ON RIGHT FROM LOND. BISHOP AUCKLAND, 258 Miles. From From London. ON LEFT FROM LOND. From Hicks's Hall to To Barnard Castle, 13 To Darlington, 8 miles. 26 Scotch Corner, (p. 312.) 2324 miles. Ten miles from Pierce Bridge is BARNARD CASTLE on the Tees. The name of this town was derived from a castle which was erected here shortly after the Norman Conquest by Barnard, son of Guy Baliol, who came into England with the Conqueror. The extensive ruins of this fortress are situated on the summit of a rocky eminence, and include within their area a circumference of upwards of six acres. Baliol's Tower, at the western extremity of the building, is a round tower of great size and antiquity, and remarkable for the curious construction of its vaulted roof. The prospect from the top of the tower commands a rich and magnificent view of the wooded valley of the Tees. Upon the forfeiture of John Baliol, the first King of Scotland of that family, this fortress was seized by Edward I. It subsequently passed into the possession of the Beauchamps of Warwick, the Staffords of Buckingham, and ultimately of the Nevilles, Earls of Westmorland. On the occasion of the insurrection, in which the last representative of that family was engaged with the Earl of Northumberland, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, for the purpose of restoring the Roman Catholic faith, Barnard Castle was seized by Sir George Bowes, and held out for ten days against all the forces of the insurgents. (See Wordsworth's White Doe of Rylstone.) On the forfeiture of the Earl of Westmorland, Barnard Castle reverted to the Crown, and was sold or leased out to Car, Earl of Somerset, the guilty favourite of James I. It was afterwards granted to Sir Harry Vane the elder, and is now the property of his descendant, the Duke of Cleveland.* Barnard Castle is the scene of part of Sir Walter Scott's poem of Rokeby. The town of Barnard Castle has one of the largest corn-markets in the north of England. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in tanning, and in the manufacture of Scotch camlets and stockings. Pop. of chapelry, 4452. Two miles from the town is a chalybeate spring. Between two and three miles from Barnard Castle is Streatlam Castle, (John Bowes, Esq. M. P.), situated in a secluded but romantic vale encircled by lofty and irregular hills. The park displays some rich natural scenery. About five miles and a quarter from Barnard Castle is Staindrop, about a mile from which is RABY CASTLE, the fine old baronial mansion of the Duke of Cleveland. Raby Castle was the ancient seat of the Nevilles, formerly one of the most powerful families in the kingdom. Camden states, that from this house sprung six Earls of Westmorland, two Earls of Salisbury and Warwick, an Earl of Kent, a Marquis of Montacute, a Baron Ferrers of Oversley, Barons Latimer, Barons Abergavenny, one Queen, five Duchesses, besides Countesses and Baronesses, an Archbishop of York, and a great number of inferior gentlemen. The famous Earl of Warwick, the “ King-maker,” was of this house. The origin of the family of the Nevilles is to be found in Saxon times. Canute gave Staindropshire to the church of Durham, and the prior and convent granted the same district to Dolphin, son of Uchtred, and Raby soon became the seat of the honour. The grandson of Dolphin married Isabel, sister and heir of Henry de Nevil. From her mother Emma, daughter and heiress of Bertram Bulmer, this Isabel derived the castles and lordships of Sheriff Hutton and Brancepeth, and a whole train of estates and manors dependent on those two great fees. Out of gratitude for these large possessions, the family adopted henceforth the surname of Neville.+ Raby is said to have been built by John Lord Neville, son of Ralph Lord Neville, who was one of the leaders at the bat *See Appendix to Rokeby, Note A. ↑ HOWITT's Visit to Remarkable Places, 2d Series, p, 231-261. tle of Neville's Cross. His successor was created Earl of Westmorland by Richard II., and became brother-in-law to Henry IV. This mighty line was destroyed in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, in consequence of the part which the sixth and last Earl took in the disastrous "Rising of the North." Their immense estates were confiscated, and the Earl was forced to flee into Scotland, where he found a safe retreat with Kerr of Ferniherst. He afterwards escaped into Flanders, where he entered as a colonel into the Spanish service, and protracted a life of unavailing regret to extreme old age. Brancepeth was sold by the crown in the reign of Charles I. and, after passing through several hands, is now the property of William Russell, Esq. Raby Castle and estates were sold to Sir Harry Vane, and have descended from him in a direct line to their present possessor, the Duke of Cleveland. The first view of this fine old mansion impresses the spectator with a strong feeling of the old feudal grandeur. Pennant says of it, "It is a noble massy building of its kind, uninjured by any modern strokes inconsistent with the general taste of the edifice, but simply magnificent it strikes by its magnitude and that idea of strength and command naturally annexed to the view of vast walls, lofty towers, battlements, and the surrounding outworks of an old baron's residence. The building itself, besides the courts, covers an acre of land." The interior is fitted up with all the conveniences and elegancies of modern refinement. The old baronial hall, which forms one side of the square of the inner area, is of the most magnificent proportions, 90 feet in length, 36 in breadth, and 34 in height. The roof is flat and made of wood; the joints ornamented with shields of arms of the family of the Nevilles. Here, it is said, assembled in their time 700 knights who held of that family. The kitchen, which forms a lofty square of 30 feet, is a singular relic of the ancient baronial time. The old tower of Bertram Bulmer and the Clifford tower command extensive and splendid prospects. The surrounding grounds are very beautiful. BISHOP AUCKLAND is a small but neat town on an eminence, bounded on the south-east by the river Gaunless, and on the north by the Wear. Auckland Castle, the palace of the Bishop of Durham, stands on a hill above the town, and is a splendid but irregular pile, erected at different periods. Its situation, with hills and green sloping lawns, rocks, woods, and water, is very beautiful, and was selected by the celebrated Bishop Anthony Beck, who built here a fine castellated manor-house, which, at the time of the Commonwealth, fell into the hands of Sir Arthur Haselrigge. He destroyed the old buildings, and erected a splendid house here, which, however, on the Restoration, was again pulled down by Bishop Cousins. The present edifice has been raised by his successors to its present condition and greatness. It contains some noble rooms, adorned with several fine paintings; and in the chapel is a monument by Nollekens, in memory of Bishop Trevor, and a picture of the resurrection by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Pop. of township, 3776. The Bishop Auckland and Weardale Railway connects the lead district with the coast. BRANCEPETH CASTLE is situated between Bishop Auckland and Durham, at the distance of about four miles from the latter. This stately building was erected by the family of the Bulmers, most probably during the early part of the reign of Stephen. It is supposed to have derived its name, The Brawn'spath, from a huge brawn or boar, said to have once haunted this spot, and to have been killed by one of its lords. The castle was restored or rebuilt by the father of the present possessor, but still retains much of its original appearance and massive strength, and is one of the noblest mansions in the country. rooms are splendid, and furnished with corresponding taste and richness. In the entrance-hall there is a suit of armour, richly inlaid with gold, said to be that of David Bruce, King of Scotland, taken at Neville's Cross. The baron's hall contains a fine collection of armour and arms of all sorts. The rooms are adorned with some good paintings. The country around is rich and pleasant. In the church are various monuments of the Nevilles. The CXII. LONDON TO ALDSTONE THROUGH WOLSINGHAM, STANHOPE, AND ST JOHN'S WEARDALE, 282 Miles. ALDSTONE stands on an eminence near the Tyne, over which is an ancient bridge. The surrounding country is bleak and desolate. In the vicinity are rich and extensive lead mines. Eleven and a-quarter miles from Aldstone is Haltwhistle (Northumberland,) an ancient town containing two old border towers,-a church, adorned with old monuments, and a remarkable oval mound, called Castle Banks, in the centre of which is a fine spring. Two and a-half miles distant is Featherstonehaugh Castle, a noble edifice belonging to the Wallace family; and about 3 miles N. W. of the town are the remains of Thelwall Castle, formerly one of the boundary fortresses between England and Scotland. CXIII. GREAT NORTH OF ENGLAND RAILWAY FROM YORK TO DARLINGTON, 45 Miles. DARLINGTON.-Trains to and from Bishop-Auckland, Sunderland, Hartlepool, and Stockton-on-Tees, meet the arrival and departure of the trains at Darlington. A Mail coach leaves Darlington every morning, on the arrival of No. 2 North Mail Train, by Barnard Castle, Brough, Appleby, and Temple-Sowerby, to Penrith, arriving at 6 P. M. It returns from Penrith at 7:45 A. M., and arrives in Darlington to meet No. 4 South Mail Train at 3:47. The Nonpareil coach leaves Darlington for Barnard Castle every morning on the arrival of the North Mail Train; and returns from Barnard Castle in time for No. 5 South Train. DARLINGTON to EDINBURGH.-The Mail leaves Darlington at 9:30 A. M. by Durham, Newcastle, Morpeth, Alnwick, Berwick, Dunbar, and Haddington, arriving in Edinburgh at 2 A. M. COWTON. A Mail coach leaves Richmond every day at 7·10 A. M., and 2:30 |