Now! Then! A prominent Puritan finds poor buildings but good beer for Archbishop Richard Neile at Bishopthorpe Palace (York)

12 June 1635: A prominent Puritan finds poor buildings but good beer for Archbishop Richard Neile at Bishopthorpe Palace (York)

William Brereton. 1915. The Journal of Sir William Brereton, 1635. North Country Diaries (Second Series). Ed. John Crawford Hodgson. Durham: Surtees Society. Get it:

Excerpt

Not far from York I went about half a mile out of the way to take a view of Bishopsthorpe, the archbishop’s palace, which is about a mile or two distant from York, placed sweetly upon the bankside of the river Ouse. It is the poorest and least capacious house which I have found in England belonging to any bishopric: a very little, poor hall, and no fair rooms in the whole house. In the chapel I observed the table, representing the altar, placed in the lower [west] end of the chapel. A stone building which seems to have been an old chapel, converted into a dove-house which has two tunnels. The church, which is the parish church, called Bishopsthorpe church, is the least and poorest church I have met withal in England. Here is only a curate maintained to say service. The bishop’s cellar here well furnished, with 32 hogsheads of good strong beer, and 8 pipes of the same. We tasted of it.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

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Original

[1635] Junii 11. Wee came from Handf; and tooke horse about 8 in the morneing, and came to Wakefield about 7; wee baited att Bostockes att Woodhead where wee paid two-pence a pint for ale and 3s. 8d. pro victualls; and att Wakefield att the Bull, where wee lodged, wee paid 5s. for supper and breakefast. Itt is an honest, and excellent house: Here next morning I gave my bay mare garlyck and butter for hir cold butt itt wrought nothing with hir; nor did the drench, which I usually give, which I gave hir att Yorke next morneing; butt by the way I observed a connie-warren walled about with stone containeing about one or 2 acres of land; and nott farre from Yorke I went about half a mile out of the way to take a view of Bishopps-thorpe, the arch-bishopps palace which is about a mile or two distant from Yorke, placed sweetly uppon the banckside of the river Owes: Itt is the poorest and least capacious house, which I have found in Engl: belonging to any bishopricke: a verye little poore hall, and noe faire roomes in the whole house. In the chapple I observed the table, representing the altar, placed in the lower end of the chapple 3: A stone building which seemes to have been, an old chapple, converted into a dovehouse which hath two tunnells:

The church, which is the pareish church, called Bishops-thorpe church, is the least and poorest church I have mett withall in England ; here is onely a, curate maintained to say service.

The bishopps cellar here well furnished with 32 hoggsheades of good stronge beere and 8 pipes of the same; wee tasted of itt.

283 words.