Litchfield enquirer., 1855-09-20
Rides and Rambles in Father Land.
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 The northern section of Yorkshire is one of the most beautiful and pzsauc,iye agri- cultural districts in England. and of conse- quence is thoroughly cultivated. Wheat, barley. hops, and oats, are raised in profase abundance. and find ready market in the 6oarishing manufacturing towns in other parts of the county. The region possesses much of historic interest, and frequent relics of the Roman and Danish races, who once cultivated the soil or hunted in the forests, are turned ap by the plough or struck by the spade of the husbandq,an. Thomas Gill. Esq, of Easingwold. has recently published most interesting and valuable work relating to the antiquities of the Val Icy of York. copy of which l was fortu- nate enoagh b find during my visit to the North Riding, and which l was careful to secure for future reading and reference. ] have found it store. house of wonders, be- sides containing an accurate and truthful typographical description of several of tht towns visited by us.
 Leaving the city of York on the Sd of July. we passed on through Pontefrac,, Doncssser. and Tuxford, to Newark. Here is located the celebrated Newark castle, builnby the Bishop of Lincoln during the reign of King Stephen. Henry of Hunt ingdon assures us that the castle was called the New.rork. and thus gave name of the town. Ia the time of King John, it was held by the barons, and was gallan,ly de tended by them during siege. It was sub sequently, however, abandoned by the ba- rons; the King took possession of it, and died the,e, October i9, lal6. Having at a later date, again fallen into the hands of the barons, the Earl of Pembroke marched against them, and, after siege of eight days, it was surrendered into his hands. In 1850, Cardinal Woisey with a large re- time lodged in the castle; and in i6Oa. James 1. was here entertained by the cor. poration of the town. During the civil wars in Cromwell's time, it was twice besieged by the parliamentary forces under Sir John Meldrum, without success; but the garri- son, by tEe Kings special order, surrender ed to them in May l646. Soon after the later date, the parliament ordered the for tress to be dismaniled, and it has since been . ruin. The southwest angle, the yves. wall and the square tower near the northwest corner, still remain entire, and give the spectator very distinct idea of the extent and formidable nature of the for. tress at the date of it's occupation. Though the ruins are extensive, they lack the pie turesque grandeur which charac.erize many less pretending structures. l found little else of interest to a stranger in Newark or it's neighborhood.a
 At Peterborough we had an opportunity to view the n- -bie cathedral which bears the name of the town in which it is situated. It stands partly in the midst of an ancient country, which has been modernized and laid out with much taste. On account of the massive proportions of the edi6ce, it does not strike the beholdef with awe or surprise, but rather with disappointment. Indeed, by simply looking at ii, one would scarcely believe it possible that its length Is nearly ivs hundred feet, and that the great transspt alone is more than two hun dred feet long and sixty-nins broad. A ,oaik through it, however, will enable him to re- aiize it's full extent 1 understand that the foundation of the present building was laid in the year HIS, by Norman abbot, call cd John Of Salisbury. The site had long previously been occupied by . monastery.
 Arriving at Huntingdon early tn the day, we determined to stop until the following mornings resolve which we had no cause to regret We found here many warm hearted friends. whom we shals long delight to think upon. The chief objects of inter est in the town and vicinity, were pointed out so us by gentlemen. who were perfectly familiar with their history. The reader il aware that Huntingdon is the sbith-placs of Oliver Cromwell, and our enquiries wer. for the localities connected with the pioaee
 Republican of the seventeenth century. In
 stead of regarding him as the "iron-bandet despot'' ss the lovers of royalty would faiI
 teach us. he is beginning to be looked uPo' even by the more liberal-minded of the Eng
 lish arissacrscy. as . true patriot. u wal not without emotion that learned the fac
 that the throng of people drawn thither [
 look upon the scenes which he has mad ] immortal, has been gradually but surely o tho increase during the last half century
 need not add, that ! shared in the feelin
 of indignation which thonsands of visitor
 have expressed, on learning that the owne
 of the house in which the PsoierfoF va