Diary of William Bray [12]
1799, Jan. 14th.--Supped at Mr. Baxendale's; whist.
15th.--Dined at Mr. Ord's, Brand, Sabine, &c.
16th.--Mr. Hogarth and Mr. and Mrs. Harrison dined here.
17th.--Dined at General Rainsford's, Sir George Osborn, Colonel Sloane, and Mr. Rose Fuller.
Feb. 19th.--Dined at the 'Crown and Anchor,' Sir Joseph Banks, Lysons, &c.
July 2nd.--Mr. Waddilove {103} and Salter dined here.
3rd.--Mr. Peach, Dealtry, {104} Brand, and Mrs. Davis dined here.
4th.--Drank tea at Mrs. Austen's.
5th.--Dined at Mr. Dealtry's, Mr. James Farrar, Mr. Blake, &c.
6th.--To Mr. Ruding's (at Maldon), and breakfasted; dined at Mr. Filewood's; drank tea at Dr. Taylor's.
12th.--Mr. and Mrs. Duncumb and Mr. T. Duncumb dined here.
13th.--Breakfasted with Mr. Currie; dined and lay at Sir John Frederick's.
14th, Sunday.--After breakfast, to Peto, {105} at Stoke D'Abernon, and to Church there; dined and drank tea at Mr. Cooke's.
31st.--Drank tea at Mr. Malthus's; walked through his coppices, Miss Dalton there.
Sept. 19th.--To Lord Sydney (in Grosvenor Square), and dined; drank tea at Mr. Andrewes's. {106}
Nov. 17th, Sunday.--To Church; Dr. Willis and Serjeant Bayley called.
19th.--Mr. Jebb dined here.
20th.--Charity School Meeting.
21st.--Major Molyneux, Captain Vincent, Mr. Fanshawe, Mr. Willis, Mr. Andrewes, and Mr. Ruding dined here.
22nd.--Mr. and Mrs. Godschall dined here; paid for lottery tickets, 8 pounds 4s.
23rd.--Dined and supped at Mrs. Davis's, Sir Nash Grose, &c.; whist.
24th.--To Church; Dr. Willis, Mr. Penneck, and Mr. Baxendale called.
Dec. 22.--Not well. {107}
Mr. Bray left notes of his travels bound together, and making a large book. Most of the houses he saw are fully described. He was never on the Continent or in Ireland.
His first excursion after his tour in Wales in 1769, was in 1774, into Leicestershire and the adjoining counties, when he visited the Field of Bosworth, where it is said that Sir Reginald Bray picked up King Richard's crown, and gave it to Lord Stanley, who presented it to the Duke.
In the same year 1774, he went twice to the Lakes. Number of miles travelled, 703 and 657.
1775.--The tour of which he published an account.
1776.--Gloucestershire, &c., 506 miles.
1777.--Northamptonshire, Leicestershire.
1778.--Wales, 637 miles.
1779.--Matlock, Buxton.
1780.--Nottinghamshire.
1781.--The Peak.
1782.--Bath, Worcester, Malvern, 406 miles.
1783.--Hastings, Tunbridge Wells, Isle of Wight, 659 miles.
1784.--Brighton, 225 miles.
1785.--Bristol, 302 miles.
1786.--Cambridge, Dover, Ramsgate.
1787.--Essex, 410 miles.
1788.--Luton, Dunstable, 346 miles.
1789.--Glastonbury, Weymouth, Lyme, 520 miles.
1790.--Winchester.
1792.--Oxford.
1793.--Colchester, Lowestoft, 312 miles. Woburn, Eton, Bray, Wales.
1794.--Yorkshire.
1795.--Arundel, Petworth.
1796.--Ross, Ledbury, 392 miles.
1797.--Shrewsbury, Dovedale, 614 miles.
1798.--Norwich, Ipswich, 285 miles.
1799.--Brecon, Llandovery, 441 miles.
MEMORANDA
1806, Nov. 15th.--This day, I completed my 70th year, without having ever met with any accident of consequence and with very little interruption to my health, except in January last, when I had a very serious attack by an inflammation in my lungs, but from which I am perfectly recovered. My eyesight is so good that I can and generally do use my eyes in reading or writing from the time of getting up in the morning till 10 at night. My hearing is in no way impaired. I have not lost one front tooth and very few others. I am able to walk or ride 4 or 5 hours together, but I do not ride fast. My memory is perhaps not so good as it has been. On the whole I seem to be in a perfect good state of health, thanks be to God.
1808, Nov. 15th.--This day I completed my 72nd year; and thanks to God's mercies I find myself in as perfect health as I ever enjoyed in my life, and the only perceivable difference in any of my senses that I am aware of is a little degree of deafness in my right ear,