Six north country diaries - The MAN & Other Families

[April] -i. On Thursday I came to Mr. Poole's house
in the Ould-woorke* streete in Yorke, where I
was billited my selfe and footman, and the rest
of my men and horses at Mr. Atkinson's, the
Elephant and Castle on Peasam Greene ... 08 miles.
Totall of the miles betweene Risslev and Yorke 65 miles.
DoNCASTAR. A ver}^ spacious faire church, but few monuments
or matters remarkeable in it.
Onely this inscription I noted for the odd conceit, written round
about a faire plaine marble on the north side —
:
Howe, Howe, who is heere. I Robun of Doncaster.
And Margarett my Phoere. That I spent, that I had.
That I gave, that I have. That I lent, that I lost.
Quo'd Robertus Byrks : who in this world did
Reigne threescore yeares and seaven, and yet lived not one.
Yorke. A faire lardge cittie. Twenty-six churches in it. One
whereof, the minster, is a very goodly edifice and exceeding lardge,
and for lightsomenesse much excells Pauls. The greatest blemish of the
building is that the roofe is of wood. The chapter house is a very
faire round roome on the north side with faire painted glasse
windowes, and pretty fantastique woorke i-ound the stone seates,
which seeme to bee cut out in stone, but I beleive are onely plaister
woorke.
Sir Arthur Ingram's house^ at the west end of the minster, the
inhabitants beleive excells for a garden beeing set out with images of
lyons, beares, apes and the like, both beasts and birds which, from
the topp of the steeple, please the eye, but otherwise are showes onely
to delight chilldren, the cheifest pleasure of his gardens beeing the
neare adjacency to the towne wall, which aflfoords him meanes to cast
severall mounts and degrees one above annother, the upmost veiwing
the whole countrey on that side, and is of a great liberty extending
half a quarter of a mile in length beyond Sir Tho. Ingram's,^ his
next neighbour. His house is low, noe extraordinary building, but
very commodious and stately and spacious enough though not suitable
to his estate. Yet hee showed him selfe an honourable host by
entertaining (during the time of the king's abode there) the lord
generaU, the lord chamberlaine, the secretary of estate in his
house, and the rest of the lords (that attended on the king) every day
man}- of them at boord with him beside gentlemen and others.
The cittie is aboundantly stored with provision, yet because of
^
Aldwark is still the name of a street in York.
* Sir Arthur Ingram was knighted 16th July, 1621. His house must have
been the house now known as the Treasurer's House.
" Sir Thomas Ingram was knighted 16th October, 1636.