YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

HEA.THCOTE M. WOOLSEY FUND
YALE 1907

AN
E X C U R S I O N
TO THE
LAKES I N
Westmoreland and Cumberlandj
WITH
A T O U R
t
Through PART of the
NORTHERN COUNTIES,
In the Years 1773 and 1774.
By W. HUTCHINSON. LONDON:
Printed for J. Wilkie, No. 71, St Paul's Church-yard,
and W. Charnley, in Newcaftle.

MDCCLXXVI.

YALE

L14-

A N

EXCURSION, &c.

WHENEVER I have read the 4efcrip-
tions given by travellers of foreiga
countries, in which their beauties and an^
tiquities were laviflily praifed, I have al
ways regretted a neglecfl which has at
tended the delightful fcenes in this ifland.
The monuments of antiquity, difperfed over

2 An Ef c V K s 1 o -i^ to
over this couiitry, are many d.nd curious,
fome of them arofe in the remoteft ages,
and point -out to us the revolutions and
hiftory of our own kingdom : a degree of
knowledge of t-he iirft importance to Eug*
liflimen.' The rapid progrefs of cultivation in the
northern counties, within this century,
threatens the deftrudlion of many of their
antique remains ; — the plough fliare has
already in many places gone over them,
and perhaps in another age not even their
names will remain to denote their iite. —
To preferve their me^mory to after times,
to point out therefore, and defcribe their
flrengfh, form, and magnitude, I humbly
jfrefume, are no infignifieant purfuits in
the traveller, who thereby configns to
poflerity the evidence of thofe circum-
llanoes in hiftory, which will be moment
ous to all ages.
Such fentiments gave rife to a fummer's
excurfion, the pleafures of which I have
endeavoured to communicate to the reader
in the following pages. We

the LAKES. 3
We were conduced to Bowes in York-
fhire. BOWES
Is of great antiquity, in which is its Bowes.
chief confequence. — The country around
is meanly cultivated, its habitations in
general melancholy ; and what alone
claims the attention of a traveller, is the
ruin of a caftle, fuppofed by fome of Ro
man conftruaion ; but with greater pro
priety by others, to be the Turris de Ar-
cubus, built by Alan, firft Earl of Rich
mond, in the time of the Conqueror : It
is fituate near the old high ftreet, which
led from the Cataradonium of the Ro
mans. This caftle is fifty three'feet in height, ^owes'
built of hewn ftone, of excelleiit work-
manfhip, forming a fquare of equal fides,
eighty one feet each ; the windows are
irregular; and the walls, which are ce
mented with lime mixed with fmall flints,
.are near five feet in thicknefs— it is now
much defaced, the outward cafing being
ftript off in many places.— This edifice
B appears

•4 An Ex c XJ KS I O^ii to
appears to have been divided into feveral
apartments, the principal of which was
vaulted, and fupported by a central pillar.
Bowes Caftle is fituated on the brink of
a hill, declining fwiftly to the fouth-
ward, at whofe foot runs the river Greta ;
— it is furrounded with a deep ditch,
beyond which, on the fouthern fide, is
an open area or platform, extending from
the caftlcmoat ninety paces, and from eaft
to weft one hundred paces : the angles
are obtule, and a wide accefs appears in
the centre. — On examination, this is in-
difputably proved to be the remains of
the Roman ftation, the Vallum having
formed a ftrong outwork to the caftle, of
great height towards the fouth. — This
kind of fituation was in many places cho-
fcn for eredling fortrefles, after the depar
ture of the Romans ; feveral caftles which
we viewed on our tour, are fo placed.^—
On the eaftern point of the ftation, we
were fliewn the fite and remains of a
Bath. Bath, with its aquedu6l, which are now
totally in ruins, and overgrown with
weeds and brambles — the foundations
fliew the building to have been thirty feet
long

the LAKES. 5
long within, and twenty brOad, with a
fmall apartment to the eaft fifteen feet
fquare ; the accefs from the fouth.
On a late inclofure of fome common
lands belonging Bowes, an ancient aque- ^^^^'
dudl was difcovered, which conveyed the
water the diftance of two miles from a
place called Levar, or Levy-pool, to the
caftle, fufiicient to fupply the garrifon and
alfo the baths. This difcovery led me, in
the fucceeding year, to Levar-pool, in Levar
'hopes I fliould find, in that fequeftered
and little-vifited place, fome remains of
Roman-work not known to antiquaries,
and fix the fite of the baths of Lavatrae,
efpecially as Ibme adjoining lands bear the
name of Lavartree, or Laretree ; . but my
expectations were difappointed, nothing
but vaft works of ancient ftone quarries
were to be feen ; from whence, in all pro
bability, the materials for building the
Roman Vallum and the prefent caftle
were won; ,
Antiquaries have hitherto fixed the an
cient Lavatrae at Bowes, that place cor-
r,efponding with the diftances fet out in
B 2 the

Coiiio-

6 -(4m Excursion ^0
the Itinerarle. — The antiquity of Bowes is
confirmed by the great number of Ro
man coins found there, Plate L and IL for
feveral of which I am indebted to the
Gentlemen of that place ; particularly the
late Charles Lowe Why tell, Efq; who
fince the firft publication difcovered them,
in laying the foundations of a fummer
feat ; and forming his garden ground near
the old caftle.
The uppermoft coin reprefented In Plate L
is a confular medallion of Hadrian, of
the old mixed brafs, fuppofed to be ftruck
on the firft day of January, a day facred
to Janus, and obferved by the Romans
with great folemnity, as portentive of the
felicity or adverfity of the new year. It
would be tedious to defcribe the whole,
as they are accurately fliewn in the Plate.
The letters placed above each denote the
metal.

Vafes. Several parts of earthen veflels have alfb.
been dug up here, of the red kind ; by
placing many of the fragments together,
I have been able to form fuch parts of two
of them as are reprefcnted in Plate IL One of

the LAKES. 7
of the velTels, when entire, has been about
twelve inches over the brim, the other
about ten : the figures are finely relieved,
and the red glazing pi'ctty well preferved
—I am iQcliiied to think thefe have been
facred veffels, the one dedicated to^ the
fervice of Venus, the other to Diana j
they were ufed as the Urc^us, and held the
water with which the people were fprinkled.
: — Mr Addifon in his travels, fays, that on
many altars he perceived the Patera was
formed without any handle : the form
of thefe veffels, ^nd the figures with
which they are ornamenst^d, will not allow
a conjedlure that they were Sepulchral :
— the feftival of the RoRi.an Hunters, fa
cred to Diana, a,nd for which fervice one
of the veffels appears to be adapted, was
celebrated on the thirteenth day of Auguft.
Carpden fays, he faw an altar to, the ho
nour of Hadrian in thp church at Bowes,
with this infcription \
IMP G^SARI DIVl TRAIANIPARTHICI maifilio ¦
lCIVI NERV^.NEPOTI TRAJANO Hadiia
;N0 AUG. PONT. MAXIM  —  —
>gos I  ^T,  PP  -¦  COH. mi F  T-rr-.
10. SEV.
B 3 From

8 ^« Excursion /(3
¦v
From the moft diligent fearch, I could
find nofuch infcription ; — he fays the fol
lowing fragment was alfo found there ;

'¦m

NOL, CAE-
IFRONTINVS  ,<
COH. I. THRAC. J

Sir Robert Cotton obtained from thence
an altar thus infcribed :
DAE FORTVNAE  pro Dese,

VIRIVS LVPVS — Proprsetor under
LEG. AUG. PR. PR. Severus.
BALINEVMVI — pro Balneum,
ignis exvst
vm. coh. ithr
acvm rest
itvitcvran teval. from
tone praef
EQ^ALAE VETTO — the Vettones were ?
people of Spain.
— He thought this fo curious, that he
removed it to Connington. From this in
fcription we may determine, that whilft
Virius Lupus ruled as Lieutenant General
and Proprstor of Britain, under Severus
the Emperor, the f^rft cohort of the Thra- ciana

the LAKES. 9
clans lay here in garrifon, for whofe ufe
he reftored the hot baths. This place was
alfo garrifoned by a Numerus Explorato-
rum in the time of the Notitia*.
The modern name of Bowes we may
with fome degree of propriety derive from
the authority of an ancient manufcript
belonging the diffolved monaftry of St
Mary's in York \
'¦ Alanus niger Comes Richmondlas,
*' unus fundatorum hujus monafterii, fra-
*' ter fuit Ducis Britannia, intravitq; An-
*' gliam in Excercitu Willielmi Conque-
*' ftoris ; cui didlus Willielmus, contulit,
*' pro feryicio fuo. Dominium & Comita'
" tum Richmondias : et poftea idem Ala-
" nus primus Comes Richmondise, in de-
*"' fenfionem Tenentium fuorum Comitatus
" praedidli, contra expugnationes homi^
•' num de Wefl;mQrela(n,d et Cumberland
*' rebellantiupi, contra didlum Conquer:
^' ftorem, ac cum, Gofpatricio Duce Nor-
" thumbrise adherentium Regi Scotorum,
*' xdificavit fibi Turrim de Arcubus, in
B 4 "quo
* Camden's Britannia.

16 -4« E X C U R S I O N to
" quo conftituit Guillermum confangui-
*' neum fuum prsefedlum fuper 500 fagit-
*' tarios ; et dedit ei, fcutum proprium
*' cum armis Britannise, et tres arcus de-
*' fuper, ac unum bundellum fagittarum,
" pro capitali ihfigni fuo : ipfe Guillermus
*' exind^ nuncupatus fuit, Guillermus de
*' Arcubui5*."
Cuftoms The antient cuftom of Thorotoll is ftill
preferved here, though the fortrefs is no
longer maintained, or of ufe to the cotm-
try ; which was the original confideration
for a tax, now become grievous to the
public: — the right of execution and the
ancient power of the Furca were happily
cxtinguifhed with the Feudal tenures.
From Bowes advancing towards Weft-
iiioreland, we were refpited from the fad
feene of barrennefs which we were obli
ged to pafs, by fome infant inclofures and
attempts towards cultivatiqn ; — the cli
mate, dreary vicinage of mountains, and in-

* He was Anceftor to the famous and knightly family
of Bowes in the Bilhopric of Durham.

the L A K: E^S. li
inclement fldes, feemed to deny induf-
try her natural rewards.
,: About two milfcs from Bowes is a fin- b^idgci
gular curiofity, called Gods^bridge^ being
a natural bridge of limeftone rock, where,
through a rude arch, fixteen feet in fpan,
the river Greta precipitates its waters ; —
the Way formed on the crown of this rock
is about tWeftity feet wide, and the com
mon carriage road over the river.^— After
the Greta has palTed this bridge, at a lit
tle diftance it gains a fubterraneous paf-
fage for near half a mile ; and4n a lineal
diredlion breaks out again, through the
cavities of the rocks, A few icanty mea
dows border the river, and cultivation
feems tp aWake from ignorance over the
adjoining lands 5 where the plough fhare
begins to make the traces of induftry on
the fliirtS of the defert.
As we proceeded, Spittle* prefented its sp;„ie
fo- ^"^
^^ Stain-

* At this place was an ancient Hofpital, called Rere-
crofs Hofpital, or the Spittel upon Stainmore, which
was given to the Nunnery of Maryke before 1171, by
jRaJph, fon of Ralph de Multon, or by Conan Earl of
Rich-

12 An Excursion to
folitary edifice to view ; behind which,
Stainmore arifes : . whofe- heights feel the
fury of both eaftern and weftern ftorms ;
, — a dreary profpedl extended to the eye,
the hills were cloathed in heath, and all
around a fcene of barrennefs and defor
mity ;^-the lower grounds were rent
with torrents i which impetuoufly pour
ed from the fteeps in winter ; and chafms
harrowed on the fides of hills, yawned
with ragged rocks, or black and rotten
earth. — Here and there fcattered plots of
grafs variegated the profpedr^ where a
few flieep found pafturage ; and now and
then a little rill was feen in the deep dell,
which as it flowed in difconfolate mean
ders, was tinged with the fable foil
through which it pafled.- — No habitation
for mankind appeared on either fide, but
all was wildernefs and horrid wafte, over
which the wearied eye travelled wit^
anxietj^. At-

•Richmond, and continued parcel of their poffeffions' till
jdilTolntion. It was granted 7 Ed VI. to William Buck-
ton and Roger Marfhall. — Vide Monaft. Vol. I. p. 485.
— Diigdale's Baron, Vol. I. p. 270. — Gale's ApjJondix
£0 Riehmond, p. 86.

the LAKES. 13

At the turnpike-houfe on Stainmore "^oj
. . . Crofs,
ftands a cylindrical ftone, which appears
to have been a Roman guide poft ; the
infcription has had relation to a Coh. V.
but is in every other part fo obliterated
that it cannot now be made out. We ap
proached Roy Cross*, which is faid to
be the boundary ftone dividing Yorkftiire
from Weftmoreland. — Hedlor Boetius has
defcribed this to be the meer-ftone, eredl- trench
ed at the time that William the Conque- '"^°'^-
ror granted Cumberland to the Scots, on
condition they ftiould hold it of him by
homage, and a cOmpadl not to engage in
any meafures prejudicial to the crown of
England. — rThis crofs ftands within thd
rerhains of a large entrenchment, defend
ed by banks of earth ten paces wide;
through w^hich the prefent turnpike road
now pafles. • Plate III. fig. i .
Its form is an oblong fquare, extending
from north to fouth, with two openings
on every fide of the fquare, exadlly op-
pofite each other, defended by a mound ef
f — i  ' — ^- — ' — ' — ¦  ¦
* Camden's Britannia.

14 J« E X C U R S I O N /(?
of earth, placed in the front of each pafs,
rifing from the plane about five perpendi
cular feet, 'which is near the height of the
entrenchment in its higheft part.
— The eaftern fide is two hundred and
feventy paces in length, the openings on
the fides are ten paces wide, the moles
which defend the fame thirty-fix paces in
circumference^ and ftand ten paces from
the outward edge of the entrenchment:
the afcent of the adjoining ground on this
fide is gradual for nearr half 9r mile,
¦ — The northern end is two hundred
and forty-nine paces in length, with two
openings therein, defended by moles of
earth, fimilar to thofe on the eaftern quar
ter ; and as the ground here is flat for a
confiderable diftance, fo this part of the
entrenchment was by nature rendered in-
acceflTable from the North by a deep mo-
rafs. —¦The weftern fide is fimilar to thofe
before defcribed, being two hundred and
ieventy-eight' paces in length, ftanding on

the LAKES. 15
on a fwift defcent, which falls without
intermiffion for half a mile or upwards.
— The fouthern end is in length one
hundred and eighty-one paces, has its
openings and moles as before defcribed,
but ftands on the brink of a precipice
of confiderable height: — on the higheft
ground within thp entrenchment is a large
mound of earth, of a fquare figure, ari-
fing from the plane near three perpendi
cular feet, and in circumference fifty-three
paces. We have little or no account of this
entrenchment in hiftory, and are left to
conje<5bire to what people it might belong.
— As it lies on the Roman road, it ftrikes
one with an apprehenfion, that it was of
Roman original ; but the fingularity of
the paflTes and mounds which guard them,
do not correfpond with their ufual mode
of fortifying a camp, though the interior -
mound may not improperly be regarded
as the Prsetorium. From the conflidls be
tween the northern Englifh and the Nor
mans after the conqueft, and prior to
William's ceding Cumberland to the Scots, it

more.

i6 An Excursion to
it nia:y be conceived this wiis a camp of
one of thofe powers. Lremember to have
read in fome author whofe name I can
not at this iriftant recolledt, that on this
Egbert's ground Egbert fought a battle with the
Battle. °. ° / " _ . r
Pidls, and in memol^y of his vidlory the
Hoj Crofs was erefted^. ¦>
Stain- As wc travelled from thence for feveral
miles, all around was one continued me
lancholy fcene; — 'the hills encreafing in
height, the vallies in depth and defola-
tion ; — the wind founded amongft the
rocks, whilft a heavy vapour in fome
parts clouded their fummits ; in others
driving rain was feen ftreaming along the
dales, and fhrowding their gloomy reccf- fes:

* About the year one thoufand and fixty-feven W.il-
liam the Conqueror and Malcolm King of Scotland con
cluded a peace at Newcaftle under thefe conditions, that
King Malcolm fhould enjoy that part of Northumber
land which lieth between Tweede, Cumberland, and
Stainmoor, and to do homage to the King of England
for the fame. In the midft of Stanemore there fhall be
a crofs fet up, with the King of England's image on tha
one fide, and the King of Scotland's on the other, to
Cgnify that one is marche to England, and the other to
. Scotland. — This crofs was called the Recroffe, that is to
fay, the Crofle of the Kings.
Vide Hollinflied's Chronicle of Scotland, p. 25 j.

^i^^ L A K E S. 17
ies;— -the wearied mind of the traveller en
deavours to evade fuch obje(5ts, and pleafe
itfelf with the fancied images of verdant
plains, purling ftreams, and happy groves
to which we were approaching: — whilft
we were thus engaged, unexpededly the
fcene opened, and from fuch a horrid
wild, gave us a profpecl as delightful as
the other was difgufting.

Stain more

Over a rugged and rocky foreground,
we looked upon Stainmore-Dale in d^^-
front ; her verdant meadows cheared the
eye; her fweet fequeftered cottages, her
grafly plains, and little fhades of fyca-
mores, feemed enchanting, as their beau
ties were enhanced by the deformity from
which they had efcaped. On the right
hand a mountain arifes, hiding its grey
head and naked brow in clouds ; the fides
are barren rocks, in whofe chinks a few
ftirubs are feen clinging,- and eaft a teint
of green to variegate the grey precipice. —
On a wild and forlorn fituation, in an
opening on the fide of this mountain,
Hell BECK Hall is defcried, covered Hei!-
beck.
with trees : the place feems calculated
for difcontent, and hid from all that's
chearfi:!

i8 ./4« Excursion /o
chearful, befitted to a mind full of dif-
appointment and defpair ; all its profpedl,
is barrennefs ; the voice of water-falls,
breezes mourning in the branches of the
copfe, or hifling in the fifliires of the
rock, its mufic j the deep fhadows ren
der it gloomy ; and overhanging va
pours, damp and dreary.
— Yet Helbeck has its beauties; — It
contrafts with the vale beneath, where the
extenfive plain reaches the very bounds of
Cumberland, whofe lofty mountains
we perceived, tinged with blue vapours,
and mixing their fummits with the fky.
— In the foreground lay
B R O U G H,
Brongh, whofe aucient caftle, formerly the feat of
the Pembroke family, afforded a noble ob-
je6l ; around which, rich meadows dreft
in frelh verdure after mowing, plots of
ripening corn, fparkling fheets of water,
leen through the trees which decked their
margins, the windings of each brook,
little groves of afli and fycamore, fantaf*
, tically difperfed and intermixed with vil
lages and cots, formed the beauties of the
vale;

the LAKE S. ip
Vale ; on this hand extending towards
Kirby Stephen, on that to Dufton, and in
front as far as Penrith Beacon.
, As we began to defCend the hill towards
BRauGH, and leave the deferts of Stain
more, we paffed an Antient Roman Fortifi
cation, called Maiden Castle — the Maideh
Caitle •
Roman road led immediately through it
" — its form is fquare, built of ftone, each
fide forty paces in length; — it is de
fended by outworks, the neareft being a
fmall ditch with a breaftwork of larp-e
ftones fet eredt, and the outward one a
ditch and "rampart of earth. This place
has been of great ftrength in former times,
from its naturail fituation, commanding
the pafs from Brough.-^The afcent on the
fide oppofite to Brough, is very fteep for
inore than a mile ; to the South it is inac-
ceffable, by reafon of the precipice on
whofe brink it ftands ; arid towards the
North, the ground is every where rugged
and mountainous. — Camden fays, the Pv.o-
man road led from hence to Caer-Vorran^
jn Northumberland*. Plate III, fig. 2.
C BROUGH"

* Camden's Britannia.

'20 ^M E X C U R S I O N ?0
BROUGH
Broiigh. Is now divided into two fmaU mean towns,
the one called Church Brough, the other
Market Brough, feparated by a little brook
which falls into the river Eden. — Huf-
bandry is little advanced liere ; the ma
nagement of grafs land is the farmer's
whole excellence, the meadows being kept
in good order, and very rich : — the inha
bitants are ignorant of men and manners,
but fubtle and crafty f.
On parties of pleafure, time fliould ne- i
Ver be limited; — to ride poft through a
country, is too much the cuftom of tra- ;
vellers, by which they can reap no more :
than a fuperficial idea of it ; — the fpecula-
tive traveller is never confined to roads,
times, or feafons ; but as the circum-
ftances exciting his curiofity lie either to
the

F * '¦ Roger Lord ClIflFord, in 4 Edward III. 1330, i
<¦' procured the King's charter for a Market uponThurf- I
«' day every weelc at his manor of Burgh upon Stayne-
" moor in Weftmerland ; and a Fair yearly, to begin
" two days before the Feaft of St Matthew the Apoftle,
*' and to continue for the day and morrow after."
Dugdale's Baroiwge, Vol. I. p. 339.

fZ?^ L A K E S. 21
the right or left, he purfues the objeds of
his attention, regardlefs of every other
piotive. The pleafantnefs of the morning called
us very early from Brough; — 'the dawn
advanced with a deep calm^ — the clouds
broke from the hills, and drew their grey
veil from the face of morning, revealing
her in blufhes — =-the valley lay wrapped
in ftillnefs' — Care and Induftry had not
departed from their night's recefles^ — the
ear was huflaed^ and all around feemed
to be the region of tranquillity ;— ere
long, various founds grew on the fenfe,
and .the living landfcape gave us new
pleafures ; the cottagers being now a-
broad, bufied in the feveral occupations
of the field. - < ,
As we purfued our journey, at an open
ing of the road to the left, we viewed the
^ruins of
BROUGH CASTLE.
In former times this was a formidable Brough
Cafllc.
fortrefs, and of Roman original ; its fitua
tion on the Roman road leading to Bro-
C 2 vonaicum

22 ^« E X C U R S I O N f 0
VONAICUM* by Aballaba, and its dif
tance from Lavatrae prove, that this
was the antient VERTERiiE mentioned
by Antonine and the Book of Notices,
where, in the decline of the Roman em
pire, a band of the DireBores were fta-
tioned. — The name of Burgh or Brough
is of Saxon extradlion ;— fiich fituations' :
were chofen by that people, for eretfl-
ing caftles, as being already places of
ftrength. Camden fays, but from what
authority I know not, that in the time of
the later empire, little caftles, calculated
for defence, and as ftorehoufes for corn,
began to be called Burgs. — The building
to the eaftern fide is circular, and feems
to be of modern architedture, but to the
weft there remains a noble tower, appa
rently of great antiquity.' The whole
caftle ftands on a confiderable eminence to
the north and weft, arifing fwiftly from
the plain ; to the fouth and eaft the ac
cefs is not fo fteep, but is guarded by a
deep ditch and rampart, which appear to-
be the remains of the old Roman ftation,
forming an area to the caftle. — In the be
ginning
f  -— — — I ¦•
* Camden's Britannia.

the LAKES. 23
ginning of the Norman goveynment, the
northern Englifh confpired here agalnft
William the Conqueror*.
In the laft century this place was re
paired by the Countefs of Pembroke, who
made it her refidence. — This appeared by
the following infcription f which lately
flood over the South entrance : " This
" caftle of Brough under Stainmore, and Vo^r
*' the great tovver of it, were repaired by
** the Lady Ann Clifford, Countefs Dowa-
" ger of Pembroke, Dorfe, and Montgo-
" mery. Baron CUffbrd, Weftmoreland,
C 3 and

* Camden's Britannia.
I f This infcription reminds me of one put up on ^
like occafion by the Countefs of Pembroke, on Skipton
ttCaftle, which runs as follows: " This Skipton Caftle'
' was repaired by the Lady Ann Clifford, Countefs
• Dowager of Pembroke, Dorfe, and Montgomery,
' Baronefs Clifford, Weftmoreland, and Vefey, Lady
• of the Honor of Skipton in Craven, and High She-
« riffefs by inheritance of the County of Weftmoreland,
' in the years 1657 and 1658, after the main part of
' it had lain ruinous ever fince December 1648 and the
' January following,- when it was then pulled down
' and demoliflied almoft to the ground, by the comand
' of the Parliament then fitting at Weftminfter, be-
' caufe it had been a garrifon in the then civil wars in
•England. Ifaiah, cha, Iviii. ver. 12, — God's name b?
' praifed."

24 -^^ Excursion to
" and Vefey, High Sherifi^ by inheritancd
*< of the county of Weftmoreland, and
" Lady of the Honor of Skipton in Cra-
" ven, in the year of our Lord God 1 6^^,
*' fo as fhe came to lie In it herfelf for a
'^ little while in September 1661, after it
" had laine ruinous without timber or
" any covering ever fince the year 1521,
*' when it was burnt by a cafual fire.
" Ifa. cha. Iviii. ver. i2.-T-God's name be
*' praifed." — The- ftone which contained,
this infcription, fome few years ago fell
down and w^as deftroyed.
As the fun advanced, he gave varioUSi
beauties to the fcene, the beams ftreaming
through the divifions in the mountains,;;
fhewed us their due perfpedlive, and
ftriped the pl&in with gold -r- the lighti
falling behind the caftle, prefented all its
parts perfedlly to us — through the bro-r
ken windows diftant objedfs were difco
vered ;— -the front ground lay in fhadows }
¦^— on the left the profpedl was fhut in by
a range of craggy mountains, Over whofei
fteeps fhrubs and , trees were fcattered ;— .
to the right a fertile plain was extended,
furmounted by diftant hills ; over theirfurn-

the LAKES. 25
fummits the retiring vapours, as they fled
the valley, dragged their watry Jldrts,
and gave a folemn gloom to that part of
the fcene. Behind the building, the lofty
promontary of Wilbore Fefl lifted its peak
ed brow, tinged with an azure hue, and
terminated the profped.
In order to examine this fortrefs with
greater attention, I revifited it the fuc
ceeding year. — When I attempt to give a
reafon for my fecond vifit to the Lakes,
and beating the fame road again, my eyes
fwim with tears, and my heart-rending
forrow is renewed to me in all its energy,
for the ineftimable lofs I have fuftained
fince my firft excurfion, in my fellow-
traveller, my draughtfman, my friend,
my fecond felf, my Brother ;— his virtues
were too excellent to be detained from
Heaven ;^-he departed in the flower of
youth, amidft all the fire of genius, in the
twenty-third year of his age.— Plate IV.
^ — With him the unfinifhed draughts of
thofe admirable views were loft ; — to re
cover them, though imperfectly, from my
great inferiority in that art, I again vificed
C 4 the

26 Jh E X C U R S I O N /(?
the pbjedls of his admiration, I repafled
his lines, trod his fteps, and with a me
lancholy degree of fatisfadlion viewed the
fcenes, which were then become to ine
folemn memorials of hlii} who was not.
— But to return^ — half mankind know
nothing of the beauties of nature, and
wafte in indolence and fleep the glorious
fcene which the moriiing prefents ; — as
we pafl^ed on, the varied prolpedl kept
attention awake.
Wf!j^' : At the diftance of a mile from Brough.
Warkup, to the left, aflords an agreeable
view ; — Warkup Hall, fhrouded with a
rich grove of fycamores, overtops the vil
lage ; the verdure of the meadows, with I
fome extenfive fields of vellow corn, cour
trafted by the hills of pafture ground
which lie on the fouthern fide, brown.
with the fummer heat, and tufted with
brufh-WQod, gave a pleafing variety :
whiift the morning beam, breaking aflant
upon the valley, and gliftering on the
brook, with the blue teints of fmoke that ,
arofe from the hamlets, painted the rural
fcene. — We were furnifhed with ideas.,'
which

the LAKE S. 27
iwhich ftill rendered this profpect more
pleafing, as they reminded us of the focial
fpirit of the owner of Warkup, in whofe
•life, hofpitality and benevolence are truly
charaflerized. We paffed over the ground where '^''""f'f
• '^^ Hill
Brough Hill Fair is annually held on ^*''^-
the laft day of September ; — a toll is due
on this occafion to Lord Thanet, for every
head of black cattle, &c. prefented there ;
I — for feveral years paft the number of
cattle expofed to fale, on an average, a-
mounted to eight thoufand and upwards,
pne thoufand horfes, together with a pro
digious quantity of fheep. — All kinds of
^merchandize are brought to this fair.
The Valley now growing more exten- tubuU
five, encreafed in varieties, and pleafed
us with a new fcene of cultivation and
hufbandry ; the large tra6ls of ground
which we paffed along, were lately com
mon, but are now dividing and forming
into inclofures. — Three tumuli of different
magnitudes lay on our left, one ,of which
was lately opened at the inftance of the
Bifhop of Carlifle, and fome remains of
arms.

28 Jm E X C U R S I O N /(?
arms, with the aflies of the interred, were
difcovered. — By what was found there, it
was apprehended the tumulus was Britifh.
At the fixth mile ftone we ftopped to
admire the fingularity of the view to the
right, where a range of mountains, ari
fing from the extenfive plain over which
we were travelling, ftretched to the weft-
ward, and afforded a romantic and noble
fcene ; the neareft hills, with rocky brows
and barren clilFs, ralfed their grey fronts
above the humble brufh wood, which girt
them in the midft, whilft their feet in hafty-
flopes defcended the vale in pafturage :
further retiring from the eye, the mountain
called Crofs-Fell^ with a front of naked
rock, overtops the adjoining hills ; being
faid to exceed the mountain Skiddaiv, in
Cumberland, one hundred and ten perpen
dicular feet in height: — further extending
weftward, the chain of mountains lay in
perfpedive, till they died away upon the
fight, and in azure hue feemed to mix
tvith the fky ; whilft at the foot of this
vaft range "of hills, three fmaller mounts,
of an exa6t conic form, running parallel,
beautified the fcene, being covered with
verdure

the LAKES. 29
Irerdure to their crowns; — the neareft,
called Dufton-Pike, was fhadowed by a
palTmg cloud, fave only the fummit of its
cone, which was touched by a beam that
pointed it with gold ; — the fecond pike
was all enlightened, and gave its verdure
to the profpe<5t as if mantled with velvet ;
—-the third ftood fhadoWed, whilft all the
range of hills behind were ftruck with fun-
Ihine, fhe wing their cliffs, caverns, and
dells in grotefque variety, and giving the
three pikes a pIcSurefque . projection on
tjie landfcape: — nature, as if delighted
to charm the eye of man, at this time
eaft an accidental beauty over the fcene ;
H— the fmall clouds which chequered the
fky, as they paffed along, fpread their
flitting fhadows on the diftant mountains,
and feemed to marble them ; a beauty
which I do not recolledl has ftruck any
painter, and which has not been defcribed
even by the bold hand of the immortal
Poufin. The moft exquifite fancy of a
painter could not have devifed more plea
fing variety of light and fhadow, than
what w4s eaft upon this profpedl, AP-

30 An Excursion to
APPLEBY;
A^pie- 'j'q which we now approached, thougl^
placed on an elevated fituation, was cour?
cealed from our view till we arrived withr.
in half a mile ; when from the hill which '
we had afcended, it gave an agreeable furr
prize. On the brink of a lofty eminence^
fronting towards the; Eaft, beneath which
runs the river Eden, the caftle prefented
itfelf. The fteep, on whofe brow this ncH
ble edifice is ereCted, is richly cloathed
with wood ; fave only Where a rugged
cliff" of red hue breaks through the trees,
and gives an agreeable variety to the land
fcape. — ^The front of the caftle is irregular
and antique, but lofes great fhare of its
beauty, by the joints of the building be-:
ing " whitened and bedaubed with llnie.
Over this front, the top of a fine fquare
tower Is difcovered, whofe corners arife
in turrets ; — the landfcape to the left is
richly wooded ; — to the right it is divided
by hanging gardens, which adjoin the
town, overtopped with dwellings: — the
pavilllons belonging the houfe of John
Robinfon, Efq: with the parterres and
floping plots of grafs ground, modernize a fcene.

the LAKES. 31
a fcene, which condemns all fadlltioufnefs
of tafte; and by the fimplicity and ele
gance nature prefents to us on the ad
joining lands, reproves the diftortions
which fhe receives iirom dull right lines
alid angles :—r-but whilft I cenfure fafhion,
I revere the owner of this manfion, whofe
excellencies are too eminent to want the
traveller's applaufe.
As we approached the bridge, and eaft
our eyes upon the valley, we were de
lighted with the happy affemblage of
woods and meadows, which form the
little vale, where Eden flows ; through
the thronging branches the water was
feen, in many places, reflecting a tremu
lous beam, and fparkling in the fun's rays ;
''—over the valley, rude cliffs and hanging
rocks, on this hand, appeared projecting
through the trees ; on that, was feen the
lofty front of the caftle.
The profpeCl frorn the terrace, which
is under the eaftern front of the caftle, is
very beautiful ; — to the right, the river
Eden forms a winding lake the diftance
of half a mile, whofe banks are cloathed
, with

32 .^n E X c u r s I o N /o
with lofty hanging woods, defcending la
a fwift but regular fweep to the brink of
of the ftream. Below us, the water mur
mured over a wear, where a mill added
to the pleafing founds. On the left, lofty
cliffs and precipices arife perpendicular:
from the water, over whofe brows, oaks
and alhes hanging, render their afpe(3:
more romantic by the folemn fhade.— Oa
the ground above, the public road lead
ing to Appleby, winds up the hill, on
whofe fide fome cottages are fcattered;
whilft all behind the diftant ground is
formed by mountains, fhadowed with
clouds. Whilft here we flayed, enjoying this
fweet fcene," I could not forbear pointing
out to my companion a litttle tenement
which had been remarked to me, ftanding^
oppofite to us, on the brink of the river,
where the faireft maid refides that graces
Eden's banks ; — ftately and tall, fhe feems
the lily of Eden's garden, whilft fhe is
fair and meek as lilies ; in her counte
nance beauty is graced with intelligence,
and in her behaviour innocence is mixed
with politenefs. The

the LAKES. 33
The garden grounds around Appleby
Caftle are without ornament, and calcu
lated for ufe only.
—On the weftCrn fide of this caftle, de
tached from the reft of the edifice, is a
lofty fquare, called by the people Cesar's i^owe'r!
Tower ; but whether of Roman con-
ftruCtion, is Impoffible to afcertain:— -I am
induced to believe it, from the mode of
architecture, to be of Norman original: —
the corners of the tower form a projec
tion of near a foot from the plane of each
front, and rife above the reft of the build
ing in fquare turrets, now covered with
lead, the remaining part of the top being -
embrafured: — there are two fmall win
dows in each front, near the middle of
the building, parallel to each other. — '
This tower is defended by an outward
wall, forming a crefcent at the diftance of
abbut twelve paces, now remaining near
twenty feet high, ftrongly fuftained on
the outfide by buttrelfes, ereCled on an
eminence thirty paces in afcent, and de
fended by a deep ditch -^yithout. — The
. quarter fronting to the caftle lies open to
the

34 An E X c V K s I 6 -n td ,
the area, which is enclofed by a wall,'
continued from the points of the crefcent^
jabi" This was the antient Aballaba, where'
°^^^f the Aurelian Maures kept a ftation : — it is'
*^^°^- almoft encompalTed by the river Eden.
— William King of Scotland, in his in*
curfions, furprized this fortrefs fome lit-»
tie time before he was taken prifonef at
Alnwick, which happened in the yeaif
1 174, where, with an army of eighty
thoufand men, he was overcome by ar
handful of opponents; under the command
of Barnard Ballot. King John In his nor
thern tour recovered the caftle, and gave
it to Robert Vipont for his fingular fer-*'
vices. — ^^Camden fays the affizes were en
tirely held there; and it was the common,'
gaol for malefactors*. — It is probable the
Roman ftation was fituate on this emi
nence, and that the prefent caftle ftands
on the fame ground ; but the Vallum 1$
totally effaced.
J^^ The great Half is worthy the obfervav
tlon of travellers, there being enclofed in
a cafe
^ CamdenV BrkannuY.

the LAKES, 35
a cafe in the walnfcpt, a fine piece of por
trait painting, of George Clifford, Earl of
Cumberland, his lady, and daughter, af
terwards Countefs of Dorfet, Pembroke, and
Montgomery, ornamented with their pedi
gree, and hiftorical notes of their lives and
atchievements.— A ftranger is from thence
conducted through an adjoining roo^i,
where the ragged remains of embroider'd
furniture, give you a deplorable idea of
decaying . magnificence, and the vanity
pf pride ; — the door of a clpfet being
fiiddenly thrown open, you are ftartled
from your reverie by the fhaking of ar
mour, and the fight of a compleac fuit,
trembling in every joint.— This is pre
ferved with great attention, as having
been worn by the fame George Earl of
Cumberland, the laft Earl of th^t name,
and father of the Countefs of Pembroke,
by whom great pofleffions came to the
Thanet family.— The arms are richly em-
boffed and inlaid with gold, and fhew the
Earl to have been a man of low ftature.
In its ichnography, this caftle is not
. mvich unlike to the ruins of Brough ; the
D towers

3^ J« E x c u R s I o N to
towers of each being detached from the
main edifice, and placed to the weft.
Appleby caftle is one of the feats of the
Earl of Thanet, but of late years much
negleCled by the family. — Lord Thanet
is hereditary Sheriff of the county of Weft
moreland, and as fuch intitled to many
privileges ; fome of which, in this age of Ut
berty and cultivation, are rather oppref:
five ; his free-chace in particular. ,
The great pofl^effions of the Countefs of
Pembroke, in this country, came into the
Thanet family in the following manijer:
— John Earl of Thanet fucceeded his mo
ther, Margaret Countefs of Thanet, as
Baron of Clifford, Weftmoreland, and
Vefey, in the year 1676 ; and in the yeai^
1678 he alfo fucceeded his coufin, the
Lady Alathea, fole daughter and helrefs-
of James Earl of Northampton, by his
firft wife, the Lady Ifabella, his mother's
fifter : whereby he became poffeflTed of the
whole inheritance of his grandmother, the
Countefs of Pembrol^e?'*.
* , \ The
* CoUing's Peerage.

f^^ L A K E S. 37
The toivn of Appleby chiefly confifts -^-^p'^"
of one wide continued ftreet, hanging up
on the f^vlft decline of a hill, in a direc
tion north and fouth ; the caftle termina
ting it on the fummit, the church at the
foot. — The fituation is agreeable in the
fummer feafon ; but in the winter, cold.
— The meadow aijid pafture grounds are
beautiful ; but there is little tillage ; it hav
ing been a received opinion for ages paft,
that grain would not ripen or come to
perfection fo near the moors and moun-r
tains, from wheiiice a eontinued moift va
pour is fuppofed to vbe borne into the val
ley, which blights the cprn in its bloffom,
g.nd prevents its filling pr coming to matu
rity : but this abfiirdity is declining thro'
experience, which hath taught the inha.-
bitants, that the want of knowledge in
agriculture was the chief defeCt, ^.nd the
impetuous rain's to which a mountainous
country is fubjeCt, their greateft detriment.
: This is a very antient Borough, and Boro»&^
by prefcription fen4s two rnembers to par-
-Jjament.^ — It is the county town, but not
jblefl with a ^tijation for trade.- — The mar-
P .* )?et.3 .

38 ./^M E X C U R S I O N ?0
kets are not populous, the country ad
joining, by reafon of its extenfive waftes
and uncultivated lands, being thinly in
habited*. — This is a corporation town,
and governed by a mayor, aldermen, and
common council.— The late conflicts in
political matters have enriched the inha*
bitants ; the contefted eleClions for this
borough having beftowed on the burgage
owners many thoufands of pounds. The

* Appleby, antiently Aballaba, was a city in the time
. of the Romans: had a charter from Henry I. and con
firmed by King John. It continued a place of great ac
count till 1 176, when it was utterly deftroyed by the
Scots, as appears from a ftone in the fchool garden.^
houfe. — It enjoys tlie fame privileges as York, by grant
from Henry III. ^
Appleby caftle was granted the 4th of King John, to
Robert- Vipont, which includes the barony, but not the
burrough of Appleby, that having been granted to the
burgefles there by King Henry II. and confirmed by King
John, In the fecond year of his reign; fo likewife by
Hewy III. in the i6th of his reign.
Dug. B^ron. Vol. I. p. 347,
Edward II, in the jth year of his reign, 13 12, took
the town of Appleby into his hands, for the arrearage
of their yearly farm. The town remained in the King's
hands a confiderable time : tlje townfmen came and
made fine to Edward III. and he reftored it to them, to
be holden by them in the fame plight as they held it be
fore the caption.
See Record at full length in Madox tlrraa Burgi,-,i
p. 162, pro Burgenfibus de Appleby.

the LAKES. 39
The place where the judges of affize fit co4rts
in judgment on criminals, is very antique juitice,
and remarkable: — by the arms placed on
one of the corner pillars, it appears to
have been ereCled by the Pembroke fa
mily : — it is fituated in the market place,
fronting the north ; the fides are opened
by a rude baluftrade, and in the front
fupported by pillars ; fo that it may pro
perly be faid, the judge fits difpenfing juf-
tice in the forum.
The Buildings in this place are chiefly BuIM-
antient ; fome few modern houfes of red *"^^*
free-ftone, which have a remarkable fine
effeCt, are interfperfed.— Near the fummit
of the hill, flands an obeliflc, a pillar of
the Ionic order, arifing on fome few fteps ;
on the bafe of which is cut this remark
able infcription: — " Prefer'ue your liber-
*' ties, maintain your rights T — It feems
to be placed there as a public fatire on
the conduct: of the burgage owners,
and to imply, hither and no further the
conflagration of public virtue advanced.
— As it had its origin in the contefted elec
tions, it excites a fmile of derifion on the
i]Countenance of the traveller, to whofe
D 3 mind

40 J7i E X C U R S I O N /^
mipd it . renews the odious ideas of the
corruptions of the age. — In the midft of
the town, to the annoyance of every
paiTenger, ftand a filthy flaughter-houfe
and fhambles.
School. Here is a School, amply endowed^
founded by Robert Langton and Miles
Spence, DoCtors of Laws. — It was under
the conduct of one Reginald Bainbrig, in
Camden's time ; who fpeaks of him with
great refpeCt. Before the door of the
fchool-houfe, fome Roman altars are
placed, fully treated of by other travel
lers : amongft which antiquities, Regi
nald Bainbrig has given a memorial of
his folly to pofterity, by fome infcrip-
tions in antique characters, to celebrate
his own memory, in which at leaft his la
tin inelegance " q.ui docuit hic" might
have been fpared. Here is alfo an hof
pital founded by the Pembrokes, with a
flipend for a chaplain : — the hofpital is
built on a fquare, forming an area in the

center*i

The

* In this town was a houfe of white friars, faid to
Jiave been founded by the Lord Vefey, Lord Percy, and
Lord

the LAKES. 41
The road we purfued from Appleby,
for feveral miles, gave us great plea
fure : the vallies through which the ri
ver Eden flows, are fingularly beautiful;
their woody banks and level meads afford
variety of landfcapes, particularly below
Crackenthorp. On the oppofite > fhore of
the river, furrounded with a thick wood,
the ruins of Buley Cajlle are feen, now Buiey
confifting only of one fhattered tower. —
This was an antient retreat of the Bifhops
of. Carlifle.
We paffed KirbyThore, where i^jrby
no remains of antient Roman grandeur, T'^'"^^-
fpoken of by Camden, are now to be
found,' except the veftigia of part of the
Vallum. He prefumes this was the Gal- ^^jj^_
lagum of Ptolomy. — The maiden way, a gum.
Roman pavement, leads from hence to
Caer-Vorran, on the PiCts wall ; along
which, it is probable, ftood thofe ftations
fpoken of by Antonine, tho' now totally
effaced.~In this neighbourhood were thofe
D 4 written

Lord Clifford, in 1281. After the diflblutlon it was
granted to Chriftopher Crakenthorpe, 35 Henry VIII.
See Tanner, p. j88.

Infcrip- tiuiis.

42 ^« E X C U R S I O N /O
written rocks, whofe infcriptions are pre
ferved by Camden, though obUterated by
time, or ignorant workmen*.
VARRONIVS
— EFECTVS LEG. XX. W*. *vv.
— AEi. LVCANVS
—P. Lie. II AVG. C.
which may be read thus : VarrOnius prae-
feClus Legionis Vicefime valentis' ViClricis
Aelius Lucaniis pr^feCtus Legionis Se-
Cundse Augufta; caftrametati funt. — -In,
another place- —
CIA. OCT. COT. COSSi
¦ — The twentieth LegioUj called Valens
ViCtrix, kept their refidenCe at Deva or
Weft Chefter, and the -fecond Legion, Au-
gufta, at Ifcaj that is, Cacr-Leon, iti Wales.
¦ — They probably were employed agalnft
the northern powers, and encamped here.
Aeon- Acorn-Bank, late the feat of ths Dal-
ftons, but now of William Norton, Efq;
an elegant modern building, covered with
fine plantations, lay in our way ; com
manding an agreeable, though narrow
profpeCt, over rich meadows to the fouthj de-

* Camden's Britannia.

the E A K E S.

43

defcending to the town of Tempte-Soiverby ; Temple
of which place we were told nothing me- h"'
morable, but that there remained to this
day a pecuniary compofition, paid to the
Lord of the Manor, in lieu of his cuftom
with each bride within his jurifdIClion. —
It is an extra-parochial place, and from
its antient owners, the Knights Templars,
enjoyed many privileges which are now
obfolete. We then paffed WhiNfieLd ParK, an whm-
iextenfive foreft, the property of the Earl chace.
of Thanet, where we had the pleafure of
viewing a large traCt of ground, lately
enclofed from the park^ and growing corn.
>— ^There is not any thing can give greater
fatisfaClion to the eye of the traveller,
than to behold cultivation and induftry
ftretching their paces over the heath and
wafte, the foreft and the chace: — popula
tion muft followj and riches enfue. — In
Whinfield, the remains of an antient oak, oaks.
of prodigious fize, is fhewn to ftrangers,
called Three-brother Tree, a name arifing
from the concealment of three brethren
within its cavity. — On the way fide, the
fhattered trunk of an oak, called White Hart

44 An Excursion t0
Hart Tree, is feen, a contemporary per*
haps of the other, though inferior in fize
-^the monument of elapfed centuries, and
the effigy of old age ; ftretching forth its
withered limbs on one fide, and on the
other, a fcanty foliage and poor remnant
of life. — This tree is nine yards and two
feet in circumference.
Pern- A ftone pillar, ereCked by the fide of
broke's , -^ , ^1
Pillar, the road, next attracted our attention;
near to which ftands a ftone table. — The
ftalk of the pillar is hexagon, the top of
it fquare; on the fides of which are re
prefented, in feveral quarterings, the arms
of the Pembrokes, a fouth dial, and the
following infcription: —
" This pillar was erected anno Domini
''1656, by the Right Honourable Ann
" Countefs Dowager of Pembroke, &c.
" daughter and fole heirefs of the Right
" Honourable George Earl of Cumberland,
" for a memorial of her laft parting in
" this place, with her good and pious
" mother, the Right Honourable Margaret
" Countefs Dowager of Cumberland, the
" 2d of April 1 61 6 J in memory whereof " flie

the LAKES; 45
" fhe alfo left an annuity of four pounds
*' to be diftributed to the poor of the pa-
" rifh of Brougham, every fecond day of
" April for ever, upon the ftone table here
hard by. Laus Deo*.

(C

We quitted thC high road in order to ^'°^£"
pafs by Brougham Castle, a fpacious ^*"^^*
ruin, fituate on the banks 'of the river
Emont ; that we might enjoy the pro-
ipeCl to advantage, we croffed the river,
and made a fweep round the mill, which
ftands almoft oppofite to Brougham;
froin thence the view opened upon us
with an happy effeCt.—- —The

* Margaret Countefs of Cumberland was the third
daughter of Francis Earl of Bedford, and married
George the third and laft Earl of Cumberland.
^ Dugdale's Bar. Vol.1, p. 34 J.
She erefted a monument in her life time, in Appleby
church, for her burial. — She parted with her daughter,
Ann Countefs Dowager' of Pembroke, at the pillar, 2d
of April ]6i6, and died the 24th of May 16 16, and was
turied at Appleby, See her Epitaph in Le Neve Monumenta
Anglicana, Vol. III. p, 52, No. 96.
Ann Countefs Dowager of Pembroke died the 22d of
March 1675;, and was buried at Appleby,,.
See her Epitaph in Le Neve, Vol, IV, p. 168, No. 42 j.

4<5 An Excursion to
— The mill with its ftreams lay on the
left — a fhlnlng canal, formed by the river
Emont, margined with fhrubs, fpread a
confiderable diftance to the right — whilft
the ftreams which fell over a wear made
a foaming cafcade in front. On the op
pofite brink of the channel ftands the
caftle;^ — the fide next the river is divided
by three fquare towers ; — from thence on
either hand a little wing falls back, the
one leading to the gate-way, the othet
connected with the outworks, which ex
tend to a confiderable diftance along a
grafly plane of pafture ground, termi
nated by a turret, one of the outpofts of
the caftle :-^the centre of the building is
a lofty fquare tower ;-^the fhattered tur
rets which form the angles, and the hang
ing galleries, are grown over with fhrubs:
— the fun beams, which ftruck each gafp-
ing loup and bending window, difcovered
the inward devaftation and ruin, and
touched the whole with admirable co
louring and beauty. — To grace the land
fcape, groups of cattle were difperfed on
the pafture, and through the tufts of afh
trees, which were irregularly fcattered on
the

the LAKES. 47
the back ground, diftant mountains were
feen, Ikirting the horizorj.
The lower apartment in the principal
tower ftill remains intire ; being a fquare
of twenty feet, covered with a vaulted
roof of ftone, confifting of eight arches
of light and excellent workmanfhip. The
groins are ornamented with various gro
tefque heads, and fupported in the centre
by an oCtagon pillar about four feet in
circumference, with a capital and bafe of
Norman architecture. In the centre of
each arch rings are fixed, as if defigned
for lamps to illuminate the vault.
From the conftruCtion of this cell, and
its fituation in the chief tower of the for
trefs, jt is not probable it was formed for
a prifon, but rather was ufed at the time
of fiege and affault, as the retreat of the
chief perfons of the hbufehold.
In Mr Grofe'5 ingenious preface to the
Antiquities of England and Wales, we
have the following obfervations : " On an
" eminence in the centre, commonly, tho
*' not always, ftood the keep or dungeon; " fome

48 J« E X C U R S I O N /O
*¦ fbmetlmes, as in the relation of the fiege
" of Bedford .caftle, emphatically called
" the tower ; it was the citadel or laft re-
" treat of the garrifon, often furrounded
: " by a ditch, with a draw bridge and
*' machicolated gate, J and occafionally
¦ ' with an outer wall, garnifhed With fmall
" towers. In large caftles, it was generally
*' a high fquare tower, of four or five fto-
*' ries, having turrets at e^ch angle: in
" thefe turrets were the ftaircafes, and
" frequently, as in Dover and Rochefter
" caftles, a well. If inftead of a fquare,
" the keep or dungeon happened to be
*' round, it was called a julliet, from a
" vulgar opinion that large round towers
•' were built by Julius Csefap.
" The walls of this edifice were always
'¦of an extraordinary thicknefs ; which
" has enabled them to outlive the other
" building's, and to withftand the united
" injuries of time and weather ; the keeps
" or, dungeons being almoft the only part
" now remaining of our ancient caftle^.
" Here were the ftatc rpoi^s for" the go-^
" ve.rnor, &c."

the LAKES. 49
The approach to this caftle is guarded
by an outward-vaulted gateway and tower,
with a port cullis ; and at the diftance of
about twenty paces, an. inward- vaulted
gateway of ribbed arches with a port cul^
lis ; through which you enter a fpacious
area, defended by a lofty waU.'
This caftle is fituated on the north fide
of the Roman ftation Rronovaicum, ^^°°^°^
which has formed an area and outwork
one hundred and twenty paces fquare, de
fended by the Vallum and an outward
ditch ; both at this time very difcernable,
— The angles of this camp are obtufe,
like moft others of that people.^ — This was
the ftation of a band of Defenfores*, and
in the Book of Notices is laid down as
being feventeen Englifh miles from Ver-
TERAE.— r-Broughamwasthe Lordfhip and
Caftle of the Vipcnts, included in the
Barony of Appleby and Brough, given to
Robert de Vipont by King John, from
whofe family it defcended to the Cliffords j
but who was the founder is not known. -^On

* Camden's Britannia.

§o Jm E X C U R S I O N /o
— On the outward gate, the rernalns of
the arms of the Vallibus or Vaulx family
are to be obferved, being chequy Or, and
gules ; from whence I am led to conjeCture
they were builders, or great contributors
to the works. — This caftle is now the prq?
perty of Lord Thanet.
Carlton. Havlug uow entered the county of
Cumberland, and paffing on behind
Carlton, the feat of James Wallace,
Efq; the eye wandered over a fine culti
vated country, from whence we had a
diftant view of the rich valley of Lowther,
graced with noble and extenfive woods. —
As we approached Penrith, the moun
tains and piles of rocks, which ftand on
Uls-Water, aflbrded an auguft fcene
- — and at the termination of the road the
ruins of Penrith Caftle prefented them-?
felves. — The genius, virtue, and induftry
of the owner of the rich lands which we
were then paffmg, arofe to our thoughts ;
¦^— the benevolent mind muft ever be
touched with pleafure, to difcern the re
wards of profperity blefQng the man of
merit. PENRITH

the LAKES. SI
PENRITH
Is an agreeable town, fituate on the eafy Penrith
dechne of a hill to the fouthward ; it is
unchartered, being governed by the Stew
ard of the Honor, and a Jury. — A con
fiderable manufactory of cotton and linen
checks is carried on here, and alfo a great
trade in tanned leather ; — the town houfe
is in ruins, having been deftroyed by a
fire fome few years ago 5 — the orhaments
mentioned by Camden are in fome parts
remaining, which prove the ancient pa
tronage of the War wicks 5 — the houfes
in general are well. built, the inhabitants
facetious and polite.— The name of this
place is derived from the colour of the
hills near it, Penkoeth being in the
ancient Britifh language a red hill.
There was formerly in this place a
houfe of Grey Friars*, founded before the Gref
reign of Edward the Second, but its re
venue, to my knowledge, is not men
tioned by any author ; — in the 34th of
Henry VIII. it was granted to Robert
Tyrwhit, Efq.'^ — There are two charity
E fchools

* Tanner, p. 7 7 .

52 u4« E X C U R S I O N ?(?
fchools here, one for boys, and another
for girls, well endowed.
In the year 1 385 Penrith fuffered fevere-
ly by the Scots; who taking advantage of
the retreat of Richard II. after he had car
ried fire and fword into their country, ra
vaged all the diftriCts on the borders, and
laid this town in alhes. That Monarch's
conduct on this occafion was highly re-
prehenfible, and it became one of the
principal charges brought agalnft him.
Our firft excurfion from Penrith was to
Beacon mount the fteep hill on which the Beacon
is placed, upwards of a mile to the north
ward of the town; — the labour was great
by which we afcended, but the view am-
-ply rewarded our fatigue. — The beacon
houfe is a fquare building of ftone, and
happily fituated for the purpofe of alarm
ing the country in times of public danger,
as it commands an extenfive vale.
— The northern window of the beacon
houfe affords a profpeCt of Crofs Fell,
with the Pikes 'of Dufton, together with
a chain of mountains extending from eaft
to weft near thirty miles ; the weftern point

the LAKES. 53
point finking in the fpacious plain where,
the city of Carlifle lies. The utmoft bounds
of this view are formed by a ridge of
Scotch mountains. — Some faint appear
ance 'of St Mary's church, marks to the
eye the fite of Carlifle.
— The eaftern window prefented a view
of the country we had paffed, bounded by
the hills of Stainmore, and that lofty pro
montary Wilbore-fell, with its neighbour
ing mountains above Kirby Stephen.
— ^The fouth window prefented, to us a
view of Brougham Caftle, with its plains of
pafture ground. — The fpreading \\ oods of
Lowther, intermixed with rich cultivated
lands, formed the rifing grounds. — Some
parts of the lake of Uls-water were feen,
whilft the mighty rocks and mountains
which hemmed in the lake, lifted up their
heads in rude confufion, and crowned the
fcene. — The weftern window aflx»rded a new,
and not lefs pleafing profpeCt; — the town
of Penrith lay before us, and here and
there the river Emont fliewed its wind
ings through the woods. —The hill which
E 2 rifes

54 Jb E X C U R S I o N to
rifes above the town is crowned with the
awful remains of a royal fortrefs ; — time
has defpoiled its grandeur, but its Honors
ftill furvive to its noble owner, the Duke
of Pordand, who therewith holds the Ho
nor of Penrith, formerly a royal franchife.
— Beyond thefe objeCts, amidft a range
of mountains, at the diftance of eighteen
miles, Skiddow is feen, whofe majeftic
front furmounts all the high lands that
terminate the view.
— The whole profpeCt from the beacon
hill, as you turn every way, prefents you
with a vaft theatre, upwards of one hun
dred miles in circumference, circled with
ftupendous mountains.
Common juftlce requires, that in what-!
ever ftation of life merit, is difcovered, it
fhould receive a degree of praife propor
tioned to its excellence. — From this uni-
verfal principle, which benevolence de
lights to cherifli, I muft not pafs in filence
the deferts of our Penrith hoft: — ^The
common conduCt of publicans prepoffeffes
the mind of the traveller, when he enters
an inn, with the unfavourable idea, that
your hoft is an unfeeling extortioner, im- ,
pertinent^

the LAKES. 55
pertinent, curious, andimpofing; — ^who
ever vifits Penrith, either on bufinefs or
pleafure, will find the keeper of the White
Swan the very reverfe ; — a man above his
rank in fentiments, above his fellows in'
propriety of manners ; his houfe commo»
dious and clean, his provifions excellent,
and his attendance prompt and not im
pertinent. Our fecond excurfion from Penrith was
by Lowther to the Lake of Uls- ciifton
water; — we paffed the village oi Clif
ton, memorable for the fkirmifh on the
1 8th day of December, 1745, between the
Duke of Cumberland's forces and the re
bels. — On the approach to Clifton from
Lowther, the way which the Duke's forces
advanced, lies Clifton moor, a fpacious
Common, defcending with an eafy flope
towards the village ;- — on the weftern fide
the road is fituate, within twenty yards
of the inclofures, which are fenced by
hedges and ftone walls, from whence the
rebels begun firing on the Duke's horfe,
and made fome flaughter; — to the eaft,
the land defcends to fome fwamps, with
fmall inclofures, at the foot of which is a
E 3 narrow

S6 An ExcvKsiois to
narrow dark lane, paffable for no more
than one horfeman at a time. Near this
place. General Honey wood received thofe
marks of favage barbarity which had al
moft coft him his life. — A litde detached
from the village ftands a cottage, where the
rebel Captain, Hamilton, with fome others,
had concealed themfelves. This being
difcovered, one of the Duke's Huffars,
with great dexterity, attacked the houfe,
and riding round it, fired feveral Ihot in
at the Mnndow, which did fome execution,
and obliged Hamilton to fliew himfelf;
when there began "a fingle combat, be
tween two ecj[ually expert in horfemanfhip
and the ufe of arms ; in which Hamilton
was taken prifoner, after giving and re
ceiving many wounds.
— A train of melancholy fentiments
flowed in upon the mind, on paffing the
ground rendered famous to pofterity by
battles and flaughter; — when , rebeUion
adds its horrid dye to darken the retro-
fpeCtlon, the foul recoils at the fad unna-r
tural fcene ; and tears ftart from 'he eye,
to v/eep the fins of fell ambition, and the
pride of man. >,.. We

the LAKE S.

57

We vlfited the prefent works of Sir ^J';;%
James Lowther, to which he is pleafed to
give the name of The Village ; the build
ings are of ftone, handfomely fafhed, and
covered with blue flate. — Our approach
was at the eaftern end, where the work
there proceeding formed a crefcent, be
hind which, the other buildings are thrown
in fquares. — The defign for which the pro
prietor is building this beautiful place, is,
to entertain a number of linen manufac
turers, the erections being calculated for
that purpofe, with proper apartments for
the directors and governors of fuch a work.
• — By appearance, it feems as if it would
be capable of receiving a thoufand artifts.
The utility and greatnefs of this projeCt
are too manif eft to require the traveller's
animadverfions ; enough it is to fay, that
fuch works, under the aufplces of fuch
men, give the obferver infinite pleafure.
The diftances between the rich and poor,
in this luxurious and proud age, have been
too diftinCtly maintained. -^The wealth
and felicity of this nation depends upon
the intimate connection between property
and trade. — Where opulence is difiufcd in
E 4 works

Low ther

5S .,4m E X G U R S I O N to
works to blefs the induftrlous poor, in
projects to promote manufactory and arts,
panegyric is filenced by that inward ap-^
probation and efteem, which leads the
mind to regard fuch virtue, in the cha-^
raCter of the rich man, with reverence.
-—We pafs'd along from this agreeable
College, fcene to a place called the College, from
its having been formerly the refidence
of the preceptors of the Lowther Family:
where our admiration was enlarged by
the princely works there carried on, at the
fole expence of Sir James. We obtained
Carpet admlffion to infpeCt the carpet manufac-^
faiaory. tory, which is conducted in the manner
of the Goblines. — It is not polfible to
convey any competent idea of the beauty
of this work by , defcriptlon ; — the fhag
thrown up on the face of the carpeting is
about half an inch in thicknefs, which
renders it fo durable, that a new ereCted
manfion would not outftand fuch furni
ture. The colours are dlfpofed with the
utmoft tafte and judgment, in reprefentar
tion of natural flowers ; as delicate, eafy,
and juft, as the works of the pencil. — ^We
were fo fortunate as to fee in the looms fome

the LAKE S. 59
fome carpets of peculiar beauty ; the one
wrought on a copper-coloured ground,
fcattered with fprigs of floweis; the other
on a violet ground ; — the rofes and con
volvulus, the jefmines and carnations^
were exquifite;— they looked like frefh
pulled flowers thrown upon velvet ; their
difpofition was in the happieft tafte, and
the colours given to form the moft agree
able changes and variety .---The mafter of
this work, in an open and polite manner,
conducted us ; not omitting one circum-
ftance which he apprehended could add
to our pleafure in the infpeCtion, — The
Ipinning for this work is done by children
from the foundling hofpital. — Tears of
pleafure guflied from the eye, to behold
thefe poor orphans, who would otherwlfe
perhaps have been totally loft to the world
jind themfelves ; thus, by fo excellent a
charity, faved from the hands of deftruc-
tion and vice, rendered ufeful members
of fociety, and happy in their induftry
^and innocence.
— The carpet manufaCtury is carried
on folely for Sir James's pleafure, and not
for fale ; we were informed that fome litde

6o u^ra E X c u R s i.o N ?o
little time ago a piece of this work was
prefented to her Majefty.
Ajicam. Pafllng from the college we defcended
the banks of the river Lowther, whofe
woody fcenes are every where piCturefque
and pleafing: —  " In this path
" How long foe'er the wanderer roves, each ftep
," Shall wake frefh beauties, each Ihort point prefent
" A different pifture ; new, and yet the fame*.
— The beauties of the profpeCt at Afkam
Bridge engaged our attention^^ — the water
defcendiiig over a rocky channel, fell in
irregular and foaming ftreams ; — the little
plain above was drefled in brighteft green;
the lofty banks on every hand, were cloath
ed with ftately oaks, fave only where a
bold promontary, which overhung the
road we had paffed, fhewed its rocky brow
from out the fhade which crowned its
threat'ning front.
A gentleman who was fo obliging as
accompany us in this da^/'s excurfion, con
ducted our rout with great judgment; — ¦
from
* Mafon's Garden,

the LAKES. 6t
firom Lowther, he caufed us to afcend the
hills, which bordered upon Uls-water ; fo
that the Lake was totally concealed from
us in our approach, till we were juft up
on it.
— Havlrfff attained the fummit, with
. , uls
no fmall degree of patience and fatigue, water
it opened fuddenly upon our view, pre-
fenting a fheet of water in the form of an
S, nine miles in extent, and above a mile
in width ; — ^as we looked thereon from an
eminence, we could difcern all its bays,
fliores and promontaries, and in the ex
tenfive landfcape take in a variety of ob
jects, thrown together with all that beau
ty, which v/ood and w^ter, lav/ns, rifing
fweeps of corn, villas, villages, and cots,
furmountpd by immenfe mountains and
rude cllfls, can form to the eye ; — the
country to the right, for many miles, was
variegated in the fineft manner, by enclo-
fures, woods, and villas ; amongft which
Grayftock, Dacre, and.^Delmain were
feen, whilft to the left, nothing but ftu
pendous mountains, and rude" projecting
rocks, prefented themfelves, vying with
each other, for grandeur and eminence. We

62 An Excursion to
We defcended to the village of Poole V,
and from thence, by a winding road on
the margin of the Lake, pafled on near a
mile, to a fmall inn, where we left our
horfes. On the water we were accommodated
with one of the Duke of Portland's barges,
which have been fent there by his Grace
for pleafuring ; — a ftrong fouth breeze
rendered the Lake fo rough, that the furf
broke over the bow, whilft the fwell gave
us motion, almoft equal to that felt at
fea ; my companion fiiffered no fmall mor
tification by this accident, as It incommo
ded him in drawing views of this admi
rable fcene. — We were obliged to coaft it
up the lake, and keep as much -under the
wind as poffible, the labour being great
to make any way, with four boat-men at
the oars.
— As we took the boat, there ftood
to our right, a mountain almoft cir
cular, covered with verdure to the
Crown, arifing fwiftly from the edge of
the water many hundred feet in height, and

the LAKES. ^3
and fhadowing us from the fun ; — to the
left, the lake fpread out its agitated bo-
fom, whitened with innumerable breakers,
above a mile in breadth ; whofe oppofite
fhore in one part afcended gradually with
cultivated lands from the village of Poo-
ley, fkirting the hills ; over which, fome
fcattered wood was happily difpofed in
irregular groves and winding lines ; whilft
all above, the brown heath reached the
fummits.— This land adjoined a mountain
much fuperior In height to that on our
right, rifing almoft perpendicular from the
lake, with naked cliffs : on its rugged fide,
through the grey rocks, was torn a paf-
fage for a rivulet, whofe waters fell preci
pitate with a mighty noife into the deep
below ; — the ground more diftant, which
was feen ftill upwards, over an expanfe
of water not lefs than four miles, confifted
of lofty rocks and bold promontaries, here
and there Ihewing naked and ftorm-
bleached cliffs ; and in other places, fcat
tered over with the fpring of young oaks,
arifing from the ftocks of trees which the
ax had lately flain. — We could not forbear
lamenting the lofs of fo great an ornament
to this romantic fcene, as a foreft of tim ber

64 An Excursion to
ber trees hanging on thefe declivities muft
have been, from this and every other
point of view on the lake.
As we paffed along, having doubled
two fmall capes, we fell into a bay, under
the feat of John Robinfon, Efq; of Wa-
water ^^^ Mellock. — From the very margin
lock, of the lake, in this part, the grafs ground ,
afcended gradually in an eafy flope, where
were difperfed, in agreeable irregularity,
pretty groves of afh : there
 " Many a glade is found,
" The haunt ot wood gods only, where if art
" E'er dar'd to tread, 'twas with unfandal'd feet,
" Printlefs, as if the place was holy ground,*"
— ^Above which, the eafy inclining hills
fhewed us vellow fields of corn, over-
topped by the white front of a venerable
manfion, more noted for hofpitality, than
the elegance of its ftruCture.
— The pleafantnefs of this bay, the ver
dure of the new-mown meads, with the
fhade of the grove, induced us there to
take our noon-tide repaft. . —Whilft
* Mafon's Garden,

the L: A k e s. 6s

— ^Whilft we fate to regale, the barge
put off from fhore, to a ftation where the j^ ^^
fineft echoes were to be obtained from the
furrouriding mountains. — ^The veffel was
provided with fix brafs cannon, mounted
on fwivels ; — on difcharging one of thefe
pieces, the report was echoed from the
oppofite rocks, where by reverberation it
feemed to roll from cliff to cliff, and re
turn through every cave and valley ; till
the decreafing tumult gradually died away
upon the ear.
— ^The inftant it had ceafed, the found
of every diftant water-fall was heard, but
for an inftant only ; for the momentary
ftillnefs was interrupted by the returning
echo on the hills behind ; where the report
was repeated like a peal of thunder burft-
ing' over our heads, continuing for feveral
feconds, flying from haunt to haunt, till
once more the found gradually declined ;
. — again the voice of water-falls poffeffed
the interval, — till to the right, the more
diftant thunder arofe upon fome other
mountain, and feemed to take its way up
every

66 An Excursion to
every winding dell and creek, fometimes
behind, on this fide, or on that, in won-
derous fpeed, running its dreadful courfe ;
— when the echo reached the mountains
within the line and channel of the breeze,
it was heard at once oi> the right and left,
at the extremities of the lake. — In this
manner was the report of every difchax'ge
re-echoed feven. times diftinCtly.
— At intervals we were relieved from
this entertainment, which confifted of a
kind of wond'rous tumult and grandeur
of confufion, by the mufic of two French
horns,, whofe harmony was repeated from
every recefs which echo haunted on the
borders of the lake ; — here the breathings
of the organ were imitated, there the baf-
foon with clarinets ; — in this place froiri'
the harflier founding cliiTs, the cornet ; — '
in that from the wooded creek, amongft'
the caverns and the trilling water -falls,
we heard the foft-toned lute accompanied
with the languifliing ftralns of enamoured I
nymphs ; whilft in the copfe and grove *
was ftill retained the mufic of the horns.
All this vaft theatre was poffeffed by in
numerable

the LAKES. 6f
numerable aerial beings, who breathed ce*
leftial harmony.
— As we finifhed our repaft, a gene
ral difcharge of the guns, roufed us to
new aftonifhment ; although we hid heard
with great furprize the former echoes,
this exceeded them fo much that it feem
ed incredible : for on every ¦ hand, the
founds were reverberated and 'returned
from fide to fide, fo as to give the fem-
blance of that confufion and horrid up
roar, which the falling of thefe ftupen
dous rocks would occafion, if by fbme
internal combuftion they were rent to
pieces, and hurled into the lake.
. • During the time of our repaft, the wind
was huflied, and the lake, which on our
firft entrance was troubled and foaming^
How became a, fhinirig -mirror, reflect
ing reverfed mountains, rocks, groves,
meads, and vales ; — the water was fo
tranfparent, that we could perceive the
fifh and pebbles at the depth of fix or
eight fathom ;— We now doubled a woody
promontary, and paffing by the foot of
Gobery Park, afcended into the narrow
F part

6S .^M E X c U R S I O N W
part of the lake, leaving the graffy mar
gins and fcattered copfe, which had bor
dered the water as we paflled by Water
Mellock; now all around us being one
fcene of mountains, which hemmed us in,
arifing with awful and precipitate fronts;
— here the white cliffs raifed their pointed'
heads, there the fhaken and rifted rocks
were fplit and cavated into vaft fhelves,
chafms, rand dreary cells, which yawned
upon the fhadowed lake ; whilft other
fteeps lefs rugged were decked with fhrubs,
which grew on every plain and chinlg,,
their fummits being embrowned with fun,-'
parched mofs and fcanty herbage.
gjj^. — ^The fcene was nobly awful as we
Crag! approached Starbury Crag; — at every
winding of our paffage, new hills and
rocks were feen to overlook thofe which
had but the minute before been new upoa
our profpeCl ; the clouds hung heavily up
on the mountains, rolling in gloomy vo
lumes over their heads, in fome places
dragging their ragged fkirts along the
fides of fteeps, giving them a deep and
melancholy fhade ; in others, admitting the

the LAKES. 6^
the fun-beams, which illumined the wind
ing dells with a greyifh light.
Within a little diftance of the fhore, we
were fhewn a fpring, defcribed to be of
fulphurine quality, but liegleCted by the
neighbouring gentlemen, and . remaining
tmanallzed: its fituation was. fuch, that it
was inconvenient to go to view it, fo that
we only depended on the relation of our
attendants for its defcriptlon. — On my fe
cond vifit to this lake, I enquired induf^
trioufly after this valuable curiofity, with '
intention to afcertain its qualities, but
could not return to it ; and from the affu-
rances given me by Mr Robinfon, that he
had never heard of fuch a fpring, I am in
clined to believe the account given us was
erroneous ;~fo liable are ftrangers to be de
ceived and impofed on by their guides, on
whofe veracity they are fometimes obliged
to rely for the information they obtain. —
This leads me neceffarily to obferve, that
this kind of writing is fubjeCt to the il
liberal criticifms and condemnations of
every local pedagogue, whofe peculiar tafte
or fuperficial knowledge, may be piqued
by the traveUer's inattention to his parti-
F 2 cular

70 J« E X C U R S I O N /ff
cular vein, or the objeCts of his prejudice
which, together with the impofitions the
travefler is liable to,, by the lying talents
of thofe to whofe conduCt he is obliged to
truft, and from whom alone he muft re
ceive intelligence, renders the tafk of de-
fcribing irkfome, and the attempt to com
municate the pleafures of a journey dif-
agreeable.
Piih. — ^The fifliermen belonging Mr Robinr
fon were fo obliging as to make us two
draughts ; but were not fortunate enough;'
to take any very large filh;— -they drew
trout, perch, and fkelley, (which laft is a
fpecies of trout not uncommon in. alpine
lakes*) all which were of excellent fla-
vour.-r-They fometimes take a trout pe
culiar to this water, of thirty ^ pounds
weight and upwards, and eels of eight
ior nine pounds.
— After a voyage upwards of nine miles,
we returned down the centre of the lake,
and again arrived oppofite the woody pro-

* Vide Pennant's Brit. Zcol. Vol. III. p. 267, where
it is defcribed under the name of Griniad,

the L A K E S. 71
promontary, which joins the extreme of
the cultivated lands of Water Mellock,
when the view down the lake opened
upon us.
— The meadows, groyes, mountains,
and rocks, which environed the lake,
were difpofed in the moft piClurefqUe or
der, bending around the margin of an
expanfe of water five miles over; — the
lands of Water Mellock now lay at a dif
tance to the leftj furmounted by fome
fmall conic hills, the heights of Gobery
Park, that ranged weftward, and termi
nated by the graffy mountain, at whofe
foot we paffed upon our entrance. — Thefe
fweetly intermingled groves, corn fields
and meads, gently inclining to the lake,
where they funk on the graffy margin, or
ftretched into eafy promontaries, now
lay in the happieft arrangement ;— to the
right were rocky fteeps, down which
the foaming cataraCl was hurried; from
whence the upftretching inclofures, on
gradual declinations, formed the more
diftant hills ; above, from hanging groves
that overlooked each other, blue rocks,
crowned with brown heath, appeared ; — >
F 3 at

72 >^« E X C U R S I O N /o
at the extreme of this fine crefcent, ftood
mount DukMORLET, of a beautiful conic'
form, from its fkirts to the crown co
vered with oaks, aflies, and firs, fortu-*"
nately mingled ; at whofe foot, the fingle
arch of Pooley bridge, the outlet of this
mighty lake appeared, bending over a
little valley, where a few cottages were
fcattered; over which, at the extremity of
the dale, Penrith beacon formed a pleafing
obelifk. — The beauties of this fcene were
encreafed by the reflection in the water,
where the deep green hue was feen to mix
with the olive and the grey of the adjoin
ing objects; whilft the back ground feemed
to decline in fainteft purple, variegatec^
with the deep crimfon ftreaks of an eve^-j
ing fky.
— We lay upon our oars fome time,
reluctant to quit this profpeCt, and en-; i
joyed the mufic of the horns i- — the exquir
fite foftnefs and harmony which the echoe|
here produced, we^-e not tp be defcribed;
the mufic feemed to iffue from fome re^
founding temple, which ftood concealed
behind the mountains, where the moft fo
lemn and delicate fymphony was hear^,

the LAKES, 73.
as if reverberated froin the brazen dorne,
or marble colonades 5 and as the breeze at
intervals grew fofter, one might imagine
the voices gf a thoufand chprifters had
filled thf Ier^gthene4 chorus,
?-r-It happened fortunately for us, that
^he fun fome fhort time before fetting,
flione out ferenej — ^we made a little turn
to look back upon the d^rl^ and rocky
fcene we had pafled, when the vapour
^Jiich had for fome tipie almoft covered
the mountains with a. gloomy veil, ap- ,
peared to roll upon the breeze like a
mighty cu,rtain, . gind withdre\^, opening
gradually to the eye the pompous theatre.
—No fooner were thefe cumbrous vo
lumes lifted above the fummits of the
weftern hills, than, the horizonj:al ' rays
broke in upon the mountains; the grafs
on the heights which was parched and
turned of ruffet h^?, received the light
in a delicate manner, becoming a rich
fhade to the bright gold teints with which
the fun beams, paffing through the even
ing vapour, ftruck the cliffs, as the flant-^
way rays pierced each valley and inter-
(tice of the mountains ; here beamings

74 An Ex c V K s 1 o n to
over a whole hill, there tinging the tops
of rocks, and catching the edges of the
precipice, with the luftre of burnifhed
gold ; whilft the deep fhades of every
vale, each dell, chafin, and cave, height
ened the colouring above.— In the water
we traced all. this piCturefque fceiie in
verted, the long and deep fhadows thrown
from the mountains over the lake, made
the objects, which were thus illumined,
beautifully reflected on this fable mirror.
— Here the mind was touched wit^
pious and reverential thoughts, which
alone delight in filence, whilft contempla
tion dwells on the mighty author of fuch
wonderous works ; to whom it is accep
table, that the heart of man, feeklng'
him in fuch fcenes as thefe, fhould pay
that adoration which no language Ca^,
exprefs. — Approaching night rouzed us froi^
our rhapfodies; the clouds were deeply
tinged with crimfon, and the whole lake
feemed to glow with a fine carnation ; —
as the fun defcended, the vapours which
Jhung with a grey hue over the fiills now
affumed '

the LAKE S. 75
afliimed a flame colour, and feemed to
wind up a multitude of glowing ftreams
in the moft grotefque figures ; whilft all
below was finking from the eye in folemn
confiifion ; — the whole range of mountains
appearing as on fire, the images of Ovid
immediately occurred to my memory':
•  "'Caucafus ardet
" Oflaque cum Pindo, marjorq; ambobus Olympus
" Aeriseq; Alpes, & nubifer Apenninus."
We regained the little inn at the foot
of Dunmorlet, where our horfes waited,
and returned towards Penrith, delighted
with our voyage, in converfation enume
rating the wond'rous and enchanting
fcenes to which we had been prefent ; till
we reached Del main, the feat of J.
Hazell, Efq; — the rich woods which are
ihread around this manfion, together with
its handfbme ftone-built front, gave us
expectation, whilft we faw it in the morn
ing at a diftance, that it would , be ftill
more pleafing on a nearer view ; but we
could not forbear turning our eyes away
in difappointment, when we perceived the'
.approach kept with a. degree of negligence,
which dilgraced the elegant ftruCture.

In

16 ./^« Excursion ?a
Ip. my fecond vifit to XJIs-Water, I paft
by the remains of the caftle of Dacre,
which gave the baronial title to the family
ofDacres.
I>acr&, Bede aijd William pf Malmefbury fay
that a monaftry ftood here, but no re-*
mains of it appear at this time.
This place is famous for the following
congrefs : — upoi:^ the defection of Guthred,
Anlaf his brother, and Inguld king of
York, Athelftan levied a great force, and
ejitered Northun^berland fo unexpectedly,
that the malecontents, had fcarce time to
fecure themfelves by flight. — Guthred
gained protection froni Conftantine king
of Scotland, to whom Athelftan fent de
puties, demanding hi^ perfon, pr upop
yefufal, he threatened to come iii queft of'
him at the head of his arniy, Cpnflantine,
although greatly piqued at this infolent
meffage, yet afraid of the formidable arms,
pf Athelftan, confented to meet him at
Dacre ; to which place he came attended
by the then king of Cumberland, wher%
tiiiey did homage to Athelftan. '-

the LAKES. 77
In the church-yard of Dacre are four
remarkable monuments, being the effigies
of bears in ftone, about five feet high,
fitting on their haunches, and clafping a
rude pillar, or ragged ftaff, on which two
pf the figures have their heads refted; the
other two carry on their backs the figures
of a lynx, the one of which is in an attl^t
tude as if endeavouring to rid himfelf of
the animal on his fhoulders, with head
twifted, and paws eaft behind him. Their
pofition is fuch, as tp form a fquare, two
to the eaft of the church, and two to the
weft.— There is no traditional account of
|:he occafion on which they were placed
there ;" and it feems probable they are the
Remains of the decorations of the monaftrv,
to which the Warwick family were bene?
|aCtors. — Plate, Fig, i,
, r— fn the church, wit;hin the altar-rails,
lies the figure of a Knight Templar, much
jnutilated^ and without any infcription.
The Caftle of Dacre is now difmantled,
and has little remains of its former
ftrength or grandeur ; the moat being filled

yB' ./^K E X c u R s I o N to A
filled up, the outworks deftroyed, and on
ly three towers ftanding, one of which is
inhabited by peafants— -This was the ori
ginal feat of the Barons de Dacre, and
from thence fprung that illuftrious family ;
— it continued in the poffelfion of the
Dacres till the reign of Queen Elizabeth,
when it came by marriage to the Earl of
Suffex ; the laft Earl of which name dying
in the reign of Queen Ann without iffue
male, it was fold to Sir Chriftopher Muf-
grave, and from him was transferred td
Edward Hazell, Efq.
Gobery After our arrival at Ulf- Water, we rode
along the fhore by 'Water Mellock, to the
head of Gobery Park, there to enjoy the
profpeCt of the Lake, with its oppofite?
mountains. — In this park, a quarter of a
mile from the fhore, is a fine water-fall ;
— the ftream breaks from the furhmit of
IT' of a cliff cloathed with wood, and falls^
precipitate through a black rocky fcene
near eighty perpendicular feet in height,
and fixteen feet in breadth ; — after it has
paft about two thirds of its fall, the whole
torrent is received into a cleft of the rock,
wher.' its paflage is impeded by fragments .
of

, the LAKE S. 70
<)f ftone and fallen timber ; beneath which
the water, through a multitude of fmall
apertures, breaks forth and forms a foam
ing fheet, which is received into a large
bafbn, worn by the floods, from whence
it flows through a thick woody glen, till
it finks into the lake.
At the foot of this rivulet we took to
the boat, which waited for us ; — a gentle
breeze curled upon the water, and afford
ed the ufe of our fail ; — this, though it
accommodated us with one pleafure, de-
,prived us of another, for the echoes from
the difcharge of the canon, were not equal
to thofe heard on our former voyage :
though the report was returned in fix or
feven echoes, yet the found was hurried
forward from one end of the lake to the
other, without any return from the oppo
fite fhore ; — the mufic , of the horns was
loft in the vaft fpace, and two German
Hutes, which were played on by part of
cur company, were only to be heard under
the fhelves, and in recelfes of th? rocks.
We afcended the lakC, fo as :o have a Head
view of its upper extremity ; — on , the "^[^^
right

8o Jm E X c u R s I o n ' /o
right, the fhores are rocky, and cloathed
with wood ; — the oak hoes, being fine
conic eminences, crowned with timber
trees, arife above the cliffs, over which
ftupendous mountains elevate their fronts,
varied with the beautiful colourings of
( verdant herbage, mingling with grey
rocks, and topped with brown heath:
whilft, at the feet of thefe heights, the
cultivated vales of Glen-riddin and Glen-
coyn, with their fcattered cots, moft a-
greeably form the lower landfcape ; — the
Water in this part is ornamented with two
beautlfuliflands. — At the head of the lake,
the margin is compofed of meads, ovet
which the hills called Glencoyn Pikes,
and a vaft amphitheatre of rocky moun
tains, bound the view ; — to the left, the
fhore afcends gradually, and is formed
of feveral fine wooded promontaries, eafy
inclining meadows, and little coppices in
terfperfed amongft the rocks.
Slate » The flate quarries of Sir James Lowther
rie^s! are feen on the brow of the mOuntains'at
the head of the lake ; — thefe flates are of a
fine blue colour, and when won are
brought down the fteeps of thefe vaft hills on

Uhe LAKES. 81
on horfeback, by winding paffes, to the
lake, where they are received into flat-
bottomed boats, and navigated to proper
ftations for country falis.
Travellers fliould land at Blarvike, from Biarvikc
whence, by walking over two rocky emi
nences, in a truly alpine fcene, where no
thing but a chaos of rocks is feen impend
ing over the lake, almoft without a mark
of vegetation^ an agreeable view of the
upper limb of the lake is gained, with
all its beauties, enhanced to the eye by
the frightful deformities through which
the fpeCtator hath paffed to attain tha
profpeCt. At the foot of the lake, on the Cumber- caer- Tha-
land fide, near the fiimmit of one of the nock.
mountains, on its fouthern declination, we
viewed an antient fortrefs called Caer,-
Thanock. — ^The country people give it
the name of Maidens Cajlle. — It feems to
have been calculated more for a place of
concealment, than defence, as it is overr
looked by two adjoining hills, and lies
under a gradual defcent from the crown
^ the eminence on which it is placed. —
An

82 An Excursion ts
An oblong fquare is formed of loofe
ftones, twenty paces in length and fifteert
in. breadth; — this is furoimded with ^ a
circular mound of earth eighty paces- in
diameter, defended on the outfide by a
ditch, which remains fix paces wide*—
This place is not noticed by Camden, ot
any other author I have met with, — The.
name expreffcs it to be a Britifli fortifica
tion, though the circular entrenchment is
not agreeable to that mode of defence*
ciiace Mr Hazel, of Delmain, is poffeffed of
Mar- the Chace of Markendale, which borders on
kendale ¦ -^ . ¦ ¦ .
the lake, and includes moft of the heights'
which lie upon the eaftern fide. — ^Th$
lands of his manor being of cuftomary|
tenure,- are attended with this badge o£
fervility, the tenants are bound to attend
their Lord's hunt within this chace one©
a year, which is called in their court roll
a Boon Hunt. — On this occafion they have
each their diftriCt allotted on the boun
daries of the chace, where they are fta?
tioned, to prevent the ftag flying beyond
the liberty. ,jf.

^^ L A K E S. 83

— A ftag chace was promifed the gen- stag
tlemen of the country, on the marriage of ^"°''
William Hazel, Efq; heir apparent of the
Houfe of Delmain, whofe excellent cha
racter and merit had rendered the occa
fion a caufe of grea\: feftivity in the neigh
bourhood ; but as I was not fortunate
enough to be prefent at this diverfion, fhall
beg the reader's attention to a defcrip
tlon given me by one who had enjoyed a
fimilar fcene. —
— " A ftag having been feleCted from
*' his herd, the hounds were condu«3:ed
*' to the copfe, where he lay inattentive
*' to the dangers which furrounded him.
*' — On being roufed, he ftretched his
" limbs, advanced his antlers with folemn
" dignity, and looked difdainfully upon
*' the approaching hunters ; he quitted the
*' cover, and in contempt of the threaten-
*' ings of his foes, feemed fcarce to touch
" the ground, as he bounded upon his
*' fpringing pafterns, and made his flight
*' in vaultings and fportive leaps.~The cry
*' of the hounds was fingularly nielodious,
*' being re-echoed from fliore to fhore, and
"~^ G "added

84 ^« E X c U R S I O N fff
" added to the mufic of the horns. — The
" hills were cloathed with fpeCtators ; — on
" the lake were feveral barges with co-
" lours difplayed, and other boats, crowded
" with people. — The ftag at firft took the
" heights, where fometimes he was feen
" climbing the mountains with incredible
*' fwiftnefs, whilft the hounds appeared
" in a flower train, purfuing, yet lofing
" ground, fo much did he feem to out-
*' ftrlp them. — At other times, the inter-
*' pofing mountains robbed us of the fight,'
" but indulged us with the mufic of the
*' cry ; from the melody of which, atten-
*' tion was not diverted by having the
" pack in view. — Again they came In
" fight ; — the ftag flew over every fence
" as an arrow from the bow ; — the hound^
" appeared to gain ground ; — the various '
" windings of the fugitive along the fteeps
*' were all in view ; — at length he found
" his flight and fpeed did not avail him;
*' he meditated to fave himfelf by artifice,
*' fubmitting to defcend into the lower
*' grounds, and quit the hills. — The peo-
*' pie who attended, perceiving the well-
'* known fignal of his declining fpeed,
" with their fhouts from every quarter, *' made

the LAKES. 85
" made each cliff and vale refound, —
" Echo deceived our ears in a furprlzing
** manner ; for the fhouts were fo repeat-
*' ed, as if the whole extenfive circus was
*' crowded with people, and the huzza
" given by tens of thoufands. — Inftantly
" all the veffels on the lake were put in mo-
" tion, and the oars were bufied in plying
*' to that quarter to which the ftag advan-
*' ced ; it is their ufual cuftom, when
" preffed by the hounds to take the water,
" to plunge into the lake, and truft to their
" fwimming. — Many of the pack jumped
*' into the water — and the chace was con-
*' tinned even in the lake. — The unhappy
" ftag found, though he efcaped his com-
" mon enemy, yet other foes, which render-
*' ed all his efforts for fafety vain ; — the
" boats enclofed him, and brought him a-
*' gain to fhore. — To prolong the diverfion,
*' his diftrefs was doubled : — a refplte was
*' given for fome moments ; — hope arofe
" upon his heart, but of fhort exiftence l
" with looks of terror he foon beheld his
*' purfuers upon him: — after many flights
" and once more watering, the noble fu-
" gitive was driven to his forlorn hope;
*' — his timid nature was changed by ne-
G2 • "ceflity,'

36 ,An E X c V K s 1 o Tfi to
" ceffity, and courage arofe from defpair ;
'« — he ftood, and with his horns bayed
" the approaching hounds — his laft and
"fad ineffeaual effort; — he was feized,
" and by the hunters faved from being
" torn piece meal by the dogs." —
— Compaffion and the finer feelings
have nothing to do with the chace: — •
were men to give way to fympathetic
fentiments, the diftrefs and mifery of the
innocent animal which is purfued and
hunted down, would overcome the melody
of the cry, and the beauty of thofe arti
fices which the purfued employs in vain
to fave his life. — Let fiich men avoid the,
chace. — Men of robuft and hardy con-
ftitutions, feel the leaft compaffion or fen-
timent, and truft the leaft to thouffht.llll#
— Such are the heroes of the hunt. —
I have been told, that after the captive
has received his death's wound from the
keeper, it is ufual for the hunters to com-
pleat their joy, by ftaining each other's
faces with the gore.

A little ramble took place on the enfu- , ,
ing morning; — in our way, we were ¦ ^ "
fhewn: '

the LAKES. 87
fliewn the tenement, where, in the
great tempeft fbme few years ago, Mils
Bolton and her female friend were over
whelmed In the ruins of their houfe : —
Over whofe untimely monument even
piety lets fall a tear, and refignation bows
to heaven with fighs, whilft hope in holy
whifpers tells, that innocence and virtue
called from hence become angelic.
We viewed the ruins of Penrith Caftle ; ^^°[i\g*
—it is faid to have arofe on the founda
tions of a Roman fortrefs. — Camden fays,
in the reign of Henry VI. it was repaired
out of the ruins of a Roman fort near to
it, called Maybourgh* : but this opinion
is very erroneous, and entirely exploded
by the author of Magna Britannia. —
The buildings form a fquare, and are fi
tuate on a rifing ground, furrounded with
a ditch ; — the fite towards the town is
much more elevated than any of the other
quarters. — If any remains of Roman work
is to be found there, it is on this quarter,
G 3 where

* If Biftop Nicholfon had not correfted Camden in
his account, that Penrith Caftle was repaired out of the
ruin§ of Mayburg, a bare view of the Caftle would do
it, being intirely built of red hewn ftone.

88 .^M E X C U R S I o N /o
where the area bears the appearance of
the old vallum. — This front confifts of the
remains of an angular tower to the eaft,
which now ftands. feparated from other
pans by the falling of the walls ; — the
centre, which projeCts a litde from the
plane of the front, is haftening to decay,
prefenting to the eye broken chambers,
paffages, and ftairs;-^this part of the
building is ftill conneCted with the weftern
angular tower, an open gallery forming
the communication ; — below this gallery,
a large opening is made by the falling of
the building, forming a rude arch';
through which, and the broken walls to
the Eaft, the interior parts of the ruin are
perceived in a piCturefque manner :¦. — noi-
thing remains within to attraCt notice,
PENRITH
Penrith Was formerly a part of the See of Dur
ham, but in the time of the ambitious
Anthony Beck, King Edward I. dlfmem-
bered it. — It is faid in a compromife of
differences between Henry III. and Alex
ander the Scottilh King, that Henry fti-
pulated to grant to Alexander two hun dred

the LAKES. 89
dred librates of land (each librate being
four oxgangs, or, as fome compute, of
twenty pounds yearly value) in Northum
berland or Cumberland, if fo much of
Henry's land could be found therein,
where no caftle ftood ; and that Penrith
was part of this grant. — ^It is not doubted
that Henry VI. poffeffed this caftle, and
reftored it. — Richard Duke of Gloucefter,
afterwards Richard III. about the year
1472 married Ann the widow of Edward
Prince of Wales, fon to Henry VI. and
daughter and co-heirefs of Richard Nevll,
Earl of Warwick and Salifbury, by whom.
(as part of her dowry) he had the Honor
of Penrith ; — he repaired ,and beautified
this caftle, and made it the chief place of
his refidence ; where, from his munifi
cence and noble manner of living, he ac-r
quired great popularity and efteem; in
fo much, that he drew- from thence five
thoufand men to honour or fupport his
coronation. —This caftle was afterwards
difmantled in the time of the ProteCtor
Cromwell, and has lain in ruins ever
fince. — In the timeof William III. it was
granted to William Bentinck, Earl of
Portland,. From

90 An Excursion, to
¦^round' From thence we went to view a place
Table, jjy ^]^g inhabitants called Arthurs round
Table, near to Emont Bridge, and about
half a mile from Penrith. — ^This is faid to
be of great antiquity, but there is no
tradition, when, by whom, or for what
purpofe it was made. — It is cut in a little
plain near the river, of an exaCt circular
figure, fave to the eaftern and weftern
fides an approach is left to the common
level of the plain: — the trench by which
it is formed, is near ten paces wide ; the
foil which has been thrown up on the
outward fide making a kind of theatre: —
the approaches are ten paces wide, and
the whole circle within the ditch is one,
hundred and fixty paces in circumference.
— We were induced to believe this was an
antient tilting ground, where juftings had ,
been held : the approaches feemed to an-
fwer for the career, and the circle appears
fufficient for the champions to fhew their
dexterity in the ufe of the lance and horfe
manfhip ; the whole circus being capable
of receiving a thoufand fpeCtators on the
outer fide of the ditch. — It is not proba
ble that this was an intrenchment or for
tified

the LAKES. 91
tified camp, it being too fmall for fuch
purpofes ; and more particularly k is over
looked by an adjoining rifing ground,
from whence it might be annoyed by
miflile weapons. Another reafon for the
fame opinion, given by a learned author,
is, that the ditch is on the inner fide*.
It is faid of the order of Knights of the
Round Table, that it was inftituted by
King Arthur, to the end there might be
no queftion about precedency, and to
teach heroic minds not to be ambitious
of place, but merit.
At a little diftance from the round ta- second
ble, and nearer to Emont Bridge, is ano
ther circular ditch, with a very low ram
part, but of much greater fize, being fe
venty paces diameter, without any aper
tures or advances. — If we prefume the
other was intended for feats of chivalry,
this may be fuppofed calculated for pe-
deftrian exercifes.

At

* Magna Britannia.

92 An Excursion to
May- At aSout half a mile's diftance we
brough.
viewed a place called Maybrough. — A
hill, which arifes gradually on every fide
about one hundred and forty paces from
the level of the lands below, forming the
lower feCtion of a regular cone ; — the af
cent is on every fide grown with oaks and
afhes, and feems, from the reliques of the
ax, to have been covered in former ages
with wood, though no very antient trees
now remain ftanding — The plate fig, i rC'
prefents an interior view of the place,
— The fummit of the hill is fenced
round, fave only an opening left to the
eaft, twelve paces wide; — -the fence is very
fingular, being compofed of an immenlfe
quantity of loofe pebble ftones, which
feem to have been gathered from the ri
ver, by their quality, and the fimilarity
there is between them and the gravel of
the bed of the Emont. — No kind of mor
tar appears to have been ufed here, the
ftones lie uncemented, and in a heap, the
foot is near twenty paces wide, rifing to
an edge, in height about eight feet*from
the level of the interior plain. — Here and
there,

the L AKES. 9

0.

there, time has fcattered a few trees and
brufh- wood over the pebbles ; but In other
places, they are loofe and naked, both
on the out and infide of the fence. — The
fpace within, confifts of a fine plain of
meadow ground, exaCtly circular, one
hundred paces diameter ; — inclining a lit
tle to the weftward from the centre, a
large mafs of unhewn ftone is ftanding
ereCt, placed with the fmaller end in the
earth, on which fome little aih trees have
taken their growth, by ftriking their roots
into the natural fiffures of the ftone ; — this
ftone is in circumference near its middle
twenty-two feet and fome inches, and in
height eleven feet and upwards ; it is a
fpecies of the free ftone, and appears to
have been gathered from the furface, and
not won in any quarry or bed of ftone.
•^— The inhabitants in the neighbourhood
fay, that within the memory of man, two
other ftones of fimilar nature, and placed
in a kind of angular figure with the ftone
now remaining, were to be feen there,
but as they were hurtful to the ground,
were deftroyed and removed. —The

94 w/^K Excursion jf«?
— The traditional account given of this
place is in no wife to be credited : " That
" it was a Roman theatre, where crimi-
*' nals were expofed iO wild beafts ; and
*' that thofe ftones were placed for the re-
" fuge and refplte of the combatant in his
" unhappy conflict."
— The name of Maybrough induced us
to believe, that this was a Britifh fortifi-'
cation, and its name a corruption of
Maiden Burg*, a title given to many
fortreffes which were efteemed impregna
ble, and which were boafted never to have
known a conqueror ; — but the large ftone
placed within the plain, and thofe faid to
have been defaced within the memory of
man, confounded this conjeCture, and
prompted an idea, that the whole was a
druidical monument, and the name of it
Mayberief , or MalebergeJ. The elevated plain,

* The word Maiden has gained an acceptation for
Military, as the Maiden Ways in Northumberland, &c.
&c. Wallis's Antiquities ot Northumberland.
¦{• Antiquarians have frequently confounded Bury, for

the LAKES. gj
plain, the furrounding woods, and this
rude pillar, render it probable, that it was
a temple of the druids, where, under the
folemn fhade of the confecrated grove,
they exercifed their religious rites, and
taught the multitude ; and alfo held thofe
convocations in which they determined
the rights of the people, and adminlftered
public juftice. — Perhaps when they were
driven out of Mona, and fled before the
Roman fword, they might fortify their
facred places, and gather their people into'
fuch ftrong holds, to refift the power
which had avowed their extirpation.

As

forBERiE ; — rthe one, implying the tomb of fome great
or remarkable perfonage ; the latter, Berie, being the
name of a plain or vale, furrounded with groves and
forefts, and held facred by the antient Britons. Lord Coke.
:};MALEBERGE,Mon"s Placiti ;— a hill where the peo
ple affembled at a court like our affizes, which by
the Scots and Irifli are called Parley Hills.
Du Cange.
Collis vallo plerumq; munitus in loco campeftri, ne
infidius exponatur, ubi convenire olim folebant centuriae
aut vicima iucula; ad lites inter fe traftandas & termi-
nandas. Scotis reorq; Crith hail, mons pacificationis
eui afyli privilggia concedebantur. • Spelman.

g6 An Excursion to
As this is perhaps one of the greateft
antiquities which the travefler will iheet
with in this country, the reader will not
think me tedious in comparing what
learned vifitors have faid upon the fub
jeCt : — tlie ingenious Mr Pennant, with
whofe friendfhip I am honoured, and to
whofe opinion I pay the utmoft deference,
fays, " The ufe of this accumulation feems
" to have been the fame with that caUed
*',Bryn Gwyn, or Trer Dryn, in An-
*' glefea*, a fupreme confiftory of druidi-
" cal adminlftration, as the Britifh names
" import, — That in Anglefea is conftruc-
" ted in the fame manner with this ; but
" at prefent there are no remains cf co-
" lumns in the interior part. Tradition
" Is entirely filent about the origin of this
" place ; nothing can be collected from
" the name, which is Saxon, and given
" long after its conftruCtion."
The author of Magna Britannia, fays,
this was a monument of the treaty of
peace and union, which was finifhed by
King
* Mona Antiq. fscond edition, p, 90.

the LAKES. 97
King Athelftan in the year 916, with
Conftantine King of Scots and Karval
King of the Weftern Britons, of which
Simeon Dunelmenfis, and from him Hove-
den, in the fame words, gives us this ac
count: " All thefe defiring peace of him,
" met him at the place called Eimotum,
*' now , Mayburgh, and entered into a
*' league confirmed by oath." — The very
name Maburg, extremely favours that
opinion ; for Dr Hicks obferves upon the
Saxon word mago, magu, &c. that it
fignifies, affinitas, kindred ; and Jurlcus
adds, ab hoc nixu, &c. From the relation
of blood, the word came by degrees to
be transferred to any intimate union or ,
friendfhip among men or focieties : and
fo Maybrough feems to have been (upon
the occafion of that treaty) called, as if
one fliould fay, the fort of union or al
liance, Oppofite to Maybrough, on the Cum- -^^
berland fide of the Emont*, is a large tu
mulus

* A new ftone bridge was built over the river Amot
about 1425. For in April that year, Langley Bifhop of
Durham granted an indulgence of forty days to all per fons

98 An Excursion to
mulus or kairn, which appears where the
turf is broken, to be compofed of peb
bles ; it is furrounded at the foot with a
circle of large ftones, of irregular forms,
fizes, and diftances, of the circumference
of eighty paces in the whole*.
Penrith Wc vlcwcd the Church of Penrith in
-' the afternoon, a handfome new building
of red free ftone, well galleried, and orna
mented in the modern ftile. — The pillars
fupporting the gallery are remarkable, be
ing formed of one fingle ftone each, ten
feet four inches high.-^ —

tion.

infcrip- ' — The following infcription on a ftone
placed in the wall is fingular. AD

fons truly repenting of their fins and confeffing, who
fnould contribute any of their goods given them by God
to the building of it over the water of the Amot, in the
parifh of Penreth Given at the Manor of Aukland
April 5, 1425. E. Reg, Langley, p. 126,
* Kairns compofed of ftones only, are efteemed by
fome the burial places of traitors, notorious criminals,
and men highly, obnoxious to fociecy ; are fuppofed ,
IX) be of the greateft antiquity, and derived from the
cuftoms of the Hebrews, of which we have many in»
ftances in holy writ.

the Lakes. ^<)
< AD MDXCVIII
Ex gravi pefte que regionibus hifce
incubuit, obierunt apud
Penrith 2260
Kendal 2500
Richmond 2200
Carlifle 1196
Pofteri
, Avortite vos et vivite
Ezek. iSth — 32—
The plague raged in London in the
36th year of Queen Elizabeth's reign.
Mr Pennant, who had an opportunity
of confulting the regifter book, makes the
following very proper remarks on this
legend, " It appears that the plague raged here
" for fifteen months, from the 22d of Sep-
*' tember, 1597, to the 5th of January,
" 1598, and that only fix hundred and
' eighty perfons were buried in the parifh
*' during that time ; it feems therefore
*' probable, that Penrith muft have been
*' the centre of fome particular diftriCt,
*' and that the numbers recorded on the
i . H " waU,

100 An Excursion to
*' wall, muft comprehend all that died
" within that fpace,-^-Penrith now con-
*' tains about two thoufand fouls ; at a
*' medium, fixty-three have died annually
*' the laft ten years, or fix hundred and-
*' thirty in the whole ; in , the ten years
" preceding the peftilence, there were only
" fix hundred and eighty-fix funerals ; fo
" that there was no great difference be-
" tween the number of inhabitants at that
*' and the prefent time. — Some centuries
*' previous to this, Penrith had another
" vifitation of the fame nature. When
*' the Scots under the Earl of Douglas in
" 1380 made an inroad into Cumberland,:
*' they furprized this place at the time of^he
*' fair, and returned with immenfe booty,
" but fuffered feverely in confequence ;
*' for they introduced Into their country
*' the plague contracted in this townj ,
*' which fwept away orje-third of the in-
*' habitants of Scotland."
Monu- In the church-yard is a Very remarkable
ment ^ •' , . ¦'
monument, apparently of great antiquity;
— two pillars are placed in a -direction,
eaft and weft, diftant frorn each other
^fteen feet j — at each fide of the tomb tvpo
ftones

the LAKES. loi
ftones are fixed, with an edge upwards, of
a femicircular form : — Thefe fide ftones
do not, at prefent, fhew any marks of the
fculptor, thotigh fome have conjeCtured
they reprefented boars. — The pillars are of
one piece, formed like the antient fpears,
and about ten feet in height ; — the fhafcs
are round for about feven feet high, above
which they run into a fquare, and appear
to have terminated in a point ; where the
fquare point commences there are the re
mains of a narrow belt of ornamental
frize work. — The ftones are fo much hurt
by time, that it is not poffible to afcer
tain, whether the upper parts of the pil
lars were adorned with figures, or bore
any infcription. — I muft beg leave to dif-
fent from the opinion of thofe who have
prefumed this was the tomb of fome of
the Warwicks, and for their reafon ai
led ge, thefe were the reprefentations of
bears and a ragged ftafl^, the device of that
family ; I am induced to believe this is
rather the monument of fome Britifli hero
of diftlnCtion ; the cuftom of placing pil
lars at the head and foot of fepulchres is
very antient, I have feen it mentioned in
many of our hiftorians, that in the time
Ha of

102 An E X c u il s I o N to
of Richard I. the bones of Arthur, the
famous King of- Britain, were faid to be
found at Glaftonbury, in an old fepul-
chre ; to denote which, ftood two pillars,
one at the head, the other at the feet,
on which fome infcription had been cut,
but could not then be read.

In the Magna Britannia we find this
Penrith monument thus mentioned : " It
is faid they were fet iip in memory of
one Otven Cefarius, in. old time a famous
warrior, of great ftrength and' ftature
who lived in thefe parts, and killed wild
boars in the parilh of Englewood, which
much infefted the country ; — he was
burled here, and, as tradition reportSi
was of that prodigious ftature as to
reach from one pillar to the other ; — to
which is further added, that the rude
figures of boars, which are wrought In
ftone, and placed on each fide of his
grave, are in memory of his great ex-j
ploits on thofe animals*," So

* There is a fine engraving of thefe monuments ift
^he Archjeologia, with remarks by Blfliop Lyttleton,

the LAKES. 103
So much I think may be gathered from
this tradition,' that this was the tomb of
fome eminent perfonage, though his ex
ploits be deemed fabulous ;— it was the
H 3 tafte

who vifited them in 1755- — He cites the extradl made
above from Gibfon's edition of the Britannia, which was
communicated by Dr Todd of Carlifle : — Says, he found
this idle tale ftill univerfally credited by the vulgar in
habitants of Penrith, which has no other foundation
than the unufual length of the grave (being called the
Giant's Grave) and fome very rude carving on the front ;
and fo far are the ftones from reprefenting the figure of
a boar, that it requires a pretty ftrong imagination to
difcover any regular figure in the rude fculpture which
remains upon them. — It is undoubtedly a fepulchral
monument, but whether Britifti, Roman, Saxon, or Da-
nifh, is the queftion. — That it is much too rude to be
a work of the Romans, is evident; and with regard to
the Saxons, I know of no monument of this kind re-
maining in England, which was ever att/ibuted'to thofe
people. — It muft then be either Britifti or Danifti. — It is
well known the Britons maintained their ground in thefe
parts, a confiderable time after the Saxons were in pof-
feffion of the reft of England, and gave Britifti names
both to this county and the place where this monument
ftands, — Arthur's round table, the large ftone circle
with a barrow in the centre, on the fell, together with
Long Meg, are all, or at leaft the two laft, undoubted
remains of the Britons here : but if this monument be
Britifti, it is of much later date than either the ftone
circle or Long Meg, being probably erefled to the me- '
mory of fome Britifti prince or- chief, after chriftianity
was eftabliflied among thetii; and this I infer, from its
being

I04 -^w Excursion to
tafte and humour of former ages to per
foliate men in their hiftoric narratives by
the animals they carried in their coat ar
mour ; the Romans denoted their victories
H 4 in

being fituated in the church-yard, and from the rude
reprefentation of a crofs, which appears towards the
fummit of. one of the pillars. — Its being denominated
the giant's grave, is perhaps a circumftance which
ftrengthens the opinion of the monument being Britifti;
for our beft writers on antiquity have obferved, that
both in England and Ireland, the vulgar afcribe every
ftupendous and very antient work of their Britifti ancef-
tors to giants. — Stonehenge is called Chorea Gigantura,
by old monkifti writers. — But after all, this monument
may perhaps be Danifli. — If the caftle of Penrith was
repaired out of the ruins of Mayburg, a neighbouring
Danifti temple, it is the more likely that other Danifli
. antiquities Ihould be found at Penrith,
The name of grave given to this monument by uni
form tradition, plainly affigns its intention, though it
may not be eafy to trace the perfon buried under it.
The diftance of the ftones only proves him to, have been
a perfon of eminence or diftinaion, as barrows are well
known to exceed the proportions of the body depofited
under them. Perhaps this grave might contain feveral
bodies, and be a memorial of fome battle, loft in the
darknefs of hiftory.
There is another curious monument in this church.
yard, about thirteen yards diftant from the giant's grave,
which is a fingle pillar called the Giant's Thumb; it is
fixr feet high, fourteen' inches broad at the bottom, con-
trading to ten inches upwards, and the circle of the
crofs eighteen inches in diameter, — What relation or
connexion this pillar has with the others, I will not
pretend to determine; but from the fhape of the upper part

.the LAKE S.

105

in Scotland by the figure of a boar ; fo
that thofe boars may be no other than me
morials of conqueft over competitors for
glory ; or rather, according to the man
ners of thofe ages, competitors for rapine
and plunder. — The fide ftones have not
at prefent the leaft refemblance ¦ of boars,
neither, can I upon a fecond examination of

part, I cannot think it to be the epiftyle of an antient
crofs, as has been conjeiflured by fome learned perfons
in that neighbourhood, who fay, it's plainly an antient
crofs, whofe bafe is funk into the earth.

As 'reprefented by Bifliop Lyttleton,

io6 An E X c u R s i o n to
of them find any crufial appearance on' the
pillars, though fpoken of by Mr Pennant*.
— The fituation of this tomb at prefent
feems fingular, as it is placed at the north
door of the church. There is no doubt
that Penrith is of great antiquity ; — per
haps it was the feat of royal refidence,
and this the, tomb of Ewaine (or as
fome authors write his name, Owen) King
of Cumberland ; who was a party in the
congrefs held at Dacre and Maybrough;
when Conftantine of Scotland, with him
and the Prince of Wales, did homage to
Athelftan, and entered into league with
him to hold their kingdoms by fealty,
under his protection : — at leaft the name
fo well correfponding with tradition, en
courages the conjecture.
^t!"' A little diftance from the town of Pen
rith lies the antient PetrianjE, which Is
vulgarly called Old Penrith ; the account ,
given of it did not encourage us to vifit
it. — Camden preferves the following in
fcriptions

* In the plate in the Archaeologia, the crofs on the
top of each pillar is very apparent.

ansB.

ehe L A K E S. , 107
fcriptions found there as teftimonies of its
antiquity : D. M.
ACIETV OS MATER
VIXIT A. XXXXV
ET LATTIO FIL. VIX
AXII LIMISIVS
CONIV. ET FILIE I
PIENTISSIMIS ¦.., .a'
POSVIT
The following infcription by Ulpius
Trajanus Emeritus, a penfionary foldier of
the Petrian .wing, proves the wing Pe-
trlana made abode here :

GADVI>IO VLP. TRAI
EM. AL. PET
MARTIVS &. P. C.

I will only add the, following monu
mental infcription :
D. M.
FL. MARTIO SEN
IN C. CARVETIOR
QVESTORIO VIXIT AN XXXXV
MARTIOLA FILIA ET
HERES PONEN
r-CVRAVIT In

io3 An Excursion to
Eden In our next excurfion from Penrith, we
paft by the antient feat of the Mufgraves,
called Eden Hall, diftant three miles
from the town ; it is a handfome ftone
ftruCture, built in the tafte of the time of
the Charles's. — Every part of the river
Eden, -which We vifited, was piCturefque
and beautiful ; pretty lawns and mea
dows, and here and there fine hanging
groves, were difperfed on its banks ;
whilft the borders of the channel were
beautified with rocks, and the ftream
flowed in m^andrings or.cafcades.
Druid's Near to Little Salkeld, on the
Temple. _ _ ' _
fummit of a large hill, inclining a little
towards the north, we had the pleafure
of feeing a large and perfeCt druidical
monument, called by the country people
Meg AND HpR Daughters. The plate
contains a view of the capital column and
the ichnography of the whole monument.
— A circle of three hundred and fifty
paces circumference is formed by mafly
ftones, moft of which remain ftanding
upright ; — thefe are fixty-feven in num
ber, of various qualities, unhewn or
touched

the LAKE S. 109
touched with any tool, and feem by their
form to have been gathered from the fur
face of the earth ; — fome are of blue and
grey limeftone, fome of granite, and fome
flints; — many of fuch of them as were
ftanding, meafured from twelve to fifteen
feet in girt, and ten feet In height ; others
of an inferior fize. — At the fouthern fide
of this circle, at the diftance of feventeen
paces. from its neareft member, is placed
an upright ftone naturally of a fquare
form, being a red free ftone, with which .
tj^e country about Penrith abounds. — This
ftone is placed with one of its angles to
wards the circle, is near fifteen feet in
girt, and eighteen feet high ; each angle
of its fquare anfwering to a cardinal point.
— In that part of the circle moft conti
guous to the column, four large ftones are
placed in a fquare form, as if they had
conftruCted or fupported the altar : and
towards the eaft, weft, and north, two
large ftones are placed, at greater diftances
from each other than any of the reft, as
if they had formed the entrances into this
nayftic round. — What creates great afto-
nifliment to the fpeCtator is, that no fuch
ftones, or any quarry or bed of ftoiies are to

no An Excursion to
to be found within a great diftance of
this place ; and how fuch mafly bodies
could be moved, in an age when the me
chanical powers were little known, is not
to be conceived.
— Whilft we ftood admiring this place,
the following thoughts occurred to my
memory. ¦  " Mark yon alt^r,
— ¦ — " This wide circus,
" Skirted with unhewn ftone ; they awe my foul
" As if the very genius of the place
" Himfelf appeared, and with terrific tread
" Stalk'd through this drear domain." —
" Know that thou ftands on confecrated ground ;
" The mighty pile of magic-planted rock,
" Thus rang'd in myftic order, marks the place
" Where but at times of holieft feftival,
" The druid leads his train*."
My ideas wandered in the field of ima
gination over the druids facrifice of milk-
white fteers, confecrated by the mifletoe.'
I I'efleCted on the trembling enthufiaftic
multitudes, who here perhaps aflembled
to hear the pricftly dictates touching go
vernment, and moral conduCt;; — to learn
the druids arrogant philofophy and fu-
perftltions,
* Mafon's Carai5tacus.

the L AKE S. in
perftitions, and cherifh an implicit faith
of the immortality of man's intellectual
fpirit, though in tranfmigration to ani
mate reptiles and beafts of prey.- — Perhaps
here alfo princes fubmifllvely have flood
to hear the haughty druid exclaim —
" Thou art a king, a fov'reign o'er frail men;
" I am a druid, fervant of the gods ;
" Such fervice is above fuch fovereignty*.
In Camden's defcriptlon of this place,
we find him miftaken, both as to the
number of ftones in the circle, and in his
affertlon, that within the circle were heaps
of ftones, which he was told covered thofe
flain in fight. — There is not the leaft ap
pearance of any fuch tumuli or heaps of
ftones. — He took many of his northern
remarks from hearfay only, from whence
he was liable to the errors difcovered in his
works. — His commentator in the Magna
Britannia is of opinion, *' that the heaps of
" ftones in the interior part of this monu-
*' ment do in no, wife appertain to it, but
" having been gathered ofl^ the ploughed
*' lands adjoining, were thrown together
'' here, as in a wafte part of the field. —
As
r'  __^  . ,
* Mafon's Caraclacus,'

112 An ExcuRsioN/fl
" As to the great ftones," he fays, " they
" feem to be monuments creCted at the
*' folemn inveftiture of fome Danifh king,
" like Rolrichrjlones in Oxfordshire, thofe
" of Kingftolen in Denmark, and Mooref-
*' teen in Sweden, as Wormius in his Mon.
*' Dan. lib. I. cha. 12. — and Dr Plots' Hif-
" tory of Oxfordlhire fhew." — But fince
the monuments of Mona, now Anglefea,
have been fo learnedly vifited and defined,
there is not the leaft reafon to doul^t that
this at Salkeld is a druidical monu
ment, from its fimilarity to thofe remain^
ing there.
It is probable the column called Meg,
from its vicinity to the altar, was ufed
for binding the victims. — We know very
little of the religious principles of the
druids — but have fome evidence that they
held the Ammonic rites. — The druids of
Gaul had been inftruCted therein by the
emigrants of Egypt ; — they were accufed
of the barbarous cuftom of facrificing hu
man victims, and were ftigmatized by the
inveterate Romans with the imputation
of innumerable and horrid impieties. —
Thofe fuperftitious and inflamed heathens
abhorred

the LAKE S. 113
abhorred every religious profeffion which
diflented from their own. — Let us exa
mine this accufation calmly, and if even
we allow it to be true, it will lofe its ter
rors in the view. — One of the chief attri
butes of the Deity, acknowledged by them,
was Jujlice; — the maxims of Juftice made
a great part of their precepts ; — they held
a double funCtion, as priefts and judges ;
' — the execution was a facrifice made to
juftice ; — the devoted were criminals guilty
of the moft atrocious ofiences agalnft the
commonweal and fociety. — The folemnity
and dreadful procefs of this ceremony,
would imprefs the minds of the fpeCtators
with the deepeft terror at the execution,
and abhorrence of the offence; — it was at
once an aCt of religion and an execution
of the law. — The holieft ceremonies and
offices preceded this grand fpeCtacle,
whereby the minds of the fpeCtators were
prepared, and infpired with that reveren
tial awe and veneration, which pious du
ties raife on the bofoms of devotees: —
with the utmoft folemnity, the mighty effigy
of vindictive juftice, fiU'd with the cri
minals, the gigantic figure of wicker-
work, as it is reprefented by antient au
thors.

n4 .^K E X G U R S I O N /"O
thors, which held in its chambers of tri
bulation, thofe whofe guilt rendered them
obnoxious to the world, was exhibited
as an horrible example to the affembled
ftates, and ofiered as a propitiatiDn for
the oflences of the people; whom no wri-'
ter has attempted to prove, rejoiced in the
fufferings of the viCtims.-^What are our
executions at this day ? — The comparifon
takes away all, ftigrha. — ^Let us allow for
the improvement of a more civilized age,
and ours appears more favage. — 'What
Druid but would have been ftruck dumb
with aftonifliment and horror at our Ty*
burn executions,^
So various are the opinions of antiqua
ries on thefe fubjeCts, that in order. to
form a judgment of one's own, it is ne- ,
ceffary to take a review of fuch authors
as have wrote upon them. — I will trefpafs
on the reader, to take nodce of a paflage
in Mr Strutt's " View of the Manners, &c.
" of the Inhabitants of England," a late
publication. " I take the liberty," fays he, " of of-
" fering fome few words concerning thofe
" vene^

((

the LAKES. 115
" venerable remains of antiquity, Stone-
*' henge, Aubury, 8cc.— Dr Stukely and
•' Mr Borlafe have between them given a
" complete account of the antient druids ;
*' and Dr Stukely has taken infinite pains
*' to prove Stonehenge* and Aubury, to
*' be not only of druid conftruCtion, but
" that they were alfo the temples of
worfhip of the druids. Mr Borlafe has
partly agreed with the DoCtor in their
I " being

* The dimenfions taken by the learned Dr Stukeley
of this monument, is by the Hebrew, Phcenician, or
Egyptian cubit ; — this amounts to ao inches and four-
fifths of an inch, Englifli meafure.
The time he afiigns for the building of Stonehenge is
not long after Cambyfes invafion of Egypt, " when he
«' committed fuch horrid outrages there, amd made fuch
" difmal havock with the priefts and inhabitants in ge-
" neral, that they difperfed themfelves to all parts of
«' the world ; fome as far as the Eaft Indies, and fome
" it is not queftioned as far weftward as into Britain,
«« and introduced fome of their learning, arts, and re-
«' ligion among the druids ; and perhaps had a hand in
«« this ftupendous work, the only one where the ftones
<' are chiflell'd; all other works of .theirs being of rude
« ftones, untouched by the tool, exactly after the Pa-
" triarchal and Jewifti mode, and therefore older than
«' this : — and this eonjedture is the more probable, be-
" caufe at the time mentioned the Phoenician trade was
«' at its height, virhich afi"orded a readier conveyance
«' hither." — This was before the fecond temple at Jeru-
falem was built,' and before the Grecians had any hif
tory.

11 6 An Excursion to

' being temples of worfhip, but imagines
' that they may alfo have been made ufe
' of as courts of judicature. My thoughts
' are, that they are beyond a doubt the
' rude ftruCtures of the Britons, but I
' think they were intended as courts of
'judicature only. All antient authors
' have told us, that the temples of the,
' druids were neither more or lefs than a
' thick grove of oaks ; or at leaft if there
' fhould have been a rude temple, it was
' on a hill furrounded with oaken trees.
' Indeed Mr Borlafe has advanced an
' affertion, that would entirely confirnj,
' the Doctor's opinion, when he fays, that
'Salifbury plain, however it is now a
' wild and barren plain, was antiently a
' thick wood; and in the middle of which;
' wood, he fuppofes Stonehenge to have
' been built. But I am afraid Mr Borlafe
' has gone a little too far in his aflertion
' to be^ able to keep pace with proofs. Dr
' Stukely himfelf did not ftart fuch a
' conjecture, but thought Casfar (or ra-
' ther the tranfcribers of Csefar) had mif-
¦ takenly placed luco pro loco,— a grove
' for a place. In fhort (with all fubmif-
' fion) the Doctor's account is moft un?
" doubtedly

the L A K E S. iij
" doubtedly very learned and ingenious,
*' but to me it does not feem conclufive,
*' fince he Is obliged to gainfay the very au-
' thorlty that his ftrongeft arguments are
" founded upon. Csefar tells us, that the
" druids of Gaul met once a year at Char-
" tres, to determine fuch difficult mat-
" ters in public affemblles, as each druid
" had not been able to fettle. Certainly
*• thofe of England alfo had their annual
*' meetings ; for the fame, author informs
*' us, that the Gaulifh druids in all re-
" fpeCts refembled thofe of Britain. Al-
" lowing this, where can we fuppofe a
" better place for fuch a public affem-
" bly, than a large extenfive plain, where
*' all bufinefs might be tranfaded in the
" fair face of day. Neither does the fup-
" pofed altar, or thC burnt bones of ani-
" mals found near it, in the leaft difprove
" this conjecture ; for it is very clear that
" tbe druids never began any important
" bufinefs, without firft facrificing to the
" Gods. Nor is the form and conftruC-
" tion in the leaft unfit for fuch a pur-
" pole. — And for thofe of more common
" ftruCture, as Aubury, Rol-reech, 8cc.
" they have been the courts of judicature
1 2 " for

I rS ./^« E X c u R s I o N fo
** for fuch particular provinces or klng-
" doms, where the druids of fuch pro-
" vinces might meet at certain ftated
" times, to determine publicly all fuch
" matters as might not require the deci-
*' fion of the whole aflembly of druids, 8cc.
Near to a place called Nine Churches we
vifited two caves ; the one hollowed in
the rock, of a circular form with feats cut
in its fides, the roof being fupported in
the midft by a rude pillar of mafon work :
this is called the Gianfs Cave. — The other
cave is circular, with a ftone table in the
inidft. — Tradition does not hand down
to us by whom thefe caves were made,
and their antiquity is greatly to be doubt
ed ; — they appear to have been the work
of fome Religious, being well calculated
for the purpofes of retirement.
Force We alfo vifited a place called Force Mill,
near to Great Salkeld, where a cave was
faid to be the objeCt of the traveller's curio
fity ; — here we foimd fome feats cut under
the flielves of a rock, commanding a ro-,.
mantle view upon the river Eden; but
no otherwlfe remarkable. — The falls of
the

the LAKES. 119
the river, the hanging rocks, rich mea
dows, and hills cloathed with wood,
prefented us with profpeCts which amply
repaid the difappointment our curiofity
fuftained.

We lamented to fee fiich extenfive waftes
and uncultivated lands, adjoining fo beau
tiful a place as Penrith, whofe fituation
muft neceffarily circumfcribe its trade.
The women of this country are re- women
markably beautiful; — the bold unintelli
gent ftare, the fluttering inconfift.ent pert-
nefe, and lifping nonfenfe, too much cha-
raCteriftic of the fex in fome fouthern
counties, are here totally difcarded, and
in their room are fiibftituted intelligent
looks cloathed in modefty, and politenefs
united with fimplicity of manners.

bota
nical '
Fainter.

We had the pleafiire of feeing fbme a fine
botanical paintings,, executed by Mifs n;cai
Calvin, of this place,: which in delicacy
©f colouring, and. tafte in the difpofition
of the foliage and flowers, together with
the juftnefs of the work, may vie with
-any painting of that kind in Europe. — ^To
I 3 the

A re-
rurk-

1 20 An E X c u R s I o N ?o
the honour of Lady Mary Lowther, this
young Lady is indebted for her kind pa
tronage, and by whom, it is not to be
doubted, but her extraordinary merit will
be made known to the world.
— This place owns another very re-
/"^'e markable genius, Mr Fawell ; who, tho'
¦Genius *-^ , ' '*
'" blind from his infancy, can perform
any mufical compofition on the harpli-
cord, having it fet by wooden pins in a
board, after the manner of a cribbage
board ; which, after perufing by feeling
with his fingers, from the ftrong reten^
tion of memory, he performs with great j
accuracy. The way from Penrith to Keswick,
though a good turnpike, is yet dull and
tedipus ; for, during the courfe of eigh
teen miles, we met with nothing to amufe*^
till we arrived near the place. — The moun
tains we pafled are Of various figures, and
fome very lofty; and as we ftill advanced
nearer Kefwick, they ftraitened the valley
in which we rode. i

-Wt

St
John's.

the L A K E S. 121
— We now gained a view of the vale
of St John's; a very narrow dell, hem
med in by mountains, through which a
fmall brook makes many meandrings,
wafhing little inclofures of grafs ground,
which ftretch up the jrifings of the hills.
—In the wideft part of the dale you. are
ftruck with the appearance of an antient
ruined caftle, which feems to ftand upon
the fummit of a little mount, the moun
tains around forming an amphitheatre. —
This luailive bulwark fhews a front of
various towers, and makes an awful, rude,
and gothic appearance, with its lofty tur
rets, and ragged battlements; — we traced
the galleries, the bending arches, the but-
reffes ; — the greateft antiquity ftands cha
racterized in its architeCtiire ; — the inha
bitants near it affert it is an antediluvian
ftruCture.

— The travellers curiofity is rouzed, canie
and he prepares to make a nearer ap- ^°'^^'
proach ; when that curiofity is put upon
the rack, by his being. alfured, that if he
advances, certain genii who govern the
place,_ by virtue of their fvipernatufal arts
1 4 and

122 An Excursion to
and necromancy, will ftrlp it of all its
beauties, and by inchantment transform
the magic walls. — The vale feems adapted
for the habitation of fuch beings; — its
gloomy recefles and retirements look like
haunts of evil fplrits; — there was no de-
lufion in the report, we were foon con
vinced of its truth; — for this piece of an
tiquity, fo venerable and noble in its
afpeCt, as we drew near, changed its fi
gure, and proved no other than a fhakep
maffive pile of rocks, which ftand in the
midft of this little vale, dlfimlted fropi
the adjoining mountains; and have fb,
much the real form and refemblance of a
caftle, that they bear the name of The
Castiie RpcKs OF St John's.^
T — The delufion afforded us matter of
laughter till we defcended towards the
vale of Kefwick.
On the twentyfecond of Anguft, 1 749,
by impetuous rains, a remarkable floo4
happened in the vale of St John s:- the
clouds difcharged their torrents like a
water fpout; — the ftreams from the moun
tains uniting, at length became fo power ful

the LAKES. 123
fijl a body, as to rend up the foil, gravel,
and ftones to a prodigious depth, and
bear with them mighty fragments of
rocks ; — feveral cottages were fwept away
from the declivities where they had ftood
in fafety for a century ; the vale was de
luged, and many of the inhabitants with
their cattle were loft,— A fingular pro
vidence protected many lives : — a little
fchool, where all the youths of the neigh
bourhood were educated, at the inftant
crowded with its flock, ftood in the very
line of one of thefe torrents — but the
hand of God, in a miraculous manner,
ftayed a rolling rpck, in the midft of its
dreadful courfe, which would have crufh-
ed tbe whole tenement with its inno-
ceiits; and by its ftand, the floods divided,
and paffed on this hand and on that, in-
fulating the fchool-houfe, and leaving the
pupUs with their mafter, trembling at
once for the dangers efcaped and as fpec-
tators of the horrid havock in the valley,
and the tremendous floods which encom-
paffed them on every fide. — I received this
account on nay journey from one of the
people then at fchool ; but fince that, have
met with the followiiig defgription of that
inun-

124 ¦^'^ Excursion to
inundation:^—" It began with moft terrr-
" ble thunder and incelfant lightning, the
" preceding day having been extreamly
*' hot and fultry ; the inhabitants, fw
" two hours before the breaking of the
"cloud, heard a ftrange noife, ¦ like the
" wind blowing in the tops of high trees.
" It is thought to have been a fpout or
" large body of water, which by the light-
" ning inceffantly rarifying the air, broke
" at once on the tops of the mountains,
" and defcended upon the valley below,
" which is about three miles long, half
"•a mile broad, and lies nearly eaft and
*' weft, being clofed on the fouth and
" north fides with prodigious high, fteep,
*' and rocky mountains. — Legbert Fells,
*' on the north fide, received almoft the
" whole cataraCt, for the fpout did not
" extend above a mile in length : it chiefly
" fwelled four fmall brooks, but to fo
"amazing a degree, that the largeftof
" them, called Catcheety Gill, fwept away
" a mill and other edifices in five minutes,
" leaving the place where they ftood co-
" vered with fragtnents of rocks and rub-
" bifh three or four yards deep, mfomuch
" that one of the mill- ftones could not be
found. •

he LAKE S. 125
" found. During the violence of the
" ftorm, the fragments of rocks, which
" rolled down the mountain, choaked up
" the old courfe of this brook ; but the
" water forcing its way through a fhivery
" rock, formed a chafm four yards wide
" and about eight or nine deep.— The
" brooks lodged fuch quantities of gravel
" and fand on the meadows, that "th'ey
" were irrecoverably loft. — Many large .
" pieces of rocks were carried a confidera-
" ble way into the fields ; fome larger
" than a team of ten horfes could move,
" and one of them meafuring ' nineteen
*' yards about."
The town of Keswick, lying in a Kefwick
deep valley, was not to be feen till we
were juft upon it.— As we defcended the
hill, a fine profpeCt opened upon us ; —
the hills on the right are very grand, en-
clofures of meadow and pafture take up
about one-third of their afcent ; the creeks
are every where grown with wood, which
climbs up fhade above fhade; and the
crowns of the hills are covered with her
bage and- heath. Beneath us lay a plain-
of about three miles diameter, diverfified with

X26 J« Excursion to
plots of corn, agreeably mingling with
meadows, and here and there a little copfe
Lake.' of afhes . — The Lake ofBASsoNTHwAiTE,
which has nothing remarkable to engage
the traveller's attention but a long canal of
water, terminated the plain to the right,
the Lake of Kefwick to the left ;. around
which, mountains piled on mountains
made an awful circle, and feemed to fhut
. them in from all the world.
— Keswick is but a mean village,
without any apparent trade ; — the houfes
-are homely and dirty ; — there is a town
houfe in the market place, faid .to be e-
reCted out of the ruins of Lord Derwent-
water's manfion, but of the moft uncouth
architecture. ^-^We found very indifferent
accommodations here for travellers.— -No
thing is more difagreeable to people who
wifh to fee every thing that is curious in a
place they vifit, than to meet with a
drunken foporiferous Innkeeper, whofe
fmall fhare of natural intelligence is- to
tally abforbed, and who has nothing rer
maining, of human but his diftprted image
and impertinence. Yet I know not whe
ther this difpofidon. is. not more tolerable than

the LAKES. 127
than that which fatigues with impudent
boafting and over officioufnefs, buftling
away the power of thinking with one's
time by a teazing jargon, and the beating
of bufy feet, which keep the gueft in a
perpetual hurry.
From a fliort defcriptlon of the beauties
of Kefwick, which was written by the late
ingenious Dr Brown, and which we had
then in our hands, we were impatient to
enter upon the lake ; and thought every
delay irkfome, which kept us from the
inchanting fcene*. —We

* -Dr Brown's LETTER, printed at liEw castle
in the year 1767.
In my way to the north from Hagley, I paffed
through Dovedale ; and to fay the truth, was difap
pointed in it. When I came to Buxton, I vifited another
or two of their romantic fcenes: but thefe are inferior
to Dovedale. They are but poor miniatures of Kefwick ;
which exceeds them more in grandeur than I can give
you to imagine, and more if poffible in beauty than in
grandeur. Inftead of the narrow flip of valley which is feen at
Dovedale, you have at Kefwick a vaft amphitheatre, in
circumference above twenty miles. Inftead of a meagre
rivulet, a noble living lake, ten miles round, of an
olploog form, aderned with variety of wooded iflands.
The rocks indeed of Dovedale are finely wild, pointed,
and irregular ; but the hills are both little and unani-
ir.ated 5 and the margin of the brook is poorly edged with

128 An Excursion to

The — We hafted thither, and from Cock-
Lake. '
SHOOT- HILL took a general furvey of the
lake ;

with weeds, morafs, and brufliwood. But at Kefwick,
you will on one fide of the lake, fee a rich and beauti
ful landlkip of cultivated fields, rifing to the eye in fine
inequalities, with noble groves of oak, happily difperfed ;
and climbing the adjacent hills, fliade above fliade, in the
moft various and pidurefque forms. On the moft op
pofite fliore, you will find rocks and cliifs of ftupendous?
height, hanging broken over the lake in horrible
grandeur, fome of them a thoufand feet high, the woods
climbing up their fteep and fliaggy fides, where mortal
foot never yet approached. On thefe dreadful heights
the eagles build their nefts : A variety of waterfalls are
feen pouring from their fummits, and tumbling in vaft
fheets from rock to rock in rude and terrible magnifi.
cence : While on all fides of this immenfe amphitheatre
the lofty mountains rife round, piercing the clouds in
Ihapes as fpiry and fantaftic, as the very rocks of Dove
dale. To this I muft add the frequent and bold projec
tion of the cliffs into the lake, forming noble bays and
promontories : In other parts they finely retire from it,
and often open in abrupt chafms or clefts, through which
at hand, you fee rich and cultivated vales, and beyond
thefe, at various diftance, mountains rifing over moun
tains ; among which, new profpefts prelent themfelves ;
in mift, till the eye is loft in an agreeable perplexity; '
Where aftive fancy travels beyond fenfe.
And pidures things unfeen.
Were I to analyfe the two places into their conftituent
principles, I (hould tell you that the full perfeftion of
Kefwick confifts of three circumftances, beauty, horror,
and immenfity united ; the fecond of which is alone *
tound

the LAKES. 129
lake ; which though inferior in fize to
Uls-water, is yet different in its beau ties.

found In Dovedale. Of beauty it hath little ; nature
having left it almoft a defert : Neither its fmall extent
nor the diminutive and lifelefs form of the hills admit
magnificence. But to give you a complete idea of thefe
three perfedions, as they are joined in Kefwick, would
require the united powers of Claude, Salvator, and
PoufUn. The firft fliould throw his delicate funfliine
over the cultivated vales, the fcattered cots, the groves,
the lake, and wooded iflands. The fecond fliould dafli
out the horror of the rugged cliffs, the fteeps, the hang
ing' woods, and foaming waterfalls; while the grand
pencil of pouffin fliould crown the whole with the ma
jefty of the impending mountains.
So much for what I would call the permanent beau
ties of this aftonifhing fcene. Were I not afraid of
being tirefome, I could now dwell as long on its varying
or accidental beauties. I would fail round the lake,
anchor in every bay, and land you on. every promontory
and ifland. I would point the perpetual change of prof-
peft ; the woods, rocks, cliffs, and mountains, by turns
vanifhing or rifing into view : Now gaining on the fight,
hanging over our heads in their full dimenfions, beau
tifully dreadful; and now, by a change of fituation,
afTuming new romantic (hapes, retiring and leffening on
the eye, infenfibly lofing themfelves in an azure mift.
I would remark the contraft of light and fhade, pro
duced by the morning and evening fun ; the one gild
ing the weftern, and the other the eaftern fide of this
immenfe amphitheatre ; while the vaft fhadow projefted
by the mountains buries the oppofite part in a deep and
purple gloom, which the eye can hardly penetrate. The
natural variety of colouring which the feveral objefts
produce is no lefs wonderful and pleafing: The ruling
' t«nts in the valley -being thofe of azure, green, and gold,
' yet

130 An Excursion to
ties, and afforded us many delightful
fcenes. — The water, which ftill bears the
name

yet ever various, arifing froni an intermixture of the
lake, the woods, the grafs arid corn fields : Thefe are
finely contrafted by the grey rocks and cliffs; and the
whole heightened by the yellow ftreams of light, the
purple hues, and mifty azure of the mountains.' Some
times a ferene. air and dear flty difclofe the tops of the
higheft hills ; at otherS, you fee clouds involving their
fummits, refting on their fides, or defcending to their
.bafe, and rolling among the vallies, as in a vaft furnace.
—When the winds are high, they roar among^the cliffs
and caverns like peals of thunder ; then, too, the clouds
are feen in vaft bodies fweeping along the hills in gloomy
greatnefs, while the lake joins the tumult, and toiTes
like a fea: But in calm weather the whole fcene be
comes new ; the lake is a perfeft mirror ; and the land-
fkip in all its beauty, iflands, fields, woods, rocks, and
mountains, are feen inverted, and floating on its fur
face. I will now carry you to the top of a cliff, where,
if you dare approach the ridge, a new fcene of aftonifli
ment prefents itfelf ; where the valley, lake, and iflands
feem lying at your feet ; where this expanfe of water
appears diminlfhed to a little pool, amidft the vaft im-
meafurable objefts that furround it ; for here the fum
mits of more diftant hills appear above thofe you have
already feen, and rifing behind each otlier in fucceflive
ranges, and azure groups of craggy and broken fteeps,
form an immenfe and awful pidture, which can only be
expreffed by the image of a tempeftuous fea of moun
tains. — Let me now conduft you , down again to the
valley, and conclude with one circumftance more;
which is, that a walk by ftill moon light (at which time
the diftant waterfalls are heard in all their variety of
found) among thefe inchanting dales, opens a fcene of
fuch delicate beauty, repofe,, and folemnity, as exceeds'
all defcriptlon.

the LAKES. 131
name of Derwentwater, though em
bodied in fo great a lake, faid to be ten
miles in circumference, was tranfparent as
chryftal, and fhining as a mirror; over
whofe furface five fine iflands were dif
perfed ; the neareft' in view was covered
with yellow corn, the reft cloathed in
wood ; the hills are lofty, arifing on every
fide from the margin of the lak^*.
K — Here-

* The following verfes are taken from Dr Dalton's
Defcrlptive Poem, in the Continuation of Dodfley's
Colleftion, vol. I.  " To nature's pride,
« Sweet Kefwick's -vale, the mufe will guide;
« The mufe who trod th' enchanted ground,
« Who fail'd the wond'rous lake around ;
« With you will hafte, once more to hail
' The beauteous brook of Borrodale.
«« From favage parent, gentle ftream 1
< Be tliou the niufes favourite theme ;
« O foft, infinuating glide,
« Silent along the meadow's fide ;
' Smooth o'er the fandy bottom pafs,
< Refplendent all through fluid glafs;
= Unlefs upon tty yielding breaft,
' Their heads the painted lillies reft,
« To where, in deep capacious bed,
' The widely liquid lake is fpread.
" Let other ftreams rejoice to roar
' Down the rough rocks of dread Lodore;
' R,ufh raving on with b'oift'rous fweep,
' And foaming rend the frighted deep. " Thy

132 An Excursion to
 Here, the mountains were in fotne
parts covered with grafs, in others with
heath; there, the rock were grown with"
flirubs and brufli wood, which hung in
their apertures and creeks.—LIttle valleys of
cultivated land prefented themfelves in the
openings and windings of the mountains ;
and

" Thy gentle genius fhrinks away
" From fuch a rude unequal fray ;
" Through thine own native dale, where rife
•' Tremendous rocks amid the fkies,
" Thy waves with patience flowly. wind,
" Till they the fmootheft channel find;
" Soften the horrors of the fcene,
" And through confufion flow ferene.
" Horrors like thefe at firft alarm,
•' Bvt foon with favage grandeur charm,
" And raife to nobleft thoughts your mind ;
" Thus by thy fall, L'odore, reclin'd,
•' The cragged cliff, impending wood,
" Whofe fhadows mix o'er half the flood,
" The gloomy clouds with folemn fail,
»' Scarce lifted by the languid gale,
" O'er the capp'd hill and darken'd vale,
" The ravening kite, and bird of Jove,
" Which round th' aerial ocean move,
'• And, floating on the billowy -fky, ¦ , ¦ •
«< With full expanded pinions fly,
" Their flutt'ring, or their bleating prey,
•' Thence with death-dooming eye furvey;
" Channels by rocky torrents torn,
•' Rocks to the lake in thunder bora j «'0r

:.i

the LA K E S. 133
and fmall inclofures, and groves of oak
ftretched up their precipitate afcents of
feveral hills, from the brink of the wa
ter ; at the head of the bafon, the moun
tains were more rugged and romantic. — ¦
We hurried to the boat, that we might
enjoy the pleafures of this place in theit
K 2 greateft

" Or fuch as o'er our heads appear
" Sufpended in the mid career,
" To ftart again at his command,
" Who -f ules fire, water, air, and land ;
•' I view with wonder and delight,
" A pleafing, though an awful fight.
" For, feen with them, the verdant ifles
" Soften with more delicious fmiles ;
" More tempting twine their opening bowers,
«< More lively flow the purple flowers,
" More fmoothly flopes the border gay,
" In fairer circle bends the bay;
«' And laft, to fix our wand'ring eyes,
«« Thy roofs, O Kefwick, brighter rife
" The lake and lofty hills between,
" Where giant Skiddow fliuts the fcene.
" Supreme of mountains, Skiddow, hail!
«' To whom all Britain fmks a vale •
" Lo, his. imperial brow I fee,
" From fqul ufurping vapoiirs freel
" 'Twere glorious now his fide to climb,
" Boldly to fcale his top fublime!
" And thence —
«'  My mufe thefe flights forbear,
«« Nor with wild raptures tire the fair;
«« Hills, rocks, and dales, have been top long
«« The fubjea of my rambling fong."

134 •^''^ Excursion to
greateft perfection. — The general view
was magnificent and beautiful, but we
wanted to take each pleafing fcene apart.
— We ordered the boatmen to coaft
round the neareft ifland, called Vicar's
Island, , containing about fix acres of
corn land ; on the eaftern fide of which a
few fycamores formed a little grove, co
vering a hovel, which varied the hue
with a rich green, and gave the whole
a piCturefque appearance. — Here we found
a fweet fhade, whilft we lay on our oars
to llften to the found of waterfalls, which
ftruck the ear from every fide with an
agreeable folemnity. — On my fecond vifit,
I lamented to fee that this grove was hewn
down — -this beauty eftaced: — what wiA
not avarice perpetrate!
— Now we had the valley to the right
opening upon our view, and extending a
rich plain towards the north-weft, three or
four miles in breadth ; — the ftrips of corn,
and litde groves, fcattered here and there,
gave the moft pleafing variety, when con
trafted with the verdure of the mown
meads, ftruck by the rays of the morn ing

the L AKE S. 135
ing fun, and happily oppofed to the ad
joining mountains. — In this vale, the
chvirch, with fome feat-houfes, fhewed
their white fronts, over which, the moun
tains arifing to the right, were ftupendous
and gloomy, as they ftood covered with
clouds. — There Sklddow raifed his head,
and, with a peaked brow, overlooked Sad
dleback and Cawfey-pike, together with a
chain of mountains ftretching away to
wards the north-weft ; whilft, on the other'
hand, the hifls and rocks which ftand
upon Baflenthwaite-water, form the other
wing of a lofty avenue of mountains^
which extend into the diftant plains.
— We were told by a perfon at Kef- '^°"°'
wick, that Skiddonv, from the plane of '^°''-
the lake's furface, is three thoufand four
hundred and fifty feet in perpendicular
height ; but from the ingenious Mr Walker
of Manchefter, the itinerant LeCturer on
Natural Philofophy, I have received the
following calculation.
Barometer at Whitehaven  29" o* Feet.
Fell fame day in afcending the 7 , By
mountain ¦^— — J ^ table '53
Stood on the top at — — 26 4 .
By angle from the lake of Baffenthwaite to the> .
top of Skiddow _ _ _ 5 25°®
K 3 —We

iz6 An Excursion to
— We coafted the right hand fide of
the lake, where the hills gradually re
tiring from its margin, rife to their fum
mits covered with herbage. Here we
had a view of the little valley of New-
land, which winds about the feet of
the mountains, and with the fineft ver
dure from the fmall inclofures of grafs
ground, refrefhes the eye, which had la
boured with upftretched looks over the
vaft heights that fhut it in on every fide;
r—there cattle and fheep were feen depaf-*
turing, little cottages were difperfed a
mongft the hedge-row aflies, whilft the
fhadows of hills fufiered the fun-fhine to
fall only in ftrips over the vale,
stHer- — We landed at St Herbert's
Ifland Island, which contains about five acres
Hermi- °f land, now covered with young trees,
tage. famous for being the refidence of St Her
bert, a l^rleft and Confeffor ; who, to
avoid the ihtercourfe of man, and that
nothing might withdraw his attention
from unceafing mortification and prayer,
chdfe this ifland for his abode.— The
fceile around him was adapted to his
gloomy

the L AKE S. 137
gloomy ideas of religion;— he was fur
rounded by the lake, which afforded him
fifh for his diet ; — on every hand the
voice of waterfalls excited the folemneft
ftralns of meditation ; — rocks and moun
tains were his daily profpeCt, where bar
rennefs and folitude feeined to take up
their eternal abode ; — from the fituation
of this place, nature hath given t^ree
parts of the year to impetuous hurricanes
and ftorms, the fourth alone provides for
the reft. — Here this reclufe efeCted an
hermitage, the remains of which appear
at this day, being a building of ftone,
formed into two apartments ; the outward
one, a,bout twenty feet long and fifteen
broad, the other, of narrower dimenfions.
—He was a contemporary with St Cut H-
BFRT, and as the legends of that time
fay, by the prayers of that faint, obtained
a joint or equotemporary death with him,
in the year of our Lord fix hundred and
eighty-eight.— ^There is no hiftory of his
life and adlons to be met with, or any
tradition of his works of piety or mira
cles, preferved by the inhabitants of the
country. ,
K4 -:The

138 An Excursion to
— ^The paffion for folitude and a reclufe
life, which reigned in the days of this
faint, and was cherifhed by the monaftic
fchool, although at firft fight may appear
to us uncouth and enthufiaftic, yet when
we examine into thofe times, our aftonifli
ment will ceafe; whilft we confider the
eftate of thofe men, who under all the
prejudices of education, were living in
an age of ignorance, vaffalage, and ra
pine; and we fhall rather applaud than
condemn a devotee, who difgufted with
the world and the fins of men, configns
his life to the fervice of the Deity in re
tirement.-^- We may fuppbfe we hear the
faint exclaiming with the poet:— -
" Bleft be that hand divine, which gently laid
" My heart at reft, beneath this humble fhed;
" The world's a ftately bark, on dang'rous feas,
" With pleafure feen, but boarded at our peril :
" Here on a fingle plank, thrown fafe on fhore,
" I hear the tumult of the diftant throng,
" As that of feas remote, or dying ftorms-
" And meditate on fcenes more filent ftill,
" Purfue my theme, and fight the fear of death.
" Here, like a fhepherd gazing from his hut,
" Touphing his reed or leaning on his ftaff,
" Eager ambition's fiery chace I fee >
" I fee the circling hunt of noify men, v
" Burft law's inclofure, leap the mounds of right,
" Purfuing and purfued, each other's prey; "As

the LAKES. 139
. •' As wolves for rapine, as the fox for wiles,
¦^ " Till death, that mighty hunter, earths them all*.
As we left the Hermitage, I fell into' a
reverie, and begun to mutter thus to my-
felf:

" It feems unnatural for man to deny
" himfelf the aid and confolation which .
*' are derived from fociety, and contemn
*' the fweets of friendfhip. — The poet fays,
•« Poor is the friendlefs mafter of a world.f "
" When we talk of friendfhip in gene-
*' ral, the friendfhip of the world, we are
" amufing ourfclves with a fuperficial
*' view, where objeCts are fo grouped,
" and colours fall in fuch happy affem-
*' blage, that all is beautiful and delight-
*'ing; — but when greater curiofity, or
" neceffity demands a ftriCt furvey of the
*' feveral images which formed this plea
fing profped, you find, on their fepa-
ration, that they lofe that excellence
" which their union or diftance main-
" tained.— There is little of true friend- fliip

Young. + Ibid.

140 An Excursion to
' fhip on this ftage to enhance the value
of life ; — the corruptions of the age have
contaminated it, and fcarce any thing
more is left than the name; — when it is
even found with confanguinity, it is a
rare effence, at which men ftand in
wonder. — I have known examples, where
genius and merit have dawned upon a
youth, furrounded with opulent friends,
who have ftood gazing on him like fta-
tues of ftone, without ftretching forth
a hand to fave him from poverty; whilft
the fine gifts ,that providence had en
dowed him with, languifhed in fetters ;
which, by their patronage, might have
been brought forth and faved, even by
the crumbs which fell from the rich
man's table. — I doubt not the eye of
heaven regarded their infenfibility with
kindling wrath, and to reward the fa-
crllege, deprived them of every enjoy
ment with which the finer feelings of
the foul blefs mankind, and left thena
nothing but animal oeconomy, and the
dilgraced image of humanity."
— I had fliewn fome agitation through
this whifpered folilocjuy ; and uttering thefe

the LAKES. 141
thefe laft words with a degree of , vehe
mence, arifing on the progrefs of my ideas,
my companion catched me by the arm,
and roufed me faying, " The boatmen al-
" ready think they have got a paflfenger
" that is frantic, and exprefs by looks,
** their wilhes to be rid of us*." —But
* Camden writes, " that at Newlandfide, and elfe-
" ¦vyhere, copper mines" were difcovered by Thomas
" Shurland and Daniel Hotchftatter, a German, of
" Aufpurge, in our days; and yet the fame were known
«' before, as appears by the Clofe Rolls of King Henry '
" the Third. Upon the difcovery of thefe mines, there
" was a memorable cafe in law between Queen Elizabeth
•' and Thomas Piercie, Earl of Northumberland, in
" whofe Lordfhip they were found ; but by reafon of
" the Queen's prerogative, and veins of gold and filver
" difcovered therein, they were adjudged to the crown;
*' — here black lead is alfo found.' — Derwent, after its
«' paffage through thefe hills, fpreads itfelf into a large
" lake; Bede terraeth it Praegande Stagnum, wherein
«« are three iflands, eminent above the water; — the one
«' hath an houfe of the Ratcliffs, a family of Knight's
" degree; the fecond is inhabited by the Dutch mineral
*' men; and the third is thought to be that where Bede
*' wrote that St Herbert lived an hermitical life. On
" the very fkirt of this vale, in a pleafant foil, encom-
" pafled with dewy hills, and fheltered towards the
" north by that high mountain Skiddow, lieth Kefwick;
" a little town, which King Edward the Firft made a
" market, by the application of Sir Thomas of Dern-
'¦' water, Lord of the place, from whom it lineally de-
<• fcended to the family of the Ratcliffs. — As for the
'• mountain Skiddow, it rifeth up to ixifh a height, «« with

142 An Excursion to
Brandc* — ^^ r^oyff purfiicd our voyage by a
low noble woody fcene, where Brandelow
Park, arifing from the edge of the lake,
with ftately young oaks, extends its groves
over two round hoes or eminences : and
behind them, (after covering a little in
tervening valley) rifes on the fide of a
mountain to a confiderable height, and
forms a woody amphitheatre, fringed with
fbme fmall ftrips of corn, which grow
under its fkirts ; whilft all above are ftu
pendous hills and rocks. — The ftrait boles
of the trees, together with the verdure of
the ground under their fhadow, which was.
perceived at a great depth in the grove,
by reafon of the diftance at which the
trees ftood from each other, formed an,
"^ uncommon and folerim fcene, which being
again reflected by the water, feemed like
inchanted

" with two heads like to Parnaffus, and with a kind of
" emulation looks on Scruffel hill before it, in Annan-
•' dale in Scotland, that from thefe two mountains, as
" the mifty clouds rife or fall, the people of the country
'• make their prognofti^tions of the change of weather,
" and have this proverb :
'• If Skiddow hath a cap,
" Scruffel wots weel of that."

the LAKES. 143
inchanted haunts, where the druids met
their naid-nymphs in the happy regions
of the genius of the lake*. —We

* It may not be unacceptable to the reader, to find
in this place what Mr Pennant fays of Kefwick.
" Take boat on -the water, vfhich makes this place fo
" jaftly celebrated. ' The form is irregular, extending
" from north to fouth, about three miles and a half,
" the breadth one and a half. The greateft depth is.
" twenty feet, in a channel running from end to end,
" probably formed by the river Derwent, which paffes
" through and gives name to the lake.
•• The views on every fide are very different : here all
" the pofijble variety of alpine fcenery is exhibited, with
" all the horror of precipice, broken crag, or ever-
" hanging rock; or ihfulated piramldal hiJls, contrafted
•'With others whofe fmooth and verdant fides fwelling
" into immenfe aerial heights, at once pleafe and fur-
«' prize the eye.
" The two extremes of the lake^ afford moft difcordant
" profpefts : the fouthern is a compofition of all that is
«' horrible ; an immenfe chafm opens in the midft, whofe
" entrance is divided by a rude conic hill, once topt
«« with a caftle, the habitation of the tyrant of the
«• rocks ; beyond, a feries of broken mountainous crags
<« now patched with fnow, foar one above the other,
«« over-fhadowing the dark winding deeps of Borrow-
" dale. — In thefe brack receffes, are lodged variety of
" minerals, the origin of evil by their abufe, and placed
«' by nature, not remote from the fountain of it. But
•' the oppofite or northern view is in all refpeifts a ftrong
'< and beautiful contiaft — Skiddow fhe;vs its vaft bafe
" and bounding all that part of the vale, rifes gently to
• ' a height that finks the neighbouring hills, opens a
«' pleafing front fmooch and verdapt, fmiling over the
«' country

/¦
144 -^^ Excursion to

Manifty — ^We arrived at the borders of Ma-
Mea- dow. NISTY Meadow, a flat of a few acres
' at the foot of the mountains, where our
boat anchored, that we might enjoy the
pleafures of the fituation: — to the left, the
neareft objeCt was a wooded ifland, ec^ed
with rocks, behind which, Brandelow
Park, and oaken groVes, dreft in the
deepeft green, covered the hills which
arofe Immediately from the margin of the
lake, and from thence ftretched up the
foot

" country like a gentle generous lord, while the fells of
" Borrowdale frown on it like a hardened tyrant.
" Each boundary of the lake feems to take part with
*« the extremities, and emulates their appearance : .the
" fouthern varies in rocks of different forms, from the
" tremendous precipices sf the Lady's Leap, the brokep
" front of the Falcons next to the more diftant concave
" or curvature of Lowdore, an extent of preciplt.ojis
" rock, with trees vegetating frbm the numerous fiffures,
" and the foam of a cataraft precipitating amidft.
" The entrance into Borrowdale divides the fcene, and
" the northern fide alters into milder forms ; a fait
"fpring, once the property of the monks of Furneft,
" trickles along the fhore; hills (the refort of fhepherd^)
" with downy fronts and lofty fummits fucceed ; wifji
'' woods clofuxg their bafes, even to the water's edge. ,
" Not far from hence the environs appear to the n^-
" vlgator of the lake to the greateft advantage ; for op
"every fide mou,ntains clofe the profped, and form 9J1
" amphitheatre almoft matchlefs. Loch

the L A K E S. 145
foot of Catbell's mountain, which laid
fo near to us, that it required the eye
which viewed its fummit to be turned
direCtly, upwards ; — on our right, at the
diftance of about one hundred yards, lay
another fmall ifland, on whofe rocky
margin brufh wood and willows hung
fantaftically ; above whofe thickets- the
diftant fhores were feen, where the mighty
cliffs of Falcon and Wallow Crags pro-

" Loch Loitfond, in Scotland, and Loch Lene, in
'' Ireland, are powerful rivals to the lake in queftion :
" was a native of either of thofe kingdoms to demand
" my opinion of their refpedtive beauties, I muft anfwer
" as the fubtile Melyil did the vain Elizabeth : that fhe
" was the faireft perfon in England, and mine the faireft
" in Scotland.
" The ifles that decorate this water are few, but
«« finely difpofed, and very diftindi:, rife with gentle'and
"regular curvatures above the furface, cunfiftofver-
" darit turfj or are planted with various trees. The
" principal Is the Lord's ifland, about five acres, where
" the Ratcliff family had fome time its refidence, .^nd from
" this lake took the title of Derwentwater, The laft
" ill-fated Earl loft his life ^nd fortune by the rebellion,
" 1715 ; and his eftate, now amounting to twenty thou--
«' land pounds per -annum, is vefted in truftees for the
" fupport of Greenwich Hofpital.
" The water of Derwentwatei- is fubjeft to violent
•'agitations, and often without any apparent caufi;, as
" was the cafe this day— the weather was calm, yet the
*' *aves ran a greatJleight, and the boat was- tolTed
*• violeaitly with what is called a bottom wind."

146 An Excursion to
projecting, fhewed their grotefque and tre
mendous brows, in a lofty line of rocks ;
beneath the feet of which, a ftrip of culr
tivated lands, and woods fhot forth a ver
dant promontory, which funk gradually
into the lake ; — in the centre of this view,
(after ftretching the eye for the diftance of
three miles over a bafon of the cleareft
and fmootheft water, fpreading its bofom;
to the noontide fun) is a large mount,'
called Castle-head Rocks, rifing in a
cone, and covered with oak wood ; be*
hind which a lofty mountain raifed its
brown- brow, dreft in heath and fun-burnt,
herbage, exceeded only by Skiddow, co
vered with blue vapour, and capped with
clouds, which terminated the profpeCt.
— Uls-water gives you a few, but
noble and extenfiye fcenes, which yield
aftonifliment; whflft Keswick abounds
with a variety of wilder and more roman
tic profpeCts.
— After paffing Bank Park, a rocky
and barren promontory, on which a few
fcattered trees looked deplorably aged and
torn, we entered a fine bay, where the
moun-

the LAKES.

147

mountainis rife immediately out of the
lake; here ftanding perpendicular, there
falling back in ruinous and rude confu
fion, as being piled heap on heap from
the convulfions of chaos; and in other
parts fhelving and hanging over the lake,
as if they threatened an immediate fall ;
— the whole forming a ftupendous circus.
— To defcribe this view is difficult, as
no exprefllon can convey an idea of the
fubjeCt, where the wild variety confifts
only of various features of the fame ob
jeCts; rocks and mountains forming and
conftituting the parts of this maffive
theatre. — -In the front of this romantic
fcene, a fmall mount prefents itfelf, co
vered with herbage ; fmall from the
mighty ftature and gigantic members of
the other parts of the profpeCt. — Over
looking this mount, ftands a round rock,
pufhing his mountainous brow into the
clouds, once crowned with a caftle. On
the fummit of the mount, fweetly con
trafted by the grey rocks behind, there
grows, with peculiar piCturef(|ue beau
ties, a fingle antient oak. — The lake be
neath was a perfeCt mirror —
L O'er

148 An Excursion to
" O'er which the giant oafc, himfelf a grove,
" Flings his romantic branches, and beholds .
" His rev'rend imagein th' expanfe below*."
—On each hand the clifls and moun
tains are ftrewed with bufhes and fhrubsj
down whofe fides fmall ftreams of water
trill, like fo many threads of filver, giving
a delicate mixture to the greynefs of the
rocks over which they pafs, in many
places perpendicular, and rent into a thou
fand rude columns, as if they had been
torn by. thunderbolts ; in other places,
they are of a tamer afpeCl, and compacted
in one folid mafs, ftand firm as the pillars .
of the antediluvian world. — Where the
hills are feparated, little vales filled with
wood, or narrow winding dells of grafs
ground,, twift around their feet, and give
a happy variegation to the view. — In fome
places, clefts in the rocks afford a profpeCt
into a valley behind ; in others, the over
hanging cliffs form rude arches and aper
tures, through which diftant mountains
are difcovered. — Behind all, are mountains
piled on mountains, whei'e the clouds
rolled in heavy volumes, giving; a gloomi- neft
* Mafoa's Garden.

the LAKE S. 149
nefs to thofe regions of confufion and bar
rennefs, which rendered the luftre of the
fhining lake, and the ftreams of light
which fell upon the rocks, waterfalls, and
fhrubs, brighter and more pleafing. — «.
Here--
" E'en in the dull, unfeen, unfeelng dell,
"  Shall Contemplation imp
" Her eagle plunges; the poet here fhall hold
" Sweet converfe with his mufe ; the curious fage,
" Who comments on great nature's ample tome,
" Shall find that volume here. — For here are caves
" Where rife thofe gurgling rills, that fing the fong
" Which Contemplation loves ; here fhadowy glades,
" Where thro' the tremulous foliage darts the ray
" That gilds the poet's day-dream*."
In the cliffs in this part of the lake ^g'«-
eagles build their nefts, far removed from
gunfliot, and undifturbed by men ; for
no adventurous foot ever dared alfail their
lofty habitation. In the fight of the cot
tager, hither they bring the fpoils of the'
fold, or the field, to feed their young,
fuperior to the wrath of the injured.
— On thefe fhores a fait fpring of very s*u
falubrious quality is found, but is ne- '"'"^'
gleCted.
L 2 —We
'•¦ '• * Mafon's Garden,

I5Q An E x c u R s I o N. /o
^mndf — We next vifited a very extraordinary
. phenomenon, an ifland about forty yards
in length and thirty in breadth, grown
over with ruflies, reeds, grafs, and fome
willows. — We would have landed upon
it, but as the water was -faid to be forty
fathom deep in that place, and the at
tempt rather hazardous, we defifted, and
had not the means of inquiring particu
larly into its nature. — This ifland arofe
about four perpendicular feet above the
furface of the water, on which we were
told it floated ; — from its magnitude We
were not able with one boat to try whe
ther it would move, from the perpend^r,
cular. line of its then ftation, or whether
it was bound to and connected with the
bottom of the lake by the roots of any
aquatic plants which appeared upon its
furface. — The boatnien informed us, that
It had not flxjated for two years before,;
and that it is feen at many feafons, by
reafon of the clearnefs of the water, a
great way from the furface in, its aClion
of rifing or fubfiding, as it is faid fre
quently to defcend to and reft upon the
bottom of the lakej but it never fhifts its.
ftation.

the LAKES. iji
ftation. — This change of floating or fink
ing could not, as they aflferted, be effeCled
by any greater or lefs quantity of water
in' the lake, at any one feafon ; for in
rainy feafons the lake is very little en
creafed in height, its outlets receiving the
additional water as faft as it flows in.
This whold relation appeared to me on
my fecond vifit to be fabulous;— the lake
was greatly encreafed in magnitude,- in
fo much,'; that the Lord's Ifland, as it is
called, which bdfore was a mere peninfiila,
was liovv- fo perfectly inflalated, that we
failed between it and the main land in
fCVeral feet water, the ^ arm of the lake
which formed this, divifion not being lefs
than three hundred yards in width ; — the
floating ifland was; no more to be feen,
and I am induced to affert,, that it never
defcends below the furface, but when the
Jake Is full of water, and the fedges and
willows, which cover the point of fome
rock, are fl^ooded and difappear.— This is
a feCond inftance, in this little tour,:: how
little the relations of guides .are to be de--
f ended on.. Ls —We

152 An Excursion to
4
— We now pulhcd up the river which
feeds the lake ; the water lilly fpread its ,
broad leaves over the furface, and. here
and there fhewed its meek white bells,
being at this feafon in full perfection. We
anchored near a little but pleafant habi*
tation, called Lochdoor or Lodore ; a
place perfectly adapted for the abode of a
reclufe, and much preferable, to St H^r*
bert's Ifland, lying open to the fouthern
fun, fheltered from the north by mighty
mountains, which almoft overhang it ;
and fronting to the wideft part, of the
bafon, it commands a view of the feveral
iflands, Manifty meadows, and Brande
low parks, with their oaken groves hang
ing from the afcent of the mountains
fhade above fhade ; — Catbell's, and the
adjoining crags, fi;rmpunting the who|l^
fcene.
tadore — We wcrc landed on a plain of mea-R
Cata- ¦
w^n. dow ground which defcended -to the edg0
of the water, over which we paffed to an
adjoining wood at the foot of the rocks,
behind the Lodore houfe. — Afterf winding
through feveral paflJes in thefe groves and
thickets,

the LAKES. 153
thickets, we gained a fituation Where we
were delighted with the noble objeCts
which prefented themfelves to our view.
— -Around us was fpread a grove,
fprmed of tall young oaks, alh, and birch
trees., which gave an agreeable coolnefs
and fhade; — above, the trees, with up
lifted lopks, to the right, we viewed a
mountain of rock, cafledj Shepherds Crag,
forming a rude circular mafs, fhelving
from the foot towards its crown in a fpi-
ral form ; oij every plane of which, and
every ftep that hung Upon its fides, her-
jDage and fhrubs grew fantaftically, whilft
the , very fummit wore a verdant cap of
grafs.-^To. the left,^ there arofe- a perpen
dicular grey cliff", faid to be a thoufand
feet in height from the lake, rent into in
numerable fiffures, and ftanding like niaf-
five columns in rude arrangement, tov
fupport the feeming ruins of a fhattered
tower, grown white with ftorms, " and
overlooking Shepherds Crag fome hun
dred feet. — In the opening between thefe
ftupendous rocks, the river pours its whole
ftream, forming a grand cafcade near
two. hundxed perpendicular feet high.; —
" L 4 as-

ij;'4 An Excursion to
as the channel is rugged, the water makes
a fheet of foam, and roars amongft the
caverns and the cliffs, fo that you are de
prived of hearing any thing but its tu
mult; — reaching the wood, where the
defcent is lefs precipitate, it wi-nd& a-
mongft the trees, fome times fhewing it"
felf, and at others totally concealed, whilft
it ferpentines towards the lake .--The fpray
which is dafhed around the rocks, and
carried upon the breeze, where ever it
meets the rays of the fun, through the
openings of the cliffs, takes the colours
of the rainbow.
' — One would- conceive Thompfon had
this cataraCt in his eye, when he wrote
his feafons:
" Smooth to the fhelving iDrlnk, a copious flood
•' Rolls fair and plactd; where collefted all
" In one impetuous torrent down the fteep
« It thundering fhoots, and fhakes the country round,
" At firft, an azure fheet it rufhes, broad;
" Then whitening by, degrees as pron« it falls-,
" And from the loud refounding rocks below,
" Dafhed in a cloud of foam, it fends aloft
" A hoary mift, and forms a ceafelefs fhow'r.
.«« Nor can the tortur'd wave here find ^epofe,^
'• But raging ftill amid the fhaggy roeks,
" Now flafhes o'er the fcattered fragments, now
" Aflant the hallowed channel rapid dafts,
" And falling faft from gradual flope to flope, " With

the LAKE S. 155
" With wild infrared courfe and lefs'ned roar
" It gains a fafer bed, and fteals at laft
•' A-losg the mazes of the quiet vale."
On turniing from this grand fpeCtacle,
the greateft beauties of this lake are
thrown inta one profpeCt : — The ground
whereon we ftood was rugged and rocky,
fliadowed with trees; — looking over, a
rich bofoESL of wood; below us lay the
l*odore meadows, where groups of cattl-d
were difperfed, and by the fhore fome
carpenters were jrepairing. their boats,, a
circumftanice which enlivened the fcei^e ;
— -the fhining lake laid, in one fmooth
plane, reflecting the azure fky chequered
with clouds : over which the vicar's ifland,
yellow with coin, and the woody iflands.
Were fortunately arranged ; the moun
tains, whofe feet were trimmed with wood,
lay in long perfpeCtive to the left. — Caftle-
head, with its ernbowered cone and Lord's
Ifland arifing from the oppofit'C fliore, in
tervened between us and the vale of Kef;
wick, which lay on the back ground, co
loured with all the tinCtures of fummer ;
over which the awful Skiddow, with, his
inferior race of mountains, frowned, in
azure majefty, ^n<i clofed the fcene, , .
^ -^He

IS6 An Excursion t0
— Here were all thofe beauties of co
louring which the late Dr Brown de
fcribed : 'i* The natural variety and co-
" louring which the feveral objeCts pro-
*' duce is no lefs wonderful than pleafing;
*' the ruling teints, of the valley being
*' thofe of azure, green, and gold, yet
*' ever various, arifing from an intermix..
" ture of the lake, the woods, the grafs,
" and corn fields ; thefe are finely con-
*' trafted by the grey rocks andclifiB, and.
"the whole heightened by the yellow
*' ftreams of light, the purple hues, and
" mifty azure of the mountains."
¦ . ii . ¦¦ ¦
— ^In this profpeCt one finds all the or
der and beauty of colouring, mentioned by
Mafon: . - . /;-
— — " Vivid green, |
" Warm brown, and black opake, the foreground bears,
" Confpicuous; — fober olive coldly marks ' •"¦'-
" the fecond diftance ; thence the third declin.e&
" In fofter blue, or lefs'aing ftill, is loft
".in fainteft purple."
-i>
Claude in' his happieft hour neveF
ftruck out a finer landfkip ; it has every
requifite which the pencil can demand,
and is perhaps the only view in England which

the LAKE S. 157
which can vie with the fublime fcenes
from which that painter formed his tafte.
We now returned to Our boat, and
failing within fome little diftance of the
fliore, had a view of the wa.terfall, where
the beauties of the lake to the fouth-eaft
lay in pleafing perfpeCjtive ;-;— -we looked
over a fmall part of the bafon, from
whence to the left, a ftupendous moun
tain pf rock arofe, on whofe flcirts, . and
in the rents and clefts of its fides, trees
and fhrubs climbed to the very fummit ;
— rbefore. us lay the wood from which we
had lately paffed, under whofe fhade Lo-
dore-houfe and incloliires were feen in-
cliningr 197*^^^^? tfie la^e ; above which,
the. lofty precipice, the waterfall, and
Shepherds Crag, were feen in their variety
of beauties ; whilft all beyond the moun
tains formed a crefcent, encla.fping a fheet
of water of two miles circuit. — Mountain
behind mountain, and rock behind rock,
fell here in fine perfpeCtive, and brought to
pur minds thofe aftonifhing fcenes. which
(jliaraCterize the ppncil of Salvator. --We

158 An Excursion to
— We paffed from hence, in our returrt
to Kefwick, by the coaft, where we were
fhewn a cliff" that projeCted over the lake,
called Eve's Crag, from its bearing fome
fimllitude to a female Coloffian ftatue. —
We next pafled Wallow-Ciiag, in which
a large opening is formed by the parting
of the rocks, bearing the name of Lady'^
Rake, from the efcape which Lady Der-
wentwater made there, by climbing the
horrid and ftupendous heights with fuCh
jewels and valuables as fhe could fecure,
when her unfortunate Lord was appre
hended. "
We now reached Lord*s Ifland, con
taining foniie few acres covered with v^ood,
where are the remains of a manfion of the
Derwentwater family. Fornierly this tvas
only a peninfula, but wheh the place wa^-
made the refidence of the Radcliffs and
Der v?ent waters, it was fevered from the
main land by a ditch, over which was
thrown' a draw-bridge. — This muft have
been a beautiful retirement. — Traveller^
cannot behold the ruins of this place,
without yielding a figh for the fins of the^
world,

the L A K E-S. 1^-9
and bewailing the dire effeCts which at
tend ambition and the crimes of princes.
— We vifited a Druidical Monu- °™'<J»
Temple
MENT within about two miles of Kef
wick, fituate to the fouth of the road
which we had pafled from Penrith. Plate
fig. II. ,
—This monument is placed on a plain,
formed on the fummit of a hill, around
which the adjoining mountains make a
folemn circle; — it is compofed of ftones
of various forms, natural and unhewn;
they feem to have been collected from
the furface, but from what lands it is
impoffible to conjeCture, moft of them be
ing a fpecies of granite. — The ftones are
fifty in number, fet in a form not exaCtly
circular, the diameter being thirty paces
fi-om eaft to weft, and thirty two from
north to fouth; at the eaftern end a fmall
inclofure is formed within the circle by
ten ftones, making an oblong fquare in
conjun(3:ion with the ftones of that fide
of the circle, feven paces in length, and
three in width within. In this place we
conjectured, the altar had been ereCled. — At

I^p An E X C U R^S I 0 N to
At the oppofite fide a fingle fquare ftone
is laid at the diftance of three paces from
the circle ; — poffibly this may have been
broken off, and is only thC foot of fuch a
column as Long Meg in the Salkeld mo
nument, which may have been ufed to
bind the victims to. — -The ftones forming
the outward, line are fome of them ftand
ing ereCt, others fallen, and the fame ob-
fervation is to be made, as to the appear
ance of entrances, a.s at Salkeld. — The
ftones here are of various fizes, fome of
the largeft of thofe ftanding being near
eight feet in height, and fifteen feet in
circumference. The fingularity noticed in
this monument by antiquaries, is the re
cefs on the eaftern fide. — I will take the
liberty to repeat what Mr Pennant has
faid on this matter. " But what diftin-
" guiflies this from all other druidical re-
". mains of this nature, is , a reCtangular
" recefs On the eaft fide of the area, form-
" ed of great ftone^ like thofe of the ovaL
" Thefe ftruCtures have been confidered in
" general to have been temples or places
" of worfliip: — the recefs here mentioned
"feems to have been allotted for ¦" the
" druids, the priefts of the place,, a fort of
U\ "' holy

the Lake s. i6i
" holy of holies where they met, fepa-
" rated from the vulgar, to perform their
" rites, their divinations, or to fit in coun-
" cil tq determine on controverfies, to
" compromife all differences about limits
" of land, or about inheritances, or for
" the trial of greater criminals : the druids
" poffeffing both the office of prieft and
" judge. The caufe that this recefs was
" placed on the eaft fide, feems to arife
*' from the refpeCt paid by the antient na-
" tives of this ifle to that beneficent lumi-
** nary the fun ;_ not originally an idola-
*' trous relpeCt, but merely as a fymbol
*' of the glorious all-feeing Being, its great
"Creator." A clergyman whofe property the paf^
ture ground is, in which this monument
ftands, and with whom we gained an ac
quaintance during our ftay at Kefwick,
told us, he was determined to deftroy the
place, as it prejudiced his ground ; fo that
perhaps the curious will fhortly be de-
,prived of this valuable piece of antiquity.
A' late difcovery has been made of .large 5,^^^.
.quantities of Black-lead, a mineral pe- ^^"^
culiar

1 62 Jb E X C U R S I O N /o
culiar to this country, (and no where elfe
hitherto found in Europe) it lies mixt a-
mongft die gravel and earth on the fhore
of Vicar's Ifland. — Whether it has lodged
there by the floods, or how otherwlfe been
collected, is not known ; but fo valuable
was the difcovery thought, that it occa-
fioned an enquiry by what means the
whole lake might be drained : conceiving
that from this fpeclmen, immenfe wealth
would be obtained by fuch an undertaking.
Of this mineral, Dr Campbell, in his
late publication of the Political Survey of
Britain, has this paffage. — " Black lead is
" what fome have fuppofed with very little
" reafon to be the Molybdena or Galena
" of Pliny ; others ftile it Plumbago. Our
" judicious Camden, in whofe days it
^' was a new thing, would not venture
" to give it a latin name, but caffs it a
** metallic earth, or hard fhiiiing ftony
*' llibftance, which, whether it was the
** Plngltls or Melanterla of DIofcorided,
*' or an ochre burnt to blackn,efs in the
" earth, and fo unknown to the antients,
" he left others to enquire. Dr Merret,
*' from the ufe to which it was firft ap-
" plied

^ ?^<? L A K E S. 163
*' plied, named it ingrica fabrilis. The
*' learned Boyle is of opinion, that it has
*' not any thing metallic in its nature ;
*' relying upon which, we have ventured
*' to give it a place here. — It is indeed a
*' very fingular fubftance, but being very
*' common, and confequently very well
*' known, it would be needlefs to defcribe
*' it. It is found but in very trivial quan-
*' ties in feveral mines here, and it may
"be alfo in other countries; — but the
*' fole mine in which it is found by itfelf
" is on Barrowdale, about fix miles from
*' Kefwick, in the county of Cumberland,
*' It is there called Wadd, and thofe who
" are beft acquainted with it ftile it a
*' black pinguid fhining earth, which they
*' fuppofe to be impregnated with lead
" and antimony.- — When it was firft dif-
" covered, the people nfed it to mark their
*' fheep: it was afterwards introduced into
" medicine, and taken in powder for the
*' cure of the cholic and gravel, but it
" has been finCe applied to many other
*' purpofes. It ferves to fcour, clean, and
" give a luftre to wrought iron, and de-
" ^nds it from ruft : it is appUed in the
** varnifhing crucibles and other earthen
M *• veffels

164 ^« Excursion to
" veffels that are to be expofed to the
" fierceft fire, which end it anfwers effeCtu-
" afly: but after afl, the great confumption
" of it is in two articles, in dyeing, to fix
" blues, fo that they may never change
" their colour, and in pencils. The be--
" ing confined to this country is fo well
*' known, and fo univerfally allowed, that
" they are from thence filled abroad,
" Crayons d'Angleterre. — It arifes from
" hence that this fubftanCe is little known
*' to foreigners, the moft learned of whom
" fpeak of it very confufedly, and with
" much uncertainty. — Thefe farther par-
*' ticulars we may venture to affirm con-
" cerning it, without any danger of mif-
" leading our readers, that the mine be-
" fore-mentioned is private property, is
" opened but once in feven years, and the
** quantity known to be equal to the con*
'* fumption in that fpace fold at once;
" and as it is ufed without any prepara-
*' tion, it is more valuable than the ore
*' of any metal found in this ifland. But
*' there is nothing improbable, much lefs
" impoffible, in fuppofing that other, and
" it may be many other ufes will be dif-
** covered in medicine, painting, dyeing, var-

the LAKES. i6s
"varnifhing, or pottery, which would
•' certainly contribute to raife the value of
*' a mineral peculiar to this country, and
" with the nature of which, though &
" long in our poffeffion, we are ftfll fo
*' imperfectly acquainted."
— The iifh of this lake are trouts, pike,
eels, and perch.
The romantic fcenes upon the lake in- ^^f,^'
duced us to take a boat at night, under
favour of the moon, which was near the
full; — we began our voyage foon after
the moon was ,rifen, and had illumined
the top of Skiddow, but from the inter
cepting mountains had not (within the
afcent of an hour) reached the lake ; — we
were furroujided with a folemn gloom ; —
the ftillnefs of the evening rendered the
voice of the waterfafls tremendous, as
they, in all- their variety x)f founds, were
re-echoed from every cavern; — the fum
mits of the rocjcs began to receive the ri
fing rays, and appeared as if crowned with
turrets of filver, from which the ftars de
parted for their nighdy round. — As the
night advanced, objeCts arofe to view.
Ma as

Mills.

1 6^ An Excursions
as if fiirging on the firft morning from
chaos ; — the water was a plain of fkble,
fprinked over with gems, reflected from
the ftarry firmament ; — the groves which
hung upon the feet of the mountains were
hid in darknefs, and all was one grave
and majeftic circle of fhadow —
 " till the moon
*' RiGng in cloudy majefty, ^t length
" A Parent Queen, unveii'd her peerlefs light,
"' And o'er the dark her filver mantle threw*" ,
— When the long protraCted fhades, the
mountains eaft on the bofom.of the lake,
fliewed the vaftnefs of thofe inaffes from
whence they proceeded ; and ftill as the
moon arofe higher in the horizon, the
diftant objects began to be more illumined,
and the whole prefented us with a noble
moon-light piece, delicately touched by the
haiid of nature; and far furpaffing thofe
humble fcenes which we had often viewed
in the works of the Flemlfh painters.
— Mifts began to arife on the lake, and
by reafon of the air which bore them
aloft, being confined and eddying with in
* Milton's Paradife Loft.

^^^ L A K E S. i6i
in, this deep circle, they were whirled
round, and carried upwards like a co
lumn, which fo foon as it approached
the rays of the moon, had a moft won
derful appearance, and refembled a pillar
of light,
—I recollect that Maupertuis defcrib-
ing the lake and mountain of Niemi in
Lapland, fpeaks of a Phenomenon of the
like nature, which the people called Hal-
tios, and which they efteemed to be the
guardian fpirits of the place. — Be thefe as
they might, we may venture to aflertj no.
Druid, no St Herbert, no Genius, had a.
jnore glorious afeenfion*
¦ — The moon's mild beams now gllftned
on the waters, and touched the groves,
the cliffs, and iflands, with a meeknefs of
colouring, which added to the folemnity
of the night, and thefe noble and ro
mantic objects, ftruck us with reverence ;
and infpired the mind with pious fenti
ments and ejaculations.-— It was obferva-
ble, that by day we were inceflantly com
municating our raptures and furprife on
M 3. each

i6S An Excursion to
each new wonder that opened to our
view, — we now enjoyed them in filence.
— Every bay and promontary afliimed
an appearance different from what it had
by day-light ; — the little dells which wind
round the feet of the mountains, as they
wer-e fhadowed by interpofing objeCts, -or
filvered by the moon, afforded moft en
chanting fcenes ; where we jnight havQi
wandered, with delight, till morn.
d.°L°." — Where- the lake narrows, and runs
up in a creek towards Borodale, the
rocks looked tremendous, almoft fhutcing
us in from the face of heaven ; the clifis
were ftruck with fcanty gleams of light,
which gained their paffage through the
interftices of the hills, or chafins in
the rocks, and ferved only to difcover
their horrible overhanging fronts ; their
mighty caverns, where the water ftruck
by our oars made a hollow found; their
deformed and frowning brows, the hang
ing fhrubs with which they were bearded,
their fparkling waterfalls that trilled from
fbelf to fhelf, the whole half feen and hall
concealed, leaving imagination at large to
magnifjr

the LAKES. 1^9
magnify the images of their grandeur and
horrible magnificence.
The purfuit which engaged us next Afcend-
morning, was to gain the fummit of'Moun-
S KID DOW, which by the winding pafs sud-
we were obliged to make, afforded a la- ^°^'
borious afcent of five miles. — The pro
fpeCt from this eminence well rewarded
our fatigue ; — to the fouth-eaft, we had a
view over the tops of mountains, one fuc
ceeding to or overlooking the other ; a
fcene of chaos and mighty confufion : this
was the profpeCt which Dr Brown de
fcribed by the image of " a tempeftuous
" fea of mountains ;"-^-below us lay the
lake with all the beauties of its margin,
together with the vale of Kefwick, and the
waters of Baffenthwaite, as if delineated on
a chart.-^To the fouth, the hills towards
Cockermouth, though lefs rugged and
romantic than thofe towards the fouth-
eaft, were yet no lefs ftupendous.— To the
north-weft, we had the profpeCt of a wide
and barren heath, extending its plains to
Carlifle, and terminated by the moun
tains of Scotland. — To the north-eaft, we
regained the profpeCt of that fpacious cir
cus in which Penrith ftands, the Queen of
M 4 the

1 70 An Ex c u R s I o n to
the vale, overtopped by Crofs-Fefl, which
forms the moft diftant back ground.
-—The air was remarkably fharp and
thin, compared with that in the valley;
and refpiration feemed to be performed
with a kind of afthmatic oppreffion.
— ^Whilft we remained upon the moun--
tain, over the hills which lay between
Kefwick and Cockermouth, denfe and
dark vapoUrs began to arife; and in a
little time, as they advanced upon a fouth^
weft wind, concealed thofe heights we
had viewed half an hour before clear
and diftinCt. — Our guide was very earneft^
with us to quit the mountain, as he prog-
noftlcated the hazard of being wet, and
of lofing our way in the heavy vapour,
from a ftorm then collecting, which he
afliired us Would foon cover Skiddow ; —
the circvimftance was too fingular to be
left by people curious in their obferva
tions on natural events ; we defired our
guide Would take care of himfelf, and
leave us to our pleafure, but the good
attendant had' a due fenfe of our impro
priety ill wifliing to be left there, and
deter-

the LAKES. 171
determined to abide by us.— The clouds
advanced With accelerated fpeed ; — a hol
low blaft founded amongft the hills and
dells which lay below, and feemed to fly
from the approaching darknefs ; — the va
pour rolled down the oppofite valley of
Newland, and appeared to tumble in
mighty fheets and volumes from the
brow of each mountain, into the vale of
Kefwick, and over the lakes.
• — Whilft we admired this phenomenon,
the clouds below us gradually afcended,
and w'e foon found the fummit of Skiddow
totally furrounded, whilft we on every
looked down upon an angry and impetu
ous fea, heaving its billows. We were
rejoicing in this grand fpeCtacle of nature,
and thinking ourfelves fortunate in hav
ing beheld fo extraordinary an event,
when, to our aftonifhmerit and confufion,
a violent burft of thunder, engendered in
the vapour below, ftunned our fenfe, be
ing repeated from evei'^y rock, and down
every dell, in horrid uproar ; at the fame
time, from the agitation of the air, the
mountain feemed to tremble ; — at the ex-
ploficn, the clouds were inftantaneoufly 11-
lumi-

A
Thun der
Stoiin.

172 u!^w Excursion /ff
Iuminated, and from innumerable chafms
fent forth ftreams of lightning. — Our
guide lay upon the earth terrified and
amazed, in his ejaculations, accufing us
of prefumption and impiety; — danger
made us folemn, we had no where to fly
for fafety, no place to cover our heads;
to defcend, was to rufh into the inflam
mable vapour from whence our perils pro
ceeded, to ftay was equally hazardous;
for now the clouds which had received
fuch a concuffion from the thvtnder, af
cended higher and higher, enveloping the
whole mountain, and letting fall a heavy
fhower of rain; — we thought ourfelves
happy even under this circumftance, to
perceive the ftorm turning north-weft, and
to hear the next clap burft in the plain
beyond Baffenthwaite- water. — A like event
has frequently happened to travellers in
the heights of the Alps, from whence
the thunder ftorms are feen paffing over
the countries beneath them.
" — The echoes from the mountains
which bordered Kefwick lake, from New-
land, Borodale, and Lodore, were noble,
and gave a repetition of the thunder-claps dif-

the LAKES. 173
diftinCtly, though diftant, after an in
termiffion of feveral feconds : tremendous
filence !
— The rain, which ftill encreafed, form
ed innumerable ftreams and cafcades,
which ruflied from the crown of Skiddow,
Saddle-back, and Cawfey-pike, with a
mighty noife ; but we were deprived of
the beauty of thefe waterfalls by the in
tercepting vapour, which was not to be
penetrated by the eye more than a few
yards before us,
— ^We defcended the hill wet and fa
tigued, and were happy, when we re-^
gained our inn at Kefwick, which we
jiow efteemed a paradife.
In the church of Croflhivaite, Is a mo- Tomb
nument of the Radcliffs, with figures of Rad-
brafs inlaid, and this infcription, " Pray
" for the foul of Sir John Radcliffe,
" Knight, and for the foul of Dame Alice
" his wife; which Sir John died the fe-
" cond day of February, A. D. 1527, on
*' whofe foul the Lord have mercy." Among

1 74 u4« E X c u R s I o N to
aifford Among thefe mountains, Henry Lord
Clifford, of Clifford, (whofe father was
flain the day before the battle of Towton)
was remarkably preferved from the fury
of the Duke of York, who would havd
killed him on account of the cruelties his
father had committed. He was concealed
here, and brought up a ffiepherd for
twenty-four years, having never learnt to
read or write.
profpea Qj^ jj^y fecond vifit to Kefwick, we
from J '
Skid- mounted the crown of Skiddow on horfe-
aow. back, an undertaking not to be recom
mended; — The clearnefs of the day af
forded a beautiful profpeCt to the north-
weft; — the fun-beams blazed upon the
diftant ocean, Solway Firth lay in view
for many miles, with its variegated mar
gin of tillage, corn, and meadow; — the
headlands of Scotland, which fhot out a
vaft way into the fea, were miftaken by
our attendant for the Ifle of Man, an ob
jeCt not to be viewed from this mountain, •
by reafon of the interpofing highlands to
the fouth-weft; — Annandale, with Skld-
dow's mighty rival, Scruffel, were dif
tinCtly

Tempe rature
of Air.

the LAKES. 175
tinCtly feen, and a vaft traCt of Scotch
land. The temperature of the air was more
diftinCtly to be difcovered this day, than
on our former tour ; — in the vale it was
remarkably hot and fultry; a gentle fou
thern breeie juft moved the leaves ; — but
on the mountain we were obliged to dif-
mounts to bind down, our hats, and but
ton our upper coats, -the wind was fo
fierce and cold.

In the narrow pafs of Borodale we law a ^°'^^^
remarkable ftone, called the Boivder-Stone,
which is faid to be the largeft ftone in
England, being equal in fize to a firft- rate
anan of war.- — It appears to have fallen
from the impending precipice, and to
have been fevered from the parent rock
by lightning or an earthquake.
Travellers who go in purfuit of pleafure cuireor
to Kefwick, are not unfortunate, if they land's
fall upon the means of procuring the barge
belonging the ,Duke of Portland ; a com
modious veffel of four oars, which will
hold a company of eight or ten perfons, with

17^ An E :5C c u R s I o N to
with lockers for the carriage of provifions
and neceffarles for a day's voyage;, and
alfo furnifhed with cannon for the echoes.
— The innkeepers of the neighbouring
ftages are not ingenuous enough to point
out to ftrangers this convenience; — an
unhappy fpirit ftill rages, which was ge
nerated in the corruptions of contefted
elections; — and this partiality expofes tra
vellers to this reverfe ; a nafty, leaky
fifliing-boat, with an impertinent, talka^
tive, lying pilot.
^'mBie'^ ^^ purfued our rout from Kefwick to
fi^- Amblejide, a ftage pf eighteen miles ; — for
romantic, mountainous, and wild fcenes,
this ftage affords the fineft ride in the
north of England ; the whole road lying
.in a narrow and winding dell, confined
by a ftupendous range of mountains on
either hand. — In fome places, the vale is
not wider than merely to admit the road,
in other places it opens in little valleys,
and again is fhut in various forms.— 'We
pafled near the rocks of St John, which
on nearer view, loft moft of their grotefque
appearance; and as we winded by the
feet of thefe lofty hills, creeks £fled with
wood

the LAKES. 177
wood afforded many pretty, though nar^
row landfkips ; through which little rills,
arifing on the fides of the mountains,
poured down their hafty and gurgling
waters. — The rain which had fallen the
day, before, improved the beauties of the
place; — the cafcades were innumerable,
and their figures various ; — at one point
cf view we took in nine cafcades, falling
from eminences feven or eight hundred
feet perpendicular; — where fome of them
fell from the very brows of tiie hills, they
appeared as ftrings of filver, but defcend
ing further, fpread into flieets of foam,
and, before they reached the middle of
the hills, tumbled headlong from preci
pice to precipice, with a confufed noife.— ^
Every turn of the road, and eyery valley,
gave us a new fcene; — the profpeCts were
ever changing and diverfified.
At length we reached a narrow lake. Lay*-
called Lays- WATER, where the vale
widened ;— fcattered trees and fome little
inclofures adorned its margin, and here
and there a cottage.-^ — We rode by the
fide of this lake two miles, fo far it
ftretched along the vale; on every hand
enjoying

¦watCT.

17B An Excursion to
enjoying little rural fcenes,. renewing a
fucceffion of paftoral images we had col
lected from the poets in our early years,
when the young mind was charmed with
romance, and the moft fantaftic ideas of
rural Innocence, retirement, and love*
— Neither did tbefe images pafs in the
imagination only, for in this fequeftered
vale^ we met a female native full of youth,
innocence, and beauty; — fimplicity a-
dorned her looks' with modefty, and hid
the down-caft eye ; virgin apprehenfion
covered her with blufhes, when ffie fovmd
herfelf ftayed by two ftrangers; and as
ftie turned her eyes for an inftant upon
us, they fmote us with all the energy of
unaffected innocence, tdu^ched with doubt*-
fulnefs ;-^her lips, which in the fweeteft
terms expreffed apprehenfion, fhewed' teeth
of ivory ; and on her full forehead ringlets
of auburn carelefsly flowed s . a delicacy
of proportion was feen over her whole
figure, which was eafy and elegant as na
ture's felf.
— My companion, in rapture, fnatched
put his pencil, and began to imitate ; but the

the LAKES. 179
the unaffected impatiency, and fweet con
fufion of the maid, overcame our wiffies
to detain her, and we let her pafs reluc
tantly, .
After this little adventure we jogged ^"'"-
j DO mete.
on, filent, each wrapped up in his own
cogitations, till we began to defcend the
hill towards the valley of Grasmere;
when we were roufed by the unexpected
beauties of the fcene, and, as if moved by
one thought, ff(%jpe^ga zed at each other,
and fmiled, before we could condefcend
to fnatch ourfelves from the ideal pleafures
we had been enjoying. •
We were charmed* with the view of
Grasmere, a retirement furrounded by
hills on every hand ; the vale contains
a four miles circumference of meadow
and pafture ground; — near the middle of
this valley is a fine lake, beautified with
an ifland. — From a mount (a little dif-
I tance from the church) we viewed the
whole circle, delighted with the fituation;
—the fields were full of frelhnefs and ver
dure, the fcene was ornamented with a
few humble cottages difperfed on the bor-
N ders

i8o An Excursion to
ders of the lake, amongft which, the fa*
cred fane ftood folemnly fuperior; — the
hills were here and there graced with a
few trees, and animated by wMte flocks
of ffieep.-^It feemed to be the vale of
peace. We had not paffed far from this fweet
fequeftered fcene, before we entered Ri-
dale, where we were again charmed
with new retreats, and happy retirements.
— Here we found a cultivated vale, not
equal in width to Grafmere, but full of
pretty Inclofures, and watered with a lake,
on which a fine woody ifland arifes. —We
paffed along the windings of this dale,
till we reached the feat of Sir Michael
Fleming, — an antient manfion, ftanding
on the opening of the dale, on the fou
thern decline of the hills, which abound
in wood-land, and front the lake of Win
dermere.— The ground before -this feit
is prettily diverfified with irregular knots*
of trees, fituate on natural eminences, and
fcattered with fuch agreeable wildnefs
and irregularity, that they feemed to be
the work; of nature j — the fpaces between thefe

the Lakes. i8i
thefe knots of trees were mown in narrow
meandring walks. — At the diftance of
half a mile, oppofite to the houfe, are
lofty rocks and hanging woods 'of oak,
which form the channel of the river that
feeds the lake.
In our road we paffed Duntaihvrays Dumaii-
o/owf J, monuments of a victory gained by
the firft Edmund over a King of Cumber
land : who without regard to the dignity
of his iffue, put out -the children's eyes,
and gave their father's kingdom to Mal
colm of Scotland.
Ambleside is fituate on the fwift de
cline of a hfll, over which many high
mountains arife towards the north. — The
firft appearance of our inn, induced us to
apprehend, we ffiould haften our depar
ture ; but the affiduous defire of pleafing
fhewn in the conduCt of the people, coun
terbalanced every deficiency.— Here we met
' a gentleman, Mr Penney, of Penney-bridge,
who was converfant with every curiofity
in this country; his polite and genteel
behaviour rendered our ftay at Amblefide
very agreeable.— By this gentleman's di-
N 2 reCtions,

i82 An Excursion to
reCtions, his fervant conducted us about
a mile up the woody declivity^ of the hill
behind the inn, where we faw a moft a-
mazing cafcade, totally different from
any thing we had met with upon our
Cataraa tour. — So great an afcent, without com
manding a third of the eminence, gave
us reafon to expeCt fomcthing very extra
ordinary in the profpeCt. — The ruffiing of
the waters founded through the wood, and
feemed at once as if burfting over our
heads, and tumbling beneath our feet ; —
this was foon reconciled, for in a few
fteps we perceived ourfelves to be upon
the fummit of a cliff, which overhung
the channel of the ftream, where an old
oak fufpended his romantic boughs over
the precipice; — this was the only opening
of the wood, <x fituation, where we could
look into this tremendous gulph. — The
river which falls here, arifes on the very
height of the mountains, and flows in a
very confined channel through an open
ing of rocks, the edges of which were *
grown with ftately trees, and thronged
with thickets of hazel, birch, and hoUey.
'¦ — We could look upwards from the place
where

the LAKE S.' 183
where we ftood for about one hundred
perpendicular yards, where we faw the
river in two ftreams pouring through the
trees ; — about the mid-way it united, and
was again broken by a craggy rock, over
grown with fern and brufhwood, which
threw it into two branches, foaming and
making a horrid noife ; but it foon united
agaii;!, and from thence, precipitated into
a deep and dreary gulph above fixty yards
below the cliff on which we ftood, from
whence It tumbled from rock to rock,
and , daflied through a rough and craggy
channel to the town of Amblefide with a
nilghty found, which fhook the air fo as
to give a fenfible agitation to the nerves,
like the effeCt of a thunder-clap; — the
whitenefs of the fretting waters was beau
tifully contrafted by the black rocks which
formed their paffage. — It was almoft im
poffible for the fteadleft eye to look upoa
this waterfall without giddinefs.~Its beau
ties, for a painter, were noble and various ;
the wood which hung upon the rocks
over the ftream was of mixed hues, the
trees projecting from each precipice, knotty
and grotefque, the cliffs, black and fringed
with ivy and fern, gave a fingular luftre
N 3 to

184 ^« E X C U R S I O N ?(?
to the waterfall. — No fancy could exceed
the happy affemblage of objeCts which
rendered this view piCturefque.
^ha°^' '^^^ traces of Amblefide's antiquity
are almoft defaced; — the modern inhabi
tants have preferved few of the Roman
monuments which were formerly difco
vered. — In Camden's time, many ruins
of the antient Amboglana of the Romans
were to be feen here ; the extent of the
fortrefs, as he gives dimenfions, was one
hundred and thirty-two ells in length
and eighty in breadth. — Roman bricksj
urns, and other earthen veflels, glafs
lachrymals, coins, mill-ftones or quern*-
ftones, as he calls them, were frequently
found here — the ground, in which the
traces of fuch place Is now to be feen,
forms an oblong fquare with obtufe an
gles, and lies near the river Brathay : It is
faid in the Notitia to be the DiSiis of the
Romans. The lines now diftinguifhable
are one hundred and thirty paces in length
and one hundred in breadth. — Part of the
cohort of the Numerus Nerinorum Dic"
tentium was ftationed here. — Several me
dals of gold, filver, and copper, dug up
here,

the LAKES. i8^
here, are in that colledlon which Mr
Thomas Braithwaite, of Amblefide, gave
by deed, dated Novenlber 16, \6jA(, to
the Library of the Univerfity of Oxford.
• From Amblefide we went to Bownas, The
a fmall village on the fhore of the lake wfn-
of Windermere; this was a delightful'"™'
ride, lying within a little diftance of the
water, which opened to our view as we
paft through various turnings of the road \
— the fides of the way are ornamented with
woods, meadows, and pafture ground.
— The owner of the White Lion Inn,
at Bownas, has a boat on the lake, with
which we were accommodated.— This lake
is very different from thofe we had feen
in Cumberland, being in length about
twelve computed miles, and not a mile
in width in the broadeft part ; — the hills
feen around the lake, except thofe above
Amblefide, are, humble; — the margin of
the water is irregular and indented, and
every where compofed of cultivated lands,
woods, and paftures, which defcend with
an eafy fall down to the lake, forming a
multitude of bays and promontories, and
Is! 4 giving

iS6 An Excursion to
giving It the appearance of a large river; In
the narroweft parts not unlike the Thames
below Richmond. — On that part where
Furnefs Fell forms the fliore, the fcene is
more rude and romantic: — The weftern
fide of this lake is in Lancafhire, the
eaftern in Weftmoreland.
As we failed down from Bownas, wc
had two views which comprehended all
the beauties of the lake ; — we refted upon
the oars in a fituation, where looking
down the lake, we took into the profpeCt
the greateft extent of water ; — the fhore
was indented by woody promontories,
which fliot into the lake on each fide to a
confiderable diftance ;— to the right, were
the hills of Furnefs-Fell, which are the
higheft. that arife immediately from the
water, confifting chiefly of rocks, which
though not rugged and deformed, have
their peculiar beauty, being fcattered over
with trees and ffirubs, each growing fe-
parate and diftant ; — the brow of this rock
overlooks a pretty peninfula, on which
the ferryboat-houfe ftands, concealing its
white front in a grove of fycamores.- —
Whilft we were looking on it, the boat was

the LAKES. 187
was upon its way, with feveral horfe paf^
fengers, which greatly graced the fcene;
— to the left, a fmall ifland, of a circular
form, lay covered with a thicket of afh
and birch wood ; beyond which, the hills
that arofe from the lake in gentle afcents
to the right, were covered with rich her
bage and irregular groves ; — on the left
fide of the lake, inclofures of meadow,
fweeping gently away from the water, lay
bounded by a vaft traCt of woods, and
overtopped with hills of mooriffi ground
and heath; — the moft diftant heights
which formed the back ground, were
fringed with groves, over which they
lifted their brown eminences, in various
fhapes. — Upwards on the lake, we looked on
a large ifland of about thirty acres, of
meagre pafture ground, in an irregular
oblong figure; — here and there fome
miisfhapen oak trees bend their crooked
branches on the fandy brinks, and one
little grove of fycamores fhelters a cottage.
— The few natural beauties of this ifland
are wounded and diftorted by fome ugly
rows of firs fet in right lines, and by the
works

i88 An Excursion to
works now carrying on by Mr Englifh,
the proprietor, who is laying out gardens
on a fquare plan, building fruit walls,
and preparing to ereCt a manfion-houfe. — ¦
The want of tafte is a misfortune too often
attending the architect ;~the romantic fite
of this place, on fo noble a lake, and fur
rounded with fuch fcenes, requires the
fineft Imagination and moft finiffi'd judg
ment to defign the plan of an edifice and
pleafure grounds; — but inftead of that,
to fee a Dutch Burgomafter's palace arife,
and a cabbage garth extend its bofom to
the eaft, fquared and cut out at right an
gles, is fo of^nfive to the traveller's eye,
that he turns away in difguft. — For plea
fure, or ornament, a narrow foot path is
cut round the margin of the ifland, and
laid with white fand, refembling the
dufty paths of foot paffengers over Step
ney Fields, or the way along which the
owner often has heycd to Hackney. Yet
I am told, fince my firft publication, fo
partial is this gentleman to his own pro
jects, that he has roufed the angry genius
of the lake to breathe deftruCtion on thofe
who difapprove his plan, . I would

the LAKES. 189
I would overlook this rhisffiapen objeCl,
whilft I view the lake upwards, with its
environs ; — the beautiful crags of Furnefs
Fell, over which trees are difperfed in an
agreeable wildnefs, form the front ground
on the left, and by their projection cover
the hills, which are further advanced to
wards the head pf the lake, which makes
a curve bearing from the eye ; — three
fmall woody iflands, of a fine circular
figure, fwelling to a crown in their cen
tres, arife from out the lake; and with
the deep verdure of their trees, give an
agreeable teint to the azure hue the water
received from reflection of the ferene
iky above; — over an expanfe of water
in length fix miles, and near a mile in
breadth, fhining and bright as a mirror,
we viewed the agreeable variety of the
adjacent country: — to the right, wood
lands and meadows, in many little penin-
fulas and promontories, defcended with
eafy flopes to the brink o^ the lake, where
Bownas church, and its cottages, arofe
above the trees ; beyond which laid the
feat of Fletcher Fleming, Efq; fituate on
the brink of the lake, and covered on
every^

rpo An Excursion to
every fide with rich wood land ; — further
were cots and villages difperfed on the ri
fing ground ; — in front, ftood Amblefide^
and at the opening of the deep vale of
Rydale, the houfe of Sir Michael Fleming,
fliielded on either hand by a wing of
hanging forefts, climbing up the fteeps of
the mountains. — The neareft back ground
to the right, is compofed of an eminence
called Or rest-he AD, rifing gradually
to a point, and cultivated to its crown,
which fweet mount is contrafted by the
viclnkge of the crags of Biscot-hoe,
which overtop the extenfive wood lands of
Mr Fleming; — then Troutbeck Parks
arife, where the hills begin to encreafe In
magnitude, and form the range of moun
tains which are extended to Kefwick, di
verfified with pafturage, dells, and cliffs ;
looking over which Langdon Pikes,
three mountains rifing in perfeCt cones,
extend their heads, furmounted only by
the rocky and barren brow of Kirstone
Fell, whofe cliffs overlook the whole.
The lake of Windermere diflers very
much from thofe of Ui>s-wATER and
Keswick; — here almoft every objeCt in
view.

the L A K E S. 191
view, on the whole lake, confefles culti
vation; — the iflands are numerous, but
fmall and woody, and rather bear a re
femblance to the artificial circles raifed on
gentlemen's ponds for their fwans. — The
great ifland is little better than a bank of
fand, and is now under the defpoiling hand
of a deformer. — The innumerable pro
montories are compofed of fine meadow
ground, and ranges of trees ; — the hills,
except Furnefs Fell, and^thofe above And-
blefide, are tame; and on every hand a
vaft expanfe of wood land is ftretched
upon the view. — The paintings of Pousin
defcribe the noblenefs of Uls-water ;
¦ — the works of Salvator Rosa exprefs
the romantic and rocky fcenes of Kes
wick; — and the tender and elegant
touches of Claude Lor a ine, and
Smith, pencU forth the rich variety of
Windermere. The greateft depth of Windermere, we
were told, was not more than forty fa
thom; the water abounds in pike, trout,
char, eels, and perch. — The lake whilft
we vifited it, was covered with the boats
of fifliing parties} it being cuftomary for
the

1^1 An Excursion to
the country people, after their hay har-
veft, to make their days of jubilee in that
diverfion.
Bowaas Ju the church of Bownas is a window
of painted glafs, which was preferved at
the dilfolution of Furnefs abbey, and
brought hither ; — the prefent remains
fhew, that it has contained very fine cO'*
louring in its former ftate ; — the arms of
France and England quartered, are well
preferved at the top of the window. — The
defign is a crucifixion, in figures as large
as life ; by the hands, feet, and parts re
maining, it feems to have been of fingular
beauty. — On the dexter fide of the cruci
fixion, is, St George flaying the dragon^
on the finifter, the Virgin Mary ; an un
couth affemblage. — Beneath are the figures
of a knight and his lady kneeling, before
whom are a group of kneeling monks ;
over whofe heads are wrote W. Hartley,
Tho. Honfon, and other names, by the
breaking of the glafs rendered not legible.
- — Furnefs abbey was dedicated to St
Mary, to whom alfo Bownas is infcribed.

We

the LAKES.

193

We went from Windermere to Ken
dal*; — the road lies chiefly over barren
and rocky hills, without change or va
riety to aflPord any pleafure to the travel
ler. Towards the right, in courfe of the
way, appeared two openings, which ffiew-
ed us a fmall bay of the fea ; but thefe
without any degree of beauty. We

* Camden writes, " that the fouthern part of this
" fhire, inclofed between the river Lone and Winder-
" mere, is faid to be fruitful in the valleys, but the
" fells are rough and full of ftony ground, with rocks
" which bear no kind of herbage; it is called the ba-
" rony of Kendale, or Candale, taking its name from
«' the river Can, which runs through it over a rocky
" channel. — On the weft bank of this river ftands Ken-
" dale, a town of very great trade and refort, formed
«' by two large ftreets crofling each other; — this is a
" place famed for excellent cloathing, and for its re-
" markable induftry; — the inhabitants carry forward
*' an extenfive trade for woollen goods, known in all
" parts of -England.— They boaft that this place hath
" given title to Barons and Earls; — their Barons were
" the offspring of John Talboys, of vs'hofe race, Wil-
«« liam, by confent rff King Henry the Second, called
«' himfelf William of Lan<:after ; whofe niece and heir
" married. Gilbert the fon of Roger Fits Raniford, by
«' whofe daughters (after her fon William was dead)
" the inheritance defcended to Peter Brus, Lord of
«' Skelton, the fecond of that fimame, and unto Wil-
" liam Lindfay ; from whom, by the mother's fide, as
" we learn out of the Leiger Book of Furnefle abbey,
Ingeh,im,

194 -^^ Excursion to
— We defcended to the town of Ken
dal, rejoiced, to change the profpeCt from
barrennefs and wafte, to a rich cultivated
vale, and a town thronged with induftri-
ous inhabitants, bufied in a profperous
manufactory.
Kendal. Kendal ftauds ou the fide of a hill,
facing the eaft; — as we looked over the
buildings from the heights we were de
fcending, we had a view of the ruins of
Kendal Caftle, feated on the crown of a
fine eminence, at the diftance of half a
mile from the town, and feparated from
it by the river Kan, over which two ftone
bridges

" Ingeham, Lord of Coney, in France, traced his de-
" fcent ; by which Peter Brus's daughter, the fifter and
" heir of Peter Brus the third, came this Baronie to the
" Rofles of Wreke ; and from then* by right of inheri-
" tance devolved upon the Parrs; of whom Sir Wil-
" liam Parr was made Lord Parr, by King Henry the
" Eighth. — As for thp caftle, the antient feat of thefe
" Lords, ftanding over againft the town, through age
" and negleift it is falling to decay. — There have been
" three Earls of Kendale ; John Duke of Bedford was
" advanced to ¦ that honor by his brother King Henry
" the Fifth; — John Duke of S'omerfet; — and John de
' " Foix, of that moft noble and honourable family of the
«' Foix in France, whom King Henry the Sixth, for his
" faithful fervice in the French wars, preferred to that-
" dignity." ' (

the LAKES, 195-
bridges are thrown, — The caftle is now tOr
tally in decay, and thfe prefent appearance
of it fcarce gives any idea of its antient
ftrength ahd grandeur. — On the front, op
pofite the tpWn, the remains of baftions
are feen, at the fOuth-eaft and north-weft
corners, whflft all behind, confifts of con
fufed and ragged walls. — The whole has
formed a fquare, defended by a ditch.
Above the toWn of Kendal, immedi
ately oppofite the caftle, is a mole of fin
gular forrft. Called by the inhj,bitants
Castle Law Hill. — Above the town,
fdme rocks fhew themfelves of the height
of feven fathom, or near it, on which a
mount of gravel and earth has been thrown
up, of an exaCt circular > form, arifing
from the plane On the top of the rock,
near thirty feet ; — at the front adjoining
the tbu^n, is a fpacious level, on part of
which, a bowling green is now made. —
The mole is defended by a deep ditch,
which extends itfelf fi;;om the brink of
the rocks, and on the right and left, the
plane is fortified by an inferior mole or
jnount. O —The

1^6 An Excursion to
— ^The crown 'of the great mole is flat,
and has been defended by a breaft- work
of^ earth and a narrow ditch; and from
eaft to weft, a ditch is ftruck through the
centre. — The whole circumference of the
crown. is fixty-one paces; — the account
given by the inhabitants of this place, is,
that it was eaft up for battering the caftle ;
— but for this purpofe, there was no need
of fo laborious a work ; it being much
above the level of the caftle, oppofite to
which many natural eminences might
have ferved that end. !
Borrow- ^^ palTcd from Kendal to BoRROw-
bridge. bridqe, a fiuglc houfc, fituatc' iu a very
narrow deep valley, hemmed in on every
fide by moimtairis covered with verdure ;
—a fine ftream ferpentines through the
vale, and here and there little cottages
are difperfed, with fcanty inclofures of
meadow ground ; over which hangs a
narrow wood, from the rifing of the
hills ; — fhut in fcn every fide, this is a
place calculated for the moft folemn re
tirement; — in winter, the rays of the
fun for feveral weeks do not touch the
' vale,

the L A K E'S. 197
vale, but only gfld the mountains ; along
whofe fides the oppofite land fends an ex
¬tenfive fhadow, whofe gradatlqns are daily
marked by the peafant's watchful eye,
longing for returqing vegetation.
T— Here might the reclufe enjoy the
pleafures of folitude, and facrifice to vir
tue ;^-here might he avoid the fins of the
world, and commune with his own foul ;
^ — and whilft commentipg on the won
derous fcene before him.
i
!—•" Look thrpugh nature, up to nature's God*."
We walked along the banks of the
brook that murmured through the peb
bles, — we ftrayed over the little meads,
— w^e favmtered in every grove, charmed
with the deepnefs of the retirem>ent.-T-
The pleafures of the fcene were enhanced
to me by recolleClion of paft felicity,
which I had enjoyed from an evening
ramble in thefe fequeftered walks. — Idea?
flowed upon my mind replete with deli
cate fentiments, whflft images of a happy
complexion poffeft, reflection, and pre-r
O 2 fented
* Pope.

198 An Excursion to
, ' fented to me my family and beloved in
fants.-- Joy and affection melted my whole
foul, and involuntary tears took the filent'
expreffion of my tenderne3& and tranlport!
Loft in felfifhnefs, I have trefpaffed
upon my reader, and covered a page with
impropriety : I know not whether the di-
greffion may be pardoned.
sfe"h!n Trom hence, we continued our rout to
Kirby Stephen, near which place, we
vifited theruins of Pendragon Castle*,
antiently the feat of the Lords Clifibrd ;
which in its prime was a ftrong building,,
the walls being four yards thick, with bat
tlements upon them: time and negleCt of
the owners have brought it to little better
than a heap of ftones. The remains of a
fquare

* Camden fays, " among thofe hills that famous riv«r
'« Eden, which Ptolemy called Huna, arifing in York-
" fhire, where he flows in a narrow ftream, encreafing
" by degrees from various rivulets, pafl'eth by Pendragon
" Caftle, which hath nothing 'remaining from the waft-
*' ing hand of time but merely its name, and an heap of
" ruins; and thence flows by Wharton Hall, the feat
" of the Barons Wharton, of whom the firft was Sir
" Thomas Wharton, advanced to that dignity by -King
" Henry the Eighth,^ to whom fucceeded his fon of tlw
«' fame name, and after him Philip then living."

the LAKE S. J99
fquare tower only are left, and that moft
probably of modern date : For this place
Was repaired, after it had laid in ruins near
two centuries, by the Countefs of Pem
broke, about the time fhe had reftored
Brough. — The fituation of this place, be
ing in a deep dell, on every hand over;*
looked by mountains, from whence it
might be annoyed, fhews it never could
be built as a place of ftrength, but rather
as a retreat, and place of concealment in
times of danger. — ^ Oppofite to this place,
on the other fide of the dell, is a fmall
intrenchment, fortified by a ditch and
yallum, but of what date or people, no
account can be obtained. The PrinCe
Enter Pendragon is of doubtful exiftence,
but is faid to have died by treachery, and
poifon put into a well, in the year five
hundred and fifteen.
We paffed by the antient feat of the whir* ton
Wharton family, in Wharton Parks, Park*.
now in decay. — Melancholy reflections
arife on fuch a view, when the traveller
muft neceffarily exclaim> with a figh,
" fuch are the efieCts of diffipation and

"¦ vice !

O3 III

200 An Ex c u R s I o n to
In my laft excurfion, I left Kefwick
early ir^ the morning ; the view of the
lake, from the road I took to Cocker
mouth, could never have appeared more
beautiful;-^the fhn had afcended to fuch
a height, that the tops of th,e cliffs and
mountains were illumined ;-'^ imagination
could not conceive a more romantic and
uncommon appearance than what wag
difplayed in this fcene ; — the rays reflect
ed from the hills upon the water, had. a
happy efleCt, whilft the woods which bor
dered the lake, were dreH in. a peculiar
fichnefs of verdure, which the light thu?
Caft uporl the objects occafioned;— Skiddow
was pointed with gold.— ^We afcended
the Whinlater road, an alpine pafs, wind
ing up the fides of mountains j for the
diftance of five miles;— the wild fcene
which bordered the road, had no other
variety than what was occafioned by the
fame objeCts fhifting their pofitlons, and
ftill intermingling rocks and mountains. "

Vale After being fatigued with this mighty
Lorton. fam-enefs for feveral miles, at length we
defcended into the pretty vale of LortoN, —a

Uter.

the L A K E S. 201
— a theatre formed of ftupendous heights,
enclofing this little valley, which is about
three miles in circumference, beautified
with rich meadows, eminences covered
with wood, and fcattered hamlets, — whilft
here arid there perpendicular cliffs, of a
Vaft height, break from out the fides of
the furrounding mountains.
The country now changed its afpeCt; —
nature feemed to fink in repofe after the
mighty labours of Kefwick;— a vale re
ceived us, formed of meadows, wood
lands, and fields of corn, by which we
approached COCKERMOUTH.
The eye whlch^had been fatigued with cocker-
fuch ftupendous objeCts, now ranged over '"°''' "
the valley with a calmnefs of pleafure ; —
the caftle crowned an eminence on the
right, the church on the left, — beneath
which the accefs to the town lay. — On
our firft entrance, the townfhip with the
adjoining buildings induced us to appre
hend, this place bare no, other than the
marks of decayed grandeur, — but we were
O 4 greatly

202 -An Excursion to
greatly iriiftaken ;— -the town is irregiilarj
yet has many modern and well-built
houfes; the ftreet afcending to the caftle
gate in particular, although from the
fteepnefs of the hill not fo commodioqs a
fituation as others in the town, yet feepi^
to be the favouiite of people of fortune,
and contains inany genteel buildings; — >
a fpacious ftreet leads to DerWent-bridgej
fome hovifes of red free-ftone make a hand
fome appearance.- — There is a confidera- .
ble manufactory carried on in Cocker-^
mouth, of hats, cparfe woollen cloths, an4
fhalloon, and tlie whole place bears the
countenance of opulence: — a fine culti-»
Vated country furrounds it, abounding in
the neceffaries of life. — The town. is go
verned by a Bailiff, chofen yearly by a
jury of fixteen burghers,, at- the court of
the Lord of the Manor.— It fends two
reprefentatives to parliamentji whicli are
chofen by the burguage owners, and
returned by' the bailiff, — This privilege
has only been enjoyed fince the year one
il^oufand fix hundred and forty, as it ne^
ver made but oxy^ return, before, which
was in the twenty-third year of the reign

the L A K ^ S. A03
cf Edward the Firft : fo that this right
yeqaained 4ormant a long period of time,
Thp Caftle^ now in ruins, (except fome
apartmer^ts at the gate) ftands at the con
flux of th^ rivers Cocker and Derwentj
o];i a fine eminence, in former ag^^Si a place
of great extent and ftrength; — the apr
proach has been kept by a draw-bridge
over a deep 4^tch : — the gatevyay, appear3
to be more modern, than any Qther part
of the building, is vaulted with ribbed,
arches joining Ii^ jhe centre, ai^d der
feiided with a port cullis, ove;r which
is a lofty tower,
'—Through the gate .fropi-. the north^
We, entered a fquare area of equal fides,,
forty paces each ; from whence, by ano
ther gateway, we paffed into a fecond
area, where the principal parts, of the for
trefs ftand. — One fide is fituate on a lofty
precipice, overhanging the river Derwenti
facing the fouth-weft.— Removing the rub-
bifh in tfiis part of the caftle, has difco^
yered the f^c\i3s. and foundations of the
antient buildings, which are fingular,
having formed a piazza, of a femicirciflar . figure,

The
CafUe.

204 ¦^''^ Excursion to
figure, with large windows looking to-.
wards the river, and open to the area,
This feems to have led td the great tower, ^
the principal ftrength of the fortrefs. — >
There remains in it a vaulted room thirty
feet fquare, and of proportionable height;
the roof is formed of ribbed arches, ari
fing from eight pilafters on the fide walls,
and terminating in the centre upon an oc
tagon pillar. The approach to this cell is
by a defcent of twelve fteps, and it is
lighted by one fmall grated window. —
the interior part Of this tower, above th?
vault, is in ruins,
— ^The angle which overlooks the con
flux of the rivers is defended by a cir
cular tower, ] •
—The fouth-eaft wall ftands on the
brink of the hill over the river Cocker,
is defended at intervals by a large explo
ratory tower and a fquare baftlon, com
manding the town.-— The extremes are
defended by the circular tower before-
mentioned, and a fquare tower which
forms part of the defence of the northern
wafl. —The'

ihe LAKES, 20^
—-The north fide of the caftle is de
fended by a moat, the wall is lofty, and
guarded by a fquare baftion.— It has beeii
computed that the walls of this fortrefs
iare fix hundred yards in compafs.
On each fide of the gateway leading
to the interior court or area, is a dun-^
geon or vault, capable of containing forty
or fifty perfons each : — a fmall opening is
made in the roof, to let down the un
happy wretches who were doomed to the
horrid cell ; on the fide of each is a nar
row apeirture, where the provifions were
conveyed by a rope to the miferable in-*
habitants. — Such feverity to captives in
war, rendered the battles in former times
more bloody, as imprifonment was worle
than death ; or rather, fuch a doom might
be called a lingering execution.
Authors differ about the founder of
this caftle, though they agree that it arofe
foon after the conqueft v — by fome we are
told it owed its' origin to Waldof, firft
Lord of Allerdale, and fon of Gofpatric
pari of Northumberland, contemporary with,

2o6 An Excursion to
with William the Conqueror. — Pap Caftle
is faid to be Waldof 's original feat, which
was pulled down, and the materials em
ployed in building; the caftle at Cocker^
mouth. — By others we are told, that this
caftle was built foon after the conqueft by
William de Mefchlnes, who had the Honor
of Cockermouth, by gift of his brother
Raiiulph Earl of Chefter; — that on failure
of male iffue, it came to Gilbert Pipard,
and from him, by the Hke circumftance,
to the family of Lucles, and from them
to theTercies Earls of Northumberland.
The gateway tower commands an ex*
tenfive profpeCt, and is ornamented with
the arnls of Umfrevflles, Moultons, Lu-
eies, Percies, and Nevlls.
— -Egremont and Cockermouth were the
baronial inheritance of the Lucies for five
defcents: — Thomas Lord Lucie died in
the thirty- third year of King Edward the
Firft ; — a fecond Thomas Lord Lucie died
in the fecond year of King Edward the
Second; — Anthony Lord Lucie died in
the thirty -ninth year of King Edward the
Third ;~and a fecond Anthony Lord Lucie, the

the LAKES. 207
the laft Lord of that name, died in the
forty-fecond year of King Edward the
Third.~The laft Lord Lucie dying without
iffue male^ and his daughter and heirefs
Joanna furviving him only five years and
three quarters, he was fucceeded in his
baronial honours and eftates by his fifter
Matilda, the wife of Gilbert Umfreville,
Earl of Angus*.
After the death of UmfreviHe, fhe mar
ried HCnry Piercy, the firft Earl of Nor
thumberland, and fettled her eftates upon
his Lordfhip and his heirs male, under
that eafy condition, " that as their hearts
*'. Were united, the arms of the two fami-
_*' lies fhould be joined, as a memorial of
" their

* Rot. jure Londinens. pafchafin. anno 47 Edwardlll,
Gilbertus deUmfraville comes de .Angus & Matilda uxor
ejusAn,toniiLucii confanguinea&Keres Joan.Fil.&Heres
cjufdem Aaton. tenuerunt de Rege in Capite Medieta-
tem Baroni® de AJderdale vicefimam partem Baronise
de Egremond &; tertiam partem refidui ejufdem Baronise
deEgremond,'&c. perfervic.reddendi regi perann. Vlll,
ad comagiuiH per viceeom. A\&. comit. Northumber. —
nee non Caftrum , et Honorera de Cockermouth cum
pertin. a6 Manerium de Pap Caft. cum pertin. in Aller-
-dale quod ad dominicum caflTiim & Honoi^m pertinent.
per fcrvitium jini.Us feudi militis..

2off ./i« E x C U R S I O N t6
*• their affeaion*."- This Earl of Notv
thumberland married to his firft wlfe^
Margaret the , daughter of Ralph Lord
Nevilf. The centre armsupon the tower
appertained to. the Lucies, on the dexter
hand of which are Umfrevilles and Moul*
tons, the Lady Matilda being the de-
fcendant and heirefs of the Moultons : An^
thony de Lucie was the fojo. of Thomas de
Moulton, and affumed the name of Lucie
on account of his mother's being the
daughter and heirefs of Richard de Lucie ;
to which Anthony this caftle was granted by

* " Et ipfe Henricus & Heredes fui mafculi arma prae«
difli Comitis Northumb. quse funt de auro, cum unp
Leone de azure, rampant ; quarteriant cum armis de
Lucii, qus de Gules, cum tribus Luciis, argenteis con-
fiftunt ; gerunt in omnibus venellis pro omnibus turna-
mentis armorum & omnibus aliis armaturis fuis quae de
piclura cognitipne armoruqi folita compet. adorpari ;
quoties cognitiones armorum in artibus Bellicis vel alibi
oftendere voluerunt ubicunque." '*'
\ A fimilar inftance happened in the Percy family ii
the year 1168, when Agnes de Percy,, the heirefs of the_
family; on her marriage with Jofceline de Lousrain, fon
to the Duke of Brabant, agreed, that he fliould take and
ufe the name and arms of Percy, and retain his own
arms : —
Lord Percie's heire I was, whofe noble name
By me furvives, unto his lafting fame.
Brabant Duke's fonne me wedd, and for my fakg
^etain'd his armes, and Percie's name di4 t^k?,

the LAKES. 20^
by Edward the Secoiid. — On the finifter
fide, are the arms of PerciCs and Nevils.
—-Jofceline, the laft Earl of. Northumber
land of that line, left only a daughter,
Elizabeth, who married his Grace Charles
Seymour, Duke of Somej^fet, who in her
right became poffeft of the Honor of
Cockermouth. The arms on the gateway tower reduce
the antiquity of that part of the caftle to
the time of Edward the Third :— the large
fquare tower is evidently of much greater
antiquity; the order pf building proves it
was ereCted many centuries antecedent to
that time. In one thoufand fix hundred
and forty-eight this caftle was garrifoned
for the King, and being befieged and taken
by the rebels, was burnt ; fince which
tim^ it has remained in ruins.
The fituation of Cockermouth is very
beautiful, being watered by two fine ri
vers, : — beneath the caftle, by the fide of
the Derwent, is a plain of confiderable
extent, in which is a public walk almoft
a mfle in length:— the river on one hand
fafls in cafcades, and the oppofite banks are

21© An Excursion to
iare fornied of rich corn lands ; — -on the
other hand the letel meads are boundetl
by a gentle rifing ground covered with
WOod.-^One end of this Walk is termi
nated by lofty rocks fcattered over with
trees, the other by the ruins of the caftld
jiiipi^nding over the river, a bridge of two
arches and the town of Derweiit hanging
on the diftant hill.
Our fout lay through a fine cultivated
country to
''WHITEHAVEN,'
^'J^' On approaching the town, we perceiv"
ed that cultivation of lands was negleCted
for trade : — the hufbandry there was not
fo proper as what appeared about Cojcker^
mouth.-.'— The fituation of Whitehaven is
fuch, that this large mercantile town is
entirely concealed from the eye^ till the
traveller is within a little diftance, when
it makes a very uncommon appearance,
being built in a creek, the lands on each
hand furmounting the buildings ; fo that
little is to be feen but roofs and chimneys,
and one feems to be defcending into a
fubterraneah city. The

the LAKES. 211
The mouth of the creek opens to the The
Irifli Channel to the north-weft:— ^ the
haven i^ defended by four moles of ftone
work, three of which projeCt in parallel
lines from the land, the fourth on the
fouth, bending in the form of a crefcent,
on which are placed a watch-houfe, and
at its extreme a light-houfe. — The haven
is dry at ebb of tide, fo that the fhipping '
within the moles lie as in dry docks  A
tonnage is eftablifhed here by aCt of par
liament, which affords a fund for ereCt-
ing and maintaining thefe great works. —
This port commands a prodigious coal
trade, having upwards of two hundred
fhips of confiderable burthen appertaining
to it. — The method of delivering the coals coai
into the veffels is fingular, and I may ven
ture to fay, peculiar to the place ; its fi
tuation affording a means for the wag
gons bearing the coals from the pits to
approach the very haven ; they are received
into a gallery or ftaith, immediately be
neath which, the fhip that is taking in
her lading lies, arid the waggon delivers
her coals into a conductor or trough, by
which they fall into the fhip's hold : fo
that there is no hand-heaving, as is the
P cafe

212 An Excursion to
cafe in other coal ports. Eight or ten
veffels of near one htindred and twenty
tons burthen are loaden in a tide, at the
fmall expence of ten-pence each.
The This town is chiefly modern, and well
Town. . . '' *
built, confifting of two main ftreets, which
defcend to the haven, with others croffing
them at right angles : — the place is very
populous and opulent, the inhabitants be*-
ing computed at twelve thoufand. — There
are three churches of plain architecture.
Trade feems to be all the aCcomplifhment
of the inhabitants; for if I. may judge
from the manners of thofe men we faw
upon the moles, which are made the pub
lic walks on the Sunday, I fhould con
ceive them to entertain a certain quality
of the Irifh, without their addrefs ;— -but
fo fuperficial a view as a hafty traveller ,
can take of men and. manners, ought not
to occafion a general cenfure ; perhaps we
faw the worft fample ;— tra^c and inter-
courfe with foreign nations, firft advanced
civilization, and introduced that jewel tq
fociety, good manners ; — a little more an
tiquity may improve its growth here. — From

the L AKE S. / 213
»
— From the fouthern approach at Wind-
mifl-hfll, the town makes the beft appear
ance ; — from that efninence, the eye com
mands the interiors of the ftreets and
haven: — the antient feat of the Lowthers
(now the pofleffion of Sir James Lowther)
greatly graces the town), being a fquare
ftone building, of that ftile which was in
tafte in the reign of Queen Elizabeth : — •
the houfe and gardens are covered with a
grove of fycamores.
We waited here fome time for a fair
wind to make our paffage to the Ifle of
Man ; and in order to amufe the time of
attendance, we made an ex^curfion to
EGREMONT.
This village bears the greateft counte
nance of antiquity — feveral of the houfes Egre-
being piazza'd in front : — the caftle is fi- "'°°''
tuate on a remarkable eminence, the work
of art. — This fortrefs is not of any very
great extent, but carries fingular marks
cf ftrength. P 2 The

214 -<4« Excursion f«
clftie. — '^^ approach from the fouth has'
been kept by a draw-Jsrldge over a deep
moat:-r-the accefs to the caftle is by a
gate-way, which is furmounted by a
tower of confiderable ftrength: — by the
architecture, one may fafely determine
this building took its date in the earlieft
sera of the Normans, if not before that
time: — the walls have enclofed a confi
derable area, forming a fquare, but are
nowfo much gone td decay, that no con
jeCture can be made, in what manner
they were guarded. — On the fide next the
town a poftern is ftanding.. — To the weft
ward from the area, there is an afcent to
three narrow gates, ftanding in a line,
which have communicated with fome out
works ; — thefe are apparently of more
modern architecture, and have been de
fended by a portcullis to each gate:— ^
they have communicated with a circulaf
tower, which fome few years ago fell
down: it was ereCted on a remarkable
mole or mount, now feventy-eight per
pendicular feet above the ditch. — This
mole appear.ed to us to be of Danifh origin.
* —The

' ^^tf L A K E S. ^is
— ^The caftle is furrounded with a wall
ed moat, and an outward rampier of
earth, five hundred paces in circumference:
a fmall brook runs at the eaftern foot of
the Caftle Hill, which probably fupplied
the ditch.
The architecture of this caftle is fin
gular, the foot of the wall for about fix
feet in height, being built of large thin
ftones, placed in an inclining attitude ;
each courfe lying in the contrary direction
to that beneath it, like featherd-work^
cemented with run lime ; and from this
mode of building, impenetrably ftrong.
There is a traditional ftory here of a^°=^"
Lady of the Lucie family, on an evening
walk, near the caftle, "being devoured by
a wolf: the place is diftingulflied by a
kairn of ftones, and by the narne of
Woe FULL Bank.— No fuch relation is
to be found in the hiftory of the Lucie
family ; fo that it muft either be fabulous,
or figurative of fome other event.: — I am
apt to believe this caftle was. feated on a
Danifli fortification, and that this place
P 3 has

2i6 'An Excursion to
has been witnefs to many bloody con
flicts, as appears by the monuments fcat
tered on all hands in its neighbourhood.
— The prefent name of Egremont feems
derived from its antient polfeffors, the
Normans, and being changed by a trifling
corruption of their language, carries the
fame meaning, and implies the Mount of
Sorroiv.
The firft notice I find taken of this
place, is, that it was the feat of William
de Mefchlnes, and wa^ granted to him by
Henry the Firft, to hold by one knight's
, fervice, and that he fhould ferve at the
King's command, in the army agalnft
Wales and Scotland.-^— He left a daughter,
who married Fitz Duncan, of the Scotch
blood royal ; — but for want of iffiie male,
it paffed to the Moultons, Lucies, Fitz
Walters, and Raclifi's Earls of Suffex. '
— This caftle, with that of Cocker
mouth, are now the property of the Earl
of Egremont, who fucceeded to them in
the following manner: — Henry Percy^
Earl of Northumberland, by marriage
with the Lady Matilda, Countefs of Angus, and

the LAKES. 217
and heirefs of the Lucy family, was pof
feffed of thefe two caftles. — Charles Duke
of Somerfet, in one thoufand fix hundred '
and eighty-two, married the Lady Eliza
beth Percy, fole 'daughter and heirefs of
Jocellne Percy, the laft Earl of -I^Jorthum-
berland of that family, by whom he pof-
fefled the Egremont and Cockermouth ef^
tates: — they defcended to Algernon Duke
of Somerfet, who had been created Earl
of Egremont and Baron of Cockermouth
by letters patent, dated the third day of
October, in the , twenty-third year of the
reign of King George the Second, with
limitation of the honours to his nephew.
Sir Charles Wyndham, Bart, who fuc
ceeded to thofe titles on the demife of his
uncle without iffue male.
Egremont is , a borough, which before
the time of Edward the Firft fent mem- Borougi»
bers to parliament, but was disfranchifed
at its own petition. — The town at prefent
is governed by a ferjeant and jury. — We
were informed that they ftill retain the
cuftom of electing a mayOr annually, in
commemoration of their antient prefcrip-
tave corporation now diffolved.
P4 One

2i8 An E x c u R s I o N /e

One cannot enter a place where fuch
marks of antient magnificence are feen,
and where every objeCt ftrikes the eye
with proofs of former pomp and power,
and of prefent defertion, decay, and- de-
folation, without fome melancholy re
flections. — A contemplative vifitor is dpt
to exclaim, — " how fluctuating are the
"affairs of man! — how changeable are
" all fublunary things ! — thefe towers fub-
" mit to the deftroy ing hand of time, —
" and this once impregnable fojtrefs yields
*' itfelf to every affailant. — -How are thy
" honours wafted, and thy pride brought
*' low! — thy military, powers are no more,
and thy magnificence finks in the duft !
— the fhouts of victory no longer are re-
" echoed from thy walls, and the voice of
" feftivity hath forfaken thee ! — authority
*' and rule are rent from thy" hands,
" and thy conquering banners are deli-
" vered up to the deftroying hand of
" time, who yields them to the darknefs
" of oblivion ! — thy towers are no longer
*' the abode of ftrength, or thy chambers
" of fecurity ! — where the haughty hero
" trod, returning with the fpoils of his
*' enemy,

(C tc

the LAKES. 219
" enemy, and the honours of victory,
" amidft the acclamations of his troops ;
" the lazy afs ftands in his mid-day
" dream, fhadowing his droufy eye with
" heavy ear ! tribulation takes the feat
" of hofpitality, and where thy jocund
*' guefts laughed over the fparkling bowh
" adders hifs, and' owls fing the ftralns
" of melancholy to the midnight moon-
" fhine, that fleeps upon thy mouldering
"battlements!" From Egremont we went to '^
St B E E S,
a mean village, fituate near a finall bay st bccj.
of the fea, fheltered from the north-weft,
feemingly well adapted for trade, but
neglected. — In our road we paffed a cir
cular monument of large ftones, ten in
number, . and forming an area of fixty
paces in circumference without any tu
mulus : — on the left, at fome little dif
tance, a kairn of ftones, forty paces in
circumference. The priory of St Begs, is a noble piece Prioy.
of antiquity, forming a crofs, but with- ,
out

Monu-

220 An Excursion t9
out any monumental or other infcriptions.
¦ — The chancel of the church' is in ruins,
and is of fine Saxon architecture of red
free-ftone. — The xrave is now ufed as the
parilh church, and the crofs ifle as a place
for fepulture.- — The eaft end of the chan
cel has been enlightened by three lo;ig
windows, enriched, with double mould
ings and two double pilafters, with rich
capitals. — On each fide of the high altar,
are niches for ftatues of a fingular form,
covered with pointed arches, refting on
well-proportioned round pillars, richly
capltalled, forming a canopy.
St Beg*. Tradition fays, St Bega, or St Bees, a
religious woman and a pr9phetefs, led
here a life of folitude and feverity — by her
miracles converting many, but at length,
like fome other devotees, fhe turned her
vironder-working upon a lucrative chan
nel, and obtained from the credulous, as
much land for the endowment of this
place, as fliould be covered with fnow on
mrdfummer-day : and fhe fucceeded, it
is faid, fo far by her prayers, that by
this event fhe gained Egremont, White-
, haven, and many diftant territories. —
! ' Sq

iht LAKES, 221
So have thefe forcereffes, according to
the credulity of former times, influ
enced the God of Nature to reverfe the
ordinary courfe of things, for the gra
tifying their avarice or ambition.-— She
founded a fmall monaftry here, about the
year fix hundred and fifty, which pro
bably went to decay before the conqueft,
as we have no notice taken of it after
that period :-;— but there was afterwards a
Benedictine priory founded and endowed
here by William de Mefchlnes, (or as he
is wrote in the Cavendifh pedigree, in
Collin's Peerage, Meaenas) Lord of Cope-
land, who dedicated it to St Bega, and
made it a cell to the abbey of St Mary's
at York, to maintain a prior and fix
monks .-^ At the diffolution we find it va
lued, according to Dugdale, at one hun
dred and forty-three pounds feventeen.
fhillings and two-pence; but by Speed,
one hundred and forty-nine pounds fix
teen fhillings and fix-pence.
There is a fchool here well endowed, School.
and now conducted with great propriety;
this feminary having above a hundred
pupils, from good families. This fchool i
was

222 An Excursion to
was founded by Dr Edmund Grindal,
Archbifhop of Canterbury, who was born
here. The right of nomination of a
Mafter, is in the Provoft and Fellows of
Queen's college, Oxford.
We returned to Wbit^haven ; — adverfe
winds and a tempeftuous fea, ftill inter
rupted our fcheme of paffing to the Ifle of
Man. — Under this difappointment I fuf
fered much, as I wifhed to have attained
fome proficiency in the language, which
I had been labouring at for fbme time.
We left Whitehaven, and proceeded to
MORESBY,
More% a Roman ftation, yet very diftinguifhable,
fituate at the weft end of the church, a
fquare of one hundred and twenty paces,
with obtufe angles, on an elevated plain
near the brink of the fea banks : — this
fituation commands the fhore and feveral
creeks frequented by fmall craft. — Some
few paces from this ftation the fea banks,
being lofty, form a natural half moon,
and defcend precipitately to the beach.
Hokl The vaults mentioned by Camden are
not

the L AKE S. ^ 223
not now to be feen. There are feveral re
ceffes, cut on the fides of the hills, which
to, this day are called Pi^s Holes, and ap
pear to have been habitations formed by
building a fort of cabin againft the mouth
of a cave ; miferable habitations indeed !
being fuch as are defcribed by travellers
in countries the leaft cultivated.
At Morefby many teftimonies of Ro'-i?'"5p-
man poffeflion have been difcovered ; —
one infcription by Lucius Severus Ordina-
tus*, — another by Coh. VII. — ^An altar
was found here, with an image of Silva-
nus, thus infcribed :
DEO SILVAN— ^^ Deo Sylvano
COH. II. LING  l-^^^P^^' S^^^^^^^
I. Lmgonum
CVI PRiEES-  I Cui Prseeft
G. POMPEIVS. M~ i G.PompeiusMax,
SATVRNIN^  — jSatUrninus
And this fragment :

OB PROSPE.
RITATEM
CVLMINIS INSTITVTL

Anti-

* Camden's Bricanai*,

224 ^« E^ C U R S I O N t9
Antiquaries have conjeCtured this was
Morbium, where the CataphraCtarii horfe-
men were ftationed.
At the diftance of about four mUes we
paffed the ruins of
HAY CASTLE,
?*y near Diflington ; a confufed heap of bro-
Cutie. °
ken walls, defended anciently by an out
ward wall, and a deep ditch of circular
form. We again arrited at Cockermouth,
where we paffed a night of noife and con
fufion, amidft the votaries of liberty, dif
appointed patriots, and turbulent eleCtors,
enflamed by a thoufand vifionary virtueSj,
and brawling for the conftitution.
Our morning rout carried us to
St. BRIDES,
SuBrides where we faw that venerable piece of
church antiquity the font ; — the bafon is
formed of white limeftone, and on every
, fide

Font.

the LAKES., 225
fide ornamented with figures* in relief; —
they are hiftoric, and reprefent the matter
pointed out in the infcription : — .the orna
mental figures, or hieroglyphics, are not
to be decyphered, and indeed, ¦ in my
judgment, feem intended only for em- The
bellifhments ; — -no idea can be conveyed
of them by defcriptlon ; the drawings
were taken with the greateft care and
accuracy, though they differ fo greatly
from thofe in the Archasologia:, as before
noted: — ^heeaft fide reprefents John the
Baptift dreft in a coat of hair, in the
aCtion of baptizing an adult ; a dove de
fcending upon the initiated : — the weft
fide is ornamented with a crofs and a
kind of fhield, fupported by two ravens ;
the Danifh ftandard :— the north fide is
of

* In the 2d vol. of the Archasologia, publifhed by-
the Antiquarian Society, is an engraving of the four
fides of this font, from a drawing made in 1767 by
one Ainfleyi apprentice to JefFeries the map-engraver,
¦when furveying the county-^It differs in many particu
lars from thofe inferted here ; and was tranfmitted by
Mr Bell, Vicar of Bridekirk, to the Society. He fays,
there is a nimbus ro,und ^he head of our Saviour, tho'
almoft defaced, and fuppofes the north fide to reprefent
the angel driving Adam and Eve out of Paradife ; Eve
clinging round the tree, fliews an unwillingnefs to de
part.  Alfo fee Gentleman's Mag.. for May 1749.

22<$ An Excursion to
of delicate fculpture, and well relieved,—^
a perfon robed to the feet, holding forth
a fword to exprefs his authority or dig
nity, attends to one in the habit of a
pilgrim, nuda genu, holding a ftaff in his
left hand, and extending his right with
his fore finger ereCt, in a teaching atti
tude, whilft, in a kneeling pofture, a
female figure is clinging by the ftem of
a tree, bearing rich cluftered fruit ; — thisj
I prefume, denotes Faith or Religion em
bracing the tree of life and falvation.
The hieroglyphics are very unintelligible,-
being a ftrange -affemblage of a bird, a
centaur, and a horfe : — on the fouth fide
are various figures of birds, flower work,'
and a female kneeling in the aCtion of a
iculptor, with the infcription as repre
fented on the plate : it differs, greatly
from the characters given by Camden.-
The attention I paid to the original, when
I made my copy, makes me with confi
dence affert Mr Camden's was not a true
one ; — he confeffes himfelf totally igno
rant of the characters and their implica
tion, and compares them to thofe ufed
by the primitive chriftians, to exprefs the
name of Chrift, and others that were of
Danifli

the.L AK E S. 227
Danifh origin. — The great antiquarian,
Bifhop Nicholfon has given this reading
of it, " Er Erkard han men egroCten &
** to dls Men red wer Taner men brog-
*' ten. — Here Ekard was converted, and
" to this man's example were the Danes
"brought." I pay the utmoft regard to Mr Pen
nant's judgment, but moft humbly muft
diffent from him in his definition of the
figures on the north fide of this fontj —
he fays, " they are reprefentative of the
*' angel expelling our firft father from
" Paradife, whilft Eve clings clofe to the
*' tree of life," in no wife relative to the
faCt recorded in the infcription. — If this
conftruCtion can, with any propriety, be re
ceived, as it has no relation to the infcrip
tion, it may be prefumed to imply the pre
ceding occurrence in the book of life, the
fall of man, which brought original fin,
the wafhing away of which is reprefented
in the character and office of John the Bap
tift ; which brings the conftruCtion of this
fculpture into the line of baptifm only,
without any reference to the great hiftoric
faCt, the converfion of the- Danes. — The
Q^ Bifliop

128 Jrt E X c u r s I d N to

Bifhop conceives this font to be of much
greater antiquity than the event recorded
by the infcription : but whence he formed
that conjecture, I cannot comprehend;
for the label or fillet, on which it is cut,
was evidently defigned by the fculptor for
fuch purpofe; and the characters are fo
fmall, that they could never have taken
place upon an erazure.— The fquares of
this font are about two feet, on which
the fculptures are made ; — it is faid to
have been removed from Pap Castle*, once

* Bifliop Lyttleton fays, — What authority Camden
had for averting that it was found at Pap Caftle, does
not appear ; and indeed I much doilbt the fafl ; for
there is not the leaft tradition, nor are there any figns
of thei'e -eVer having been a church or chapel at Pap
Caftle ; but there are evident marks, which appear by
the fculplure on this veffel, not to mention the in
fcription, that it was a font ab origine ; for as the
^nnotatoron Camden juftly obferves, " The figures are
'¦' no other, than "the pifluresof St John the Baptift, and,
'.'our Saviour baptifed by him in the river Jordan; the
" defceht of the Holy Glioft in the fliape of a dove be-
" ing alfo very plain." — Though I entirely agree with
Hitri that the infcription is Danifli, yet I ftrongly fufpeft
t3iiit the font is of higher antiquity, and that the in
fcription was added oa a memorable event, about the
Beginning of the eleventh century, under the Danifh
government. — The infcription informs us, that litre
Ekari-(probably a Diinifli general, as Bifhop Nicholfoa.
on good -grounds fuppofes) received baptifm on his con
verfion

the LAKES. 229
once a Roman ftation, but now retaining
no marks of that people. — Many con
jectures have been made on the name came;
of that caftle, which feems to be eafily
reconciled, when we recolleCt, that it
was the feat of Gilbert Pipard and his '
family. From St Brides we purfued our jour
ney to W I G T O N,
through miferable roads, in a meanly cui- w,„ton.
tivated country, thinly inhabited, and a-
. bounding with extenfive and improvable
common lands. On our approach a fine
view opened upon us to the northward ;
a rich vale, bounded by the Scotch hifls,
over w'hich Scrufell frowned with that
pre-eminence that Skiddow affumed over
Q_2 ' the

verfion to chriftianity, an example then followed by
feveral of his countrymen at this place. It is not likely
that the font was made on that particular, occafion, for
every mother church had a font ou its firft ere<Stion ;
but it is very likely that the baptifm of fo confiderable
a perfon, accompanied by that of feveral of his fol
lowers, fhould be recorded by an infcription on the
font, at which they received theic baptifm.

Caer-
Lcol.

230 An Excursion to
the neighbouring mountains to the right.
— We vifited that ancient Roman ftation
CAER-LEOL,
about a mfle from WIgton, fituate on an
eafy affent, and comnlanding an extenfive
profpeCt towards Solway Frith and the
Scotch borders. — The remains here are
very extenfive, foimdations of innumera
ble buildings being fcattered over many
acres, as well within the vallum as on
every hand without the line, except to
the weftward, where the hill defcends pre
cipitate to a fmall brook. This ftation is ,
an oblong fquare, one hundred and fe
venty paces in length, and one hundred
and ten in breadth, ' with obtufe angles,
defended by a double ditch, with an a-
perture or approach iri the centre of each
fide : — ;the whole ground appears a confu-
, fion of ruined edifices. — Within the val
lum, towards the north, a well has lately
been opened about three feet diameter,
walled regularly with ftone, around which
are fcattered fragments of brick, tiles, and
earthen ware. — ^The church of Wigton,
and many of the buildings in that town,
have been ereCted out of tfie ruins of this
place;

the L A K E S. 231
place ; as appears by a kind of rude
chequer work on the facings of the ftone.
In an adjoining farm-yard we difcovered
an altar, built into the horfing block ; —
the infcription fo injured, that no more
could be made out tha^ what follows :
M. O.
ROSALV-^ —
 .V 
r— E G — -T
 OP 
— MCOIS 
— NSFCRM 
Near Wigton flood the abbey of Ulmo, Hoimc
or Holme Coltram abbey, now totally
deftroyed, where the Scottifh St Michael
wrought miracles, or rather dealt in the
black art, his proficiency, in the- mathe
matics intitling him to the name ofne-,
cromancer, in that illiterate age in which.
he lived, about the year 1290. — This,
abbey was built by David King of Scot
land. Caer-Leol is fuppofed to be the Caftra.
Exploratoijum of the Romans ;— the wing-
Q.3 ol

s.$2 ^« Excursion /o
of horfe ftfled Augufta & Augufta Gor
diana kept their ftation here in the Em
peror Gordian's time, A. C. 239 ; as ap
pears by feveral infcriptions, particularly
the following. I. O. M.
ALA. AVG. OB 
. . . RTV T. APPEL. CVI.
PRIEST TIB. CL. TIB. FP,
IN— G— N— IVSTINVS
PR^. FVSCIANO
II. SILANO. II. COS
DM. _
MABLIN IVS SEC
VNDVS
ALE AVG,
STE STIP.
The following votive altar was. ereCted
for the health of Gordian the Third, and
his wife Furia Sabina TranquiUa, and
their family, by the Augufta Gordiana
horfemen, when Emelius Crilpianus, a
native of Africa, commanded the fame,
under Nonnius Philippus, Lieutenant Ge^
neral of Britain, in the year of chri-i
ftlanity 243. I. O, M.

the LA K E S.

233

I. O. M.
PRO SALVTE IMPERATORIS
M. ANTONI GORDIANI. P. F.
INVICTI AVG. ET SABINI^ FVR
lAE TRANQVILE CONIVGIEIVS TO'
TAQVE DOMV DIVAN, EORVMA
LA AVG. GORDIA. OB VIRTVTEM
APPELLATA POSVIT:' CVI PRiEEST
AEMILIVS CRISPINVS PR^F.
EQg^ NATVS IN PRO AFRICA DE
TVIDRO SVB CVR. NONII PH
ILPPI LEG AVG PROPRETO 
ATTICO ET PRETEXTATO
COSS.
To be read thus : — Jovi Optimo Maxi
mo pro falute Imperatoris Marcii Antonii
Gordiani pii felicis inviCti Augufti et Sa-
blniae Furias Tranqufllae eonjugis ejus to-
taq. dqmu divina eorum Ala Augufta
Gordiana ob virtutem appellata pofuit cui
prseeft iEmilius Crifpinu& pragfeCtus equi-
tum natus in provlncia Africa de Tuidro
fub Cura Nonnii Philippi legati Auguftalis
propraetorls Attico et prgetextato confut.
Mr Horfley fuppofes this to be the Ro-*
man Olenacum, and that the Ala Augufta,
in the year 242, under the Empecor Gor-
0^4 dian^

234 -^^ Excursion t9
dian, aflumed the name . of Gordiana ;
and that about forty years afterwards, the
fame Ala took the name Herculia from
the Emperor Maxinnarius Herculius.
Mr Smith, who made a furvey here in
^75S> fays the Alas Auxiliarise appeared,
by many remains, to have encamped a
little to the eaftward. He condemns Mr
Camden's report that it had been a fa-
mious city, from finding in the ruins of
the buildings ftones of little fize or confe
quence ; — but he fhould confider Wigton
had robbed them for materials for build
ing for ages. The extent of the place
proves its importance.
The following remains are not noted .
by Hoffley, and have been fo lately ye-i
covered as 1 755. — O. M. — -
LO. SAL. EISIPI— ,
EVER r II : M AVRNNI —
the reading of which is probably this:— >
I. O. M. pro falute Lucii Septimii Severi
& Marci Aurefii Antonii. T— And

the LAKES. 2zs
—And the following fragmentf—
IPAL
TTPIIMIAIVS
RVSTICVS PREF
MATERNO II BRA
V DVACQS.
may be read thus. " Cui prseeft ^lius
*' Septimianus Rufticus prsefeCtus Materno
'« et Bradua Confulibus."— The date of
this will be about 185.
In the following year this infcription
was found; lOM
ROSALVI-^
INPL. SPIV—
SEVERI AVG N
EQVITESALiE;
AVG. CVRANF
ECNATOVRE
CVNQ^ DORA
FFPOSVRW.
^his will have the following reading,
" Jovi Op. Max. profalute Imperatoris
" Lucii Septimii Severi Augufti Nobiliffimi
*¦ Equites iElse Auguftse curante Egnatiq
i^ yececundo prsefeCto pofiierunt." This

2.^6 An ExcvKsronto
This proves that Ala confifted both of
horfe and foot. — The probable date of
this infcription is about the year loy,
after Albanus was flain in Gaul.
From the accefs on the north fide of
this ftation, the Roman road is very ap
parent, leading towards Carlifle.
Tumuli We purfued our journey to Carlifle,'
aiid paffed feveral Tumuli, particularly
four together in a large plain, and at fome
little diftance one of a fuperior fize.—
The profpeCt on every hand was pleafing^
WigtQn — Wigton, which is a neat little market
town, lay below us, furrounded with a
rich cultivated country ; above whofe
dwellings the gothic and antique tower
of the church, fuppofed to be one thou
fand years old, was feen in folemn fupe-
riority. — An extenfive plain was fpread
before us, varied with all the happy co
lourings of meads, corn lands, and w^oods,
interfperfed with villages and villas; at
whofe fkirts the waters of the Firth were
difcovered, of a vaft extent, and the pro-
f-pedi was clofed by the Scotch mountains. We

the LAKES. ,. 237
We entered the city of ': :'¦''" ¦^'''^r •
CARLISLE
by the Irifli gates; this place having two caTiiiie.
other gates, called the Englifli and Scotch,
names given to them from the feveral
quarters from whence thefe acceffes to the
city are. — It is faid to contain between
four, and five thoufand inhabitants; — is
in many parts well built.- — ^The ftreets are
kept' remarkably clean, the principal of
which is fpacious, and contains many
modern and elegant houfes.— -The town is
divided into two pariflies.= — The manu
factory carried on in this city is chiefly
printed cottons, which work is executed
to great perfection.
The Caftle is walled round, being a Caftle.
mile in compafs, but the walls are ne-
gleCted and going to ruin. — This fortrefs
makes a formidable appearance at a dif^
tance, but on entrance fhews a different
afpeCt ; fome of the wafls being rent to
their foundation, and the guns finking in
rotten carriages. — The inner caftle is very
ftrong, well fupplied with water by a
draw

..! '

238 An Excursion to
draw well, and feems capable of fuftaining
along fiege, were the outworks in good
order, and fufficiently garrifoned. — The
artillery in this part are kept tolerably-
clean, and better carriaged ;— -but the
whole fortrefs is deferted, and when we
faw it, its garrifon confifted of one poor
invalid, who fhlfted his poft with great
alacrity, to intitle him to the fees of office, ,
City. The antient name of th^s city was Caer-
Lualid; by Antonine it was called Lugo-
Vallum, or the City on the Wall. — It was a
place of diftlnCtion in the days of St Cuth-
bert, in the feventh century, when Egfrid
gaVe it, with a large adjoining territory,
to that faint. — Bede fays, the citizens
brought Cuthbert to fee the walls of their
city, and a well in it of Roman conftruC
tion. — Durham Book records, that he
founded here a convent of nuns with an
abbefs, as alfo a feminary for youth.— r
The Danes, in the ninth century, raifed
it to the ground, or laid it in alhes ; in
which ftate it remained to the time of
William Rufus, who was the founder of
the prefent fortrefs. He alfo reftored the
city after it lay in ruins, from the hands of

c ; thie LAKES. 239
of the deftroying Danes, for two hundred
years. — It was a fafe-guard agalnft the
Scots, and -garrifoned by that prince with
troops from the fouth, who firft intro
duced tillage there. — Henry the Firft be
ftowed a fum of money to make additional
fortifications. — Stephen refigned it to Da
vid King of Scotland. — After its reftora-
tlon to the Englifh, in the time of Henry
the Second, it endured many grievous
fieges ; one in 1173, by William Leon;
in 1 3 15, by Bruce; and in the time of
Richard the Third, it was almoft totally
deftroyed by fire.
William of Malmfbviry fays, " here was
" a vaulted dining chamber, of the Roman
" architecture, in the front of which was
"an infcription, Marii Fi^ori^."" But
Camden correCts this, and fays it was
Marti ViBori. — He preferves the following
infcriptions found there : —
DIIS MANIBVS
SMARTI TROIANI
AVGVSTVNANI TVM. FA
CIENDVM CVRAVIT
AFEL AMMILLVSIMA
CONIVX. KARASS. To

TticPro-

240 An Excursion to
To this was joined the figure of a man In
armour on horfeback, armed at all points
with a lance in his hand. The other,
LEG. VI ") Leg. Sex.
VIC . P. F. V ViCtrix Ponere feCit.
G. P. R. F. J Gloria Populi Romani fel.
Carlifle was the poffelfion of Ralph
Mefchlnes. — Henry the Firft made it an
epifcopal fee, and appointed Artulph the
firft Bifhop thereofi — Henry the Third
gave the caftle to Robert Vipont.— It ex
perienced the munificence of Richard the
Third, and the citadel was added to it by
Henry the Eighth : an irregular building,
guarded by circular baftions.

'¦ — The profpeCt from the great tower
fpea. |g noble; — the fOre-ground is formed of
level meads, wafhed by the Eden, part of
which is infulated by a divifion of the
river. This plot is enriched by two fine
ftone bridges, one of four, the other of
nine arches — the great paffage towards
Scotland. — To the weft, you command
a view of the Firth to its mouth, with a
' vaft traa of Scotch land, furmounted by
Scrofell and a chain of hills extending
weftward

the LAKES. 241
weftward as far as the eye can reach. —
To the eaft, a rich plain of eultivated
land, bounded by the heightis of Nor
thumberland. — To the fouth, the plains
towards Penrith, with Crofs-Fell and Skid
dow. — To the north, ^ a large Scotch terri
tory, infamous for the inceflant blobd--
fhed of its natives, for ages preceding the
conqueft of the Romans, and terminating
only in the happy union, in which this
prodigal was redeemed from the huffcs ,
and horrid affociations which attend the
rebellious, and given to one common pa
rent with the fouthern iflanders, portioned
with a child's part of the opulence of
their common mother, and the bleffmgs
and wile government of a general father.
The Cathedral of Carlifle was begun to catbe^
be built in the time of William Rufus. —
It is now very irregular, part of it having
undergone the mutilating commands of
that enemy to every bigotry but his own,
Oliver Cromwell.
What remains of this edifice, fhews it
was a noble ftruCture: — part is in the
old Saxon ftile, maffive -pillars and rou^nd
arches :

242 An Excursion to
arches : — other part is more modern, and
faid to owe its being to Edward the Third.
This part is fupported on cluftered pillars,
light and well proportioned, and their
inner niouldirigs pierced, and decorated
with rofe-work. — Two galleries run round
the building. — The choir, it is faid, was
not foiinded till about the year one thou
fand thrde hundred and fifty-four. — The
wood-work above the flails, of the ta
bernacle ftile, is light and elegant. — In
arches formed in the walls of the ifles,
are fome monumental effigies mitred, but
the perfonages, they reprefent are not
known. — Founder and principal benefacr
tors of religious places, generally obtained
a nich of this kind to be left for their
interment and monument, — Here are no
antient infcriptions, modern ones abound,
and are the qalnteffence of all monumen-
tary fuftian and flattery.
The choir is one hundred and thlrty-
feven feet in length, and feventy-one
broad, having a window forty-eight feet
high, and thirty broad, adorned with fine
pillars. — ^The roof is vaulted, and orna
mented with the arms of England and
France,

the LAKES. 243.
France, quartered, and thofe of the Per-
cies, Lucies, Warrens, and Mowbrays. —
The tower is one hundred and twenty-
three feet high. — There belong to this ca
thedral, a Bifhop, a Dean, a Chancellor,
an Archdeacon, four Prebendaries, eight
Minor Canons, four Lay Clerks, fix Cho-
rifters, and fix Almfmen. The Bilhopric
is valued in the King's books at five hun
dred and thirty-one pounds four fhillings
and nine- pence.
In the middle of the choir floor, is a
large monument of Bifhop Bell, with his
effigy in brafs, finely inlaid, with the fol
lowing infcription, the date being- defaced:
" Hic Jacet Rev. Pater Richardus Bell
" Durefme dudum Prior, hic poft ponti-
" ficat." — He was made prior of Durham
in one thpufand four hundred and fixty-
four, and Bifhop of Carlifle in one thou
fand four hundred and feventy-eight.
A Priory of Black Canons was founded Prfory.
here by Henry the Firft; and on thefup-
preffion of the religious houfes, they were
replaced by a Dean and four Secular Ca
nons. — The facrilegious hand of Henry
R the

244 An E x'c u r s i o n to
the Eighth defaced the remaining fplen-
dour of the place, and left litde more
than ecclefiaftical ruins to the fanatic fury
of Cromwell's crew.
dif w de The, fate and execution of Sir Andrew de
Hare a. j^arcla, created Earl of Carlifle by Edward
the Second, and afterwards condemned
as a traitor, are fo fingular, I cannot
omit to repeat them: — His fpurs were
firft cut off with a hatchet: — he was in
the next place ungirdled, or divefted of
the military belt, to which his fword was
fufpended, and with which at his creation
he was girt: — he was then ftript of his
gauntlets and fhoes, and afterwards hang
ed, decollated, drawn, and qu.artered.

Legen. dar

ing!

On the fcreens in the ifles are feveral
plim- Legendary Paintings, of the hiftories of St
Auguftine, St Anthony, and others, com
pofed of the moft ridiculous figures, and
barbarous devices, placed in panes or pan-
nels. To every circumftance reprefented,
is a diftic in old monkifh rhymes, written
in an uncouth language, a mixture of
Scotch and Englifli. — The ecclefiaftics of
later days have been afhamed of the fol lies

the LAKE S. 24^
lies of their predeceffors, and endeavoured
to deface them with white-wafh, which
now yielding to time, difcovers them
again. In the hiftory of St Auguftine, he is
vifited by the devil, headed like a bull,
amply tailed and chained, bearing a book
of temptation, and arms of terror. — In
that of St Anthony, the fpirit of unclean-
nefs lays before the holy man fuch a fi
gure of temptation, as would difgrace the '
chambers of a Brothel. — As a review of
monkifh ignorance, fuperftition, and folly,
at all times enhances the value of refor
mation, this legendary tale will at once
expofe the one and enrich the other.
The LEGEN D.
Cf anton sftorp Vnfio Ipffe to f)ere
i\\ Cffppt toasf ^e lbo;cnt m tfotlj appear
litre t'fi lie tiaptpO .amoit tfiep Ijim catol
gret lani30 5i>r£nt0 tioEt*j to tiim latol
a£( rultr to t^t fetrfe ijert 10 ^z gaun
%Q fjere t^e fa*niotit'^ f afuc att Ije'oann
%z mottet!) U to t^e lixk tiot!) lanti j^xzm
to tetie m potiert 10 Iji0 intent
\)ztz in as;ello to con aulDe ntan |e toent
to Icatie parlemon. 10 ^10 intent
R 2 ijerc

2^6 An Excursion to
litre mafeetlj !}e breQer ag men of relemS
an5 tecljetli t^ent tertue to lete in plean^
liere to tlie toiltiecn^ a0 armet mon fie
nsto temptetlj ^im cotipture toitli oon g:ap ialig
tlje 0pirptt of ifotnication to ^vm Ootlj appeir
ana tt)u0 Ije cljaGitfi W bot"? Voiti) t^orn jbbreair
tlie tietiilrtjud fjat Ij^m toountieti toftii launce jbM
ana letijtli liim for bepti Iping; at liis caufe
ijere caffetfj tieatlj Itefjinis fifm t^e Ueiil tie Oot atoap
anSi comforttPeUe Iji^ confeC0or DepD a0 ^z lap
Jece comanti0 lie tlje liett0 ^ folfe0 atoa?
tljat fioc ijf afel!aj0 jbto* ll^at fioUiDe lie ma?
ijere maletlj Ije a toell jbtoater loafi uptape
>b iiaptijeti Iji^ breOer tfjoptlj Voas nere 0la?nc
fiece commantietli fje beit0 to mafe ^J a cauf
anD tljti^ Ije berp^ paulin >b tap* |}im in graf
Ijece bepartetli anton to Ijetijn |ii0 sauI 10 gone
ije i:ettoi.rt 6t0 ttoa breast in toildernS t|io alone
tW Voal&et Ije otier t^e flo&sf of toater niiniini
ftjeou |i)?m 0e >bijare not au7|ip. nzxz
ijere in (HLliltinrn^s t|iep bet? fi^m tl&at no man 0&f
tipm fenato
fcefor Ijc comnianlipG Ijjm Sota lie trolo fault
t|iu0 leijea lie in tailOems xx pere ^ more
toittjout mi company bot tje tojlti faoare*
Alas for chriftianity ! the name of the
author of thefe pious labours, this worker
in the holy vineyard is now unremem-
bered. — What profit hath not the fpirits of

the LAKES. 247
of thofe, who fought the Lord, in this his
tabernacle, reaped at thy hands ?
— It gives one the moft deplorable idea
of the ftate of religion, in the days of fuch
priors, and black canons, and in that age
in which even cathedrals were thus be
daubed. The gate- way leading to the College isp^^s^-
a modern ftruCture, on the arching of
which, towards the inner court, is an in
fcription elegaptly cut in the old Englifh
character, fignifying that it was ereCted
by Chriftopher Slee in the year 1528.
From Carlifle we made an excurfion to
BURGH,
or Brough upon Sands, in hopes to trace ^urgii
the Roman ftation; but cultivation has
raifed it to its foundation, a confequence
which will follow agriculture through
moft of the irionuments of that nation. — ¦
This was an antient barony, which Mef
chlnes, Lord of Cumberland, gave to
Robert de Trevers, from whom it defcen
ded to the Morvfls; the 'laft of whofe
R 3 race,

248 An Excursion to
race, a daughter, married Thomas de
Moulton, by whom there was iffue
Thomas, who by the heirefs of Hu-
, bert de Vaulx had in dowry Guillfland,
which devolved on Ranulph Dacre by
intermarriage with the heirefs of Moul
ton.
^^:, On the flats within a mile of Burs^h,
¦ward 3 .07
Monu- which bear the name of the fands, is a co-
lumn about twenty feet high, furmounted
with a crofs, ereCted to denote the ground
where Edward the Firft expired in his
camp, In his expedition againft the Scots.
— On this column are the following in
fcription : Memorie Eterne
Edwardi Regis Anglise Longe Clariffimi
qui in Belli apparatu contra Scotos, occu-
patus hic ini Caftris Obiit 7 : Julii. A. D.
1307.

Noblilffimus Pi-inceps Henrlc. Howard
Dux Norfolk Com. Marefcal Angliss cum
Arundel, fur Norfolk & Norwic. Baro.
Howard Mowbray Seagrave Brews de
Gower Fitfalen Warren Efcales Clun Of
waldtree

the LAKES. 249
waldtree Mallpavers Furnival Grayftch et
Howard de Caftle rifing Prseno Ord. Gar
ter, MU. Conftab. & Gubernator Regal.
Caftri & Honor de Windfor Dom, Locum-
ten. Norfoc fur Berker & Civet com. cir.
Norwici ab Edvi Rege Anglise ornindus.
P. 1683-.
A thick fea fog coming In prevented our
going over the fands to
DRUMBOUGH CASTLE,
orlslnally a Roman ftation, fituate on the Ofum-
wall ; but in later times it appertained to '
the Dacres, as appears by the arms on the
front. — Some altars and infcriptions re
mained there till within a few years laft
paft, when they were removed by the or
der of Sir James jLowther.
— The Rev. Mr Ifmah of Burgh was fo
obliging as to tranfm.it to me the follow
ing reading of an Infcription found lately
at Boulnefs, the Blatum Bulgium from
v^hence Antonine proceeds, being near
the extreme of the wall, ahd the mbft
weftern Roman ftation on it.
R 4 I. O M

250 An Excursion to
LOM
PRO SALVT DOM.
NOST. GALLI ET
VOLVSIANI x^VG.
SVLPICIVS SECVND
TRIE. COH. P.
Jovi optimo Maximo, pro falute Domi-
norum noftrorum Galli & Volufiani Au-
guftorum Sulpicius Secundinus Tribunus
Cohortis Pofuit.
Volufianus was Gallus's fon, and joined
with him in the empire, anno 252 : they
were confuls together.
We contlued our journey to
CORBY CASTLE,
corbj-. i;iow a modern manfion, feated on the
brink of a ftupendous cliff, overhanging'
the river Eden : infomuch, that from the
back windows, you look over the wood
which grows upon the declivities imme
diately upon the water.^-The hills oh
each fide the river are lofty, and defcend
precipitate, cloathed with ftately trees. —
Eden is' here adorned with a thoufand beau-

the LAKES. 251
beauties ; every turn and avenue affords
a rich fylvan fcene, whei'e, amidft the
hanging fhades of oak, bold rocks projeCt.
— To the front of the houfe, a fine lawn
opens, with ornamental buildings, grace
fully difpofed. — But how infignifieant
do the works of art appear, in a fcene
where nature has exerted all her powers
to mingle in the nobleft and moft romantic
manner, woods, rocks, and mountains,
ftreams, vales, and canals.- — The walk on
the banks to the river is well devifed, and
contains as much of nature, as could
be faved in fuch a work. — The whole
pleafure grounds are executed in a tafte,
which yields all the original beauties of
the place, without diftorting them in the
fetters of fafhion. — It would be great In-
juftice in defcribing this place, to adopt
any other expreffions, than thofe of an
ingenious inhabitant, who has fcattered
his flowers in this happy fcene.
To the north-weft of the houfe, a terras
is ftretched on the fummit of a cliff, over
looking the wood, that hangs on fwift
declivities to the brink of the river, from
whence is commanded a fine profpeCt of
the

Wethe rell

252 An E X c u R s I o N if(5>
the banks of the river, and on the oppo
fite rifing ground the remains of Wetherell
Priory. Pfigfy, OUCC 3. 'ccll to the abbey of St
Mary, in York, given by Ranulph -de
Mefchlnes, Earl of Carlifle, for a prior
and eight monks, of the benediCtine or
der. — It was founded in the reign of Wil
liam Rufus, and dedicated to St Conftan
tine. — David King of Scots, and Henry -
his fon, were great benefaCtors. — At the
diffolution of religious houfes,. it was gi
ven by Henry the Eighth to the Dean and.
Chapter of Carlifle ; was valued by Dug
dale at one hundred and feventeen
pounds eleven fhillings and ten- pence,
and by Speed at one hundred and twenty-
eight pounds five fliillings and threc'^-
pence. — Nothing but^the gateway tower
remains of this Edifice. — On a well-chofea
part of this terrace, a feat is placed with
the following lines, highly defcriptive of
the varied beauties of the profpeCt.
" Here thine eye may catch new pleafures,
" Whilft the landfcape round it meafures;
" Ruflet lawns, and fallows grey,
" Where the nibbling flocks do ftray;
" Mountains, on "whofe barren breaft,
" L;ibouring clouds do often reft;
" Meadows trim, with daifie? pied,
" Shallow brooks, and rivers wide ;
" Tow'rs and battlements it fees,
" Bofom'd high in tufted trees." — We

the LAKES. 253
^— We defcended towards the river, and
approached the grotto-; — the woods to
the left towering from cliff to cliff, fur
mounted the vaft fteep. — The river, after
rufhing down a fucceffion of cafcades, at
length forms a long canal, fever'd by a
woody ifland of confiderable length, and
terminated by a ftupendous amphitheatre
of rocks, crowned and fcattered over with
wood. — To the right, meadows form the
eafy rifing flopes, which ftretch up to
Wetherell Priory. — The entrance into the
Grotto is femicircular, on the edge of a crouo.
cliff overhanging the river ; above which
a precipice, not lefs. than one hundred
feet in height, lifts up its venerable and
furrowed brow, furmounted by hanging
oaks of great fize.~You enter into a fquare
apartment, eighteen feet in length and
fifteen feet in width, of a proportion
able height, hollowed out of the folid
rock, lighted by an aperture looking upon
the beautiful canal and amphitheatre
before defcribed. — From thence you pafs
into an inner chamber, alfo formed in the
rock, eighteen feet in length and twelve
feet in width, the ,rocky ceiling of v\?hich is

2S4 -^^ E X c u' R S I o N to
is beautifully corniced by a red and yellow
vein, which runs in the ftone. — This apart
ment is lighted by another aperture, com
manding a view of Wetherell, with her
inclining meads. — On the right hand of
the entrance is placed this tablet:
-" There Eden's lofty banks,

' Now nearer crown, with their inclofure green^
' As with a rural mound, the champain head
' Of a fteep wildernefs ; whofe hairy fides,
' With thicket overgrowri, grotefque and wild,
' Accefs deny; and over bead, upgrow,
• Infuperable height of loftieft fhade,
< Cedar, and pine, and fir, and branching oakj
' A fylvan fciene: and as the ranks afcend,
' Shade above fhade, a woody theatre
' Of ftatelieft view,"

On the left hand, the following:
" Another fide, umbragious grots and caves
" Of cool recefs : whilft murmuring waters fall,
«' Down the flope hills difperfed, or in a lake
«' (That to the fringed bank, with flow'rets crown'd,
" Her cryftal mirror holds) unite the ftreams."
The effeCt of mufic in thefe cells is ad
mirable ; the chambers afford a fine echo,
and the adjacent eminences give feveral
diftinCt I'epeats, as the founds follow the
channel of the river.

A

the "LAKES. 2SS
A fittle diftance from the grotto is an Wat«
open area, with a bafon in the centre,
ornamented with a triton mounted on a
fea-horfe, fpouting an elevated jet d'eau.
— Behind the bafon, other cells are exca
vated in the rock. — ^The ftranger, whofe
curiofity leads him into thefe chambers,
is aftonifhed to find his return prevented
by a fheet of water, which fhuts up the
paffage. — A large ftream is fo conducted^
as to form at pleafure a very fine cafcade,
falling from the brow of a precipice,
where it firft iffues through a bridge, and
then foaming from one projection to an
other, at length tumbles head-long before
the openings of the cave, and is received
into the bafon, from whence it is con
veyed by a fecret channel to the river.
From hence a walk ftretches by the i-o^s
Walk'.
margin of the river, near feven hundred
yards in length, and of a proportionable
width, terminated by a pleafure-houfe  ¦
In this walk this tablet is fixed :
" The birds, their choirs apply; airs, vernal airs,
" Breathing the fmell of field and grove, attune
''' The trembling leaves: whilft univerfal Pan,
" Knit with the graces and the hours in dance',
«' Lead oa the joyous fpring." —
—And

2s6 An Excursion to

— And againft a tree this diftich:
" Quo Prinus ingens, allaque Populus
" Umbram hofpitalem confeciare amant
" Ramis, et oblique laborat,
" Lympha fugax trepiJare Rivo."

Recefs. Beneath a rock which pufhes from out
the trees on the long walk, and forms a
cool and folemn recefs, is placed a Ro
man altar found near Nawarth, men
tioned in Camden, and in Gorden's Iti
nerary, with this infcription:

On the dex
ter fide,
a fecuris &
fecefpita: On the fi- i
nifter,
The Prefe-
riculum
& Patera.

r PRO SALVT 1 Pro falute

DN MXMAO
FOP.TM CAES

!^

D. n. Maximiano
Fortiflimo Csefari,

L-

— at the foot of which, the genius of the
fhade has placed the folenin mementos of
Shakefpeare, " The cloud-cap'd towers,''
8cc.— Plate, Fig. IV.

Wethe rell
Cells.

— At the end of the walk we had a
view of thofe receffes cut in the oppofite
clifts, called Wetherell Cells.— The rocks
arife perpendicular from the ftreahi, and
form

the LAKES. 257
form a vaft precipice, above three hun
dred feet high ; — over which the land ftill
afcends to a prodigious height, covered
with wood. — Near the midft of the rock,
a fmall building, fhutting up the mouth
of a cavern, is difcovered, with three
windows, and projecting fo far from the
cliff, at the northern end, as to admit cf
a narrow entrance. — It appears to be in-
acceffable from every part without a fca-
ling ladder, and is an arduous attempt
to climb, by the affiftance of fhrubs and
roots that are fcattered on the rock. — This
plaqe confifts of an outward apartment,
with a fire-place, and three fmall interior
chambers, excavated from the folid rock.
Thefe chambers are about twelve feet
deep, and nine feet in the wideft part ;
the front ferves as a kind >of hall or gal
lery to lead to the inner cells. From the
windows, the height feems tremendous,
as you look down upon the river. — The
windows and entrance have been fecured
by iron grates and bolts, and the inte
rior apartments fhut up with doors. — Hi
ther, it is faid, the monks of Wetherell
priory have retired, in the times of peril,
and the inroads of the Scots. — Very juft- Iv

258 ..^^K E X C U R S I O N to
ly this place bears the name of the Safe
guard. — The Veftiges of the antient way
by which the inhabitants paffed, are on
an horrible path on the brink of cliffs,
from whence by a ladder they gained the
entrance.
Infcrip- The infcription faid to be cut in the

tion

on the adjoining rocks, is either defaced or fallen,
it not being to be difcovered. — Though It
is faved to us by antiquaries, yet it is not
fully deciphered. MAXIMUS SCRIPSIT
LeglovicefimaValensVic.} LEG. XX. V.V,
Conditor Caffius} COND. CASSIVS.
I am inclined to think it has not been
faithfully tranfcribed. — It is faid the lines
were at a confiderable diftance from each
other, and were ornamented with the fi
gure of a ftag, and that the words Maxi-
mus Scripfit were a yard above the other
part of the infcription.
Corby The front of Corby Houfe is compofed
of a fuit of genteel apartments, fitted up
in an elegant tafte.--Here are feveral good
pictures ;

the LAKES, 259
pictures ; among thd reft, a phflofopher
by torch-light ; a mufician, the work of
a Spanifh artift ; and the Emperor Charles
the Fifth with his Queen, reprefenting a
fpecies of matrimonial interview, and ex-
preffive of altercation on the jewels and
trinkets which are difplayed in an open
cafket: — a full length piece, in armour,
of Lord William Howard, called Bald
Willy, a third fon of the Duke of Norfolk,
who lived in the reign of Queen Elizabeth,
and was formidable to thofe robbers on
the borders, the Mofs Troopers.
The woods adjoining this beautiful
place are graced with venerable oaks, of
a prodigious fize; — the country is rich,
and well cultivated ; the horfe-hoeing and
other modern modes of hufbandry having
been fortunately introduced.
No traces remain of the old caflle. —
Henry the Second granted the Manor to
Hubert de Vallibus, from whom it came
to William de Odard, Lord of Corby. —
In the time of Edward the Third it was
held by Thomas de Richmount, and from
him it came to the poffeffion of Harcla
S Earl

!26o An Excursion to
Earl of Carlifle. — After his attainder it
was granted to Richard de Salkeld, from
whom Lord William Howard, then of
Nawarth, derived his title. — He fettled it
on his younger fon, whofe race enjoy it
at this time.
War- -^e paffed by Warwick Hall, and croff
ed the river by a fine ftone bridge of four
arches, buflt by the Salkelds and Rlch-
monds. — This was the Virofidam of the
Romans, where the fixth cohort of the
Nervians were ftationed. — ^Above the paf
fage of the bridge is a large mount, re
fembling a Danifh fortification.
We arrived at
BRAMPTON,

ton.

Eramp. a lltdc market town, fituated under
lofty hills — a manor of Lord Carlifle's,
where he has a market-houfe of venerable
afpeCt. — This place is not inconfiderable
in this country, there being two great
fairs held here annually, at which many
thoufand fheep, and feldom fewer than
two thoufand head of black cattle, are
marketted. — It hath no trade, except the
manu-

the LAKES. l6t
manufacturing a few checks. — This town
is fituated in Gilfland, a name which
Camden derives from Gill Fitz-Bueth,
who held it in the time of Henry the Se
cond, as appeared to him by a book be
longing Lenercoft abbey.
The wall of Severus, in a lineal direction Bremc-
from Stanwix, near Carlifle, extends thro'
* . . .
Gilfland within a little way of Brampton.
— This was the Roman Bremeturacumy
where a band of the German Tungri
were ftationed in the declining ftate of
the Roman empire : and a company of
the Armaturse under the General of Bri
tain*. — Mr Horfley was induced to believe
the Bremeturacum was at Old Penrith.
On the eaft fide of Brampton, is a for- -phe
midable mount, called the Moat, chiefly "^"^
natural. — It has moft probably been a
Danifli fortification, is in height from the
road near three hundred and fixty per
pendicular feet, and' rifes on all fides very
fwift. — About forty perpendicular feet
from the crown, a deep ditch is cut round
S 2 the

* Camden's Britannia.

262 An Excursion to
the mount, it appearing that the mate
rials caft from thence, have been ufed to
raife the interior elevation, which is com
pofed of loofe gravel. — This trench, in
places, remains near twenty feet in depth,
and of a proportionable width, the out
ward margin of it being three hundred
paces in circumference. — The crown of
this eminence is a level plain, forty paces
diameter. — From hence we commanded
an extenfive profpeCt; — to the Weftward,
the Firth, with the level towards Carlifle,
bounded by the Scotch heights; to the
eaft, the high lands of Northumberland,
and a vaft intervening territory. — ^Near
this town, the following Roman remains
were difcovered on an altar:
I. O. M.
— OHITVNG —
ILEG CLGV  H
AEES AVRE 
OPTNVSP 
FAVSTAN 
MESOPSP 
PIINC 
In an old Bath, the following infcrip tion

the LAKES. 2(^3
tion was found, but unfortunately the
proprsetor's name was broken off:
IV  .
CVPAL 
legXg.p.p. coh. I
TVNG POSVIT
We vifited the
WRITTEN MOUNTAIN wmten Moun-
on the banks of the river Gelt, about three
miles from i^rampton*, being an infcribed
S I ^ cliff

* Roman infcriptions on rocks are very rare in BrJ-
tain, and indeed throughout Europe, whjch renders
this before us rnore worthy c,onfideratipn, I know of
none that have been difcovered in England, except this,
and three at Crawdundale Wal;he, liear Kirkby Thor,
in Weftmorlapd, — Another indeed i? faid, ii; the
additions to Carnden, to have been infcribed on a rock;
near Nawarth, in Cumberland, called Leage Crag -^
feut Mr Horfley tells us, upon enquiry after it, he
learned that it was utterly defaced. — We have all thefe
infcriptions, except the laft, faithfully defcribed in
jiorfley. Three out of the four appear to have been the:
\york of the fecond Auguftan Legion, which together
¦with the twentieth Legion, were employed under the
Emperor Severus in building the Roman Wall, about the
years 207 or 208, according to Mr Horflej's conjec
ture. — The author of the additions to Camden concurs
in opinion with Horfley, that thefe quarries at Helbeck
and Leage Crag, afforded the Rpraans a fupply of
ftones.

264 An Excursion to
cliff of vaft height, overhanging the river.
— The face of the rock on which the in
fcription is cut, is of an angular form ; and
as it is inacceffable, it is only to be read by
the afliftance of a glafs, and that not very
correctly, as the rays of the fun fall fo,
that

ftones for building the famous wall ; and the quarries
at Crawdundale Wathe, for their buildings at Kirkby
Thor, where they had a very confiderible ftation ; and
that upon thefe occafions, they left infcriptions behind
them. — This conjeifture is much ftrengthened by the
ftrong refemblance which Horfley obferved, both as
to nature and colour, between the ftone of Helbeck
quarry and that of the Roman Wall, throughout great
part of Cumberland ; he alfo adds, that the inhabi
tants near the place, continue to call it the Old Quarry.
—There is a fimilar infcription on the quarries at
Shawk, in this county, and placed like this a confidera
ble height above the furface of the ground, on which
the rock ftands, and confequently difficult of accefs,
and yet in Camden's time who defcribes it, the words
Officium RoCJanoruljJ were legible, though much de
faced. — If the old quarries in that part of Northumber
land, which lies contiguous to the Roman Wall were
carefully examined, I have fome fufpicion, that fimilar
infcriptions might be difcovered; for the fame motives
¦which led the builders of the famous Wall to leave their
names and memorials, on the Cumberland rocks and
quarries, from whence the ftone was procured, would
induce them to do the like, near that part of the wall
which lies near Northumberland, where the flones for
building, were alfo in like manner procured.
Extrafl of a letter of Bifhop Lyttleton, to the Al'?
tiquarian Society, in March 1767, defcribing aa
infcription on a rock at Shawk quarries.

the LAKES, 26s
that whilft they affift you on one fide,
they fhadow the other. — The point of the
rock being moft expofed to the weather,
there the infcription has fuffered greatly.
I have copied them in the annexed draw
ing as correctly as the nature of the fitua
tion would permit. Plate.
Camden, who deciphers It to have been
infcribed by a Lieutenant of the fecond
Leg. Augufta, under Agricola the Pro
praetor, feems to have obtained the in
fcription more im perfectly than I did, he
having thrown it into divifions ii^ the fQl-*
Jo wing form :
VEXL. LEG. II. AVG. OF. APR
SVB AQRICOLA. OB VIORE
LEG.I. MERCALI
NVMERCATNS. FIRM!
From this place and the quarries at
Shawk, the Romans are fuppofed to have
procured almoft all the ftone which they
ufed in that part of the wall that croffed
Cumberland, Mr Horfley gives the following reading
S4 of

266 An Excursion to
of the infcription : " Vexillatio Legionis
" fecundse Auguftse ob virtutem appellatse
" fub Agricola optlone . . . Apro et Maximo
" confulibus ex ofiicina Mercatli." — An
Optio was a deputy to a Centurion, or
other officer prefiding in his abfeiice. The
confuls named in the infcription, (if read
with Mr Horfley) give us the date of 207,
near the time of Severus's arrival in Brl-'
tain ; when it is natural to conceive, his
people would be employed ir^ procuring
ftone for the wall. '
On an eminence about two miles from
Caftle the written rocks, ftands Caflle Carrock, a
' "'"^ fquare vallum of loofe ftones, of equal
fides, one hundred and twenty paces each.
Of this place I can find nothing in hif
tory. — Probably it was a Saxon fortifica
tion, and opponent to Brampton Mount
and its Danifh forces.
From thence we turned our fteps to
fcenes, though marked with lower anti
quity, yet abundantly more venerable and
folemn: — 'We vifited LENER-.

the LAKES. 267
LENERCOST PRIORY* xener-
coft
an auguft pfle, feated in a fertile plain, ^"°'^'
wafhed by the river Irthlng ; on every
hand environed with woods, which add
greatly to the folemnity of the fituation.
— We approached the facred fite by a fine
ftone bridge of two extenfive arches. —
The valley bears the name of St Mary
Holnie, from the dedication o£ the abbey
to Mary Magdalen. The plain on every
hand difcovers the greateft fertility ; and
there feemed an unufual appearance of
tranquillity in the countenance of every
object. — The herds were at reft, the flocks
unmolefted cropt the pafture flowers, and
not a voice difturbed the awful filence
which reigned in the plain, fave only,
where

* On account of the depredations this priory had fuf
fered by being burnt, much wafted, and impoverifhed
by the Scotch rebels, and alfo in remembrance of his
long continuance in it by reafon of ficknefs, Edward
the Firft, in the thirty fourth year of his reign, granted
to the prior and convent the advowfons of two churches
¦whereof he was patron, viz. Mitford, in the county of
Northumberland, and Carlaton, in the county of Cum
berland, when they fhould fall void, with power to ap
propriate them for ever to themfelves and their fuc-
ceflbrs.

trans.

268 An Excursion to
where the breezes fwept the hanging
woods and yielded a hollow murmur; as
if the genius of the place mourned the
defolation of the facred pile, and lan
guifhed for the hallelujahs, which he was
wont to waft from the echoing dome, to
the realms of heaven.
Reffec- — i-It is impoffible for one of a fufcep-
tible mind, to view fuch a fcene without
an inward melancholy, a kind of lan-
guifhment hanging upon the very curio
fity which excites him to advance: — the
lofty pillars, the bending arches, the mofs-
green vaults, the hollow galleries, and the
difmantled altars, are objeCts folemn and
majeftic. — Imagination is immediately fi
gured, from conceptions of the rites which
once hallowed the place;— -where piety
has breathed the acceptable prayer, and
devotion poured forth her energy, wit*
neffed and approved by angels.-^The be
nevolent mind turns away from ideas of
thofe horrid crimes, which, through the
corruption of men, polluted thefe holy
manfions ; and will not yield to the fable
characters, which would blot out all plea-^
fing vifions. — But when the traveller be
holds

the LAKES. 269
holds the pavement overgrown with weeds,
and fcattered with fragments of decaying
ornaments, beneath which fb many illu
ftrious perfonages fleep in death; when
he beholds the fculptured tombs of heroes
and nobles, bearing all the infignia: of
their honours, mould'ring in the duft ;
and recollects the virtues of their tenants,
Hoijuards and Dacres, Moultons and Vaulx^
illuftrious names in hiftory ! who have
refted for centuries from the buftle of
ambition, the ardour of honour, and the
hope of conqueft ; what fmall ejiimate will
he not put on all worldly things! — It is
profitable for the impetuous and ambi
tious fpirit of youth, to vifit fuch a re-
monftrating reprefentation ; fuch a fchool
of moral precepts, as inculcates wifdom
and enforces virtue ; humiliating all arro
gance of pride, and teaching dependance
on powers ftipreme, where the acquifitlons
of glory, the treafures laid up, vanllh not
like the bafelefs fabric of a vifion, but
live for ever. —
— But were I to yield to this ft rain of
refleClion, I fhould forget that I am in
the character of an itinerant only. We

270 An Excursion to
We entered this venerable ftruCture,
which is of the form of a crofs, at the
weftern door. — The entrance is a circular
arch, with innumerable members falling
behind each other, fupported on pilafters,
richly ornamented. — In a nich at the top
is a ftatue of Mary Magdalen, in free-
ftone, of fine workmanfhip, the garments
being delicately difpofed.~It remains per
feCt, except the right arm. — This part of
the building has been repaired, and is
now ufed as the parifh church, capable
of containing one thoufand in congrega-'
tion. On the right hand as we approached
the altar, is a tablet with the following
infcription :
" Robertus de Vallibus Filius Hubert.
" Dns de Gilfland fundator Priorat de
" Lanercoft A'^. Dni 11 16 .^dergalne
" Uxor ejus fine prole.*" The

* By this date, the monaftry was founded fifty-three
years before the dedication of this church. — The in-
fcfiption may be read thus s " Robert

the LAKES. 271
The priory for many years had gone
to decay, but Thomas Daker, Efq; in
the year 1559, coming to this poffeffion,
rebuflt a part of it, and made it the place
of his refidence. — It was again difmanded,
and from the window of the hall, which
is now ufed as a barn, an elegant coat
of arms, painted on glafs, was faved,
and is placed in the great window above
the altar, with the following infcription :
" Mille et quingentos ad quinquaginta novemq,
" Adjice, et hoc anno condidit iftud opus;
" Thomas Daker Eques fedem qui prim in iftam
•< Venerat, extinfta religione Loci ;
" Hec Edward us ei dederat, denoverat ante,
•' Henricus longas prsemia militias.
Ano Dni 1559*.
The other parts of this Abby are in
ruins — the Crofs Ifle is in length, thirty- two

•' Robert de Vallibus, the fon of Hubert Lord of
••Gilfland, founder of the priory of Lenercoft, A. D ,
«' 1 1 16. ^dergane his wife had no children."
* May be read thus : " To one thoufand and five
«' hundred, add fifty and nine, and in that year Thomas
«• Daker, Efq; built this ^vork. He was the firft who
<« came to this feat after the diffolution of the priory.
.< It was given him by Edward, though before promifed
«' by Henry, as a reward for his long military fervice."

272 An Excursion to
two paces, and the Quire twenty-fix.—
The tower has formed a noble cupola or
lanthorn, and was fiipgorted on the north-
eaft and fouth-eaft corners by a cluftered
pillar, light and Well proportioned. — Aa
airy gallery runs round the whole build
ing at the top, the arches of which are
pointed. — The principal arches of this
ftruCture are round, in many of the win
dows the arches are pointed.

R efTec
tious.

What touches the vifitor with great
emotion is, to fee the fculptured tombs of
the Howards and Dacres, placed in the
crofs ifle, on each fide of the tower, richly
wrought with their feveral arms, expofed
to the open air, negleCted by the family,
falling to decay, become green with damp,
and grown over with weeds. — So much
Tombs, of the legend on one of the tombs re
mained legible, as to fhew its date 30th
of May, 1445. — The perfonages who lie
here interred would have denied the empty
honours of fuch funeral pomp, had they
imagined the remembrance of their vir
tues would have been fo entirely extin^
guifhed, that their pofterity would fuffer
their alhes to lie thus in contempt. — As
public

the LAKES. 273
public virtue declines, veneration for our
anceftors fubfides. — As the manners of
men are corrupted by avarice and luxury,
every paffioh is abforbed in felfiflmefs;
and in that abyfs of darknefs, honour and
noblenefs of foul are extinguifhed. — The
antients wifely preferved a veneration for
their parents and predeceffors. — The Egyp
tians treated the man with the utmoft
abhorrence, who left the remains of his
anceftor unredeemed. — The embalmed re
lic of a parent was the moft facred pledge
they could devife. — More modern nations
have not only paid their anceftors, whilft
living, the utmoft deference and refpeCt,
but after their deceafe have facrificed to
and propitiated their fpirits, and held the
moft folemn rites to commemorate their
virtues. — The effeCt of thefe ceremonies
was obvious ;~they excited men to worthy
deeds ; — the examples of predeceffors were
kept living in the memory of pofterity,
and were a rule by which men purfued
the paths of honour and virtue. — The
love they retained for their forefathers,
although it infpired a degree of enthufiaf
tic virtue, yet it bore with it the fruits of
noble

274 ^^ Excursion to
noble actions : — the hero in arms glowed
with emulation of the character of his
fire. — Nothing could be more contemp
tible in the public eye,, and more odious
to the individual, than for a man to dif
grace by ignoble aCtions, a line of heroes
and patriots. — How far this valuable at
tention Is loft and degraded in the prefent
age, Is too confpicuous to require my cal
culation. — ^We were told by an old perfon who
lives near the abbey, that fome years ago
part of one of the tombs fell in, which
excited his curiofity to view the vault,
where he found feveral bodies entire ; one
in particular, with a filvery beard down to
his wafte : but the air foon reduced them
to duft.
This was a priory of canons regular of
St Auguftine*, and by fome authors faid to

* In the year 1306, as appears in Leiand's Collectanea,
King Edward the Firft remained here fome time, ¦whilft
he fent his Juftices to Berwick, who there according to
Stowe, tryed hundreds and thoufands of breakers of
the

the LAKES. 27J
to be founded in the year of our Lord
II ^9, by 'Robert de Vallibus, fon of Hu
bert de Vaflibus, the firft Baron of Gilf
land, and Juftice Itinerant into Cumber
land, in the twenty-third of King Henry
the Second. — He founded this houfe, as
it is faid, on occafion of his (or his fa
ther's) killing one Giles Beweth, in a per- ,
fidious manner, who held the barony of
Gilfland by force of arms ; and who was
a competitor with Wflllam Mefchines,
brother of Ralph Lord of Cumberland,
for this barony.— After the death of Wil
liam Mefchines, Henry the Second gave
this barony to Robert de Vallibus. — The ,
priory was dedicated by Bernard, the fe
cond Bifhop of Carlifle, to the honour of
God and St Mary Magdalen. — Richard
the Firft confirmed all its privileges and
poffeffions. — King Edward the Firft, in
the thirty-fifth year of his reign, dated
his writs from this priory, for fummon-
ing a parliament to be held at Carlifle. At
the diffolution it was valued, according
T to

the peace and confpirators, many of whom were hang
ed, " and the Countefs of Bowen was clofed in a cage,
" whofe breadth, length, height, and depth was eight
" foot, and hanged over the walls of Berwick.'*

276 An Excursion to
to Dugdale, at feventy-feven pounds feven
fhillings and eleven-pence a year, but at
feventy- nine pounds nineteen fhillings by
Speed*.
Na
warth We left this folemn fcene, and vifited

Caftle.

NAWORTH CASTLE,
now the property of Lord Carlifle. — It
bears a very formidable appearance, and
in former ages was a place of great
ftrength, being defended to the north and
fouth with high towers. — This ftruCture
is above fix hundred years old, being the
old
* In Mr Grofs's Antiquities, I find thefe further par.
ticulars : Robert de Vallibus, by his charter, granted
to thefe canons divers valuable* parcels' of land, whofe
boundaries are therein defcribed ; alfo the churches of
Walton, Ireverman, Erchinton, Brampton, Karlaton,
and Farlam; the pafturage of thirty cows and twenty
fows in his foreft of Walton, with all the bark of the
timber trees ; the dry woods in the forefts of his barony,
and free paffage thrpugh his eftates to their different
churches and houfes ; lands in his ¦ttrood at Brampton
to build a tithe barn, and liberty, to make a fifli-pond
in his demefnes, provided it did not injure his mill.
Robert "de Vallibus dying without iffue, was fucceeded
fcy his brother Ralph, whofe great grand daughter
Maud marrying Thomas de Moulton, carried the ba
rony into that family. Their grand-daughter and heirefs,
Margaret, in like manner transferred it to the family of
Dacres. At the diffolution the fite was granted to
Thomas Lord Dacre, as patron of this houfe/ being the
legal reprefentative oi Robert de Vallibus.

, the LAKE S. 277
old barony houfe of Gilfland. — Some of
the outworks are of more modern date,
as appears by the arms over the entrance,
the Howards and Dacres quartered, fup
ported by Griffins, crefted with a bull
collared, and this motto. Fort in Loialtie.
I am induced to believe the builder of
this gate was the fame perfonage who lies
interred at Lenercoft', under the date of
the 30th of May, 1445", by the fame bear
ings being fculptured on his tomb.
— ^Above the arms on the, gate is ftill
remaining the antient helmet, which of
old times denoted to the traveller, hofpi
tality and fafe refuge.
We entered into a narrow court, de
fended by a ftrong wall cmbrazured,
which fhewed the veftiges of fome out
works gone to decay : from thence we
paffed a narrow entrance into an open
area of equal fides, about forty paces
fquare. '
—The admifllion into the hall, ftrikes
the traveller with all the folemn magnifi
cence of antiquity. — This apartmen^t is
T 2 feventy

2yS An Excursion to
feventy feet in length, very lofty, and
of proportionable width. — The ceiling Is
formed of wood pannels, in large fquares,
and the vipper end of the hall is wain-
fcotted in the fame manner. — In thefe
pannels are painted the whole race of
Britilh Princes, and inany of the Kings of
England, as far down as the union of the
houfes of York and Lancafter, together
with illuftrious perfonages of former ages*
— ^The joints of the frame work are
ornamented with fhields, blazoned with
the arms of the antient pofleflbrs and their
alliances. — At the bottom of the hall is a
gallery of modern work, which has re
placed one of greater antiquity. — In fuch
galleries, it was the falhlon of antient
times, on days of feftival, to entertain the
guefta with mufic, fhews, and mafques.
In their place are fiibftituted efiigies of
men in armour, and Coloffian figures in
ftone, of a griffin, a porpoife, a ftag, and
a bull collar'd and chain'd, the fupporters
of the antient proprietors' arms. -
The whole caftle bears the greateft me-
¦morials of antient cuftoms, and the lives
of our predeceffors, I ever yet viewed. — ¦
The

the L AKE S. 279
The windows are grated^ — the doors al
moft cafed with iron, and moving with
bolts and rumbling hinges, give a thun
dering fignal of every vifitor's approach j
— the mouldings are gilt or painted — the
ceilings figured — the mantle pieces fculp
tured with coat armour— and the cham
bers hung with gloomy furniture.
We entered the chapel, formed in the
antient tafte, with a pulpit and ftalls of
oak : — ^at the end, oppofite the altar, are
clofets for the private devotions of the '
family ; the ceiling and altar end is wain-
fcotted in pannels like the hall, painted
with portraits of the patriarchs and fa
thers, and many of the great perfonages
mentioned in the Old Teftament. — Above
an elevated ftall, which extends almoft
from one end of the chapel to the other,
oppofite the pulpit, and which feems to
have been calculated for the reception of
the chiefs of the family, are blazoned all
the arms of the Howards, with thofe fa
milies with whom they made alliances —
under each of the arms the names are
placed. This pedigree differs very greatly
from that fet out in the Peerage ; but as
Ta it

2Bo An Excursion to
it would have taken up more time to
tranfcribe the whole, than a travefler
could be fuppofed to apply to fuch a fub
jeCt, it cannot be wondered at that I con
tented myfelf with thefe fhort minutes:
. " Fulco a quo familia Howardorum in
" Com. Norf. deff. in hunc ufq. diem A°.
" 1623, " W" deWigenhafl
" Hubertus de Vallibu?
•' Tho« de Multon
Ranulphus de Dacre.

((

Concluding with ;
" Carolus Howard frater & Heres W"**
*' Dns de Gilfland : Uxor ejus Anna filia
to .' •
*' Dni Edvardi Howard de Efkric."
We were fhewn the apartments of Lord.
William Howard, whofe portrait I meu-
tioned to have feetx at Corby .-^-He was
the terror of the Mofs Troopers ; and tho'
he ruled the country with a rod of iron^
yet he wrought the happy effeCt of civili
zation..^— He conftantly kept here one hun
dred and forty men in arms as his guard.
-r-The accefs to his apartments was by
plated

the L AKE S. 281
plated doors, which were fecured by im
menfe locks and bolts of iron, protecting
a narrow winding ftair, where only one
perfon could pafs at a time. The ceilings
are figured, and the mantle pieces bear
the arms of the Howards and Dacres
quarter'd. — We paffed along a gallery one hun
dred and fifty feet in length, which led
to fundry apartments, and were fliewn
the library, ftored with a great number
of antient books, laid in the utmoft
diforder; perhaps to the antiquarian and
the curious of ineftimable value. — We
were alfo conducted to an obfcure clofet,
where the relics, fculptures, and orna
ments, of which the chapel had been
divefted, by a bafer decree of enthufiafm
than that from whence it had been en
riched by them, were depofited. — All re
formation has been attended with an
extravagance of bigotry .-^-1 am ah ene
my to fuperftition and its images, b)ut
I admire the artift, wherever I difcover
him, be it in the works of the heathen,
the catholic, or reformer, without re
garding any miftaken application of the
T 4 work.

282 -<^M Excursion /0
work. Here I found a fine piece of.
fculpture, iji alto relievo on marble, of thc;
Crucifixion ; — fome tolerable pieces of the
like work reprefenting Judas' Kifs, the
defcention of the Holy Spirit, and many
others of confiderable value ; — things
thrown by and covered with daft, which
would enrich the cabinets of the curious.
—Mbft probable the relics and records. of
Lenercoft were faved here at the diffolu
tion. The profpeCt from this caftle, though
not very extenfive, is noble ; — it com
mands the fine vale of St Mary HolmCj
environed with hanging woods, and fo
lemnly graced with the ruins of Lener
coft ; the river Irthlng, with its bridge,*
and a traCt of rich inclofures on every
hand, in which are difperfed the largeft
oaks I faw in that country.
This caftle was the pofleffion of Wil
liam de Mefchines, brother to Ralph Lord
of Cilmberland ;— ^he could never totally
wreft it from the Scots, but held it in
warfare, — After his death Henry the Se
cond gave it to Hubert de Vaulfe or Val
libus,

the L A K E S. , 283
libus, whofe fon Robert founded and en
dowed Lenercoft. — The Moultons after
wards poffeffed this place by marriage ;
and from them it came to Ranulph de
Dacre, by marriage of the heirefs of the
Moultons ;— ^he obtained licence in the
ninth year of the reign of Edward the
Third to make a Caftle of his houfe Here ;
— it continued in the family of Dacres
eleven generations ; the laft male heir of
that family dying young, by a fall from
a wooden hOrfe, his uncle Leonard feized
his pofleffions, and levied forces againft
his, fbvereign, but was foon fubdued by
Lord Hunfdon and the garrifon of Ber
wick. The honours and eftate defcended
from George the laft Baron Dacre to his
two fifters Ann and Elizabeth. — Eliza
beth married Lord William Howard, who
refided at the caftle of Naworth ; — he
collected to this place a good library, fur
nifhed with many valuable maiiufcrlpts— -
publifhed an edition of Florence of Wor-
ceftef. His grandfon Charles was created
Lord Dacre of Gilfland, Vifcount Mor
peth, and Earl of Carlifle ; was vice ad
miral of the coafts of Northumberland,
Cumberland, the BilhopriC of Durham, and

284 An Excursion to
and the town and county of Newcaftle
upon Tyne ; — he was lord lieutenant of
the counties of Cumberland and Weft-
morland, governor of Jamaica, privy-
counfellor to King Charles the Second,
and his embaffador extraordinary to the
Czar of Mufcovy, and the Kings of Swe
den and Denmark, in the years 1 66% and
1664: he died the 24th of February,
1684, in the fifty-fixth year of his age,
and was fucceeded by Edward Earl of
Carlifle, whofe Ion and heir, Charles Earl
of Carlifle, repaired this caftle, and kept
the library in good order, in which the
manufcripts were remaining in his time ;
—he was fucceeded by his fon the late
Henry Earl of Carlifle, from whom the
prefent Earl, Frederic, is defcended, by
his fefcond wife, the Lady Ifabella, daugh
ter of Lord Byron,* Soni|
* As it may not be difagreeable to the reader to
know what the ingenious and learned vifitors Mr Peui
nant and Mr Grofs have faid on this fubjedl, I will fub¦^
join it as given in Mr Grofs's Antiquities.
NAWORTH CASTLE, Cumberlani>.
' Plate I.
f This caftle is ftill entire and inhabited. For the an-
nexecl account of It and its furniture, I am indebted' to
ThQ-

the LAKE S. 285

Some authors have faid that the paint
ings in Naworth great hall were brought
from Kir^ Ofwald by one of the Lord Car-

Thomas Pepnant, Efq; who jpermitted me to tranfcribe
it from his rnemorandums. A vifit I made to it in
Auguft, 1774, enables me to bear teftimony to the:
f^ithfulnefs of the defcriptlon, -which here follows in
his* own words.
'^" Two miles from Bramptcuv vifit Naworth Caftle,
" once belonging to the Dacres, afterwards the pro-
" perty (I think by marriage) of William Lord Howard,
" commonly known by the name of Bauld Willey.
" It is a large pile, fquare, and built about a court;
" in the fouth fide is a gateway, with the arms of the
•¦ Dacres ; over the door thofe of the Howards; on the
«• north it impends over the river Irthing at a great
«« heigh];; the banks fhagged with wood. The whole-
«' houfe is a fpeclmen of ancient inconvenience, of mag-
•• nificence and littlenefs, the rooms numerous, acccf-
«' fible by fixteen ftair-cafes, with moft frequent and
«« fudden afcents and defcents into the bargain. The
" great hall is twenty-five paces long, by nine and a
«' half broad, of a good height, has a gallery at one
"'end, .adprned with four vaft crefts carved in wood;
«« viz. a griffin and dolphin, with the fcollops ; an uni-
<« corn, and an ox with a coronet round his neck. In
*« front is a figure in wood of an armed man; two
" others, perhaps vaffals, in fhort jackets and caps, a
«« pouch pendant behind, and the mutilated remains of
" Priapus to each ; one has wooden fhoes. Thefe feem
*' tKe Lucjibrium Aulas in thofe grofs days.
" The top and upper end of the room is painted in
*« fquares to the number of one hundred and feven, re-
<• prefenting the Saxon kings and heroes. The chim-
« uey here is five yards and a half broad. Within this is

2B6 An Ex c u R s I o N to
Carlifles ; — but they appear to me to have
been placed there at a muCh earlier date j
—the ceiling feems to be cotemporai*y, with

" is another apartment hung with old tapeftry, a head
"¦ of Ann of Cleeves, on one fid« of her a fmall piiture
•' of a lady full length, &c. and ipany others.
" A long narrow gallery, ,
" Lord William. Howard's bed- room, arms and mot-
'• to over the chimney ; his library, a fmall room in a
•' very fecret place, high up In one of the towers, well
" fecured by doors and narrow ftair-cafe. Not a book
'' has been added fince his days, i. e. thofe of Queen
" Elizabeth. In it is a vaft cafe three feet high, which,
•' opens into three leaves, having fix great paffages pa-
" fted in it, being an account of St Jofeph of Arima-
" thea and his twelve difciples, who fouiided Glafton*
" bury ; and at the end a long hiftory of Saints, vrkti
" the number of years or days for which each coijl4,
" grant indulgences.
" The roof is coarfely carved; the windows are Mgh,
" and are to be afcended by three ftone fteps : fuch was
" the caution of the times. It is fafd Lord Willlara
'• was very ftudious, and wrote much: that once when
«' he was thus employed, a fervant came to tell him
" that a prifoner was then juft brought in, and defired
" to know what fhould be done with him ? Lord Wil-
«• liam being vexed at being difturbed, anfwefed pee-
" vifhly.'Ha'ng him! When he had finifhed his ftudy,
«' he called and ordered the man to be brought- before
«« him for examination, but found that his orders had
'« been literally obeyed: he was a very fevere, but a
" moft ufeful man at that time in this lawlefs place,.
" His dungeon inftills horror ; it confifts of four dark
*• apartments, three below, and one above up a long
" ftair-cafe, all well fecured ; in tW-,nppermoft is ong"
" ring to which criminals were chained, and the marks
" where many more have been.
-' « Clofe

the L AKE S. 287
with the buUding, and the portraits are
painted in the pannels. The

" Clofe by the library Is an ancient orator^, moft
•« richly ornamented on the fides of the ceiling with
" coats of arms and carvings in wood, painted and
«' gilt. On one fide is a good painting on wood, in the
" ftile of| Lucas Van Leyden ; it reprefents the flagella-
*' tion of our Saviour, his crucifixion and refurreftion.
" Here are alfo various fculptures in white marble; an
'' abbefs with a fword in her hand, waiting on a king,
" who is ftabbing Ijiimfelf ; a monk, with a king's head
•' in his hand ; and feveral others. This place is well
" fecured, for here Lord William enjoyed his religion
•• in privacy, '
" The chapel is below flairs ; the top and part of the
*« fide are painted in pannels like the hail ; and on one
" fide are the crefts and pedigree of the Howards, from
" Fulcho to 1623 and 1644. Under a great fprawling
*' figure of an old man with a branch rifing from him
" (on the ceiling) is written, Piflor MDXII, On the
" great window in glafs are reprefented a knight and a
«« lady kneeling; on their mantles piftured thefe arms,
" three efcallops and chequers."
Tradition fays this caftle was built by the Dacres,
but by which of them is not afcertained. One of them,
Robert de Dacre, from a quotation in Madox's Hiftory
cf the Exchequer, feems to have been fheriflF of Cum
berland 39th" of Hen, III, and another, Ranulph de
Dacre, 14th of Ed. I, conftable of the tower.
The firft mention of this caftle is in the reign o£
Richard II, when in the i8th of that»reign it appears,
from Madox's Beronia, that William de Dacre, fon
and heir of Hugh de Dacre, who was brother and heir
of Ranulph de Dacre, held It with the manor of Irch-
ington, to which it belonged; alfo the manor of Burgh near

288 An E X G u R 8 i o n to
>
Y^^^; The ftation of the firft "band of Aella
Dacica was near to Naworth, on the river
Irthing, at a place called Willoford, and
many

near Sands, Layfingby and Farlham, and other lands, ¦
by the fervice of one entire bairony, and of doing ho
mage and fealty to the king, and of yielding to him for '
Cornage, at his exchequer at Carlifle yearly at the feaft
of the. Affumptlon of St Mary, fifty-one fnlUings and
eight-pence. By what feofment, whether old or new,
fays Madox, does not appear; neither in what king's
reign Ranulph de Dacre, anceftor of William, here
named, was feofed ; but It is plain fome anceftor, un-
tler whom Ranulph claimed, was enfeofed to hold by
barony. It continued in the family of the Dacres till the year
1569, when on the Seventeenth of May, according to
Stow, " Gc^orge Lord Dacre of Grayftoke, fonne and
•' heire of Thomas Lord Dacre, being a child in yeeres,
" and then ward to Thomas Lord Howard, Duke of
" Norfolk, was by a great mifchance flayne at Thet-
•• ford, in the houfe of Sir Richard Fulmerftone,
" Knight, by meane of a vapting horfe of wood, ftand-
" ing within the fame houfe ; upon whiclji horfe as he
" meant to have vanted, and the pinnes at the feet
" being not made fure, the horfe fell upon him, and
.*• brulfed the brains out of his head.'^
In the January following Leonard Dacre, Efq; of
Horfley, in the county of York, fecond fon to Lord
William" Dacre of Gilfland, being diffatisfied with a
legal decifion, by which his neices were adjudged to
fucceed to the eftate of their brother the Lord Dacre,
whofe tragical death was juft here related: he entered
into a rebellion, with a defign to carry off the Queen
of Scots ; but being difappointed by her removal, to
Coventry, and Tiaving -^he command of three thoufand men,

the LAKES, 289
many Roman remains have been reco
vered from thence, amongft which feveral were

men, which he had been entrufted to raife for the
Queen's fervice, he feized feveral caftles, among which
were thofe of Greyftock and Naworth ; but being at
tacked and defeated by Lord Hunfdon, at the head of
the garrifon of Berwick, he fled to Flanders, where he.
died. This caftle next came into the poffeflion of Lord Wil
liam Howard, the third fon of Thomas Duke of Nor
folk, in right of his wife, Elizabeth, fifter of George
the laft Lord Dacre before mentioned. In 1607, when
Camden vifited it, it was under repair ; and BUjiop
Gibfqn fays, it was again repaired and made fit for the
reception of a family, by the Right Honourable Charles
Howard, great grandfon to the Lord William Howard
before mentioned.
I fhall here tranfcribe another defcriptlon of this
caflle and furniture, fent me by a gentleman who view
ed it anno 1732 ; which, though it repeats many things
mentioned in the former account, yet it has alfo
divers' circumftances worthy obfervation not there taken
notice of.
" This is an antient ftone building, the front long,
" with a fquare tower at each angle ; then you ehter a
" court. In a noble hall the pitlures of Anglo Saxon
" kings, and painted on wooden fquare pannels, make
«' the ceiling and part of the walnfcot at the further
" end of the room ; they were brought from Kirk-
" Ofwald caftle, when that was demoliftied. The cha-
" pel has a ceiling and part of its walnfcot of the fame
*' kind,_ being paintings of patriarchs, Jewifti kings^
" &c. Here is alfo painted a genealogy of the family
" from Fulcho, with their arms: it has a floor of plai-
" ft'er of "Paris, as have fome other of the rooms. Some
" of thp apartments are large and fpacious; the ceiling
•« of one confifts pf fmall fquare pannels of wood, black
«' and

290 An Excursion/^
were given to Sir Thomas Robinfon, late
of Rookby in the county of York, and
which ftill remain there, of which I will
take particular notice hereafter ;— and 0-
' thers

" and white interchangeably,; the white has two dif-
•• ferent carvings; the black is uhwrought. The very
" little popifli chapel is above ftairs, the inficle work
" curioully carved and gilt: here are fome fmall figures
" of the Paffion, &c. joining to this library, which has
" a good woqden roof; the books are old; there are
" not above one or two manufcripts here now. Fide
" Cat, Librorum M. S. Angl. is Hlb. Tom. 2d. p. 14, iic.
" The Earl of Carlifle never lives here, but at Caftle
" Howard in Yorkfhire. In the garden wall are (Jones
" with Roman infcriptions, collefted probably from the
" Plfls Wall. A general account of thefe ftones is
," given In Horfley's Britannia Romana."
Camden, who alfo mentions thefe ftones, gives the
following copy of fbme of their infcriptions. One is,
IVL. AVG. DVO, . M SILV. . VM
On another,
. T , O, M  II , AEL, DAC. , CP. , . EST
VRELIVS. FA. L,S. TRIE, PET. VO. COS.
On a third,
LEG. n. AVG.
On a fourth,
COH. J. AEL. DAC. CORD. . ALEC. PER, - •
Thefe ftones were, by the late Earl of Carlifle, give-n
, to Sir Thomas Robinfon, who married^ his fifter, and
Were by him removed to his mufeutn at Rookby.

the LAKES. 291
preferved by Camden, prove the antiquity
Jpf the place;^ — amongft which is a votive
altar, icrecSted to the Divae Nymphse of
the ^rigantines, for the health of the
jEmprefs Plautilla, wife to Marcus Aure-
lius Aptoninus Severus, and the whole
imperial family, by Cocceus NIgrinus, a
treafurer to the Emperor, when Laetus
was fecond time conful ; and alfo the
following infcribed by the Dacians :
I. O. M.
COH. I. AEL.
DAC. CVI —
PRAE- — 
L O. M.
— OH. I AEL. DA
C. - C. - A. GETA
IREL SATVRNES.

I. O. M,
COH. I. AEL. DAC,
. TETRICIANQRO — C. P. LVTIC
 VS. DESIGNA
TVS— TRIE. -

igl An Excursion to
We now gained the mflltary road, over
dark and barren waftes paft the bounds
of Cumberland, eiltering Hexhamflbire,
and reached Glenwelt ; — as we de
fcended to this place, we had a view of
Blenkinsop Castle to the right, at
kinfop the diftance of a quarter of a mile from
Caftle. ^YiQ road ; — an irregular rude heap of
ruin, once the feat of the antient family
of Blenkinfops ; — it was in the pofleffion
of Ralph Blenkinfbp in the tirae of Ed
ward the Firft, — of Thomas Blenkinfop
in the reign of Edward the Third,; — and
of William Blenkinfop in the tenth year
of Queen Elizabeth's reign, as appears
by the efcheats of thofe times. — It was
formerly a place of confiderable ftrength,
being guarded by a wall and 4eep ditch.
I cannot take my leave of the counties
of Weftmorland and Cumberland, with
out obferving on the nature of the te
nures of their lands. — The moft perfedl
relics of the old feudal tenures are to. be
found there, of any part in this king
dom : — many of the mano<^s are cuftom-
ij-y, and the tenants hold by copy of
¦ft i' ;. ¦:- i , .
their

t,he LAKE S. 293
their Lord's court roll ; — fome of them
under a certain fine, payable on the de
mife of lord x>r tenant, or alienation by
the tenant, together with an annual rent
or payment to the lord ; — others are fo
bafe as to be fubjedt to an arbitrary
fine, to be fet by the lord on the like
changes ; fo that if he has any diflike to
his copyholder, he can impofe on him
the full value of his eftate before he ad
mits him on his roll. — Thefe tenements,
in their nature, are not devifable by will,
nor are they alfets fubjedl td debts in the
hands of the heir ; — if a' mortgage deed
is not renewed within the term of three
years, the mortgagee is admitted tenant
by alienation, and on paying his fine,
his enrollment operates as a foreciofure j
the wives are dowable in a full moiety,
and in fome manors the eldeft female
heir, in default of males, inherits. Such
extenfive common rights appertain to the
lands, that in many parts a man of fix
pounds a year brings^ up a family on his
income. Many other badges of fervility attend
thefe tenures, and are exercifed to this
- ^ U 2 dayr

294 -4» E X C U R S I O N to
day ; others are changed into money pay
ments.

™' To the left, at near the fame 'diftance
Caftle. fj-om the road, we had a view of Thirl-
wALL Castle, feated on the edge of
a rock, above the little river Tippal; —
a dark and melancholy fortrefs, much in
ruin. It was the ftronghold rather than
feat of the family of Thirlwalls, and was
pofleifed by John de Thirl wall in the
reign of Edward the Third, and of Ro
bert de Thirjwall in the reign of Queen
Elizabeth ; — it was vaulted, and defended
by an outvirard wall. — The floor of one
of the apartments was lately cleared, and
difcovered to be of fingular conftru(flloji,
confifting" of three tier of flags, laid on
ftratas of fand. Some of the walls are
nine feet thick ; the cafing in many
places has been torn away, to ere(5t the
adjoining tenements. The builder has
even been afraid of the light, for the
apertures are no larger than thofe in the
ftair-cafes of antient caftles. — The whole
carries the appearance of a horrid gloomy
dungeon, where its antient tyrants dealt
in deeds of darknefs. Ui^*

the LAKES. 2c)S
Under the fouth front of th'^ caftle
the Roman wall crofles the Tippal, and
ftretches up the eminences on the nor
thern fide ofCAER VoRRAN, whlch lies
on the crown of the hill above Glenwelt.
— The name of Thirlwall, by fome au
thors, has been derived from thofe brea
ches made in this part of the Roman Wall
by the Scots in their incurfions.
Speaking of this wall, reminds me of ^^^
Spelman's calculation of the Roman forces
ftationed there, which he makes amount
to the number of thirteen thoufand eight
hundred, allowing fix hundred to a co
hort } exclufive of a whole legion, and
thirteen detachments of horfe and foot
on other .ftations, and attendants on the
Emperor.-^Conftantine created an officer,
ftiled " Comes Spedlabilis Litoris Saxo-
" nici," who coihmanded feven compa
nies of foot, two troops of horfe, the
fecond legion, and a cohort to guard the
coafts,-r-In the reign of Nero, the Roman
army, in Britain, confifted of feventy thou
fand. Us The

2^6 An Excursion to
The higheft part of Severus's Wafl, or
the Plifls Wall, as it is called, is near
to Caer Vorran, above Thirlwall Caftle,
where it runs upon the brink of a cliff
to the furnmit of fome eminences ;— it
is there near nine feet high, the outward
facing ,of free-ftone not totally removed j
— where the foundation was not good, or
the wall had to pafs a morafs, it is built
on piles of oak ; the interftices between
the two facings of the wall, is filled with
broad thin ftones, placed not perpendicu
larly, but obliquely on their edges, and
filled with run lime. — The wall is de
fended on the north fide by a ditch ; it
has been guarded with towers at irfCr
gular diftances of about fixty feet fquare,
intermingled with fmall watch turrets of
about the fquare of twelve feet. — No
gates or fally porta appear on the remains
of this wall, or any apertures, fave where
the caftles and ftations were. — Many
eftates were held in the neighbourhood of
this fortification, by the fervice of corn¦^
age ; which was attending on the watch
and ward, aijd required an alarm to be
founded by the horn on the approach of
an enemy. In

the LAKES. 297

In paffing down the road from Thirl- a
wall Caftle, we perceived a large ftone statue.
laid in the way, which bore fbme marks
of the tool. We had the curiofity to >
alight, and on turning it over, found it
to be the head of a Coloffian ftatue, mea
furing in circumference near five feet, cut
on a rag ftone, negledled or overlooked
by neighbouring antiquaries, and too
heavy to be removed by us. — It feemed
to appertain to a ftatue of Jupiter. Plate.
Eig. Ih We afcended the hill to
CAER-VORRAN,
a Roman ftation, about one hundred Caer-
yards diftant frona the wall, a fquare of
one hundred and twenty paces with ob
tufe angles.-!— The Pretorium is very dif
tinguifhable, about feven paces from the
fouthern fide. — This part of the ftation
hangs on the edge of a declivity, defcend^
ing for fix or feven hundred yards fwiftly
to Glenwelt, and commands an extenfive
look-out. — Mr Carrick, who farms the
ground^ is jiow i^aifing the foundatioris
U4 of

298 An Excursion t»
of the pretorium, and will, no doubt,
difcover fome valuable antiquities. — ^I pro
cured here a fine filver cbin of Antoninus,
w^ll preferved, which was found on this
ftation (plate). — A fmall altar was for
merly found here, dedicated to Vitirinaeus,
a tutelar god, DEO
VITI.
RINE—
LIMEO
ROV
P.L.M Pofuit llbensmerito
A finall brafs image of one of the lares ;
—a king engraven with the figure of
vidlory, on a rough cornelian ; — a curious
efGgy in relief of a Roman foldier, on a
white rag ftone, was found here in the
year 1760 j — the figure is about fourteen
inches in height, is helmeted, clothed in
a pallulm or light robe, flowing to his
feet, clafped on the breaft with a fibula,
in his right hand he is armed with the
hafta, and he refts his left on a parma
or fhield, fupported on a pedeftal ; — above
his fhoulder are the figures of a ftag
taken by a lion. This efli^y is in the
pof'

the L A K E. S, 299
pofleffion of the Rev. Mr Wallls, who
fpeaks of it in his late publication, the
Antiquities of Northumberland. — Abun
dance of ftags horns have been dug up
here, -the bones and afhes of animals, and
many millftones.
On the walls about the farm-houfe
ftand innumerable Roman remains, frag*
ments of infcriptions, broken effigies,
m;illftones, and other things ; but it rain
ed fo violently whilft we ft aid here, that
it was impoffible to make any drawings.
<— A bench is raifed at the door of the
houfe, and covered with a large flat ftone,
on which a fmall altar is cut in relief,
and from the fragment feems to have
been infcribed thus, iELA SABINIANA
fub AVREL Deo MARTI. Plate, fig. 7.
— In the yard lay another fragment^
which I conceive is infcribed to Numeri-
anus ; and in the aperture, left to admit
the light into a bay-loft, is a ftone with
an infcription relative to fome military
way, made by Antoninus. Thefe are fet
out in the annexed plate.
After travelling over a black and bar ren

300 An Excursion to
ren wafte for fome few miles, the profpedt
^mVe S^^^ more chearful on defcending , to
^^^ Haltwhistle. — As we paft through
the town, we obferved on our right an
eminence which the inhabitants' call the
Castle Bank, an antient fortification,
but of what nation is not known. — The
crown of the hill is oblong, defended to
wards the town on the north, and weft
part with a breaft- work of earth ;-— by an
inacceffible precipice towards the fouth,
at whofe foot flows the river Tyne ; — and
towards the eaft by four bankings or gra
dations, arifing one above another, on
the fide of the hill,
^caffle." From this mount we had a view of
Bellister Castle, eredled on a con
fiderable eminence; this was the feat of
a younger branch of the Blenkinfops, in
the reign of Edward the Firft; it is feated
in the vale on the fouthern banks of the
river. The country on all fides now changed
its afpedt; the eye was no longer fatigue4
with labouring over barren mountains and
darkfome heaths, but, o^ every fide, cul
tivation

the LAKE S. 301
tlvation varied the profpedl with the rich-
nefs of corn grounds and meads, — whilft
nature difpofed upon the landfcape the
embellifhments of wood and water: — We
paffed down to Haydon bridge by a road
winding on the very margin of the Tyne,
and through a vale full pf beaut^es.-r^
At Haydon we pafled the river f)y a Haydon
bridge of five arches : — ^The approach tp
HEXHAM
is very pleafing, the cultivated vale fpread- He?iiam
ing itfelf on every hand, painted witlj,
all the happy aflemblage of woods, mea
dows, • and corn lands, through which
flows the river Tyne (the' northern and
fouthern ftreams having united, form
ing upon the valley various broad canals,
by the winding of its courfe : At the con
flux of the rivers lies the; fweet retire-'
ment of Nether Warden, defended from
the north weft by lofty eminences, and
facing the valley towards the, eaft, hal
lowed to the churchmen, as being the re
tirement of St John of Beverley, a Bifliop
pf Hexham, in fo diftant an age as 685.-—
/k little further, and oppofite to Hexham, on

302 An Excursions
on an eminence, ftands the church of
St John Lee, beneath whofe fite the banks
for near a mile are laid out in agreeable
walks, formed in a happy tafte, apper
taining to the manfion of the Jurin fa
mily, a modern building feated at the
foot of the defcent, and fronting towards
Hexham, having a rich lawn of meads
betWIen it and the river : — This place is
called the Hermitage ; its fituation fa
vours the title, but from whom it was deri
ved is not known; — from thence the vale
extends itfelf in breadth, and is termina
ted with a view of the town of Corbridge.
— The hills which arife gradually from
the plain on every hand are well cultiva
ted, and own the feats of many diftin-
guifhed families : — Over this pleafing fcene
Hexham^ from an eminence, looks as a
gracious Princefs, on the opulence of her
dependants, rejoicing in their profperity
and peace.
This is a place of great antiquity ;— it
was formerly a Bifhpp's fee, but was def
poiled of its honours and laid wafte by the
deftroying Danes. — It is by fome conceiv
ed to have arofe on a Roman ftation, the
vaults

the L A K E S. 303
vaults in the church vifited by Mr Gale
and DoxSlor Stukely, retaining many frag
ments of Roman infc];'iptions, broken ea
gles, and carved 'ftone work.— Camden
iays, this was the Roman ftation called
Axel. The, antient name, in the Saxon lan
guage was Hextol Der ham, expreffive of its
fituation; the hill upon Hextdl, which is
a little brook that wafhes its foot, and
which correfponds with the Roman name
Axel-a-dunum. In the reign of Egfrid, king of Nor
thumberland, in the year 674, it was
made an epifcopal fee by St Wilfred, th,en
Archbifhop of York; who through the
enthufiaftic fervour of Etheldreda, Egfrld's
qu.een, which that fkilful ecclefiaftic knew
how tp polfefs, the territory of Hexham-
fhire was granted to the church of St
Andrew, which he had founded : — This
'ftrudlure was raifed by workmen brought
from Italy, and by hiftorians of that time
faid to exceed' in beauty and elegance e-
very other building in the land. Many

304 An Excursion to
Many fucceffive Bifhops held this fee :
Tydfirth was the laft, who, during the
ravages made by the Danes, died on his
journey to Rome in the year 821. — The
Bilhopric of Hexham, . after a long va
cancy, was united with Llndlsfern at
Chefter-le-ftreet in 883. — It became after
wards parcel of the fee of Durham, when
Lindisfern^was tranflated thither, and fo
remained till the reign of Henry the. Firft,
who in refentment of the condud of
Bifhop Flamberd " difmembered it, and
gave it to York. '
Thomas, Archbifliop of York, on his
vifit to Hexham, being moved with the
defolation of the church, and the ruins
of its antient magnificence and fplendortr;
together with the dreadful devaftation
which had laid in duft the munificent
gifts and works of piety of fo many lear
ned and religious men, in the year 1 113
Piiory. conftituted a prior and regular canons-of
St Auftin, and endowed it amply. — The
firft prior, Afchetfll, died March the 1 7th,
1 130. He was made Prior on the refig
nation of Richard de Maton, Redor of
this

the LAKES. 305
this church. Robert Bifeth, fecond Prior,
fucceeded him, 11 3 1 .
The remains of this antient Cathedral
bear diftinguifhing marks of its original
magnificence: — Many antient tombs are
here; — within the quire is the recumbent
effigy of an ecclefiaftic hooded, on a table
monument of black marble in relief; at the
foot a fhield with uncommon arms, or
rather an emblematical device, to denote
mortality, being the refemblance of crofs
bones, or 6therwife the letters ri placed
one over the other. — This is faid by peo
ple who keep the doors, to be the tomb
oi Prior Richard,* an Hiftorian of the
twelfth Century.— Mr Wallls, in his An
tiquities of Northumberland, fays, " thefe
" 1arms are argent, a faltier, gules ; and
" that, contiguohs to this tomb, an helmet
*' is fixed, denoting that this perfonage,
*' before he was an ecclefiaftic, was of
** fbme military order:"— He alfo fuppofes
he was prior here. — If it were not for the
ample field of imagination, and inexhauf-
" ' tible

* Richard was fometirae a monk here. He was prior
in U43, and occurs prior ia I r 53.

3o6 .^« Excursion ts
tible conjedures, the employment of an
tiquaries would be dull indeed. — I cannot
forbear diflenting from the opinion of this
learned vifitor. — Immediately adjoining
this tomb, ftands a fhrine of wood-work,
after the antient form fupported on pillars,
canopied and ornamented with tabernacle
work, fuch as, in the early ages of the
church diftinguifhed the place where the
remains of great perfonages or faints were
depofited: This is furrounded with ftone
work, bearing in niches various figures,
which, by reafon the ftalls are built up
agalnft it, I could not make out. — The
eaftern end of this ffirine, which is now
occupied as a ftall or pew, is painted with
the fuflferings of our Lord ; — -on the: ca
nopy or roof are the arms on a fhield very
frefh, azure, the faltier, (if it is fuch) or.
— Behind the high altar, and in other
parts of the church, I perceived the fame
arms, and alfo in the walls of the priory;
— from whence I am led to believe this is the
tomb of the firft prior, and this infigniaj
a crofs of the dedicatory St Andrew, for
med of the two firft letters of the. prior's
name. — The religious of the order of St
Auftin were hooded. I ob-

the LAKES. 307
- I obferved under a feat near adjoining,
two effigies about eighteen inches high,
cut in alto relief, in niches, on a grit
ftone: — The one, I apprehend, is a Ju
piter tonitruan ; the other a Silenus, large
ear'd, fitting, refting his head on his
hand, his elbow fupported on his knee :
and near the altar ftands a figure of
ftone, about three feet eight inches high,
fupporting himfelf on a ftaff; on his head
a cap and plume, and round his ancles
three wreaths or fetters. — This appears to
me to be a figure of Pan. — How thefe
deities came to be thus tranflated is unac
countable.— As the effigies bear no rela
tion to church perfonages, it is reafonable
to conjecture they have been faved from
the ruins, when the Roman remains in
the vaults were obtained. Thefe effigies
are accurately reprefented in the annexed
plates. 1
The tomb of UmfreviHe, one of the Tcmts,
family of the Earls of Angus, mentioned
by Camden, remains in the fouth aile,
very little mutilated. — This family were
great benefadors to the church of Hex
ham. X A

3oB ^« E X c u R s I o N /«
A little below, in the fame aile, is the
tomb of Sir Robert Ogle, with the arms
of Bertram and Ogles quartered, and an
infcription in brafs, dated 1404. — ^Thefe
were antient famflies in Northumberland;
the Ogles having feven Lords and thirty
Knights of their race. — Over this monu
ment I could not refift yielding a figh,
when I refleded on the flu duation of hu
man affairs, and the viciffitudes of life;
which teach mankind, that lineage and
noble anceftors are an empty dignity,
when worldly poffeflions are fevered
from the defcendants, and they are left
nothing but a call to emulate the virtues
of their forefathers, by bearing their
name. — My thoughts immediately revert
ed to my children ; their image feenied to ,
be brought upon my memory by the fe
cret influence of the fpirit of their an
ceftor, that I might breathe a prayer,
which he fhould waft to the propitiatory
of heaven.
In the north afle is a monument in the
wall, fuch as I before obferved were de
figned at the building of the church for
bene-

the LAKES. 309
benefadors; but to what perfonage this
belongs, is not known, no infignia or in
fcription remaining. — It is fuppofed to be
the tomb of Alfwold, King of Northum
berland, who was aflTaflinated at Cflchefter,
by a fadious Lord of his court, on the
23d of September, 788. '
In the entrance to the quire, on the
wood work, are fome ftrange monaftic
paintings, vulgarly ftiled Death's Dance;
a ludicrous reprefentation of the univerfal
influence of that infatlable tyrant, over
all ranks of men, beginning with the
full-chefted cardinal and triply coronated
pope, and leading Into his mazes the
prince and peafant : but I am fb difgufted
with the church paintings I have feen in
other places, that I had not patience to
attend to this defilement of the tabernacle.
— ^There are fome grim and lion-like faints
I remember in this church too.
On the pavement, in the crofs aile are
feveral monuments, one infcribed, "" Hic
*' Jacet Thomas de Devflfton," ornament
ed with a crofier.— Another with a crofier
and ^chalice, infcribed in very rude cha-
X 2 raders,

3IO An Excursion to
raders, " Hic Jacet Johes Dew;" — with
the ufual legendary prayer in the margin,-
*' Orate pro anima, &c."
In a part behind the north door, is the
recumbent effigy of a Knight, which Mr
Wallls fays, reprefents Henry Beaufort,
Duke of Somerfet, taken prifoner and be
headed at Hexham by King Edward the
Fourth ; his fhield or, bearing a feffe az.
with three garbs proper.— -I fhould think
it improbable this monument was ered-
ed for a traitor, who died an ignominious
death ; I rather conceive this was one of the
Aydens of Ayden Caftle ; the fame arms
being affumed by the Edens of the north
at this day. — The male line of the family
of Aydens, of Ayden Caftle, was extind
in Edward the Firft's time ; and Emma,
the heirefs and relid of that family, was
by him, as a royal ward, given in mar
riage to Wallis.
Town. Hexham is not very populous, the in
habitants being computed at two thou
fand fouls. — The ftreets' are narrow, and
ill built. The Market-place, near the
centre of the town, is a large fquare, in
. which

the LAKES. 311
which is a convenient piazza for the
butcher market, the ftalls being move
able. — Here is a fountain of good water.
Two markets are held in the week, on
Tuefdays and Saturdays, and two annual
fairs. — There are two antient ftone towers
in Hexham, the one ufed as a court or
ielfions'houfe, antiently an exploratory
tower, and belonging to the Bifliops and
Priors of Hexham ; the other fituated on
the top of the hill towards the Tyne, of
remarkable architedure^ being fquare,
containing very fmall apertures to admit
the light, and having a courfe of corbels
projeding a long way from the top, which
feem to have fupported a hanging gal
lery, and belpeak the tower not to be at
prefent near its original height. — The
founders of thefe places are not known.-^
Camden fays " he heard they appertained
" to the Archbiffiop of York."
In the market-place, on the front of
an old houfe, are three coats of armour
in plaifter work; thofe of the fees of
York and Salifbury, with the arms of the
Nevils in the centre, with a legend divi
ded into three portions, which I read
X 3 M^

"312 An Excursion to .
Ma-ms-ria, importing the manor-houfe.^^
Plate, Fig. 3.

This town is not incorporated, but
governed by a bailiflf' and jury of the
manor.
Civil Hexham has been unhappy in civil
bloodlhed ; — the flaughter made by the
Richmondfhire militia on the colliers, in
their infurredion, is remembered with
horror ; — no troops in the world could
have ftood with greater fteadinefs and
military propriety than they did, fuftain- .
ing the infults of an enraged crew of fub-
terranean favages, whilft the timorous
maglftrates delayed their command for
defence, till the arms of the foldiers were
feized by the infurgents, and turned on
themfelves ; and an officer was fhot at
the head of his company, as he was re-i
naonftrating to the mob«
In the levels beneath Hexham, the de--
clfive battle was fought in 1463, when
John Nevil, Marquis , of Montacute, af-'
terwards created Earl of Northumber-p
land, general of the -forces of the Houfe

the LAKES. 3131
of York, forced the intrenchments of the
Lancaftrian party, and malde a dreadful
flaughter. — ^The Ogles- and Manners's of
this country were with the vidors ; the
Percies, Roes, Nevils, Tallboys, and Greys,
among the vanquifhed : — the Earl of So
merfet, Sir Wifliam Taflboys, Sir Hum
phrey Neyil, and Sir Ralph Grey, being
among the prifoners,- were executed; Sir
Ralph being firft degraded by cutting ofl"
his fpurs, defacing his armorial enfignia,
and breaking his fword over his head. —
The miferable eftate of the great perfon
ages, whofe fortunes were reverfed on
this day of carnage, remains in hiftory a
horrid leffon to thofe who adventure in
civil difcord,
Our rout from Hexham lay over a
dreary and hilly country to
LANCHESTER,
in the county of Durhana ;— many divi- j^a„.
fions of commons have taken place in *'""•
thefe parts; and in another age cultivaT-
tion will make great paces on thefe dark
territories, X4 Lan-

Town.

314 An Excursion to
Lanchefter lies in a deep vale, a town
of little note, formerly a deanry, found
ed by xA.nthony Beck, Biffiop of Durham,
for a dean and feven prebendaries ; which
foundation, together with their revenues,
were confirmed by Edward the Firft;
at the dilfolution it was reduced. The
church is dedicated to All Saints, and is
faid to be as Antient as 11 00.
Many chapels have depended on this
church. Efhe, dedicated to St Michael, now in
being. Satley, now in being.
Medomfley, dedicated to St Mary Magr
dalen, now in being.
Old Hale, Rowley GiUet, Coflierly, and
Efp Green, all in ruins.
The following infcription lately re»
mained in Lanchefter church, on a brafs
plate, fixed to a very large blue ftone, on
the floor in the middle of the chancel,
remarkable as being on the tomb of the
laft dean but three before the difTolution;
— Orate pro anima Mag""} Joannis Rudde in

the LAKES. Z^S
in decretis baccalaurii quondam Decani
hujus Ecclefise qui obiit XXIX die Sep-
tembrls Anno D" MCCCCLXXXX cujus
Animse propitietur Deus Animarum.
The income of this deanry, at the dif
folution, was valued at forty-nine pounds
three fhillings and four-pence a year.
The redors here were
Hervius — — - — 1147
Philippus de Sanda Helerra 1221
Tho. Thomyoo Decretorum D"". fuc
ceeded Rudd as dean 15^0.
Lancelot Claxton capellanus collated
Apr. 7, 1496, by refignation of Thomyoo.
Rob. Hyndmer utriufq; Juris D"^. ac
Cancellar (Tempal) coll. Apr. 2, 1532,
by death of Claxton.
He was the laft dean, and had a pen-
fion of twenty pounds granted him yearly
to his death.
The deanry was by warrant of the
Lord Protedor leafed out to Tho. Gerafde,
Efq; 1 6 Od. 2d Edw. VI. (1543). This

3i6 An Excursion to
Gianna. This place is remarkable for a Roman
ftation near it, called by Camden Lugor-
vallunty but by other antiquaries Glanna-
banta', and by Mr Gale the Caftra y^iv&,
or Camp of Peape.
The ftation is fituate on the fummit of
a hill, near a mile diftant from the town
towards the weft ;— 'it is an oblong fquare
with obtufe angles, from north to fouth
one hundred and feventy-four paces, and
from eaft to weft one hundred and fixty,
' — This camp has furvived many ages very
perfed, but of late the ftones have been
taken to enclofe the adjoining lands, and
the proprietor, Mr Greenwell of the Ford,
a man of good fortune, is regularly de
ftroying this piece of antiquity, by raifmg
the walls to their foundation for ftones to
repair the roads, and is totally effacing,
the very veftigix by the plough ; corn
now in foiiie parts growing on the very
fite of the wall. — In fome parts the wall
appears more perfed than in any other
.ftation I have feen. — The outfide is pet-
pendicular, and now remaining twelve - feet

the LAKES. 317
feet in height, built of ftones of chifel-
Work, in regular courfes, each being about
nine inches deep and twelve in length.—
By fome large ftottes which lie near the
foot of the wall, it feems as if the wall
had been covered' with broad flat ft ones
near three feet in width. The infide of the
vallum is formed of the fame fton^S, but
from the ground-Work at the diftanCe of
about twenty inches, it is diminlfhed in
thicknefs gradually, which forms a kind
of fteps, running in a line round the
whole ftrudure, by which thofe within
might afcend the wall, or line it with men
to defend it againft affallants.—The thick
nefs of the wall, where it had been bro
ken through, was eight feet at the bot-^
tom, diminifhing to about three feet. —
The interior part between the two facings
Was formed of thin ftones, placed on their
edges, a little inclining, and run full of
lime, mixed with rough gravel as hard as
the ftone itfelf. — An accefs appears in the
centre of each fide, and to the weft the
Wall has been defended by a ditch, the
other fides ftanding on the brow of the
declivities. — 'The fite of the pretorium is .
fcarce

3i8 An Excursion to
fcarce to be difcovered, the ground with
in the walls having been ploughed, and
now being a fevel mead. — I could per
ceive no infeription on the walls, though
diligently examined, except the following,
LE. XXX. Mr Greenwell has preferved
in his garden wall, feveral rude effigies
cut on grit ftone, and one is to be feen
built up in the veftry wall of the church :
— They are faithfully reprefented in the
plate. — The two principal figures. No. i.
and 3. appear to be reprefentations of
Ceres ; — that in the veftry wall. No. 3. is
faid by IVlr Horfley to be one of the
Genii, or the effigy of the Emperor under
that charader. — What the figure with
the folded breaft-work is. No. 5. I can
not conceive.— There is in the church at
Lanchefter, a filver cup, ufed in facred
offices, which was found near this ftation
in 157 1, but without infcription pr fir
gures (fig. 2.).
Several remarkable antiquities of the
Romans have been found here; — amongft
others, • IMP,

the LAKES. 319
IMP. C^S. M. ANT. GORDIA ^^^l^'
NVS. P. F. AVG. B^LNEVM. C^M
BVSILICAA.OLOINSTRVXIT
PREGN LVCTANVM. LE^AVG
 PR.PRCVRVTEM.AVR
.QVIRINO PRE COHILGOR.
Imperator Casfar Marcus Antonius Gor-
dianus plus felix Auguftus Balneum cum
Bafilicaa folo inftruxit per^G. Lucilianum
Legatum Auguftalem pro pretorem cu
rante Marce Aurelio Quirino prsefedo Co
hortis primse legionis Gordiana.
To illuftrate this and the following an
tiquities, I fhall take the liberty to prefent
the reader With remarks made by feveral-
atithors thereon.
The infcription before us was found
about one hundred yards eaft from the
camp. — Mr Gale's opinion is, that the
troops lodged within the vallum, and
that the bafilicae of the antients were pub
lic buildings, where caufes were heard,
and merchants met for bufinefs, adorned
with pfllars and covered walks. — Pre of- •
ten is found in infcriptions for per, as
appears in the 'former. A reading of the
cha-

320 An Excursion to
charaders E^N Is given by Mr Ward,
who fays, he apprehends the name was
Egnatium, and that in all infcriptions
where fmall charaders are mingled. with
the larger, words invariably begin with
a large charader.
IMP. CiESAR. M. ANTON^VS
GORDIANVS. P. F. AVG
PRINCIPIA ET ARMEN
TARIA CONL^PSA RE^TITV
IT PER MECWM F^SC-LEG
AVG. PR. PRCVRANTE • M • AVR
QVIRINO. PR. COH§I§L§GORS.
Imperator Caefar Marcus Antonius Gor-
dianus Pius Felix Auguftus Principia 8c
Armamentaria Conlapfa reftituit per Mse-
cilium Fufcum Legatum Auguftalem pro-
prastorem curante Marco Aurelio Qmrino
Cohortis prima; Legionis Gordlanae.
It is Mr Gale's opinion, that the arma
mentaria of the Romans was the arfenaj,
and the principia the quarters of the le
gionary foldiers ^called principes, or other-
wife the place where the enfigns were
kept : — from Tacitus, one Vv'ould rather
conceive it was the general's tent. COHT.

the LAKES. s^i'
COHT.
Cohors Prima
The ufual mark placed in the works con-
duded by the feveral cohorts. —
EORTVNAE AVG§ SACR
P§. AELATTI
CVS §RAEF
V. S. L. M ,
This infcription is on an altar-ftone,
and is thus read : — Fortune Augufti fa-
crum Publius jEflus Atticus prsefedus Vo-
tum 'folvit Libens merito. — This was dif
covered placed in the wall of a fmall
room within the ftation. '
GENIO PRAETOR
CLEPAPHRODITVSCLAVDIANVS
' '¦ TRIBVNVS COHO
II LING V L P M
Genio Prsetori claudius Epaphroditus Clau-
dianus Tribunus Cohortis fecundse Lingo-
num votura libens pofuit Merito.
To avoid the trope, 'votum muft imply in

322 An Excursion to
in this place the thing vowed, of which
this infcription is a memorial.
LEG
XXSV§V§' FEC
This infcription is within a corona, fup
ported by two winged vidories, and un
der it is the figure of a boar, which might
denote fome vidory over the Caledonians.
MART AVG
D — AVFIDI— D
VSAVEI
DIANVS
This infcription is in raifed letters on a
gold plate, of the weight of two guineas,
belonging to the late Dr Hunter, and is
dedicated by Anfidius Anfidianus to Mars,
the favourite deity of Auguftus.
A ftone with three rude female figures
were alfo dug up here, reprefenting the
Dese Matres, who were deified women,
and fuppofed to have the gift of prophefy.
— Tacitus fays, the Germans paid great
regard to them. — Cxfar fays,' Orioviftus had

the L A K E S. 323
had them in his camp, and confulted
them as having the power of divination.
— The Britons held fuch women in great
veneration. — They are faid to have at
tended the Druids, and when their ftrong
holds were attacked on the redudion of
Mona, they appeared like furies with fire
brands. — They were worffiipped after
death as the Genii of the place. — Csefar
calls them Matres familias.
A large font or bafon, cut in rag ftone,
was alfo found here, probably defigned
to hold water for the Roman luftrations.
An altar with the following infcriptions
was gained by Mr Horfley, from a wall
near the ftation where it was built up :
 cCOf pio
— — ,*^Ao^ T. FL. TITIANVS
 sciTi/^NO .TRIE

•V- S- L-L- M-

In the whole colledloil of Roman an
tiquities, there is but one more with a
Greek infcription ; it was found at Cor
bridge, and is nov/ in Mr Graham's Mu-
fxum at Netherby. — Mr Horfley fuppofes
Y this

324 -i« E X C U R S I o N fo
this to have been ereded by fome of the
Grecian auxiliaries, or by the Thracians
pr fome nation bordering on Greece: when
entire, he prefumes the infcriptions were
read thus :
t^Fp caTH Pro falute
piAc. -r ^KKore TitusFlaviusTitlanus
lOC. TITIANO

C. XIAIAP. XOG

Tribunus
V. S. LL. M.

woi- We pafled from Lanchefter to "\yolfing-
fingham • . i .11 1 i ,
ham in Weardale, a hilly and dreary road:
— as we approached the fummits, the cul
tivated vale difcovered itfelf^ thro' which
the river meanders in a beautiful manner.
— We defcended to'the town through new
inclofures, where induftry has depofed
antient indolence, and difrobed her of her
ruifet; — where bartennefs for ages paft
fate with fioth, cultivarion now walks
dreiTed in her verdant mantle, and laughs
to meet with Ceres. — -Thefe agreeable pro-
fpeds ought to corred the minds of the
inhabitants. — The bounties of Providence
are Increafiag upon them. — The fun ihines
upon the juft and the unjuft. — This is a
market town, but little reforted to. The
country is thinly inhabited. In

the L A K E S. , 325
In Weardale, not long ago, an altar
with the following infcription was found,
dedicated to Sylvanus by Micianus, prse-
fed of the Seb. auxiliary horfe, on ac
count of his deftroying a ysrild boar.
Sllvano invido Sacrum
C. Tetius Veturius Micianus Prxf. Ala?
Sebofi-nse ob Aprum exlmlse formse Cap-
tum quem multi anteceffores ejus prsedari
non potuerunt.
-*— Votum Solvens Lubenter pofuit.
From this place we paffed over a dark
and barren country, to gain the vale of
of Teefdale. — In this ride, the mind fa
tigued with fuch continued fcenes of de
fert, often reforted to the more pleafing
images of recolledion, or the creations of
imagination, to amufe it from that laffi-
tude fuch a dreary famenefs brought with
it. The grand Catarads of the river Tees Q^^^,
excited our curiofity. "'-'''•
— The Caldron Snoot is worth the tra-
vefler's obfervation: After the river has
Y 2 flept

326 An Excursion to
flept in a long and ferene canal, it pours
its ftreams down continued precipices,
and falls for feveral hundred yards, where
it is tofled from rock to rock, and making
a prodigious noife, hurries forward in
fheets of foam. — The margin of the river
is rocky, the bills furrounding are barren
and defolate, and nature feems here, by
her outward garb, in fuch poverty, as if
fhe was the outcaft of an offended Deity ;
from whence the affrighted floods fly as
from the objed of fo tremendous an in-
terdld : — yet this deformity is recom-
penfed, outward features fhould not pre
judice, as they may cover with their dif- ,
tortion excellent inward qualities ;— in her
lap, this haggard daughter of the .earth
bears immenfe and inexhauftible trea
fures: — the value of the lead mines are
not to be eftimated. — The country is
aftonlfhingly populous, and riches are
amafied by many.
From the Caldron Snoot, we pafled
down to the High Force, another fall of
the river Tees, but very different in its
afped ; the vale in many parts fhewed
pretty inclofures, and as if we were ap
proaching

the LAKES. 327
proaching to a more clement fky ; we
faw the hflls wore green, inftead of ruflet,
and the rocks were capped with turf.
This Force is an auguft fcene; — it is Force.
the nobleft cafcade I ever beheld; — de
fcriptlon is beggared in the fubjed:— we
defcended the fteeps, and gained the rocks
on the brink of the fall ; — the ftream was
divided by a vaft mafs of rock, which
lifted its crown about fix feet above the
channel of the river. — By gaining this
point, we were in fuch a fituatlen, that
part of the ftream flowed on each hand,
and we could look down the perpendi
cular to the refervoir, into which the
river was poured, upwards of eighty -feet
in fall; on the one hand precipitate, on
the other over a flight of fhelves, making
fb tremendous a found, as to diftrad the
ear, and exclude every other voice ; at the
fame time cafting forth a fpray, on which
the fun-beams formed a perfed Iris;-^be-
neath us on the rocks, a party on plea
fure, confifting of feveral gentlemen and
ladies, fat enjoying the beauties of the
fcene : — to a romantic mind, they might
appear like the Genii of the enchanted
Y 3 caves:

328 ~ An Excursion /o
caves: — the rocks were fpread with their
repaft, and the fervant attending catched;
the living fpring to mix their wine: — deep
in a grot they fat, fliadoWed with hang
ing oaks, which grew on the cliffs.-— This
accident greatly enlivened the view, and
rendered it more romantic to the fpec-
tator. — We left our tremendous ftation, and
gained the margin of the river, about
four hundred yards below the fall. — Here
the fcene exceeds the powers of the pen ;
— no expreffion can give a fuitable idea ;
— the reader's imagination muft fupply
the defed; — fpace and elevation, when
given in numbers, prefent not to the mind
any figures confecutive to the fubjed ;-^
expreffions of diftance, fize, and quantity,
do not carry a proportionable extenfion
of image on our ideas; — our eye alone
is capable of producing fuch effeds on
the mind; — the reader of defcription Is
obliged to compare the numbers given,
with fomething he has feen and meafured
of fimilar dimenfions, before any delinea
tion can be formed by his imagination of
the fubjed defcribed. —The

.-t /l

the LAKES. 329
— The whole fcene formed a^ circus
upwards of one thoufand yards in cir
cumference ; — on our right, a wood hang
ing on the -declivities and cliffs, ftretched
up to their fummit ; — on the other fide of
the river, to our left, ftood a mountain of
rock, over whofe brow hung fome vene
rable oaks,-^on the fpreading b|-anches
tufts of mofs were fufpended, nurtured
by the inceffant fpray of the waterfall.
'^ — From thefe two points, perpendicular
rocks, lofty and bold, were extended
round this wonderful amphitheatre, fome
one hundred feet in height, and in forms
refembling the fhaken walls and battle
ments of a ruined caftle; — their rifted
fides in fome parts are grown with fo
lemn fliades of yew ; in others, moun
tain alh and oaks are clinging ' in- their
fiffiires ; the whole furmounted with ver
dant hillsi. fcattered over with trees. — In
front ftands a maffive rock, of a circular
figure, not unlike the bulwark of fome
old fortrefs, dividing the river, where the
catarad pours forth its precipitate ftreams
in flieets of foam, into a hollow refervoirj
forty, feet ill depth, which waffieg the feet
Y4 of

330 ^w E X c'u R S I o N to
of the ropks of this circus, and thunders
with the waterfall. — The variety of co
louring difplayed in this profped was
highly pleafing ;¦ — the grey cliifs, bright-
ned by the fun-beams, were oppofed to
thofe under fhadow ; over which the deep
hue of the yew tree was mixed with the
lighter-coloured afh; — the catarad fall
ing in the dark apertures of the rocks ; —
the dreary bafbn, which no ray could
touch to enliven in colour, was fcattered
over with foam ;~and above all, the limbs
of .the iris painted the fpray, which like a
cloud arofe from the amphitheatre*, and
covered the impending oaks with dew.
Winch We paiTed down the vale to Winch
" se- j^j'idge^ — Here the river, though encreafed
by many 'rivulets in its paffage froA the
Forccj is colleded into a narrow channel,
and flowing bet\^een.two rocks, prec^pi';.
tates into a deep gulph with vaft tumult:
¦—over this is placed a bridge of fingular
conftrudion, two long chains being exr
tended from rock to rock, a narrow bridge
of wood, about forty feet in length, is
laid|thereon. — This, to perfons accuftom-
ed to it, is a very fafe paffage, but to
ftrangers

the L A KE S. 331
ftrangers tremendous; — for at every ftep
the chains and their fuperftrudure yield
and fpring, and there is no fafeguard for
the palfenger but a fmall hand rail, which
if leaned againft, gives the bridge a fwing-
ing motion more difagreeable than the
former ; whilft beneath you yawns a black
and horrid chafm, fixty -feet in depth,
where the torrent rufhes with a mighty
noife amongft broken rocks, from whofe
brows, willows and brambles inceffantly
weep. — A perfon, as we tarried to view
this place, in order to entertain us, or ra
ther aftonllh us in his paffing the bridge,
gave it a fwinging motion, and went on
with the fteadinefs of a rope-dancer-
We travelled down the valley by Mid- '"|'^;^'*=-
dleton, a fmall market town, irregularly
built, hanging on a fwift declivity ; in our
way from thence, we had a view of thofe
Elyfian fields at the conflux of the rivers
Balder and Tees, which Mr Arthur Young young's
fo highly extols.—Unfortunately for us, we ^'y^™*
had not dwelt under the happy meridian
of Raby, or drank of the cup of Comus
before we approached this place. — We
could perceive indeed a country blelfed with

332 ^« Excursion ^1?
with the fmiles of Providence, but curfed
by the improvidence of man ; — fine lands
lying wafte, and the valley half cultiva
ted; — ridges of tillage difpofed amongft
ridges of bufhes and ftones, — the indolent
hufbandman not moving further than his
hand the -annoyances of his plough, fo
that a fufl half part of his land lies wafte.
—This circumftance indeed figures the
fcene very grotefquely, for the vale lies
ftriped with various colours — ^yellow corn,
green wallows and brambles, meadow,
tillage, and ranges of pebbles, in long
continued lines ftretching over the' valley.
— From a man of Mr Young's genius
(for I have feen his experiment grounds
at Mims), I greatly wonder any wafte
could merit praife.
The profpeds as we paffed down the
dale, were various and magnificent ; — rich
lands watered by a noble river, hanging
woods on eminences happily difperfed,
and. the whole back ground wild and
mountainous, but at fuch an agreeable
diftance, as to give great beauty to each
landfcape. We

the LAKES. 333
We paffed by Eglefton Bridge to Ro-
maldklrk, on the Yorkfhire fhore:— ^ at Egicfton
Hill
a little diftance from the road, we had a
profped of Egleston Hall, the feat
of Timothy Hutchinfon, Efq; placed in
a romantic fituation on the river's banks,
under the declivity of lofty hills towards
the north ; fpreading its white front and
turretted wings towards the fouth-weft,
covered with a grove of fycamores: — a
little lawn fronts the houfe, hanging on
a ftupendous cliff above the river: — the
nearer hills are cloathed with wood, and
the Hipre diftant, though precipitous, are
vet-dant and ftocked with fheep :— on each
hand, the river's margin is formed of
level and fequeftered meads, lying at the
foot of fteep afcents. — The country viewed
from Eglefton is pidurefque ; on this
hand, the river meanders in the valley,
through a rich level — the. afcents are in
many parts graced with woods; on, the
more diftant lands, fcattered villages are
feen, above which, are vales winding by
the feet of lofty hills, where cottages are
agreeably difpofed amongft the green in
clofures ; whilft the heights arifing at the
extent of the view, are rugged and cloath ed

334 -^^ Excursion to
ed with heath : — on the other hand is feen
j^omaid-the retirements and tower of Romald-
Icirk.
KIRK, fhrouded with trees, and fhut in
on every fide by lofty hills. — This facred
fane, appears in its fequeftered dale, like
fome pious devotee, who in antient times,
feeking a folemn folitude, makes a vow
of felf-denial, and alfumes the ftrideft
maxims of abftemioufncfs ; yet retaining
in his benevolence of foul, the warmth of
hofpitality.
^OT^ Eglefton was antiently a priory, dedi
cated to God, the Bleffed Virgin, and St
John the Baptift, and was endowed by
Matillas, the widow of Gilbert de le Leya,
with the manors of Eglefton and Kilving-
ton, held by one Knight's fee; together
with the patronage of the church of
Thornton : which endowment was con
firmed by the charter of Bifhop Philip of
^ Poidu, in the year 1200, and afterwards
by Richard de Marifco, his fucceffor, who
was made Bifhop of that See in the year
1214*. In

* Ex Regiftro Rich. Kellowe quondam Dunelm. Epif.
fo. 226. Richardus Epilcopus Dunelmenfis (&c.) Sa-
lutem

the LAKES. 335
In th« church of Romaldkirk, is the
recumbent effigy of a Knight, in ftone ;
his right hand on the hilt of his fword. —
This is faid to be the tomb of , Hugh Fitz
Henry, who died as he attended Edward
the Firft in his Scotch expedition. — He
was poffeffed of large eftates in this coun
try, as appears by fundry efcheats in the
tower roUs. The antient caftle at Cother-
fton, within a mile of this place, of which
nothing but the mere veftiglae appear
at this day, is fuppofed to have been his
property*. Several

lutem Sciatis'quod Philippus Dei Gratia Dunelmenfis.
Epifcopus conceffit de confenfu MatilJis quondam Uxo-
ris Gilbert! de la Leya, Deo et beatae Mariae et Sanflo
Johanni Baptiftas .et Canonicis de CEglclton totum Ma-
nerium de Eglefton & totum Manerium de Kilvington
cum pertin. quod Gilbertus de Leya de nobis tenuit per
Servitium Foedi Unius Militis et eis dedid Salvam Sem
per Ecclefiae Noftrs de Thornton in foedali firma quinq,
Marcis per Annum. Teftibus Radulfo de Multon Phi
lippe de Colevill, Willielmo de Horfley, Roberto de
Donevill, Henrico de Ferlington, &c. &c.
* Ex Initio Libri Rubri in Scacc.
Hugh Fitz Henry, frere & heir de Randolf, qui Ran-
dolf moruft fanz Iffue de fon corps, fucceda en Heritage
apres Randolf fon frere & moruft a Berwick fur Tefe
Lan de grace Mil ccc" nii, le iiii Ides de Marce, &
du

33*^ An Excursion to
X'o^ Several little villages lie on the margin
"^lu" of the river, tfirough which we paffed
towards Barnard Caftle : — at a place called
Toller Hill, the profped opened upon us;

du regne le Roy Edward Primier XXII toft apres le
fiege & gaigne del Chaftel du Stryvelyn.en Efcoce, &
fuit enfevely a Romaldkirk le XL Kalendes Davril, par
John Prior, de Gifeburgh, & fa Femme Albrede mo
ruft a Hurworth fur Tefe, & fuit a Jorgvaux enfevely
jouft Monfieur Henry Fitz Randolf Pier du dit Hugh le
VIII. Kelendes de Fever Lan de grace Mil ccc ii.
The pedigree of this family may not be difagreeable
to the reader in this place.
By Doomfday Book, it appears, that Torphin, an
anceftor of this /amily, held their great poffeffions be
fore the Conqueft; viz. " Hanc Terram habuic Tor
phin, nunc habet Bodin."
Fitz Hugh, Lord Fitz Hugh of Ravenfwath, bears
for his coat armour. Azure, three Cheverons in baffe
embraced, and a Chief, Or.
Boden, Lofd of Ravenfwath Caftle, near-Richmond
in Yorkfliire, married and had iffue Thomas and Ra
nulf. Thomas died without iffue.
Ranulf, brother and heir of Thomas, married and
had iffue Allan.
Allan, fon and heir of Ranulf, founded the abbey of
Jackhall, near Knowefly in Lancafliire, in the reign of
King Henry II. he married and had iffue Henry. —
Ranulf died about the feventh year of the reign of
Henry 11. anno 1161.
Henry married Alice, daughter of Walter Lord of
Grayftock, and had iffue Ranulph — Agatha, who mar ried

the LAKE S. ^37
us ; — the river prefented itfelf in a canal
a mfle in length, the fhore to the left
formed by a hanging wood of oaks, ri
fing on a fwift afcent to a great height ;
the fore-ground ornamented with lofty
i, and

ried unto Mr Michael Le Fleming — and Joan, to Hugh
de Bolebeck.
Ranulph married Alice, daughter and fole heir of
Adam of Stavely, Lord of Stavely, Dent, Ingleton^, and
Bentham ; by her had iffue
Henry married and had iffue Ranulph, who died
•without iffue, — and Hugh, who lies interred at Romald
kirk. Hugh, commonly called Lord Fitz Henry, fon and
heir of Henry after the death of Ranulph, married
"Albrede, and had iffue Henry.
Henry, commonly called Fitz Hugh, was fummoned
to Parliament as a Baron in the reign of King Edward
in. married Eve, daughter of Sir John Bulmer, Knight,
and had iffue Henry, and JOan, who married to Wil
liam Lord Grayftock.
Henry, Lord Fitz Hugh, married Joan, fifter and
coheir of Willfam Furneaux, of Carleton in Lindricke,
in the county, of Nottingham, and Brighton in the
county of Derhy ; had iffue Henry, — Joan, who Car
ried to Sir John Bulmer, Knight, — and Annabella, to
Sir Henry Vavofour, Knight.
Henry, Lord Fitz Hugh, lived in the reign of King
Henry the Fifth ; married Elizabeth, daughter and
heir of John Lord Grey, of Rotherfield, Marmion, and
St Quintin; had iffue William,— Richard, — Henry, —
Rafe — Herbert, — the three laft of which died without
iffue ;— Sir Geoffrey, a fixth fon, married the daughter
of Mr Lutton of Luttington ;— Robert, a fqventh fon,
Bifliqp

338 An Excursion to
and bold rocks, projeding over the river:
to the right, the fhore is irregular in fi
gure, extending'by little promontaries into
the water, and from thence rifing grada-
ally in meadows. — At the extream of the
canal, on a bold cliff which overhangs
the channel, ftand the ruins of the caftle,
beneath which a ftone bridge of two
arches

Bifliop of London, and Bifliop Eledl of Ely ; — Eleanor,
¦who married to Philip Lord Darcy and Mennels ;—
Lora, who married to Morris Lord Barclay ; — Eliza
beth, who married to Rafe Lord Grey ; — and Chriftian,
•who married Sir William Eure, of Witton in the county
of Durham.
William, Lord Fitz Hugh, married Margaret, daugh
ter of John Lord Willoughby ; had iffue Henry, — Elea
nor, who married to William Lord Douras, — Lara, to
Sir John Conftable, — Margaret, to Sir John Melton, of
Afton, — Elizabeth, to Rafe Lord Grayftock, — and Ma
tilda or Maude married Sir William Bowes.
Henry, Lord Fitz Hugh, married Alice, daughter
'of Richard Lord Nevil, Earl of Saliftiury : had iffue
Richard, — Ann, who married to Francis Vifcount Lo-
vil,-T-AHce, firft to Sir John Fins, Knight, and fecondly
to Sir Nicholas Vaux, Knight, — Eliz. married Sir Wil
liam Parr, Knight, — and Margery to Sir Marmaduke
Conftable, Knight. — Lady Alice furvived her faid huf»
band, Henry Lord Fitz Hugh, and was fecondly mar
ried to William Lord Haftings.
Richard, Lord Fitz Hugh, married Eliz. daughter
(if Sir Thomas Brough, Knight ; had iffue George.
George, Lord Fitz Hugh of Ravenfwath Caftle, mar
ried, but died without iffue.
From him the eftate devolved upon his aunts, and
their hc^rs, as his co-heirs.

the LAKES. 339
arches gives communication to the coun
ties of York and Durham. — Over thefe
objeds part of the town was feen, and an
extenfive cultivated country.
The town of Barnard Castle Is Barnard
fituate in the biffiopric of Durham, on
the defcent of a hill, on the banks of the
river Tees, having the caftle on the weft ;
the buildings are elegant, of a white free-
ftone ; the principal ftreet Is fpacious^ and
near half a mile in length. — This town
is not incorporated, is the manor of the
Earl of Darlington, and governed by a
Steward and Jury, which confifts of perr
fons of the firft confequence in the place.
— It is very populous, the number of fouls
being computed at four thoufand, there
being a great manufadory carried on here
of woollen goods, tammies, ffiags, crapes,
and ftocklngs. This place was in very
early times famous for leather, and at this
day many wealthy tanners refide here.— -
, At the foot of the market-place, ftands an
open ftrudure of fine free-ftone work, cu-
polaed, and covered with blue. flate, fur
rounded with an odagonal colonade, as
a ftand for the market people. — ^At the
Z head

34P An Excursion to
head of the market-place, this fine ftreet^
is blocked with fhambles and a town- i
* houfe, by their fimilitude to thofe in
North Britain acknowledging their Scot
tifh founder; difttial and uncleanly*. —
This as an inland town, is one of the
greateft corn-markets in the north of
England : it is held on Wednefday. — The
toll of corn brings in a great revenue to
Lord Darlington.-— Here are three fairs
held annually, in Eafter and Whifun
weeks, and on Magdalen-day. — ^The in-
Laads. clofed lauds in the environs of the town
are rich, and let for near five pounds an
acre. — Very extenfive town-fields, confifts;
t ing of near one thoufand acres, appertain
to this place, by the ufage of which,, the
winter adage is common : yet under that
difadvantage, on an average they are let
for twenty fhillings an acre. — There is
alfo a common of fine improveable land
belonging the town, of vaft extent.— In '
this place the manufadurers have eftab-,
liihed focieties or clubs, in which they
^ con-

* As a proof of the Scottifh origin of this place
and its cuftoms, butter is fold here by the tron-pound,
twenty- two ounces.^

the LAKES. 341
t?ontribute monthly towards making a
fund for the relief of their members, when
fick, lame, blind, . or by old" age rendered
incapable of following bufinefs. Thefe in-
ftitutions afford a comfortable affiftance to
a great nurriber of people, there being 'no
lefs than nine of thofe aifociations here,
confifting of near one hundred each, every
indigent member receiving three fhillings
and fix-pence weekly, and upon death,
five pounds are paid to the reprefentative
of the deceafed, towards his funeral, &c.
Thefe excellent inftitutions are but little
encouraged by the land-owners, although
the poor rate is thereby greatly exonerated.
—-It is painful to the eye of the tra- ^.^
veller, to behold fix or eight thoufand
acres of land, capable of the highefft im
provement by cultivation, lying wafte,
when the neceffaries of life are fo dear ; —
wh^n by emigrations our country is drain
ing of its ufeful members, and the f anions
provinces of America are gaining ftrength.
— Though there is a great influx of mo
ney occafioned by the manufadory here,
yet it doth not remain; — the neceffaries
of Ufe, corn and cattle to fupply this po-
Z 2 pulous

mon.

^^2 An Excursion to
pulous place, are provided by a diftant
country.;— there is fo much common land
on its environs, and fo little cultivation
around it, that the inhabitants are obliged
to be thus maintained : fo that the money
brought here by the trade, iffues in a
thoufand branches to the diftant parifhes.
Were thefe commons cultivated, the cafe
' would alter ; — thefe neceflaries would be
fupplied at home, ,and the wealth procured
by the manufadory would, as it were in
a vortex, circulate inceffantly within their
'own limits. — Under the aufplces of the
Ead of Darlington, he being their natural
patron, and they placed by Providence
under his protedion, as, being their Lord,
it is wonderful this matter, fo imporfant
to himfelf and people, and fo important
to the public in general, fhould remain to
this day unattended to.
cattle. The banks of the Tees, on every hand,
confift of the richeft land in the north;—
fheep which on flaughter weigh from
- forty to fifty pounds a quarter are bred
" there, oxen of one hundred and twenty
ftone and upward, and the moft beautiful
breed of milk kine. Barnard

the LAKES. 343
Barnard Caftle is a place of great anti
quity, and was in former ages endowed
with a noble franchife and great privi
leges, being a liberty in no wife depen
dant on the palatinate. — Jt lies in the
ward of Darlington, but was formerly a
member of the wapontake of Sadberge.— ¦
Guy Baliol came into England with the
Conqueror. William Rufus, in the ftventh
year of his reign, gave to Guy, for his
faithful fervices, the forefts of Teefdale
and Marwood,*with the Lordfhip of Gain-
ford. — Barnard Baliol, the eldeft Ton of
Guy, built Barnard Caftle within the li
mits of Marwood, and called it by his
own name. — He created burgeffes there in
1 1 60, and granted them equal liberties
and privileges with the burgeffes of Rich
mond : which liberties, with feveral other
immunities, were granted and confirmed
by the fucceffors of Barnard*. Z3 ^ The

Anti
quity.

* Th'e following grants were depofited in the town
cheft of Barnardcaftle, but are now in private hands.
Bernardus de Baliol omnibus hominibus fuis et ami-
jcis Francis et Anglis prefentibus et futuris falutem.
Sciatis me dediffe & conceffiffe et hac Carta mea confir-
maffe Burgenfibus meis de Caftello Barnardi et Heredi-
^ bus

344 ^« E X c u R s I o N to
The burgeffes ufed a common feal, thei
impreffion of which is given in the an-^
nexed plate, fig. 2. — The crofs is that
which

bus fuis omnes illas Libertates et liberas Confuetndines
quas dedit iis pater mens & conceffit. Tenendas a me
et heredibus meis in feudo et Hereditate lecundum Li
bertates de Richmuad quas dedit iis pater meus & con
ceffit. Hii funt Teftes Radulf filius Hubard, Raduff
de Guaward, Ingelramus de Dunmcrt, Jofcelinus de
Sellfcomb. Reginaldus damerarius, Robertus de Rue,
Malgerus Sacerdos, Helias Sacerdos, Reginaldus Piftol
I™". Praspofitus, Sewardus de Spinis, Henricus filius
ejus, S^eno praepofitus, Brunegar et Reginaldus Frater
ejus, Walterus de Prefcis, Hugo, filius Reginald!, Ro.
bertus filius  Ricardus filius Arthuri, Radulfus die
Dalton, Radulfus Rafceft.
til 3. Hugo de Baliol \ omnibus has literas vifuris vel audi-
turis tam prefentibus quam futuris falutem. Sciatis
me conceffiffe et prefenti carta mea confirmaffe Burgea-
fibus meis de Caftro Barnardi omnes Libertates et libe
ras confuetndines Richemund ficut in Charta Bernard!
de Baiiolo anteqefforis mei quam habent continetur:
Conceffi.autem eis totam Commnnem pafturam et omnia
Communia in Orientall et Boreali parte (now the town
fields) a quodam Rivulo qui venit de Watefcayle et de-
fcendit in Becdam ; et a Via qua venit de Caftra Ber
nard! et vadit verfus Stanhope, illis & Heredibus iuis
Habendum & Tenendum de me et Heredibus meis llhere
& quiete & integre in viis in femitis, in Morisj in Ma-
rufcis, in Turbariis et Petariis, in Planis, in pafcuh, in
introi-
\ Hugh de Baliol was joined in commiflion with Phil.'
•de Ulcofe, of Weft Matfen, in the county of Northum-
i>erland, 17 th K. John (1217) to hold the town and
£X-&h of Berwick againft the Barons.

the LAKES. 34,?
which was borne in the crufades, and the
figures of the fun and moon were chriftian
emblems, or hieroglyphics, reprefentative
of the church : as the moon receives her
Z 4 light
'. \ \
introillbus et exiribus, et omnibus Cqimmunibus et Li-
bertatibus et aifiamentis ad villam de Caftro Barnardi
pertinentibus infra villam et extra, fine aliquo retine-
mento, excepto quod ipfi Burgenfes et Heredes eorum
non capient de Bofco de Wythners nee de Hanckflave'
nefte Birlaucker, nifi per voluntatem meam vel Here-
dum meorum et ut hec mea conceffio et confirmatiorata
fit & ftabilis in perpetuum, prefentem Chartam figiUi
mei appofitione robora,vi Hiis Teftibus, &c. Ingebramo
de Biliolo, Petfo de Eprifce, Guidone de Egleftone,
Hugpne de Maubor. Guidone de Magno Sarto, Daniel
de Novo Caftello, Guidone Pele, Johanne dc Brofton,
Jofcelino de Hiche, Willielmo Difpenfatore, .Roberto"
, filio Johannis, Bernard filiolo et multis aliis.
Omnibus ad quos prefens fcriptum pervenerit Johan
nes de Baliol (*King of Scotland) falutem Noveritis
Univerfitas veftra nos dediffe conceffiffe et hac pras-
fenti Carta Noftra confirmaffe Burgenfibus Noftris de
Caftro Barnardi et libere Tenentibus in eodem Burga
manentibus et ad illud Spedtantibus quandam Commu-
nem Pafturam (now their moor) in Marewode per has
divifiis (fcilicet) a Cruce Rogeri afcendfendo per murum
ufq. ad Salturam defubtus Hanley verfus occidentem,
& a didla Saltura ufq. ad viam de Eglefton propin-
quiorein via de Backftangate verfus Aquilonem, et ita
per viam de Eglefton ufq. ad occidentalem pedem pontis
de Eft Moffemire et ita ufque in Blakeden verfus Aqui
lonem
* This charter, .1 believe, was granted about the
year 1250, and Jahn Baliol was not adjudged King of
Scotland till the year 1292, when he was crowned ac
Scone.

34^ An Excursion to
light from the fun, fo the church receives
her illumination from Chrift.

From the Yorkfhire banks adj'olning the
little village of Startforth, you look upon ¦
the

lonem in excambuiiM de Eftandalanebank et de Wafte-
fchaw et de Pottes quas in Parco Noftro inclufimus, et
etiam in excambuim terrarum quas Dominus Henricus
Spring & Robertus Gretheed tenent de nobis ad du-
num de Hus, quas quidem Pafturas et Terras difti
burgenfes et libere tenentes Reddiderunt remiferunt et
quietum claraaverunt nobis et Heredibus noftris pro fe
et Heredibus fuis habendam et Tenendam diflis Burgen
fibus et libere Tenentibus et eorum heredibus de nobis'
et Heredibus noftris in foedo et Hereditate libere quiete
et Integre in omnibus ficut tenent aliam Communem
pafturam' fuam de nobis. Excepto quod non poffunt
fecare in Bofco quod eft infra divtfas. prediftas, neque-^
ficcum neque viride, nee in Turbario fodere, nee etiatn
in Mora, qua eft infra eafdem divifas Eflachtas facere,
et nos et heredes noftri di(5lam communem pafturanJr
diftis Burgenfibus et libere tenentibus et eorum ha:redi-
bus contra omnes Homines Warantizsbimus in ferpe-
tuum. Et ut hec noftra donatio eonceflio et prefentis
Cartse Confirmatio perpetue firmitatis robur obtineat
prsefehs fcriptum figilli noftri appofitioiie duximus robor
rahdum. Hiis teftibus Domino Henrico Spring, Domino
Roberto Traine, Domino Ingelramo Mauburn, Domino-
Henrico de Eglefton, Jofcelino de Weftwick, Radulphft
de Langetona, Joh. de Croft, et multis aliis.
1478. Alexander BaliolotDmnibus has Literas vifuris vel au-
dituris tam prefentibus quam futuris Salutem — fciatis me
conceffiffe et prefenti Charta mea confirmaffe Burgenfibus
meis de Caftro Barnardi omnes Libertates et liberas
Confuetudines Richmundiae ficut in Cartis Barnardi et
Hugonis.

the L AKE S. ' 347
tlie fouth-weft front of the caftle, as it
crowns the cliffs, which overhang the
river : — an awful and folemn afped marks
the whole fedlfice, in many parts covered
with ivy. — ^To the left, the river is ex
tended in a beautiful canal, bordered with
woods and meads, terminated by fome
bold rocks fringed with oaks, and fur
mounted by hills of pafture ground, on
which a little farmhold ftands, and gives
an agreeable termination to the profped.
— To the right, the river falls in cafcades,
and winding from the eye, is concealed for
near

Hugonis de Baliolb antecefforum meorum quas habent,
continetur. Conceffi etiam iifdem quandam communem
pafturam in Marewode per Illas divifas quae in Carta-
patris mei Johiinnls de Balioio quam habeat plenius ex-
primuntur illis & Heredibus fuis. Habendam & Tenen
dam de me et Heredibus meis libere et quiete et integre
in viis et femitis. In Moris et Marofcis in Turbariis et
Petariis, in planis In pafcuis, introifibus et exitibus, in
omnibus communlbus et llbertatibus et aifiamentis ad
villam de Caftro Barnardi pertinentibus infra villam et
extra, fine aliquo retinerflento, excepto quod ipfi Bur
genfes et heredes eorum non Capient de Bofco de Wyth
ners nee de Hanckflawe nee de Birlancker nifi per vo
luntatem meam vel hasredum meorum. Et ut hasc mea
conceffio et confirmatio rata fit et ftabilis in perpetuum
prefentem Cartam figilli mei appofitione roboravi Hiis
teftibus. Domino Hugone Euer, Domino Henrico
Spring, Domino Roberto Traine, Domino Johanne de
Egleftone, Adam Barte tunc Senefcha'llo meo, Radul-
pho de Langton, Eudone de Cletiani, et aliis.

348 y^M Excursion to
near a mfle upon the landfcape, when
again it breaks out upon the view, thro'
an avenue of hanging woods; — the rich
lands on both fides of the river grouped
with fine cattle and fheep. — At the grea
teft diftance, Hamilton hills are feen, of
a dufky hue, which diftinguifh them from
the fliy.
Walks. The banks of the Tees, a little below
the town, afford the moft pleafing and ro
mantic walks : — a fpacious plain of mea
dow ground lies to the river's brink, from
whence, in gradual afcents, the lands
arife, varied with pafture, tillage, and
meads, interfperfed with little coppices
and oaken groves. — From an eminence
called Barberry Rigs, (a natural terrace of
half a mfle in length) as we looked down
the river, the folemn ruins of Athalftan
Abbey, placed on a fine eminence, fliirted
with fycamores, ftood to the right. — Be
neath, the ftream fell in cafcades, over
rocks of black marble, pouring its foam
ing waters through the elevated arch of
Rookby new bridge. — On the river's banks
(which beneath the bridge are rocky and
fteepl a grove of oaks formed an avenue ter-

the LAKES. 34p
terminated by Rookby Hall, now the feat
of John Sawrey Morritt, Efq; — Looking
up the ftream, which is feen meandring
for near a mile, margined with rich inclo
fures, on one hand you have a profped of
the church and part of the town of Bar
nard Caftle, other parts being intercepted
by the nearer hills. — In the depth of the
vale, by the brink of the river, other parts
of the town prefent themfelves.— On the
other hand, the village of Startforth, with
the pleafant feat of George Fellding, Efq;
and the little vicarage are feen, whilft
the back ground is thickened with wood,
mingled in a beautlfiil manner with cot
tages, fuperior to which, the antient hof-
pitable manfion of the Maires of Larting-
ton fhews its white front, furmounted
with the hills of Hunderthwaite and Lune-
dale. By a commiffion of inqueft in 2 1 Ed- j„r;f-
ward the Firft, it appears chat John Baliol ' °°'
had with his caftle of Barnard, Mercatum,
Feream, Piflorlam, et Tumbrell, Furcas,
Infangtheof, & capit Catalla Felonum
Dampnatorum in Curia fiia, Liberam
, Chaceam et liberam Warennam in omni bus

350 An ExcvRsioN t»
bus Terris fuis in libertate Epifcopi. — .
Rymer's Faedera, vol, viii. p. 572.
The fines of. Barnard Caftle atknow-
v
ledged by the Earl of Warwick were be
fore Jufticlar. Domini Regis apud Weftm.
Odar. Hfllar. anno 1 8 Edward. 3'. — Other
fines of lands in the county of Durham,
were generally levied at Durham at that
time, but fometimes at Sadberge, as I find
in Bifhop Nevil's Pontificate.
The Lords of Barnard Caftle held there
a hundred or county court of their own,
— There was a place for public execution
of offenders ; — But by the ftat. 26 Henry
the Eighth, all felons were ordered to be
tried at Durham, to prevent the expence
of Judges vifiting this liberty, as had been
thc cuftom preceding that time,
A court leet antiently appertained to
the Lords of Barnard Caftle. — •
— Goods and chattels of felons, in all
degrees, and of outlawed perfons. —
— Markets and fairs, toll and ftallage,
affize of bread, weights and meafures,
clerks of the market, and licence of ale-
houfes.

the LAKES. 351
I
houfes, under a yearly rent of brew-
farm. —
— The return of writs and warrants
awarded into this liberty, and that no
officer might enter there but by writ of
non omittas.
— Free warren and chace.^ —
—The office of coroner within the pre-
cinds of Bariikrd Caftle, Gainford, and
Long-newton. — The Lords alfo antiently had omnia
bona nativ. knights fees, wardfbips, mar
riages, and reliefs.
— The office of efcheator, as appears by
writs awarded out of chancery with the
inquifitions. — There was a common armorer apper
tained to this fortrefs, with a fettled fti-
pend. — In the proclamations of fairs, the
prohibiting perfons to appear with crofs-
bows and hauberks, is ftill continued.
John Baliol, in the fourteenth and fif
teenth years of Henry the Third, gave an
hofpital to Barnard Caftle. — In Bifhop
Farmer's Notitia, the hofpital of St John.
at Barnard Caftle, is valued the twenty-.'
fixth of Henry the Eighth, at five pounds fifteen

33*2 J« E i C U R S I O N /(^
fifteen fhillings and eight-pence a yeaf.-*--
The lands appertaining to this hofpital
are now held by leafe for three lives under
the mafter, and are of about the yearly
value of two hundred pounds. — Three
poor people have but a fmall weekly al
lowance out of the revenue. — The mafter
is appointed by the Lord High Chan
cellor*. ?
Hugh Baliol married Agnes de Valen
cia, neice to King Henry the Third, and
fhe had in jointure Middleton in Teaf-
dale and Gainford; he furvived her (35th
Hen. III.) and died in the reign of that
King. By the rolls in the tower of the 21ft of
Edward the Firft, it appears, that John
Baliol married Ifabel, the fecond daugh
ter of John Plantagenet, feventh Earl of
Warren and Surry, and was declared
King of Scotland 1292 ; at which time he

* John Baliol died at Newby Abby in Scotland:
Dovergllla his wife, who founded the fame, caufed her
huftjand's heart to be embalmed, and lodged in an ivory
cafe hooped with filver, and placed at the high altar.^

the LAKES. 353
he enjoyed in Barnardcaftle Mercatu. Pil-
lor. Tumbrel. Furca Infangtheof & Ut-
fangtheof, et Catalla Felon. Lib. Chaceam
& Liberam Warrenam. in omnibus Ter
ris fuis. — John Baliol, going from his
allegiance, forfeited thefe poffeffions.
By the fame rolls, -No. 54, it appears,
that King Edward the Firft, who had
taken great difpleafure at Anthony Beck,
then Bifhop of Durham, feized Barnard
caftle and the lands belonging thereto,
and granted the fame Guidoni De Bello
Camp. Comiti Warwlci, in 1307.* Yet
in this charter are thefe words, — Salvo
jure Ecclefise Dunelmenfis.
Lewis Beaumont, who came to the
Bilhopric in 131 7, ftrenuoufly aflferted
his right to Barnardcaftle as a. forfeiture
within his Bilhopric, where he>held Jura
Regalia ; and at that time it was declared
by parliament, that the Bifhop of Dur
ham ought, within the liberties of the
Bilhopric, to have the forfeitures of war, &c.
* Monaft. Ang. vol. ii. page 846,

354 -^^ Excursion to
Sec. as the King has elfewhere in Eng
land.*

Notwithftanding this fentence it con
tinued in the Warwicks- for five defcents,
from whom it came to Richard Duke of
Glou-

* Anno Dom. 1327, Ckus 1 E. 3. P. 2. M. 20.
Rex, dilefto & fideli fuo, Rogero de Mortuo Mari, cuf-
todi Caftri Barnardi ac aliarum Terrarum & Tenemen-
torum, qux fuerunt Guidonis de Bello Campo, quon
dam Comitis Warwici, defundti, qui de Domino E. nu-
per Rege Anglias, patre Noftro tenuit in Capite, infra
libertatem Epifcopatus Dunelmenfis, vel ejus locumte-
nenti, falutem. Petitio venerabilis Patrls, Ludovici
Epifcopi di<Si loci, coram nobis & Concilio noftro, in
Ultimo Parliamento Noftro, apud Weftmonafterlura
tento, exhibita ;
Continebat ut
Cum, In Parliamento prediflo forisfaiJlurgE Guense'ei-
dem Epifcopi, ut jus EcclefiK fus Prssdiftas, & prxde-
ceffori fuo, in aliis Pariiamentis, fuiffent adjudicate ;
& fuper hoc, brevia Noftra fadla fuerint cuftodibus ter-
rarum foris faftarum infra regalem Libertatem ipfnis
Epifcopi, quod manum reglam inde atnoverant.
Ac Caftrum predidlumj manerium de .Geyneford, &
aliEE Terr« quae fuerunt prsedidti Comitis, & Hert &
Hertnefs, qas fuerunt Rogeri de Clifford ;
Qus quidem Caftrum, maneria terra & tenementa,
alias forisfafla fuerunt per forisfafturam Johannis de
Balioio & Roberti de Brus, & Infra Libertatem prae-
dlflam Exiftunt in manu noftra detinentur, ac fi nos
ratinne forisfafturse predlftas, Prerogativa Noftra, infra
Libertatem predidam, uti poffemus, ficut alibi Infra
Regnum Noftrum. Qua:

the LAKES. 353-
(iloucefter, and then to King Henry the
Seventh, and continvied in the Crown till
it came to the Nevils by marriage, and
A a was

Quas quidem prerogativa, ad ipfum Epifcopum, infra
Libertatem prssdic^am pertinet, ficut dicit ;
Super quo nobis fupplicavit, ut prasclpere velimus
Cuftodibus Terrarum prsedidlarum, per brsevia Noftra,
quod manum reglam de terris illis, ficut de aliis, amo-
veant ac praedlftum Epifcopum libertate fua prasdifla
(ubi breve noftrum de jure currere non debet, nee nos
ibidem terram feifire debimus) uti & gaudere permit-
tan t.
Nos pro eo quod per nos, & Conlftium noftrum alias
in eodem Parliamento, confideratum fuit, quod idem
Epifcopus habeat libertatem fuam Regalem prout alias
conceffum fuit tempore Domini H. quondam Regis
Anglias proavi Noftri, & etiam concordatum fuit ibidem
quod nos ammoveamus manum noftram de omni eo
quod habemus in manu Noftra ratione Jurifdiftionis
regalis, etiam Miniftros Noftros in i-egali Officio mlnl-
ftrantes volentes quo ea quae fic concordata funt effeftui
mancipentur. 
Vobis mandumus quod manum noftram de omni eo
quod habemus in manu noftra, ratione jurifdidlionis
regalis, & qus in cuftodia veftra exiftunt, nee non Mini
ftros Noftros, fi qui fuerint in regali officio Infra liber
tatem prstdiftam miniftrances, ammoveatis, fecundum
formam confideratlonis & concordiae prsdiftarum ; Vos
inde contra eafdem confiderationem & concordlam, nul-
latenus intromittentes.
Intentionis tamen Noftras & confilii noftri non exiftit,
quod aliqul, qui terras feu tenementa de forisfaflurls,
-excoHceffione progenitorum Noftrorum, tenent, inde
virtute confideratlonis prxdldla;, abfque refponfione am-
moveantur. Tefte Rege apud Dunolm. decimo quinto die Julii.

356 An Excursion to
was forfeited by that family in the twelfth
year of Queen Elizabeth's reign.
Lawrence, Bifhop of Durhani, the fe-;
cond of January, 145'g, by patent, con
ftituted John Nevil Conftable of Barnard-j
caftle, and Keeper of the Foreft of Teef-.
4ale.* The farne Bifliop granted to Gilfred
Middleton, by patent, the Keeperfhip of
Barnardcaftle Park :-— (fame roll) by thefe
patents it apptars, the Crown did not
hold the fole jufifdidion here,
tateof In' 12 1 6, the Northumbrians did- ho*
Euftace inage to Alexander, King of Scotland j
which fo enraged King John, that he
entered Northumberland, and burnt Fel-
ton and many other towns. — The army
of the confederates was ftiled the army
of God and_ the holy church, commanded
by Robert Fitz Walter, an experienced
general, who oppofed the royal arms :—
with them was Euftace Fitz John, the
brother -ii}- law of Alexander, together with
* Rot. M. No. 2\, in the Curfitcr's Office, Durham. ¦

the LAKES. 357
with that King, when they made an ir-
ifuptlon as far as Barnard Caftle, and be
fieged the place. — Euftace had great al- Aiexan-
liances by marriage, particularly with the skge.
Baron of Wooler, and Hugh de Baliol,
Baron of Bywefl ; — he married Agnes,
daughter of Wifliam King of Scotland,
and fifter to Alexander 5 — he was Baron
of Alnwick, which he held in capite by
fervice of eighteen knights' fees. — ^In this
fiege, the Scotch King, with the Lord
Euftace, taking a near furvey of the for
tifications on horfeback, his Lordfhip was
killed by an arrow from one of the
townfmen. Plate, Fig. v. a coin of Alex
ander's found there,
A college was founded in the caftle by college.
iRichard Duke of Gloucefter, to whom
his brother, Edward the Fourth, in the
17th year of his reign, gave his royal*
licence for that purpofe. This inftitiition
was for a dean, twelve chaplains, (i. e.
fecular canons) ten clerks, fix chorifters,
and one other clerk, whom he incorpo
rated by the name of Dean and Chaplains
A a 2 of
* Dugdale's Monaft. v. ill. p. 203.

358 An Excursion to
of the College of Richard Duke of Glou-i ,
cefter of Barnard Caftle ; and that they
might purchafe lands' to tbe yearly value
of four hundred marks. The faid Duke
and his heirs to be perpetual patrons,
and to be called the College of Richard
Duke of Gloucefter at Barnard Caftle, in
the diocefe of Durham. — Plate, Fig. iv.
reprefents a ftone, fuppdfed to belong
thereto, now in the ftreet. The boar
was the cognizance of Richard Duke of
Gloucefter. ^
In the chapel of Barnard Caftle werd
the following chantries.
I St Catherine per ann.
- 2 St Helen £. s. d.
3 , St Margaret - - 6 o o
4 Trinity Gild - - 5 18 8
5 V. Mary's or our Lady's Chantry,
founded by Rob. Morthin, Vicar.
£ede- At the head of the ftreet called Gal-*
kiik. gate, ftands a ruined chapel, which was
dedicated to St Bede. Several lands were
held here under rents appropriated for
the maintenance of a mafs prieft at Bede-
kirk, — This part of the town is fuppofed to

the LAKES. ^ 359
to have loft its original name of Mar-*
wood, when trade and manufadory led
the inhabitants to the banks of the river.
Here are the remains of feveral chan- chan-
tries.
tries ; — one a very antient building, hav
ing a bow window to the ftreet ; has this
infcription. Soli Deo Honor & Gloria,
in well-cut Old Englifh charaders.
In ^he caftle waS an antient chantry,
founded in honor of the twelve apoftles.
61. lis. per ann,
I find one Robert Prodour chaplain
here in Auguft 1362, when it was faid to
jbe founded from time immemorial.
In the rebellion of the Earls of Nor- Rebei-
thumberland and Weftmoreland, this caf
tle was bravely maintained by Sir George
Bowes and his brother Robert, for eleven
days, againft the whole force of the re
bels, who were obliged to allow them
honourable terms of capitulation.
Near the caftle is a large intrenchment^
which, from its name of the Evers, is
A a 3 fup-

Nevils.

3(5o An Excursion to
fuppofed to have appertained to the troop|
of Lord Evers of Witton, on that or fome
otlier memorable occafion.
In Percy's old'baflads this fiege is thu^
mentioned :
" That Baron'he to his Caftle fled,
" To Barnard Caftle tlien fled he ;
" The uttermoft walls were eafie to win,
" The. Earls have won thena prefently.
" The uttermoft Walls were Lime and Brick^
" But tho' they won them foon anon ;
" Long e'er they wan the innermoft walls,
«' For they were cut in Rock of Stone;"
It may not be difagreeable to the rea
der, to find in this place fome account
of the illuftrious ¦ family of Nevils, and
as owners of this caftle will not be im
pertinent to the work.
It is worthy obfervation, that the laft
Nevil Earl of Weftmoreland was one of
die moft unfortunate men in the world,
and the firft Earl of that naiiie the moft
profperous : his poffeffions were immenfe,
his alliances by marriage the moft ho
nourable, and the nutnber of his children and

the LAKES. 3^1
and their high hbnours not to be paraUel-
led in any other family.
Ralph Lord Nevfl of Raby Caftle, in
the county of Durham, by way of pre
eminence called the great Earl of Weft
moreland, obtained his t^tle on the 29tl^
of September, in the year 1398, from,
jR-ichard the Second.
By his firft wife, Margaret daughter of
Hugh Earl of Stafford, who died in 1370,
and was bul-Ied at Brancepeth, he had
iffue, I. John his eldeft fon, Lord Nevil, died
in his father's life-time, 1423. He mar
ried Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Hol
land, Earl of Kent, by whom he left iffue
two fons :. Ralph fecond Earl of Weftmore
land, and John who was killed at the bat
tle of Towton, I46i,—having_ married
Ann the widow of his nephew John Nevil,
by whom he had iffue Ralph the third
Earl of Weftmoreland.
2. Ralph, in right of Mary his wife,
JLord Ferrars of Oufly.
3. Maud, married to Peter Lord Mauley.
4. Alice, married to Sir Thomas Gray.
Aa 4 5. Phi-

$62 An Excursion to
S- Philippa, married to Thomas Lord
Dacres of Gilfland.
6. Margaret, married to the Lord
Scroope of Bolton.
7. Ann married to Sir Gilbert Umfre
viHe. 8. Margery, Abbefs of Barking in Elfex.
9. Elizabeth, a Nun.
By his fecond wife, Joan daughter of
John a Gaunt, Duke of Lancafter, and
fifter to th^e Duke of Exeter and Bifhop of
Winchefter, and half fifter of Henry the
Fourth, he had thirteen children,
r. Richard Earl of Salifbury, in right
of his 'wife, and father of Richard the fa
mous Earl of Warwick, John Marquis of
Montacute, and George Archbifhop of
York. 2. Wifliarri, in right of Joan his wife.
Lord Falconberg, and iafterwards created
Earl of Kent-^died 14(^2.
3. George Lord Latimer, which barony
was purchafed by his father, and fettled
on him. -
4. Edward Lord Abergavenny, in right
of his wife.
S. Robert, Bifhop of Durham. 6. Cuth*

the L AKE ^ 363
6. Cuthbert, 7 , , j. , . t .«•
,_ > both died without iflue,
7. Henry, 3 '
8. Thomas, in right of his wife, Lqrd
Seymore — died f. p.
9. Catherine, married Thomas Duke of
Norfolk. 10. Eleanor, married Henry Earl of
Northumberland. II. Anil, married Huiriphrey Duke of
Buckingham. 12. Jane, a Nun.
13. Cecely, married Richard Duke of
York, and was mother to King Edward
the Fourth.
In the year 14 14, the Earl of Weft
moreland was Warden of the Marches ;
— he died the twenty-firft of Gdober,
1425", and was buried in the choir of
Staindrop church, under a ftately tomb
of alabafter, whereon are the figures of
himfelf and both his wives, though the
firft was buried at Brancepeth.
Charles, the fixth and laft Earl of Weft
moreland, in the year 1570, forfeited an
eftate of the yearly value of thirty thou
fand pounds; — he fl-ed into Flanders, where

364 ^« E X C U.R S I O N /o
where he lived en a flender penfion al
lowed him by the King of Spain, aild
died in penury in the year 1584; when
the title became extind.
Of the family of Nevfls there were fix
Earls of Weftmoreland, two Earls of Sa
lifbury and War\vick, an Earl of Kent,
a Marquis of Montacute, a Duke of Bed
ford," Baron Ferrars of Oufly, Barons of
Latimer, and Barons of Abergavenny;
one Queen, five Duchefles, befides feveral
Baroneffes and Cbunteffes. — George Nevfl,
Bifhop of York, was of this family, who,
at his iriftallation about the year 1470,
gave a feaft, in which were four thoufand
woodcocks, four thoufand venifon pafties,
eight feals, and four porpoifes, dainties
of that time. — Hugh Nevil, alfo one of
this family, attended Richard the Firft in
the holy war, where he flew a lion.
In the appendix td tlie Honors of Rich
mond, is a fuccind talkie- of "the pedigree'
of the Nevfls,. which would crowd this
work to ad6pt hete.
Vanes. On falc of the forfeited eftates, thefe pof-

the LAKES. ^65
JJoffeflfions come into the family of the
Vanes, anceftors of the Earl of, Darling
ton, and many. privUeges were granted
them by the crown.— ^ King Charles, in
the fixteenth year of his reign, by grant
dated the twenty-fifth of March, gave to(iff39-)
Sir H.N Vane, infra Domin. five maner.
faura de Barnard Caftle. «
— ' Omla et fingula Bona Catalla & De
bit, omni. Tenent. ,&c. de parva Prodicoe
attind. Murdrator. Felon. &c.
— Efcapia 8c Evafiones tam Felon. 8cC.
— Retornia Omnia Brev. 8c procefs, 8cc.
-—Fines Redem cones, Amerciamen. 8c
Forisfadur. Sec.
— Wavia, Eftraetuer. 8c Theafaur. in
vent. •¦'
— Placit. omniu. Accompt. 8c Querelar
Dms non excedunt. 40 Lib.
— Cur. ad Pfita predld. tenend. 8c ter-
mlnand, — Plita de Bonis et Catalfis Replegiat.
— Cur. Lit. 8c vis Frank pleg.
— Cur. Hundred et AflTais.
— Lib. Warrejiam. -Po-

^66 An Excursion to
— Poteft. fubftituend. 8c nominand. Co-
ronatorem, 8cc.* . ,
*
Although I have already trefpaffed on
the reader's patience fo far on this fub-'
jed, yet it would be unpardonable neg
ligence, fhoiild I not give fome defcrip
tlon of this caftle, in its prefent ftate,
Defcnp. "pjjg outward wall enclofes near ten
tion of
the Oaf- acres, the ufe of which, in former times,
was for protedion of the cattle, ' when an
enemy was in the country; feveral lands
paying to this fortrefs a caftle guardrfee.
The inner caftle was defended by a deep
moat, and walls of .great ftrength ; in
the middle of which, wooden pipeis have
been laid for the fafe coiiveyance of wa
ter to different pofts of thc fortrefs : the
remains of thefe aquediids are very dif-
tinguilhable.— The part which owns the
Baliols for its founders, Is almoft totally
fallen ; it ftood oppofite the bridge, upon
which

* Letters pat. from Wm & M. (dated July 17., 1 W.
& M.) to Chr. Vane, Efq; whereby he grants to him
and the heirs male of his body, the office of Mafter and
Keeper of the Forefts and Chafes in the Lordfliip of
Barnardcaftle, and of the Foreft of Teafdale or Chace
of Marwood,

the LAKES. 367
which a fally port opens, defended with
in by a demlbaftion or half-moon. — The
front towards the river,, facing weft
ward, fhews the remains of the college,
of much more modern archltedure, the
windows being pointed in their arches. —
Here ^alfo were the principal apartments
of the caftle in the Duke of Gloucefter's
time, a bow window retaining his infig
nia, viz. a boar cut in relief. — In many
parts of the moft modern building in
this caftle, the boar was placed. — At the
north-weft point is a circular tower of
fine mafon work, the ftairs to afcend the
top of it channelled in the wall : — unde;r
this tower a vault remains, covered with
a rough arch laid without mortar, thirty
feet in diameter, unfupported by any
pillar — It is moft probable, when Richard
founded the college, that he added this
bulwark by way of citadel, at that time
of day impregnable, as it ftands on a
perpendicular cliff, one hundred feet and
upwards above the river.
The chapel is a wretched flovenly place church.
of worfhip ;t— of what antiquity, is not
known :

3^8 An Excursion to
known:* — in it is a ftone recumbent
effigy of Robert Morton, one of the
viearsf of Gainford, (plate, fig. i .) who
died about the beginning of the thir
teenth century. — The font is of rough
black marble, won in the river Tees,
near Athelftan Abby ; a large bafon, the
outfide of which is of an odagonal fi
gure, and ornamented with charaders
not yet decyphered by any antiquary. —
Gentlemen of that clafs are apt to puz zle

* Bibliotheca Harleiana, No. 433.
R. III. Warrants to pay to the Wardeyns of xht
Churche within the Lordfliip of Barnards-Caftelle 40 1,
towards the buylding y= faid Churche of the Kings
gift. '
Ibidem.
— (Orders, by) Warrant to pay to Sir John Slake
Preft 100 Marks for Beldings at Barnard Caftle. Yoven
at Lincoln the 17 daye 6i Oftobre ao primo (1483). -
Ibidem.
— Warrant to deliver 40 Marc, to Sir John Slake
Clerc. of y^ werks at Bernard-Caftelle. Yeven 18 Oflo-
bre. A° 2"°. (148 4.)
Bernard de Baillol gave by his charter, dated about
1170, to God and St Mary's Church at York, and the
the Monks ferving God there, this Chapel, with the
Churches of Gainford and Middleton, vyith their ap'
pur.tenances. — Vide Monaft. Angl. vol. i, page 393.
f Rob. de Morthin founded a chantery to the honour
of the Virgin Mary in the chapel of Barnardcaftle. To
this the Vicar of Gainford prefented, but always at the
noriiination of the Burgefles.

t

the LAKES. 3^9 >
ile their imaginations with abftrufe re-
fearches," and this holy veffel has exer
cifed that kind of paffion perfedly ; when
to a plain reader perhaps, thofe charac
ters, put together according to the vulgar
text, would form fome fimple monofyl-
lable, or monaftic diftich; — the inter
fperfed 'hieroglyphics or charaders bear
the uncanonical implication of the three
baptifms. Plate, fig. 3,
In this ' town is retained the cuftom of Cudonm
drelfing up a figure of Priapus on Mid-
fummer-day. — I remember, in another
part of this county, to have feen the fef
tival of Ceres celebrated : On the day the
reaping was finifhed, a figure near four
feet high, which they called the Harvefl
Doll, dreffed in all the colleded finery of
the village, carrying a reaping hook, was
borne into the field amidft the acclarna-
tions of the reapers, and placed thfere
whilft they performed their day's labour ;
after which the. effigy was brought back
in like manner, bearing a Iheaf of corn.
The evening' was concluded with a rural
feaft, called the Mell, with dancing and
mafques ;

37P An E X c.u R s I o N to
mafques ; and thbfe. more lecret rites of
Ceres, known to the antients.

Athel ftan

As we paffed from Barnard Caftle to
Abby. Athelflan Abbey,- we were fpedator^sof
thofe ruins made by the late inundations
of the river Tees, in the *5village of
Startforth. — The proprietors haVe not
rebuilt their habitations, many of them
yet retainiilg ' the dreadful marks of
"that vifitation. — By part of the bridge
giving- way, the floods were pourCd in
upon the habitations, and fwepf them
down, with the furniture and effeds of
the affrighted and flying inhabitants :
Their fufferings excited the charity of
thofe. of affluent fortunes and benevolent
minds ; and to the honour of our country
it is faid, the contributions almoft equal
led the lofs. . ,
Abby. We approached the ruins of Athelflan
Abbey, fituate On an eminence near the
river; — the walls are much difunited^
and juft ferve to diftinguifh that their
original form was a crofs. — The eaft win
dow remains perfed.^;: — Here are no uio-
numents or infcriptions. Authors

the. LAKES. 371
Authors have difagreed greatly about the
foundation of this place,— fome by mil^
take attribvting It to Gilbert de le Leya,
others to Ranulphus de Moulton, and
again others to Conan Earl of Richmond.
— It is probable from Its name, that it
was foungfei by Athelftan, in propitiation
for his crimes'* againft his brother, at or
near tlje thne he founded Middleton and
Michelhefs in Dorfet on that occafion ; —
he was -touched with fuch remorfe, that
in one of thefe religious houfes, he un-
derw|aat a feven years penance. — From
'^th^ arms- of the Fitz Hughs, on one fide
of the entrance into the' houfe, it appears
as if thai family had contributed to the
foundation. — By the inquifition taken up
on the diffolution, in the reign of Henry
the Eighth, the founding this abby is
attributed to William Lord Dacre. — It is
faid thefe poffeffions were derived from
the Moultons, and came into the family
of the Dacres in the reign of Edward the
%cond, by the marriage of Ralph Lord
Dacre, with Margaret, the daughter and
heirefs of Thomas de Moulton.* — This
B b ' was

* Ex Coiled. Ric. S. George Claren. Regis Arm.

372 An Excursion to
was an abby of the Prasmonftratentlans,
or White Canons. Dugdale cafls it, by
miftake, a priory, confounding it with
Eglefton, and Leland has the fame er
ror. — Great poffeffions were granted to
this abby by charter of John of Bri-
tany. Earl of Richmond, dated " in Craf-
tino inventionis S. Crucis Anno Gratis
MCCLXXV." for fix canons of that abby
to refide in the caftle of Richmond, there
to perform holy offices for the fouls of
him and Beatrix his wife.*
Rootty A little beyond this abby is the fine
bridge of one arch lately built over the
river Tees by Mr Morritt : — this ftruC
ture, arifing from rocks on each fide of
the river, has a ftriking appearance ; — •
the arch Is feventy-eight feet fix inches in
fpan, and its elevation above the furface
of the river is fifty^eight feet one inch.
Prof- Nothing can be more romantic than
^^'' '" the views from this bridge ; — the land is
rich, and ftocked with fine cattle ; the
river, in one continued cafcade, falls
within
* Honores de Richmond, 263 — 264.

the LAKES. 373
within a narrow channel of rugged rocks j
¦ — the banks are ovei'grown with oaks,
and form two auguft avenues, one termi
nated by the church and part of the town
of Barnard Caftle, the other by Rookby
Hall ; whilft on the foreground of this
beautiful landfcape, the folemn ruins of
the abby are happily difpofed. t
From thence we paffed to
ROOKBY HALL,
a beauciful modern buildina;, in the Ita- „ ,,
lian ftile, of veined free-ftone, ereded by "aii.
Sir Thomas Robinfon, the late proprietor.
This houfe Is placed in a fine level
lawn, furrounded with plantations, juft
at the conflux of the rivers Greta and
Tees : — the banks of Greta are laid out in
elegant walks, and covered with ftately
trees. Nature has beftowed vaft boun
ties on this fituation ; — one of the walks
is bounded, on one hand, by perpendi
cular rocks forty feet in height, covered
with the fpreading boughs of large oaks,
which impend from the fummits of the
cfiff; — on the other, the river, banked in
Bb 2 with

374 -^^ Excursion to
with hewn-ftone, falls from rock to rock
with hoarfe murmurs, where deep chal
drons are worn in the ftone by the in
ceffant rolling of flints moved by the
ftream, which give an uncommon agita
tion to the water. On the oppofite fhore,
lofty banks and rocks arife, planted with
various trees of different hues, fhade a-
bove fhade, and crowned with the an
tient tower of Morton. Nothing can ex
cel the noblenefs and folemnity of this
walk ; it is calculated for contemplation
and religious rhapfody : — every mind
muft feel the influence of the fcene,
and, forgetting the giddy engagements of
lighter pleafures, yield to fublimer Tenti-
ments ; difpofing itfelf to thofe ideas
which dignify the man, . by making him
an affociate for fuperior fpirits, in the
contemplation of the wonderful author
of thefe his works. — Near Rookby was
a Roman ftation ; the veftigia of the
camp are apparent in the mead behind
the George inn, on the fouth fide of thc
park. In thefe walks, and under thefe
fhades, the De^e Nymphas^ were invoked,
and the rites of Silvanus and Ceres wer*
once performed. — At the riling of the
hill,

the LAKES. 375
hill, from the gates leading into the park
from Greta Bridge, the old Roman way
appears perfed. — The ftation lays to the
fouth, being one hundred and forty paces
in length, and ninety in breadth, with
obtufe angles, on a league of land be
tween the river Greta and a fmall brook,
which has its confluence with that river at
fome few yards diftance. The Pretorium
is not now diftinguifliable, the interior
of the ftation having been ploughed. —
The fouth end is fortified by an outward
ditch, now twelve feet deep, a breaft
work, and platform ; the whole now be
ing about fourteen paces wide, from the
apparent foot of the vallum.
Rookby Hall is a repofitory of curio-
fities : — Sir Thomas Robinfon had a iine
tafte, and indulged it to a degree of pro
digality, of which this manfion' remains
a monument. — To thefe curiofities the
prefent owner has added one more valua
ble than afl the reft, — the needle-work
of his fifter, in which the paintings of
the greateft matters are rivall'd : — fhe has
the art of difpofing her threads in fuch
a mode, that at a little diftance even
B3 hu-

3^6 ./^M E X c V R s I 0 N /5
human figures fhew all the graces, the
teints, and beauties of the fineft paint
ings. — Here are many good portraits J
one in particular of Algernon Percy ; — a
fine pidure of Jupiter and Danae ; — a
conclave at St Peter's in Rome ; — ahd
feveral other pidures of profane hiftory.
In the Tufcan hall and mufaeum there
is a large colledion of antiquities, in
fculpture, ftatues, monuments, altars, vef
fels, and infcriptions ; — the whole would
make a volume in its colledion ; — but
as they are gathered from various quar
ters of the world, Egypt, India, Italy,
and many other foreign parts, as well as
thofe found in this country, it would be
inconfiftent with my plan to give a de
fcriptlon of any except thofe that are by
their locality made pertinent to the work.
In the drawings, I have fhewn fome of
the Roman veffels found in this ftation,
fome altars and infcriptions difcovered
here, and others brought from Naworth.
No. I. Cut on a rough pillar of the
ragftone, aboat feven feet high, and is
thus read : " Imperatoribus Dominis Nof-
" tris

«(

the LAKES. 377
tris Gallo & Volufiano Auguftus."—
This was found by the fide of the military
way here, and, as Mr Horfley has it, is
the only infcription in Britain that be
longed to thofe Emperors : — That which
was communicated to me by Mr Ifhmay,
found at Boulneffe, was not known then.
No. 2. — This was found near Rookby,
and is thus read : " Dese Nimphse Elaunse,
' Inebria et Junuaria filia Libentes ex
*' Voto folverunt." — Dr Gale conjedures,
that the Nymph Elauna was the divinity
of the river Lune, which has its conflu
ence with the river Tees a few miles a-»
bove this ftation. — The dedication to the
deities of rivers is well known to be a
cuftom with the Romans, and has been
a matter of debate in the fenate. The
foreft of Lune and its river may be pre
fumed to have been facred to, the Goddefs
Nymph, Elauna.
No. 3 — Was found at Morton, and is
read thus : " Elllnus beneficiarius con-
" fulls Provincise fuperloris Votum folvit
" libentiffim'e merito." — This is faid, by
Mr Horfley, to have been ereded by one
Ellinus, a penfionary of the conful, who
was of the upper province. — The upper
B b 4 part

378 An Excursion to
part of the infcription is effaced, but Mr
Horfley conjedures it was dedicated to
the Deas Nymphse.
No. 4 — was brought from Naworth,
and was Infcribed by one of the Dacians
to Jove.
No. 5 — was brought from Naworth.
No. 6 : — this was alfo brought from
Naworth. No. 7 : — the like : Infcribed by the firft
band of the Aelia Dacica.
No. 8 : — this infcription, cut on a rude
pillar of rag-ftone, was found near Caer
Leo], by the fide of the military way,
and is to the honour of Philip the Em
peror and his fon, who lived about the
year 248.
Explanations of the fecond Plate.
No. I and 5. — The preferlculum, ufed
in facrifice, to bear the wine, made of
red potter's earth.
2. — A glafs lacrimal.
3 and 4 — Domeftic veffels of red earth
glazed — ^one black.
6. — A lamp, of coarfe grey potter's
earth.
I o, 10,

the LAKES. 3,19
9, lo, and 12. — Sepulchral veffels — 12
being full of burnt bones and afhes.
1 1. — A preferlculum of grey pottery.
S. — The pillar of a font removed from
Athelftan Abby.
13. — A fingular tomb-ft,one removed
from the abby.
The profpeds from Rookby Park are
noble, though confined ; — to the weft,
the river falls by innumerable cafcades,,
through a rocky channel, and is feen for
the extent of a mile. — The rocks which
border the ftream and the declivities are
crowned with wood, forming a noble
avenue, terminated by the ruins of Athel
ftan Abby, which appears, folemnly em-
• bower'd, in a deep grove of oaks and
fycamores. — The rifing grounds, on each
fide of the river, confift of the riCheft
meads : — the view to the eaft, by the brink
of the ftream, confifts of level lawns,
fpreading forth a fequefter'd fcene, fhut
in, on one hand, by hills of cultivated
land, on the other, by rocks of a vaft
height overhanging the river, and fur
mounted by ftately oaks. We

5§o An Excursion to
We paffed over to
MORTON,
fituated on a lofty eminence oppofite to
"¦ Rookby ; — the great tower is a fine fquare
ftrudure of hewn ftone, with exploratory
turrets on the corners: — the reft of the
eredion is converted into a farm-houfe
and offices. The founder of this place
is not known ; — it appears to have been
a religious houfe, by the infcription on
the front. —
— Antiquaries have even differed about
this matter. — I remember to have feen an
account of this infcription in the Gentle
man's Magazine of the year 1 754, by a
writer under the fignature of Gemfegg,
who in the moft elaborate manner de
fined it, and proved it was a dedication
to God and St Columba. — How difficult
it muft have been to have gathered fuch
a reading from the moft legible charac
ters, and the ordinary diftich found in
fuch places!
Rookby and Morton were In very dlf^
tant ages the poffeffions of the Rookbies ;
Ro-

the LAKES. 38t
Robert de Rookby lived in the time of
the Conqueror. By an inquifition taken
in the fifteenth year of Edward the Firft,
it appears, that Alexander de Rookby
held of Bryan, fon of Alan of Richmond,
three carucates of land in Morton. — By
the arms and date on Morton tower, it
appears, that it was built in 1 166 by the
Rookbies. — In the inquifition taken of the
burnings and depreciations made by the
Scots in the time of Edward the Second,
we find Alexander de Rookby mentioned,
and Thomas de Rookby poffeffing three
carucates of land in Morton. — By the
rolls of parliament we fee, that in the
twelfth of Edward the Third, a grant of
various valuable poffeffions was made to
Thomas de Rookby, in confideration of
his fingular fervices againft the Scots. —
Morton was lately the poffeffion of the
Earl of Carlifle, into whofe family it
came by Lord William Howard's inter
marriage with the heirefs of the Dacres ;
— but how the Rookbies were divefted
of their title there, is not known. The
Earl fold Morton, with Athelftan Abby,
to Sir Thomas Pvobinfon, whofe family
had been in poffeflion of Rookby for feve ral

382 An Excursion, <^c.
ral generations, by virtue of the fale of
the Rookbies, which family is gone down
into obfcurity.
By the following infcription, on a ta
blet of white marble, placed by Sir Tho-
jnas Roblnf-^ on the outer gate of his
park, at the foot of Greta Bridge, the
hiftory of the pofleffions of his family is
given in a manner peculiar to himfelf.
Murum hunc
Qui inclufum Vivarium circundat
A latere Fluminis Gret« occidentali porrefluia
Anno Dom. 1723 incolavit
Annoq. 1730 abfolvit
Thomas Robinfon
Suse Gentis
(A Scotis olim Montanis orundse
Inde in Kendale in Weftmoria migrantis
Et hic Bomum confidentis)
Baronettus Primus
Sextufq. hujus domus de Rookby
Dominus.
We paffed from hence, by the elegant
new bridge over the Greta, and refted
from our travels. T H E E N D.

3 9002 01311

-S3