No. III.

AN ACCOUNT OF T. HEARNE's JOURNEY TO READING AND SILCHESTER, 1714.

From HEARNE's MS. DIARIES, in the Bodleian Library. Vol. 50, Page 104.

1714, May 22, Saturday.

ON Sunday morning last, being

Whitsunday, I rode over very early in the morning to Reading, and taking with me the 2d. volume of Leland's Itinerary, I examined many particulars that that excellent antiquary hath noted, and found every thing to be so exact, that I have every day a much better opinion of his great industry, care, learning, and judgment. He tells us that at the north end of Causham Bridge, as we come from Reading, there stondith a fair old Chapelle of stone on the right hand, piled in the foundation for the rage of the Tamise." I could find nothing of this Chapelle, but was told that there was lately built a new

house (which I saw) where it stood, and that remains of an old building were taken up where the said house was erected.* I went to Reading on purpose to renew my acquaintance with the Ruins of the Abbey. I took particular notice of all the Remains of it, and am inclined to think that the old Castle certainly stood where this Abbey was afterwards placed, for tho' from the name of Castle Street, some would imagine that it stood in that street somewhere, yet I believe that street was so denominated from some inn of note, that carried the sign of the Castle.

Mr. Leland also observes that there is a Park coming into Reading town, belonging to the late Monasterie there. I made enquiry after this Park, but they told me there was no other Park now than Whitley Park, (commonly called Whitley Farm) about a mile south from the town.

The

The town of Reading is very pleasantly situated, and it is large, but nothing near so famous now for cloathing as it was formerly. houses are very mean, and the streets, tho' pretty large, unpaved. The occasion of the houses being so mean is this. The greatest part of them belong to one Blagrave, and his interest in them being only for lives, there is no likelihood of their being rebuilt as yet. The names of the

* See Page 72 of this Volume.

streets are Broad Street, London Street, Fryers Street, Castle Street, and Minster Street.

At the north end of Castle Street, as Mr. Le land observes, is the Grey Fryers. A good part of the Chapel is now standing. It serves as a Bridewell. 'Twas built cross-ways, tho' the east and north wings of the cross are wanting.

The Ruins of the Abbey (to which Minster Street leads) are very large and many. One part of them they call the Hall, which was the place where they dined; and by it was the Church. They lately dug up bones in the Ruins, a broad piece, and some other money. The Church was built in form of a cross, and it had a spire.

From Reading the next morning I rode over to Silchester, in Hampshire, being about eight miles from Reading, Leland says [Itin. Vol. viii. Part i. p. 19.] a 19.] a vi miles or more. When I came there, I had the curiosity to walk quite round the walls, which they there say are about three miles in compass, tho' Leland says they are about 2 miles only, and he is followed by Camden. [Brit. Ed. opt. p. 195.] and Stowe [Annals, ed. fol. p. 53.] both which have transcribed Leland's account, as they have in several other particulars. Indeed Mr. Camden (to do him justice) hath improved his account with some learned observations, but Stowe hath not added any thing, but taken the very words of Leland in his relation of

Silchester, yet without the least acknowledgment, and as little acknowledgment does he make in a great many other places, which are nevertheless wholly owing to Leland, tho' the greatest piece of his ingratitude was shewed by him in his Survey of London, a very great part of which, I am really persuaded, is to be ascribed to Leland, particularly such things and observations as concern the most ancient state thereof, and what was chiefly translated before Stowe's time, who had not learning enough to extract and make use of any ancient Latin Records.

The Walls are still about four yards in thickness. They are so intire that there is hardly any breach, excepting where the four gates were. They are still in height, in some places, six or seven yards, Leland says only six or seven foot, and so Stowe. But I believe this is a mistake in Mr. Stowe's transcript for yards, and I had only the use of Mr. Stowe's transcript in that particular, the original in that place being wanting. The upper part of the walls which contained the battlements and the towers, is quite wanting, having been beat down I suppose at the same time when the City was destroyed. The walls are built of slates and flint, which are so wrought in and fastened with the mortar, that it is a thing almost impossible to pull or beat the walls down, the mortar being as firm as the flints themselves. Now and then a free stone appears in the walls,

but that is seldom. The ground within the walls lyes even with the walls themselves, having been filled up so by the rubble and ruins of the city, but withoutside the ground is very much lower, insomuch that the walls are in height in some places six or seven yards, as I said before. There was a very deep ditch or trench that went all round the walls, which is now very visible, and a great part of it is still full of water. It was about 40 yards in breadth. Among the rubble very often appear Roman and British bricks. I say British as well as Roman, because the Britains made the same sort of bricks, having learned the art from the Romans, and especially in this place, which was a defence to the Britains against the Saxons, after the Romans were gone.

Before the west gate, there is at a considerable distance an Agger, or raised work, that was made for defence of the city, when it was beseiged on that side, as there is another raised work or mount on the north-east side, made also upon the same account when the seige happened from the enemy that lay on Mortimer's heath. It is very certain, that considering the strength of the walls, the city must have been impregnable during the stay of the Romans, who built this place about the time of Constantine the Great.

*

[Some of the narrative is here onitted, as being particularly dry and uninteresting.]