Friday 13th June 1834

Up before 8 o’clock – Canterbury Cathedral – Length of choir 180 feet, height 80 feet, to vaulted roof – 38 feet in breadth between the two side doors. thought to be the most spacious of any in the kingdom. The old monkish stalls in two rows on each side removed in 1704 – Archbishop Tennyson gave the present throne – Dr John Grandorge one of the prebendaries who died 1729 – left £500 to be laid-out on the Church; it was determined to employ this money, towards erecting new altar-piece; which was designed by Mr. Burrough (after Sir James) fellow of Caius College Cambridge – It is very lofty, of the corinthian order – a handsome wainscotting was carried from altar-piece to 2 side doors of the choir – (which has lately 1834 been removed [a line crossed out]) & nothing remains but the stone screen, the small gothic arches of which one glazed) & a new pavement of black & white marble; at 7 or 8 feet distance a noble flight of 6 steps of veined marble. above the pavement continued to doors leading to Trinity Chapel & has inscription on uppermost step in Latin. 1732. “To the honor of God, Dorothy Nixon bequeathed this pavement” Near it was St. Dunstan’s Monument who died about 988 – Captain Humphrey Pudner in 1753 when the Organ was new built was at half the expense of it & would have contributed much more, if, the it might have been removed & placed over the choir door – the organ was not opened till December 9th 1753 – the day after his funeral -[several words crossed out] Mr P’s design was in 1783 carried into execution when the Dean & Chapter, ordered the old organ to be taken down, & present elegant structure was erected over gothic screen at the entrance – The organ is again removed to one of the side galleries & the keys are played at the distance of 100 feet from the pipes –

Monument: Archbishop Chicheley’s.

[gap]

Chapel of St. Michael often called the warrior’s chapel a fine monument of Sussex marble, of three figures in Alabaster. in the centre. of Margaret daughter of Thomas Earl of Holland & her two husbands, 1st Earl of Somerset in armour. 3. Thomas Duke of Clarence, her second husband Monument of Colonel Prude killed at Maestricht 1632. Sir Thomas Thornhurst killed & buried Isle of Rhee 1627. Two others of the Thornhurst family – one of Miss Anne Milles – a very remarkable one of Archbishop Langton appearing as a stone coffin above ground – A bust & inscription of Sir G. Rooke who took Gibraltar – a monument of several of Hales family one of whom died at sea, & manner of his being committed to the deep is shewn here – Brigadier Francis Godfrey buried here 1712 –

Holy Trinity Chapel –

[gap] Archbishop Walter Reynolds, Archbishop Stratford, Archbishop Sudbury, Archbishops Mepham, Bradwarden – marble pavement shewn as Thomas A Becket’s shrine – Black Princes Monument his coat of Armour – Gauntlet, & sword – ________ near his monument we may see where the corner post stood of rail or fence which was carried round the shrine & kept the crowds at a distance from it – [word crossed out] [gap] Archbishop Courteney & Theobald Cardinal Pole Odo Coligny. Cardinal Chastillon.

The Cathedral has a ring of 10 bells & a clock which strikes the quarters, on two of them & the hour on 1 much larger than any of the peal, weight 7,500 hangs over a leaden platform under a shed.

The Martery [Martyry] where Thomas A Becket took refuge supposing he should be safe from his pursuers, but they assassinated him there & a piece of the stone that was covered with his blood, cut out & carried to St. Peter’s at Rome – near the Martery a tomb is shewn on which was sculptured the whole human frame – Name of the gentleman I forget, but it is supposed he designed it himself – near it, the monument of Dean Wotton taken exactly as he died in his chair, supposed to have been ready for Divine Service as he is in his robes – behind his library is also represented, the leaves outermost the names at that time being placed on the leaves of books not on the backs. 1625 —

A small confessional is shewn – Gloucester is the only Cathedral where I recollect to have seen or heard of one – The Cathedral was partially burnt in 1174. Archbishop Chicheley built great part of St. Dunstan’s steeple (or Lantern tower) 1453 – dying, left the finishing to Prior Goldstone. The building of the Cathedral was begun by Prior Selling, & finished by his successor Prior Thomas Goldstone – the western cross aisle is said to have been rebuilt by Archbishop Sudbury at his own proper cost – It was about 30 years in building Arundel steeple was damaged by November Storm 1703, & obliged to be taken down as low as the platform & balcony – a circular tower at the east end of Trinity Chapel called Becket’s crown – Almost the whole of the cathedral is built of stone from Caen in Normandy. its choir was some years ago now flagged with Portland stone – in 1788 – during the civil wars Cromwell made a stable of it for his dragoons, but after the Restoration it was repaired – The city of Canterbury was given entirely to the bishops by William Rufus. it was a city 900 years B.C.

Dunge hill or Danish Mount, a slip of land covering about 6 acres extending between Redingate & Wincheap is now converted into a promenade, the walk is shaded with limes on each side & is 13 feet wide & 1130 feet long – The terrace is 12 feet wide & 1840 long a serpentine walk boarded with quick thorn fences, & fenced by stone post & chains to the top of the mount, on which is a stone Pillar fronting the cardinal points, erected by a subscription of the inhabitants in 1803 – Ascent to the top 480 feet –

The Castle what is now so called has no appearance of Roman antiquity. the present building appears to have been the keep or dongon of a fortress within which it stood – & of which the boundaries are still discoverable, like that at the castles of Dover, Rochester, & the white Tower at London – as it is built in the same style with them, & about the same time. Dykes & yards contain about 4 acres the Castle had no doubt other buildings besides the keep it is now used as a repository by the Gas & water works Company – 

The Shops appear very good particularly for Muslins – in which trade & silk – besides celebrated brawn the town excels – bought some oranges – & off for Dover at 2.5 oclock  Eugenie sick – rained nearly all the way to Dover where arrived at 4.30 at Ship Inn taken by Mr. Worthington from C. Wright about 4 months ago – then bought all his stock Wines &c. –  Mr. & Mrs. Worthington very civil people – heard from Mr. Birmingham that we must be ready for the Mail packet at 8 oclock tomorrow morning – wrote part of journal, played on Piano (Broadwood’s) & washed hands &c. for dinner, to which sat down at 6.15. Vermicelli soup – Maintenon Cutlets, plain boiled pudding – Claret, & strawberries. Remains of a Roman Encampment at Watling St. extending from Dover to West Chester. dearest wrote to her Aunt message to Sarah to bottle Cowslip Wine & to my aunt that I would write to her from Paris – in bed at 10.20 oclock   Up.

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale WYC:1525/7/1/5/1/4-6

[up at] 7 55/..
[to bed at] 10 25/..
a kiss last night fine morning Fahrenheit 61° at 8 1/4 – breakfast at 9 1/4 to 10 1/4 – out at 111/4 – 1/2 hour at the cathedral – all new-done-up, white and clean – Crypt not to be seen full of stone from France for the new west tower – the cathedral all built of stone from Caen in Normandy – the tombs of Edward the black prince and Henry IV government some time ago promised to repair, as all the private tombs are undergoing repair by subscription – the choir looks light and white and cold, the old oak wainscotting and tabernacle work being all taken away, and merely the stone work screen (small Gothic arches glazed) remaining – the old altar screen is also removed and replaced by a stone one of handsome gothic work, but unfortunately not straight-topped and consequently looking ill and out of keeping with all around – it rises in steps from the ends to the centre, and is a sad disgrace to the taste of Mr. Austin (I think the man said) the architect – all strangers observe and abuse it; and everybody sees the error now it is too late – sauntered about the city – then to the John Dean walk, or Dunge hill, or mound or tumulus thrown up by the Danes, just within the old fortification wall of the city – there is now a winding quickwood-fenced-off walk winding to the top (480 feet high) of the tumulus on which is erected a column commemorating Mr. …… under whose mayoralty and chiefly at whose expense the walks seem to have been laid out, and recording that they are now made over to the public the corporation having allotted £60 per annum to keep them up – they cover about 6 acres – The walk shaded with limes is 1130 feet long and 13 feet broad – the terrace is 1840 feet long by 12 wide – Canterbury is a nice clean looking town, with good shops; and the Fountain is an excellent Inn – sauntered to the remain of the old castle – merely part of the dongeon keep remaining, now a coal-magazine – home at 1 10/.. – tired – somehow I do not get up my strength – lay on the sofa till off from Canterbury at 2 5/.. and alighted at the Ship Inn Dover (now Worthington, who succeeded Charles Wright about 4 months ago) at 4 1/4 – dressed or rather washed hands etc. wrote the above of today – rain more or less almost all the way from Canterbury and rainy afternoon and evening – Dinner at 6 1/4 in an hour – wrote and sent at 9 3 pages to my aunt Shibden – account of our arrival – Sarah to bottle the cowslip wine immediately Miss Walker will write to her aunt from Paris – no letters to be sent to her but those from her sister or from Washington and none to me but from Washington or Mr. Parker, and all Miss Walker’s too to be directed to me at no. 27 rue St. Victor till I give my aunt another address – Monsieur Audoin will forward the letters from rue St. Victor – will write to my aunt as soon as we have fixed the day for leaving Paris and can give her another address – tea at 9 in 1/2 hour – then went to bed – fine day till after 2 p.m. afterwards rainy, more or less, afternoon and evening – Fahrenheit 65° now at 10 p.m. –

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale, SH:7/ML/E/17/0043