Celia Fiennes

Each of those women would justify a biographical sketch in their own right. But I want to end this series of stories with a nod to the first, that of the pilgrim nun Egeria. Nothing inspires the unquiet spirit like travel and few have travelled better, or written about their journeys with more purpose, than Celia Fiennes (1662–1741).

To the Reader

…Now thus much without vanity may be asserted of the subject, that if all persons, both Ladies, much more Gentlemen, would spend some of their tyme in Journeys to visit their native Land, and be curious to Inform themselves and make observations of the pleasant prospects, good buildings, different produces and manufactures of each place, with the variety of sports and recreations they are adapt to, would be a souveraign remedy to cure or preserve ffrom these Epidemick diseases of vapours, should I add Laziness? – it would also fform such an Idea of England, add much to its Glory and Esteem in our minds and cure the evil Itch of overvalueing fforeign parts…¹⁸

So runs the opening of Celia Fiennes’ s collection of her travel journeys, completed in 1702 and which, she says disingenuously, she never meant to be read. Celia is not an important historical personage; so far as we know she had little effect on her contemporaries, was not widely read until 150 years after her death and was not a ‘great’ writer. She owned some land with a salt mine on it; she left some baubles in her will; she has only recently found her way into the Dictionary of National Biography (2004). For social historians and historical geographers, however, her journals are a gold mine.

Celia stands out for the brilliance of her observation, for her unaffected conversational style, her opinionated views and her sheer chutzpah in riding side-saddle, often accompanied by two servants, through every county in England over a period of more than two decades – at a time when few men would have embarked on such a feat.

She was born in Newton Tony in Wiltshire in 1741, the daughter of one of Cromwell’s colonels. She was Whiggish by temperament, solidly Anglican, unsentimental, all for the new and down with the old; a staunch supporter of William III and Mary. She breezed through towns, villages, great houses and manufactories; poured scorn on idlers and nature, loved neat, tidy streets, gardens, fine spa springs – her favourites were those at Bath and at Tunbridge Wells – and good beer. No highwayman, rutted track, ill-mannered wifey or injury put her much out of countenance. Where her contemporary, Daniel Defoe, rode on a mission to watch for signs of sedition, Celia travelled for pleasure and for her constitution. She and the pilgrim Egeria would have got along splendidly. After her move to reside in London in 1691 she may have known Mary Astell, although their views on philosophy and monarchy are unlikely to have endeared them to one another.

In this first excerpt from her diary she approaches the fen-island town of Ely in East Anglia, on a 1698 tour that would take her as far north as Newcastle. Her boyish curiosity and love of numbers, weights and measures, her dry wit, eye for detail and sleeves-rolled-up pragmatism are on unashamed display:

All this while Ely minster is in one’s view at a mile distant you would think, but go, it is a Long 4 miles. A mile distant from the town is a Little Hamlet from which I descended from a steep hill and so Cross a bridge over water which Enters into the Island of Ely, and so you pass a flatt on a Gravel Causey which way the Bishop is at the Charge to repaire Else there would be no passing in the summer. This is secured by some dikes which surround more grounds as the former, full of Rows of trees and willows round them which makes Ely looke finely through those trees, and that stands very high. In the winter this Caussey is over flowed and they have no way but boates to pass in. They Cut peate out of some of these grounds.

At this bridge is a gate, but by reason of ye great raines the roades were full of water, even quite to the town which you ascend a very steep hill into, but the dirtyest place I ever saw, not a bitt of pitching in the streetes, so its a perfect quagmire the whole Citty, only just about the palace and Churches the streetes are well enough for breadth, but for want of pitching it seemes only a harbour to breed and nest vermine in of which there is plenty Enough, so that tho’ my Chamber was near 20 Stepps up I had froggs and slow worms and snailes in my Roome, but suppose it was brought up wth the faggotts. But it Cannot but be infested with all such things being altogether moorish ffenny ground which Lyes Low: it is true were the Least Care taken to pitch their streetes it would make it Looke more properly an habitation for human beings and not a Cage or nest of unclean Creatures. It must needs be very unhealthy tho’ the natives say much to the Contrary which proceeds from Custom and use, otherwise to persons born in up and dry Countryes it must destroy them Like Rotten sheep in Consumptions and Rhums.¹⁹

She is more admiring of Ely’s cathedral (founded by St ?thelthryth^π in 673), with its unique fourteenth-century lantern…

The Lanthorn in the quire is vastly high and delicately painted and fine Carv’d worke all of wood, in it the bells used to be hung, five, the dimention of the biggest was so much when they rung them it shooke the quire so and the Carv’d worke that it was thought unsafe, therefore they were taken down. Its 80 odd steps to the top of the Lanthorn and 160 steps round in Compass.

Celia was equally interested in the engineering marvels of her day, as a visit to Lyme Regis shows. She described it as

…A seaport place open to the main ocean, and so high and bleake Sea, that to secure the Harbour for shipps they have been at a great Charge to build a Mold from the town with stone like a halfe Moon, which they call the Cobb; its raised with a high wall and this runns into the Sea a good Compass [so] that the Shipps rides safely within it, when the tide is out we may see the foundations of some part of it – that is the tyme they looke over it to see any breach and repaire it immediately, else the tide come with so much violence would soone beate it down – there is some part of it low and only is to joyne the rest to the land, and at high water is all Cover’d of such a depth of water that shipps may pass over it to enter the Cobb or halfe moone, which is difficult for fforeigners to attempt, being ignorant…²⁰

Celia has much to say about regional customs; about garden plants and the furnishings of grand houses; about the burning of coal, wood or dung in people’s fires; their economy – spinning, weaving, husbandry, milling, the mining of coal and ores; about the sorts of fish that might be caught and sold in the regions, and their prices; about the cost of goods and the comfort or otherwise of the many inns in which she stays. She seems to have had relatives in several counties and takes advantage of her family name to visit many a country seat. In Dorset, after a visit to Bridport, she rode

…thence to Woolfe 4 miles to a relation – Mr Newbery a man of many whymseys – would keep no women servants – had all washing, Ironing dairy and all performed by men – his house look’s like a little village when you Come into the Yard – so many little buildings apart from each other – one for a stillitory – another for out houses and offices, another long building for Silk wormes, and thee dwelling house is but mean…²¹

In buildings, she prefers brick and stone and lofty ceilings to low timber houses.

…In most parts of Somersetshire it is very fruitfull for Orchards, plenty of apples and peares, but they are not Curious in the Planting the best sort of fruite which is a great pitty, being so soone produced and such quantetyes, they are likewise as Careless when they make Cider – they press all sorts of Apples together, else they might have as good Cider as in any other parts, even as good as the Herrifordshire – they make great quantetyes of Cider, their presses are very large, so as I have seen a Cheese as they call them which yeilded 2 hoddsheads – they pound their apples, then lay fresh straw on the press, and on that a good lay off Pulp of the apples, then turne in the ends of the straw over it all round and lay fresh straw, then more apples up to the top.²²

Celia has disappointingly little to say about women, unless it is a personal acquaintance. Even then her usual preoccupations apply, but the throwaway detail is marvellous. At Malton, in the old East Riding of Yorkshire, she observes

There was one Mr Paumes that marry’d a relation of mine Lord Ewers Coeheiress who is landlady of almost all the town. She has a pretty house in the place. There is the ruins of a very great house which belonged to the family but they not agreeing about it Caused thee defaceing of it. She now makes use of the roomes off the outbuildings and gate house for weaving and Linning Cloth, haveing set up a manuffactory for Linnen which does Employ many poor people. She supply’d me with very good beer, for the Inn had not the best.²³

Celia Fiennes’s account of her travels is the first social geography of England by a woman and with all its charms, idiosyncrasies and prejudices, leaves us with a unique portrait of a country and of the life of a gentlewoman on the eve of the Industrial Revolution. She rides the same trail of wanderlust and unquiet curiosity as her forbears, the pilgrims; but while they may have trusted in God to protect them, Celia Fiennes also relied on the solid virtues of a good horse, common sense and a full purse.

^* Windsor: Royal Collection.

^† See page 34.

^‡ Naples: Capodimonte.

^§ Florence: Palazzo Pitti.

^# Florence: Uffizi.

^∫ Pommersfelden: Schloss Weißenstein.

^Ω See page 162.

^≈ A society of primarily English women of education and intellect, led by the hostess Elizabeth Montagu (1720–1800).

^∂ Exactly a hundred years before the death of Mary Wollstonecraft and the birth of her daughter, the future Mary Shelley.

^π See page 59.