A Tour through Kent in 1735

( 267 ) A TOUR THROUGH KENT IN 1735. V. J. B. TOBR. INTRODUCTION. THE foUowing pages comprise the Kentish portion of a long tour undertaken on horseback by four Cambridge gentlemen through the greater part of England, early in the reign of George II, the record of which has fortunately been preserved (the original account having probably perished) among the valuable manuscript coUections of the industrious Cambridge antiquary, the Rev. WiUiam Cole, of King's CoUege, which are now among the Additional MSS. in the British Museum. This tour is of such varied interest in its picture of early Georgian England, that no apology need be offered for its appearance on the score of its comparatively modern date—in reality it was a long time ago and since then the great changes of the Industrial Revolution have transformed many parts of the country ; it should be remembered that the Camden Society devoted two volumes (No. 129 of series) to the publication of the English travels of Dr. Pococke, considerably later in the eighteenth century. The present tour should be read in conjunction with the weU known travels of a lady, Ceha Fienes, at the close of the preceding century, whose journal was printed over forty years ago under the title of Through England on a Side-saddle. The travels of the four gentlemen, which we may call the " Cambridge Tour," will, it is hoped, form an interesting prelude to an earher and more important journey through Kent of a Norwich lieutenant, exactly one hundred years before, which it is intended to print in the next volume of Archceologia Cantiana. The tour of 1735, whUe less minute than the other in its description of notable places, is nevertheless of value for its record of coUections of pictures in private houses, which 268 A TOUR THROUGH KENT. may in some cases have been subsequently dispersed, in part or whole; and for its notice of industries carried on in the Midlands before the invention of steam and the extensive employment of machinery. Apart from these considerations, the human touches which enhven the narrative cannot fail to hold the modern reader—touches which Cole, to whose enormous industry in copying things of interest which came into his hands we are indebted for the narrative, dubs " mere commonplace and trite observations," an opinion with which it is difficult at this distance of time to agree. His own preface to the tour, printed here with the rest, makes it unnecessary to treat of the persons who spent nearly three months on the road ; but the briefest indication of the route they foUowed through England may be acceptable. The account begins with their departure from London through Kent, as will be read hereafter, by an itinerary which is more interesting than the one followed by the lieutenant a century before. Too often, both in old days and now, travellers tend—either from considerations of safety or accommodation, or from lack of originahty—to stick to the main roads only. In the present case the diversion to Tunbridge Wells and the Medway valley journey to Rochester, as weU as the circuitous route from Canterbury to Dover, introduce many interesting places and observations which would have been missed had the Wathng Street been followed from London. From the point of their fareweU to Kent, near Rye, the four travellers made their way through Sussex to Winchester and Dorchester, and thence by devious ways to Bristol and Bath. From Oxford they struck northwards and westwards, by Worcester, Shrewsbury and Chester to Manchester, their most northerly point. The return was made by way of the Peak District, Nottingham, Peterborough and Huntingdon, Cambridge being reached once more on October 19th, 1735. Not a Httle of the interest of this long tour is derived from Cole's editorial notes which occur at intervals, though only one example will be seen in the Kentish section. These A TOUR THROUGH KENT. 269 paragraphs are found in quotation marks and are written in a refreshingly racy style which in its political comments is strikingly reminiscent of that of Dr. Johnson, who was, of course, Cole's contemporary. Nor are his outspoken opinions confined to politics : it will be seen from his preface to the journal that his opinion of its compiler, Whaley, was of the most unflattering description, and every now and then he rubs this in in his remarks. Thus at Stanmer in Sussex, Whaley having praised their host, aMr. Pelham, Cole remarks : " No doubt Mr. Pelham was a Wig, & treated him with French Claret & Venaison," and attributes his omission of any account of his host's house or of the portrait of his beautiful Persian wife, who it seems was already deceased, to the fact that " his Gutts & his Brains were so full of Venison & Whiggism, that he had no Room for any Thing besides." In other places he reminds us that Whaley was an " abandoned Character" and a " Rascal." Cole's definite views were expressed, under Woodstock, to the derogation of Marlborough, and, at Belvoir Castle, he speaks of the Marquis of Granby, son of his contemporary at Eton and Trinity CoUege, Cambridge, as having been a favourite of his, till " he spoke on the popular Side, in Favour of the factious & rebellious Americans," in May, 1775. Under Shrewsbury, it is interesting to meet a reference to Johnson himself, who said to one of two Cambridge dons conversing with him in London: " Sir ! You are a Young Man, but I have seen a great Deal of the World, & take it upon my Word & Experience, that where you see a Whig, you see a Rascal." I t was feared that such bluntness might make an awkward situation, " but they laughed it off, & were very good Company." Cole does not lose the opportunity of adding: " I have lived aU my Life among this Faction, & am in general much disposed to subscribe to the Doctor's Opinion, with some Softening " ; and that whatever may have been the merits of the Shrewsbury Whigs, they had at least one rascal in their company while Whaley was in that town. Cole's views were undeniably narrow in more than one respect, but it should not be forgotten that as an antiquary 270 A TOUR THROUGH KENT. he has left us much that is of value, and that, as before remarked, his industry was very great. He bequeathed his coUections to the British Museum, fearing that if they were made over to the care of the King's CoUege authorities, then whoUy obsessed with classical studies, they might as weU be thrown into a horsepond! Doubtless his own prejudices again played a part, but at least it is certain that his coUections would have been less carefuUy preserved in Cambridge then than would be the case to-day, and the greater accessibility of the British Museum to students has probably justified his actions. The orthography of the MS. of the tour seems to have been carefuUy copied by Cole, and has accordingly been equahy adhered to in this transcript, with the single omission of the copious underhning which is employed, without special or consistent purpose, and which is a hindrance to the eye in reading. The MS. is paginated in Cole's hand and fohated in pencil by the Museum authorities, page 244 corresponding to foho 122b and so on: but as references occur in places of the tour to numbers of pages, it has seemed better to keep to the original arrangement. I have included at the end an extract of the traveUers' accounts whUe they were in Kent, as being certainly of that interest two centuries later which Cole, writing subsequently, felt posterity might find in them. These accounts form the conclusion of the tour and have no separate total for Kentish expenses: this is accordingly supphed in brackets. ADD. MS. 5842, p. 244. A TOUR THRO' ENGLAND IN THE YEAR 1735. " THE following Journal was lent to me in 1775, by Mr. " Alderman Bentham of Cambridge, who married the only " Sister & Heir of Mr. Riste, one of the Party in the Expedition. " It is aU written in Mr. Whaley's Hand, who was the Writer of it, " & went as Tutor & Companion to John Dodd of SwaUowfield "in Barkshire Esqr. then a FeUow-Coffloner of King's CoUege " in Cambridge, where Mr. Whaley was then FeUow. Mr. Riste " went as Companion & Governor to Francis Shepheard Esqr . A TOUR THROUGH KENT. 271 " Son to Francis Shepheard of Exning in Suffolk Esq1. & then a " FeUow-Comoner of Clare-HaU, who died soon after his Return. " Altho' a great Part of the Journal seems to be mere comon-Place " & trite Observations, I shaU nevertheless transcribe the Whole, " as I find i t : & only add, that of aUthe Men I ever was acquainted " with, the Writer of this Journal was the most abandoned & " worthless, & the most unfit to be trusted with the Education " of a young Gentleman, whose Morals he was sure to corrupt: " as a Scholar, I suppose, he was no ways deficient. Mr. Dodd had " too much good natural Sense to be injured by such a Tutor, " whose Behaviour was too gross & indecent to be suffered in his " FamUy, after he was married ; & was accordingly soon after " disgracefuUy sent away. Mr. Shepheard was only a natural " ChUd, & of no very promising Parts, but of decent Address & " Carriage : his Death added greatly to the enormous Fortune of " his natural Cousin, Miss Frances Shepheard, natural Daughter " to Samuel Shepheard of Botesham in Cambridgeshire Esq1. " now Lady Viscountess Irwin ; a Lady of uncomon Accomplish- " ments both by Nature & Education." Monday July 28. 1735. J.D.—F.S.—G.R.—J.W. set out from London, came through Lambeth, CamberweU & Peckham to Lewisham four MUes from thence to Dinner at Bromley, where there was a Cock-Match, 10 MUes from thence, thro' Farnbury, over Madam's Court HiU1 (from which is a most deUghtfuU bounded Prospect) to Sevenoak. Lambeth. Here we saw the Palace of the A3P. in which is a stately HaU, a very pretty Library, & Pictures of most of the A5PS. particularly one very fine one of Juxon, Successor to Laud, taken after he was dead. Now, contrary to the Rules of the Church, we hastned from Lambeth. Bromley. Here is a Palace of the Bp. of Rochester, on whom King Edgar conferred the Manor A: D : 700. Here also is an Hospital for 20 poor Widows, who have an AUowance of 201 1 A corruption of Morants Court, in Chevening. This is the fine hill where the North Downs bend northward at the break of the Darent Valley. The old main road from London to Sevenoaks, still a by-road, went through Pratts Bottom and Knockholt Pound. I am indebted to the local knowledge of my friend, Capt. H. W. Knocker, for the information that the present high road, E. of Halsted, is not a by-road converted, but an early nineteenth century work, to avoid the steeper gradient for coach traffic. 272 A TOUR THROUGH KENT. each p An. & a Chaplain, who has 501 p An, being the Donation of the Founder, Dr. John Warner, BP. of Rochester. Market on Saturday. Lewisham, a Place famous for several great Meetings, viz : of the Emperor of Constantinople, by K. Henry 4. in 1413 ; of Anne of Cleves by Henry [8.] in 1539 ; of Henry 5. when he came out of France 1410 : Of the Emperor Sigismond 1416 : & K. Edward 4. 1474, by the Mayor, Aldermen & Citizens of London in then Robes ; of the Admirals of France & BP. of Paris, by the Lord Admiral of England, & 500 Gentlemen ; & of Cardinal Campejus1 (who came from Rome to hear a Cause of Divorce of Harry 8. from Q. Ann " sic ") by the Duke of Norfolk, & many Prelates & Gentlemen. Here are 2 Free-Schools, one for Latin, another for Enghsh, founded by Mr. Abraham Coif, formerly Mayor of this Place, of which the Company of Leather SeUers, London, are Governors. July 29. Sevenoak,2 is a clean, smaU Town, with a very pretty Free-School & Aims-House [p. 245] in i t : from hence we went to Knowle 1 MUe; to Tunbridge Town 6 MUes, & from thence to Tunbridge WeUs 5 Miles. Near Sevenoak on the left Hand, in a Vale, is a pretty Brick House of David PoUhU's Esq1, at Chipstead, on the right, a good House, on a HiU, of Sir Henry Fermour's. Knowle in Kent is the Seat of his Grace Lionel Cranfield SackviUe, Duke of Dorset & Earl of Middlesex, at present Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Next to Audley End House, it is the largest & most regular old Stone BuUding I have yet seen in England ; & in it, one compleat magnificent Apartment, fitted up in the modern Taste, of a Salon, a long GaUery, & a State Bed Room. In the Salon is a very fine Picture of Sir Edward SackviUe, by Vandyke, who was afterwards made Earl of Dorset, but made much greater to Posterity, by his famous Duel with the Lord Bruce, whom, after a long doubtfuU Struggle, he kUl'd near Antwerp. In the same Room is a very good Picture of that great 1 See the paper on Campeggio's progress through Kent at an earlier date than the divorce, in the present vol. of Arch. Oant. 2 The final " s " is of comparatively modern introduction, like the " o " of Meopham and the " p " of Lympne. Note also the uniform spelling in this MS. of Twnbridge Town equally with the Wells, the contrary being again a modern distinction. Evelyn in his Diary writes Bromley also with a " u " ; the traditional pronunciation of this place seems failing nowadays, but " Teeson " (infra) holds its own. A TOUR THROUGH KENT. 273 Wit, & Poet, Charles Earl of Dorset, by KneUer : & another exceeding good Peice by Wooton, representing Dover Town & Chff, with the Entry of the present Duke thither, to take his Oath of Office, as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. In the GaUery are copies, tho' I think, very indifferent ones, of the Cartons at Hampton Court. A good Picture of Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester : one of Howard, Earl of Surrey, who was beheaded in Harry 8. Time : & one of K. James, 1. in which the Painter seems to have taken pecuhar Care to express that Mixture of Meanness & Pedantry, of which his Soul was composed. The Park of Knowle is exceeding fine, about 9 MUes round, cut into beautifuU Ridings, & affording, in many Places, most deUghtfull Prospects. Tunbridge, or the Town of Bridges ; so caUed, because here the River Medway branches itseh into 5 little Streams, over each of which is a Bridge of Stone. Here is a Free School erected by Six Andrew Judd of London, & a Causey in the Road to London by Mr. John Wilfred. Five MUes South of Tunbridge are the WeUs, of which I will only say, that if by the Waters here Health may be restored, by the Diversions Time may be perfectly lost. July 30, in the Afternoon we left Tunbridge WeUs to those, who had less Health, or more Money than ourselves ; pitying the first, & despising the latter. We returned to Tunbridge, from thence went thro' 2 smaU ViUages, Hadlow & East-Peckham, to Mereworth, 7 Miles from Tunbridge Town. Within hah a Mile of Mereworth, on the right Hand, as wee rode along, wee saw an old House1 belonging to Sir Wm. Twisden, & on the left, a genteel new House of Mr. Masters of Yote-Place, who has a FamUy Vault in the Church Yard of Mereworth. At 8 in the Evening we came in Sight of Mereworth Castle, the Seat of Fane Lord Catherlough : as we could not see that, & reach Maidston the same Night, rather than miss the Sight, we resolved to hazard our Ease, for our Improvement; & took up with a very indifferent Inn, or rather Ale-House, within Sight of my Lord's House. Here we seemed in the State of the rich Man, who rolling in HeU, had a Prospect of Heaven, without being able to enter i t ; & the Bason before his Lordship's House, seemed the great Gulf that was fixed between them. Not that our Case was exactly pareUel either of Dives, or Lazarus : for we had Victuals & Drink enough ; but, contrary to the Proverb of Rest, but no 1 Roydon Hall, the famous seat of the Twisdens, in East Peckham. 22 274 A TOUR THROUGH KENT. Abiding, wee here had Abiding, but no Rest. After a hearty Breakfast at the Publick House, we proceeded to the Nobleman's to feed our Eyes ; & here indeed they were weU content to be kept open, where they met with a perfect Novelty ; an ItaUan House in England ; a British Gentleman's Dwelling, fitted to keep off Heat from the People under the Line. Notwithstanding the Variance of the House with the Climate, it is a sweet Place, situated in the Middle of a Mote: in the North Front a large Bason ; in the South a large Canal, the View terminated by a Theater of HiUs & Wood ; on the West Front a View into the Country ; on the East, a very large Bowling Green ; North of that a large Kitchin Garden ; South, a fine Wood, cut into Walks, & a Cherry Orchard, & descending Terras aU within the Gardens. In the North Front of the House are very good Stables, & opposite to them the Church, in which is the burying Place of the Earls of Westmorland ; a large Monument of the Baroness Despencer & Burwash, Daur to the Lord Abergavenny, & Wife of Sir Tho : Fane of BadseU in Kent; a Monument also of Sir Tho : NeveU, CounceUor to K. Henry 8. who died 1514.1 For a fuU Description [p. 246] of this House, See the Architecture of Colin CampbeU Esqr. who designed it. July 31. Our Alehouse at Mereworth we freely left, & proceeded for Maidston 7 MUes from thence. In our Way thither, we passed thro' a smaU, but very pleasant ViUage, caUed Wattlebury,2 where is a tolerable good built House belonging to Sir Tho : Styles. At another Village, caUed Teeson, is a pretty House of Sir Philip Butler's. About 12, we got to Maidstone, where we dined. No Curiosities we saw here. It was Assize Time. This Town is a Corporation of a Mayor & 12 Jurats, sends 2 Members ; the present John Finch Esqr. & Horsenden Turner. One of its Members of last Parliament was John Hope, a Butcher, who, at his Election gave the Butchers who voted for him, SUver Handles to their Steels. Its Trade Hops, & Thread. From Maidstone we came the same Evening, thro' Sandling, over Aylesford or Boxley HiUs, to Rochester, 8 MUes. From Aylesford HiU is a most dehghtfuU & extensive View of a flat, woody Country, & the River Medway. We rode between Hop 1 An error for 1642. The monument in question is a brass, fortunately preserved from the earlier church at Mereworth. See Griffin and Stephenson, p. 142. 2 Wateringbury. A TOUR THROUGH KENT. 275 Grounds & Cherry Orchards most Part of the Way from Tunbridge to Rochester, & came to the Crown Inn there in the Evening July 31. Rochester, situated on the Banks of the Medway, over which is a very fine Stone Bridge of 11 large Arches, is stiU caUed a City, & its Church a Cathedral; but it has Nothing but its Charter to prove the first, & its Chapter the latter. Its See was founded by Ethelbert, King of Kent A : D : 604, contains a smaU Part of Kent, 181 Parishes. The Castle is said to have been buUt by Wm. the Conqueror, & was formerly in the Constableship of the Arch BP. of Canterbury. It has sent Burgesses to Parhament ever since the 26 Edw:4. is at present governed by a Mayor, 12 Aldermen, a Recorder, 12 Comon-CouncUl Men, a Town Clark, & 3 Serjeants at Mace. It's present Members are Admiral Haddock, & David PolhUl Esqrs. The Cathedral is very old & mean. In a Chapel dedicated to S*. Wm. on the North Side of the Choir, are 3 Monuments; one of John Warner, BP. of Rochester; one of John Lee Warner, Archdeacon of Rochester ; one of Lee Warner Esq*, his Son: as also one erected by Merton CoUege 1598, in Honor of their Founder, Walter de Merton, ChanceUor of England, & BP. of Rochester, who died 1277. It was destroyed almost in the Rebellion, & restored by the CoUege 1662. Here is a good handsome Town HaU : in it are the Pictures of K.W. & Q.M.2 of Sir Jos : WiUiamson, Plenipotentiary at the Peace of Ryswyck ; Sir Tho : Colby ; Sir John Jennings ; Sir Cloudesley Shovel; Sir Stafford Fairborn; Sir Tho : Palmer, & Sh John Lake, aU Members for the City. There is also a very good Picture of an old Man, whose Name was Richard Watts, & who was Town Clark of Rochester. Being at one Time apprehensive of Death, he sent for a Proctor to make his WiU, who contrived it so, as to have aU devised to himself : but Watts recovering, detected the Cheat, & at his Death, buUt an Hospital for the Poor of the Parish, & in it ordered Lodging every Night for 6 poor travelling Men, not contagiously diseased, Rogues, nor Proctors, & to have 4d. every Morning. Here is also a Free School founded by Sir Jos : Williamson for Mathematieks. Chatham, anciently the Seat of the illustrious FamUy of the Crevequers, but forfeited to the Crown by Hamon de Crevecosur, 1 This astonishing under-estimate will fit neither the diocese nor rural deanery of Rochester, as they were then ; even " 81 " would be too little. 2 King William n i and Queen Mary II. 276 A TOUR THROUGH KENT. joyning in RebeUion with Simon de Montfort Earl of Leicester against Henry 3. The Dock for the Navy Royal was first settled here by Q. Ehzabeth ; to which her Successors have made such Improvements, that it is now reckoned the most compleat Arsenal in the World. Wee here saw the Royal Sovereign, a first Rate, which can carry 110 Guns, & 1050 Men. It is by the Keel 150 Feet long, & from the TaffriU to the Outside of the Lion is 214 Feet in Length. It is 52 Feet broad, 63 Feet high, & draws 24 Feet Water. We saw the Union, a 2d. Rate, 90 Guns, 900 Men. The Nassau, a 3d. Rate, 70 Guns, 450 Men. The Cambridge, a 3d. Rate, 80 Guns. The Greenwich, a 4th. Rate, 50 Guns. We staid aU the first Day of August at Rochester. Aug: 2. We left Rochester, came thro' Chatham, over Chatham HiU, & had a fine [p. 247] Prospect of the River for 4 MUes. We came thro' a ViUage, caUed Raynham, the burial Place of the Tufton's, Earls of Thanet, & another, caUed Newington, a Roman Station, to Sittingborn, 11 Miles, where we dined ; & then came thro' a very pleasant Country, & over Bocton HiUs, from whence we had a beautifuU Prospect of the River & Sea, by Sheerness, to the City of Canterbury, 26 MUes from Rochester. Aug : 3. We came to the King's Head in Canterbury, where the Cook of the Inn did us the Honour to take us for Mountabanks, George Riste being the Doctor. The old Durovernum, Canterbury, is a City of great Antiquity, & said to have been built 903 Years before Christ. It's a Town & County of itseh, by Charter, 26. Hen : 3. consisting of a Mayor, Recorder, 12 Aldermen, a Sherif, 24 Comon CouncU Men, a Sword Bearer, & 4 Serjeants at Mace. It has 14 Churches, besides the Cathedral. The Cathedral is the most magnificent one I have seen, & very particular, in being composed of a Mixture of Roman & Gothic BuUding. The Choir is extremely neatly wainscoted. Behind it are the Tombs of Henry 4th. & his Queen, & Edward the Black Prince, & a great many more than can be mentioned in a Journal; but one that cannot be passed by, which is Nicholas Wotton, first Dean of this Church, so constituted by Hen : 8. 1541. He is represented kneeling on a Tomb, praying at an Altar : the Figure is white Marble, extremely weU executed, but the Head, which is said to have been done in Rome, is masterly beyond Expression; & aU the PUlars, Festoons, & other Decorations of the Altar & Tomb, are in a very charming Taste. A TOUR THROUGH KENT. 277 Aug : 3. Sunday, we spent at Church, & in waUcing about Canterbury. On Monday Aug : 4. we took a Coach & 4, & went with a very honest Clergyman1 to his little Vicarage House in the Isle of Thanet, where we went into the Dove House, killed a Dozen Pigeons, pluckt them, spitted 'em, roasted 'em & eat them ourselves : nor did the Vicar's Wife save her Bacon : for we found a fine Ham, out of the Mddle of which we cut several Shoes & broiled 'em; took a Cup of good brown Ale, & a Glass of good Florence : & thus we dined with less Grandeur, but more Freedom than a Duke. From the Vicarage of Monkton we went to Queax, a good old Seat of Mr. Wyatt; a Quarter of a Mile from which, in a Walk, is an Arbour in a Tree, from which is a most dehghtfuU View of the Sea, & the Island of Shepey. On a HUl, 2 Miles from hence, near Minster Windmill, is the most extensive Prospect of Land & Sea I ever saw. On the South is a Prospect of Sandwich, Deal, & the Downes: East2 we see Margate, Shepey, & the Coast of Essex : over the Downes we could see the Chalk Chffs of Calais. " By the By, there are no Chalk Cliff[s] at Calais, which is a " flat, sandy Shore : the Cliffs of Boulogne are high & chalky. " The Altar before which Dean Wotton kneels is a Desk, or Prie- " Dieu : an Altar is a flat Table : this is a declined Desk with a " Book on it. What he says of Rochester has many Mistakes " in it, as also in other Places, which is too troublesome to " particularize. Wm. Cole. June 23. 1775. Milton near Cam- " bridge." Aug : 5. We went to the Races on Barham Downes, about 4 Miles from Canterbury, and lost some Hours in staring at some Hundreds of People, as idle, & foolishly employed as ourselves. In the Evening we went to the Assembly, where indeed we did not hke the Room so weU as the Company, which was very good : Lord Winchelsea, Sh Edward Dering, Lord Romney, Sir James Grey, Sir Tho: D'Aeth, Sir Wm. KnatchbuU, cum multis ahis. There are many French & WaUoon FamUies in Canterbury, whose Manufacture is Silk, about 500 Looms being employed in it there. Aug : 6. We left Canterbury, & came, thro' a Village caUed Littlebourn, to Wingham, in which Parish is Dean-House, the Seat of Sir George Oxendon : a good old House, & in it many 1 Peter Vallavine, LL.B., Vicar of Monkton, 1729-67 (ob.) (Hasted, fol. ed. IV, 314). 2 An error for " North." 278 A TOUR THROUGH KENT. good Pictures, particular-[p. 248]ly a very fine one of Christ disputing with the Doctors, in Water Colours : & another in Oyl, of the Roman Slave pulling a Thorn out of his Foot. From hence we went (in View of a good old House of Sir Tho: D'Aeth's, at Knolton) to Waldeshare, the Seat of the Furnesse's ; a very good House, very weU furnished. In the HaU is a capital Picture of Liberality & Modesty, by Guido. Had we seen nothing but this one Picture in our Journey, our Labour had been overpaid. There is a fine GaUery next the Garden, very weU furnished with Pictures, with which, according to the laudable Custome of England, the Housekeeper was quite unacquainted. But the Top, I think, of them, was, a Representation of the Pictures in the Duke of Tuscany's GaUery, by David Teniers, 1651 : among which is Esther & Ahasuerus by Paulo Veronese ; S*. Catharine, by Raphael; a dead Christ, by Caracci;. 2 Women's Heads, by Palma, vecchio ; Mary & Ehzabeth, by Ditto, Woman caught in Adultery, by Titian. Here is a fine Park, & large Gardens. At the Top of the Park, is a very fine Belvidere, with a wide Prospect both of Land & Sea. It is a square, white Buildmg ; its Height 80 Feet, but unfinished. We came this Evening to the King's Head in Dover. Aug : 7. we passed in Dover, Dubris Portus, a very ancient Town, & one of the Cinque Ports : it is situate on the Sea Shore, & has a fine Harbour, in the Form of a Crescent, round which the Town is buUt, under 2 very high HiUs ; on the North of which is a very eminent Castle, said to be buUt by Jul: Caesar,1 for an Account of which Dr. Stukeley is to answer rather than me. The Duke of Dorset, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, is Constable of it. We there saw a Brass Canon, which was presented to Qu: Elizabeth by the States General, which is 24 Feet, 2 Inches long, & wUl carry 24 Pounds of Powder. The Date of its Make, Utrecht, 1544. There is a WeU in it 350 [feet] deep. On the South Side of Dover, about half a Mile distant from the Town, is the famous Cliff, a Description of which, those who have not seen it, but read Shakespeare's Description of it, do not want, & those who have not read it, don't deserve. It is a Town corporate, & sends Members to Parliament, elected by the 1 This singularly uncritical idea is the same tradition as reported by the lieutenant a century before, and probably refers to the townsmen's belief of the age of the actual buildings, rather than of Cffisar having been their first founder. A TOUR THROUGH KENT. 279 Freemen. Its present Members are . . -1 Revel, & David PapiUon, EsqrB. It had formerly 7 Churches, has now but 2, S*. Mary's, & S*. James's. From aU Parts of it, we had a fair View of the Cliffs of Calais, & the Coast of France, but had rather have seen Dover from them. Aug: 8. We went from Dover to Deal, thro' a ViUage caUed Ringwold, & another caUed Warmer, in which Parish, by the Sea Side, within a MUe of Deal, is a Castle buUt by Henry 8. very pleasantly situated on the Sea Shore, but, I beUeve, of Uttle Use at present to any one but Lord Middlesex, who is Governor of it. There is another Castle at Deal, & another about a MUe North of it, caUed Sand Down, buUt by Henry 8. Deal is a large Town, but has nothing worth seeing about it, but its Sea, which is caUed the Downes, & is a Road much frequented by Merchant-Men, & Ships of War. We returned to Dover this Night, & about 2 MUes from Deal had a Prospect of Sandwich, about 4 MUes from Deal, which is another of the Cinque Ports, a Corporation, & sends Members to Parliament. Its present Members are, Sir George Oxenden, & Josiah Burchett, Esqr. Between Warmer & Deal, Dr. Stukeley thinks, is the Spot where Csesar landed in his first Expedition. Aug: 9. We left Dover, & came along the Sea Side to FoUistone, 7 MUes, a Market Town, & Corporation, probably the Lapis TituU of the Romans, but the worst that ever was seen. From hence we went along the Beach, passed Sandgate Castle, built by Henry, 8. to Hithe, which is another smaU Corporation, the Portus Lemanus of the Romans, as also a Cinque Port: its present Members, Hercules Baker, & George GlanvUle, Esqrs. 11 MUes from Dover. From hence we went thro' a ViUage, caUed Dinchurch, to New-Romney, another Corporation, & Cinque Port. Its present Members, Stephen Bisse, & David PapiUon Esqrs. It has a very large, neat Church, & an handsome Altar Peice & Organ, given by Sir Henry & Rob : Furnese. From hence we came thro' Lydd over the Sands, & cross Rye Harbour, when the Tide [p. 249] was ebbing. To Rye 33 MUes from Dover we had Dungeness Point in View from Romney to Rye. (p. 269) " At the End of the Book is an Account of the Expences for " the Journey, which for 4 Gentlemen, & probably 2 Servants, 1 Thomas Revel, M.P. for Dover, 1734-54 (Hasted, fol. ed. IV, 96). 280 A TOUR THROUGH KENT. " at least one, with their Horses, at about 10s . for each Person a " Day, with Money given to see Places, seems to be very reason- " able, & would not be so easy at this Time. Whaley, who loved " good Eating & Drinking more than any Person I remember, " must also have inflamed the BiUs considerably on his Account. " It may be a Curiosity some Time hence, & therefore I will " transcribe it. It is aU written in Mr. Riste's Hand, who was, " probably Purse Bearer on the Journey, & paid the BiUs, as he " was an (Economist, & a good Accountant, & being one of the " most exact Men, made the Company sign the Accounts twice ; " once at Judge Denton's at HiUersden, who was Mr. Dodd's " Guardian, & afterwards when they came Home." July 26. Paid for 3 Books, & a Map, for the Journey 0. 7. 6- Paid a Coach, with the Portmanteaus to Mr Shepheard's 0. 2. 6. July 28. Paid the Expence of the first Day 2. 5 . 9 . 29. at Sevenoake & Duke of Dorset's 2. 3 . 1 0 . 30. at Tunbridge WeUs •. 4. 0. 4. 31. at Lord Catherlough's, Inn, &c 3. 1. 3. 12. 1. 2. (p. 270) 12. 1. 2. August 1. & 2. Paid at Rochester 4. 6.10. The same Day, being wet, at Sittingbourn, to Canterbury ' 0.13. 4. Aug : 3. 4. 5. & 6**. at Canterbury 10. 5.11. Aug : 7. 8. & 9. at Deal, Dover & Romney 7.16.10. [35. 4. 1.] [This account was settled and signed by aU four gentlemen twice, first at HiUersden near Buckingham, Sept. 17 or 18—the account differs from the journal, whose " 18 " is probably correct —and secondly at Cambridge, Oct. 20, 1735.]