Sunday 25 May 1834
Good one last night
Fine morning Fahrenheit 58 at 9 20/60 - breakfast at 9 1/2 - all walked to church - there at 11 1/4 in 35 minutes - a small modern building, more like a Methodist meeting house than an established church - only 2 pews the squire's and parson's - the rest benches - warm with walking and asleep almost the whole service - reading the litany on our arrival - congregation of farmers and neat cottagers perhaps from 50 to 70 - singing without music fair enough
Walked from the church to the hall some fine beech and balm of Gilead? fine timber near the house - or silver firs? - Mr. Morritt and his 2 nieces in London - so could not see the interior of the house - only 4 men to keep the grounds in order, too few, and nothing well kept - Had we come from Martin's Inn (built by colonel Craddock) in opposition to Chambers, the Morritt Arms, we should not have been allowed to see the Rokeby grounds - Martin had behaved abusively to Mr. Morritt (will be æt. 63 next October 27) last summer therefore Mr. Morritt had given notice in the newspapers that no company from his, Martin's, house would be admitted to see the grounds - the park occupies 100 acres - struck me as very confined - whichever way one turned (a sunk fence) or hedge or wall caught the eye - the junction of the Greta and Tees pretty but very little water now in either river
Mortham tower turned into a farm house - not very advantageously seen, and not so fine and picturesque as I expected - the tomb of Fitz-Hugh not put together straight and the ground around instead of being snod, new-mown, and neat, looked rough and neglected - the Grove of yews and firs (silver firs? fine large trees) close along the Greta, pleased me best - (somehow or other disappointed with Rokeby) - at the end of it an urn, on round pedestal, to Ann erected in 1797 in memorial of the timed love of a sister by John Bacon Sawrey Morritt i.e. the present possessor to his sister Miss Morritt who lives with Miss Goodricke at Cheltenham
On paying off our guide, strolled along the Tees right bank a beautiful 2 miles walk to Eddelston (or Athelstan) Abbey - considerable remains - partially turned into several cottages - Miss Walker 1/4 hour sketching the remain of the church part - and 1/4 hour too sketching Fitz-Hugh's tomb at Rokeby - the village of Eddelston consists of a few neat houses
Walked back the same way in 3/4 hour having kept Miss Walker on at fair pace - then went into the field just above our Inn to see the site of the Roman encampment - several Roman remains found there and now arranged outside close to the house at Rokeby - the inscriptions made mention of the 6th. legion - the traces of the camp or castrum consist merely of 3 mounds and as many trenches plainest on the east side
Then dinner at 5 1/2 - very reasonable bill - very comfortable and well satisfied
Off at 5 37/60 and alighted at 6 5/60 for 25 minutes at Barnard Castle, a pretty considerable stirring little town, to see the ruins of the old castle formerly covering a large space of ground - fine view up the Tees from the round tower the staircases of which in the thickness of the wall still remaining tolerably perfect[?] - It was the Innkeeper tenant who shewed us round - he had turned great part of the ground into garden, and a large walled enclosure adjoining is an orchard (not worth seeing he said) occupied by an old woman who makes her living out of it - disjointed fragments of one sort or other still stretch over a largeish space but not near so imposing as Richmond castle - as our Innkeeper would take nothing for his trouble, paid 1/- for a 6 penny bottle of soda cheaper by thruppence than I ever have it - but most people charge me 1/- a bottle - surely things are cheapish hereabouts
We had a nice dinner today (roast fillet of veal, pudding under it, cabbage potatoes, salad, Couthorn? cheese cheesecakes and tarts and were only charged 2/- each - and I had above a pint I think of very good ale for tuppence
Alighted at the Queen's-head at Staindrop at 7 20/60 - reading - tea at 8 - till 9 50/60 wrote all the above of today - very fine day - Fahrenheit 59 1/2 in our large sitting room now at 9 50/60 p.m. -
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