William Gostling a Walk in and About the City of Canterbury Canterbury

William Gostling A walk in and about the city of Canterbury Canterbury 1774 <> A WALK IN AND ABOUT THE CITY OF CANTERBURY, With many Observations not to be found in any Description hitherto published. By WILLIAM GOSTLING, M. A. A NATIVE of the PLACE, and MINOR CANON of the CATHEDRAL. Embellished with a new and correct PLAN of the CITY, in which is introduced, the OLD CHURCH of ST. ANDREW, Archbishop Abbot’s CONDUIT, and a North View of ST. AUGUSTINE’S MONASTERY. – Also an elegant Engraving of the CHURCH GATE, and a CHART of those Parts described in a Tour through EAST KENT. CANTERBURY: Printed and sold by SIMMONS and KIRKBY, and W. FLACKTON. Sold also by R. BALDWIN and JOSEPH JOHNSON, Booksellers, in LONDON. And by all the Booksellers in the County of KENT. MDCCLXXIV. <> <blank> <i> PREFACE. I GIVE this little book a preface to apprize my reader, that it is not merely an abstract of others, written on the same subject (tho’ they are often men= tioned in it) but such an actual survey as the title promises, and he himself may take if he pleases; designed not only to assist strangers in their searches after what is curious here, but to make the inhabi= tants sensible, that many things are so, which they may have seen over and over without taking notice of them. A pocket volume may better answer these ends, than others of greater bulk and expence, tho’ it cannot be so compleat and circumstantial. In 1640 the eminently learned and laborious Mr. William Somner published the history and antiqui= ties of Canterbury, his native place, in quarto. This Mr. Nicholas Battely, vicar of Beaksborn, reprinted in 1703, with some additions by Mr. ii Somner, designed for a second edition, some others of his own, and a supplement which brought it to a folio. In 1726 Mr. Dart of Greenwich gave a descrip= tion of our cathedral, in folio, with many curious views of the church and monuments engraved by Mr. Cole, with the epitaphs and translations of them; such as they are. The plates fell into the hands of Mr. Hildyard of York, who having most of those belonging to Mr. Drake’s history of that ca= thedral, published them together, to the number of 117, with an abridgement of the histories for which they were engraved. Printed for W. Sandby in Fleet-street, 1755. This book sells for about fif= teen Shillings: so does Mr. Dart’s. Besides these an historical description in 8vo. of our <Burnby 1772> cathedral was published about two years ago; the compiler of which has confined his views to the church and precinct only, and filled almost half his book with epitaphs and translations: These I have omitted, not only to keep my more extensive de= sign within compass, but for other reasons, which will appear page 117, and 145. The plan is a contraction of that published by William and Henry Doidge in 1752; corrected ac= cording to the alterations which have been made since that time, and embellished with views of the iii late church of St. Andrew, the demolished conduit of Archbishop Abbot, and the north prospect of St. Augustine’s monastery. – When my reader is told, that the expence of engraving this alone amounted to more than would buy a dozen of the folios by Dart or Sandby, he will see that many plates would defeat the design of making this book a cheap one; however, a view of Christ-church-gate is added, not only as what has never been done before, but as the drawing, which was made some years ago, shows better what an artist prior Goldstone was, than the gate itself does in its present state. Besides these plates, the gentleman who lately <Duncombe> published an abridgement of Battely’s Antiquitates Rutupinæ, in English, has favoured me with that of his frontispiece, with liberty to make such al= terations as may illustrate the little tour of our coast, (page 193) and if it is not perfectly correct, it is sufficiently so for this purpose. In consulting authors, as often as I found their accounts inconsistent with my observations, I have made no scruple to differ from them, whether monkish writers or modern ones, but have shown my reasons for doing so; hoping that any who shall think fit to criticise on me, will do it with candor; and when I mention evidences on which iv most of my conjectures are founded, as still to be seen, either believe that I have represented them fairly, or examine them with their own eyes. Not that I offer this as a faultless performance; old age and gout have been great hindrances to that. Some= times I have not been able to hold a pen for weeks or months together; sometimes the press has been otherwise engaged, till I could hardly tell what had passed it: But my memory, I thank God, is pretty good, and some of my friends, who thought it pity my observations should be forgotten, as soon as I am like to be so, have not only verified them by walks taken on purpose, but by adding such cu= rious ones of their own, as I was ill capable of ma= king in the more active part of my life. – Thus far, therefore, my reader is a gainer by my infirmities. So he is also by the hindrances I have mentioned, which have given me time and opportunity, since most of my work was printed off, to read Gervas in the Decem Scriptores, and to correct what I have said, page 42, of our Butter market from Mr. Som= ner’s printed account of it, as will appear in my ap= pendix. If any hints I give lead the curious to happier conclusions than I have been able to form; if I point out any thing to them, which without my help they would have overlooked; if by any evi= v dences I produce, I correct errors in those, who have treated on this subject before me, (the most approved of which have made some mistakes) I shall not think my labour lost; if any little anecdotes I have thrown in from my own memory, or that of others, are received as embellishments of a dry subject, that is the reason of my giving them: If any make a jest of them as Canterbury stories, such they cer= tainly are, and no extraordinary capacity is required to find that out. Wits of this kind may divert themselves with my title page, aud laugh at my undertaking the office of a guide and companion, if they are told I have been confined to my bed and my chair for some years past, and they are heartily welcome to be as arch on me as they please; the pleasure I have for= merly enjoyed in that character gives me pleasure still to think of, and (to borrow a hint from one of our best poets) ‘My limbs, tho’ they are lame, I find Have put no fetters on my mind.’ That, God be prais’d, is still at liberty, and rejoices at the thoughts of a little ramble. – A good natured reader will indulge this fancy in an old man. On such a one I gladly wait to theutmost of my ability: Let us then set out upon our imaginary walk without delay, and I hope it will prove an entertaining one. vi MEASURES of CHRIST-CHUCRH CANTERBURY. Feet LENGTH from east to west, within side, about 514 Length of the Choir 180 Breadth of ditto before the new wainscotting 40 As contracted by that, from door to door 38 Length of the body to the steps 178 From the first step to that at the choir door 36 Breadth of the body and its side isles 71 Height of ditto to the vaulted roof 80 Lower cross-isle from north to south 124 Upper ditto 154 Height of the Oxford steeple 130 Height of the Arundel steeple 100 Height of the spire which stood on that 100 Height of the great tower called Bell-Harry Steeple 235 Height of ditto within, to the vaulting 130 Area of ditto about 35 by 35 Vaulting of the choir from the pavement 58 Of the chapel behind the altar 58 The square of the cloysters 134 by 134 vii CONTENTS. page INTRODUCTION 1 CHAP. I. Of the Situation, Antiquity, and Names 3 — II. Of the City Walls and Gates 4 — III. Of the Castle 11 — IV. Of the Suburbs 14 — V. Of St. Martin’s Church 17 — VI. Suburbs continued 18 — VII. Of St. Augustine’s Monastry 21 — VIII. Of St. George’s Gate and the City 29 — IX. Digression 44 — X. Description resumed 48 — XI. Of the Fire in 1174 58 — XII. Description continued 65 — XIII. The Chapel of the Holy Trinity 67 — XIV. The Precinct 71 — XV. The Arundel steeple 75 — XVI. The inside of the Precinct 67 — XVII. The fine Vaults 81 — XVIII Precinct continued 84 — XIX. The Deanry and Green Court 86 — XX. The Stranger’s House, &c. 88 — XXI. Almonry and Mintyard 92 — XXIII Digression 93 — XXIV Precinct continued 95 — XXV. The Dortors 100 — XXVI This way to the Church and Cloysters 104 viii CHAP. XXIX. The Cloyster and Chapter-house 106 — XXVIII. The Chapter-house 109 — XXIX. The inside of the Church 115 — XXX. The French Church 126 — XXXI. The rest of the Undercrofts 128 — XXXII. The great tower called Bell Harry steeple 138 — XXXIII Continuation of our walk among the Monuments 140 — XXXIV.

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