The Natural History of Wiltshire Part 12

* March.

[I have seen this old proverb printed, "Eat leekes in Lent, and raisins in May, &c." - J. B.]

No wild oates in Wilts.h.i.+re, or rarely. In Somersets.h.i.+re, common.

(There is abundance of wild oats in the middle part of Wiltsh., especially in the west clay of Market Lavington field, when the crop is barley. - BISHOP TANNER.)

Thorowax beares a pretty little yellow flower, not much unlike the blowing of a furze that growes so common on the downes, close to the ground: the bees love it extremely. (There is a mistake in thorowax, or perfoliata; for that rises to a good stature, and hath no such flower. I suppose the plant you mean is trifolium corniculatum, or bird's-foot trefoil.-J. RAY.)

The right honorable James, Earle of Abingdon, tells me that there are plenty of morillons about Lavingtons, which he eates, and sends to London. Methinkes 'tis a kind of ugly mushroom. Morillons we have from Germany and other places beyond sea, which are sold here at a deare rate; the outer side is like a honeycombe. I have seen them of nine inches about They grow near the rootes of elmes.

Poppy (papaver) is common in the corn fields; but the hill above Harnham, by Salisbury, appeares a most glorious scarlet, it is so thick there.

"Ilia soporiferum, parvas initura penates, Colligit agresti lene papaver humo.

Dum legit oblito fertur gusta.s.se palato, Longamq{ue} imprudens exsoluisse famem". - OVID. FAST. lib. iv.

In a ground of mine called Swices (which is a neck of land at the upper end of the field called Shatcomb) growes abundantly a plant called by the people hereabout crow-bells, which I never saw any where but there. "Swice", in the old English, signifies a neck.

Dwarfe-elder (ebulus) at Box, &c. common enough: at Falston and Stoke Verdon, in the high waies. The juice of ebulus turnes haire black; and being mingled with bull's fatt is Dr. Buller's remedie for the gowte.

The best way to dye haire browne is to take alhanna in powder, mix't with fair water as thick as mustard: lay it on the haire, and so tye it up in a napkin for twelve houres time. Doe thus for six dayes together, putting on fresh every day for that time. This will keep the haire browne for one whole yeares time after it. The alhanna does prepare the hair and makes it of a darke red or tawny colour. Then they take "takout", which is like a small gall, and boyle it in oyle till it hath drunk up all the oyle; then pulverize it, and mix it with water and putt it on the haire. Grind a very little of alkohol, which they use in glazeing of their earthen vessels, in a mortar with the takout, and this turnes the haire to a perfect black. This receipt I had from my worthy and obligeing friend Mr. Wyld Clarke, merchant, of London, who was factour many yeares at S{an}cta-Cruce, in Barberie, and brought over a quant.i.ty of these leaves for his own use and his friends. 'Tis pity it is not more known. 'Tis leaves of a tree like a berbery leafe. Mr. Clarke hath yet by him (1690) above half a peck of the alhanna.

Dr. Edw. Brown, M.D. in his Travells, sc. description of Larissa and Thessalie, speakes of alhanna. Mr. Wyld Clarke a.s.sures me that juice of lemons mixt with alhanna strikes a deeper and more durable colour either in the hands or nailes.

Tobacco. - We have it onely in gardens for medicine; but in the neighbouring county of Gloucester it is a great commodity. Mdm.

"Tobacco was first brought into England by Ralph Lane in the eight and twentieth yeare of Queen Elizabeth's raigne". - Sir Richard Baker's Chronicle. Rider's Almanack (1682) sayes since tobacco was first brought into England by Sir Walter Raleigh, 99 yeares. Mr. Michael Weekes, of the custome house, a.s.sures me that the custom of tobacco is the greatest of all other, and amounts now (1688) to four hundred thousand pounds per annum. [Now (1847) about three millions and a half.- J. B.]

Broome keeps sheep from the rott, and is a medicine not long since found out by physitians for the dropsy. In some places I knew carefull husbandmen that quite destroyed their broome (as at Lanford), and afterwards their sheep died of the rott, from which they were free before the broom was cutt down; so ever since they doe leave a border of broome about their grounds for their sheep to browze on, to keep them sound.

Furzes (genista spinosa).-I never saw taller or more flouris.h.i.+ng English furzes than at Chalke. The Great Duke of Thuscany carried furzes out of England for a rarity in his magnificent garden. I never saw such dwarft furzes as at Bowdon parke; they did but just peep above the ground.

Oakes (the best of trees).-We had great plenty before the disafforestations. We had in North Wilts.h.i.+re, and yet have, though not in the former plenty, as good oakes as any in England. The best that we have now (1670) are at Okesey Parke, Sir Edward Poole's, in Malmesbury hundred; and the oakes at Easton Piers (once mine) were, for the number, not inferior to them. In my great-grandfather Lite's time (15--) one might have driv'n a plough over every oake in the oak- close, which are now grown stately trees. The great oake by the day- house [dairy house - J. B.] is the biggest oake now, I believe, in all the countie. There is a common wealth of rookes there. When I was a boy the two greatest oakes were, one on the hill at the parke at Dracot Cerne; the other at Mr. Sadler's, at Longley Burrell. 'Twas of one of these trees, I remember, that the trough of the paper mill at Long-deane, in the parish of Yatton Keynell, anno 1636, was made. In Garsden Parke (now the Lord Ferrars) is perhaps the finest hollow oake in England; it is not high, but very capacious, and well wainscotted; with a little table, which I thinke eight may sitt round. When an oake is felling, before it falles, it gives a kind of shreikes or groanes, that may be heard a mile off, as if it were the genius of the oake lamenting. E. Wyld, Esq. hath heard it severall times. This gave the occasion of that expression in Ovid's Metamorph. lib. viii. fab. ii.

about Erisichthon's felling of the oake sacred to Ceres:- "gemitumq{ue} dedit decidua quercus".

In a progresse of K. Charles I. in time of peace, three score and ten carts stood under the great oake by Woodhouse. It stands in Sir James Thinne's land. On this oake Sir Fr. D---- hung up thirteen, after quarter. Woodhouse was a garrison for the Parliament. He made a sonn hang his father, or e contra. From the body of this tree to the extreme branches is nineteen paces of Captain Hamden, who cannot pace less than a yard. (Of prodigious trees of this kind you will see many instances in my Sylva, which Mr. Ray has translated and inserted in his Herbal.- J. EVELYN.)

In the New Forest, within the trenches of the castle of Molwood (a Roman camp) is an old oake, which is a pollard and short It putteth forth young leaves on Christmas day, for about a week at that time of the yeare. Old Mr. Hastings, of Woodlands, was wont to send a basket full of them every yeare to King Charles I. I have seen of them severall Christma.s.ses brought to my father.

But Mr. Perkins, who lives in the New Forest, sayes that there are two other oakes besides that which breed green buddes about Christmas day (pollards also), but not constantly. One is within two leagges of the King's-oake, the other a mile and a halfe off. [Leagges, probably lugs: a lug being "a measure of land, called otherwise a pole or perch". (Bailey's Dictionary.) The context renders leagues improbable.-J. B.]

Elmes.-I never did see an elme that grew spontaneously in a wood, as oakes, ashes, beeches, &c.; which consideration made me reflect that they are exotique; but by whom were they brought into this island?

Not by the Saxons; for upon enquiry I am enformed that there are none in Saxony, nor in Denmarke, nor yet in France, spontaneous; but in Italy they are naturall; e. g. in Lombardie, &c. Wherefore I am induced to believe that they were brought hither out of Italy by the Romans, who were cultivators of their colonies. The Saxons understood not nor cared for such improvements, nor had hardly leisure if they would.

Anno 1687 I travelled from London as far as the Bishop.r.i.c.k of Durham.

From Stamford to the bishop.r.i.c.k I sawe not one elme on the roade, whereas from London to Stamford they are in every hedge almost. In Yorks.h.i.+re is plenty of trees, which they call elmes; but they are wich-hazells, as wee call them in Wilts (in some counties wich- elmes). I acquainted Mr. Jo. Ray of this, and he told me when he travelled into the north he minded it not, being chiefly intent on herbes; but he writes the contrary to what I doe here: but it is matter of fact, and therefore easily to bee prov'd. [See Ray's Letter to Aubrey, ante, p. 8.] "Omnesq{ue}, radic.u.m plantis proveniunt".

- Plin. lib. xvi. cap. 17.

In the Villare Anglicanum are a great many towns, called Ash-ton, Willough-by, &c. but not above three or four Elme-tons.

In the common at Urshfont was a mighty elme, which was blown down by the great wind when Ol. Cromwell died. I sawe it as it lay along, and I could but just looke over it. [See note in page 14.-J. B.]

Since the writing this of elmes, Edmund Wyld, Esq. of Houghton Conquest in Bedfords.h.i.+re, R.S.S. a.s.sures me that in Bedfords.h.i.+re, in severall woods, e. g. about Wotton, &c. that elmes doe grow naturally, as ashes, beeches, &c.; but quaere, what kind of elm it is?

Beeches.-None in Wilts except at Groveley. (In the wood belonging to Mr. Samwell's farm at Market Lavington are three very large beeches.- BISHOP TANNER.) I have a conceit that long time ago Salisbury plaines might have woods of them, but that they cut them down as an inc.u.mbrance to the ground, which would turn to better profit by pasture and arable. The Chiltern of Buckinghams.h.i.+re is much of the like soile; and there the neernesse of Bucks to London, with the benefit of the Thames, makes their woods a very profitable commodity.

About the middle of Groveley Forest was a fair wood of oakes, which was called Sturton's Hatt. It appeared a good deale higher than the rest of the forest (which was most coppice wood), and was seen over all Salisbury plaines. In the middle of this hatt of trees (it resembled a hatt) there was a tall beech, which overtopt all the rest.

The hatt was cutt down by Philip II. Earle of Pembroke, 1654; and Thomas, Earle of Pembroke, disafforested it, an. 1684.

Birch. - Wee have none in North Wilts, but some (no great plenty) in South Wilts: most by the New Forest (In the parish of Market Lavington is a pretty large coppice, which consists for the most part of birch; and from thence it is well known by the name of the Birchen coppice.- BISHOP TANNER.)

In the parish of Hilmerton, in the way from Calne, eastward, leaving Hilmerton on the left hand, grows a red withy on the ditch side by the gate, 10 feet 6 inches about; and the spreading of the boughs is seaven yards round from the body of the tree.

Wich-hazel in the hundred of Malmesbury and thereabout, spontaneous.

There are two vast wich-hazel trees in Okesey Parke, not much lesse than one of the best oakes there.

At Dunhed St. Maries, at the crosse, is a wich-hazell not lesse worthy of remarque than Magdalene-College oake (mentioned by Dr. Rob.

Plott), for the large circ.u.mference of the shadowe that it causeth.

When I was a boy the bowyers did use them to make bowes, and they are next best to yew.

Hornbeam we have none; neither did I ever see but one in the west of England, and that at Bathwick, juxta Bath, in the court yard of Hen.

Nevill, Esq.

Yew trees naturally grow in chalkie countrys. The greatest plenty of them, as I believe, in the west of England is at Nunton Ewetrees.

Between Knighton Ashes and Downton the ground produces them all along; but at Nunton they are a wood. At Ewridge, in the parish of Colern, in North Wilts (a stone brash and a free stone), they also grow indifferently plentifull; and in the parish of Kington St Michael I remember three or four in the stone brash and red earth.

When I learnt my accidents, 1633, at Yatton Keynel, there was a fair and spreading ewe-tree in the churchyard, as was common heretofore.

The boyes tooke much delight in its shade, and it furnish't them with their scoopes and nutt-crackers. The clarke lop't it to make money of it to some bowyer or fletcher, and that lopping kill'd it: the dead trunke remaines there still. (Eugh-trees grow wild about Winterslow.

A great eugh-tree in North Bradley churchyard, planted, as the tradition goes, in the time of ye Conquest. Another in .... Cannings churchyard. Leland (Itinerary) observes that in his time there was thirty-nine vast eugh-trees in the churchyard belonging to Stratfleur Abbey, in Wales.-BISHOP TANNER. Abundance of ewgh-trees in Surrey, upon the downes, heretofore, tho now much diminished.-J.

EVELYN.)