and wheeling made +as if they would retire to the town; but finding they were not +immediately pursued, they wheeled about to the right, and passing +another guard at a distance, without being perfectly discovered, +they went clean off, and passing towards Tiptree Heath, and having +good guides, they made their escape towards Cambridgeshire, in +which length of way they found means to disperse without being +attacked, and went every man his own way as fate directed; nor did +we hear that many of them were taken: they were led, as we are +informed, by Sir Bernard Gascoigne. + +Upon these attempts of the horse to break out, the enemy built a +small fort in the meadow right against the ford in the river at the +Middle Mill, and once set that mill on fire, but it was +extinguished without much damage; however, the fort prevented any +more attempts that way. + +22nd. The Parliament-General sent in a trumpet, to propose again +the exchange of prisoners, offering the Lord Capel's son for one, +and Mr. Ashburnham for Sir William Masham; but the Lord Capel, Lord +Goring, and the rest of the loyal gentlemen rejected it; and Lord +Capel, in particular, sent the Lord Fairfax word it was inhuman to +surprise his son, who was not in arms, and offer him to insult a +father's affection, but that he might murder his son if he pleased, +he would leave his blood to be revenged as Heaven should give +opportunity; and the Lord Goring sent word, that as they had +reduced the king's servants to eat horseflesh, the prisoners should +feed as they fed. + +The enemy sent again to complain of the Royalists shooting poisoned +bullets, and sent two affidavits of it made by two deserters, +swearing it was done by the Lord Norwich's direction; the generals +in the town returned under all their hands that they never gave any +such command or direction; that they disowned the practice; and +that the fellows who swore it were perjured before in running from +their colours and the service of their king, and ought not to be +credited again; but they added, that for shooting rough-cast slugs +they must excuse them, as things stood with them at that time. + +About this time, a porter in a soldier's habit got through the +enemy's leaguer, and passing their out-guards in the dark, got into +the town, and brought letters from London, assuring the Royalists +that there were so many strong parties up in arms for the king, and +in so many places, that they would be very suddenly relieved. This +they caused to be read to the soldiers to encourage them; and +particularly it related to the rising of the Earl of Holland, and +the Duke of Buckingham, who with 500 horse were gotten together in +arms about Kingston in Surrey; but we had notice in a few days +after that they were defeated, and the Earl of Holland taken, who +was afterwards beheaded. + +26th. The enemy now began to batter the walls, and especially on +the west side, from St. Mary's towards the north gate; and we were +assured they intended a storm; on which the engineers were directed +to make trenches behind the walls where the breaches should be +made, that in case of a storm they might meet with a warm +reception. Upon this, they gave over the design of storming. The +Lord Goring finding that the enemy had set the suburbs on fire +right against the Hythe, ordered the remaining houses, which were +empty of inhabitants, from whence their musketeer fired against the +town, to be burned also. + +31st. A body of foot sallied out at midnight, to discover what the +enemy were doing at a place where they thought a new fort raising; +they fell in among the workmen, and put them to flight, cut in +pieces several of the guard, and brought in the officer who +commanded them prisoner. + +August 2nd. The town was now in a miserable condition: the +soldiers searched and rifled the houses of the inhabitants for +victuals; they had lived on horseflesh several weeks, and most of +that also was as lean as carrion, which not being well salted bred +wens; and this want of diet made the soldiers sickly, and many died +of fluxes, yet they boldly rejected all offers of surrender, unless +with safety to their offices. However, several hundreds got out, +and either passed the enemy's guards, or surrendered to them and +took passes. + +7th. The townspeople became very uneasy to the soldiers, and the +mayor of the town, with the aldermen, waited upon the general, +desiring leave to send to the Lord Fairfax for leave to all the +inhabitants to come out of the town, that they might not perish, to +which the Lord Goring consented, but the Lord Fairfax refused them. + +12th. The rabble got together in a vast crowd about the Lord +Goring's quarters, clamouring for a surrender, and they did this +every evening, bringing women and children, who lay howling and +crying on the ground for bread; the soldiers beat off the men, but +the women and children would not stir, bidding the soldiers kill +them, saying they had rather be shot than be starved. + +16th. The general, moved by the cries and distress of the poor +inhabitants, sent out a trumpet to the Parliament-General, +demanding leave to send to the Prince, who was with a fleet of +nineteen men of war in the mouth of the Thames, offering to +surrender, if they were not relieved in twenty days. The Lord +Fairfax refused it, and sent them word he would be in the town in +person, and visit them in less than twenty days, intimating that +they were preparing for a storm. Some tart messages and answers +were exchanged on this occasion. The Lord Goring sent word they +were willing, in compassion to the poor townspeople, and to save +that effusion of blood, to surrender upon honourable terms, but +that as for the storming them, which was threatened, they might +come on when they thought fit, for that they (the Royalists) were +ready for them. This held to the 19th. + +20th. The Lord Fairfax returned what he said was his last answer, +and should be the last offer of mercy. The conditions offered +were, that upon a peaceable surrender, all soldiers and officers +under the degree of a captain in commission should have their +lives, be exempted from plunder, and have passes to go to their +respective dwellings. All the captains and superior officers, with +all the lords and gentlemen, as well in commission as volunteers, +to surrender prisoners at discretion, only that they should not be +plundered by the soldiers. + +21st. The generals rejected those offers; and when the people came +about them again for bread, set open one of the gates, and bid them +go out to the enemy, which a great many did willingly; upon which +the Lord Goring ordered all the rest that came about his door to be +turned out after them. But when the people came to the Lord +Fairfax's camp the out-guards were ordered to fire at them and +drive them all back again to the gate, which the Lord Goring +seeing, he ordered them to be received in again. And now, although +the generals and soldiers also were resolute to die with their +swords in their hands rather than yield, and had maturely resolved +to abide a storm, yet the Mayor and Aldermen having petitioned them +as well as the inhabitants, being wearied with the importunities of +the distressed people, and pitying the deplorable condition they +were reduced to, they agreed to enter upon a treaty, and +accordingly sent out some officers to the Lord Fairfax, the +Parliament-General, to treat, and with them was sent two gentlemen +of the prisoners upon their parole to return. + +Upon the return of the said messengers with the Lord Fairfax's +terms, the Lord Goring, &c., sent out a letter declaring they would +die with their swords in their hands rather than yield without +quarter for life, and sent a paper of articles on which they were +willing to surrender. But in the very interim of this treaty news +came that the Scots army, under Duke Hamilton, which was entered +into Lancashire, and was joined by the Royalists in that country, +making 21,000 men, were entirely defeated. After this the Lord +Fairfax would not grant any abatement of articles--viz., to have +all above lieutenants surrender at mercy. + +Upon this the Lord Goring and the General refused to submit again, +and proposed a general sally, and to break through or die, but +found upon preparing for it that the soldiers, who had their lives +offered them, declined it, fearing the gentlemen would escape, and +they should be left to the mercy of the Parliament soldiers; and +that upon this they began to mutiny and talk of surrendering the +town and their officers too. Things being brought to this pass, +the Lords and General laid aside that design, and found themselves +obliged to submit; and so the town was surrendered the 28th of +August, 1648, upon conditions as follows:- + + +The Lords and gentlemen all prisoners at mercy. + +The common soldiers had passes to go home to their several +dwellings, but without arms, and an oath not to serve against the +Parliament. + +The town to be preserved from pillage, paying 14,000 pounds ready +money. + + +The same day a council of war being called about the prisoners of +war, it was resolved that the Lords should be left to the disposal +of the Parliament. That Sir Charles Lucas, Sir George Lisle, and +Sir Marmaduke Gascoigne should be shot to death, and the other +officers prisoners to remain in custody till further order. + +The two first of the three gentlemen were shot to death, and the +third respited. Thus ended the siege of Colchester. + +N.B.--Notwithstanding the number killed in the siege, and dead of +the flux, and other distempers occasioned by bad diet, which were +very many, and notwithstanding the number which deserted and +escaped in the time of their hardships, yet there remained at the +time of the surrender: + +Earl of Norwich (Goring). +Lord Capell. +Lord Loughbro'. +11 Knights. +9 Colonels. +8 Lieut.-Colonels. +9 Majors. +30 Captains. +72 Lieutenants. +69 Ensigns. +183 Serjeants and Corporals. +3,067 Private Soldiers. +65 Servants to the Lords and General Officers and Gentlemen. +3,526 in all. + + +The town of Colchester has been supposed to contain about 40,000 +people, including the out-villages which are within its liberty, of +which there are a great many--the liberty of the town being of a +great extent. One sad testimony of the town being so populous is +that they buried upwards of 5,259 people in the plague year, 1665. +But the town was severely visited indeed, even more in proportion +than any of its neighbours, or than the City of London. + +The government of the town is by a mayor, high steward, a recorder +or his deputy, eleven aldermen, a chamberlain, a town clerk, +assistants, and eighteen common councilmen. Their high steward +(this year, 1722) is Sir Isaac Rebow, a gentleman of a good family +and known character, who has generally for above thirty years been +one of their representatives in Parliament. He has a very good +house at the entrance in at the south, or head gate of the town, +where he has had the honour several times to lodge and entertain +the late King William of glorious memory in his returning from +Holland by way of Harwich to London. Their recorder is Earl +Cowper, who has been twice Lord High Chancellor of England. But +his lordship not residing in those parts has put in for his +deputy,--Price, Esq., barrister-at-law, and who dwells in the town. +There are in Colchester eight churches besides those which are +damaged, and five meeting-houses, whereof two for Quakers, besides +a Dutch church and a French church. + + +Public Edifices are - + + +1. Bay Hall, an ancient society kept up for ascertaining the +manufacture of bays, which are, or ought to be, all brought to this +hall to be viewed and sealed according to their goodness by the +masters; and to this practice has been owing the great reputation +of the Colchester bays in foreign markets, where to open the side +of a bale and show the seal has been enough to give the buyer a +character of the value of the goods without any further search; and +so far as they abate the integrity and exactness of their method, +which I am told of late is much omitted; I say, so far, that +reputation will certainly abate in the markets they go to, which +are principally in Portugal and Italy. This corporation is +governed by a particular set of men who are called governors of the +Dutch Bay Hall. And in the same building is the Dutch church. + +2. The guildhall of the town, called by them the moot hall, to +which is annexed the town gaol. + +3. The workhouse, being lately enlarged, and to which belongs a +corporation or a body of the inhabitants, consisting of sixty +persons incorporated by Act of Parliament Anno 1698 for taking care +of the poor. They are incorporated by the name and title of the +governor, deputy governor, assistants, and guardians of the poor of +the town of Colchester. They are in number eight-and-forty, to +whom are added the mayor and aldermen for the time being, who are +always guardians by the same charter. These make the number of +sixty, as above. There is also a grammar free-school, with a good +allowance to the master, who is chosen by the town. + +4. The castle of Colchester is now become only a monument showing +the antiquity of the place, it being built as the walls of the town +also are, with Roman bricks, and the Roman coins dug up here, and +ploughed up in the fields adjoining, confirm it. The inhabitants +boast much that Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, first +Christian Emperor of the Romans, was born there, and it may be so +for aught we know. I only observe what Mr. Camden says of the +Castle of Colchester, viz.: In the middle of this city stands a +castle ready to fall with age. + +Though this castle has stood one hundred and twenty years from the +time Mr. Camden wrote that account, and it is not fallen yet, nor +will another hundred and twenty years, I believe, make it look one +jot the older. And it was observable that in the late siege of +this town, a common shot, which the besiegers made at this old +castle, were so far from making it fall, that they made little or +no impression upon it; for which reason, it seems, and because the +garrison made no great use of it against the besiegers, they fired +no more at it. + +There are two charity schools set up here, and carried on by a +generous subscription, with very good success. + +The title of Colchester is in the family of Earl Rivers, and the +eldest son of that family is called Lord Colchester, though as I +understand, the title is not settled by the creation to the eldest +son till he enjoys the title of earl with it, but that the other is +by the courtesy of England; however, this I take ad referendum. + +From Colchester I took another step down to the coast; the land +running out a great way into the sea, south and south-east makes +that promontory of land called the Naze, and well known to seamen +using the northern trade. Here one sees a sea open as an ocean +without any opposite shore, though it be no more than the mouth of +the Thames. This point called the Naze, and the north-east point +of Kent, near Margate, called the North Foreland, making what they +call the mouth of the river and the port of London, though it be +here above sixty miles over. + +At Walton-under-the-Naze they find on the shore copperas-stone in +great quantities; and there are several large works called copperas +houses, where they make it with great expense. + +On this promontory is a new mark erected by the Trinity House men, +and at the public expense, being a round brick tower, near eighty +feet high. The sea gains so much upon the land here by the +continual winds at south-west, that within the memory of some of +the inhabitants there they have lost above thirty acres of land in +one place. + +From hence we go back into the county about four miles, because of +the creeks which lie between; and then turning east again come to +Harwich, on the utmost eastern point of this large country. + +Harwich is a town so well known and so perfectly described by many +writers, I need say little of it. It is strong by situation, and +may be made more so by art. But it is many years since the +Government of England have had any occasion to fortify towns to the +landward; it is enough that the harbour or road, which is one of +the best and securest in England, is covered at the entrance by a +strong fort and a battery of guns to the seaward, just as at +Tilbury, and which sufficiently defend the mouth of the river. And +there is a particular felicity in this fortification, viz., that +though the entrance or opening of the river into the sea is very +wide, especially at high-water, at least two miles, if not three +over; yet the Channel, which is deep, and in which the ships must +keep and come to the harbour, is narrow, and lies only on the side +of the fort, so that all the ships which come in or go out must +come close under the guns of the fort--that is to say, under the +command of their shot. + +The fort is on the Suffolk side of the bay or entrance, but stands +so far into the sea upon the point of a sand or shoal, which runs +out toward the Essex side, as it were, laps over the mouth of that +haven like a blind to it; and our surveyors of the country affirm +it to be in the county of Essex. The making this place, which was +formerly no other than a sand in the sea, solid enough for the +foundation of so good a fortification, has not been done but by +many years' labour, often repairs, and an infinite expense of +money, but it is now so firm that nothing of storms and high tides, +or such things as make the sea dangerous to these kind of works, +can affect it. + +The harbour is of a vast extent; for, as two rivers empty +themselves here, viz., Stour from Manningtree and the Orwell from +Ipswich, the channels of both are large and deep; and safe for all +weathers; so where they join they make a large bay or road able to +receive the biggest ships, and the greatest number that ever the +world saw together; I mean ships of war. In the old Dutch war +great use has been made of this harbour; and I have known that +there has been one hundred sail of men-of-war and their attendants +and between three and four hundred sail of collier ships all in +this harbour at a time, and yet none of them crowding or riding in +danger of one another. + +Harwich is known for being the port where the packet boats, between +England and Holland, go out and come in. The inhabitants are far +from being famed for good usage to strangers, but, on the contrary, +are blamed for being extravagant in their reckonings in the public- +houses, which has not a little encouraged the setting up of sloops, +which they now call passage boats, to Holland, to go directly from +the River Thames; this, though it may be something the longer +passage, yet as they are said to be more obliging to passengers and +more reasonable in the expense, and, as some say, also, the vessels +are better sea boats, has been the reason why so many passengers do +not go or come by the way of Harwich as formerly were wont to do; +insomuch that the stage coaches between this place and London, +which ordinarily went twice or three times a week, are now entirely +laid down, and the passengers are left to hire coaches on purpose, +take post-horses, or hire horses to Colchester, as they find most +convenient. + +The account of a petrifying quality in the earth here, though some +will have it to be in the water of a spring hard by, is very +strange. They boast that their town is walled and their streets +paved with clay, and yet that one is as strong and the other as +clean as those that are built or paved with stone. The fact is +indeed true, for there is a sort of clay in the cliff, between the +town and the Beacon Hill adjoining, which, when it falls down into +the sea, where it is beaten with the waves and the weather, turns +gradually into stone. But the chief reason assigned is from the +water of a certain spring or well, which, rising in the said cliff, +runs down into the sea among those pieces of clay, and petrifies +them as it runs; and the force of the sea often stirring, and +perhaps turning, the lumps of clay, when storms of wind may give +force enough to the water, causes them to harden everywhere alike; +otherwise those which were not quite sunk in the water of the +spring would be petrified but in part. These stones are gathered +up to pave the streets and build the houses, and are indeed very +hard. It is also remarkable that some of them taken up before they +are thoroughly petrified will, upon breaking them, appear to be +hard as a stone without and soft as clay in the middle; whereas +others that have lain a due time shall be thorough stone to the +centre, and as exceeding hard within as without. The same spring +is said to turn wood into iron. But this I take to be no more or +less than the quality, which, as I mentioned of the shore at the +Naze, is found to be in much of the stone all along this shore, +viz., of the copperas kind; and it is certain that the copperas +stone (so called) is found in all that cliff, and even where the +water of this spring has run; and I presume that those who call the +hardened pieces of wood, which they take out of this well by the +name of iron, never tried the quality of it with the fire or +hammer; if they had, perhaps they would have given some other +account of it. + +On the promontory of land which they call Beacon Hill and which +lies beyond or behind the town towards the sea, there is a +lighthouse to give the ships directions in their sailing by as well +as their coming into the harbour in the night. I shall take notice +of these again all together when I come to speak of the Society of +Trinity House, as they are called, by whom they are all directed +upon this coast. + +This town was erected into a marquisate in honour of the truly +glorious family of Schomberg, the eldest son of Duke Schomberg, who +landed with King William, being styled Marquis of Harwich; but that +family (in England, at least) being extinct the title dies also. + +Harwich is a town of hurry and business, not much of gaiety and +pleasure; yet the inhabitants seem warm in their nests, and some of +them are very wealthy. There are not many (if any) gentlemen or +families of note either in the town or very near it. They send two +members to Parliament; the present are Sir Peter Parker and +Humphrey Parsons, Esq. + +And now being at the extremity of the county of Essex, of which I +have given you some view as to that side next the sea only, I shall +break off this part of my letter by telling you that I will take +the towns which lie more towards the centre of the county, in my +return by the north and west part only, that I may give you a few +hints of some towns which were near me in my route this way, and of +which being so well known there is but little to say. + +On the road from London to Colchester, before I came into it at +Witham, lie four good market towns at equal distance from one +another, namely, Romford, noted for two markets, viz., one for +calves and hogs, the other for corn and other provisions, most, if +not all, bought up for London market. At the farther end of the +town, in the middle of a stately park, stood Guldy Hall, vulgarly +Giddy Hall, an ancient seat of one Coke, sometime Lord Mayor of +London, but forfeited on some occasion to the Crown. It is since +pulled down to the ground, and there now stands a noble stately +fabric or mansion house, built upon the spot by Sir John Eyles, a +wealthy merchant of London, and chosen Sub-Governor of the South +Sea Company immediately after the ruin of the former Sub-Governor +and Directors, whose overthrow makes the history of these times +famous. + +Brentwood and Ingatestone, and even Chelmsford itself, have very +little to be said of them, but that they are large thoroughfare +towns, full of good inns, and chiefly maintained by the excessive +multitude of carriers and passengers which are constantly passing +this way to London with droves of cattle, provisions, and +manufactures for London. + +The last of these towns is indeed the county town, where the county +gaol is kept, and where the assizes are very often held; it stands +on the conflux of two rivers--the Chelmer, whence the town is +called, and the Cann. + +At Lees, or Lee's Priory, as some call it, is to be seen an ancient +house in the middle of a beautiful park, formerly the seat of the +late Duke of Manchester, but since the death of the duke it is sold +to the Duchess Dowager of Buckinghamshire, the present Duke of +Manchester retiring to his ancient family seat at Kimbolton in +Huntingdonshire, it being a much finer residence. His grace is +lately married to a daughter of the Duke of Montagu by a branch of +the house of Marlborough. + +Four market towns fill up the rest of this part of the country-- +Dunmow, Braintree, Thaxted, and Coggeshall--all noted for the +manufacture of bays, as above, and for very little else, except I +shall make the ladies laugh at the famous old story of the Flitch +of Bacon at Dunmow, which is this: + +One Robert Fitzwalter, a powerful baron in this county in the time +of Henry III., on some merry occasion, which is not preserved in +the rest of the story, instituted a custom in the priory here: +That whatever married man did not repent of his being married, or +quarrel or differ and dispute with his wife within a year and a day +after his marriage, and would swear to the truth of it, kneeling +upon two hard pointed stones in the churchyard, which stones he +caused to be set up in the Priory churchyard for that purpose, the +prior and convent, and as many of the town as would, to be present, +such person should have a flitch of bacon. + +I do not remember to have read that any one ever came to demand it; +nor do the people of the place pretend to say, of their own +knowledge, that they remember any that did so. A long time ago +several did demand it, as they say, but they know not who; neither +is there any record of it, nor do they tell us, if it were now to +be demanded, who is obliged to deliver the flitch of bacon, the +priory being dissolved and gone. + +The forest of Epping and Hainault spreads a great part of this +country still. I shall speak again of the former in my return from +this circuit. Formerly, it is thought, these two forests took up +all the west and south part of the county; but particularly we are +assured, that it reached to the River Chelmer, and into Dengy +Hundred, and from thence again west to Epping and Waltham, where it +continues to be a forest still. + +Probably this forest of Epping has been a wild or forest ever since +this island was inhabited, and may show us, in some parts of it, +where enclosures and tillage has not broken in upon it, what the +face of this island was before the Romans' time; that is to say, +before their landing in Britain. + +The constitution of this forest is best seen, I mean as to the +antiquity of it, by the merry grant of it from Edward the Confessor +before the Norman Conquest to Randolph Peperking, one of his +favourites, who was after called Peverell, and whose name remains +still in several villages in this county; as particularly that of +Hatfield Peverell, in the road from Chelmsford to Witham, which is +supposed to be originally a park, which they called a field in +those days; and Hartfield may be as much as to say a park for doer; +for the stags were in those days called harts, so that this was +neither more nor less than Randolph Peperking's Hartfield--that is +to say, Ralph Peverell's deer-park. + +N.B.--This Ralph Randolph, or Ralph Peverell (call him as you +please), had, it seems, a most beautiful lady to his wife, who was +daughter of Ingelrick, one of Edward the Confessor's noblemen. He +had two sons by her--William Peverell, a famed soldier, and lord or +governor of Dover Castle, which he surrendered to William the +Conqueror, after the battle in Sussex, and Pain Peverell, his +youngest, who was lord of Cambridge. When the eldest son delivered +up the castle, the lady, his mother, above named, who was the +celebrated beauty of the age, was it seems there, and the Conqueror +fell in love with her, and whether by force or by consent, took her +away, and she became his mistress, or what else you please to call +it. By her he had a son, who was called William, after the +Conqueror's Christian name, but retained the name of Peverell, and +was afterwards created by the Conqueror lord of Nottingham. + +This lady afterwards, as is supposed, by way of penance for her +yielding to the Conqueror, founded a nunnery at the village of +Hatfield Peverell, mentioned above, and there she lies buried in +the chapel of it, which is now the parish church, where her memory +is preserved by a tombstone under one of the windows. + +Thus we have several towns, where any ancient parks have been +placed, called by the name of Hatfield on that very account. As +Hatfield Broad Oak in this county, Bishop's Hatfield in +Hertfordshire, and several others. + +But I return to King Edward's merry way, as I call it, of granting +this forest to this Ralph Peperking, which I find in the ancient +records, in the very words it was passed in, as follows. Take my +explanations with it for the sake of those that are not used to the +ancient English: + + +The Grant in Old English. + +IChe EDWARD Koning, +Have given of my Forrest the kepen of the Hundred of Chelmer and +Dancing. +To RANDOLPH PEPERKING, +And to his kindling. +With Heorte and Hind, Doe and Bocke, +Hare and Fox, Cat and Brock, +Wild Fowle with his Flock; +Patrich, Pheasant Hen, and Pheasant Cock, +With green and wild Stub and Stock, +To kepen and to yemen with all her might. +Both by Day, and eke by Night; +And Hounds for to hold, +Good and Swift and Bold: +Four Greyhound and six Raches, +For Hare and Fox, and Wild Cattes, +And therefore Iche made him my Book. +Witness the Bishop of Wolston. +And Booke ylrede many on, +And Sweyne of Essex, our Brother, +And taken him many other +And our steward Howlein, +That By sought me for him. + + +The Explanation in Modern English + + +I Edward the king, +Have made ranger of my forest of Chelmsford hundred and Deering +hundred, +Ralph Peverell, for him and his heirs for ever; +With both the red and fallow deer. +Hare and fox, otter and badger; +Wild fowl of all sorts, +Partridges and pheasants, +Timber and underwood roots and tops; +With power to preserve the forest, +And watch it against deer-stealers and others: +With a right to keep hounds of all sorts, +Four greyhounds and six terriers, +Harriers and foxhounds, and other hounds. +And to this end I have registered this my grant in the crown rolls +or books; +To which the bishop has set his hand as a witness for any one to +read. +Also signed by the king's brother (or, as some think, the +Chancellor Sweyn, then Earl or Count of Essex). +He might call such other witnesses to sign as he thought fit. +Also the king's high steward was a witness, at whose request this +grant was obtained of the king. + + +There are many gentlemen's seats on this side the country, and a +great assembly set up at New Hall, near this town, much resorted to +by the neighbouring gentry. I shall next proceed to the county of +Suffolk, as my first design directed me to do. + +From Harwich, therefore, having a mind to view the harbour, I sent +my horses round by Manningtree, where there is a timber bridge over +the Stour, called Cataway Bridge, and took a boat up the River +Orwell for Ipswich. A traveller will hardly understand me, +especially a seaman, when I speak of the River Stour and the River +Orwell at Harwich, for they know them by no other names than those +of Manningtree water and Ipswich water; so while I am on salt +water, I must speak as those who use the sea may understand me, and +when I am up in the country among the inland towns again, I shall +call them out of their names no more. + +It is twelve miles from Harwich up the water to Ipswich. Before I +come to the town, I must say something of it, because speaking of +the river requires it. In former times, that is to say, since the +writer of this remembers the place very well, and particularly just +before the late Dutch wars, Ipswich was a town of very good +business; particularly it was the greatest town in England for +large colliers or coal-ships employed between Newcastle and London. +Also they built the biggest ships and the best, for the said +fetching of coals of any that were employed in that trade. They +built, also, there so prodigious strong, that it was an ordinary +thing for an Ipswich collier, if no disaster happened to him, to +reign (as seamen call it) forty or fifty years, and more. + +In the town of Ipswich the masters of these ships generally dwelt, +and there were, as they then told me, above a hundred sail of them, +belonging to the town at one time, the least of which carried +fifteen score, as they compute it, that is, 300 chaldron of coals; +this was about the year 1668 (when I first knew the place). This +made the town be at that time so populous, for those masters, as +they had good ships at sea, so they had large families who lived +plentifully, and in very good houses in the town, and several +streets were chiefly inhabited by such. + +The loss or decay of this trade accounts for the present pretended +decay of the town of Ipswich, of which I shall speak more +presently. The ships wore out, the masters died off, the trade +took a new turn; Dutch flyboats taken in the war, and made free +ships by Act of Parliament, thrust themselves into the coal-trade +for the interest of the captors, such as the Yarmouth and London +merchants, and others; and the Ipswich men dropped gradually out of +it, being discouraged by those Dutch flyboats. These Dutch +vessels, which cost nothing but the caption, were bought cheap, +carried great burthens, and the Ipswich building fell off for want +of price, and so the trade decayed, and the town with it. I +believe this will be owned for the true beginning of their decay, +if I must allow it to be called a decay. + +But to return to my passage up the river. In the winter-time those +great collier ships, above-mentioned, are always laid up, as they +call it; that is to say, the coal trade abates at London, the +citizens are generally furnished, their stores taken in, and the +demand is over; so that the great ships, the northern seas and +coast being also dangerous, the nights long, and the voyage +hazardous, go to sea no more, but lie by, the ships are unrigged, +the sails, etc., carried ashore, the top-masts struck, and they +ride moored in the river, under the advantages and security of +sound ground, and a high woody shore, where they lie as safe as in +a wet dock; and it was a very agreeable sight to see, perhaps two +hundred sail of ships, of all sizes, lie in that posture every +winter. All this while, which was usually from Michaelmas to Lady +Day, the masters lived calm and secure with their families in +Ipswich; and enjoying plentifully, what in the summer they got +laboriously at sea, and this made the town of Ipswich very populous +in the winter; for as the masters, so most of the men, especially +their mates, boatswains, carpenters, etc., were of the same place, +and lived in their proportions, just as the masters did; so that in +the winter there might be perhaps a thousand men in the town more +than in the summer, and perhaps a greater number. + +To justify what I advance here, that this town was formerly very +full of people, I ask leave to refer to the account of Mr. Camden, +and what it was in his time. His words are these:- "Ipswich has a +commodious harbour, has been fortified with a ditch and rampart, +has a great trade, and is very populous, being adorned with +fourteen churches, and large private buildings." This confirms +what I have mentioned of the former state of this town; but the +present state is my proper work; I therefore return to my voyage up +the river. + +The sight of these ships thus laid up in the river, as I have said, +was very agreeable to me in my passage from Harwich, about five and +thirty years before the present journey; and it was in its +proportion equally melancholy to hear that there were now scarce +forty sail of good colliers that belonged to the whole town. + +In a creek in this river, called Lavington Creek, we saw at low +water such shoals, or hills rather, of mussels, that great boats +might have loaded with them, and no miss have been made of them. +Near this creek, Sir Samuel Barnadiston had a very fine seat, as, +also, a decoy for wild ducks, and a very noble estate; but it is +divided into many branches since the death of the ancient +possessor. But I proceed to the town, which is the first in the +county of Suffolk of any note this way. + +Ipswich is seated, at the distance of twelve miles from Harwich, +upon the edge of the river, which, taking a short turn to the west, +the town forms, there, a kind of semicircle, or half moon, upon the +bank of the river. It is very remarkable, that though ships of 500 +ton may, upon a spring tide, come up very near this town, and many +ships of that burthen have been built there, yet the river is not +navigable any farther than the town itself, or but very little; no, +not for the smallest beats; nor does the tide, which rises +sometimes thirteen or fourteen feet, and gives them twenty-four +feet water very near the town, flow much farther up the river than +the town, or not so much as to make it worth speaking of. + +He took little notice of the town, or at least of that part of +Ipswich, who published in his wild observations on it that ships of +200 ton are built there. I affirm, that I have seen a ship of 400 +ton launched at the building-yard, close to the town; and I appeal +to the Ipswich colliers (those few that remain) belonging to this +town, if several of them carrying seventeen score of coals, which +must be upward of 400 ton, have not formerly been built here; but +superficial observers must be superficial writers, if they write at +all; and to this day, at John's Ness, within a mile and a half of +the town itself, ships of any burthen may be built and launched +even at neap tides. + +I am much mistaken, too, if since the Revolution some very good +ships have not been built at this town, and particularly the +Melford or Milford galley, a ship of forty guns; as the Greyhound +frigate, a man-of-war of thirty-six to forty guns, was at John's +Ness. But what is this towards lessening the town of Ipswich, any +more than it would be to say, they do not build men-of-war, or East +India ships, or ships of five hundred ton burden at St. Catherines, +or at Battle Bridge in the Thames? when we know that a mile or two +lower, viz., at Radcliffe, Limehouse, or Deptford, they build ships +of a thousand ton, and might build first-rate men-of-war too, if +there was occasion; and the like might be done in this river of +Ipswich, within about two or three miles of the town; so that it +would not be at all an out-of-the-way speaking to say, such a ship +was built at Ipswich, any more than it is to say, as they do, that +the Royal Prince, the great ship lately built for the South Sea +Company, was London built, because she was built at Limehouse. + +And why then is not Ipswich capable of building and receiving the +greatest ships in the navy, seeing they may be built and brought up +again laden, within a mile and half of the town? + +But the neighbourhood of London, which sucks the vitals of trade in +this island to itself, is the chief reason of any decay of business +in this place; and I shall, in the course of these observations, +hint at it, where many good seaports and large towns, though +farther off than Ipswich, and as well fitted for commerce, are yet +swallowed up by the immense indraft of trade to the City of London; +and more decayed beyond all comparison than Ipswich is supposed to +be: as Southampton, Weymouth, Dartmouth, and several others which +I shall speak to in their order; and if it be otherwise at this +time, with some other towns, which are lately increased in trade +and navigation, wealth, and people, while their neighbours decay, +it is because they have some particular trade, or accident to +trade, which is a kind of nostrum to them, inseparable to the +place, and which fixes there by the nature of the thing; as the +herring-fishery to Yarmouth; the coal trade to Newcastle; the Leeds +clothing trade; the export of butter and lead, and the great corn +trade for Holland, is to Hull; the Virginia and West India trade at +Liverpool; the Irish trade at Bristol, and the like. Thus the war +has brought a flux of business and people, and consequently of +wealth, to several places, as well as to Portsmouth, Chatham, +Plymouth, Falmouth, and others; and were any wars like those, to +continue twenty years with the Dutch, or any nation whose fleets +lay that way, as the Dutch do, it would be the like perhaps at +Ipswich in a few years, and at other places on the same coast. + +But at this present time an occasion offers to speak in favour of +this port; namely, the Greenland fishery, lately proposed to be +carried on by the South Sea Company. On which account I may freely +advance this, without any compliment to the town of Ipswich, no +place in Britain is equally qualified like Ipswich; whether we +respect the cheapness of building and fitting out their ships and +shallops; also furnishing, victualling, and providing them with all +kinds of stores; convenience for laying up the ships after the +voyage, room for erecting their magazines, warehouses, rope walks, +cooperages, etc., on the easiest terms; and especially for the +noisome cookery, which attends the boiling their blubber, which may +be on this river (as it ought to be) remote from any places of +resort. Then their nearness to the market for the oil when it is +made, and which, above all, ought to be the chief thing considered +in that trade, the easiness of their putting out to sea when they +begin their voyage, in which the same wind that carries them from +the mouth of the haven, is fair to the very seas of Greenland. + +I could say much more to this point if it were needful, and in few +words could easily prove, that Ipswich must have the preference of +all the port towns of Britain, for being the best centre of the +Greenland trade, if ever that trade fall into the management of +such a people as perfectly understand, and have a due honest regard +to its being managed with the best husbandry, and to the prosperity +of the undertaking in general. But whether we shall ever arrive at +so happy a time as to recover so useful a trade to our country, +which our ancestors had the honour to be the first undertakers of, +and which has been lost only through the indolence of others, and +the increasing vigilance of our neighbours, that is not my business +here to dispute. + +What I have said is only to let the world see what improvement this +town and port is capable of; I cannot think but that Providence, +which made nothing in vain, cannot have reserved so useful, so +convenient a port to lie vacant in the world, but that the time +will some time or other come (especially considering the improving +temper of the present age) when some peculiar beneficial business +may be found out, to make the port of Ipswich as useful to the +world, and the town as flourishing, as Nature has made it proper +and capable to be. + +As for the town, it is true, it is but thinly inhabited, in +comparison of the extent of it; but to say there are hardly any +people to be seen there, is far from being true in fact; and +whoever thinks fit to look into the churches and meeting-houses on +a Sunday, or other public days, will find there are very great +numbers of people there. Or if he thinks fit to view the market, +and see how the large shambles, called Cardinal Wolsey's Butchery, +are furnished with meat, and the rest of the market stocked with +other provisions, must acknowledge that it is not for a few people +that all those things are provided. A person very curious, and on +whose veracity I think I may depend, going through the market in +this town, told me, that he reckoned upwards of six hundred country +people on horseback and on foot, with baskets and other carriage, +who had all of them brought something or other to town to sell, +besides the butchers, and what came in carts and waggons. + +It happened to be my lot to be once at this town at the time when a +very fine new ship, which was built there for some merchants of +London, was to be launched; and if I may give my guess at the +numbers of people which appeared on the shore, in the houses, and +on the river, I believe I am much within compass if I say there +were 20,000 people to see it; but this is only a guess, or they +might come a great way to see the sight, or the town may be +declined farther since that. But a view of the town is one of the +surest rules for a gross estimate. + +It is true here is no settled manufacture. The French refugees +when they first came over to England began a little to take to this +place, and some merchants attempted to set up a linen manufacture +in their favour; but it has not met with so much success as was +expected, and at present I find very little of it. The poor people +are, however, employed, as they are all over these counties, in +spinning wool for other towns where manufactures are settled. + +The country round Ipswich, as are all the counties so near the +coast, is applied chiefly to corn, of which a very great quantity +is continually shipped off for London; and sometimes they load corn +here for Holland, especially if the market abroad is encouraging. +They have twelve parish churches in this town, with three or four +meetings; but there are not so many Quakers here as at Colchester, +and no Anabaptists or Antipoedo Baptists, that I could hear of--at +least, there is no meeting-house of that denomination. There is +one meeting-house for the Presbyterians, one for the Independents +and one for the Quakers; the first is as large and as fine a +building of that kind as most on this side of England, and the +inside the best finished of any I have seen, London not excepted; +that for the Independents is a handsome new-built building, but not +so gay or so large as the other. + +There is a great deal of very good company in this town, and though +there are not so many of the gentry here as at Bury, yet there are +more here than in any other town in the county; and I observed +particularly that the company you meet with here are generally +persons well informed of the world, and who have something very +solid and entertaining in their society. This may happen, perhaps, +by their frequent conversing with those who have been abroad, and +by their having a remnant of gentlemen and masters of ships among +them who have seen more of the world than the people of an inland +town are likely to have seen. I take this town to be one of the +most agreeable places in England for families who have lived well, +but may have suffered in our late calamities of stocks and bubbles, +to retreat to, where they may live within their own compass; and +several things indeed recommend it to such:- + +1. Good houses at very easy rents. + +2. An airy, clean, and well-governed town. + +3. Very agreeable and improving company almost of every kind. + +4. A wonderful plenty of all manner of provisions, whether flesh +or fish, and very good of the kind. + +5. Those provisions very cheap, so that a family may live cheaper +here than in any town in England of its bigness within such a small +distance from London. + +6. Easy passage to London, either by land or water, the coach +going through to London in a day. + + +The Lord Viscount Hereford has a very fine seat and park in this +town; the house indeed is old built, but very commodious; it is +called Christ Church, having been, as it is said, a priory or +religious house in former times. The green and park is a great +addition to the pleasantness of this town, the inhabitants being +allowed to divert themselves there with walking, bowling, etc. + +The large spire steeple, which formerly stood upon that they call +the tower church, was blown down by a great storm of wind many +years ago, and in its a fall did much damage to the church. + +The government of this town is by two bailiffs, as at Yarmouth. +Mr. Camden says they are chosen out of twelve burgesses called +portmen, and two justices out of twenty-four more. There has been +lately a very great struggle between the two parties for the choice +of these two magistrates, which had this amicable conclusion-- +namely, that they chose one of either side; so that neither party +having the victory, it is to be hoped it may be a means to allay +the heats and unneighbourly feuds which such things breed in towns +so large as this is. They send two members to Parliament, whereof +those at this time are Sir William Thompson, Recorder of London, +and Colonel Negus, Deputy Master of the Horse to the king. + +There are some things very curious to be seen here, however some +superficial writers have been ignorant of them. Dr. Beeston, an +eminent physician, began a few years ago a physic garden adjoining +to his house in this town; and as he is particularly curious, and, +as I was told, exquisitely skilled in botanic knowledge, so he has +been not only very diligent, but successful too, in making a +collection of rare and exotic plants, such as are scarce to be +equalled in England. + +One Mr. White, a surgeon, resides also in this town. But before I +speak of this gentleman, I must observe that I say nothing from +personal knowledge; though if I did, I have too good an opinion of +his sense to believe he would be pleased with being flattered or +complimented in print. But I must be true to matter of fact. This +gentleman has begun a collection or chamber of rarities, and with +good success too. I acknowledge I had not the opportunity of +seeing them; but I was told there are some things very curious in +it, as particularly a sea-horse carefully preserved, and perfect in +all its parts; two Roman urns full of ashes of human bodies, and +supposed to be above 1,700 years old; besides a great many valuable +medals and ancient coins. My friend who gave me this account, and +of whom I think I may say he speaks without bias, mentions this +gentleman, Mr. White, with some warmth as a very valuable person in +his particular employ of a surgeon. I only repeat his words. "Mr. +White," says he, "to whom the whole town and country are greatly +indebted and obliged to pray for his life, is our most skilful +surgeon." These, I say, are his own words, and I add nothing to +them but this, that it is happy for a town to have such a surgeon, +as it is for a surgeon to have such a character. + +The country round Ipswich, as if qualified on purpose to +accommodate the town for building of ships, is an inexhaustible +store-house of timber, of which, now their trade of building ships +is abated, they send very great quantities to the king's building- +yards at Chatham, which by water is so little a way that they often +run to it from the mouth of the river at Harwich in one tide. + +From Ipswich I took a turn into the country to Hadleigh, +principally to satisfy my curiosity and see the place where that +famous martyr and pattern of charity and religious zeal in Queen +Mary's time, Dr. Rowland Taylor, was put to death. The +inhabitants, who have a wonderful veneration for his memory, show +the very place where the stake which he was bound to was set up, +and they have put a stone upon it which nobody will remove; but it +is a more lasting monument to him that he lives in the hearts of +the people--I say more lasting than a tomb of marble would be, for +the memory of that good man will certainly never be out of the poor +people's minds as long as this island shall retain the Protestant +religion among them. How long that may be, as things are going, +and if the detestable conspiracy of the Papists now on foot should +succeed, I will not pretend to say. + +A little to the left is Sudbury, which stands upon the River Stour, +mentioned above--a river which parts the counties of Suffolk and +Essex, and which is within these few years made navigable to this +town, though the navigation does not, it seems, answer the charge, +at least not to advantage. + +I know nothing for which this town is remarkable, except for being +very populous and very poor. They have a great manufacture of says +and perpetuanas, and multitudes of poor people are employed in +working them; but the number of the poor is almost ready to eat up +the rich. However, this town sends two members to Parliament, +though it is under no form of government particularly to itself +other than as a village, the head magistrate whereof is a +constable. + +Near adjoining to it is a village called Long Melfort, and a very +long one it is, from which I suppose it had that addition to its +name; it is full of very good houses, and, as they told me, is +richer, and has more wealthy masters of the manufacture in it, than +in Sudbury itself. + +Here and in the neighbourhood are some ancient families of good +note; particularly here is a fine dwelling, the ancient seat of the +Cordells, whereof Sir William Cordell was Master of the Rolls in +the time of Queen Elizabeth; but the family is now extinct, the +last heir, Sir John Cordell, being killed by a fall from his horse, +died unmarried, leaving three sisters co-heiresses to a very noble +estate, most of which, if not all, is now centred on the only +surviving sister, and with her in marriage is given to Mr. +Firebrass, eldest son of Sir Basil Firebrass, formerly a +flourishing merchant in London, but reduced by many disasters. His +family now rises by the good fortune of his son, who proves to be a +gentleman of very agreeable parts, and well esteemed in the +country. + +From this part of the country, I returned north-west by Lenham, to +visit St. Edmund's Bury, a town of which other writers have talked +very largely, and perhaps a little too much. It is a town famed +for its pleasant situation and wholesome air, the Montpelier of +Suffolk, and perhaps of England. This must be attributed to the +skill of the monks of those times, who chose so beautiful a +situation for the seat of their retirement; and who built here the +greatest and, in its time, the most flourishing monastery in all +these parts of England, I mean the monastery of St. Edmund the +Martyr. It was, if we believe antiquity, a house of pleasure in +more ancient times, or to speak more properly, a court of some of +the Saxon or East Angle kings; and, as Mr. Camden says, was even +then called a royal village, though it much better merits that name +now; it being the town of all this part of England, in proportion +to its bigness, most thronged with gentry, people of the best +fashion, and the most polite conversation. This beauty and +healthiness of its situation was no doubt the occasion which drew +the clergy to settle here, for they always chose the best places in +the country to build in, either for richness of soil, or for health +and pleasure in the situation of their religious houses. + +For the like reason, I doubt not, they translated the bones of the +martyred king St. Edmund to this place; for it is a vulgar error to +say he was murdered here. His martyrdom, it is plain, was at Hoxon +or Henilsdon, near Harlston, on the Waveney, in the farthest +northern verge of the county; but Segebert, king of the East +Angles, had built a religions house in this pleasant rich part of +the county; and as the monks began to taste the pleasure of the +place, they procured the body of this saint to be removed hither, +which soon increased the wealth and revenues of their house, by the +zeal of that day, in going on pilgrimage to the shrine of the +blessed St. Edmund. + +We read, however, that after this the Danes, under King Sweno, +over-running this part of the country, destroyed this monastery and +burnt it to the ground, with the church and town. But see the turn +religion gives to things in the world; his son, King Canutus, at +first a Pagan and a tyrant, and the most cruel ravager of all that +crew, coming to turn Christian, and being touched in conscience for +the soul of his father, in having robbed God and his holy martyr +St. Edmund, sacrilegiously destroying the church, and plundering +the monastery; I say, touched with remorse, and, as the monks +pretend, terrified with a vision of St. Edmund appearing to him, he +rebuilt the house, the church, and the town also, and very much +added to the wealth of the abbot and his fraternity, offering his +crown at the feet of St. Edmund, giving the house to the monks, +town and all; so that they were absolute lords of the town, and +governed it by their steward for many ages. He also gave them a +great many good lordships, which they enjoyed till the general +suppression of abbeys, in the time of Henry VIII. + +But I am neither writing the history or searching the antiquity of +the abbey, or town; my business is the present state of the place. + +The abbey is demolished; its ruins are all that is to be seen of +its glory: out of the old building, two very beautiful churches +are built, and serve the two parishes, into which the town is +divided, and they stand both in one churchyard. Here it was, in +the path-way between these two churches, that a tragical and almost +unheard-of act of barbarity was committed, which made the place +less pleasant for some time than it used to be, when Arundel Coke, +Esq., a barrister-at-law, of a very ancient family, attempted, with +the assistance of a barbarous assassin, to murder in cold blood, +and in the arms of hospitality, Edward Crisp, Esq., his brother-in- +law, leading him out from his own house, where he had invited him, +his wife and children, to supper; I say, leading him out in the +night, on pretence of going to see some friend that was known to +them both; but in this churchyard, giving a signal to the assassin +he had hired, he attacked him with a hedge-bill, and cut him, as +one might say, almost in pieces; and when they did not doubt of his +being dead, they left him. His head and face was so mangled, that +it may be said to be next to a miracle that he was not quite +killed: yet so Providence directed for the exemplary punishment of +the assassins, that the gentleman recovered to detect them, who +(though he outlived the assault) were both executed as they +deserved, and Mr. Crisp is yet alive. They were condemned on the +statute for defacing and dismembering, called the Coventry Act. + +But this accident does not at all lessen the pleasure and agreeable +delightful show of the town of Bury; it is crowded with nobility +and gentry, and all sorts of the most agreeable company; and as the +company invites, so there is the appearance of pleasure upon the +very situation; and they that live at Bury are supposed to live +there for the sake of it. + +The Lord Jermin, afterwards Lord Dover, and, since his lordship's +decease, Sir Robert Davers, enjoyed the most delicious seat of +Rushbrook, near this town. + +The present members of Parliament for this place are Jermyn Davers +and James Reynolds, Esquires. + +Mr. Harvey, afterwards created Lord Harvey, by King William, and +since that made Earl of Bristol by King George, lived many years in +this town, leaving a noble and pleasantly situated house in +Lincolnshire, for the more agreeable living on a spot so completely +qualified for a life of delight as this of Bury. + +The Duke of Grafton, now Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, has also a +stately house at Euston, near this town, which he enjoys in right +of his mother, daughter to the Earl of Arlington, one of the chief +ministers of State in the reign of King Charles II., and who made +the second letter in the word "cabal," a word formed by that famous +satirist Andrew Marvell, to represent the five heads of the +politics of that time, as the word "smectymnus" was on a former +occasion. + +I shall believe nothing so scandalous of the ladies of this town +and the country round it as a late writer insinuates. That the +ladies round the country appear mighty gay and agreeable at the +time of the fair in this town I acknowledge; one hardly sees such a +show in any part of the world; but to suggest they come hither, as +to a market, is so coarse a jest, that the gentlemen that wait on +them hither (for they rarely come but in good company) ought to +resent and correct him for it. + +It is true, Bury Fair, like Bartholomew Fair, is a fair for +diversion, more than for trade; and it may be a fair for toys and +for trinkets, which the ladies may think fit to lay out some of +their money in, as they see occasion. But to judge from thence +that the knights' daughters of Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, and +Suffolk--that is to say, for it cannot be understood any otherwise, +the daughters of all the gentry of the three counties--come hither +to be picked up, is a way of speaking I never before heard any +author have the assurance to make use of in print. + +The assembly he justly commends for the bright appearance of the +beauties; but with a sting in the tail of this compliment, where he +says they seldom end without some considerable match or intrigue; +and yet he owns that during the fair these assemblies are held +every night. Now that these fine ladies go intriguing every night, +and that too after the comedy is done, which is after the fair and +raffling is over for the day, so that it must be very late. This +is a terrible character for the ladies of Bury, and intimates, in +short, that most of them are loose women, which is a horrid abuse +upon the whole country. + +Now, though I like not the assemblies at all, and shall in another +place give them something of their due, yet having the opportunity +to see the fair at Bury, and to see that there were, indeed, +abundance of the finest ladies, or as fine as any in Britain, yet I +must own the number of the ladies at the comedy, or at the +assembly, is no way equal to the number that are seen in the town, +much less are they equal to the whole body of the ladies in the +three counties; and I must also add, that though it is far from +true that all that appear at the assembly are there for matches or +intrigues, yet I will venture to say that they are not the worst of +the ladies who stay away, neither are they the fewest in number or +the meanest in beauty, but just the contrary; and I do not at all +doubt, but that the scandalous liberty some take at those +assemblies will in time bring them out of credit with the virtuous +part of the sex here, as it has done already in Kent and other +places, and that those ladies who most value their reputation will +be seen less there than they have been; for though the institution +of them has been innocent and virtuous, the ill use of them, and +the scandalous behaviour of some people at them, will in time arm +virtue against them, and they will be laid down as they have been +set up without much satisfaction. + +But the beauty of this town consists in the number of gentry who +dwell in and near it, the polite conversation among them, the +affluence and plenty they live in, the sweet air they breathe in, +and the pleasant country they have to go abroad in. + +Here is no manufacturing in this town, or but very little, except +spinning, the chief trade of the place depending upon the gentry +who live there, or near it, and who cannot fail to cause trade +enough by the expense of their families and equipages among the +people of a county town. They have but a very small river, or +rather but a very small branch of a small river, at this town, +which runs from hence to Milden Hall, on the edge of the fens. +However, the town and gentlemen about have been at the charge, or +have so encouraged the engineer who was at the charge, that they +have made this river navigable to the said Milden Hall, from whence +there is a navigable dyke, called Milden Hall Drain, which goes +into the River Ouse, and so to Lynn; so that all their coal and +wine, iron, lead, and other heavy goods, are brought by water from +Lynn, or from London, by the way of Lynn, to the great ease of the +tradesmen. + +This town is famous for two great events. One was that in the year +1447, in the 25th year of Henry VI., a Parliament was held here. + +The other was, that at the meeting of this Parliament, the great +Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, regent of the kingdom during the +absence of King Henry V. and the minority of Henry VI., and to his +last hour the safeguard of the whole nation, and darling of the +people, was basely murdered here; by whose death the gate was +opened to that dreadful war between the houses of Lancaster and +York, which ended in the confusion of that very race who are +supposed to have contrived that murder. + +From St. Edmund's Bury I returned by Stowmarket and Needham to +Ipswich, that I might keep as near the coast as was proper to my +designed circuit or journey; and from Ipswich, to visit the sea +again, I went to Woodbridge, and from thence to Orford, on the sea +side. + +Woodbridge has nothing remarkable, but that it is a considerable +market for butter and corn to be exported to London; for now begins +that part which is ordinarily called High Suffolk, which, being a +rich soil, is for a long tract of ground wholly employed in +dairies, and they again famous for the best butter, and perhaps the +worst cheese, in England. The butter is barrelled, or often +pickled up in small casks, and sold, not in London only, but I have +known a firkin of Suffolk butter sent to the West Indies, and +brought back to England again, and has been perfectly good and +sweet, as at first. + +The port for the shipping off their Suffolk butter is chiefly +Woodbridge, which for that reason is full of corn factors and +butter factors, some of whom are very considerable merchants. + +From hence, turning down to the shore, we see Orfordness, a noted +point of land for the guide of the colliers and coasters, and a +good shelter for them to ride under when a strong north-east wind +blows and makes a foul shore on the coast. + +South of the Ness is Orford Haven, being the mouth of two little +rivers meeting together. It is a very good harbour for small +vessels, but not capable of receiving a ship of burden. + +Orford was once a good town, but is decayed, and as it stands on +the land side of the river the sea daily throws up more land to it, +and falls off itself from it, as if it was resolved to disown the +place, and that it should be a seaport no longer. + +A little farther lies Aldborough, as thriving, though without a +port, as the other is decaying, with a good river in the front of +it. + +There are some gentlemen's seats up farther from the sea, but very +few upon the coast. + +From Aldborough to Dunwich there are no towns of note; even this +town seems to be in danger of being swallowed up, for fame reports +that once they had fifty churches in the town; I saw but one left, +and that not half full of people. + +This town is a testimony of the decay of public things, things of +the most durable nature; and as the old poet expresses it, + + +"By numerous examples we may see, +That towns and cities die as well as we." + + +The ruins of Carthage, of the great city of Jerusalem, or of +ancient Rome, are not at all wonderful to me. The ruins of +Nineveh, which are so entirety sunk as that it is doubtful where +the city stood; the ruins of Babylon, or the great Persepolis, and +many capital cities, which time and the change of monarchies have +overthrown, these, I say, are not at all wonderful, because being +the capitals of great and flourishing kingdoms, where those +kingdoms were overthrown, the capital cities necessarily fell with +them; but for a private town, a seaport, and a town of commerce, to +decay, as it were, of itself (for we never read of Dunwich being +plundered or ruined by any disaster, at least, not of late years); +this, I must confess, seems owing to nothing but to the fate of +things, by which we see that towns, kings, countries, families, and +persons, have all their elevation, their medium, their declination, +and even their destruction in the womb of time, and the course of +nature. It is true, this town is manifestly decayed by the +invasion of the waters, and as other towns seem sufferers by the +sea, or the tide withdrawing from their ports, such as Orford, just +now named, Winchelsea in Kent, and the like, so this town is, as it +were, eaten up by the sea, as above; and the still encroaching +ocean seems to threaten it with a fatal immersion in a few years +more. + +Yet Dunwich, however ruined, retains some share of trade, as +particularly for the shipping of butter, cheese, and corn, which is +so great a business in this county, that it employs a great many +people and ships also; and this port lies right against the +particular part of the county for butter, as Framlingham, Halstead, +etc. Also a very great quantity of corn is bought up hereabout for +the London market; for I shall still touch that point how all the +counties in England contribute something towards the subsistence of +the great city of London, of which the butter here is a very +considerable article; as also coarse cheese, which I mentioned +before, used chiefly for the king's ships. + +Hereabouts they begin to talk of herrings and the fishery; and we +find in the ancient records that this town, which was then equal to +a large city, paid, among other tribute to the government, fifty +thousand of herrings. Here also, and at Swole, or Southole, the +next seaport, they cure sprats in the same manner as they do +herrings at Yarmouth; that is to say, speaking in their own +language, they make red sprats; or to speak good English, they make +sprats red. + +It is remarkable that this town is now so much washed away by the +sea, that what little trade they have is carried on by Walderswick, +a little town near Swole, the vessels coming in there, because the +ruins of Dunwich make the shore there unsafe and uneasy to the +boats; from whence the northern coasting seamen a rude verse of +their own using, and I suppose of their own making, as follows, + + +"Swoul and Dunwich, and Walderswick, +All go in at one lousie creek." + + +This "lousie creek," in short, is a little river at Swoul, which +our late famous atlas-maker calls a good harbour for ships, and +rendezvous of the royal navy; but that by-the-bye; the author, it +seems, knew no better. + +From Dunwich we came to Southwold, the town above-named: this is a +small port town upon the coast, at the mouth of a little river +called the Blith. I found no business the people here were +employed in but the fishery, as above, for herrings and sprats, +which they cure by the help of smoke, as they do at Yarmouth. + +There is but one church in this town, but it is a very large one +and well built, as most of the churches in this county are, and of +impenetrable flint; indeed, there is no occasion for its being so +large, for staying there one Sabbath day, I was surprised to see an +extraordinary large church, capable of receiving five or six +thousand people, and but twenty-seven in it besides the parson and +the clerk; but at the same time the meeting-house of the Dissenters +was full to the very doors, having, as I guessed, from six to eight +hundred people in it. + +This town is made famous for a very great engagement at sea, in the +year 1672, between the English and Dutch fleets, in the bay +opposite to the town, in which, not to be partial to ourselves, the +English fleet was worsted; and the brave Montague, Earl of +Sandwich, Admiral under the Duke of York, lost his life. The ship +Royal Prince, carrying one hundred guns, in which he was, and which +was under him, commanded by Sir Edward Spragg, was burnt, and +several other ships lost, and about six hundred seamen; part of +those killed in the fight were, as I was told, brought on shore +here and buried in the churchyard of this town, as others also were +at Ipswich. + +At this town in particular, and so at all the towns on this coast, +from Orfordness to Yarmouth, is the ordinary place where our summer +friends the swallows first land when they come to visit us; and +here they may be said to embark for their return, when they go back +into warmer climates; and as I think the following remark, though +of so trifling a circumstance, may be both instructing as well as +diverting, it may be very proper in this place. The case is this; +I was some years before at this place, at the latter end of the +year, viz., about the beginning of October, and lodging in a house +that looked into the churchyard, I observed in the evening, an +unusual multitude of birds sitting on the leads of the church. +Curiosity led me to go nearer to see what they were, and I found +they were all swallows; that there was such an infinite number that +they covered the whole roof of the church, and of several houses +near, and perhaps might of more houses which I did not see. This +led me to inquire of a grave gentleman whom I saw near me, what the +meaning was of such a prodigious multitude of swallows sitting +there. "Oh, sir," says he, turning towards the sea, "you may see +the reason; the wind is off sea." I did not seem fully informed by +that expression, so he goes on, "I perceive, sir," says he, "you +are a stranger to it; you must then understand first, that this is +the season of the year when the swallows, their food here failing, +begin to leave us, and return to the country, wherever it be, from +whence I suppose they came; and this being the nearest to the coast +of Holland, they come here to embark" (this he said smiling a +little); "and now, sir," says he, "the weather being too calm or +the wind contrary, they are waiting for a gale, for they are all +wind-bound." + +This was more evident to me, when in the morning I found the wind +had come about to the north-west in the night, and there was not +one swallow to be seen of near a million, which I believe was there +the night before. + +How those creatures know that this part of the Island of Great +Britain is the way to their home, or the way that they are to go; +that this very point is the nearest cut over, or even that the +nearest cut is best for them, that we must leave to the naturalists +to determine, who insist upon it that brutes cannot think. + +Certain it is that the swallows neither come hither for warm +weather nor retire from cold; the thing is of quite another nature. +They, like the shoals of fish in the sea, pursue their prey; they +are a voracious creature, they feed flying; their food is found in +the air, viz., the insects, of which in our summer evenings, in +damp and moist places, the air is full. They come hither in the +summer because our air is fuller of fogs and damps than in other +countries, and for that reason feeds great quantities of insects. +If the air be hot and dry the gnats die of themselves, and even the +swallows will be found famished for want, and fall down dead out of +the air, their food being taken from them. In like manner, when +cold weather comes in the insects all die, and then of necessity +the swallows quit us, and follow their food wherever they go. This +they do in the manner I have mentioned above, for sometimes they +are seen to go off in vast flights like a cloud. And sometimes +again, when the wind grows fair, they go away a few and a few as +they come, not staying at all upon the coast. + +Note.--This passing and re-passing of the swallows is observed +nowhere so much, that I have heard of, or in but few other places, +except on this eastern coast, namely, from above Harwich to the +east point of Norfolk, called Winterton Ness, North, which is all +right against Holland. We know nothing of them any farther north, +the passage of the sea being, as I suppose, too broad from +Flamborough Head and the shore of Holderness in Yorkshire, etc. + +I find very little remarkable on this side of Suffolk, but what is +on the sea-shore as above. The inland country is that which they +properly call High Suffolk, and is full of rich feeding grounds and +large farms, mostly employed in dairies for making the Suffolk +butter and cheese, of which I have spoken already. Among these +rich grounds stand some market towns, though not of very +considerable note; such as Framlingham, where was once a royal +castle, to which Queen Mary retired when the Northumberland +faction, in behalf of the Lady Jane, endeavoured to supplant her. +And it was this part of Suffolk where the Gospellers, as they were +then called, preferred their loyalty to their religion, and +complimented the Popish line at expense of their share of the +Reformation. But they paid dear for it, and their successors have +learned better politics since. + +In these parts are also several good market towns, some in this +county and some in the other, as Beccles, Bungay, Harlston, etc., +all on the edge of the River Waveney, which parts here the counties +of Suffolk and Norfolk. And here in a bye-place, and out of common +remark, lies the ancient town of Hoxon, famous for being the place +where St. Edmund was martyred, for whom so many cells and shrines +have been set up and monasteries built, and in honour of whom the +famous monastery of St. Edmundsbury, above mentioned, was founded, +which most people erroneously think was the place where the said +murder was committed. + +Besides the towns mentioned above, there are Halesworth, +Saxmundham, Debenham, Aye, or Eye, all standing in this eastern +side of Suffolk, in which, as I have said, the whole country is +employed in dairies or in feeding of cattle. + +This part of England is also remarkable for being the first where +the feeding and fattening of cattle, both sheep as well as black +cattle, with turnips, was first practised in England, which is made +a very great part of the improvement of their lands to this day, +and from whence the practice is spread over most of the east and +south parts of England to the great enriching of the farmers and +increase of fat cattle. And though some have objected against the +goodness of the flesh thus fed with turnips, and have fancied it +would taste of the root, yet upon experience it is found that at +market there is no difference, nor can they that buy single out one +joint of mutton from another by the taste. So that the complaint +which our nice palates at first made begins to cease of itself, and +a very great quantity of beef and mutton also is brought every year +and every week to London from this side of England, and much more +than was formerly known to be fed there. + +I cannot omit, however little it may seem, that this county of +Suffolk is particularly famous for furnishing the City of London +and all the counties round with turkeys, and that it is thought +there are more turkeys bred in this county and the part of Norfolk +that adjoins to it than in all the rest of England, especially for +sale, though this may be reckoned, as I say above, but a trifling +thing to take notice of in these remarks; yet, as I have hinted, +that I shall observe how London is in general supplied with all its +provisions from the whole body of the nation, and how every part of +the island is engaged in some degree or other of that supply. On +this account I could not omit it, nor will it be found so +inconsiderable an article as some may imagine, if this be true, +which I received an account of from a person living on the place, +viz., that they have counted three hundred droves of turkeys (for +they drive them all in droves on foot) pass in one season over +Stratford Bridge on the River Stour, which parts Suffolk from +Essex, about six miles from Colchester, on the road from Ipswich to +London. These droves, as they say, generally contain from three +hundred to a thousand each drove; so that one may suppose them to +contain five hundred one with another, which is one hundred and +fifty thousand in all; and yet this is one of the least passages, +the numbers which travel by Newmarket Heath and the open country +and the forest, and also the numbers that come by Sudbury and Clare +being many more. + +For the further supplies of the markets of London with poultry, of +which these countries particularly abound, they have within these +few years found it practicable to make the geese travel on foot +too, as well as the turkeys, and a prodigious number are brought up +to London in droves from the farthest parts of Norfolk; even from +the fen country about Lynn, Downham, Wisbech, and the Washes; as +also from all the east side of Norfolk and Suffolk, of whom it is +very frequent now to meet droves with a thousand, sometimes two +thousand in a drove. They begin to drive them generally in August, +by which time the harvest is almost over, and the geese may feed in +the stubbles as they go. Thus they hold on to the end of October, +when the roads begin to be too stiff and deep for their broad feet +and short legs to march in. + +Besides these methods of driving these creatures on foot, they have +of late also invented a new method of carriage, being carts formed +on purpose, with four stories or stages to put the creatures in one +above another, by which invention one cart will carry a very great +number; and for the smoother going they drive with two horses +abreast, like a coach, so quartering the road for the ease of the +gentry that thus ride. Changing horses, they travel night and day, +so that they bring the fowls seventy, eighty, or, one hundred miles +in two days and one night. The horses in this new-fashioned +voiture go two abreast, as above, but no perch below, as in a +coach, but they are fastened together by a piece of wood lying +crosswise upon their necks, by which they are kept even and +together, and the driver sits on the top of the cart like as in the +public carriages for the army, etc. + +In this manner they hurry away the creatures alive, and infinite +numbers are thus carried to London every year. This method is also +particular for the carrying young turkeys or turkey poults in their +season, which are valuable, and yield a good price at market; as +also for live chickens in the dear seasons, of all which a very +great number are brought in this manner to London, and more +prodigiously out of this country than any other part of England, +which is the reason of my speaking of it here. + +In this part, which we call High Suffolk, there are not so many +families of gentry or nobility placed as in the other side of the +country. But it is observed that though their seats are not so +frequent here, their estates are; and the pleasure of West Suffolk +is much of it supported by the wealth of High Suffolk, for the +richness of the lands and application of the people to all kinds of +improvement is scarce credible; also the farmers are so very +considerable and their farms and dairies so large that it is very +frequent for a farmer to have 1,000 pounds stock upon his farm in +cows only. + + +NORFOLK + + +From High Suffolk I passed the Waveney into Norfolk, near Schole +Inn. In my passage I saw at Redgrave (the seat of the family) a +most exquisite monument of Sir John Holt, Knight, late Lord Chief +Justice of the King's Bench several years, and one of the most +eminent lawyers of his time. One of the heirs of the family is now +building a fine seat about a mile on the south side of Ipswich, +near the road. + +The epitaph or inscription on this monument is as follows:- + + +M. S. +D. Johannis Holt, Equitis Aur. +Totius Anglioe in Banco Regis +per 21 Annos continuos +Capitalis Justitiarii +Gulielmo Regi Annoequr Reginae +Consiliarii perpetui: +Libertatis ac Legum Anglicarum +Assertoris, Vindicis, Custodis, +Vigilis Acris & intrepidi, +Rolandus Frater Uncius & Hoeres +Optime de se Merito +posuit, +Die Martis Vto. 1709. Sublatus est +ex Oculis nostris +Natus 30 Decembris, Anno 1642. + + +When we come into Norfolk, we see a face of diligence spread over +the whole country; the vast manufactures carried on (in chief) by +the Norwich weavers employs all the country round in spinning yarn +for them; besides many thousand packs of yarn which they receive +from other countries, even from as far as Yorkshire and +Westmoreland, of which I shall speak in its place. + +This side of Norfolk is very populous, and thronged with great and +spacious market-towns, more and larger than any other part of +England so far from London, except Devonshire, and the West Riding +of Yorkshire; for example, between the frontiers of Suffolk and the +city of Norwich on this side, which is not above 22 miles in +breadth, are the following market-towns, viz.:- + + +Thetford, Hingham, Harleston, +Diss, West Dereham, E. Dereham, +Harling, Attleborough, Watton, +Bucknam, Windham, Loddon, etc. + + +Most of these towns are very populous and large; but that which is +most remarkable is, that the whole country round them is so +interspersed with villages, and those villages so large, and so +full of people, that they are equal to market-towns in other +countries; in a word, they render this eastern part of Norfolk +exceeding full of inhabitants. + +An eminent weaver of Norwich gave me a scheme of their trade on +this occasion, by which, calculating from the number of looms at +that time employed in the city of Norwich only, besides those +employed in other towns in the same county, he made it appear very +plain, that there were 120,000 people employed in the woollen and +silk and wool manufactures of that city only; not that the people +all lived in the city, though Norwich is a very large and populous +city too: but, I say, they were employed for spinning the yarn +used for such goods as were all made in that city. This account is +curious enough, and very exact, but it is too long for the compass +of this work. + +This shows the wonderful extent of the Norwich manufacture, or +stuff-weaving trade, by which so many thousands of families are +maintained. Their trade, indeed, felt a very sensible decay, and +the cries of the poor began to be very loud, when the wearing of +painted calicoes was grown to such a height in England, as was seen +about two or three years ago; but an Act of Parliament having been +obtained, though not without great struggle, in the years 1720 and +1721, for prohibiting the use and wearing of calicoes, the stuff +trade revived incredibly; and as I passed this part of the country +in the year 1723, the manufacturers assured me that there was not, +in all the eastern and middle part of Norfolk, any hand unemployed, +if they would work; and that the very children, after four or five +years of age, could every one earn their own bread. But I return +to speak of the villages and towns in the rest of the county; I +shall come to the city of Norwich by itself. + +This throng of villages continues through all the east part of the +country, which is of the greatest extent, and where the manufacture +is chiefly carried on. If any part of it be waste and thin of +inhabitants, it is the west part, drawing a line from about Brand, +or Brandon, south, to Walsinghan, north. This part of the country +indeed is full of open plains, and somewhat sandy and barren, and +feeds great flocks of good sheep; but put it all together, the +county of Norfolk has the most people in the least tract of land of +any county in England, except about London, and Exon, and the West +Riding of Yorkshire, as above. + +Add to this, that there is no single county in England, except as +above, that can boast of three towns so populous, so rich, and so +famous for trade and navigation, as in this county. By these three +towns, I mean the city of Norwich, the towns of Yarmouth and Lynn. +Besides that, it has several other seaports of very good trade, as +Wisbech, Wells, Burnham, Clye, etc. + +Norwich is the capital of all the county, and the centre of all the +trade and manufactures which I have just mentioned; an ancient, +large, rich, and populous city. If a stranger was only to ride +through or view the city of Norwich for a day, he would have much +more reason to think there was a town without inhabitants, than +there is really to say so of Ipswich; but on the contrary if he was +to view the city, either on a Sabbath-day, or on any public +occasion, he would wonder where all the people could dwell, the +multitude is so great. But the case is this: the inhabitants +being all busy at their manufactures, dwell in their garrets at +their looms, and in their combing shops (so they call them), +twisting-mills, and other work-houses, almost all the works they +are employed in being done within doors. There are in this city +thirty-two parishes besides the cathedral, and a great many +meeting-houses of Dissenters of all denominations. The public +edifices are chiefly the castle, ancient and decayed, and now for +many years past made use of for a gaol. The Duke of Norfolk's +house was formerly kept well, and the gardens preserved for the +pleasure and diversion of the citizens, but since feeling too +sensibly the sinking circumstances of that once glorious family, +who were the first peers and hereditary earl-marshals of England. + +The walls of this city are reckoned three miles in circumference, +taking in more ground than the City of London, but much of that +ground lying open in pasture-fields and gardens; nor does it seem +to be, like some ancient places, a decayed, declining town, and +that the walls mark out its ancient dimensions; for we do not see +room to suppose that it was ever larger or more populous than it is +now. But the walls seem to be placed as if they expected that the +city would in time increase sufficiently to fill them up with +buildings. + +The cathedral of this city is a fine fabric, and the spire steeple +very high and beautiful. It is not ancient, the bishop's see +having been first at Thetford, from whence it was not translated +hither till the twelfth century. Yet the church has so many +antiquities in it, that our late great scholar and physician, Sir +Thomas Brown, thought it worth his while to write a whole book to +collect the monuments and inscriptions in this church, to which I +refer the reader. + +The River Yare runs through this city, and is navigable thus far +without the help of any art (that is to say, without locks or +stops), and being increased by other waters, passes afterwards +through a long tract of the richest meadows, and the largest, take +them all together, that are anywhere in England, lying for thirty +miles in length, from this city to Yarmouth, including the return +of the said meadows on the bank of the Waveney south, and on the +River Thyrn north. + +Here is one thing indeed strange in itself, and more so, in that +history seems to be quite ignorant of the occasion of it. The +River Waveney is a considerable river, and of a deep and full +channel, navigable for large barges as high as Beccles; it runs for +a course of about fifty miles, between the two counties of Suffolk +and Norfolk, as a boundary to both; and pushing on, though with a +gentle stream, towards the sea, no one would doubt, but, that when +they see the river growing broader and deeper, and going directly +towards the sea, even to the edge of the beach--that is to say, +within a mile of the main ocean--no stranger, I say, but would +expect to see its entrance into the sea at that place, and a noble +harbour for ships at the mouth of it; when on a sudden, the land +rising high by the seaside, crosses the head of the river, like a +dam, checks the whole course of it, and it returns, bending its +course west, for two miles, or thereabouts; and then turning north, +through another long course of meadows (joining to those just now +mentioned) seeks out the River Yare, that it may join its water +with hers, and find their way to the sea together + +Some of our historians tell a long, fabulous story of this river +being once open, and a famous harbour for ships belonging to a town +of Lowestoft adjoining; but that the town of Yarmouth envying the +prosperity of the said town of Lowestoft, made war upon them; and +that after many bloody battles, as well by sea as by land, they +came at last to a decisive action at sea with their respective +fleets, and the victory fell to the Yarmouth men, the Lowestoft +fleet being overthrown and utterly destroyed; and that upon this +victory, the Yarmouth men either actually did stop up the mouth of +the said river, or obliged the vanquished Lowestoft men to do it +themselves, and bound them never to attempt to open it again. + +I believe my share of this story, and I recommend no more of it to +the reader; adding, that I see no authority for the relation, +neither do the relators agree either in the time of it, or in the +particulars of the fact; that is to say, in whose reign, or under +what government all this happened; in what year, and the like; so I +satisfy myself with transcribing the matter of fact, and then leave +it as I find it. + +In this vast tract of meadows are fed a prodigious number of black +cattle which are said to be fed up for the fattest beef, though not +the largest in England; and the quantity is so great, as that they +not only supply the city of Norwich, the town of Yarmouth, and +county adjacent, but send great quantities of them weekly in all +the winter season to London. + +And this in particular is worthy remark, that the gross of all the +Scots cattle which come yearly into England are brought hither, +being brought to a small village lying north of the city of +Norwich, called St. Faith's, where the Norfolk graziers go and buy +them. + +These Scots runts, so they call them, coming out of the cold and +barren mountains of the Highlands in Scotland, feed so eagerly on +the rich pasture in these marshes, that they thrive in an unusual +manner, and grow monstrously fat; and the beef is so delicious for +taste, that the inhabitants prefer them to the English cattle, +which are much larger and fairer to look at; and they may very well +do so. Some have told me, and I believe with good judgment, that +there are above forty thousand of these Scots cattle fed in this +county every year, and most of them in the said marshes between +Norwich, Beccles, and Yarmouth. + +Yarmouth is an ancient town, much older than Norwich; and at +present, though not standing on so much ground, yet better built; +much more complete; for number of inhabitants, not much inferior; +and for wealth, trade, and advantage of its situation, infinitely +superior to Norwich. + +It is placed on a peninsula between the River Yare and the sea; the +two last lying parallel to one another, and the town in the middle. +The river lies on the west side of the town, and being grown very +large and deep, by a conflux of all the rivers on this side the +county, forms the haven; and the town facing to the west also, and +open to the river, makes the finest quay in England, if not in +Europe, not inferior even to that of Marseilles itself. + +The ships ride here so close, and, as it were, keeping up one +another, with their headfasts on shore, that for half a mile +together they go across the stream with their bowsprits over the +land, their bows, or heads touching the very wharf; so that one may +walk from ship to ship as on a floating bridge, all along by the +shore-side. The quay reaching from the drawbridge almost to the +south gate, is so spacious and wide, that in some places it is near +one hundred yards from the houses to the wharf. In this pleasant +and agreeable range of houses are some very magnificent buildings, +and among the rest, the Custom House and Town Hall, and some +merchant's houses, which look like little palaces rather than the +dwelling-houses of private men. + +The greatest defect of this beautiful town seems to be that, though +it is very rich and increasing in wealth and trade, and +consequently in people, there is not room to enlarge the town by +building, which would be certainly done much more than it is, but +that the river on the land side prescribes them, except at the +north end without the gate; and even there the land is not very +agreeable. But had they had a larger space within the gates there +would before now have been many spacious streets of noble fine +buildings erected, as we see is done in some other thriving towns +in England, as at Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Frome, etc. + +The quay and the harbour of this town during the fishing fair, as +they call it, which is every Michaelmas, one sees the land covered +with people, and the river with barques and boats, busy day and +night landing and carrying of the herrings, which they catch here +in such prodigious quantities, that it is incredible. I happened +to be there during their fishing fair, when I told in one tide 110 +barques and fishing vessels coming up the river all laden with +herrings, and all taken the night before; and this was besides what +was brought on shore on the Dean (that is the seaside of the town) +by open boats, which they call cobles, and which often bring in two +or three last of fish at a time. The barques often bring in ten +last a piece. + +This fishing fair begins on Michaelmas Day, and lasts all the month +of October, by which time the herrings draw off to sea, shoot their +spawn, and are no more fit for the merchant's business--at least, +not those that are taken thereabouts. + +The quantity of herrings that are caught in this season are +diversely accounted for. Some have said that the towns of Yarmouth +and Lowestoft only have taken 40,000 last in a season. I will not +venture to confirm that report; but this I have heard the merchants +themselves say, viz., that they have cured--that is to say, hanged +and dried in the smoke--40,000 barrels of merchantable red herrings +in one season, which is in itself (though far short of the other) +yet a very considerable article; and it is to be added that this is +besides all the herrings consumed in the country towns of both +those populous counties for thirty miles from the sea, whither very +great quantities are carried every tide during the whole season. + +But this is only one branch of the great trade carried on in this +town. Another part of this commerce is in the exporting these +herrings after they are cured; and for this their merchants have a +great trade to Genoa, Leghorn, Naples, Messina, and Venice; as also +to Spain and Portugal, also exporting with their herring very great +quantities of worsted stuffs, and stuffs made of silk and worsted, +camblets, etc., the manufactures of the neighbouring city of +Norwich and of the places adjacent. + +Besides this, they carry on a very considerable trade with Holland, +whose opposite neighbours they are; and a vast quantity of woollen +manufactures they export to the Dutch every year. Also they have a +fishing trade to the North Seas for white fish, which from the +place are called the North Sea cod. + +They have also a considerable trade to Norway and to the Baltic, +from whence they bring back deals and fir timber, oaken plank, +balks, spars, oars, pitch, tar, hemp, flax, spruce canvas, and +sail-cloth, with all manner of naval stores, which they generally +have a consumption for in their own port, where they build a very +great number of ships every year, besides refitting and repairing +the old. + +Add to this the coal trade between Newcastle and the river of +Thames, in which they are so improved of late years that they have +now a greater share of it than any other town in England, and have +quite worked the Ipswich men out of it who had formerly the chief +share of the colliery in their hands. + +For the carrying on all these trades they must have a very great +number of ships, either of their own or employed by them: and it +may in some measure be judged of by this that in the year 1697, I +had an account from the town register that there was then 1,123 +sail of ships using the sea and belonged to the town, besides such +ships as the merchants of Yarmouth might be concerned in, and be +part owners of, belonging to any other ports. + +To all this I must add, without compliment to the town or to the +people, that the merchants, and even the generality of traders of +Yarmouth, have a very good reputation in trade as well abroad as at +home for men of fair and honourable dealing, punctual and just in +their performing their engagements and in discharging commissions; +and their seamen, as well masters as mariners, are justly esteemed +among the ablest and most expert navigators in England. + +This town, however populous and large, was ever contained in one +parish, and had but one church; but within these two years they +have built another very fine church near the south end of the town. +The old church is dedicated to St. Nicholas, and was built by that +famous Bishop of Norwich, William Herbert, who flourished in the +reign of William II., and Henry I., William of Malmesbury, calls +him Vir Pecuniosus; he might have called him Vir Pecuniosissimus, +considering the times he lived in, and the works of charity and +munificence which he has left as witnesses of his immense riches; +for he built the Cathedral Church, the Priory for sixty monks, the +Bishop's Palace, and the parish church of St. Leonard, all in +Norwich; this great church at Yarmouth, the Church of St. Margaret +at Lynn, and of St. Mary at Elmham. He removed the episcopal see +from Thetford to Norwich, and instituted the Cluniack Monks at +Thetford, and gave them or built them a house. This old church is +very large, and has a high spire, which is a useful sea-mark. + +Here is one of the finest market-places and the best served with +provisions in England, London excepted; and the inhabitants are so +multiplied in a few years that they seem to want room in their town +rather than people to fill it, as I have observed above. + +The streets are all exactly straight from north to south, with +lanes or alleys, which they call rows, crossing them in straight +lines also from east to west, so that it is the most regular built +town in England, and seems to have been built all at once; or that +the dimensions of the houses and extent of the streets were laid +out by consent. + +They have particular privileges in this town and a jurisdiction by +which they can try, condemn, and execute in especial cases without +waiting for a warrant from above; and this they exerted once very +smartly in executing a captain of one of the king's ships of war in +the reign of King Charles II. for a murder committed in the street, +the circumstance of which did indeed call for justice; but some +thought they would not have ventured to exert their powers as they +did. However, I never heard that the Government resented it or +blamed them for it. + +It is also a very well-governed town, and I have nowhere in England +observed the Sabbath day so exactly kept, or the breach so +continually punished, as in this place, which I name to their +honour. + +Among all these regularities it is no wonder if we do not find +abundance of revelling, or that there is little encouragement to +assemblies, plays, and gaming meetings at Yarmouth as in some other +places; and yet I do not see that the ladies here come behind any +of the neighbouring counties, either in beauty, breeding, or +behaviour; to which may be added too, not at all to their +disadvantage, that they generally go beyond them in fortunes. + +From Yarmouth I resolved to pursue my first design, viz., to view +the seaside on this coast, which is particularly famous for being +one of the most dangerous and most fatal to the sailors in all +England--I may say in all Britain--and the more so because of the +great number of ships which are continually going and coming this +way in their passage between London and all the northern coasts of +Great Britain. Matters of antiquity are not my inquiry, but +principally observations on the present state of things, and, if +possible, to give such accounts of things worthy of recording as +have never been observed before; and this leads me the more +directly to mention the commerce and the navigation when I come to +towns upon the coast as what few writers have yet meddled with. + +The reason of the dangers of this particular coast are found in the +situation of the county and in the course of ships sailing this +way, which I shall describe as well as I can thus:- The shore from +the mouth of the River of Thames to Yarmouth Roads lies in a +straight line from SSE. to NNW., the land being on the W. or +larboard side. + +From Wintertonness, which is the utmost northerly point of land in +the county of Norfolk, and about four miles beyond Yarmouth, the +shore falls off for nearly sixty miles to the west, as far as Lynn +and Boston, till the shore of Lincolnshire tends north again for +about sixty miles more as far as the Humber, whence the coast of +Yorkshire, or Holderness, which is the east riding, shoots out +again into the sea, to the Spurn and to Flamborough Head, as far +east, almost, as the shore of Norfolk had given back at Winterton, +making a very deep gulf or bay between those two points of +Winterton and the Spurn Head; so that the ships going north are +obliged to stretch away to sea from Wintertonness, and leaving the +sight of land in that deep bay which I have mentioned, that reaches +to Lynn and the shore of Lincolnshire, they go, I say, N. or still +NNW. to meet the shore of Holderness, which I said runs out into +the sea again at the Spurn; and the first land they make or desire +to make, is called as above, Flamborough Head, so that +Wintertonness and Flamborough Head are the two extremes of this +course, there is, as I said, the Spurn Head indeed between; but as +it lies too far in towards the Humber, they keep out to the north +to avoid coming near it. + +In like manner the ships which come from the north, leave the shore +at Flamborough Head, and stretch away SSE. for Yarmouth Roads; and +they first land they make is Wintertonness (as above). Now, the +danger of the place is this: if the ships coming from the north +are taken with a hard gale of wind from the SE., or from any point +between NE. and SE., so that they cannot, as the seamen call it, +weather Wintertonness, they are thereby kept within that deep bay; +and if the wind blows hard, are often in danger of running on shore +upon the rocks about Cromer, on the north coast of Norfolk, or +stranding upon the flat shore between Cromer and Wells; all the +relief they have, is good ground tackle to ride it out, which is +very hard to do there, the sea coming very high upon them; or if +they cannot ride it out then, to run into the bottom of the great +bay I mentioned, to Lynn or Boston, which is a very difficult and +desperate push: so that sometimes in this distress whole fleets +have been lost here altogether. + +The like is the danger to ships going northward, if after passing +by Winterton they are taken short with a north-east wind, and +cannot put back into the Roads, which very often happens, then they +are driven upon the same coast, and embayed just as the latter. +The danger on the north part of this bay is not the same, because +if ships going or coming should be taken short on this side +Flamborough, there is the river Humber open to them, and several +good roads to have recourse to, as Burlington Bay, Grimsby Road, +and the Spurn Head, and others, where they ride under shelter. + +The dangers of this place being thus considered, it is no wonder, +that upon the shore beyond Yarmouth there are no less than four +lighthouses kept flaming every night, besides the lights at Castor, +north of the town, and at Goulston S., all of which are to direct +the sailors to keep a good offing in case of bad weather, and to +prevent their running into Cromer Bay, which the seamen call the +devil's throat. + +As I went by land from Yarmouth northward, along the shore towards +Cromer aforesaid, and was not then fully master of the reason of +these things, I was surprised to see, in all the way from +Winterton, that the farmers and country people had scarce a barn, +or a shed, or a stable, nay, not the pales of their yards and +gardens, not a hogstye, not a necessary house, but what was built +of old planks, beams, wales, and timbers, etc., the wrecks of +ships, and ruins of mariners' and merchants' fortunes; and in some +places were whole yards filled and piled up very high with the same +stuff laid up, as I supposed to sell for the like building +purposes, as there should he occasion. + +About the year 1692 (I think it was that year) there was a +melancholy example of what I have said of this place: a fleet of +200 sail of light colliers (so they call the ships bound northward +empty to fetch coals from Newcastle to London) went out of Yarmouth +Roads with a fair wind, to pursue their voyage, and were taken +short with a storm of wind at NE. after they were past +Wintertonness, a few leagues; some of them, whose masters were a +little more wary than the rest, or perhaps, who made a better +judgment of things, or who were not so far out as the rest, tacked, +and put back in time, and got safe into the roads; but the rest +pushing on in hopes to keep out to sea, and weather it, were by the +violence of the storm driven back, when they were too far embayed +to weather Wintertonness as above, and so were forced to run west, +everyone shifting for themselves as well as they could; some run +away for Lynn Deeps, but few of them (the night being so dark) +could find their way in there; some, but very few, rode it out at a +distance; the rest, being above 140 sail, were all driven on shore +and dashed to pieces, and very few of the people on board were +saved: at the very same unhappy juncture, a fleet of laden ships +were coming from the north, and being just crossing the same bay, +were forcibly driven into it, not able to weather the Ness, and so +were involved in the same ruin as the light fleet was; also some +coasting vessels laden with corn from Lynn and Wells, and bound for +Holland, were with the same unhappy luck just come out to begin +their voyage, and some of them lay at anchor; these also met with +the same misfortune, so that, in the whole, above 200 sail of +ships, and above a thousand people, perished in the disaster of +that one miserable night, very few escaping. + +Cromer is a market town close to the shore of this dangerous coast. +I know nothing it is famous for (besides it being thus the terror +of the sailors) except good lobsters, which are taken on that coast +in great numbers and carried to Norwich, and in such quantities +sometimes too as to be conveyed by sea to London. + +Farther within the land, and between this place and Norwich, are +several good market towns, and innumerable villages, all diligently +applying to the woollen manufacture, and the country is exceedingly +fruitful and fertile, as well in corn as in pastures; particularly, +which was very pleasant to see, the pheasants were in such great +plenty as to be seen in the stubbles like cocks and hens--a +testimony though, by the way, that the county had more tradesmen +than gentlemen in it; indeed, this part is so entirely given up to +industry, that what with the seafaring men on the one side, and the +manufactures on the other, we saw no idle hands here, but every man +busy on the main affair of life, that is to say, getting money; +some of the principal of these towns are:- Alsham, North Walsham, +South Walsham, Worsted, Caston, Reepham, Holt, Saxthorp, St. +Faith's, Blikling, and many others. Near the last, Sir John +Hobart, of an ancient family in this county, has a noble seat, but +old built. This is that St. Faith's, where the drovers bring their +black cattle to sell to the Norfolk graziers, as is observed above. + +From Cromer we ride on the strand or open shore to Weyburn Hope, +the shore so flat that in some places the tide ebbs out near two +miles. From Weyburn west lies Clye, where there are large salt- +works and very good salt made, which is sold all over the county, +and sometimes sent to Holland and to the Baltic. From Clye we go +to Masham and to Wells, all towns on the coast, in each whereof +there is a very considerable trade carried on with Holland for +corn, which that part of the county is very full of. I say nothing +of the great trade driven here from Holland, back again to England, +because I take it to be a trade carried on with much less honesty +than advantage, especially while the clandestine trade, or the art +of smuggling was so much in practice: what it is now, is not to my +present purpose. + +Near this town lie The Seven Burnhams, as they are called, that is +to say, seven small towns, all called by the same name, and each +employed in the same trade of carrying corn to Holland, and +bringing back,--etc. + +From hence we turn to the south-west to Castle Rising, an old +decayed borough town, with perhaps not ten families in it, which +yet (to the scandal of our prescription right) sends two members to +the British Parliament, being as many as the City of Norwich itself +or any town in the kingdom, London excepted, can do. + +On our left we see Walsingham, an ancient town, famous for the old +ruins of a monastery of note there, and the Shrine of our Lady, as +noted as that of St. Thomas-a-Becket at Canterbury, and for little +else. + +Near this place are the seats of the two allied families of the +Lord Viscount Townsend and Robert Walpole, Esq.; the latter at this +time one of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury and Minister of +State, and the former one of the principal Secretaries of State to +King George, of which again. + +From hence we went to Lynn, another rich and populous thriving +port-town. It stands on more ground than the town of Yarmouth, and +has, I think, parishes, yet I cannot allow that it has more people +than Yarmouth, if so many. It is a beautiful, well built, and well +situated town, at the mouth of the River Ouse, and has this +particular attending it, which gives it a vast advantage in trade; +namely, that there is the greatest extent of inland navigation here +of any port in England, London excepted. The reason whereof is +this, that there are more navigable rivers empty themselves here +into the sea, including the washes, which are branches of the same +port, than at any one mouth of waters in England, except the Thames +and the Humber. By these navigable rivers, the merchants of Lynn +supply about six counties wholly, and three counties in part, with +their goods, especially wine and coals, viz., by the little Ouse, +they send their goods to Brandon and Thetford, by the Lake to +Mildenhall, Barton Mills, and St. Edmundsbury; by the River Grant +to Cambridge, by the great Ouse itself to Ely, to St. Ives, to St. +Neots, to Barford Bridge, and to Bedford; by the River Nyne to +Peterborough; by the drains and washes to Wisbeach, to Spalding, +Market Deeping, and Stamford; besides the several counties, into +which these goods are carried by land-carriage, from the places, +where the navigation of those rivers end; which has given rise to +this observation on the town of Lynn, that they bring in more coals +than any sea-port between London and Newcastle; and import more +wines than any port in England, except London and Bristol; their +trade to Norway and to the Baltic Sea is also great in proportion, +and of late years they have extended their trade farther to the +southward. + +Here are more gentry, and consequently is more gaiety in this town +than in Yarmouth, or even in Norwich itself--the place abounding in +very good company. + +The situation of this town renders it capable of being made very +strong, and in the late wars it was so; a line of fortification +being drawn round it at a distance from the walls; the ruins, or +rather remains of which works appear very fair to this day; nor +would it be a hard matter to restore the bastions, with the +ravelins, and counterscarp, upon any sudden emergency, to a good +state of defence: and that in a little time, a sufficient number +of workmen being employed, especially because they are able to fill +all their ditches with water from the sea, in such a manner as that +it cannot be drawn off. + +There is in the market-place of this town a very fine statue of +King William on horseback, erected at the charge of the town. The +Ouse is mighty large and deep, close to the very town itself, and +ships of good burthen may come up to the quay; but there is no +bridge, the stream being too strong and the bottom moorish and +unsound; nor, for the same reason, is the anchorage computed the +best in the world; but there are good roads farther down. + +They pass over here in boats into the fen country, and over the +famous washes into Lincolnshire, but the passage is very dangerous +and uneasy, and where passengers often miscarry and are lost; but +then it is usually on their venturing at improper times, and +without the guides, which if they would be persuaded not to do, +they would very rarely fail of going or coming safe. + +From Lynn I bent my course to Downham, where is an ugly wooden +bridge over the Ouse; from whence we passed the fen country to +Wisbeach, but saw nothing that way to tempt our curiosity but deep +roads, innumerable drains and dykes of water, all navigable, and a +rich soil, the land bearing a vast quantity of good hemp, but a +base unwholesome air; so we came back to Ely, whose cathedral, +standing in a level flat country, is seen far and wide, and of +which town, when the minster, so they call it, is described, +everything remarkable is said that there is room to say. And of +the minster, this is the most remarkable thing that I could hear +it, namely, that some of it is so ancient, totters so much with +every gust of wind, looks so like a decay, and seems so near it, +that whenever it does fall, all that it is likely will be thought +strange in it will be that it did not fall a hundred years sooner. + +From hence we came over the Ouse, and in a few miles to Newmarket. +In our way, near Snaybell, we saw a noble seat of the late Admiral +Russell, now Earl of Orford, a name made famous by the glorious +victory obtained under his command over the French fleet and the +burning their ships at La Hogue--a victory equal in glory to, and +infinitely more glorious to the English nation in particular, than +that at Blenheim, and, above all, more to the particular advantage +of the confederacy, because it so broke the heart of the naval +power of France that they have not fully recovered it to this day. +But of this victory it must be said it was owing to the haughty, +rash, and insolent orders given by the King of France to his +admiral, viz., to fight the confederate fleet wherever he found +them, without leaving room for him to use due caution if he found +them too strong, which pride of France was doubtless a fate upon +them, and gave a cheap victory to the confederates, the French +coming down rashly, and with the most impolitic bravery, with about +five-and-forty sail to attack between seventy and eighty sail, by +which means they met their ruin. Whereas, had their own fleet been +joined, it might have cost more blood to have mastered them if it +had been done at all. + +The situation of this house is low, and on the edge of the fen +country, but the building is very fine, the avenues noble, and the +gardens perfectly finished. The apartments also are rich, and I +see nothing wanting but a family and heirs to sustain the glory and +inheritance of the illustrious ancestor who raised it--sed caret +pedibus; these are wanting. + +Being come to Newmarket in the month of October, I had the +opportunity to see the horse races and a great concourse of the +nobility and gentry, as well from London as from all parts of +England, but they were all so intent, so eager, so busy upon the +sharping part of the sport--their wagers and bets--that to me they +seemed just as so many horse-coursers in Smithfield, descending +(the greatest of them) from their high dignity and quality to +picking one another's pockets, and biting one another as much as +possible, and that with such eagerness as that it might be said +they acted without respect to faith, honour, or good manners. + +There was Mr. Frampton the oldest, and, as some say, the cunningest +jockey in England; one day he lost one thousand guineas, the next +he won two thousand; and so alternately he made as light of +throwing away five hundred or one thousand pounds at a time as +other men do of their pocket-money, and as perfectly calm, +cheerful, and unconcerned when he had lost one thousand pounds as +when he had won it. On the other side there was Sir R Fagg, of +Sussex, of whom fame says he has the most in him and the least to +show for it (relating to jockeyship) of any man there, yet he often +carried the prize. His horses, they said, were all cheats, how +honest soever their master was, for he scarce ever produced a horse +but he looked like what he was not, and was what nobody could +expect him to be. If he was as light as the wind, and could fly +like a meteor, he was sure to look as clumsy, and as dirty, and as +much like a cart-horse as all the cunning of his master and the +grooms could make him, and just in this manner he beat some of the +greatest gamesters in the field. + +I was so sick of the jockeying part that I left the crowd about the +posts and pleased myself with observing the horses: how the +creatures yielded to all the arts and managements of their masters; +how they took their airings in sport, and played with the daily +heats which they ran over the course before the grand day. But +how, as knowing the difference equally with their riders, would +they exert their utmost strength at the time of the race itself! +And that to such an extremity that one or two of them died in the +stable when they came to be rubbed after the first heat. + +Here I fancied myself in the Circus Maximus at Rome seeing the +ancient games and the racings of the chariots and horsemen, and in +this warmth of my imagination I pleased and diverted myself more +and in a more noble manner than I could possibly do in the crowds +of gentlemen at the weighing and starting-posts and at their coming +in, or at their meetings at the coffee-houses and gaming-tables +after the races were over, where there was little or nothing to be +seen but what was the subject of just reproach to them and reproof +from every wise man that looked upon them. + +N.B.--Pray take it with you, as you go, you see no ladies at +Newmarket, except a few of the neighbouring gentlemen's families, +who come in their coaches on any particular day to see a race, and +so go home again directly. + +As I was pleasing myself with what was to be seen here, I went in +the intervals of the sport to see the fine seats of the gentlemen +in the neighbouring county, for this part of Suffolk, being an open +champaign country and a healthy air, is formed for pleasure and all +kinds of country diversion, Nature, as it were, inviting the +gentlemen to visit her where she was fully prepared to receive +them, in conformity to which kind summons they came, for the +country is, as it were, covered with fine palaces of the nobility +and pleasant seats of the gentlemen. + +The Earl of Orford's house I have mentioned already; the next is +Euston Hall, the seat of the Duke of Grafton. It lies in the open +country towards the side of Norfolk, not far from Thetford, a place +capable of all that is pleasant and delightful in Nature, and +improved by art to every extreme that Nature is able to produce. + +From thence I went to Rushbrook, formerly the seat of the noble +family of Jermyns, lately Lord Dover, and now of the house of +Davers. Here Nature, for the time I was there, drooped and veiled +all the beauties of which she once boasted, the family being in +tears and the house shut up, Sir Robert Davers, the head thereof, +and knight of the shire for the county of Suffolk, and who had +married the eldest daughter of the late Lord Dover, being just +dead, and the corpse lying there in its funeral form of ceremony, +not yet buried. Yet all looked lovely in their sorrow, and a +numerous issue promising and grown up intimated that the family of +Davers would still flourish, and that the beauties of Rushbrook, +the mansion of the family, were not formed with so much art in vain +or to die with the present possessor. + +After this we saw Brently, the seat of the Earl of Dysert, and the +ancient palace of my Lord Cornwallis, with several others of +exquisite situation, and adorned with the beauties both of art and +Nature, so that I think any traveller from abroad, who would desire +to see how the English gentry live, and what pleasures they enjoy, +should come into Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, and take but a light +circuit among the country seats of the gentlemen on this side only, +and they would be soon convinced that not France, no, not Italy +itself, can outdo them in proportion to the climate they lived in. + +I had still the county of Cambridge to visit to complete this tour +of the eastern part of England, and of that I come now to speak. + +We enter Cambridgeshire out of Suffolk, with all the advantage in +the world; the county beginning upon those pleasant and agreeable +plains called Newmarket Heath, where passing the Devil's Ditch, +which has nothing worth notice but its name, and that but fabulous +too, from the hills called Gogmagog, we see a rich and pleasant +vale westward, covered with corn-fields, gentlemen's seats, +villages, and at a distance, to crown all the rest, that ancient +and truly famous town and university of Cambridge, capital of the +county, and receiving its name from, if not, as some say, giving +name to it; for if it be true that the town takes its name of +Cambridge from its bridge over the river Cam, then certainly the +shire or county, upon the division of England into counties, had +its name from the town, and Cambridgeshire signifies no more or +less than the county of which Cambridge is the capital town. + +As my business is not to lay out the geographical situation of +places, I say nothing of the buttings and boundings of this county. +It lies on the edge of the great level, called by the people here +the Fen Country; and great part, if not all, the Isle of Ely lies +in this county and Norfolk. The rest of Cambridgeshire is almost +wholly a corn country, and of that corn five parts in six of all +they sow is barley, which is generally sold to Ware and Royston, +and other great malting towns in Hertfordshire, and is the fund +from whence that vast quantity of malt, called Hertfordshire malt, +is made, which is esteemed the best in England. As Essex, Suffolk, +and Norfolk are taken up in manufactures, and famed for industry, +this county has no manufacture at all; nor are the poor, except the +husbandmen, famed for anything so much as idleness and sloth, to +their scandal be it spoken. What the reason of it is I know not. + +It is scarce possible to talk of anything in Cambridgeshire but +Cambridge itself; whether it be that the county has so little worth +speaking of in it, or, that the town has so much, that I leave to +others; however, as I am making modern observations, not writing +history, I shall look into the county, as well as into the +colleges, for what I have to say. + +As I said, I first had a view of Cambridge from Gogmagog hills; I +am to add that there appears on the mountain that goes by this +name, an ancient camp or fortification, that lies on the top of the +hill, with a double, or rather treble, rampart and ditch, which +most of our writers say was neither Roman nor Saxon, but British. +I am to add that King James II. caused a spacious stable to be +built in the area of this camp for his running homes, and made old +Mr. Frampton, whom I mentioned above, master or inspector of them. +The stables remain still there, though they are not often made use +of. As we descended westward we saw the Fen country on our right, +almost all covered with water like a sea, the Michaelmas rains +having been very great that year, they had sent down great floods +of water from the upland countries, and those fens being, as may be +very properly said, the sink of no less than thirteen counties-- +that is to say, that all the water, or most part of the water, of +thirteen counties falls into them; they are often thus overflowed. +The rivers which thus empty themselves into these fens, and which +thus carry off the water, are the Cam or Grant, the Great Ouse and +Little Ouse, the Nene, the Welland, and the river which runs from +Bury to Milden Hall. The counties which these rivers drain, as +above, are as follows:- + + +Lincoln, Warwick, Norfolk, +* Cambridge, Oxford, Suffolk, +* Huntingdon, Leicester, Essex, +* Bedford, * Northampton +Buckingham, * Rutland. + +Those marked with (*) empty all their waters this way, the rest but +in part. + + +In a word, all the water of the middle part of England which does +not run into the Thames or the Trent, comes down into these fens. + +In these fens are abundance of those admirable pieces of art called +decoys that is to say, places so adapted for the harbour and +shelter of wild fowl, and then furnished with a breed of those they +call decoy ducks, who are taught to allure and entice their kind to +the places they belong to, that it is incredible what quantities of +wild fowl of all sorts, duck, mallard, teal, widgeon, &c., they +take in those decoys every week during the season; it may, indeed, +be guessed at a little by this, that there is a decoy not far from +Ely which pays to the landlord, Sir Thomas Hare, 500 pounds a year +rent, besides the charge of maintaining a great number of servants +for the management; and from which decoy alone, they assured me at +St. Ives (a town on the Ouse, where the fowl they took was always +brought to be sent to London) that they generally sent up three +thousand couple a week. + +There are more of these about Peterborough, who send the fowl up +twice a week in waggon-loads at a time, whose waggons before the +late Act of Parliament to regulate carriers I have seen drawn by +ten and twelve horses a-piece, they were laden so heavy. + +As these fens appear covered with water, so I observed, too, that +they generally at this latter part of the year appear also covered +with fogs, so that when the downs and higher grounds of the +adjacent country were gilded with the beams of the sun, the Isle of +Ely looked as if wrapped up in blankets, and nothing to be seen but +now and then the lantern or cupola of Ely Minster. + +One could hardly see this from the hills and not pity the many +thousands of families that were bound to or confined in those fogs, +and had no other breath to draw than what must be mixed with those +vapours, and that steam which so universally overspreads the +country. But notwithstanding this, the people, especially those +that are used to it, live unconcerned, and as healthy as other +folks, except now and then an ague, which they make light of, and +there are great numbers of very ancient people among them. + +I now draw near to Cambridge, to which I fancy I look as if I was +afraid to come, having made so many circumlocutions beforehand; but +I must yet make another digression before I enter the town (for in +my way, and as I came in from Newmarket, about the beginning of +September), I cannot omit, that I came necessarily through +Stourbridge Fair, which was then in its height. + +If it is a diversion worthy a book to treat of trifles, such as the +gaiety of Bury Fair, it cannot be very unpleasant, especially to +the trading part of the world, to say something of this fair, which +is not only the greatest in the whole nation, but in the world; +nor, if I may believe those who have seen the mall, is the fair at +Leipzig in Saxony, the mart at Frankfort-on-the-Main, or the fairs +at Nuremberg, or Augsburg, any way to compare to this fair at +Stourbridge. + +It is kept in a large corn-field, near Casterton, extending from +the side of the river Cam, towards the road, for about half a mile +square. + +If the husbandmen who rent the land, do not get their corn off +before a certain day in August, the fair-keepers may trample it +under foot and spoil it to build their booths, or tents, for all +the fair is kept in tents and booths. On the other hand, to +balance that severity, if the fair-keepers have not done their +business of the fair, and removed and cleared the field by another +certain day in September, the ploughmen may come in again, with +plough and cart, and overthrow all, and trample into the dirt; and +as for the filth, dung, straw, etc. necessarily left by the fair- +keepers, the quantity of which is very great, it is the farmers' +fees, and makes them full amends for the trampling, riding, and +carting upon, and hardening the ground. + +It is impossible to describe all the parts and circumstances of +this fair exactly; the shops are placed in rows like streets, +whereof one is called Cheapside; and here, as in several other +streets, are all sorts of trades, who sell by retail, and who come +principally from London with their goods; scarce any trades are +omitted--goldsmiths, toyshops, brasiers, turners, milliners, +haberdashers, hatters, mercers, drapers, pewterers, china- +warehouses, and in a word all trades that can be named in London; +with coffee-houses, taverns, brandy-shops, and eating-houses, +innumerable, and all in tents, and booths, as above. + +This great street reaches from the road, which as I said goes from +Cambridge to Newmarket, turning short out of it to the right +towards the river, and holds in a line near half a mile quite down +to the river-side: in another street parallel with the road are +like rows of booths, but larger, and more intermingled with +wholesale dealers; and one side, passing out of this last street to +the left hand, is a formal great square, formed by the largest +booths, built in that form, and which they call the Duddery; whence +the name is derived, and what its signification is, I could never +yet learn, though I made all possible search into it. The area of +this square is about 80 to 100 yards, where the dealers have room +before every booth to take down, and open their packs, and to bring +in waggons to load and unload. + +This place is separated, and peculiar to the wholesale dealers in +the woollen manufacture. Here the booths or tents are of a vast +extent, have different apartments, and the quantities of goods they +bring are so great, that the insides of them look like another +Blackwell Hall, being as vast warehouses piled up with goods to the +top. In this Duddery, as I have been informed, there have been +sold one hundred thousand pounds worth of woollen manufactures in +less than a week's time, besides the prodigious trade carried on +here, by wholesale men, from London, and all parts of England, who +transact their business wholly in their pocket-books, and meeting +their chapmen from all parts, make up their accounts, receive money +chiefly in bills, and take orders: These they say exceed by far +the sales of goods actually brought to the fair, and delivered in +kind; it being frequent for the London wholesale men to carry back +orders from their dealers for ten thousand pounds' worth of goods a +man, and some much more. This especially respects those people, +who deal in heavy goods, as wholesale grocers, salters, brasiers, +iron-merchants, wine-merchants, and the like; but does not exclude +the dealers in woollen manufactures, and especially in mercery +goods of all sorts, the dealers in which generally manage their +business in this manner. + +Here are clothiers from Halifax, Leeds, Wakefield and Huddersfield +in Yorkshire, and from Rochdale, Bury, etc., in Lancashire, with +vast quantities of Yorkshire cloths, kerseys, pennistons, cottons, +etc., with all sorts of Manchester ware, fustiains, and things made +of cotton wool; of which the quantity is so great, that they told +me there were near a thousand horse-packs of such goods from that +side of the country, and these took up a side and half of the +Duddery at least; also a part of a street of booths were taken up +with upholsterer's ware, such as tickings, sackings, kidderminster +stuffs, blankets, rugs, quilts, etc. + +In the Duddery I saw one warehouse, or booth with six apartments in +it, all belonging to a dealer in Norwich stuffs only, and who, they +said, had there above twenty thousand pounds value in those goods, +and no other. + +Western goods had their share here also, and several booths were +filled as full with serges, duroys, druggets, shalloons, +cantaloons, Devonshire kerseys, etc., from Exeter, Taunton, +Bristol, and other parts west, and some from London also. + +But all this is still outdone at least in show, by two articles, +which are the peculiars of this fair, and do not begin till the +other part of the fair, that is to say for the woollen manufacture +begins to draw to a close. These are the wool and the hops; as for +the hops, there is scarce any price fixed for hops in England, till +they know how they sell at Stourbridge fair; the quantity that +appears in the fair is indeed prodigious, and they, as it were, +possess a large part of the field on which the fair is kept to +themselves; they are brought directly from Chelmsford in Essex, +from Canterbury and Maidstone in Kent, and from Farnham in Surrey, +besides what are brought from London, the growth of those and other +places. + +Enquiring why this fair should be thus, of all other places in +England, the centre of that trade; and so great a quantity of so +bulky a commodity be carried thither so far; I was answered by one +thoroughly acquainted with that matter thus: the hops, said he, +for this part of England, grow principally in the two counties of +Surrey and Kent, with an exception only to the town of Chelmsford +in Essex, and there are very few planted anywhere else. + +There are indeed in the west of England some quantities growing: +as at Wilton, near Salisbury; at Hereford and Broomsgrove, near +Wales, and the like; but the quantity is inconsiderable, and the +places remote, so that none of them come to London. + +As to the north of England, they formerly used but few hops there, +their drink being chiefly pale smooth ale, which required no hops, +and consequently they planted no hops in all that part of England, +north of the Trent; nor did I ever see one acre of hop-ground +planted beyond Trent in my observation; but as for some years past, +they not only brew great quantities of beer in the north, but also +use hops in the brewing their ale much more than they did before; +so they all come south of Trent to buy their hops; and here being +quantities brought, it is great part of their back carriage into +Yorkshire, and Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, and all +these counties; nay, of late, since the Union, even to Scotland +itself; for I must not omit here also to mention, that the river +Grant, or Cam, which runs close by the north-west side of the fair +in its way from Cambridge to Ely, is navigable, and that by this +means, all heavy goods are brought even to the fair-field, by water +carriage from London and other parts; first to the port of Lynn, +and then in barges up the Ouse, from the Ouse into the Cam, and so, +as I say, to the very edge of the fair. + +In like manner great quantities of heavy goods, and the hops among +the rest, are sent from the fair to Lynn by water, and shipped +there for the Humber, to Hull, York, etc., and for Newcastle-upon- +Tyne, and by Newcastle, even to Scotland itself. Now as there is +still no planting of hops in the north, though a great consumption, +and the consumption increasing daily, this, says my friend, is one +reason why at Stourbridge fair there is so great a demand for the +hops. He added, that besides this, there were very few hops, if +any worth naming, growing in all the counties even on this side +Trent, which were above forty miles from London; those counties +depending on Stourbridge fair for their supply, so the counties of +Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Northampton, Lincoln, +Leicester, Rutland, and even to Stafford, Warwick, and +Worcestershire, bought most if not all of their hops at Stourbridge +fair. + +These are the reasons why so great a quantity of hops are seen at +this fair, as that it is incredible, considering, too, how remote +from this fair the growth of them is as above. + +This is likewise a testimony of the prodigious resort of the +trading people of all parts of England to this fair; the quantity +of hops that have been sold at one of these fairs is diversely +reported, and some affirm it to be so great, that I dare not copy +after them; but without doubt it is a surprising account, +especially in a cheap year. + +The next article brought thither is wool, and this of several +sorts, but principally fleece wool, out of Lincolnshire, where the +longest staple is found; the sheep of those countries being of the +largest breed. + +The buyers of this wool are chiefly indeed the manufacturers of +Norfolk and Suffolk and Essex, and it is a prodigious quantity they +buy. + +Here I saw what I have not observed in any other county of England, +namely, a pocket of wool. This seems to be first called so in +mockery, this pocket being so big, that it loads a whole waggon, +and reaches beyond the most extreme parts of it hanging over both +before and behind, and these ordinarily weigh a ton or twenty-five +hundredweight of wool, all in one bag. + +The quantity of wool only, which has been sold at this place at one +fair, has been said to amount to fifty or sixty thousand pounds in +value, some say a great deal more. + +By these articles a stranger may make some guess at the immense +trade carried on at this place; what prodigious quantities of goods +are bought and sold here, and what a confluence of people are seen +here from all parts of England. + +I might go on here to speak of several other sorts of English +manufactures which are brought hither to be sold; as all sorts of +wrought-iron and brass-ware from Birmingham; edged tools, knives, +etc., from Sheffield; glass wares and stockings from Nottingham and +Leicester; and an infinite throng of other things of smaller value +every morning. + +To attend this fair, and the prodigious conflux of people which +come to it, there are sometimes no less than fifty hackney coaches +which come from London, and ply night and morning to carry the +people to and from Cambridge; for there the gross of the people +lodge; nay, which is still more strange, there are wherries brought +from London on waggons to ply upon the little river Cam, and to row +people up and down from the town, and from the fair as occasion +presents. + +It is not to be wondered at, if the town of Cambridge cannot +receive, or entertain the numbers of people that come to this fair; +not Cambridge only, but all the towns round are full; nay, the very +barns and stables are turned into inns, and made as fit as they can +to lodge the meaner sort of people: as for the people in the fair, +they all universally eat, drink, and sleep in their booths and +tents; and the said booths are so intermingled with taverns, +coffee-houses, drinking-houses, eating-houses, cook-shops, etc., +and all in tents too; and so many butchers and higglers from all +the neighbouring counties come into the fair every morning with +beef, mutton, fowls, butter, bread, cheese, eggs, and such things, +and go with them from tent to tent, from door to door, that there +is no want of any provisions of any kind, either dressed or +undressed. + +In a word, the fair is like a well-fortified city, and there is the +least disorder and confusion I believe, that can be seen anywhere +with so great a concourse of people. + +Towards the latter end of the fair, and when the great hurry of +wholesale business begins to be over, the gentry come in from all +parts of the county round; and though they come for their +diversion, yet it is not a little money they lay out, which +generally falls to the share of the retailers, such as toy-shops, +goldsmiths, braziers, ironmongers, turners, milliners, mercers, +etc., and some loose coins they reserve for the puppet shows, +drolls, rope-dancers, and such like, of which there is no want, +though not considerable like the rest. The last day of the fair is +the horse-fair, where the whole is closed with both horse and foot +races, to divert the meaner sort of people only, for nothing +considerable is offered of that kind. Thus ends the whole fair, +and in less than a week more, there is scarce any sign left that +there has been such a thing there, except by the heaps of dung and +straw and other rubbish which is left behind, trod into the earth, +and which is as good as a summer's fallow for dunging the land; and +as I have said above, pays the husbandman well for the use of it. + +I should have mentioned that here is a court of justice always +open, and held every day in a shed built on purpose in the fair; +this is for keeping the peace, and deciding controversies in +matters deriving from the business of the fair. The magistrates of +the town of Cambridge are judges in this court, as being in their +jurisdiction, or they holding it by special privilege: here they +determine matters in a summary way, as is practised in those we +call Pye Powder Courts in other places, or as a Court of +Conscience; and they have a final authority without appeal. + +I come now to the town and university of Cambridge; I say the town +and university, for though they are blended together in the +situation, and the colleges, halls, and houses for literature are +promiscuously scattered up and down among the other parts, and some +even among the meanest of the other buildings, as Magdalene College +over the bridge is in particular; yet they are all incorporated +together by the name of the university, and are governed apart and +distinct from the town which they are so intermixed with. + +As their authority is distinct from the town, so are their +privileges, customs, and government; they choose representatives, +or members of Parliament for themselves, and the town does the like +for themselves, also apart. + +The town is governed by a mayor and aldermen; the university by a +chancellor, and vice-chancellor, etc. Though their dwellings are +mixed, and seem a little confused, their authority is not so; in +some cases the vice-chancellor may concern himself in the town, as +in searching houses for the scholars at improper hours, removing +scandalous women, and the like. + +But as the colleges are many, and the gentlemen entertained in them +are a very great number, the trade of the town very much depends +upon them, and the tradesmen may justly be said to get their bread +by the colleges; and this is the surest hold the university may be +said to have of the townsmen, and by which they secure the +dependence of the town upon them, and consequently their +submission. + +I remember some years ago a brewer, who being very rich and popular +in the town, and one of their magistrates, had in several things so +much opposed the university, and insulted their vice-chancellor, or +other heads of houses, that in short the university having no other +way to exert themselves, and show their resentment, they made a +bye-law or order among themselves, that for the future they would +not trade with him; and that none of the colleges, halls, etc., +would take any more beer of him; and what followed? The man indeed +braved it out a while, but when he found he could not obtain a +revocation of the order, he was fain to leave off his brewhouse, +and if I remember right, quitted the town. + +Thus I say, interest gives them authority; and there are abundance +of reasons why the town should not disoblige the university, as +there are some also on the other hand, why the university should +not differ to any extremity with the town; nor, such is their +prudence, do they let any disputes between them run up to any +extremities if they can avoid it. As for society; to any man who +is a lover of learning, or of learned men, here is the most +agreeable under heaven; nor is there any want of mirth and good +company of other kinds; but it is to the honour of the university +to say, that the governors so well understand their office, and the +governed their duty, that here is very little encouragement given +to those seminaries of crime, the assemblies, which are so much +boasted of in other places. + +Again, as dancing, gaming, intriguing are the three principal +articles which recommend those assemblies; and that generally the +time for carrying on affairs of this kind is the night, and +sometimes all night, a time as unseasonable as scandalous; add to +this, that the orders of the university admit no such excesses; I +therefore say, as this is the case, it is to the honour of the +whole body of the university that no encouragement is given to them +here. + +As to the antiquity of the university in this town, the originals +and founders of the several colleges, their revenues, laws, +government, and governors, they are so effectually and so largely +treated of by other authors, and are so foreign to the familiar +design of these letters, that I refer my readers to Mr. Camden's +"Britannia" and the author of the "Antiquities of Cambridge," and +other such learned writers, by whom they may be fully informed. + +The present Vice-Chancellor is Dr. Snape, formerly Master of Eaton +School near Windsor, and famous for his dispute with, and evident +advantage over, the late Bishop of Bangor in the time of his +government; the dispute between the University and the Master of +Trinity College has been brought to a head so as to employ the pens +of the learned on both sides, but at last prosecuted in a judicial +way so as to deprive Dr. Bentley of all his dignities and offices +in the university; but the doctor flying to the royal protection, +the university is under a writ of mandamus, to show cause why they +do not restore the doctor again, to which it seems they demur, and +that demur has not, that we hear, been argued, at least when these +sheets were sent to the press. What will be the issue time must +show. + +From Cambridge the road lies north-west on the edge of the fens to +Huntingdon, where it joins the great north road. On this side it +is all an agreeable corn country as above, adorned with several +seats of gentlemen; but the chief is the noble house, seat, or +mansion of Wimple or Wimple Hall, formerly built at a vast expense +by the late Earl of Radnor, adorned with all the natural beauties +of situation, and to which was added all the most exquisite +contrivances which the best heads could invent to make it +artificially as well as naturally pleasant. + +However, the fate of the Radnor family so directing, it was bought +with the whole estate about it by the late Duke of Newcastle, in a +partition of whose immense estate it fell to the Right Honourable +the Lord Harley, son and heir-apparent of the present Earl of +Oxford and Mortimer, in right of the Lady Harriet Cavendish, only +daughter of the said Duke of Newcastle, who is married to his +lordship, and brought him this estate and many other, sufficient to +denominate her the richest heiress in Great Britain. + +Here his lordship resides, and has already so recommended himself +to this county as to be by a great majority chosen Knight of the +Shire for the county of Cambridge. + +From Cambridge, my design obliging me, and the direct road in part +concurring, I came back through the west part of the county of +Essex, and at Saffron Walden I saw the ruins of the once largest +and most magnificent pile in all this part of England--viz., Audley +End--built by, and decaying with, the noble Dukes and Earls of +Suffolk. + +A little north of this part of the country rises the River Stour, +which for a course of fifty miles or more parts the two counties of +Suffolk and Essex, passing through or near Haveril, Clare, +Cavendish, Halsted, Sudbury, Bowers, Nayland, Stretford, Dedham, +Manningtree, and into the sea at Harwich, assisting by its waters +to make one of the best harbours for shipping that is in Great +Britain--I mean Orwell Haven or Harwich, of which I have spoken +largely already. + +As we came on this side we saw at a distance Braintree and Bocking, +two towns, large, rich, and populous, and made so originally by the +bay trade, of which I have spoken at large at Colchester, and which +flourishes still among them. + +The manor of Braintree I found descended by purchase to the name of +Olmeus, the son of a London merchant of the same name, making good +what I had observed before, of the great number of such who have +purchased estates in this county. + +Near this town is Felsted, a small place, but noted for a free +school of an ancient foundation, for many years under the +mastership of the late Rev. Mr. Lydiat, and brought by him to the +meridian of its reputation. It is now supplied, and that very +worthily, by the Rev. Mr. Hutchins. + +Near to this is the Priory of Lees, a delicious seat of the late +Dukes of Manchester, but sold by the present Duke to the Duchess +Dowager of Bucks, his Grace the Duke of Manchester removing to his +yet finer seat of Kimbolton in Northamptonshire, the ancient +mansion of the family. From hence keeping the London Road I came +to Chelmsford, mentioned before, and Ingerstone, five miles west, +which I mention again, because in the parish church of this town +are to be seen the ancient monuments of the noble family of Petre, +whose seat and large estate lie in the neighbourhood, and whose +whole family, by a constant series of beneficent actions to the +poor, and bounty upon all charitable occasions, have gained an +affectionate esteem through all that part of the country such as no +prejudice of religion could wear out, or perhaps ever may; and I +must confess, I think, need not, for good and great actions command +our respect, let the opinions of the persons be otherwise what they +will. + +From hence we crossed the country to the great forest, called +Epping Forest, reaching almost to London. The country on that side +of Essex is called the Roodings, I suppose, because there are no +less than ten towns almost together, called by the name of Roding, +and is famous for good land, good malt, and dirty roads; the latter +indeed in the winter are scarce passable for horse or man. In the +midst of this we see Chipping Onger, Hatfield Broad Oak, Epping, +and many forest towns, famed as I have said for husbandry and good +malt, but of no other note. On the south side of the county is +Waltham Abbey; the ruins of the abbey remain, and though antiquity +is not my proper business, I could not but observe that King +Harold, slain in the great battle in Sussex against William the +Conqueror, lies buried here; his body being begged by his mother, +the Conqueror allowed it to be carried hither; but no monument was, +as I can find, built for him, only a flat gravestone, on which was +engraven Harold Infelix. + +From hence I came over the forest again--that is to say, over the +lower or western part of it, where it is spangled with fine +villages, and these villages filled with fine seats, most of them +built by the citizens of London, as I observed before, but the +lustre of them seems to be entirely swallowed up in the magnificent +palace of the Lord Castlemain, whose father, Sir Josiah Child, as +it were, prepared it in his life for the design of his son, though +altogether unforeseen, by adding to the advantage of its situation +innumerable rows of trees, planted in curious order for avenues and +vistas to the house, all leading up to the place where the old +house stood, as to a centre. + +In the place adjoining, his lordship, while he was yet Sir Richard +Child only, and some years before he began the foundation of his +new house, laid out the most delicious, as well as most spacious, +pieces of ground for gardens that is to be seen in all this part of +England. The greenhouse is an excellent building, fit to entertain +a prince; it is furnished with stoves and artificial places for +heat from an apartment in which is a bagnio and other conveniences, +which render it both useful and pleasant. And these gardens have +been so the just admiration of the world, that it has been the +general diversion of the citizens to go out to see them, till the +crowds grew too great, and his lordship was obliged to restrain his +servants from showing them, except on one or two days in a week +only. + +The house is built since these gardens have been finished. The +building is all of Portland stone in the front, which makes it look +extremely glorious and magnificent at a distance, it being the +particular property of that stone (except in the streets of London, +where it is tainted and tinged with the smoke of the city) to grow +whiter and whiter the longer it stands in the open air. + +As the front of the house opens to a long row of trees, reaching to +the great road at Leightonstone, so the back face, or front (if +that be proper), respects the gardens, and, with an easy descent, +lands you upon the terrace, from whence is a most beautiful +prospect to the river, which is all formed into canals and openings +to answer the views from above and beyond the river; the walks and +wildernesses go on to such a distance, and in such a manner up the +hill, as they before went down, that the sight is lost in the woods +adjoining, and it looks all like one planted garden as far as the +eye can see. + +I shall cover as much as possible the melancholy part of a story +which touches too sensibly many, if not most, of the great and +flourishing families in England. Pity and matter of grief is it to +think that families, by estate able to appear in such a glorious +posture as this, should ever be vulnerable by so mean a disaster as +that of stock-jobbing. But the general infatuation of the day is a +plea for it, so that men are not now blamed on that account. South +Sea was a general possession, and if my Lord Castlemain was wounded +by that arrow shot in the dark it was a misfortune. But it is so +much a happiness that it was not a mortal wound, as it was to some +men who once seemed as much out of the reach of it. And that blow, +be it what it will, is not remembered for joy of the escape, for we +see this noble family, by prudence and management, rise out of all +that cloud, if it may be allowed such a name, and shining in the +same full lustre as before. + +This cannot be said of some other families in this county, whose +fine parks and new-built palaces are fallen under forfeitures and +alienations by the misfortunes of the times and by the ruin of +their masters' fortunes in that South Sea deluge. + +But I desire to throw a veil over these things as they come in my +way; it is enough that we write upon them, as was written upon King +Harold's tomb at Waltham Abbey, Infelix, and let all the rest sleep +among things that are the fittest to be forgotten. + +From my Lord Castlemain's, house and the rest of the fine dwellings +on that side of the forest, for there are several very good houses +at Wanstead, only that they seem all swallowed up in the lustre of +his lordship's palace, I say, from thence, I went south, towards +the great road over that part of the forest called the Flats, where +we see a very beautiful but retired and rural seat of Mr. +Lethulier's, eldest son of the late Sir John Lethulier, of Lusum, +in Kent, of whose family I shall speak when I come on that side. + +By this turn I came necessarily on to Stratford, where I set out. +And thus having finished my first circuit, I conclude my first +letter, and am, + +Sir, your most humble and obedient servant. + + + +APPENDIX + + + +Whoever travels, as I do, over England, and writes the account of +his observations, will, as I noted before, always leave something, +altering or undertaking by such a growing improving nation as this, +or something to discover in a nation where so much is hid, +sufficient to employ the pens of those that come after him, or to +add by way of appendix to what he has already observed. + +This is my case with respect to the particulars which follow: (1) +Since these sheets were in the press, a noble palace of Mr. +Walpole's, at present First Commissioner of the Treasury, Privy- +counsellor, etc., to King George, is, as it were, risen out of the +ruins of the ancient seat of the family of Walpole, at Houghton, +about eight miles distant from Lynn, and on the north coast of +Norfolk, near the sea. + +As the house is not yet finished, and when I passed by it was but +newly designed, it cannot be expected that I should be able to give +a particular description of what it will be. I can do little more +than mention that it appears already to be exceedingly magnificent, +and suitable to the genius of the great founder. + +But a friend of mine, who lives in that county, has sent me the +following lines, which, as he says, are to be placed upon the +building, whether on the frieze of the cornice, or over the +portico, or on what part of the building, of that I am not as yet +certain. The inscription is as follows, viz.:- + + +"H. M. F. + +"Fundamen ut essem Domus +In Agro Natali Extruendae, +Robertus ille Walpole +Quem nulla nesciet Posteritas: + +Faxit Dues. + +"Postquam Maturus Annis Dominus. +Diu Laetatus fuerit absoluta +Incolumem tueantur Incolames. +Ad Summam omnium Diem +Et nati natorum et qui nascentur ab illis. + +Hic me Posuit." + + +A second thing proper to be added here, by way of appendix, relates +to what I have mentioned of the Port of London, being bounded by +the Naze on the Essex shore, and the North Foreland on the Kentish +shore, which some people, guided by the present usage of the Custom +House, may pretend is not so, to answer such objectors. The true +state of that case stands thus: + +"(1) The clause taken from the Act of Parliament establishing the +extent of the Port of London, and published in some of the books of +rates, is this: + +"'To prevent all future differences and disputes touching the +extent and limits of the Port of London, the said port is declared +to extend, and be accounted from the promontory or point called the +North Foreland in the Isle of Thanet, and from thence northward in +a right line to the point called the Naze, beyond the Gunfleet upon +the coast of Essex, and so continued westward throughout the river +Thames, and the several channels, streams, and rivers falling into +it, to London Bridge, saving the usual and known rights, liberties, +and privileges of the ports of Sandwich and Ipswich, and either of +them, and the known members thereof, and of the customers, +comptrollers, searchers, and their deputies, of and within the said +ports of Sandwich and Ipswich and the several creeks, harbours, and +havens to them, or either of them, respectively belonging, within +the counties of Kent and Essex.' + +"II. Notwithstanding what is above written, the Port of London, as +in use since the said order, is understood to reach no farther than +Gravesend in Kent and Tilbury Point in Essex, and the ports of +Rochester, Milton, and Faversham belong to the port of Sandwich. + +"In like manner the ports of Harwich, Colchester, Wivenhoe, Malden, +Leigh, etc., are said to be members of the port of Ipswich." + +This observation may suffice for what is needful to be said upon +the same subject when I may come to speak of the port of Sandwich +and its members and their privileges with respect to Rochester, +Milton, Faversham, etc., in my circuit through the county of Kent. + + + + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, TOUR THROUGH THE EASTERN COUNTIES *** + +This file should be named ttece10.txt or ttece10.zip +Corrected EDITIONS of our eBooks get a new NUMBER, ttece11.txt +VERSIONS based on separate sources get new LETTER, ttece10a.txt + +Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US +unless a copyright notice is included. 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