1767 For Lady Charlotte Finch, St. James Palace
Dear Mama,
I mentioned (to) you in my last letter that I should give you an account of our journey. We set out from Burleigh in the morning. I went with my Lord in one chaise and Mr. Jackson and Mr. Hatton in another. We breakfasted at Mr. Tryon’s (the clergyman) and then went to Kirby which is a large old house but I don’t think very comfortable. The rooms are all low, small and dark. We changed and Mr. Hatton went with Lord W. Then we went to Kettering and changed again and Mr. Jackson went with my Lord and from thence we went to Wellingborough. We went but slow as my Lord had his own horses most of the way. The town at Wellingborough has not a bad appearance, but has very good beds which was all we wanted, as my Lord had his own cook with him. We lived very well there and left next morning for Ravenstone where we staid some time while my Lord collected his rents and then we went on for the Castle at Milton and is the most ridiculous thing you ever saw. I(t) really literally speaking is exactly such a house as Daniel Wedlus, it has but 6 rooms, one is the Dining Room which is furnished with green camblet and bare walls and light by two windows not bigger than large pane of glass and with very little glass. There are but two tables in the house, it is thatched over and sloped till it comes near the ground, just as you see poor people’s houses. There are two bed-chambers in which my Lord and Mr. Watton lay and I lay at Dr. Dering’s house which is an exceeding comfortable one as did also Mr. Jackson. I cannot help thinking how surprised a person would be that was riding by and was to see a dinner with 2 or 3 men in livory going in to such a place as that. I have forgot to tell you there was another little house by it which serves for offices. The other rooms are a little hole to put glasses in and a little room my Lord transacts business in and a room for a servant. We staid there that night and the next day set out from there on Thursday (as it was on Monday we set out from Burleigh) which I had forgot to mention to you. We went first to Northampton and then to Daventry where we staid the rest of that day and all Friday and Saturday and set off on Sunday. We went with him as (to) Towcester and there we parted. We went on to Brackley where we could get no chaise and were obliged to ride with a horse loaded with baggage following. The trunk we had stood upright in a pannier two feet from the horses back and upon that a boy so if we had attempted to trot boy and all must have fell off so we went at a foot’s pace the whole way to Middleton Stoney, where we got a chaise which brought us here. I hope Sophia and Harriet are love (well). Pray give my, love to them.
I am your dutiful son,
G. Finch
P.S. I have written to Lord Winchelsea.