Celia Fiennes was an independent-minded lady, born near Banbury, Oxfordshire, in 1662. She travelled on horseback, seated on a sidesaddle, around England - including a couple of trips into Sussex - between c.1685-1712, from her early 20s to the age of about 50. She was very keen on visiting the English spa towns (she liked Tunbridge Wells) though some of the waters were very much not to her taste, nor did her horse enjoy the smells! She noted the industries of each area and the meals she ate, enjoying her beer and wine. She stayed with relatives and friends, often at inns, and sometimes with complete strangers. She usually took a servant or two with her, and always had her own sheets, just in case. This is a very different travelogue, seen from the female perspective, at a time when coaching was uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous. Was she the ',,,fine [?Fiennes] lady upon a white horse' of Banbury Cross? Or not?
Views: 849 | Enquiries: 3I am an independent historian, giving illustrated talks in Sussex (sometimes nipping into Surrey and Kent) for 35 years. I have a PhD in early-modern Sussex inn and tavern history and give more general talks about the history of English inn signs as well as those in Sussex. I am at present looking at the art of the inn sign. My MA dissertation is about Elizabethan courtier (or con-man!) Sir Thomas Sherley of Wiston House (West Sussex). I worked as Archivist at Lancing College, also teaching local history and palaeography in adult education at the University of Sussex. I am President of the Brighton & Hove Archaeological Society. I am a member of the Wealden Buildings Study Group, and am particularly interested in the ritual protection of the home. I hold a Diploma in English Local History and speak on a variety of subjects connected with Sussex and the South-East, some covering other parts of England - see the variety of talks listed on my website - www.sussexhistorytalks.co.uk - I have given many talks using ZOOM and can also host sessions. Due to my interest in and knowledge of inns, taverns and alehouses and all manner of drinking establishments in England, I have been in more pubs than most people - mainly for research purposes...
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