Tuesday 27 May 1834
Fine Fahrenheit 54 at 8 - perfectly quiet last night - breakfast at 8 1/2 - found fault at being charged 1/4 per mile instead of 1/3, as elsewhere, except at Standrop, which, from inadvertence, I had not noticed there - dearer bill than at Staindrop - but we had been comfortable
Off from the King's Head, Masham, at 9 1/2 and at Hackfall 3 miles at 10 5/60 - 3/4 hour in the grounds - much spoilt since I saw them 2 years ago, by the Marquess of Ailesbury's wood on the opposite bank of the Ure (river) being cut down - Miss Walker disappointed and much tired - brought away 3 cream cheeses the village (Gruelthorpe) far-famed for them
Off again at 11 50/60 and at Brimham-rocks house at 2 1/4 (ten miles) - bad road, certainly, on the moor, but our horses worse - the old postboy meant to have left the carriage 1/4 mile the house, locked up, among the heather but I would not let him - on arriving ordered fried eggs and bacon, and with these and our cold roll of veal and bread and ginger beer made a goodish dinner about 3 - and Miss Walker then refreshed enough to scramble among the rocks with the woman of the house as our guide - only herself and little girl - pays Lord Grantley £10 a year for the house and shew rocks - the most interesting being immediately about the house - e.g. the 3 rocking stones, the cannon rock, the cleft rock, and most striking cavernous parts - really worth seeing - a sort of chaos said to be scattered over 40 acres of the high heath-covered moor from which fine view into the vale or surrounding basin below - all a rough sandstone grit - the 'rock of a very singular shape, which Mr Hargrove supposes to have been a rock-idol, or stone consecrated to some principal deity' (46 feet in circumference) did not seem to me to have been separated from the adjoining rock - it's general shape is perhaps rather that of a swan's egg pear, tho' its sides are broken into 2 or 3 ledges one could pass along almost round the stone, I had fancied it might be phallus-like - but it is not at all - 'the pedestal on which it rests, is at the top only 1 foot by 2 feet 7 inches the marks of the tool are visible in many places, particularly on the base of the pedestal'... vide Beauties of England and Wales, Yorkshire page 709-10/931. this singular scene of natural convulsion may have been used by the Druids, but it did not strike me that it was at all the work of their own hands - we saw nothing like circles of stones, and the woman said she did not know of any - In returning retraced a good deal of the way by which we came - passed close by Newby Park Lord Grantley's - the Brimham woman said he was a very free gentleman but laid heavy rents on his tenants and lived in Suffolk? or Sussex?
Passed close under Studley Park, and by Bishopton and at Ripon (the Unicorn) at 7 10/60 in 2 10/60 hours - tired to death of the slowness of our journey (9 miles) - the man at Ripon (too) would charge 1/4 a mile, so said we would sleep at Boroughbridge and return to see Studley and Newby hall tomorrow
3/4 hour in the minster§ - very neatly kept - a new oak roof over the nave like the old one - very well done - and a handsome new stone work groined roof over the choir, exactly like that there was before the tower (steeple) fell in and destroyed it - the charnel-house beautifully neat - the skulls and other bones (skins and shoulders) piled up as in the catacombs at Paris - some of the bones said to be 3 centuries old - this charnel-house unique in England? the minster very pretty but not near so pretty (or so large?) as that at Beverley
At Boroughbridge in about 40 minutes (6 miles) at 8 43/60 - tea - very comfortable - all sorts of good bread butter - honey, and 2 glasses of good sweetmeat wrote the above of today till 10 40/60 at which hour Fahrenheit 48 1/2. very fine day and beautiful evening
§The old painted altar-screen removed and replaced by a handsome one in stone so much lower as to allow the window above to be deepened by the 2 lower rows (tiers) of arms, the windows that was before far too low for its breadth being now much better proportioned tho' still not tall enough
Went upstairs at 11 -
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