Contemporary scribal copy in several hands of this travel account. Tommaso del Bene left Florence with his suite on 21 July 1695 and returned on 7 April 1696. On both the outward and return journies he travelled by way of the Brenner, Germany and the Low Countries. He landed in England on 20 October 1695 and remained there until 6 January 1696. Dal Pino's account of the stay in England covers 100 pages. It includes notes of the envoy's diplomatic and social activity, a long description of a Lord Mayor's show (p. 143-49), descriptions of visits to Windsor and Hampton Court, with comments on the works of art, and reports of proceedings in Parliament. The narrative is followed by a list of the stages of the journeys and an index of places
Description:
Another MS of this work is in the Archivio di Stato, Florence.
Subject (Geographic):
Europe and Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Cosimo III, Grand-Duke of Tuscany, 1642-1723., Del Bene, Tommaso., and Lord Mayor's Show
Manuscript, on paper, in cursive bookscript, produced in England in the sixteenth century. Translated by John Trevisa
Description:
In English. and Binding: the spine was covered with a brown paper backing by R. N. Green-Armytage, January 26, 1934, and the volume is kept unbound in paper boards.
Manuscript, in a single hand, of a description of summer tours, in the author's phaeton, through England, Wales, and Scotland, both alone and accompanied by family members. Each journey begins and ends in Wanstead; along the way, the author records the quality of the roads; houses he visits; and the names of significant inhabitants. In Llangollen, he admires the library of Miss Ponsonby and Miss Butler; in Aberystwyth, he describes the sea and the bathing procedures of women there. In Edinburgh, he writes approvingly of a Presbyterian service he attends but complains of the dark taverns, "and the Stair Cases are nasty & very dark when perhaps your room is 3 or 4 stories high." He visits several factories in Birmingham, including Mr Bolton's, whose factory produces ormolu, silver plate, boxes, and buttons; and Mr Clay's, "who has a Patent for making paper pannels for Coaches tea boards &c." The volume also includes several charts listing mileages from Wanstead to the author's various destinations
Description:
George Bowles (1732-1817) of Wanstead Grove, Essex, and Burford House, Salop, was High Sheriff of Essex in 1785. He died unmarried and left Wanstead Grove to his niece, Anne Rushout, whose bookplate is pasted into the volume., In English., Pasted in on flyleaf: envelope front addressed to "The Lady Rushout"; with Windsor postal stamp; 1-penny postage; and a drawing of a black figure playing tennis., Bookplate of Honorable Anne Rushout., Marbled endpapers., and Binding: full calf. Printed on spine: Travels.
Subject (Geographic):
Aberystwyth (Wales), Birmingham (England), Edinburgh (Scotland), and Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Bowles, George, 1732-1817.
Subject (Topic):
Gentry, Conduct of life, Travelers' writings, English, Description and travel, and Social life and customs
