| Description | [Diary Transcription]
238
1831
September
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have written to Lady Stuart that I shall give about 4 days to the Isle of Wight, 3 to Southampton
Portsmouth and Chichester ‘and pass through Kingston, and call at the Lodge about next Monday week,
‘the 10th of October; for I think I have given up all thought of Paris till the Spring’ — if longer on the
road will write again to Lady Stuart or write to Vere — ‘but should I not see you till the 12th or 14th, there
‘will be time enough for any arrangement you like, supposing you to have been at all induced
‘to change the plans about Hastings — I can only say, I shall take care to be within your reach
‘on the 20th, and shall be from that day at your disposal — Perhaps both you and Vere are now thinking
‘of Nice — I own, it has some great advantages, and that, in fact, we shall be little less out of the
‘way at one place than the other — I am naturally enough inclined to calculate the great difference
‘between Italian and English skies, and to count the latter only half measures — I grant, too, that the
‘Fosters’ coming over next spring, is a great thing — and that, though Vere’s manner has left upon my
‘mind a strong impression of untold reasons against leaving England, doubtless more important than
‘she would choose me to believe, — health should be first considered, and there is no reason to think that
‘anything would be lost at Nice, which might be gained at Hastings — I shall soon know
‘whether you have been wavering or not — I can only repeat, I am equally ready for
‘whatever place you think best’ — ’Tis now 10 1/2 — just going to my room — At four and three
quarters in the carriage incurred a cross thinking partly of Lady Stuart de Rothesay and of Vere and π [Mariana] ~
Thursday 29
8 35/..
11
.. Lay awake from seven imaginary love making to Lady Stuart de Rothesay Fahrenheit 66°. now at 9 1/4 —
fine but dull, thickish morning — autumnal — Italian skies would be more smiling —
breakfast at 9 40/.. — paid the bill, and out at 10 35/.. — walked along the pleasure walks to the cliffs —
very pretty little bay shut in, East, by Ballard hole a large chalk head with a sort of needle
rock close a head of it called old Harry, — and west by Peverel [Peveril] point — talking some time to the old
artilleryman, 50 years in the service, who lives in the bombproof hut close to the edge of the cliff
where there was a battery during the war — and then walking a little westward talking to an old man
who was holloing to his son getting stone below at the bottom of the cliff — Several boats carrying this stone
up to a considerable stone yard in Swanage — too hazy to see Xstchurch [Christchurch] Tower or distinguish the Isle
of Wight — but got peeps of the Xstchurch [Christchurch] cliffs — the cliffs here to the west very curiously stratified in thin strata stone
and clay, looking ribboned — sometimes the strata rather curved? Tilly whim a famous quarry going down
to the bottom of the cliff 1/2 mile or a mile westward from the battery hut, — but not worked now — the whole of
the hill (called Crown down) west close above the town full of quarries belonging to different
proprietors — went down into one of the deepest quarries, 110 feet deep — stone dragged up a very
steep inclined plane on little sledges by a horse turning a windlass — some very deep, bad, muddy
slippery steps alongside the incline — went down them thinking this safer than trusting myself on one of the
sledges — went by candle light to the end of the shaft the men were working — they were just gone to dinner — could not
stand upright — flat indurated rather shiny dark clay roof — could get at no name for this
clay but ceiling — very dry — merely a little moisture in one little spot not enough to drop —
239
1831
September
the bed of stone here about 2 1/2 feet thick — it is thicker in some of the quarries and there one could stand upright
no part of this shaft more if so much as 4 feet high — only 1/4 hour going up and down and being in the bottom —
bought a largeish specimen of petrified wood the men had brought up from the bottom — glad to have seen this
quarry, though finely dirtied in scrambling up and down — the stone is a very fine hard conglomerate of
shells so broken and compacted by hard pressure? that no one species is distinct? great quantities
of this stone went to London for paving till they got it to such a price that Yorkshire stone was used instead, and now
the London market is almost lost for Purbeck stone — very comfortable after all at my little Ship Inn —
could have staid another day — off at 11 50/.. — wild, stone walled country — up and down not good road —
at 1 1/4 stopt at the gate of Corfe Castle 7 miles from Swanage — Corfe a mere village large handsome
enough looking church, but had not time to think of seeing it — found a man waiting to walk about the ruins
with me, to explain them as he said — it was in an old gateway, now split in 2, and one 1/2 leaning
forward (from Cromwell’s mining) that Edward the martyr was said to have been assassinated — in the opposite corner
of the castle yard and where we now saw some asses feeding was the stable from which according to my guide Edward was said to have been
fetching his horse — 1/2 hour among the ruins — very considerable covering the whole top of the hill — the range
of hill abutting on each side of it said to be of the same length — that westward not being 100 yards
longer than the other — asked the guide, a shoemaker, about Lulworth castle — no carriage road
from Corfe — could have a cart — 7 miles — determined to walk and take my man with me — Cameron chose
to go — we should have had magnificent sea views had the weather been clear, but too hazy to get
more than a peep of the great white fauteuil head of the isle of Wight, and, could only just distinguish the
Xstchurch [Christchurch] Cliffs and Swanage — ought to have seen all the Shipping off Spithead and Xstchurch [Christchurch]
tower — very fine view of Poole harbour and Brownsea island and the little dots of islands near it, but the
town of Poole indistinct — great Orme’s head and St. Adlam’s race (i.e. St. Aldhelm’s head) cross seas there and very
dangerous — 1/2 way is Bonn’s folly a sort of old gateway that we passed — close to the road and at a
distance above Mr. Bonn’s house, the Grange, a good looking house, and nice place embossed in wood, at
bottom of the valley below us — Mr. Bonn lives by himself said to have no woman to do anything for him but the gardener’s
wife who cooks and does all — but he has a yatch — not popular, though member for Corfe? too
severe about game, yet willing to screen and help out smugglers — at 4 1/4 entered Lulworth
Castle a square solid mass of building (15 yards square?) between 4 large round towers that seem merely tangents
to the 4 corners of the square — a complete basement story projecting 3 or 4 yards all round the castle — good deal
of good forest timber about the castle — beautiful peep of the sea through a sort a large natural cleft in the cliffs
from the dining room windows — large, good house — some handsome rooms furnished at least 1/2 century ago — silk
and satin hangings — the duke of Gloucester, Sir Robert Peel, and lastly the French royal family hired the house — the
latter much liked — made handsome presents to all the young Welds, and gave handsomely over their wages to all
employed — very good to the poor — very small scattered village — picturesque little parish protestant church very near the castle —
great no. [number] out of every generation religious — priests monks or nuns — 2 of the present Weld’s sisters are nuns
at Clifton near Bristol — Cameron tired and thirsty stopt a minute or 2 at the little Inn (Weld’s arms) to
get her some warm ale to drink — myself took a little warm weak vinegar and water and the guide a pint of ale —
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