JOURNAL OF JOHN ASTON, 1639 71 



Then I came to Dar[l]ington, 10 miles from Northallerton, 

 where I baited, and the price of drincke encrease upon mee, 8d. 

 for a flaggon not much greater than the former. This is a pritty 

 market towne seated upon a hill over the river Skerne ; hence I 

 went to a small villadg 3 miles further, called Cottam where I 

 lodged all night in a meane house. 



[April] 29. The next day being Monday, I came to Durham 

 (11 miles), the bishop's sea of that diocesse, where hath a goodly 

 auncient castle for his habitation which was now taken up for 

 the king, who came that same night to towne. ^^ The towne is 

 pleasantly seated and environned with the river Weere, especially 

 that part where the castle, cathedrall and prebends' houses stand, 

 which resembles a horse sliooe, beeing seperated from the rest of 

 the towne (as it were) with the river, save onely one space to goe 

 to those buildings, like the distance betweene the two ends of 

 the horse-shooe. 



In this towne are much gentry, it beeing the London (as it were) 

 of those north parts which extend as farre as Barwick. The 

 cathedrall church is very lardge, and by some ^equalled to Yorke, 

 but more out of affeccion than truth, there beeing noe comparison, 

 this comming farre short of Yorke for beauty and state, the 

 two [i.e. too] vast pillars it hath, serving better for perpetuity 

 than comeliness in architect, yet I believe the softness of the 

 stone (beeing a red greete) made the care of the founders 

 to increase the size of the columns the better to support the 

 fabrick for the benefitt of succeeding aages. 



Heere roome being scarse, I was (as some others of his 

 maiestie's servants) sent out of towne to bee lodged some 3 miles 

 westward to one Mr Browne's house, a parson at a place called 

 Flashi2 in Middle-wood neare Beare-parke. Age and infirmitie 

 had made him looke back from the plow, his function, and that 

 vacation had caste his minde wholly upon his earthly plough, 

 beeing a man devoted to Ceres^^ and only solicitous after worldly 

 business, yet both himselfe and wife (who was a good matronely 



^^ Not on the 1st May as stated by Gardiner, Fall of the Monarchy 

 of Charles I., Vol. i., p. 213. 



12 I.e. Flass in the chapelry of Esh, near Durham, 



13 Cerea was the goddess of agrici^lture. 



