wayes and some pretty deep stony way so forced us upon y^e high Causey,
but some of y^e way was good w^{ch} I went pretty fast and yet by reason
of the tediousness of y^e miles for length I was 5 hours going that 14
mile; I could have gone 30 miles about London in y^e tyme. There was
pretty much woods and Lanes through which I passed, and pass’d by a mer
or Lake of water; there are many of these here about, but not going
through Ormskerk. I avoided going by the famous Mer Call’d Martin mer
that as y^e proverb sayes has parted many a man and his mare—indeed it
being neare evening and not getting a Guide I was a little afraid to go
that way it being very hazardous for Strangers to passe by it. Some part
of y^t mer one M^r Ffleetewood has been at y^e Expence to draine so as
to be able to use the ground for tillage, having by trenches and
floodgates w^{th} banks shutt out y^e waters y^t still kept it a marsh
and moorish ground, but it was a very great Charge; however it shews by
industry and some Expence, if Gentlemen would set about it, Most of y^e
waste ground thats now a ffenny Moor and Mostly water might be rendered
usefull and in a few yeares answere y^e first great Charge on it.
Wiggons is another pretty Market town built of stone and brick: here it
is that the fine Channell Coales are in perfection—burns as light as a
Candle—set the Coales together w^{th} some fire and it shall give a snap
and burn up light. Of this Coale they make Saltcellars, Stand-dishes and
many boxes and things w^{ch} are sent about for Curiositys and sold in
London and are often offer’d in the Exchange in Company w^{th} white or
black marble and most people deceived by them w^{ch} have not been in
those Countrys and know it, but such persons discover it and will Call
for a Candle to trye them whether marble or Coale: its very finely
pollish’d and Lookes much like jett or Ebany wood for w^{ch} one might
Easily take it when in boxes &c &c. I bought some of them for Curiosity
sake. 2 mile off Wigon towards Warrington (w^{ch} was some of my way
back againe but for y^e Curiosity’s sake I did,) is the Burning well
w^{ch} burns like brandy; its a little sorry hole in one of y^e grounds
100 yards from y^e Road that Comes from Warrington to Wiggon just by a
hedge or banck, its full of dirt and mud almost but the water
Continually bubbles up as if it were a pott boyling w^{ch} is the spring
or severall springs in that place; Nevertheless I felt y^e water and it
was a Cold Spring. Y^e man w^{ch} shewed it me, w^{th} a dish tooke out
a good quantety of y^e water and threw away and then w^{th} a piece of
Rush he lighted by a Candle y^t he brought in a lanthorne, he set y^e
water in y^e well on fire and it burn’d blewish just like spirits and
Continued a good while, but by reason of y^e great raines y^t ffell y^e
night before y^e spring was weaker and had not thrown off the raine
water, otherwise it used to flame all over y^e well a good height, now
it burnt weaker; at last the wind blew out y^e mans Candle and he
severall tymes lighted y^e bitt of Rush or splinter of wood by y^e flame
y^t burnt in y^e well. This is a little unaccountable; I apprehend its a
sort of an unctious matter in y^e Earth and soe through its veines the
springs run w^{ch} Causes it so to burn, for I observ’d when they dug
into y^e banche and opened the sort of Clay or mudd, it burnt fiercer
and more from y^e well. I returned againe to Wiggon two mile and thence
to Preston and passed by S^r John Bradshaws house w^{ch} stood on y^e
declineing of a hill in y^e midst of a fine grove of trees. Severall
fine walkes and Rows of trees thereabout; just in the Road on the banck
where on the hedge stood was Errected a high stone pillar Carv’d and a
ball on y^e top with an jnscription Cutt on it shewing the Cause of it,
being the monument of an officer that in a fight just there, his horse
takeing y^e hedge and Ditch on some distaste he tooke at y^e Gunns and
smoake, flung out his sword out of y^e scabbard and flung his Master
down on y^e poynt of it w^{ch} ran him through that he dyed and Lyes
buried on y^e Spott.
Preston is reckon’d but 12 mile from Wiggon but they Exceed in Length by
farre those y^t 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 y^t were only single ones but
as Large as two great gate wayes, and y^e water I went through y^t ran
und^{er} 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 w^{ch} are across their great Rivers; this happens
sometymes on sudden great showers for a day or two in y^e summer, but
y^e 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 w^{ch} is little Enough then to secure them. I passed
by at Least half a doz^n 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 w^{ch} 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 y^e Entrance of y^e town was
a very good house w^{ch} was a Lawyers all stone work 5 windows in y^e
front and high built according to y^e Eastern building near London; the
ascent to y^e house was 14 or 15 stone stepps Large and a handsome Court
with open jron Pallasadoes in the gate, and on Each side, the whole
breadth of y^e house, w^{ch} discover’d the gardens on Each side of the
house, neately kept flowers and greens; there was also many steps up to
y^e house from y^e Court—it was a Compleate building. There was 2 or 3
more such houses in y^e town and Indeed the Generallity of y^e
buildings, Especially in 2 or 3 of y^e great streetes were very
handsome, better than in most Country towns and y^e 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 w^{ch} is 20 mile, and I Can Confirme this
by my own Experience for I went to Goscoyne w^{ch} is 10 miles and halfe
way to Lancaster in two houres, where I baited, and here it was I was
first presented w^{th} y^e Clap bread w^{ch} 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 y^e only thing I must
Eate for bread. Y^e taste of oate bread is pleasant enough and where its
well made is very acceptable, but for y^e most part its scarce baked and
full of drye flour on y^e outside. Y^e description of how its made ought
to Come in here but I Reserve it to y^e 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 y^e old Picts walls, y^e ruines of which here
and there remaines in many parts of y^e Country. Gascoyn is a little
market town—one Church in it w^{ch} is a mile off from y^e town, and y^e
parish is 8 miles long, which discourag’d me in staying there being
Satterday night and so pressed on to Lancaster.
I percieve most of y^e parishes are a great tract of Land and very Large
and also beneficial, for all over Lancastershire the revenues of y^e
parsonages are Considerable 2 and 300^£ 500 and 800 a piece, y^e parson
at Liverpoole 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
y^e 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
w^{th} hands pointing to each road w^{th} y^e names of y^e great town or
market towns that it Leads to, w^{ch} does make up for y^e Length of y^e
miles y^t 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 y^e Countrys a great distance round, and see it full of
jnclosures and some woods, three miles off y^e town you see it very
plaine and y^e sea, Even y^e main ocean; in one place an arm of it Comes
up w^{th} in 2 mile of y^e town. Y^e River Liene runs by the town and so
into y^e sea. Y^e situation of Lancaster town is very good, y^e Church
neately built of stone, y^e Castle w^{ch} is just by, both on a very
great ascent from y^e Rest of y^e town and so is in open view, y^e town
and River Lying Round it beneath. On y^e Castle tower walking quite
round by y^e battlements I saw y^e whole town and river at a view,
w^{ch} runs almost quite round and returns againe by y^e town, and saw
y^e sea beyond and y^e great high hills beyond y^t part of y^e sea,
w^{ch} 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 y^e great hill Called Black Comb hill
whence they digg their black Lead and no where Else; but they open y^e
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 y^e Carv’d stones and ffigures;
there is in it a good garden and a pond in it w^{th} a little jsland on
w^{ch} an apple tree grows—a Jenitin; and Strawberys all round its
Rootes and y^e banks of the Little jsle. There are 2 pretty wells and a
vault that Leads a great way under ground up as farre as y^e Castle,
w^{ch} 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, w^{ch} 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 jnjured w^{ch} 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.
Thence I went to Kendall in Westmoreland over steepe stony hills all
like Rocks, 6 miles to one Lady Middleton, and by some Gentlemen w^{ch}
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 w^{ch} was stony and
steep—far worse than the Peake in Darbyshire. This Lady Middleton was a
papist and I believe the Gentlemen y^t was travelling were too. Thence
to Kendall ten mile more, most of y^e way was in Lanes when I was out of
the stony hills, and then into jnclosed Lands, here in 6 miles to the
town you have very Rich good Land Enclosed—Little round green hills
flourishing w^{th} 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 w^{ch} 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, w^{ch} I found very
troublesome in my journeys, for they would not own they had any such
thing in their bread, but it so disagrees w^{th} me as allwayes to make
me sick w^{ch} I found by its Effects whenever I met w^{th} any, tho’ I
did not discern it by the taste; in Suffolke and Norfolke I also met
w^{th} it, but in these parts its altogether y^e 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
and there is much made here and also Linsi-woolseys, and a great deale
of Leather tann’d here, and all sorts of Commodityes—twice a weeke is
y^e market ffurnished w^{th} all sorts of things.
The River Can w^{ch} 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
w^{th} 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
w^{ch} they Catch Salmon when they Leape with speares. The Roaring of
y^e 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, y^e rest are like good traders houses very neate and
tight. The streetes are all pitch’d w^{ch} is Extreame Easy to be
repair’d, for the whole Country is like one Entire Rock or pitching
almost all y^e Roads. At the Kings arms, one M^{rs} 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 w^{ch} is the only place that ffish is to be found in, and
so went from Kendall to Bondor 6 miles thro’ narrow Lanes, but the Lands
in y^e jnclosures 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 y^e 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 w^{ch} is 10 mile long and near halfe a mile over in some places.
It has many Little hills or jsles in it, one of a great bigness of 30
acres of ground on which is a house, y^e Gentleman that is Lord of y^e
Manour Lives in it—S^r Christopher Phillips; he has a great Command of
y^e water and of y^e villages thereabout and many Priviledges, he makes
a Major or Bailiff of y^e place during life; its but a small mean place,
M^r Majors was the best Entertaining house where I was. Y^e Isle did not
Looke to be so bigg at y^e 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 y^e 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, w^{ch} they
pott with sweete spices. They are as big as a small trout, Rather
slenderer and y^e skinn full of spotts, some Red Like the finns of a
Perch and the jnside 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 y^e 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 y^e 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, y^t
are perfect Rocks and barren ground of a vast height, from which many
Little Springs out of y^e Rock does bubble up and descend down and fall
into this water. Notwithstanding great raines y^e 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 w^{ch} they Call Ffurness Ffells a long Row
Continued some miles, and some of them are Call’d Donum ffells and soe
from the places they adjoyne to are named, but they hold the whole
length of the water w^{ch} is 10 mile; they have fome 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 y^e other side over those ffells there is a sort of Stones
Like Rubbish or Broken pieces of stones, w^{ch} Lies about a quarry,
that Lies all in the bottom of y^e water; where its so shallow as at the
shores it is and very Cleer you see the bottom; between these stones are
weeds w^{ch} 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 y^e 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 y^e water.
Here it was I saw y^e 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 y^e 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 jron same size w^{th}
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 jron 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
jmagine, 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, for 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 y^e 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 w^{ch} 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 y^e island w^{ch} 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 y^e 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 w^{ch} are very rich good grounds, and so I
gained by degrees from Lower to higher hills w^{ch} 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, w^{ch} 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 jnclosures, 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 y^e Rocks and hanging
over all down y^e Brow of some of the hills. From these great ffells
there are severall springs out of y^e 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 w^{ch} makes
y^e 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 w^{ch} 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
w^{ch} 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 y^e
middle of it, but it was of such a height as to shew one a great deale
of y^e Country when it happens to be between those hills, Else those
interposeing hinders any sight but of y^e 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 y^t its
very unsafe to Ride them down.