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Celia Fiennes |
Biography |
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Celia Fiennes (1662–1741) was a member of the family which later produced the explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes. Her father was the Parliamentary Colonel Nathaniel Fiennes, second son
of William Fiennes, Lord Say and Sele, known as ‘Old Subtlety’ because of his effective political manoeuverings against Charles I.
She was born (and buried) in Wiltshire, at Newton Toney, two miles, as she tells us, from Stonehenge. Her earliest journeys, made with her mother, were around the South West. Her visit to Bath, which she describes in detail, seems to have set her up with a fascination with spas which was shared by most of her social class: ‘taking the waters’ was often the only active measure one could take in managing one's own health. She gives this as her primary motivation: ‘My Journeys as they were begun to regain my health by variety and change of aire and exercise, soe whatever promoted that was pursued’. ‘Change of air’ was not merely refreshing: at the time, infection was thought to be due to tainted air, and the role of humans in tainting it was not properly understood. Later (1776), John Wesley attributed his long life and continuing good health to (1) getting up at 4 a.m. every day, (2) preaching at 5, and (c) ‘Continual exercise and change of air, by traveling above four thousand miles in a year’.1 Fiennes also seems to have profited from this: she lived to be 78. But besides this she was impelled by an insatiable curiosity: she adds ‘and those informations of things as could be obtein'd from inns en passant, or from some acquaintance, inhabitants of such places could ffurnish me with for my diversion, I thought necessary to remark: that as my bodily health was promoted my mind should not appear totally unoccupied, and the collecting it together remain for my after conversation’. The fascination of her Journal is that she is interested in everything: not particularly the Roman remains which are the staple of antiquarian journeys (though she does report that she has counted the stones of Stonehenge several times, and they always come out at 91), but more immediate things — the state of the roads, the food and drink (she is a connoisseur of beer), great houses and tumble-down cottages, manufacturing processes (she watches paper-making at Canterbury, ornamental glass-spinning at Nottingham, and attempts to see the making of imitation Chinese teapots at Newcastle-under-Lyme, but is frustrated because ‘ they comeing to an end of their clay they made use off for that sort of ware ... remov’d to some other place’), the welcome provision of signposts in Lancashire in response to the new Act of Parliament — the list is endless. She likes to see people occupied: she tends to attribute poverty or backwardness (as on the Scottish Borders) to the laziness of the inhabitants. She is very much in her modern world: her favourite adjective, for a town or a building, is ‘neat’. She does not warm to Chester or York, because the buildings are old and cramped; one feels she would quite happily tear down The Rows and The Shambles and replace them with modern housing. Her Journal was written up, presumably from notes, in 1702, when she was 40. Perhaps she thought she was unlikely to undertake such major expeditions again, though in fact she was to live almost twice as long. In her introduction, she says that ‘this was never designed: soe not likely to fall into the hands of any but my near relations’, which suggests it was purely for family consumption; yet a few sentences later she seems to envisage a wider audience: if all persons, both Ladies, much more Gentlemen, would spend some of their tyme in Journeys to visit their native Land, and be curious to Inform themselves and make observations of the pleasant prospects, good buildings, different produces and manufactures of each place, with the variety of sports and recreations they are adapt to, would be a souveraign remedy to cure or preserve ffrom these Epidemick diseases of vapours, should I add Laziness? — it would also fform such an Idea of England, add much to its Glory and Esteem in our minds and cure the evil Itch of overvalueing fforeign parts; at least ffurnish them with an Equivalent to entertain strangers when amongst us, Or inform them when abroad of their native Country, which has been often a Reproach to the English, ignorance and being strangers to themselves. Publication in the late 17th century did not necessarily imply printing; some limited-edition works that today would be given to a short-run press circulated in manuscript. We do not know how far this was the case here. The first printed excerpts were quoted, unattributed, in 1812, by the poet Southey. Then in 1888 a version, entitled Through England on a Side Saddle was edited by Emily Griffiths, a daughter of the then Lord Say and Sele. It was edited again in 1947 by Christopher Morris (London: Cresset Press, 1947), which is the accepted current scholarly edition. An illustrated and updated version by Morris was published in 1982, and has been reprinted several times.2 Celia Fiennes’ journey to the North West 1698 Based on Through England on a Side Saddle edited Emily Griffiths (London: Field & Tuer, The Leadenhall Press, 1888) pages 155-170. Preston: Flood Bridges, Garstang and Clapbread Preston is reckon’d but 12 mile from Wiggon [Wigan] but they Exceed in Length by farre those yt I thought long the day before from Leverpoole; its true to avoid the many Mers and marshy places it was a great Compass I tooke, and passed down and up very steep hills, and this way was good Gravell way; but passing by many very Large arches yt were only single ones but as Large as two great gate wayes, and ye water I went through yt ran under them was so shallow notwithstanding these were Extreme high arches, I enquired the Meaneing and was inform’d that on great raines those brookes would be swelled to so great a height that unless those arches were so high, noe passing while it were so. They are but narrow bridges for foote or horse and at such floods they are fforced in many places to boate it till they Come to those arches on the great Bridges wch are across their great Rivers; this happens sometymes on sudden great showers for a day or two in ye summer, but ye winter is often or mostly soe that there are deep waters so as not Easily Cross’d; but once in 3 or 4 years there is some of those very greate floods I mentioned before, that they are fforced to boate from bridge to bridge which is little Enough then to secure them. I passed by at Least half a dozn of these high single arches besides severall great stone Bridges of 4 or 6 arches which are very high also over their greatest rivers. Preston stands on a hill and is a very good market town; Satterday is their market which day I was there and saw it was provided with all sorts of things — Leather, Corn Coales, butter, Cheese and fruite and garden things: there is a very spacious Market place and pretty Church and severall good houses. At ye Entrance of ye town was a very good house wch was a Lawyers all stone work 5 windows in ye front and high built according to ye Eastern building near London; the ascent to ye house was 14 or 15 stone stepps Large and a handsome Court with open Iron Pallasadoes in the gate, and on Each side, the whole breadth of ye house, which discover’d the gardens on Each side of the house, neately kept flowers and greens; there was also many steps up to ye house from ye Court — it was a Compleate building. There was 2 or 3 more such houses in ye town and Indeed the Generallity of ye buildings, Especially in 2 or 3 of ye great streetes were very handsome, better than in most Country towns and ye streetes spacious and well pitch’d. I was about 4 houres going this twelve mile and Could have gone 20 in the tyme in most Countrys, nay by the people of these parts this twelve is as long and as much tyme taken up in going it as to go from thence to Lancaster which is 20 mile, and I Can Confirme this by my own Experience for I went to Goscoyne [Garstang] which is 10 miles and halfe way to Lancaster in two houres, where I baited, and here it was I was first presented wth ye Clap bread which is much talked of made all of oates. I was surpris’d when the Cloth was Laid, they brought a great Basket such as one uses to undress Children with and set it on the table full of thin waffers as big as Pancakes and drye that they Easily breake into shivers, but Coming to dinner found it to be ye only thing I must Eate for bread. Ye taste of oate bread is pleasant enough and where its well made is very acceptable, but for ye most part its scarce baked and full of drye flour on ye outside. Ye description of how its made ought to Come in here but I Reserve it to ye place I saw it made at the best way. As I Come to this place which was much over downs or a Race ground I Came along by some of ye old Picts walls, ye ruines of which here and there remaines in many parts of ye Country. Gascoyn [Garstang]is a little market town — one Church in it which is a mile off from ye town, and ye parish is 8 miles long, which discourag’d me in staying there being Satterday night and so pressed on to Lancaster. Lancaster: Size of Parishes, Sign Posts, View from the Castle, Salmon Fishing, Slippery Cobbles I percieve most of ye parishes are a great tract of Land and very Large and also beneficial, for all over Lancastershire the revenues of ye parsonages are Considerable 2 and 300£ 500 and 800 a piece, ye parson at Liverpool has 1100 a yeare, and its frequent Everywhere 3 or 400£. Thence to Lancaster town 10 mile more which I Easily Reached in 2 hours and a halfe or 3 hours; I passed through abundance of villages almost at ye End of Every mile, mostly all along Lanes being an Enclosed Country. They have one good thing in most parts of this principality, or County palatine its rather Call’d, that at all Cross wayes there are posts with hands pointing to each road wth ye names of ye great town or market towns that it Leads to, which does make up for ye Length of ye miles that strangers may not Loose their Road and have it to goe back againe. You have a great divertion on this road haveing a pleasing prospect of ye Countrys a great distance round, and see it full of inclosures and some woods, three miles off ye town you see it very plaine and ye sea, Even ye main ocean; in one place an arm of it Comes up wth in 2 mile of ye town. Ye River Liene [Lune] runs by the town and so into ye sea. Ye situation of Lancaster town is very good, ye Church neately built of stone, ye Castle which is just by, both on a very great ascent from ye Rest of ye town and so is in open view, ye town and River Lying Round it beneath. On ye Castle tower walking quite round by ye battlements I saw ye whole town and river at a view, which runs almost quite round and returns againe by ye town, and saw ye sea beyond and ye great high hills beyond that part of ye sea, which are in Wales, and also into Westmoreland to the great hills there Called ffurness ffells or hills, being a string of vast high hills together: also into Cumberland to ye great hill Called Black Comb hill whence they digg their black Lead and no where Else; but they open ye mine but once in Severall yeares. I also saw into Yorkshire, — there is Lead, Copper, gold and silver in some of those hills and marble and Christall also. Lancaster town is old and much decay’d: there has been a monastery, the walls of part of it remaine and some of ye Carv’d stones and ffigures; there is in it a good garden and a pond in it with a little Island on which an apple tree grows — a Jenitin; and Strawberys all round its Rootes and ye banks of the Little Isle. There are 2 pretty wells and a vault that Leads a great way under ground up as farre as ye Castle, which is a good distance. In the River there are great weres or falls of water made for Salmon ffishing, where they hang their nets and Catch great quantety’s of ffish, which is neare the bridge. The town seemes not to be much in trade as some others, but the great store of fish makes them Live plentifully as also the great plenty of all provisions. The streets are some of them well pitch’d and of a good size; when I came into the town the stones were so slippery Crossing some Channells that my horse was quite down on his nose, but did at length recover himself, and so I was not thrown off or Injured which I desire to bless God for, as for the many preservations I mett with. I Cannot say the town seemes a lazy town and there are trades of all sorts, there is a Large meeteing house, but their minister was but a mean preacher; there are 2 Churches in the town which are pretty near Each other. To Kendal: Middleton Hall, Local Crops, Allergy to Rye, Kendal Industries. Thence I went to Kendall in Westmoreland over steepe stony hills all like Rocks, 6 miles to one Lady Middleton, and by some Gentlemen which were travelling that way that was their acquaintance, had the advantage of going through her parke, and saved the going Round a bad stony passage. It was very pleasant under the shade of the tall trees. It was an old timber house, but the family being from home we had a free passage through it on to the Road againe, much of which was stony and steep — far worse than the Peake in Darbyshire. This Lady Middleton was a papist and I believe the Gentlemen that was travelling were too. Thence to Kendall ten mile more, most of ye way was in Lanes when I was out of the stony hills, and then into Inclosed Lands, here in 6 miles to the town you have very Rich good Land Enclosed — Little round green hills flourishing with Corn and grass as green and fresh, being in the prime season in July. There is not much woods but only the hedge rows round the grounds which Looks very fine. In these Northern Countyes they have only the summer Graine, as barley, oates, peas, beans, and Lentils, noe wheate or Rhye for they are so cold and Late in their yeare they Cannot venture at that sort of tillage, so have none but what they are supply’d out of other Countys adjacent. The Land seemes here in many places very ffertile; they have much Rhye in Lancashire Yorkshire and Stafford and Shropshire and so Herriford and Worcestershire, which I found very troublesome in my journeys, for they would not own they had any such thing in their bread, but it so disagrees with me as allwayes to make me sick which I found by its Effects whenever I met with any, tho’ I did not discern it by the taste; in Suffolke and Norfolke I also met with it, but in these parts its altogether ye oatbread. Kendall is a town built all of stone, one very broad streete in which is the Market Crosse; its a goode tradeing town mostly famed for the Cottons: Kendall Cotton is used for blanckets and the Scotts use them for their Plodds [plaids]and there is much made here and also Linsiwoolseys, and a great deale of Leather tann’d here, and all sorts of Commodityes — twice a weeke is ye market ffurnished with all sorts of things. Kendal and the River Kent; Waterfalls; Potted Char; To Lake Windermere; Packhorses; Bowness; Belle Isle; Furness Fells; A Water-weed like Samphire; Making Clapbread; Riding up the Fells. The River Can [Kent] which gives name to the town is pretty Large but full of Rocks and stones that makes shelves and falls in the water, its stor’d with plenty of good ffish and there are great ffalls of water partly naturall and added to by putting more stones in manner of Wyers, at which they Catch Salmon when they Leape with speares. The Roaring of ye water at these places sometymes does foretell wet weather; they do observe when the water roares most in the fall on the Northside it will be ffaire, if on the Southside of the town it will be wet. Some of them are falls as high as a house. The same observation is at Lancaster at the Wires where they Catch Salmon; against Stormes or raines it will be turbulent and Rore as may be heard into the town. There are 3 or 4 good houses in the town, ye rest are like good traders houses very neate and tight. The streetes are all pitch’d which is Extreame Easy to be repair’d, for the whole Country is like one Entire Rock or pitching almost all ye Roads. At the Kings arms, one Mrs Rowlandson, she does pott up the Charr ffish the best of any in the Country: I was Curious to have some and so bespoke some of her, and also was as Curious to see the great water which is the only place that ffish is to be found in, and so went from Kendall to Bondor [Bowness] 6 miles thro’ narrow Lanes, but the Lands in ye Inclosures are Rich. But here Can be noe Carriages, but very narrow ones like Little wheele-barrows that with a horse they Convey their fewell and all things Else. They also use horses on which they have a sort of Pannyers some Close, some open, that they strew full of hay turff and Lime and Dung and Every thing they would use, and the reason is plaine, from the narrowness of the Lanes where is good Lands they will Loose as Little as they Can, and where its hilly and stoney no other Carriages Can pass, so they use these horse Carriages, and abundance of horses I see all about Kendall streetes with their Burdens. This Kendall is the biggest town and much in ye heart of Westmoreland, but Appleby 10 mile off is the shire town where the session and assizes are held and is 7 miles to this great Lake Wiandermer or great standing water which is 10 mile long and near halfe a mile over in some places. It has many Little hills or Isles in it, one of a great bigness of 30 acres of ground on which is a house [Belle Isle] , ye Gentleman that is Lord of ye Manour Lives in it — Sir Christopher Phillips [Philipson]; he has a great Command of ye water and of ye villages thereabout and many Priviledges, he makes a Major or Bailiff of ye place during life; its but a small mean place, Mr Majors was the best Entertaining house where I was. Ye Isle did not Looke to be so bigg at ye shore, but takeing boate I went on it and found it as large and very good Barley and oates and grass. The water is very Cleer and full of good ffish, but ye Charr ffish being out of season Could not Easily be taken, so I saw none alive but of other ffish I had a very good supper. The season of the Charr ffish is between Michaelmas and Christmas; at that tyme I have had of them, which they pott with sweete spices. They are as big as a small trout, Rather slenderer and ye skinn full of spotts, some Red Like the finns of a Perch and the Inside flesh Looks as Red as any salmon if they are in season; their taste is very Rich and fatt tho’ not so strong or Clogging as the Lamprys are, but its as fatt and Rich a food. This great water seemes to flow and wane about with ye wind but it does not Ebb and flow Like the sea with the tyde, neither does it run so as to be perceivable, tho’ at ye End of it a Little Rivulet trills from it into the Sea, but it seemes to be a standing Lake Encompass’d with vast high hills, that are perfect Rocks and barren ground of a vast height, from which many Little Springs out of ye Rock does bubble up and descend down and fall into this water. Notwithstanding great raines ye water does not seem much Encreas’d tho’ it must be so, then it does draine off more at the End of the Lake. These hills which they Call Ffurness Ffells a long Row Continued some miles, and some of them are Call’d Donum [?Dunnerdale] ffells and soe from the places they adjoyne to are named, but they hold the whole length of the water which is 10 mile; they have some parts of them that has wayes that they Can by degrees in a Compass ascend them and so they go onward. In the Countrys, they are fferried over the Lake when they go to market. On ye other side over those ffells there is a sort of Stones Like Rubbish or Broken pieces of stones, which Lies about a quarry, that Lies all in the bottom of ye water; where its so shallow as at the shores it is and very Cleer you see the bottom; between these stones are weeds which grows up, that I had some taken up just Like samfyer and I have a fancy its a sort of sampire that Indeed is gather’d in ye Rocks by the sea and water, and this grows in the water but it resembles it in Coullour, ffigure and the taste not much unlike — it was somewhat waterish. There was also fine moss growing in the bottom of ye water. Here it was I saw ye oat Clap bread made. They mix their flour with water, so soft as to rowle it in their hands into a ball, and then they have a board made round and something hollow in the middle riseing by degrees all round to the Edge a little higher, but so little as one would take it to be only a board warp’d, this is to Cast out the Cake thinn and so they Clap it round and drive it to ye Edge in a Due proportion till drove as thinn as a paper and still they Clap it and drive it round, and then they have a plaite of Iron same size with their Clap board, and so shove off the Cake on it and so set it on Coales and bake it; when Enough on one side they slide it off and put the other side; if their Iron plaite is smooth and they take Care their Coales or Embers are not too hot but just to make it Looke yellow, it will bake and be as Crisp and pleasant to Eate as any thing you Can Imagine, but as we say of all sorts of bread there is a vast deal of difference in what is housewifely made and what is ill made, so this if its well mixed and Rowled up and but a little flour on the outside which will drye on and make it mealy is a very good sort of food. This is the sort of bread they use in all these Countrys, and in Scotland they breake into their milk or broth or Else sup that up and bite off their bread between while they spread butter on it and Eate it with their meate. They have no other Sort of bread unless at market towns and that is scarce to be had unless the market dayes, soe they make their Cake and Eate it presently, fo its not so good if 2 or 3 dayes old. It made me reflect on the description made in Scripture of this Kneeding Cakes and bakeing them on the hearth whenever they had Company Come to their houses, and I Cannot but thinke it was after this manner they made their bread in ye old tymes Especially those Eastern Countryes where their bread might be soone dry’d and spoil’d. Their little Carts I was speakeing of they use hereabout, the wheeles are fastned to the axletree and so turn altogether, they hold not above what 5 wheelbarrows would Carry at three or four tymes, which the Girles and Boys and women does go about with drawn by one horse to Carry any thing they want. Here is a great deal of good grass and Summer Corn and pastures, its Rich Land in the bottoms as one may Call them Considering the vast hills above them on all sides, yet they Contain a number of Lesser hills one below another, so that tho’ at one Looke you think it but a little Land Every body has; Yet it being so full of hills its many acres which if at Length in a plain would Extend a vast way. I was about a quarter of an hour in the boate before I reach’d ye island which is in the midst of the water so by that you may guesse at the breadth of the water in the whole, they fferry man and horse over it; its sometymes perfectly Calme. Thence I Rode almost all the waye in sight of this great water, some tymes I lost it by reason of ye great hills interposeing and so a Continu’d up hill and down hill and that pretty steep, even when I was in that they Called bottoms which are very rich good grounds, and so I gained by degrees from Lower to higher hills which I allwayes went up and down before I Came to another hill. At last I attained to the side of one of these hills or ffells of Rocks, which I passed on the side much about the Middle, for Looking down to the bottom it was at Least a Mile all full of those Lesser hills and Inclosures, so Looking upward I was as farre from the top which was all Rocks, and something more barren tho’ there was some trees and woods growing in ye Rocks and hanging over all down ye Brow of some of the hills. From these great ffells there are severall springs out of ye Rock that trickle down their sides, and as they meete with stones and Rocks in the way, when something obstructs their passage and so they Come with more violence, that gives a pleaseing sound and murmuring noise. These descend by degrees at last fall into the Low grounds and fructifye it which makes ye Land soe ffruit full in the valleys, and upon those very high ffells or Rocky hills its (tho’) soe high yet a moorish sort of ground whence they digg abundance of Peat which they use for their fewell, being in many places a barren ground yeilding noe wood &c. I rode in sight of this Winander water as I was ascending another of those barren ffells which tho’ I at last was not halfe way up, yet was an hour going it up and down on the other side, going only on the side of it about ye middle of it, but it was of such a height as to shew one a great deale of ye Country when it happens to be between those hills, Else those interposeing hinders any sight but of ye Clouds. I see a good way behind me another of those waters or mers but not very bigge. These great hills are so full of Loose stones and shelves of Rocks that its very unsafe to Ride them down. Among the Lakeland Fells: Shoeing a Horse; Ullswater; ?Dalemain House Park. There is good Marble amongst those Rocks. As I walked down at this place I was walled on both sides by those inaccessible high rocky barren hills which hangs over ones head in some places and appears very terrible, and from them springs many Little Currents of water from the sides and Clefts, which trickle down to some Lower part where it runs swiftly over the stones and shelves in the way, which makes a pleasant Rush and murmuring noise, and Like a snowball is Encreased by Each spring trickling down on either side of those hills, and so descends into the bottoms which are a moorish ground in which in many places the waters stand, and so forme some of those Lakes as it did here. Ye Confluence of all these little springs being gathered together in this lake, which was soe deep as the Current of water that passed through it was scarce to be perceived till one Came to the farther End from whence it run a good little River and pretty quick, over which many bridges are Laid. Here I Came to villages of sad little hutts made up of drye walls, only stones piled together and ye Roofs of same slatt; there seemed to be little or noe tunnells for their Chimneys and have no morter or Plaister within or without. For the most part I tooke them at first sight for a sort of houses or Barns to fodder Cattle in, not thinking them to be dwelling houses, they being scattering houses, here one, there another, in some places they may be 20 or 30 together; and the Churches the same. It must needs be very Cold dwellings, but it shews some thing of ye Lazyness of ye people; indeed here and there there was a house plaister’d, but there is sad Entertainment — that sort of Clap bread and butter and Cheese and a Cup of beer all one Can have, they are 8 mile from a market town and their miles are tedious to go both for illness of way and length of ye miles. They reckon it but 8 mile from the place I was at the night before, but I was 3 or 4 hours at Least going it. Here I found a very good smith to shoe ye horses, for these stony hills and wayes pulls off a shoe presently, and wears them as thinn that it was a Constant Charge to shoe my horses every 2 or 3 dayes, but this smith did shoe them so well and so good shoes that they held some of the shooes 6 weekes. Ye stonyness of the wayes all here about teaches them ye art of makeing good shooes and setting them on fast. Here I cross’d one of ye stone bridges that was pretty Large which Entred me into Cumberlandshire. This River together with ye additionall springs Continually running into it all the way from those vaste precipices Comes into a Low place and form a broad water which is very Cleer and Reaches 7 mile in Length, Uleswater its Called, such another water as that of Wiandermer [Windermere] only that reaches 10 mile in Length, from Amblside to ye sea, and this is but 7 such miles Long. Its full of such sort of Stones and flatts in the bottom as ye other, neer the brimm where its Shallowe you see it Cleer to ye bottom; this is secured on Each side by such formidable heights as those Rocky ffells in same manner as the other was. I rode the whole Length of this water by its side, sometyme a Little higher upon the side of the hill and sometyme just by the shore, and for 3 or 4 miles I Rode through a fine fforest or Parke where was deer skipping about and haires, which by meanes of a good Greyhound I had a Little Course, but we being strangers could not so fast pursue it in the grounds full of hillocks and ffurse and soe she Escaped us. I observed the boundaries of all these great waters (which are a sort of deep Lakes or kind of standing waters) are those sort of Barren Rocky hills which are so vastly high. I Call this a standing water because its not like other great Rivers as ye Trent Severne, Hull or Thames &c. to appear to Run with a streame or Current, but only as it Rowles from side to side Like waves as the wind moves it; its true at the End of this being a Low fall of Ground it runs off in a Little streame. There is Exceeding good ffish here and all sorts of provision at ye market towns. Their market town was Peroth [Penrith{] [10 long miles]. A mile or two beyond this Ullswater, — Tuesday is the market day which was the Day I came thither. Its a Long way for ye market people to goe but they and their horses are used to it and go with much more facility than strangers. At ye end of this Ullswater is a fine round hill Look’d as green and full of wood very pleasant, with grass and Corne very ffruitefull, and hereabout we Leave these Desart and Barren Rocky hills, not that they are Limitted to Westmoreland only for had I gone farther to ye Left hand into Cumberland I should have found more such, and they tell me farr worse for height and stony-nesse about White haven side and Cockermouth, so that tho’ both the County’s have very good land and fruitfull, so they equally partake of ye bad, tho’ Indeed Westmoreland takes it name from its aboundings in springs which distilling itself on Lower ground, if of a spungy soile made it marshy or Lakes, and in many places very fruitfull in summer graine and grasse, but ye northerly winds blow Cold so long on them that they never attempt sowing their Land with wheate or Rhye. Penrith: Red Stone; Rivers Eamont and Lowther; Lowther Hall Ye stones and slatt about Peroth Look’d so Red that at my Entrance into the town thought its buildings were all of brick, but after found it to be the Coullour of the stone which I saw in the Quarrys Look very Red, their slatt is the same which Cover their houses. Its a pretty Large town — a good Market for Cloth that they spinn in the Country — hempe and also woollen. Its a great Market for all sorts of Cattle, meate Corne &c &c. Here are two Rivers one Called ye Emount [Eamont] which parts Cumberland and Westmoreland, which bridge I should have passed over had I Come the direct Roade from Kendall to Peroth, but strikeing off to Ambleside to Wiandermer I came another End of ye town. In this River are greate falls of waters Call’d Cataracts, by Reason of the Rock and shelves in it which makes a great noise which is heard more against foul weathers into the town, tho’ the bridge be halfe a mile out of ye town. The other River is Called Louder [Lowther] which gives name to Lord Landsdown’s house Call’d Louder hall which is four mile from Peroth. I went to it through fine woods, the front is just faceing the great roade from Kendall and Lookes very nobly, with severall Rows of trees which Leads to Large Iron gates, open barres, into the stable yard which is a fine building on ye one side of ye house very uniform, and just against it is such another Row of buildings ye other side of ye house Like two wings which is the offices. Its built Each Like a fine house jutting out at Each End and ye middle is with Pillars, white, and Carvings Like the Entrance of a building. These are just Equal and alike and Encompass the two sides of the first Court which Enters, with Large Iron gates and Iron Palasadoes in the breadth, and then there is an ascent of 15 stone steps turned round, very Large, and on the top Large Iron gates pallisad of Iron betweene stone pillars, which runs the breadth of the front. This Court is with paved walks of broad stone, one broad one to the house, ye other of same breadth runs aCrosse to the stables and offices, and so there is 4 Large Squares of grass in which there is a large Statue of Stone in the midst of Each, and 4 Little Cupids or Little Boys in Each Corner of the 4 squares. Then one ascends severall more steps to another Little Court vth open Iron Railes, and this is divided Into severall grass plotts by paved walks of stone to the severall doores, some of which are straight, others slope: the grass plotts being seven and in Each statue the middlemost is taller than the rest, this is just the front of ye house where you Enter a porch with Pillars of Lime stone, but ye house is ye Red sort of stone of ye Country. Below staires you Enter a space that Leads severall wayes to all the offices, and on one side is a Large parlour which Lookes out on these green plotts with images. The staircase very well wanscoated and Carv’d, at ye top you are Landed into a noble hall very Lofty, the top and sides are exquisitely painted by ye best hand in England which did the painting at Windsor. The Top is the Gods and goddesses that are sitting at some great feast and a great tribunal before ym ; Each Corner is the seasons of the yeare with the variety of weather Raines and rainbows, stormy winds, sun shine, snow and frost with multitudes of other fancys and varietyes in painting and Looks very natural — it Cost 500£ that roome alone. Thence into a Dineing room and drawing roome well wanscoated of oake, Large pannells plaine, no frettwork nor Carvings or Glass worke, only in Chimney pieces. 3 handsome Chambers, one scarlet Cloth strip’d and very fashionably made up, the hangings the same, another flower’d Damaske Lined with fine Indian Embroidery, the third Roome had a blew satten bed Embroider’d. In this Roome was very fine orris [arras] hangings in which was much silk and gold and silver; a Little Roome by in which was a green and white Damaske Canopy bed which was hung with some of the same hangings being made for ye Duke of Lortherdale [Lauderdale] and had his armes in many places — by his Dying were sold to Lord Landsdon {Lonsdale]. They Containe a Scottish story of the 4 quarters of the yeare. The roomes are all well pitch’d and well ffinish’d, and many good Pictures of ye family, and severall good fancy’s of human and animals, a good gallery so adorn’d which Leads to a Closet that Looks into ye Chappell; all things very neate tho’ nothing Extraordinary besides ye hall painting. The Chimney pieces are of a dark Coullerd Marble which is taken out of the ground just by — its well polish’d. There was some few white marble vein’d, but that is not Dug out of this Country. The house is a flatt rooffe and stands amidst a wood of Rows of trees, which with these statues and those in two gardens on Each side (which for their walks and plantations is not ffinish’d but full of Statues) which with the house is so well Contrived to be seen at one view. Ye Lady Landsdown sent and treated me with a Breakfast, Cold things and sweete meates all serv’d in plaite, but it was so Early in the morning that she being Indisposed was not up. King Arthur’s Round Table; Long Meg and her Sisters So I returned back 4 mile to Peroth and Came in sight of Severall Genteele seates or Gentlemens houses, and Came by a Round green spott of a Large Circumfference which they keep Cut round with a banke round it like a Bench [‘King Arthur’s Round Table’ at Eamont Bridge]; its story is that it was the table a great Giant 6 yards tall, used to Dine at, and there Entertain’d anothr of nine yards tall which he afterwards killed; there is the Length in the Church yard how far he Could Leape — a great many Yards. There was also on the Church at Peroth a fine Clock which had severall motions — there was the Starrs and signes, there was the Encrease and Changes of ye moone, by a Darke and golden side of a Little Globe. A mile from Peroth in a Low bottom and moorish place stands Mag and her sisters; the story is that these soliciting her to an unlawfull Love by an Enchantment are turned with her into stone; the stone in the middle which is Call’d Mag is much bigger and have some fforme Like a statue or ffigure of a body, but the Rest are but soe many Craggy stones, but they affirme they Cannot be Counted twice alike as is the story of Stonidge [Stonehenge], but the number of these are not above 30. However what the first design of placeing them there Either as a marke of that sort of moorish Ground or what Else, the thing is not so wonderfull as that of Stonidge, because there is noe such sort of stone in 20 miles off those downs and how they of so vast a bulk and weight should be brought thither, whereas all this Country abounds with Quarrys of stone and its mostly Rocks. The waye from thence to Carlisle over much heath where they have many stone Quarrys and Cut much peate and turff which is their Chief fuel. Its reckon’d but 16 mile from Peroth to Carlisle, but they are pretty Long, besides my going out of ye waye above 3 or 4 mile which made it 20. They were very Long and I was a great while Rideing it. You pass by the Little hutts and hovels the poor Live in Like Barnes — some have them daub’d with mud-wall — others drye walls. Carlisle Carlisle stands in view at Least 4 mile distant, ye town is walled in and all built of stone. The Cathedrall stands high and very Eminent to be seen above ye town. You Enter over the Bridge and Double gates which are Iron grates and Lined with a Case of doores of thick timber, there are 3 gates to the town, one Called the English gate at which I entred. The other the Irish which Leads on to Whitehaven and Cockermouth, the other ye Scottish gate through which I went into Scotland. The walls of the town and Battlements and towers are in very good Repaire and Looks well. Ye Cathedrall all built of stone which Looked stately but nothing Curious; there was some few houses as ye Deans and treasurer and some of ye Doctors houses walled in with Little gardens, their fronts Looked Gracefully; Else I saw no house Except the present Majors [Mayor’s] house of brick and stone, and one house which was ye Chancellors built of stone very Lofty, 5 good sarshe windows in ye front, and this within a Stone wall’d Garden well kept, and Iron gates to discover it to view with stone Pillars. Ye streetes are very broad and handsome well Pitched. I walked round the walls and saw the River which twists and turns itself round the grounds, Called the Emount [Eamont], which at 3 or 4 miles off is flow’d by the sea. The other River is the Essex [‘Esk’, but actually the Eden] which is very broad and Ebbs and flows about a mile or two off. There Remaines only some of the walls and ruines of ye Castle, which does shew it to have been a very strong town formerly. The walls are of a prodigious thickness and vast great stones, its moated round and with draw bridges. There is a Large Market place with a good Cross and hall, and is well supply’d as I am Inform’d with provision at Easye rate, but my Landlady notwithstanding ran me up the Largest Reckoning for allmost nothing, it was ye dearest Lodging I met with and she pretended she Could get me nothing else; so for 2 joynts of mutton and a pinte of wine and bread and beer I had a 12 shilling Reckoning, but since I find tho’ I was in the biggest house in town I was in the worst accomodation, and so found it, and a young giddy Landlady that Could only Dress fine and Entertain the soldiers. From hence I tooke a guide the next day and so went for Scotland and Rode 3 or 4 mile by ye side of this River Emount which is full of very good ffish ... 1. John Wesley The Journal of John Wesley (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 2000) 28 June 1774 and 1776 (his birthday): online at Vision of Britain. Return 2. The Illustrated Journeys of Celia Fiennes 1685-c.1712 edited Christopher Morris (London: MacDonald, 198; Stroud, Alan Sutton, 1995). Return |
We have no portrait of Celia,
but perhaps we can guess at what she might have looked like from the pictures of her father and grandfather (both engravings from portraits in the Great Hall of Broughton Castle, Oxfordshire). She seems to have
aligned herself with the strong Parlimentarian and Nonconformist stance of her family. Her mother (Frances Whitehead) was also of Parliamentary stock, and a convinced Presbyterian. After her mother's death in 1691,
she moved to London, presumably to be near family. She branched out on her first ‘Northern Journey’ as far as Scarborough up the eastern side of the country in 1697, and the following year she made her
‘Great Journey to Newcastle and to Cornwall’ from which the passages below come. She never married, and used her freedom as a maiden lady to pursue her passion for travel, though towards the end of her life,
as she says in her Will, she was in reduced circumstances.