Through England on a Side Saddle

Celia Fiennes Was Born In 1662 At Newton Toney Salisbury The Daughter Of A Colonel In Cromwell''S Army. . She Is Remarkable For The Journeys She Made In An Effort Regain Her Health Riding Through The English Countryside. As Well As More Local Journeys She Made Two Epic Tours In 1697 And 1698 Travelling As Far As Northern England And Scotland.. Travelling For It''S Own Sake Was Unusual In Her Day There Being Few Roads Even More Unusual For A Woman To Travel (Only Accompanied By Two Servants).. Her Accounts Of Her Travels Seem To Have Been Written Around 1702 After She Had Retired From Travelling And Were Never Published Within Her Lifetime.. Fiennes Saw Many Of The Finest English Country Houses While They Were Still Under Construction. Contrary To The Widespread Conception That The Visiting Of Stately Homes Began After The Second World War They Have Been Accessible To Travellers Of Good Social Standing Since Fiennes'' Time If Not Earlier And Her Comments Are One Of The Most Interesting Contemporary Sources Of Information About Them.. She Died In 1741.