Celia Fiennes

Celia Fiennes (7 June 1662 – 10 April 1741) was an English traveller and writer. She explored England on horseback at a time when travel for its own sake was unusual, especially for women.

Early life Born at Newton Tony, Wiltshire, she was the daughter of Nathaniel Fiennes, a politician and in the English Civil War a Parliamentarian colonel, and his second wife, Frances née Whitehead. Nathaniel was in turn the second son of William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, and father of the 3rd viscount.

Career Pioneering traveller Fiennes never married. In 1691 she moved to London, where she had a married sister. She travelled around England on horseback between 1684 and about 1703, "to regain my health by variety and change of aire and exercise" (Journeys). At this time the idea of travel for its own sake was still novel, and Fiennes was exceptional as an enthusiastic woman traveller. Sometimes she travelled with relatives, but she made her "Great Journey to Newcastle and Cornwall" of 1698 accompanied only by one or two servants. Her travels continued intermittently until at least 1712 and took her through most of England. Her grave lies in St. Andrew's Churchyard in Newton Tony, Wiltshire.

Her travels formed the subject of a play, Riding England Sidesaddle by Christopher Goulding, which was first performed at the People's Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne in 1992, starring Andrea Riseborough as the young Celia Fiennes and Gordon Russell as her father.