One of Daniel Defoe’s (s.p.b.) earlier publications was an explanation of events leading-up to the Act of Union (England and Scotland), 1707 (see above). Defoe was well versed to write about this as he had been a spy for the English government working in Scotland. He had been accepted into the confidence of members of […]

The illustration above shows Celia Fiennes (s.p.b.) riding side-saddle through the Norfolk countryside, her elegance perhaps exaggerated and no accompanying servant. The landscape is stylised also, jagged mountain peaks not being typical of East Anglia. The church on the right I cannot place but think it may be Castle Acre, although there is no wide

Dr . Woodward’s last two travellers (s.p.b.s) are, I imagine, the best known of their kind; Celia Fiennes (1662 – 1741) and her near contemporary Daniel Defoe (1660 – 1731). Although Miss Fiennes’ father had been a Parliamentarian colonel during the English Civil Wars the family do not seem to have suffered financially after the

Edmund Gibson (1669 – 1748) was Dr. Woodward’s next topographer (s.p.b.s). Although he basically just re-published the text of Camden’s Britannia (s.p.b.) he added sufficient further information to qualify it as a new publication. Before coming to Hull Gibson expanded on Camden’s description of Beverley ‘For Antiquities Beverley is the most considerable place hereabouts’. Beverley,

By the time of Thomas Baskerville’s description of Hull, late 1670s, there were already quite detailed plans of the town, particularly Hollar’s bird’s-eye view of 1641 (see above) – it therefore becomes possible to compare the two types of sources, text and illustration. Like most topographers before him, Baskerville travelled to Hull from Beverley commenting

The third of Dr. Woodward’s (s.p.b.s) six 17th century topographers, John Ogilby (1600 – 1676), is shown in the portrait above. Ogilby had a varied career, his topographical work Britannia being published late in his life. Of Scottish birth he trained originally as a dancer and later became a theatrical entrepreneur in Ireland. On his