Journey Through England and Scotland Made by Lupold Von
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Journey through England and Scotland Made by Lupold von Wedel in the Years 1584 and 1585 Author(s): Gottfried von Bülow Source: Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, New Series, Vol. 9 (1895), pp. 223-270 Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Royal Historical Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3678110 Accessed: 27-06-2016 11:04 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Cambridge University Press, Royal Historical Society are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Transactions of the Royal Historical Society This content downloaded from 131.247.112.3 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 11:04:55 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 223 JOURN EY THROUGH ENGLAND AND SCOT- LAND M,NDE BY LUPOLD VON UIEDEL IN THE YEARS I 584 AND I585.1 TRANSLATED FROM THE OKIGINAL MANUSCRIPT BY DR.GOTTFRIED . VON BULOW,SUPERINTENDENT OFTHE ROYAL ARCHIVESIN STEMIN. LUPOLD VON WEDEL, author of the account of a journey through England and Scotland, I584-I585, belonged to a noble German family, who still possess large estates in the North of Germany and in Scandinavia. He was born on the 25th of January in the year I544, at Kremzow in Pomerania. Being a younger son, it was the intention of his family to prepare him for a learned career, and consequently after his father's death he entered the Latin School at Stargard, Pomerania. The lad, however (for he was only about eight years old), showed no intention of spending a quiet, studious life either at home or at school, his wish being to see foreign countries; and it is to this passionate desire that we owe the production of this very interesting journal of travels, military expeditions, &c., which he gives us in his own words. Soon after his mother's death (which occurred about the year I573), Lupold von Wedel left his home and native land, and was for the next twenty years moving about in most of the countries of Europe. In I578-I579 he visited Egypt and the Holy Land from I580-158I he visited Spain and Portugal, also from I583_I584 he was engaged in the war of Cologne, from I584_I585 he visited England and parts of Scotland In I 575 he had 1 The translator did not think it advisable to correct the numerous historical and literary errors of the manuscript, preferring that the translation should be as similar to the text as possible. It should be remarked, however, that the author was more of a soldier than a scholar. 1 5* This content downloaded from 131.247.112.3 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 11:04:55 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 224 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL lIISTORICAL SOCIETY entered the French Protestant army and fought against the Catholic Liga in that year, also in IS9I-I592, whilst in the following year, I5g2-I5g3,he is found fighting with the town of Strassburg against the Duke of Lorraine. During the subsequent thirteen years he undertook several journeys through Germany, but the last nine years of his life, from I606-I6I5, he spent on his estate in Kremzow, where he died. He was buried on July I 5, I6I 5. The original manuscript of Lupold von Wedel's journal belongs to the Library of Graf von der Osten in Plathe, Pomerania, and is comprised in a volume of 7I3 pages folio. The original binding (wooden boards in brown leather) still exists, but the book has been badly treated and is somewhat torn. The journal is transcribed from notes carefully taken at the time by the author, and by him dictated to a secretary. Now and then, especially towards the end of the volume, von Wedel has added notes in his oun handwriting, which is well known through docurnents existing in the Stettin archives. The work is in the form of a diary, notes geographical and personal being made, together with incidental remarks on all matters that appeared to him of interest. The information which von Wedel gives respecting the above-mentioned wars is without doubt of great historical importance, and it will be of interest also to the English scholar that a German edition of von Wedel's writings is in preparation. His account of journeyings in England and Scotland are instructive as well as entertaining, and present a great deal of information as to the stawte of affairs during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The festivities and fUtes attended by the author are described with the minutest detail. The following are a few instances amongst many. A tournament in London. The opening of Parliament by the Queen. The manner in which she dined at Greenwich. The election of the Lord Mayor and his show, and on aSairs at the Royal Court at Holy- rood, &c. This content downloaded from 131.247.112.3 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 11:04:55 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms JOURNEY THROUGH ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND 2 2 5 After his return from the north von Wedel made a longer stay in London, seeing the sights, and he gives full descriptions of the manners and way of living of the people, also describing the public religious services; he dilates on the method of agriculture in England. He does not appear to have been of at all a credulous nature; on the contrary, he freely expresses his opinion on occasions when he thinks that he is being imposed upon by tales not strictly in accordance with the facts. It would appear from the great success that seems to have attended von Wedel in his travels, that he must have had good recommendations from and to very influential persons, for he is often successful where others failed; for instance, in obtaining a passport to Scotland, which at that time was not granted to foreigners. Indeed, it is possible that a political mission was the cause of his visit to England, for on reaching the Scotch frontier, he and his friends who travelled with him were met by a troop of gentlemen who greeted them itl the king's name and gave them honourable reception, ordering special servants to accompany them to Dunbar. The thorough trustworthiness of Lupold son Wedel as a writer admits of not the smallest doubt; all that he relates is given in a simple but straightforward manner, and the whole journal bears the stamp of being the reflection of a discerning and candid mind the very want of polish in the often awkward style shows that no subsequent embellishrnent was given to the text. The journal is of importance to the modern reader, not so much perhaps from the facts as related, as from the way in which they presented themselves at the time to the mind of the writer. Besides the description of his travels and war experiences Lupold von Wedel also wrote a ' Book of Manners,' as he terms it, being a kind of illustrated companion to th present work, and to which he sometimes refers in the text. This work must have been very interesting, but unfortunately it appears to be entirely lost. N.S. VOL. IX. *Q This content downloaded from 131.247.112.3 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 11:04:55 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 2 26 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL HISTORICAL ,SOCIETY The translation of the journey through England and Scot- land will, I am persuaded, give the readers of the ' Transac- tions' an interesting and valuabIe description of English and Scotch manners and institutions of two hundred years ago as they were viewed by a discerning and experienced foreign traveller. On August I4 wel sailed from Flushing on board an English ship for England along the coast of Flanders, on thesame route that I sailed four years ago from Portllgal towards Zeeland. On our passing Flanders we had on our left hand in the first place Sluis, a castle with a port, after- wards Blackenborck (Blankenberghe), Brugge (Bruges), Nug- portt (Nieuport), Osstende (Ostend), Dunkirchen (Dunkerque), Greblingen (Gravelines), which lies at the utmost frontier of Flanders, three miles from Kales (Calais), which is in France. Towards evening we left Greblingen behind us and came during the night so far into the open sea, that early on the x5th we saw England. About noon we reached a place called Vorlantt (Foreland), that juts out into the sea, and is about thirty miles 2 distant from Flushing. Here we always sailed along the coast of England, leaving it to our left hand, till about four o'clock in the evening, when we had a contrary wind and were obliged to cast anchor. There we stopped until midnight, when we started again in spite of the wind being adverse. We tacked until we gained a port, which is the port for London and has land on both sides; here it takes the form of a river and is called Temes (Thames), where we again cast allchor. This river rises in the interior of England and takes its course hard by the city of London.