Tour through the Eastern Counties of England, 1722Defoe, Daniel
History
Tour through the Eastern Counties of England, 1722
Defoe, Daniel
England -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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