TRANSACTIONS ITER by
ROBERT
LITORALE GATHORNE-HARDY
THE manuscript from which the following work has been printed was discovered by Mr. W. Ketton-Cremer in a collection of papers relating to a family called Sutton. Knowing my associations with the county and my interest in botany, he made me a present of it,—a piece of magnanimity almost unmatched among people who collect such things. I feit that the work remained morally his, and in acknowledging the kindness of the original gift, I must thank him for giving his approval to the project of publishing it. I must also acknowledge gratefully help and information given to me by Miss J. C. N. Willis and Mr. H. R. Lingwood. The manuscript is neatly written on twenty-four small octavo sized leaves. On the front wrapper is written, in elegant lettering, " Orford ". Below is added in pencil, " A weeks Tour in Suffolk, August 1787, by Dr. Sutton and Mr. Kirby ; " underneath is written, also in pencil, " Keep this C. S. ". This pencil writing would seem to be a later addition. The work is written on one side of each leaf ; sometimes there are notes on the opposite page, and these I have put within brackets in the text. I have retained the writer's abbreviations for thus, it seemed to me, could best be preserved the feel and the freshness of the charmingly though not unlearnedly adolescent narrative. The two young botanists can be fairly confidently identified. The author must be a Rev. Charles Sutton, a fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, who became a D.D. He married a sister of William Kirby. Records by a Rev. C. Sutton are acknowledged by Hind in his Flora of Suffolk, and this must be the same man. William Kirby came of a Suffolk family distinguished in things of the mind. His grand-father, John Kirby, published in 1735 a learned topographical work on Suifolk; his uncle Joshua Kirby was an erudite topographical artist, a friend of Hogarth and Gainsborough, and an architect. He himself was an excellent botanist, but more important in entomology,—a science to which he was drawn by the accidental finding of a beautiful insect. He became a member of the Linnean Society and later F.R.S. His
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publications included an important monograph on English bees, and Seven Sermons on our Lord's Temptation. Born in 1759, he died in 1850. T h e work, it will be seen, needed some annotation. Whenever a plant is mentioned of which the first record is later than the date of the expedition, I have given the accepted date as recorded in Hind'sF/ora of Suffolk. I have also, where a plant is identifiable, given in a note the accepted modern name ; for this my authority has been the Flora of the British Isles by Clapham, T u t i n and Warburg. This work was also useful in tracing synonyms. Other Problems in this respect I was able to solve from The English Flora by Sir James Edward Smith ; I used the second edition of 1828. It will be seen from some of my notes that had this little work been contemporarily published, some records of Suffolk plants would have been put back many years. A curious feature of these records is the lateness of those formally accepted for maritime plants. This is the stranger in that Crabbe, who was the first recorder of many Suffolk plants, was intimately acquainted with the coast about AHeburgh and the lower reaches of the river. And yet he had mentioned in his poetical works a number of plants of which the accepted record is much later. Dßring a perfunctory examination of his poems I noticed the following (I give the officially dated record in brackets)—From The Village, 1783: Althaea officinalis (1804); from The Borough, 1810: Myrica Gale (1834) : Salsola kali (1837). I have no doubt that careful research into the works of Crabbe would reveal many such poetical records earlier than those accepted by botanists. Such an intellectual excursion would be a pleasant task for some Suffolk botanist who would no doubt feel at the end of it, like the heroes of the narrative printed here, that, at least, his time had not been consumed in idleness or wasted in intemperance and dissipation. cover) O R F O R D a week's tour in Suffolk August 1787 by Dr. Sutton and Mr. Kirby
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title) Iter litorale or a week's botanical excursion to the Sea-Coast at Orford and its environs, in August, 1787 by Chas. Sutton and Willm. Kirby, with a view to improve themselves in the Study of Natural History Nec vero terrae ferre omnes omnia
possunt.
Fluminibus salices, crassisq, paludibus alrii Nascuntur, steriles saxosis montibus orni Litora myrtetis Virgil.
laetissima.
Geo : Hb 2 d
Monday August 6th. at length the long wisht for morning appear'd which \ve had destined for this Scheme ; and my Friend and myself having left our knapsacks containing our linen and books of Science to be forwarded by Isaac Greenleaf, (a Fellovv who deserves not that precious name) set off f r o m Ipswich at 1 /2 past 5 in the morning, like Don Quixote and Sancho or rather like Robinson Crusoe and Friday in quest of the sea coast and the unknown trackless region round Orford ; conscious of the vvorth of our philosophic spirit and of the acquirements we had already made in the knovvledge of the minutiae of nature we were determined to stand firm against all the taunts and jeers of the ignorant vulgär, deriding our journey as preposterous and useless. However this philosophic Pride found little or no occasion to exert itself thro'out our whole T o u r , the Country we visited being so little inhabited that except at Woodbridge we hardly met a human face. Before we arrived there we discovered but one Plant which was not sufficiently known to us before, viz. Senecio Sylvaticus. The country here is light and sandy. We passed by Dr. George's (?) late seat at Rushmere, a pleasant spot, buildings very neat and in excellent repair,—unoccupied, the land in the tenure of M r . Parmenter the Proprietor ; our discourse turns on the melancholy effects of engrossing Farms—cross the Bridge at Martlesham and find ourselves soon at Woodbridge.—Peter Lathbury 1 promises to accompany us from hence after breakfast to his House at Orford,
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and the Oister 2 at Butley is fixt upon to dine at. Here we learn the unpleasantness that Isaac Greenleaf will not go to Ipswich tili Thursday. A letter is dispatched to order our things by the coach to Woodbridge, to be sent after us from thence by an Orford Butcher. This distresses us, as we shall not receive them tili Wednesday night.—proceed on our March, Lathbury on Horseback. At Wilford bridge a fine Lactuca Virosa, Apium graveolens in plenty, at Bromeswell Arenaria rubra?, Eriophorum polystachion, and Lysimachia vulgaris of which we got some roots at our return. Fields replete with Spergula arvensis,—large flocks of sheep—not a house to be Seen tili we come to a place called Sprat Street consisting of only 2 houses, one on each side the way. Here impeU'd by thirst we called on a Farmer whose name was Sherard, whether a descendant of the celebrated Botanist of that name is difficult to say ; this is certain, that his wife gratified each of us with a speeimen of Hordeum sativum and Humulus lupulus out of a Cup, which from the goodness of its contents might fairly be called a Nectarium4. An unusual phaenomenon here Struck our sight which was a Columbo Palumba sitting upon a Casement window which had been left open ; it is a bird seldom known to perch.—Proceeding from hence we entered Stavender Park 5 once a wilderness overgrown with trees and shrubs, many venerable Plants still remain of Sorbus aueuparia, Ilex aquifolia, Betula alba, etc., but great havoc has been lately made and many fine trees appear shamefully dismembered 6 ; the branches of which it seem were cut off and carried away during the time the estate was in litigation between the representatives of Sr. Wm. Chapman tenants in Possession, and the heirs of Robt. Onely, Esq. who bequeath'd him the same with other estates to a considerable amount ; this contest has been lately decided in favour of the claimant and a singular method of distribution made, in separating the manour from the lands and forming them into one separate Lot.—Ants of a Giant size arrested our attention as busy as if negotiating at the Royal Exchange. We arrived at Butley Oister at 1 /2 after one o'clock, dismal news,—no provisions, recollect Dr. Johnson's observatn at an inn in the North of Scotland that the negative catalogue of provisns was very copious, no meat, no fish, no pulse etc., 5 eggs the whole stock, were fried with slices of Bacon and the grease poured over them out of the frying Pan. Lathbury being in his Diocese, that is to say, a Feeder of Souls in this parish determined to seek out for food for himself—procur'd a dish of beans from Mrs. Bennington wth. weh. we contented ourselves.—saw the stufft skin of a Conger Eel which hung up in the kitchen, it was caught in the river here, and weighed 48 lb. Mrs. Dowsing the Hostess has been handsome and is now a fine old Woman. In this parish we found Anagallis tenella, in füll flower and Rumex hydrolapathum1 not so forward.
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(Note on opposite page) It is customary in this neighbourhood for the Husbandmen to have a Frolic (' Drinking ' and ' dining ' crossed out) at the beginning of Harvest as well as at the end— they call it whetting their Tools). As we passed by Mrs. Bennington's house westopt and thanked her for the beans. She comes out accompanied by a faithful man servant who conducts the farming business, they insist on our drinking a glass of wine, my countenance is made a plea of as not altogether refusing like the rest, Lathbury drinks first, Kirby follows and drinks health to Mrs. B and also to Mr. B, (meaning the head man). This obliges the Lady to explain, that she has been a Widow these 26 years whilst the honest Fellow exclaims in these emphatic words, " No, I am not so, I am known by the name of old Nat ",—this is a subject of merriment to us as we proceed. In a little time we came to Chillesford Mill, Stephen is the name of y. Miller, enter'd a valuable meadow, where we found Serapias palustris8 (memdn : If Linnee is imperfect in any part of British Botany it is in the Gynandria Class) Satyrium vinde9 and Oenanthe pimpinelloidesl0,~tumed out of the road into some fields once part of Sudburn park—approached the Hall belonging to Ld. Hertford who at the expence of about 10,000 L has made himself acommodious house, the Building is not uniform, it consists of a Square house of white stucco fronting the North,' on the left hand of which are a ränge of Offices of b r i c k o n t h e s a m e line, terminated at the right angles by the Stables built also of red brick. T h e old house was an half H which the present Owner has filled up into a Square, the wing and offices are new. T h e earth consisting here chiefly of Sand, his ldship plants Solanum tuberosum and Epilobium angnstifolium" to prevent it being carried away by the wlrTcT n~may T)e very naturally supposed that so modern a seat as Sudburn Hall built within the distance of less less than 2 miles of the Sea shod. command an extensive view of that most sublime object in Nature,—No such thing, the Sea is not to be seen from hence, nor any part of the Town of Orford except the Steeple and Castle, the ground rising gently between them and forming a mound of some length in the direction of the Coast. Medicago falcata grows here in great abundance also Jasione montana and Thymus acinosn, now in füll bloom of beauty. We arrived at Orford before 7 in the evening, where our Friend conducted us to his House by no means in that S t a t e of fatigue and wearisomeness which might have been expected from a walk of 20 miles, but the weather was wonderfully favorable, neither Heat nor Rain having incommoded us. Lathbury introduced a favorite Spaniel to our Notice, whose docility he soon gave us a specimen of by desiring him to shut the door, which the Creature immediately perform'd by leaping up against it and pressing his two forefeet against the lock. T h e Dog's name is Rover. T o give
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a brief description of Lathbury's Pariour let it suffice to say it exhibited marks of the Gentleman, the Naturalist and the Philosopher. Against the wall over a handsome Sopha, hung the Portrait of a fair Lady, whom we easily conjectured to be the object of our Host's particular Love and Affection, the attitude was pleasing and the countenance expressive. We who have hearts alass ! too sensible of the effect of female charm were smitten with the sight, and did not fail immediately to give her the due bow of respect. The Chimney piece was ranged with fossil shells and minerals, as also the top of an elegant Book case ; in one corner two well preserved Birds the Tetras rubra and Phasianus Gallus presented themselves to our view on a Table North's glass Machine for impregnating water with fixt air, a Solar Microscope, a Camera obscura, Books, papers, drawings, etc., etc.—Mr. O Connor, a Clergyman from Ireland, a temporary Curate in the Place called in, and partook with us of an excellent Supper prepared for our refreshment. NB, he is smitten with esteem for Kirby because he seem'd attentive to him while he talk'd French, the truth is Kirby was asleep. A specimen of this attachment we were spectators of a few days after but—how odius a vice is Envy.
Tuesday August. 7th. After breakfast and taking a view of the Garden (from whence I reckoned up seven edifices for a certain use built in a peculiar style all of wood and not larger than Centry Boxes) we prepared to cross the Channel of the River and run over the Marshes which divide it from the Sea in quest of botanical food taking with us however in a basket some Cheese, Biscuits and Porter and also some Water (which we knew to be here almost as valuable) and mixt with Porter we had found no unpleasant liquor. We found13 here upon the walls Sedum acre and Sedum reflexum , a wayside Carduus acanthoides.
Some of these Marshes were cultivated and appeared covered with a good crop of Wheat. They are rented of Mr. Lawton of Ipswich. There is no House here, only a Barn, the Farm House is on the other side of the River. The Estate is not very profitable on account of the great expence necessarily incurr'd in keeping up the banks. The 7th Regimt. of Dragoons now quartered at Norwich have sent their horses for the summer to graze in these Marshes ; so many of these noble animals together are no small ornament to the Place.—Nothing nto be seen but Statice limonium Aster tripolium apetalon supposed to have become so16by th Aphides who have eaten the petals, Chenopodium Marit : A misa marita : jlrenaria marina and media17. These we f tKKside next The river ; crossing over to the Sea side which is
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a pebbly beach, we perceiv'd Geranium Robertianum, Frankenia levis™, Chelidonium glauciumw, Gqleopsis lad™ : Cochlearia danica, do. Groenlandica21, and a v&netfofCucüBalusbehen22 not mentioned by Hudson but taken notice of by Linnaeus from Ray B. Lychnis maritima angustifolia. There are frequently found on this Coast the Lipas Anatifera, a curious multivalve, called by Gerard the goose Tree of which he gives a ridiculous account,—he says that on the broken pieces of wreck and on the trunks and branches of trees cast ashore are sometimes found a certain froth that in time becometh a Shell like unto the Muscle but sharper pointed and more white wherein is contained a thing like a lace of silk finely woven together one end whereof is fastened to the inside of the Shell and the other unto the belly of rudemasse or lumpe, weh. in time cometh to the Shape and form of a bird, when it is come to maturity it falleth into the Sea, gathereth feathers and groweth to a fowle bigger than a Mallard and lesser than a Goose. T h u s ridiculously does he describe the origin of the Barnacle Goose from this Shell fish on account of the tentacles appearing feathered and concludes saying, for the truth hereof, if any doubt may it please them to repair unto me and I shall satisfy them by the testimony of good witnesses. Plastic Nature was here at work in covering this pebbly shore with a coat of verdure, the web she seems principally to make use of on this occasion is the Jjüicum repens23 the roots of which soon interweave with each otherTlMluTearth is presently form'd ; For a beautiful descriptn. of the general process of Nature in this case I refer you to a dissertatn. of Linnee de oeconomia Naturae translated in Stillingfleets tracts. How easy is it, when the mind is free from care andthecountenance set for the purpose, to raise the risible faculty and to laugh at the veriest trifles ; this Observation arises from reflecting on the promptitude with weh. we laugh'd when W m . Kirby shew'd us at this place his hand besmear'd with the interior substance of a Lycoperdon which in unripe State had unexpectedly gushed out upon him !—-and also at another time propterea quod non satis erat cautus in mingendo, mingebat enim adverso vento et sese humectabat |24 The Statice armeria25 grows here in great plenty forming itself mto a soft Cushion, short and fine as the Turf at Newmarket. We came to the point called Orfordness which is very nearly the most eastern point of the Kingdom ; here are two Lighthouses, within the distance of about 200 yds. of each other. T h e western one is of red brick lofty and more of a cylindrical than conical a e P - It contains a light made from coal fire ; the eastern
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is of wood new built on the very edge of the waves, lower than the other, having the planks of its base thickly studded with large headed nails which in a short time concreting together by the acids of the salt water will form an entire crust of Iron.—The light sent forth from this is not from a fire like the other but according to a new invention from several lamps weh. reflect the light at different angles from Speculums placed behind 'em. These Lighthouses are the property of Lord Howard de Waiden and produce to him an annl. income of L2000, ev'ry Ship destin'd to pass by making a payment at the Port of London for their support. One of the argumts. made use of by the Hon. D. Barrington to prove the improbability of the migratn of Birds is this that if they travel in the night they wd. certainly make towards the Lighthouses on the eastern coast, which, he adds, they have not been observ'd to do. But in this he is mistaken, as an accident happened not long since of this sort here wh. we hrd from good authority, of a large quantity of blackbirds and thrushes at midnight Coming with such violence as to beat the glasses all to pieces and rushing into the Flames, where many of them, alass escaping a watery, found afiery,grave.
At this place we emulated the Naiads and Tritons by partaking of their cooling pleasures, one of the party indeed was thought not worthy to be so compared, as by continuing long rowling and tumbling in the waves he resembled rather a Porpus :—weh. name by the bye is derived by the naturalists from Porcus piscis—a Fish. How stränge ! that there shod.always be somethingby weh. you may know the man even when he is out of his Element! After a short repast on the beach we took a circuit round the marshes and returned home somewhat fatigued to Dinner. In the evening took a view of the Castle. This is in truth a veryfineremnt.of Antiqy: and isperhaps less deserving the name of a ruin than any ancient building now existing in the Kingdom unrepaired and in its pristine form. It is a commanding object both by Sea and Land, the battlements of the wall and of the Turrets (which exceed it perhaps by 14 feet in height) are but little injured by the Weather. We crept in at a small window about 8 feet from the ground and found ourselves in a large circular buildg. 54 feet diamr: whose walls were 90 ft high and 14 thick, with three turrets projecting to the NE. SW and YV. Oneof these wasappropriatedtotheuseof a Staircase, the others to Bedchambers and other uses. In one we saw remains of the Chapel, as was manifest from the altar at theeast endand the place for the holy water : on another the Larder where provisns. were kept, in another the Kitchen and Scullery, not to mention places appropriated to other necessary uses. The body of the
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131 building appears from the remains of the Joists to have been of two Stories ; in these lived the soldiery whilst the ground floor was probably destined as a keep for the Prisoners. Camden relates a stränge account of a Sea-Man wth. a long black beard (not a Porpus) who was caught and kept a long time in this Castle. Here are the remains of 2 ditches weh. formerly encompassed it and between them stands the remains of a wall 40 feet high facing the NE. Turret like a screen. Wednesday Aug. 8th. This morng : purposing to make a coasting voyage we took boat at 8 o'cloek at the Quay, and as we intended to be out great part of the day, our Friend Lathbury took care to provide us with a cold Mutton Pye and other provisions weh. we took with us in a Basket. The crew consisted of our three selves and two young Sailors who ply'd the oars. The day was fine—towds, noon very hot; we went down the river wth. a rapid tide, passed by Halvergate Island whose perimeter may be about 5 miles, it was formerly two islands ; on it is one solitary Farm House desolate and miserable to the eye. Orford is distant from the Harbour's mouth 5 miles, when we were come within about a mile of it we landed on the reach, viz the ridge of land weh. is between the river and the sea, at this place it is but above a furlong on breadth, here we found Beta marit2<> : Atriplex,portulaeoides27 and that rare and curious plant weh : alone sufficiently rewarded us the Pisum Marit28 : a plant growing here in great abundee. and hardly elsewhere to be found in Engld. The seed was ripe and we gather'd some of it to supply botanical friends withal. But Tho' we attentively sought for the Vicia lutea29 which in Mr. Rose's memda. : is mention'd to grow on this Spot we were disappointed in the Searcli. Having shot the Haven's mouth we found ourselves m the main Ocean. Grand was the scene. Vessels without number, of diff. apparent sizes because at diff. distances in füll sail stretching majestically along between Sea and Sky. To men living in the interior parts of a country it wod. seem as if the inhabitants of each Ship were cut off from and were independent of the material Earth. Even to us the Art of Navigation appear'd, such isour ignorance and timidity, abold andadventurous Science.' We passed by Hollesly gap, so well known by smugglers, had a view of Hollesly, Alderton and Bawdsey Church Towers, passed by several Nets laid for Lobsters, hailed the Fisherman Thos. Brown of Aldboro', saw the Parsonage house of Mr. Franks of Alderton, built of white brick or stucco, much exposed, especialy towards the Sea, could see Landguard Fort and at great distee. Walton Tower on the Essex coast. Walked a long while on the beach which is here of a shifting disposition, found Ononis repens,
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Elymus arenarius, Arundo arenaria30, Salsola Kali31, Arenaria peploides32 and Eringium mar : the Arun3ö~aren3ritris sometimes found above 26 yds long. Wm. Kirby walked as far as the mouth of the River Deben, Woodbridge Häven, a mile farther than we had curiosity to venture. Let it be remember'd we eat our Dinner like Savages this day sitting on the Sand close to each other, and scorch'd to death with the Sun's rays. After dinner Rover was indulged with a comfortable draught of water out of Lathbury's Hat. At our return in the Boat we descry'd two Nymphs hastening from the beach to a chaise at some little distance, one of whom of superior dignity to the other our approach unfortunately distur'd washing like Musidora her beauteous feet in the waves, " Quick up her leg the inverted Silk she drew And wth. her faithful Jenny drove away from view." not however without first having taken a peep at us thro' a telescope. Another odd occurrence :—A Sea Gull on shore is seen which cannot fly notwithstanding many attempts to. Rover is sent out of the Boat to fetch i t ; he comes up to i t ; it falls on its back before he touches i t ; he is unwilling to bring it, when we exhorted him for some time the Bird gets up and flies out to Sea perfectly well. Went on board the Clearall from Lambeth in quest of Fish, bought some sand dabs alive, some of weh, we had for supper,—found to be discribed by Linee undr. the name of Pleuronetes Limanda and differ from the Piaice (p. Plate six ?) in having scales rough, a spine at the anus (no tubercles on the head) etc. Got a speeimen or two of Cancer Bernhardus, a shell-fish which insinuates its tail, for the tail is not crustaceous, into the shell of the Whelk and inhabits therein tili he is grown too big or is obliged to change for a larger. It is called by Brooks the Soldier Crab.* We landed on Halvergate Island—but little of it cultivated, and that little not valuable, and were at home again at about 7 o'Clock.
* NOTE. T h i s is the Hermit Lobster of Pennant (Linnaeus ranges the Lobsters among the Cancri Crabs) weh. he thus describes,—rough claws— the right claw the longer—legs subulated and serrated along the upper ridge—tail naked and tender and furnished wth. a hook by which it secures itself in its lodging. T h i s species is parasitic and inhabits the empty cavities of turbinated shells, changing its habitatn. accordg. to its increase of growth f r o m the small nerite to the large Whelk. Nature denies it the strong covering behind which it has bestow'd on others of this class and therefore directs it to take refuge in the deserted cases of other animals. By the moderns it is called Soldier f r o m the idea of its dwelling in a T e n t or the Hermit from retiring into a Cell.
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Visited the Church, or rather Chapel. What has been the Chancel is now a venerable piece of ruins, was once perhaps the whole of Orford Chapel, of a very different structure and age from the Edifice in present use ; the pillars which are round, and Square wth. rounded edges are entwined wth. sculpture and support very beautiful ornamental elliptic arches. T h e side walls and east end are down and these Pillars and arches were internal of weh. there are five on a side. T h e altar tomb between the eastern pillars though of modern erection adds a solemnity to the Place. The Chapel having now lost this eastern appendage, to weh, it cod. never well coincide is much too broadforitslength; it has a noble Tower 3 3 , as lofty as the Castle, is within spacious and light, has an organ weh. from an inscriptn. in golden letters appears to have been erected at the sole expee. of the late Ld. Hertford. (Note on opposite page . . T h e Advowson and Manour of Sudbourn wth. Orford were once part of the Possessn : of the Bp of Norwch. Qu : Elizabeth seized them and in return to the Bishop remitted to him the payment of Tenths amounting to L83. 9. 2. p anm.) More brass plates are said to remain in this Chapel than are commonly found in Suffolk. T h e font is ancient, and has this inscriptn. Orate pro ambos Johis Cokerel et Katerine uxoris ejus qui istam fontem in honorem Dei fecerunt fieri round the upper step. A monument of Francis Mason who died Decr. 1621 was brought here from the old Chancel with this inscriptn. at the bottom. " In justice to the memory of so great a man who was Rector here 80 years and above 110 yrs. old this monument was removed from the ruinous Chancel and set up here at the charge of the present Incumbent Josias Alsop BD. Anno 1720 ". T h e truth of this respecting the age of this Rector has been doubted. 33A F o r t h e i n s c r i p t i o n o n t h e m o n u m t . s e e t h e o p p : page: Here lieth Francis Mason born in the Bishoprick of Duresme, brought up in the University of Oxford, B.D., Fellow of Merton College there,â&#x20AC;&#x201D;after Rector of Orford in Suffolk where he built the Parsonage house, Chaplain to King James, the books which he writ testify his learning. He married Eliz : Price, daughter of Nichs. Price Vicar of Bissdin in Oxfordshire by whom he had three Children. She erected this Monument for him. He died in D e c . : 1621. Prima Deo cura fuit sacrare labores Cui Studium sacris invigilare libris, Ecce sub hoc tandem requievit marmore Maso Expectans Dominum spesq. fidesq suum.
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In justice to the memory &c. (I have met with this Francis Mason and the titles of his Books in Bloomfield's Norwich where he treats of the Cathedral. Memorandm. to look it over again). One of the Bath papers (1741) remains here in a frame. Looked round the outside of the Parsonage House, accordg. to appearance a comfortable dwellg.—but much crampt for land behind.
Thursday Aug : 9th. Set off for a land expeditn. this day in a Curricle, pass'd by Ld Hertford's (who by the bye takes no care to have good roads) and alighted at Wantisden Bogs—found Anagallis tenella, Dro Rotundif34. Erioph Polygofi* : Polygala vulgaris and R in great plenty ; and by the road side Papaver dubiumGeran mollefl: alba, and Malva sylv" : fl : alba- passed by Bu Church to the Abbey gate, a Gate richly adorn'd in Front with six rows of escutcheons in Stone being the coats of arms of several very honble ancient families,—took notice of a very conspicuous crest weh. was a Boar's Head muzzled.—the two side Towers desenbed in a print in Grose's antiquities have since that publicatn. been pull'd in a great measure down. There grows on the walls around, a great quantity of Brassica murahs™, a plant known, not properly describ'd byTI^L The inside of this building has been fitted up withinfiftyyears as a hunting seat the estate lately belonged to Mr. Strahan the King's Printer but is now in the possessn. of Ld. Arch : Hamilton who hath other estates in the neighbourhood. In the neighbourhood of this place we found Erysimum cheiranthoides and Turritis gla The back front of this Gate way is very handsome and well deserving the attention of some future Draughtsman, it wd. make a very good subject for an engrav : etc. The work is of flints curiously mtereeptd. with freestone in the shape of gothic arches and with a circular window like St. Catherine's wheel towards the top. Vast masses of the walls of the Abbey still remain to the south east of the Gate, the limits of weh. are not now to be easily traced, but there are sufficient to shew that it was once a Monastery of some note ; on enquiry we learned it was founded by the famous Judge Glanville, Chief Justiciary of England, in the year 1171 and at the time of the dissolution was valued at upwds. of L318 Panm. We were much pressed to dine with Mr. Chandler the Farmer who holds these domains, but resisted his importunity tho' his Beefstakes were then ready. It was thought he was not sober. We returned by our favourite meadow at Chilesford and procured roots of the Serapias palustris to bring home wth. us. Lathbury found Spergula nodosa19.
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Return'd home to our Dinner at Orford at 4 o'clock ; went in the evening to Raydon Farm to visit Mr. Mark Wade. In the way met Mr. O'Connor wth. Mr. Randal one of the Burgesses. Friendly salutations pass between Kirby and O'Connor. Memm : Orford is a Corporation constg. of a Mayor and 12 Burgesses. The present Mayor is Edwd. Colman Serjeant at Arms to the Houseof Comns. and a favourite wth. Ld. Hertford. Neither he nor the Burgesses (except two) reside in the place. These 2 are Mr. Randal just mentioned an old apothecary and a Mr. Brett. The rest come down but once a year yet each is obliged to have a house in his occupation ; there is not a good house in the place except one built by L.. Beauchamp which is unoccupied. Mr. Wade has a very good garden, appears a good sort of man, remembers 7 Rectors of the place altho : himself not above 55 yrs. of age ; he gave us excellent port wine, we left him at 1 /2 after ten and walked home in a very dark and stormy night; after we had retired to bed the lightning came on more bright and vivid accompanied with very loud claps of Thunder which continued almost incessantly tili 3 o'Clock in the Morning. Thank God we all escaped unhurt, tho' it appeared afterwds. that much damage was done thro'out the Kingdom. Friday Ă&#x201E;ugst. 10 The day of our departure home. We set off accompanied by our Frd Lathbury in the same Curricle as far as Woodbridge by the same road we came, except near Stavendar park weh. we did not pass thro' but left on our right hand. At Wilford bridge we stopt to look at Chrysosplenium oppw : which grows there in abundance and arrived at Woodbridge time enough to dine with Mr. Lynn, the Surgeon to whom we had engaged ours : and walked home to Ipswch. in the Evening. On Saturday we all three breakfasted with our Tutor Dr. Gwyn to whom we accounted our adventures and produced our various Specimens. The pleasure he testified at the sight of these and at our recitals gave us additional joy, and each of vis retired to our several homes contented and happy in the reflection that, at least, our time had not been consumed in idleness or wasted in intemperance and dissipation.
136
1. 2. 3.
ITER LITORALE NOTES This m u s t be the Rev. Peter L a t h b u r y 1760-1820. His posthumous son, the Rev. Nathaniel Peter Edward L a t h b u r y , 1820-1855, made botanical records, acknowledged by H i n d . This inn is still in existence and trading. Spergularia rubra.
4.
Need it be pointed out that, in this cumbrous botanic p u n , barley and hops and home-brewed ale are being alluded to ' 5. T h e present day name is Staverton. 6. In spite of eighteenth-century spoliation, this fragment of primeval r e m a l n s ln jSLSt primitive splendour, with huge trees of Holly and Mountain Ash, and the ruins of ancient Oaks which curiously enough are not mentioned here, although our botanists must have seen the very same trees. 7. First record, 1798, George Crabbe. 8. Epipactis palustris First record, 1804, Sir T . G. Cullum The name Serapias, now restricted to a mainly Mediterranean genus was given by L m n a e u s to the genera Cephalavthera and Epipactis'. In respect to the latter, modern amateur botanists will echo against our contemporary masters the same complaint, so confusing and so unstable is their nomenclature. 9.
Coeloglossum viride, the Frog Orchid. T h e season and the Situation clearly rule out all other orchids once included in the genus Satyrion 10. Henslow and Skepper, in their 1860 Flora of Suffolk, record this for bnape and Sizewel] ; the more accurate H i n d , in his Flora of 1889 gives for this part of the county only a doubtful record f r o m Leiston! 11. Hind states that this is probably introduced in Suffolk, and observes that he only had recent records ; Henslow and Skepper do not mention it at all. T h e great increase of this plant in recent years has been very noticeable, and it is not impossible that some Suffolk plants may be of native English stock. It would be interesting to learn if this Willow H e r b owes to the same use as at S u d b o u r n e lts distribution in some other parts of England. Its latest name is C hamaenerion angustifohum. Concerning the rarity of this plant in the past, Miss J. C. N . Willis has sent m e this interesting information. " Catherine Parr Traill the Canadian botanist, nee Strickland my great aunt after returning f r o m a visit to her old home, Re'ydon Hall c. 1840, informed her Canadian readers with amusement that people were growmg it as a garden plant in Suffolk and elsewhere. My other botanist great aunt, Caroline Gaye painted it with an exact botanist's eye in August 1834 f r o m a specimen f r o m the pond meadow at Hall Place (near Shefford, Beds, I think) and remarks three to six feet high, in moist meadows and shady places. N o t common, seldom met with in the southern counties ' . " Mrs. Traill seems to have thought that the plants she saw had been imported from Canada. Gerard called it, as we do, Rose-bay Willow-Herbe saying that it is " (as I do esteem it) of all the rest the most goodly and stately plant, having leaves like the greatest Willow or Ozier. H e adds that it " groweth in Yorkshire in a place called the Hooke, near unto a close called Cow pasture f r o m whence I had these plants, which doe grow in my garden very goodly to behold, for the decking up of house and' gardens " In Clapham, T u t i n and W a r b u r g it is said that native plants have been been distinguished as var. macrocarpum. and that a form suspected ot being an escape from cultivation, is var. brachycerpum. It remains I have been told, or was until lately, a rare plant in Ireland. 12. Acinos arvensis (Calamintha Acinos).
ITER LITORALE 13.
137
Druce, in his Comital Flora, lists this as a native ; Clapham, T u t i n and W a r b u r g give lt as introduced. It was first recorded for Suffolk in 1773, by Sir. J. Cullum. 14. First record, 1807. 1 5. Curiously enough the first Suffolk record of this common plant is in 1831, by a Mrs. Casboine ; however, I am under the impression that I have seen it mentioned in one of Crabbe's poems. Var. apetalon, now called var. discoidens, is a perfectly good variety, and is still to be found in the same neighbourhood. 16. This is difficult to identify. T h e r e was a Chenopodium maritimum which appears to have been a form of C. album. 17. T h e nomenclature of these plants, having been frequently altered, is confusing ; authorities I have consulted are slightly inconsistent. However, I think it may b e safely assumed that these would now be called Spergularia marginata and 5 . salina. 18. T h e r e is no other record for Frankenia laevis on the east bank of the estuary. 19. Glaucium luteum, the Horned Poppy. 20. Galeopsis ladanum. 21. T h e former C. groenlandica is the C. scotica of modern botanists, and is not to be found in England. T h e plant in question may have been C. officinalis described by H i n d as " seemingly very rare in Suffolk " : or it may have been a hybrid between C. danica and C. officinalis. C. anglica is recorded f r o m Orford, and should not be excluded from these speculations. 22. Silene cucubalus, the Bladder Campion : but the plant mentioned must have been 5 . maritima which has been called Lychnis marina anglicana and L. Perennis angustifolia marina anglica procumbens. 23. Agropyron repens, Couch Grass. 24. Does this facetious latinity need explaining ? So ancient and lasting is the naughty little joke that one cannot but suspect it of being here an invention. A more decorous form involves the fate of those who spit against the wind. 25. Armeria maritima, T h r i f t or Sea Pink. 26. First record, 1834, Paget. 27. Halimione portulacoides. First record, 1834, Paget. 28. Lathyrus maritimus, the Sea Pea. It is now to be found in some quantity from Shingle Street to at least as far north as Walberswick. 29. T h i s is to be found at Shingle Street. 30. T h e r e is here some confusion of synonyms ; I suspect that the plant was Ammophila (Psammä) arenaria, M a r r a m Grass. 31. First record 1838, Mrs. Casborne ; but see the introduction. 32. Honkenya peploides. 33. T h e top of the tower is now ruined and diminished. (It collapsed in May, 1830. L.D.) 33A. Francis Mason was rector from 1599 to 1621â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a period of 21 years ; his age was 55 when he died in 1621. For an explanation of the absurd claims p u t forward in the inscription, see Proc. Suff. Inst. Arch, X X V I I (1958), p. 54. L . Dow. 34. H i n d has no record for Drosera rotundifolia f r o m this part of the county, though Henslow and Skepper describe it as " common in bogs throughout the county ". 35. Eriophorum angustifolium (polystachium). Cotton Grass. 36. First record, 1804, Sir T . G. Cullum. 37. Malva sylvestris. 38. Diplotaxis muralis, an a l i e n : first record, 1847. C. H. Watson. 39. Sagina nodosa. 40. Chrysosplenium oppositifolium.
COLLECTING IN 1958 by
ALASDAIR A S T O N , B . A . ,
F.R.E.S.
SNOW
was still on the ground at the beginning of March but I was able to show two sceptical ornithologists a male March M o t h (.Alsophila aescularia Schiff), at rest on an oak trunk at Oxted, Surrey, on March 2nd. On April 22nd, the Brimstone, (Gonepteryx rhamni, L.) was Aying between Bury St. E d m u n d s and Stowmarket, prompting me to search the next day for the Large Tortoiseshell, (Nymphalis polychloros, L.). I saw none, however, and the insect seems to have disappeared from its former haunts. In 1942, I saw a dozen in a week at Onehouse but I have not seen polychloros since 3.X.1951, at Belstead. Hibernated Peacocks, (Nymphalis ia, L.), Small Tortoiseshells, (Aglais urticae, L.) and a Comma, (Polygonia c-album L.) were Aying in Northfield Wood, Onehouse, on April 23rd. T h e Humble-Bee Fly, (Bombylius major), was Aying in beautiful weather, with the cuckoo calling and with cowslips, sallow, five-Angers and windAowers well in evidence. Back in London, the Small Garden White, (Pieris rapae, L.), was Aying in Brockwell Park on April 29th. T h e Orange Tip, (Euchloe cardamines, L., the Brimstone, and the Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria L.), were Aying at Box Hill on April 29th, with the Grizzled Skipper, (Pyrgus malvae, L.), there on May 4th. On May 7th, Plutella maculipemiis, Curt., the Grey Diamond-backed Smudge, first put in an appearance at Dulwich light. T h i s small micro is a migrant and has been most frequent all " summer " . A frequent m o t h to be found here at rest on privet after dark is the Scalloped Hazel, (Gonodoniis bidentata, Clerck.). It first appeared on May 7th and from 38 specimens noted only two, one of each sex, were of a melanic variety more unicolorous than that figured from the mosses of Lancashire by South. T h e Scalloped Hazel lasted tili 29th May, when I saw the last. One female laid 363 eggs which were green at first and then turned coppery. T h e larvae began to emerge on June 4th. On May 1 Ith, in Dulwich Woods, the Large White, (Pieris brassicae), and a micro, Incurvaria musculatella, Fabr., flew freely. Bluebells were noted and the fairy micro, Adela viridella, Scop. At Box Hill on May 1 Ith, were noted two S w a m m e r d a m m ' s Long-horns (Nemophora swammerdammella, L.), and a Grey Birch on an oak trunk. A species new to my Dulwich list is the Grey Pug, (Eupithecia castigata, HĂźbn.), which came to light on 18-19th May. In Suffolk the Orange T i p was still out on May 23rd, for a male was found at rest after dark in Onehouse Wood, where were also larvae of the Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperanthus, L.) and of the Smoky