THE JOURNAL OF JOHN JOHN ASTON, 1639.' INTRODUCTION. In the British Museum there is a journal2 written during the first Bishops' War by an eye-witness to the events therein related, which apparently escaped the observation of the late Dr. Gardiner when writing his monumental history of The Fall of the Monarchy of Charles I. nor has it been quoted by Professor Terry either in his Life and Campaigns of Alexander Leslie, or in his carefully written paper on 'The Visits of Charles I. to Newcastle in 1633, 1639 and 1646-7' printed in the twenty-first volume of Archaeologia Aeliana. John Aston, the writer of the journal, holding the office of 'Privy Chamber-man Extraordinary' as deputy for his brother, may be identified, but not with absolute certainty, with John Aston, second son of John Aston of Aston in Cheshire, 'Sewer to Anne, Queen of James I.,' brother to Sir Thomas Aston, first baronet, a captain of horse in the service of Charles I. If this be so, the diarist was educated at Brasenose College, Oxford, where he matriculated on the 28th March, 1617, aged 15; and, according to his epitaph in the private chapel at Aston, he 'with great prudence and fidelity preserved the estate and evidences of the family from being ruin'd by sequestration and plunder during his life, which ended on the 1st of April, 1650.' The quality and nature of the observations set down by the diarist show him to have been an observant and educated gentleman as well as the companion and associate of men of standing. Aston's Journal may be carefully compared with the parallel Journal of the Earl of Rutland, written in the months of March, 'Brit. Mus. Additional MS. 28,566. * The existence of Aston's Journal and its value and suitability for the present volume were pointed out by Dr. Gee and by Mr. H. H. E. Craster. April and May of 1639, printed in the Twelfth Report of the Historical MSS. Commission, Appendix iv. pp. 504-516; and also with Sir William Brereton's Journey through Durham and Northumberland in 1635, in Richardson's Reprints of Rare Tracts. Mr. Aston's armour comprised a cask, i.e., casque or helmet, a gorget, or defence for the neck; a culet or culettes, the overlapping plates from the waist to the hip which protected the back of the knight as the tuilles protected the front of the body (here the term. appears to apply to the front part as well); pauldrons or shoulder pieces in plate armour; vambrace, or armour which covered the right arm from the elbow to the wrist; cuisses or armour for the thighs, etc. THE JOURNAL. Iter Boreale. Anno Salutis 1639 et Dissidia inter Anglos et Scotos. My journey to Yorke to attend the king (as a privy chamber- I went from Rissley, Sir Henry Willoughbie's3 in Darbyshire, Aprill the 1st, beeing Monday, Anno. 1639. My brother delivered mee 1007. and sent theise servants with mee: Thomas Woollet, Thomas Millington, Arthur Heath, Francis Ridgate, a footman, and John Taylor to drive the cart with my carriadge of apparrell, armes and necessaryes. I had three stoned horses, a gray gelding, and two cart horses. I had a cuirassier's armes for my selfe, close caske, gorget, back and breast culet, pouldrons, vambrace, left hand gauntlet, and cuisses, and a case of pistolls and great saddle. Tho. Woollet, Tho. Millington and Arthur Heath had each of them for armes, back and breast and open head-piece, a carbine and belt and cartilage box; and each of them a case of pistolls and great saddle. John Taylor had a light cart with two wheeles covered over with red cloth, with my brother's scutcheons of armes wrought upon it, and two good horses to drawe it. About 10 a clock I came to the castle in Nottingham (Mr. Malins) accompanied with my brother, and there wee met Mr. Henry Brooke, and I entertained his footeman, Francis Ridgate. After dinner I parted with my brother. This from Rissley is Thence with my owne company I went that night to the Swanne, Mr. Ro. Deanes, in Mansfield, from Nottingham Aprill 2. On Tuesday I baited at Blithe and lay that night at Mr. Leavet's, the White Hart, in Doncaster [April] 3. On Wednesday I baited at Ferry Brigg and lay that night at Mr. Taylor's, poast master, at the Swanne in Tadcaster 3 06 miles. 12 miles. 20 miles. 19 miles. Sir Henry Willoughby of Risley, a place some eight miles from Derby, was made a baronet in 1611: his daughter and coheir, Anne Willoughby, married for her second husband Sir Thomas Aston, bart. [April] 4. On Thursday I came to Mr. Poole's house in the Ould-woorke1 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 Rissley and Yorke 65 miles. DONCASTAR. A very 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. That I spent, that I had. 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 round the stone seates, which seeme to bee cut out in stone, but I beleive are onely plaister woorke. Sir Arthur Ingram's house5 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 affoords 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 generall, the lord chamberlaine, the secretary of estate in his house, and the rest of the lords (that attended on the king) every day many of them at boord with him beside gentlemen and others. The cittie is aboundantly stored with provision, yet because of 4 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. 6 Sir Thomas Ingram was knighted 16th October, 1636. |