Through England on a side saddle in the time of William and MaryFiennes, Celia
History
Through England on a side saddle in the time of William and Mary
Fiennes, Celia
England -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
Y^e way out of town towards London you go by a Cross a mile off the town
Call’d High-Cross, it stands just in the middle of England, its all
stone 12 stepps w^{ch} runs round it, above that is the stone Carv’d
ffinely and there are 4 Large Nitches about y^e Middle, in Each is the
statue of some queen at Length which Encompasses it w^{th} other
Carvings as garnish, and so it rises less and less to y^e top like a
tower or Piramidy. Thence to Stony Stratford, so Cross y^e river Aven
again 12 mile, and Enter Buckinghamshire. At Stony Stratford w^{ch} is a
little place built of stone they make a great deale of bonelace and so
they do all here about, its the manuffactory of this part of y^e
Country, they sit and worke all along y^e streete as thick as Can be.
Thence to great Horwood: this Country is fruitfull, full of woods,
Enclosures and rich Ground. Y^e Little towns stand pretty thicke. You
have many in view as you pass y^e Road. 6 mile to Horwood, thence we
pass by a lofty pile of Building Called Salden, a gentlemans house, and
by the Rich M^{rs} Bennets House, Remarkable for Coveteousness w^{ch}
was y^e Cause of her death—her treasures tempted a Butcher to Cut her
throate who hangs in Chains just against her house. She had 3 daughters,
the two youngest are Living one married to a Benet, y^e other y^e Earle
of Salisbury and are great fortunes by their mothers penuriousness.
Thence to Oxborn and Enter Bedfordshire 13 mile. The duke of Bedfords
house we saw w^{ch} stands in a fine parke full of deer and wood, and
some off the trees are kept Cut in works and y^e shape of severall
beasts. The house is an old Building, Low, there are very good stables
and out offices, Landry yard &c. The gardens are fine, there is a Large
bowling-green with 8 arbours kept Cut neately and seates in Each, there
is a Seate up in a high tree that ascends from y^e green 50 steps that
Commands the whole parke round to see the Deer hunted, as also a Large
prospect of the Country. There are 3 Large Gardens, fine Gravell walks
and full of fruite. I Eate a great quantety of y^e Red Coralina goosbery
w^{ch} is a large thin skin’d sweete Goosebery. Ye walks are one above
another w^{th} stone steps. In the square, just by the dineing roome
window is all sorts of pots of flowers and Curious greens, fine orange,
Cittron and Lemon trees and mirtles, striped ffilleroy and y^e fine
aloes plant. On the side of this you pass under an arch into a Cherry
garden in the midst of w^{ch} stands a figure of stone resembling an old
weeder woman used in the garden, and my Lord would have her Effigie
w^{ch} is done so like and her Clothes so well that at first I tooke it
to be a Real Living body. On y^e other side of y^e house is another
Large garden, severall gravell walks one above another, and on the
flatts are fish ponds the whole length of the Walke; above y^t in the
next flat is 2 fish ponds, here are dwarfe trees spread of a great
bigness.
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