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John  Tmbs  3cAi-exander  Gunn 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF. CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 

MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


ABBEYS,   CASTLES, 


ANCIENT     HALLS 


ENGLAND    AND   WALES. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2008  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/abbeyscastlesancOOtimbrich  i 


,^^     ./ 


LONrtON.  FRHJJKRICK  wIrkZ  4  C9 


ABBEYS,  CASTLES, 


AND 


ANCIENT     HALLS 

OF 

ENGLAND    AND    WALES; 

THEIR   LEGENDARY    LORE    AND    POPULAR    PIISTORY. 

BY 

JOHN     TIMES. 

RE-EDITED,    REVISED,    AND   ENLARGED   BY 

ALEXANDER     GUNN. 
WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


MIDLAND. 


LONDON:  j 

FREDERICK     WARNE     AND      CO.,  ^ 

BEDFORD  STREET,  STRAND. 


lX>N-DOK  : 
eRADEl'RY,   AG-NEW,    &,    CO.,    PRIXTERS,   WIIITEFRIARS. 


rs 


CONTENTS 

OF 

THE    SECOND    VOLUME. 


All  those  articles  marked  with  an  asterisk  (♦)  are  7ieiv — those  with  an  obelisk  (f)  have 
been  altered  or  extended. 


WILTSHIRE. 

PAGE 

Sarum  Castle     .•• i 

Wardour  Castle 3 

The  Castle  and  Abbey  of  JMalmesbuiy 4 

Wilton  Abbey  and  Wilton  House 7 

Fonthill  and  Fonthill  Abbey 8 

Castles  of  Marlborough,  Great  Bedwin,  and  Trowbridge    .    ,  11 

Longleat 12 

Lacock  Abbey 13 

Amesbury  Monastery 15 

Cranbourn  Chase  ;  King  John's  Hunting-seat 16 

Devizes  Castle 19 

*Littlecote  House. — A  Mysterious  Story 20 

*Draycot  House. — The  Legend  of  the  White  Hand  .     ...  24 

Avebury,  Stonehenge,  and  Silbury  Hill     ..,...,.  28 

BERKSHIRE. 

Windsor  Castle,  and  its  Romances  ...•.••••.  40 

The  Abbey  of  Abingdon     . •••,•.  51 

Wallingford  Castle '  ,    .    .  53 

Reading  Abbey 54 

Cumnor  Place,  and  the  Fate  of  Amy  Robsart 59 


vi  Contents. 


PACK 


Donnington  Castle,  and  the  Battles  of  Newbury 63 

■^Lady  Place,  or  St.  Mary  Priory 64 

■*Bisham  Abbey 68 

*Englefield  Manor 71 

•* White   Horse   Hill — Battle   of  Ashdown — Scouring  of  the 

White  Horse 73 

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. 

Ashridge  House 83 

Borstall  Tower 86 

Stoke,  or  Stoke  Pogeis,  and  Lady  Hatton 90 

Stowe 94 

Whaddon  Hall 96 

■'^Creslowe  House 97 

*Great  Hampden 100 

HERTFORDSHIRE. 

Waltham  Cross 107 

The  Abbey  of  St.  Alban. — Shrine  and  Relics 108 

Hertford  Castle 125 

Berkhamstead  Castle 126 

Bishop's  Stortford  Castle 129 

Moor  Park,  Rickmansworth 131 

Hatfield  House 133 

tKnebworth 139 

Sopwell  Nunnery 145 

The  Great  Bed  of  Ware 146 

The  Rye  House  and  its  Plot 148 

Historical  Hertfordshire 149 

*Panshanger  House. — The  Story  of  Spencer  Cowper     .    .     .  152 

*Cassiobury 159 


SUFFOLK. 

Dunwich  Swallowed  up  by  the  Sea 166 

St.  Edmund  King  and  Martyr  :  a  Suffolk  Legend      ....  167 

Sacking  of  the  Monastery  of  St.  Edmund,  Bury 168 

Framlingham  Castle 171 

Wingficld  Castle 174 


Contents,  ■  vii 


rAGB 


Castles  of  Orford  and  Clare 176 

The  Roman  Castle  of  Burgh 178 

Hadleigh — Martyrdom  of  Dr.  Taylor 181 

Origin  of  Lowestoft 186 

Queen  Elizabeth  in  Suffolk 188 

•J^Bungay  Castle.— The  "  Bold  Bigod" 189 

*Henham  House. — Charles  Brandon,  Duke  of  Suffolk  .     .     .  195 

*Barsham  Hall. — Sir  John  Suckling  the  Poet 202 


NORFOLK. 

Norwich  Castle ,,210 

The  Burning  of  Norwich  Cathedral  Priory 212 

Thetford  Priory 214 

Rising  Castle 216 

Castle  Acre  Castle,  and  Priory 220 

Bromholm    Priory. — The    Cross    of   Baldwin. — The   Paston 

Family 221 

The  Priory  of  Our  Lady  of  Walsingham 224 

^Houghton  Hall. — The  Walpoles 228 

*Holkham  Hall  and  its  Treasures 238 

Caistor  Castle  ., 244 


HUNTINGDON  AND   CAMBRIDGESHIRE. 

Kimbolton  Castle 245 

Ramsey  Abbey,  and  its  Learned  Monks 247 

Castles  of  Cambridge  and  Ely 249 

The  Isle  of  Ely  :  its  Monastery  and  Cathedral 251 

^Cambridge  and  its  Colleges 254 

*Hinchinbrook  House. — The  Cromvvells 264 


BEDFORDSHIRE. 

Woburn  Abbey  and  the  Russell  Family 271 

Ampthill  Castle 275 

Dunstable  and  its  Priory 277 

Bedford  Castle 280 

Luton- H 00,  its  Gothic  Chapel 283 


viii  Contents. 

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 

PAGk 

The  Castle  of  Northampton 286 

Queen  Eleanor's  Cross,  at  Northampton ,     .  289 

Burghley  House  and  the  Lord  of  Burghley 296 

The  Castle  of  Fotheringhay 302 

The  Battle-field  of  Naseby 306 

Holmby  House  :  Seizure  of  Charles  1 308 

Catesby  Hall  and  the  Gunpowder  Plot 312 

♦Grafton  Manor. — The  Widvilles  or  Woodvilles. — Elizabeth, 

Queen  of  Edward  IV 315 

RUTLANDSHIRE. 

Burleigh-on-the-HiU,  and  Jeffrey  Hudson  the  Dwarf     ,    ,    ,  328 

Oakham  Castle 330 

*Normanton  Park 332 

LEICESTERSHIRE. 

♦Staunton  Harold,  and  the  Story  of  Earl  Ferrers 335 

Ashby-de-la-Zouch  Castle 341 

Belvoir  Castle 342 

Leicester  Castle 347 

Leicester  Abbey  and  Cardinal  Wolsey 349 

*Groby  Castle  and  Bradgatc  Hall — EHzabeth  Woodville  and 

Lady  Jane  Grey 35 1 

♦Donington  Park  and  Langley  Priory. — The  Cheslyns  and  the 

Shakespcars 356 

WARWICKSHIRE. 

Warwick  Castle  and  Guy's  Cliff 362 

Blacklow  Hill— The  Fate  of  Gavcston 368 

Coventry  Castle,  and  Lady  Godiva 371 

Comb  Abbey 375 

tStratford-on-Avon. — The  Birthplace  of  Shakspeare     .    ,    .  376 

Kenilworth  Castle 381 

Priory  of  Kenilworth 389 

Maxstoke  Castle 390 


Contents.  ix 

PACK 

♦Charlecote  House,  Warwickshire. — Shakspeare's  Deer-steal- 
ing Adventure -393 

*The  Battle  of  Edge-hill.— The  Shuckburghs  of  Shuckburgh 

Hall       399 


OXFORDSHIRE. 

Oxford  Castle 408 

Oxford. — Magdalen,  All  Souls,  and  Brasenose,  Colleges. — 

Friar  Bacon's  Brazen  Head. — Great  Tom 410 

An  Oxfordshire  Legend  in  Stone 416 

Cornebury  Hall. — The  end  of  Robert  Dudley,  Earl  of  Lei- 
cester   418 

Shirbourn  Castle,  Oxon 419 

Banbury  Castle,  Cross,  and  Cakes 421 

Stanton  Harcourt  and  its  Kitchen * 426 

Woodstock  Palace — Fair  Rosamond,  and  Godstow  Nunnery  427 

Blenheim  Palace  and  Park 436 

The  Mystery  of  Minster  Lovel 439 

"  The  Lady  of  Caversham  " 441 

Dorchester  Priory 442 

Oseney  Abbey 4.43 

^Broughton  Castle. — Lord  Saye  and  Sele 444 


GLOUCESTERSHIRE. 

Thornbury  Castle       450 

Chavenage  Manor  House 455 

Berkeley  Castle 457 

Gloucester,  its  Monastery  and  Castle 460 

-Sudeley  Castle  and  Queen  Katherine  Parr 463 

St.  Briavel's  Castle 465 

Cirencester,  its  Castle  and  Abbey 466 

Tewkesbury  Abbey 469 

MONMOUTHSHIRE. 

Monmouth  Castle 471 

Chepstow  Castle 472 

Tintern  Abbey 475 


X  Cojitents, 


rKtVK 


Llanthony  Abbey 476 

Ragland  Castle 479 

Abergavenny  Castle 483 

Caerleon,  a  Roman  and  British  City 483 

♦Coldbrook  House , 485 

HEREFORD  AND  WORCESTERSHIRE. 

The  Castle  of  Wigmore,  and  its  Lords 491 

Worcester  Castle,  and  its  Sieges 494 

Boscobel,  and  Charles  II 496 

The  Abbey  of  Evesham 497 

Hendlip  Hall  and  the  Gunpowder  Plot 500 

Dudley  Castle 502 

The  Priory  of  Dudley 506 

Bransil  Castle  Tradition 507 

♦Clifford  Castle     . 508 

*Brampton  Brian  Castle 510 

♦Hagley  Park.— Lord  Lyttelton's  Ghost  Story 516 

STAFFORDSHIRE  AND  SHROPSHIRE. 

Stafford  pnd  its  Castles 530 

**  Tamworth  Tower  and  Town  " 531 

Tutbury  Castle,  and  its  Curious  Tenures 534 

Chartley  Castle 541 

The  Legend  of  Dieulacres  Abbey 543 

Shrewsbury  Castles 544 

Ludlow  Castle  and  its  Memories 547 

The  Priory  of  Austin  Friars  at  Ludlow 552 

♦Chillington  Park.— Legend  of  Giffard 554 

♦Alton  Towers 557 

♦Halston  House. — The  Last  of  the  Myttons 560 


ABBEYS,    CASTLES,    AND 
ANCIENT    HALLS 


OF 


^ngkulr  itiilr  MaU5. 


WILTSHIRE. 

Sarum  Castle. 

BOUT  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  Salisbury  lie  the  earth* 
works  of  Old  Sarum,  generally  regarded  as  the  Sor- 
biodunum  of  the  Romans;  its  name  being  derived  from 
the  Celtic  words  sorbio,  dry,  and  dim,  a  city  or  fortress, 
leads  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  a  British  post.  The  en- 
trenchments are  formed  upon  a  conical-shaped  hill,  in  two  parts, 
circular  or  rather  oval ;  the  outer  wall  and  ditch,  and  the  keep  or 
citadel.  Ift  digging  the  outer  ditch,  the  workmen  heaped  the  earth 
partly  inside  and  partly  outside,  so  that  a  lofty  mound  defended  the 
approach  to  it ;  whilst  a  rampart,  still  more  lofty,  and  surrounded 
by  a  wall  12  feet  thick,  and  of  proportional  height,  arose  inside  of 
it  This  wall  was  strengthened  by  twelve  towers,  placed  at  inter- 
vals, and  the  entrances  on  the  east  and  west  sides  were  commanded 
by  lunettes,  or  half  moons.  In  the  centre  of  this  vast  entrenchment 
was  the  citadel  or  keep,  considerably  higher  than  the  rest  of  the 
city,  and  into  which,  the  outwork  being  forced,  the  garrison  and 
inhabitants  might  retire  for  safety.  A  well  of  immense  depth  sup- 
plied them  with  water;  and  the  wall,  also  12  feet  thick,  and  inclos- 
ing 500  feet  in  diameter,  and  1500  in  circumference,  would  afford 
protection  to  a  considerable  multitude.  Between  the  exterior  wall 
and  the  citadel  was  the  city,  of  which  the  foundations  can  be 
traced ;  of  the  buildings,  the  towers,  walls,  and  ancient  cathedral, 
only  two  fragments  remain — built  of  flint  imbedded  in  rubble,  and 
coated  with  masonry  in  square  stones. 

In  the  Saxon  times,  Sarum  is  frequently  mentioned.    Kenric,  son 
of  CerdJc,  defeated  the  Britons  in  this  neighbourhood,  A.D.  552,  and 
**  B 


7  Saniin  Casflf. 

estaUlished  himself  at  Sarum;  in  960,  Edgar  held  a  great  Council  he*"<» » 
and  in  1003  the  place  was  taken  and  burned  by  Sweyn,  King  of 
Denmark,  who  pillaged  the  city,  and  returned  to  his  ships  laden  with 
wealth.  In  1085  or  1086,  William  I.,  attended  by  his  nobles,  received 
at  Sarum  the  homage  of  the  principal  landowners,  who  then  became 
his  vassals.  In  1095,  William  II.  held  a  great  Council  here;  Henry  I. 
held  his  Court  and  Council  here;  and  in  1142,  Sarum  was  taken 
by  the  Empress  Maud.  A  castle  or  fortress  here  is  mentioned  as  early 
as  the  time  of  Alfred,  and  may  be  regarded  as  the  citadel. 

The  decline  of  Sarum  originated  in  a  disagreement  between  the  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  authorities.  In  the  reign  of  Henry  I.  the  Bishop  of 
Sarum  was  entrusted  with  the  keys  of  the  fortress ;  but  he  fell  into 
disgi-ace,  and  the  King  resumed  the  command  of  the  Castle,  and 
the  military  openly  insulted  the  disgraced  prelate  and  the  clergy.  New 
animosities  increasing,  the  Empress  Maud  bestowed  many  gifts  upon 
the  cathedral,  and  added  much  land  to  its  grants.  Herbert,  a  sub- 
sequent Bishop  of  the  See,  attempted  to  remove  the  establishment ; 
but  this  was  done  by  his  brother  and  successor,  Richard  Poor,  about  the 
year  12 17,  from  which  time  many  or  most  of  the  citizens  also  removed, 
and  the  rise  of  New  Sarum  (Salisbury)  led  to  the  decay  of  the  older 
place,  the  inhabitants  pulling  down  their  dwellings,  and  with  the 
materials  constructing  their  new  habitations.  Old  Sarum  returned 
members  to  Parliament  23  Edward  I.  and  again  34  Edward  III.,  from 
which  latter  period  it  continued  to  return  them  until  it  was  dis- 
franchised by  the  Reform  Act  of  1832. 

Old  Sarum  used  always  to  be  quoted  as  one  of  the  most  flagrant 
examples  of  the  absurdity  of  the  old  system.  But  till  about  1 20  years 
ago,  there  was  not  even  one  inhabitant  of  Old  Sarum ;  and  it  was 
puzzling  at  first  how  to  reconcile  this  fact  with  the  record  of  "con- 
tested elections"  which  occurred  therein  the  reign  of  Charles  II.,  and 
again  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne.  Still,  on  examining  the  point  one 
sees  that  these  were  cases  rather  of  disputed  returns  than  of  contests  in 
the  modern  sense.  Not  but  what  there  were  materials  foreven  these.  It 
did  not  follow  in  those  days  that  because  there  were  no  residents, 
therefore  there  were  no  voters.  And  on  the  site  of  Old  Sarum  still 
flourished  fourteen  freeholders,  who  were  likewise  "  burgage  holders," 
and  who  met  periodically  under  the  "  Election  Elm  "  to  choose  their 
representatives  in  Parliament  Sarum  had  once  been  a  place  of  great 
importance.  Its  castle  was  one  of  the  chief  barriers  of  the  south-west 
against  the  incursions  of  the  Welsh;  and  before  the  removal  of  its 
c^thetlral  into  the  valley  where  it  now  stands,  it  must  hav^  been  on?  qI 


Wardorir  Castle,  3 

Uie  finest  cities  in  the  kingdom.  But  when  no  longer  required  as  .1 
military  post,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  its  inaccessible  position,  on  the 
summit  of  a  very  steep  and  very  lofty  hill,  would  soon  lead  to  its  deser- 
tion. As  early  as  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.,  the  old  town  was  in 
ruins,  and  not  a  single  house  in  it  inhabited.  And  we  may  suppose 
that  by  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  it  had  become  just  the  bare 
mound  that  it  is  at  present. 

Bishop  Seth  Ward  gave  Aubrey  a  curious  account  of  Old  Sarum : 
he  told  him  that  the  cathedral  stood  so  high  and  "  obnoxious  to  the  I 
weather,"  that  when  the  wind  blew,  the  priests  could  not  be  heard 
saying  mass.  But  this  was  not  the  only  inconvenience :  the  soldiers  of 
the  Castle  and  the  priests  could  never  agree  ;  and,  one  day,  when  they 
had  gone  out  of  the  fortress  in  procession,  the  soldiers  kept  them  out  all 
night,  or  longer.  The  Bishop  was  much  troubled,  and  cheered  them 
up,  and  told  them  he  would  accommodate  them  better ;  and  he  rode 
several  times  to  the  Lady  Abbess  at  Wilton  to  have  bought  or  ex- 
changed a  piece  of  ground  of  her  Ladyship  to  build  a  church  and  houses 
for  the  priests.  The  Bishop  did  not  conclude  about  the  land  ;  and  the 
Bishop  dreamt  that  the  Virgin  Mary  came  to  him,  and  brought  him  to 
or  told  him  of  Merrifield ;  she  would  have  him  build  his  church  there, 
and  dedicate  it  to  her.  Merrifield  was  a  great  field  or  meadow,  where 
New  Sarum  stands,  and  did  belong  to  the  Bishop,  as  now  the  whole  city 
belongs  to  him.  The  first  grant  or  diploma  that  ever  King  Henry  III. 
signed  was  that  for  the  building  of  Our  Ladie's  Church  at  Salisbury. 


Wardour  Castle. 

The  ancient  Castle  of  Wardour,  situate  a  short  distance  from  Sahj- 
bury,  was  a  baronial  residence  before  the  reign  of  Edward  III.,  and 
was  a  possession  of  the  Crown,  until  it  came  to  Sir  Thomas  Arundel 
by  gift  of  his  father.  Sir  Thomas  was  created  a  Knight  of  the 
Bath,  at  the  coronation  of  Anne  Boleyn ;  but,  being  convicted,  temp. 
Edward  VI.,  with  Edward  Duke  of  Somerset,  with  conspiring  the 
murder  of  John  Dudley,  Duke  of  Northumberland,  he  was  beheaded, 
28  February,  1552.  King  Edward  VI.,  in  his  Journal,  states  that 
Arundel  was  only  condemned  "after  long  controversy,"  the  jury 
remaining  near  a  day  and  a  night  shut  up  before  they  returned  their 
verdict.  Sir  Thomas  married  Margaret,  sister  of  Catherine  Howard, 
fifth  wife  of  Henry  VIII.  The  most  memorable  event  in  the  history  of 
Wardour  Castle  took  place  in  1643,  when  it  was  besieged  by  Sir  Edward 


4  The  Castle  and  Ahdey  of  Malmeshnry, 

Hungerford  and  Edmund  Ludlow.  It  was  garrisoned  by  twenty-five 
men  under  the  command  of  the  heroic  Lady  Blanche  Arundel,  who,  in 
the  absence  of  her  husband,  made  a  gallant  defence  of  five  days,  and 
surrendered  on  honourable  terms.  The  learned  and  illustrious  Chilling- 
worth,  the  divine,"  was  here  when  the  Castle  was  taken.  "  The  besiegei-s, 
however,  violating  the  treaty,  were  dislodged  by  the  determination  of 
the  noble  proprietor,  (Thomas,  second  Lord  Arundel,)  who  directed, 
on  his  return,  a  mine  to  be  sprung  under  the  Castle,  and  thus  sacrificed 
this  noble  and  magnificent  structure  to  his  loyalty.  His  lordship  died  of 
wounds  received  at  the  battle  of  Lansdowne,  19  May,  1648."  (Burke'i 
Peerage^ 

The  ruins  of  the  Castle  remain  to  this  day,  a  striking  object  in  the 
surrounding  scenery,  and  a  sad  memorial  of  civil  war  and  the  basest 
treachery.  The  noble  family,  however,  had  built  a  magnificent  mansion 
on  a  gentle  eminence  adjoining ;  whence  it  rises  to  view  in  a  picturesque 
manner  irom  a  thick  grove :  the  new  mansion,  designed  by  Paine,  is 
called  W  ardour  House,  where  are  a  portrait  of  the  heroic  Lady  Blanche 
Arundel,  by  Angelica  Kauffmann  ;  an  exquisite  car\ing  in  ivory,  by 
Michael  Angelo,  of  our  Saviour  on  the  Cross ;  the  cross  worn  by 
Cardinal  Pole;  and  the  Grace  Cup,  or  Wassail  Bowl,  brought  from 
Glastonbury  Abbey — of  carved  oak,  and  Saxon  execution.  Herc  is  also 
the  state  bed  in  which  Charles  L  and  II.,  and  James  II.,  lay  when  at 
Wardour.  The  chapel,  fitted  up  for  the  Roman  Catholic  service,  is 
very  superb :  near  the  altar  is  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  Lady 
Blanche  and  her  husband. 

Aubrey  tells  us,  "  Wardour  Castle  was  very  strongly  built  of  freestone. 
I  never  saw  it  but  when  I  was  a  youth ;  the  day  after  part  of  it  was  blown 
up :  and  the  mortar  was  so  good  that  one  of  the  little  towers  reclining 
on  one  side  did  hang  together  and  not  fell  in  peeces.  It  was  called 
Wardour  Castle  from  the  conserving  there  the  amunition  of  the  West.'* 
Many  of  the  old  yews  and  hollies  in  the  grounds  were  formerly  cut  into 
the  forms  of  soldiers  on  guard. 


The  Castle  and  Abbey  of  Malmesbury. 

The  town  of  Malmesbury,  on  the  north-western  extremity  of  Wilt- 
shire, was  anciently  rendered  famous  and  flourishing  by  its  Abbey, 
the  most  considerable  monastic  institution  in  the  west  of  England, 
except  that  of  Glastonbury.  According  to  an  anonymous  history  of 
Malmesbury  Priory,  compiled  in  the  middle  of  the  fourteenth  centur)% 
and  quoted  by  Leland,  temp,  Henry  VIH.,  there  was  a  town  here  with 


The-  Castle  and  A  hhey  of  Mahneshury,  5 

a  Castle,  reputed  to  have  been  built  by  Dunwallo  Malmutius,  one  ot 
the  British  Kings,  said  to  have  reigned  before  the  Roman  invasion. 
The  town  was  altogether  destroyed  by  foreign  invaders,  but  the  Castle 
remained  ;  and  near  its  walls  a  Scottish  monk,  called  Maildelph,  who 
had  been  so  plundered  in  his  own  country  as  to  be  induced  to  flee  into 
England,  established  himself  as  a  hermit,  and  afterwards  founded  a 
monastic  community,  which  rose  to  the  rank  of  a  Benedictine  Abbey. 
The  chronicler  gives  to  the  Castle  the  British  name  of  Bladon  and  the 
Saxon  name  of  Inglebum.  He  affirms  that  the  neighbouring  village 
had  been  the  residence  of  Kings,  both  Pagan  and  Christian,  but  with- 
out distinguishing  whether  British  or  Saxon.  This  partly  fabulous 
narrative  may,  perhaps,  indicate  that  there  were  at  Malmesbury,  at  a 
very  ancient  period,  a  Castle  and  a  town.  Maildelph  founded  his 
monastery  in  the  seventh  century,  and  from  him  the  modern  name 
Malmesbury,  a  corruption  of  Maildelphsbury,  appears  to  have  originated. 
It  is  probable  that  the  Abbey  suffered  from  the  Danish  invasions 
in  the  ninth  and  the  tenth  centuries,  when  the  town  was  twice  burnt ; 
but  it  recovered  ;  and  being  enriched  by  lands  and  rendered  venerable 
by  relics,  became  a  most  important  monastery :  its  Abbot  was  mitred 
in  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  The  borough  had  a  charter  as  early 
as  the  reign  of  Athelstan,  who  in  939  defeated  the  Danes,  when  the 
men  of  Malmesbury  contributed  greatly  to  the  victory.  In  the  reign 
of  King  Stephen  a  Castle  was  built  here,  and  the  town  was  walled  by 
Roger,  Bishop  of  Sarum,  who  had,  however,  to  surrender  the  Castle  to 
the  King.  In  the  Civil  War  of  Stephen  and  Maud  the  town  and 
Castle  were  taken  ( 1 152)  by  Prince  Henry,  son  of  Maud,  afterwards 
Henry  II.;  and  by  some  the  Abbey  is  said  to  have  been  built  by 
Bishop  Roger,  who,  however,  died  as  early  as  1139.  Sir  Richard 
Colt  Hoare  referred  the  Abbey  to  the  Saxons. 

At  the  Dissolution,  William  Stumpe,  the  wealthy  clothier  of  Malmes- 
bury, bought  many  Abbey  lands  thereabout,  and  the  Monastery. 
When  King  Henry  VIII.  hunted  in  Bradon  forest,  Stumpe  gave  his 
Majesty  and  the  Court  a  great  entertainment  at  his  house  (the  Abbey). 
The  King  told  him  he  was  afraid  he  had  undone  himself ;  he  replied 
that  his  own  servants  should  only  want  their  supper  for  it.  At  this 
time,  most  of  the  Abbey  buildings  were  filled  with  weavers'  looms ; 
and  Stumpe  had  liberally  contributed  to  the  purchase  of  the  Abbey 
churth,  which  was  made  parochial.  Near  it  are  the  remains  of  the 
Abbot's  house ;  and  in  the  centre  of  the  town  a  richly-ornamented 
Market  Cross,  supposed  to  be  of  the  age  of  Henry  VII.;  it  has  been 
judiciously  restored.    West  of  the  Abbey  is  the  supposed  chapel  of  a 


6  The  Castle  and  A  hhey  of  Malmesbiiry, 

Nunnery,  which  tradition  fixes  on  this  spot.  There  are  traditions  oi 
two  other  Nunneries  in  or  near  the  town. 

Leland  calls  the  Abbey  church  "aright  magnificent  thing;"  but 
only  a  small  portion  remains,  and  this  stands  in  the  midst  of  ruins. 
The  interior  architecture  is  Anglo-Norman  and  the  English  or  Pointed 
style  ;  here,  inclosed  by  a  screen,  is  an  altar  tomb  with  an  eftigy,  in  royal 
robes,  said  to  represent  King  Athelstan :  but  the  tomb  is  of  much  later 
date  than  that  prince,  and  is  now  far  fiom  the  place  of  his  intennent, 
which  was  in  the  choir,  under  the  high  altar  of  the  Abbey  church : 
besides  this  there  were  in  the  Abbey  churchyard  two  other  churches. 

Three  writers  of  eminence  in  their  respective  ages  were  connected 
with  Malmesbury :  St.  Adhelm,  a  Saxon  writer,  was  Abbot ;  William 
of  Malmesbury  was  a  monk  of  the  Abbey,  and  librarian  ;  and  Thomas 
Hobbes,  "  the  Philosopher  of  Malmesbury,"  was  born  here.  Oliver, 
one  of  the  monks,  having  affixed  wings  to  his  hands  and  feet,  ascended 
a  lofty  tower,  from  whence  he  took  his  flight,  and  was  borne  upon  the 
air  for  the  space  of  a  furlong,  when,  owing  to  the  violence  of  the  wind, 
or  his  own  fear,  he  fell  to  the  ground,  and  broke  both  his  legs. 

Aubrey,  in  his  Natural  History  of  fViltshire,  gives  this  curious 
"digression"  upon  the  dispersion  of  the  Abbey  MSS.  in  his  time: — 
"  Anno  1633,  I  entered  into  my  grammar  at  the  Latin  school  at 
Yatton-Keynel,  in  the  church,  where  the  curate,  Mr.  Hart,  taught  the 
eldest  boys  Virgil,  Ovid,  Cicero,  &c.  The  fashion  then  was  to  save 
the  forules  of  the  bookes  with  a  false  cover  of  parchment,  &c.,  old 
manuscript,  which  I  [could  not]  was  too  young  to  understand  ;  but  I 
was  pleased  with  the  elegancy  of  the  writing  and  the  coloured  initial! 
letters.  I  remember  the  rector  here,  Mr.  Wm.  Stump,  gr.-son  of 
St.  the  cloathier  of  Malmesbury,  had  severall  manuscripts  of  the  Abbey. 
He  was  a  proper  man  and  a  good  fellow  ;  and  when  he  brewed  a  barrcll 
of  speciall  ale,  his  use  was  to  stop  the  bunghole,  under  the  clay,  with  a 
sheet  of  manuscript ;  he  sayd  nothing  did  it  so  well,  which  sore 
thought  did  grieve  me  then  to  see.  Afterwards  I  went  to  schoole  to 
Mr.  Latimer  at  Leigh-delamer,  the  next  parish,  where  was  the  like  use 
of  covering  of  books.  In  my  grandfather's  dayes  the  manuscripts  flew 
about  like  butterflies.  All  musick  bookes,  account  bookes,  copie 
bookes,  &c.,  were  covered  with  old  manuscripts,  as  wee  cover  them 
now  with  blew  paper  or  marbled  paper ;  and  the  glover  at  Malmesbury 
made  great  havock  of  them,  and  gloves  were  wrapt  up,  no  doubt,  in 
many  gcxjd  pieces  of  antiquity.  Before  the  late  warres,  a  world  of  rare 
manuscripts  perished  hereabout ;  for  within  half  a  dozen  miles  of  this 
place  were  the  Abbey  of  Malmesbury,  where  it  may  be  pi-esumed  the 


Wilioji  Abbey  and  Wilton  House.  7 

library  was  as  well  furnished  with  choice  copies  as  most  libraries 
of  England;  and,  perhaps,  in  this  library  we  might  have  found 
a  correct   Plinie's   Naturall  History,  which  Camitus,  a  monk   here, 

did    abridge  for   King    Henry  the  Second One    may  also 

perceive,  by  the  binding  of  old  bookes,  how  the  old  manuscripts 
went  to  wrack  in  those  dayes.  Anno  1647,  I  went  to  Parson  Stump 
out  of  curiosity  to  see  his  manuscripts,  whereof  I  had  seen  some  in  my 
childhood ;  but  by  that  time  they  were  lost  and  disperst.  His  sons 
were  gunners  and  souldiers,  and  scoured  their  gunnes  with  them  ;  but 
he  showed  me  severall  old  deedes  granted  by  the  Lords  Abbotts,  with 
their  scales  annexed." 

About  six  miles  west  of  Malmesbury  is  Great  Sheriton,  the  scene  of 
an  indecisive  battle  (1016),  between  Edmund  H.  (Ironside)  and 
Canute,  who  engaged  during  the  fight  in  personal  conflict.  The 
village  is  partly  within  the  site  of  an  ancient  encampment.  There  is  a 
local  tradition  of  a  conflict  between  the  Saxons  and  the  Danes,  in  which 
the  Saxons  were  commanded  by  a  warrior  called  "  Rattlebone,"  of 
whom  a  gigantic  figure  is  seen  on  the  sign  of  an  inn.  Rattlebone  is 
thought  to  be  a  popular  traditional  name  of  Edmund  II. 


Wilton  Abbey  and  Wilton  House. 

Wilton,  three  miles  north-west  of  Salisbury,  is  a  place  of  great 
antiquity,  and  gave  name  to  the  county,  which  is  called,  in  the  Saxon 
Chronicle,  Wiltunscire.  Here,  in  82 1  or  823,  Egbert,  King  of  Wessex, 
fought  a  successful  battle  against  Beornwulf,  the  Mercian  King,  and 
thus  established  the  West  Saxon  dynasty.  In  854,  at  Wilton,  Ethel- 
wulf  executed  the  charter  by  which  he  conveyed  the  whole  of  the 
tithes  of  the  kingdom  to  the  clergy.  It  was  the  scene  of  one  of  Alfred's 
earlier  battles  with  the  Danes,  in  871,  whom  he  defeated  after  a  most 
sanguinary  contest. 

Wilton  was  the  occasional  residence  of  the  West  Saxon  Kings ; 
and  an  Abbey  for  nuns,  which  was  originally,  or  soon  after  became  of 
the  Benedictine  order,  existed  here  at  an  early  period,  to  which  Alfred 
and  his  successors,  Edward  the  Elder,  Athelstan,  Edmund,  Edred,  and 
Edgar,  were  great  benefactors.  Wilton  was  plundered  and  burnt  by 
the  Danish  King,  Sweyn,  in  the  reign  of  Ethelred  II.  (1003),  but  it  so 
far  recovered  as  to  be  a  place  of  importance  at  the  time  of  the 
Conquest.  It  received  a  charter  from  Henry  I.  In  the  Civil  War  of 
Stephen,  the  King  was  about  to  fortify  the  nunnery,  in  order  to  check 


8-  Fonihill  and  FontJiill  A  bhey. 

the  garrison  which  iMaud,  the  Empress,  had  at  Old  Sarum,  when 
Robert  Earl  of  Gloucester,  the  Empress'  chief  supporter,  unexpectedly 
set  the  town  of  Wilton  on  fire,  and  so  frightened  the  King  away. 
Here  the  first  English  carpet  was  manufactured  by  Anthony  Duffory, 
brought  from  France  by  the  Herberts,  in  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth. 
The  church  was  formerly  the  Abbey  church.  The  Hospital  of 
St.  Giles  was  the  gift  of  Queen  Adelicia,  wife  to  King  Henry  I. 
Adelicia  was  a  leper ;  she  had  a  window  and  a  door  from  her  lodging 
into  the  chapel,  whence  she  heard  prayers. 

Wilton  House,  the  magnificent  seat  of  the  Pembroke  family,  origi- 
nated as  follows :  William  Herbert  married  Anne,  sister  to  Queen 
Katherine  Parr,  the  last  wife  of  Henry  VI H.  He  was  knighted  by  that 
monarch  in  1544,  when  the  buildings  and  lands  of  the  dissolved  Abbey 
of  Wilton,  with  many  other  estates,  were  conferred  on  him  by  the 
King.  Being  left  executor,  or  "  conservator"  of  Heniy's  will,  he  pos- 
sessed considerable  influence  at  the  court  of  Edward  VI.,  by  whom  he 
was  created  Earl  of  Pembroke.  He  immediately  began  to  alter  and 
adapt  the  conventual  buildings  at  Wilton  to  a  mansion  suited  to  his 
rank  and  station,  the  porch  designed  by  Hans  Holbein.  Solomon  De 
Caus,  Inigo  Jones,  and  Webb  and  Vandyke,  were  employed  by  suc- 
ceeding membei-s  of  the  family  upon  Wilton.  Horace  Walpole  says : 
"  The  towers,  the  chambers,  the  scenes,  which  Holbein,  Jones,  and 
Vandyke  had  decorated,  and  which  Earl  Thomas  had  enriched  with 
spoils  of  the  best  ages,  received  the  best  touches  of  beauty  from  Earl 
Henry's  hand.  He  removed  all  that  obstructed  the  views  to  or  from 
his  palace,  and  threw  Palladio's  theatric  bridge  over  his  river.  The 
present  Earl  has  crowned  the  summit  of  the  hill  with  the  equestrian 
statue  ot  Marcus  Aurelius,  and  a  handsome  arch  designed  by  Sir 
William  Chambers."  "  King  Charles  I.,"  says  Aubrey,  "  did  love 
Wilton  above  all  places,  and  came  thither  every  summer.  It  was  he 
that  did  put  Philip,  first  Earle  of  Pembroke,  upon  making  the  magnifi- 
cent garden  and  grotto,  and  to  build  that  side  of  the  house  that  fronts 
the  garden,  with  two  stately  pavilions  at  each  end."  Again,  Aubrey 
tells  us  that  "  in  Edward  VI.'s  time,  the  great  house  of  the  Earls  ot 
Pembroke,  at  Wilton,  was  built  with  the  ruins  of  Old  Sarum." 


Fonthill  and  Fonthill  Abbey. 

Near  Hindon,  a  short  distance  from  Salisbury,  the  famous  Alderman 
Beckford  possessed  a  large  estate  at  Fonthill,  with  a  fine  old  mansion, 


Ponthill  and  Fonthill  A  bhey,  9 

of  which  we  remember  to  have  seen  a  large  print.  It  possessed  a  col- 
lection of  paintings  of  great  value,  and  costly  furniture,  which  made  it 
a  show-house.  It  was  burnt  down  in  1755  ;  the  Alderman  was  then  in 
London,  and  on  being  told  of  the  catastrophe,  he  took  out  his  pocket- 
book  and  began  to  write,  when  on  being  asked  what  he  was  doing,  he 
coolly  replied,  "  Only  calculating  the  expense  of  rebuilding  if.  Oh!  I 
have  an  odd  fifty  thousand  pounds  in  a  drawer ;  I  will  build  it  up  again  ; 
it  wont  be  above  a  thousand  pounds  each  to  my  different  children." 
The  mansion  was  rebuilt.  The  alderman  died  in  1770,  leaving  his  only 
son — a  boy,  ten  years  of  age — with  a  million  of  ready  money,  and  a 
revenue  exceeding  100,000/.  Young  Beckford  travelled  and  resided 
abroad  until  his  twenty-second  year,  when  he  wrote  his  celebrated 
romance  of  Vathek,  of  which  he  records : — 

"  Old  Fonthill  had  a  very  ample  loud  echoing  hall — one  of  the  largest 
in  the  kingdom.  Numerous  doors  led  from  it  into  different  parts  ot 
the  house  through  dim,  winding  passages.  It  was  from  that  I  intro- 
duced the  Hall—  the  idea  of  the  Hall  of  Eblis  being  generated  by  my 
own.  My  imagination  magnified  and  coloured  it  with  the  Eastern 
character.  All  the  females  in  Vathek  were  portraits  of  those  in  the 
domestic  establishment  of  old  Fonthill,  their  fancied  good  or  ill  qua- 
lities being  exaggerated  to  suit  my  purpose." 

Mr.  Beckford  returned  to  England  in  1795,  and  occupied  himself 
with  the  embellishment  of  his  house  at  Fonthill.  Meanwhile,  he  had 
studied  ecclesiastical  architecture,  which  induced  him  to  commence 
building  the  third  house  at  Fonthill,  wherein  to  place  a  much  more 
magnificent  collection  of  books,  pictures,  curiosities,  rarities,  bijouterie, 
and  other  products  of  art  and  ingenuity,  in  the  new  "  Fonthill  Abbey," 
built  in  a  showy  monastic  style.  Mr.  Beckford  shrouded  his  archi- 
tectural proceedings  in  the  profoundest  mystery  :  he  was  haughty  and 
reserved  :  and  because  some  of  his  neighbours  followed  game  into  his 
grounds,  he  had  a  wall  twelve  feet  high  and  seven  miles  long  built 
round  his  home  estate,  in  order  to  shut  out  the  world.  This  was 
guarded  by  projecting  rails  on  the  top,  in  the  manner  oi chcvaux-de-frise. 
Large  and  strong  double  gates  were  provided  in  this  wall  at  the  different 
roads  of  entrance,  and  at  these  gates  were  stationed  persons  who  had 
strict  orders  not  to  admit  a  stranger. 

The  building  of  "  the  Abbey"  was  a  sort  of  romance.  A  vast  number 
of  mechanics  and  labourers  were  employed  to  advance  the  works  with 
rapidity,  and  a  new  hamlet  was  built  to  accommodate  the  workmen. 
All  around  was  activity  and  energy,  whilst  the  growing  edifice,  as  the 
scaffolding  and  walls  were  raised  above  the  surrounding  trees,  excited 


I  o  Fonthill  and  Fonthitl  A  hhey. 

the  curiosity  of  the  passing  tourist,  as  well  as  the  villagers.  Mr.  Beck- 
ford  pursued  the  objects  of  his  wishes,  whatever  they  were,  not  coolly 
and  considerately  like  most  other  men,  but  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of 
passion.  After  the  building  was  commenced,  he  was  so  impatient  to 
get  it  finished,  that  he  kept  regular  relays  of  men  at  work  night  and 
day,  including  Sundays,  supplying  them  libei  ally  with  ale  and  spirits 
while  they  were  at  work ;  and  when  anything  was  completed  which 
gave  him  particular  pleasure,  adding  an  extra  5/.  or  10/.  to  be  spent  in 
drink.  The  first  tower,  the  height  of  which  from  the  ground  was  400 
feet,  was  built  of  wood,  in  order  to  see  its  effect ;  this  was  then  taken 
down,  and  the  same  form  put  up  in  wood  covered  with  cement.  This 
fell  down,  and  the  tower  was  built  a  third  time  on  the  same  foundation 
with  brick  and  stone.  Mr.  Beckford  was  making  additions  to  a  small 
summer-house  when  the  idea  of  the  Abbey  occuiTed  to  him.  He  would 
not  wait  to  remove  the  summer-house  to  make  a  proper  foundation 
for  the  tower,  but  carried  it  up  on  the  walls  already  standing,  and  this 
with  the  worst  description  of  materials  and  workmanship,  while  it  was 
mostly  built  by  men  in  a  state  of  intoxication. 

In  the  winter  of  1800,  in  November  and  December,  nearly  500  men 
were  employed  day  and  night  to  expedite  the  works,  by  torch  and  lamp- 
light, in  time  for  the  reception  of  Lord  Nelson  and  Sir  William  and 
Lady  Hamilton,  who  were  entertained  here  by  Mr.  Beckford  with 
extraordinary  magnificence  on  December  20,  1800.  On  one  occasion, 
while  the  tower  was  building,  an  elevated  part  of  it  caught  fire  and  was 
destroyed ;  the  sight  was  sublime,  and  was  enjoyed  by  Mr.  Beckford. 
This  was  soon  rebuilt.  At  one  period  every  cart  and  waggon  in  the 
district  was  pressed  into  his  service;  at  another,  the  works  at  St. 
George's  Chapel,  Windsor,  were  abandoned,  that  400  men  might  be 
employed  night  and  day  on  Fonthill  Abbey.  These  men  relieved  each 
other  by  regular  watches,  and  during  the  longest  and  darkest  nights  of 
winter  it  was  a  strange  sight  to  see  the  tower  rising  under  their  hands, 
the  trowel  and  the  torch  being  associated  for  that  purpose,  and  their 
capricious  employer  was  fond  of  feasting  his  senses  with  such  displays 
of  almost  superhuman  exertion. 

Mr.  Beckford  led  almost  the  life  of  a  hermit  within  the  walls  of  the 
Fonthill  estate :  here  he  could  luxuriate  within  his  sumptuous  home,  or 
ride  for  miles  on  his  lawns,  and  through  forest  and  mountain  woods, — 
amid  dressed  parterres  of  the  pleasure-garden,  or  the  wild  scenery  0/ 
nature.  A  widower  and  without  any  family  at  home,  Mr.  Beckford 
resided  at  the  Abbey  for  more  than  twenty  years,  ever  active,  and  con- 
stantly occupied  in  reading,  music,  and  the  converse  of  a  choice  circle 


Marlborough,  Great  Bedivin,  and  Troivbridge  Castles.     1 1 

of  friends,  or  in  directing  workmen  in  the  erection  of  the  Abbey,  which 
had  been  in  progress  since  the  year  1798. 

About  the  year  1822  his  restless  spirit  required  a  change ;  besides 
which  his  fortunes  received  a  shock  from  which  they  never  recovered. 
He  now  purchased  two  houses  in  Lansdowne  Crescent,  Bath,  with  a 
large  tract  of  land  adjoining,  and  removed  hither.  The  property  at 
Fonthill.  the  Abbey,  and  its  gorgeous  contents,  were  to  be  sold.  The 
place  was  made  an  exhibition  of  in  the  summer  of  1822  :  the  price  of 
admission  was  one  guinea  for  each  person,  and  7200  tickets  were  sold: 
thousands  flocked  to  Fonthill ;  but  at  the  close  of  the  summer,  instead 
of  a  sale  on  the  premises,  the  whole  was  bought  in  one  lot  by  Mr, 
Farquhar,  it  was  understood,  for  the  sum  of  350,000/. 

In  the  following  year  another  exhibition  was  made  of  Fonthill  and 
its  treasures,  to  which  articles  were  added,  and  the  whole  sold  as 
genuine  property ;  the  tickets  of  admission  were  half  a  guinea  each, 
the  price  of  the  catalogue  12s.,  and  the  sale  lasted  thirty- seven  days. 

In  December,  1825,  the  tower  at  Fonthill,  which  had  been  hastily 
built  and  not  long  finished,  fell  with  a  tremendous  crash,  destroying 
the  hall,  the  octagon,  and  other  parts  of  the  buildings.  Mr.  Farquhar, 
with  his  nephew's  family,  had  taken  the  precaution  of  removing  to  the 
northern  wing.  The  tower  was  above  260  feet  high  :  it  had  given  indi- 
cations of  insecurity  for  some  time ;  the  warning  was  taken,  and  the 
more  valuable  parts  of  the  windows  and  other  articles  were  removed. 
Mr.  Farquhar,  however,  who  then  resided  in  one  angle  of  the  building, 
and  who  was  in  a  very  infirm  state  of  health,  could  not  be  brought  to 
believe  there  was  any  danger.  He  was  wheeled  out  in  his  chair  on  the 
front  lawn  about  half  an  hour  before  the  tower  fell ;  and  though  he 
had  seen  the  cracks  and  the  deviation  of  the  centre  from  the  perpen- 
dicular, he  treated  the  idea  of  its  coming  down  as  ridiculous.  He  was 
caiTied  back  to  his  room,  and  the  tower  fell  almost  immediately. 

Mr.  Farquhar  sold  the  estate  about  1825,  and  died  in  the  following 
year.  The  •'  Abbey"  was  then  taken  down,  merely  enough  of  its  ruins 
being  left  to  show  where  it  had  stood. 


Castles  of  Marlborough,  Great  Bedwin,  and 
Trowbridge. 

Marlborough  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  Roman  station,  from  evi- 
dences at  Folly  Farm.  There  was  a  Castle  here  in  the  time  of 
Richard  1.,  which  was  seized  during  his  imprisonment  by  his  brother 


12  Longleat 

John ;  but  on  Richard's  return  it  was  reduced  under  the  King's  power* 
A  Parliament  or  assembly  was  held  here  in  the  time  of  Henry  III.,  the 
laws  enacted  in  which  were  called  the  Statutes  of  Malbridge,  one  of  the 
older  forms  of  the  name,  which  in  Domesday  is  written  Malberge.  The 
site  of  the  Castle  is  covered  by  a  large  house,  which  was  a  seat  of  the 
Dukes  of  Somerset,  and  was  afterwards  the  Castle  Inn  :  it  is  now  a 
Clergy  School.  The  mound  of  the  ancient  Castle  keep  is  in  the  garden. 

Great  Bedwin  was  a  place  of  note  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  period,  and 
has  in  its  neighbourhood  an  earthwork  called  Chisbury  Castle,  said  to 
have  been  formed  or  strengthened  by  Cissa,  a  Saxon  chieftain  ;  though 
some  think  Cissa's  fortification  was  on  Castle  Hill,  south  of  the  town, 
where  foundations  of  walls  have  been  discovered. 

Trowbridge  had  a  Castle,  or  some  fortification,  in  the  reign  of 
Stephen,  which  was  gamsoned  by  the  supporters  of  the  Empress  Maud, 
and  taken  by  the  King's  forces.  John  of  Gaunt  either  repaired  this 
Castle,  or  built  another ;  but  it  was  in  ruins  in  Leland's  time,  when  of 
seven  great  towers  there  was  only  a  part  of  two.  The  Castle  stood  on 
the  south  side  of  the  town,  near  the  river  Were :  there  are  no  remains 
now,  and  the  site  is  built  over. 


Longleat. 

On  the  immediate  confines  of  Somersetshire,  to  the  west  of  War- 
minster, was  built  a  stately  Priory,  the  site  of  which  was  granted  by 
King  Henry  VIII.  to  Sir  John  Horsey  and  Edward,  Earl  of  Hertford, 
from  whom  it  vras  purchased  by  Sir  John  Thynne,  ancestor  of  its 
present  possessor,  the  Marquis  of  Bath.  Upon  this  site  Sir  John 
Thynne  laid  the  foundation,  in  January,  1567,  of  the  magnificent 
mansion  of  Longleat,  which,  some  writers  assert,  was  designed  by  the 
celebrated  John  of  Padua ;  from  which  time  the  works  were  carried  on 
during  the  next  twelve  years,  and  completed  by  the  two  succeeding 
owners  of  the  property.  Sir  John  Thynne  mamed  Christian,  daughter 
of  Sir  Richard  Gresham,  Knt.,  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  and  sister 
and  heir  of  Sir  Thomas  Gresham,  who  built  the  first  Royal  Exchange. 
His  eldest  son,  Sir  John  Thynne,  Knt.,  married  Joan,  youngest  daugh- 
ter of  Sir  Rowland  Hayward,  Knt.,  twice  Lord  Mayor  of  London. 

Longleat  is  in  the  mixed  style  of  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century,  but 
principally  Roman;  and  with  respect  to  magnitude,  grandeur,  and 
variety  of  decoration,  it  has  always  been  rcgarded  as  the  pride  of  tins 
part  of  the  country  ;  it  was  even  said  to  have  been  "  the  first  well-built 
house  in  the  kingdom."    Aubrey  describes  it  "  as  high  as  the  Ban- 


L acock  Abbey,  13 

queting  House  at  Whitehall,  outwardly  adorned  with  Doric,  Ionic, 
and  Corinthian  pillars."  In  1663,  King  Charles  II.  was  magnificently 
entertained  at  Longleat  by  Sir  James  Thynne.  The  ancient  baronial 
hall,  of  very  elaborately  carved  work,  is  most  appropriately  decorated 
with  armorial  escutcheons,  hunting-pieces,  and  stags'  horns.  The  pic- 
ture-gallery contains  portraits  of  the  Thynnes,  and  other  distinguished 
characters  of  the  reigns  of  Queen  Elizabeth  and  her  successors.  The 
grounds  were  originally  laid  out  in  the  most  elaborate  style  of  artificial 
ornament,  but  have  been  remodelled  by  Brown.  The  whole  domain 
comprises  a  circumference  of  fifteen  miles. 

The  venerable  Dr.  Ken,  Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells,  passed  much  of 
his  time  in  this  palatial  house,  which  is  a  more  interesting  incident  than 
any  of  the  royal  visits  here.  Ken  was  one  of  the  seven  Bishops  com- 
mitted to  the  Tower  for  refusing  to  read  James's  declaration  in  favour 
of  Romanism ;  and  he  was  suspended  and  deprived  by  William  III.  for 
refusing  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance.  But  he  found  an  asylum  in 
Lord  Weymouth's  mansion  of  Longleat ;  and  here  he  walked,  and 
read,  and  hymned,  and  prayed,  and  slept,  to  do  the  same  again.  The 
only  property  he  brought  from  Wells  Palace  was  his  library,  part  of 
which  is  to  this  day  preserved  at  Longleat.  In  an  upper  chamber  he 
composed  most  of  his  poems  of  fervid  piety.  He  died  in  1 711,  in  his 
seventy-fourth  year,  and  was  carried  to  his  grave  in  Frome  churchyard 
by  six  of  the  poorest  men  of  the  parish,  and  buried  under  the  eastern 
window  of  the  church,  at  sunrise^  in  reference  to  the  words  of  his 
Morning  Hymn : 

"Awake,  my  soul,  and  zvii/i  the  sun.'* 

It  has  been  erroneously  stated  that  there  is  not  a  stone  to  mark  where 
Ken  lies;  whereas  there  is  a  monument  near  the  spot,  probably  erected 
at  the  time  of  his  death  by  the  noble  family  at  Longleat,  where  the 
Bishop  died.  Many  years  ago  the  sculpture  was  decayed,  and  the  epi- 
taph had  disappeared :  let  us  hope  this  memorial  has  been  restored. 


Lacock  Abbey. 

The  ancient  forest  of  Chippenham  has  long  been  destroyed,  and 
the  Abbeys  of  Stanley  and  Lacock,  within  three  miles  of  the  town, 
are  changed  in  their  appropriation  :  the  former  is  converted  into  a  farm- 
house ;  the  latter  has  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Talbot  family,  who 
b^ve  preserved  it,  and  made  it  their  family  seat. 


14  L acock  Abbey, 

The  Nunnery  of  Lacock,  situate  in  a  level  meadow  watered  by  the 
Avon,  has  a  chivalrous  origin  besides  its  holier  history.  It  was  founded 
in  the  year  1232  by  Ela,  Countess  of  Salisbury,  in  her  widowhood,  in 
pious  remembrance  of  her  husband,  William  Longspe  (in  her  right 
Earl  of  Sarum),  who  was  the  eldest  natural  son  of  Henry  II.  by  Fair 
Rosamond.  Ela  was  reared  in  her  childhood  in  princely  state :  her 
father.  Earl  William,  held  a  place  of  honour  under  Richard  the  Lion- 
hearted,  and  licensed  tournaments,  one  of  the  appointed  fields  for  which 
is  to  this  day  pointed  out  in  front  of  the  site  of  Sarum  Castle.  At  a 
very  early  age  after  the  death  of  her  father,  Ela  was  secretly  taken  into 
Normandy,  and  there  reared  in  close  custody.  An  English  knight, 
William  Talbot,  in  the  garb  of  a  pilgrim,  during  two  years  sought  for 
the  Lady  Ela  ;  in  the  guise  of  a  harper,  or  troubadour,  he  found  the 
rich  heiress,  and  presented  her  to  King  Richard,  who  gave  her  hand  in 
marriage  to  his  brother,  William  Longspe,  Earl  of  Salisbury,  she  being 
then  only  ten  years  old.  The  Earl  was  in  frequent  attendance  upon 
King  John,  and  was  present  at  the  signing  of  Magna  Charta.  After 
the  death  of  John,  the  Earl  returned  to  his  Castle  at  Salisbury,  and 
assisted  in  founding  the  Cathedral.  Here  he  died  in  1226,  it  was 
suspected  by  poison.  Six  years  after,  Ela,  directed  by  visions,  founded 
the  monastery  at  Lacock,  and  in  1 238  took  the  veil  as  abbess  of  her 
own  establishment.  Five  years  before  her  death  she  retired  from 
monastic  life:  she  died  in  1261,  aged  seventy-four,  and  was  buried  in 
the  choir  of  the  monastery.  Aubrey  states  that  she  was  above  a  hun- 
dred years  old,  and  outlived  her  understanding,  which  account  is  dis- 
proved. Of  her  family  we  have  only  space  to  relate  that  her  second 
son  perished  in  battle  in  the  Holy  Land,  and  the  monkish  legend  adds 
that  his  mother,  seated  in  her  abbatial  stall  at  Lacock,  saw,  at  the 
same  moment,  the  mailed  form  of  her  child  admitted  into  heaven, 
surrounded  by  a  radius  of  glory. 

Lacock  was  surrendered  in  1539 :  the  church  was  then  wholly  de- 
stroyed, and  the  bones  of  the  foundress  and  her  family  scattered  ;  but 
her  epitaph  in  stone  was  preserved,  with  the  cloisters  and  cells  of  the 
nuns,  and  the  ivied  walls.  Lacock  was  sold  in  1544  :  thirty  years  later 
it  was  visited  by  Queen  Elizabeth.  Aubrey  relates  that  "  Dame  Olave, 
a  daughter  and  co-heir  of  Sir  [Henry]  Sherington  of  Lacock,  being  in 
love  with  [John]  Talbot,  a  younger  brother  of  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury, 
and  her  father  not  consenting  that  she  should  marry  him,  discoursing 
with  him  one  night  from  the  battlements  of  the  Abbey  church,  said  she, 
•  I  will  leap  down  to  you.'  Her  sweetheart  replied  he  would  catch  her 
then,  but  he  did  not  believe  she  would  have  done  it*   She  leapt  downe,* 


Amesbiiry  Monastery,  15 

and  the  wind,  which  was  then  high,  came  under  her  coates,  and  did 
something  break  the  fall.  Mr.  Talbot  caught  her  in  his  arms,  but  she 
struck  him  dead.  She  cried  out  for  help,  and  he  was  with  great  diffi- 
culty brought  to  life  again.  Her  father  told  her  that,  since  she  had 
made  such  a  leap,  she  should  e'en  manie  him." 

We  do  not  find  this  romantic  story  in  the  Rev.  Canon  Bowles's  ex- 
haustive History  of  Lacock ;  but  it  is  thought  to  be  authentic,  and 
an  old  tradition  lingers  about  the  place,  that  "  one  of  the  nuns  jumped 
from  a  gallery  on  the  top  of  a  turret  into  the  arms  of  her  lover."  Mr. 
Britton  notes,  in  Aubrey's  Natural  History  of  Wilts,  the  heroine  of 
the  anecdote,  Olave,  or  Olivia  Sherington  (one  of  the  family  who  bought 
the  Abbey),  married  John  Talbot,  Esq.,  of  Salwarpe,  in  the  county  of 
Worcester,  fourth  in  descent  from  John,  second  Earl  of  Shrewsbury. 
She  inherited  the  Lacock  estate  from  her  father,  and  it  has  ever  since  re- 
mained the  property  of  the  branch  of  the  family*  now  represented  by 
the  scientific  Henry  Fox  Talbot,  Esq.,  the  discoverer  of  photography, 
to  which  beautiful  science  we  are  indebted  for  some  charming  Talbo- 
types  of  Lacock  Abbey,  whereat  the  discovery  was  matured.  Here  is 
preserved  "  The  Nuns'  Boiler,"  from  the  Abbey  kitchen :  it  was  made 
at  Mechlin  in  the  year  1500,  and  will  contain  sixty-seven  gallons. 


Amesbury  Monastery. 

At  Amesbury,  seven  miles  north  of  Salisbury,  says  Bishop  Tanner, 
"there  is  said  to  have  been  an  ancient  British  monastery  for  300  monkes, 
founded,  as  some  say,  by  the  famous  Prince  Ambrosius,  who  lived  at 
the  time  of  the  Saxon  invasion,  and  who  was  therein  buried,  destroyed  by 
that  cruel  Pagan,  Gurmemdus,  who  overran  all  this  country  in  the  sixth 
century.  {Geoffrey  of  Monmouth,  lib.  iv.  c.  4.)  The  foundation  is  also 
attributed  to  one  Ambri,  a  monk.  This  Abbey  appears  to  have  been 
destroyed  by  the  Danes,  about  the  time  of  Alfred.  About  the  year  980, 
Alfrida,  or  Ethelfrida,  the  Queen  Dowager  of  the  Saxon  King  Edgar, 
erected  here  a  monastery  for  nuns,  and  commended  it  to  the  patronage 
of  St.  Mary,  and  St.  Melarius  a  Cornish  saint  whose  relics  were 
preserved  here.    Alfrida  is  said  to  have  erected  both  this  and  Wherwell 


•  Sir  John  Talbot,  of  Lacock,  was  the  person  who  received  King 
Charles  II.  in  his  arms  upon  his  landing  in  England  at  the  Restoration.  la 
the  Civil  War,  Lacock  Abbey  was  taken  possession  of  by  the  Parliamentari^B 
CplQnel  Pevereux,  September,  164^, 


1 6       Cranboimt  Chase:  King  Johns  Hunting-seat 

monastery,  in  atonement  for  the  murder  of  her  son-in-law,  King 
Edward.  The  house  was  of  the  Benedictine  order,  and  continued  an 
independent  monastery  till  the  time  of  Henry  II.,  in  1177.  The  evil 
lives  of  the  Abbess  and  nuns  drew  upon  them  the  royal  displeasure. 

The  Abbess  was  more  particularly  charged  with  immoral  conduct* 
insomuch  that  it  was  thought  proper  to  dissolve  the  community  ;  the 
nuns,  about  30  in  number,  were  dispersed  in  other  monasteries.  The 
Abbess  was  allowed  to  go  where  she  chose,  with  a  pension  of  ten 
marks,  and  the  house  was  made  a  cell  to  the  Abbey  of  Fontevi-ault,  in 
Anjou;  whence  a  Prioress  and  24  nuns  were  brought  and  established 
at  Amesbury.  Elfrida's  nunnery,  notwithstanding  some  changes,  lasted 
till  the  general  Dissolution  of  the  religious  houses.  Eleanor,  commonly 
called  the  Damsel  of  Bretagne,  sole  daughter  of  Geoffrey,  Earl  of 
Bretagne,  and  sister  of  Earl  Arthur,  wht)  was  imprisoned  in  Bristol 
Castle,  first  by  King  John,  and  afterwards  by  King  Henry  III.,  on 
account  of  her  title  to  the  Grown,  was  buried,  according  to  her  own 
request,  at  Amesbury,  in  1241.  Fromthistimethenunnery  of  Amesbury 
appears  to  have  been  one  of  the  select  retreats  for  females  in  the  higher 
ranks  of  life.  Mary,  the  sixth  daughter  of  King  Edward  I.,  took  the 
religious  habit  in  the  monastery  of  Amesbury  in  1285,  together  with 
thirteen  young  ladies  of  noble  families.  Two  years  after  this,  Eleanor, 
the  Queen  of  Henry  III.  and  the  mother  of  Edward  I.,  herself  took 
the  veil  at  Amesbury,  where  she  died,  and  was  buried  in  1292.  She 
had  previously  given  to  the  monastery  the  estate  of  Chadelsworth,  in 
Berkshire,  to  support  the  state  of  Eleanor,  daughter  of  the  Duke  of 
Bretagne,  who  had  also  become  a  nun  there.  Amesbury  finally  became 
one  of  the  richest  nunneries  in  England:  how  long  it  remained  subject 
to  the  monastery  of  Fontevrault  we  are  not  told.  Bishop  Tanner 
says,  it  was  at  length  made  denizen,  and  again  became  an  Abbey. 
Isabella  of  Lancaster,  fourth  daughter  of  Henry,  Earl  of  Lancaster, 
granddaughter  to  E.  Grouchback,  son  of  Henry  II.,  was  Prioress  in 
1292.  (Communication  to  Notes  and  Queries,  2ndS.,  No.  213.)  Aubrey 
tells  us  that  the  last  Lady  Abbess  of  Amesbury  "  was  140  yeares  old 

when  she  dyed." 

» 

Cranbourn  Chase :  King  John's  Hunting-seat. 

In  the  Chase  of  Cranbourn,  within  a  mile  of  the  county  of  Dorset, 
in  the  parish  of  ToUard  Royal,  Wilts,  is  an  ancient  farm-house,  known 
as  King  John's  Hunting-seat.  Cranbourn  Chase  formerly  extended 
over  no  less  than  five  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land,  «uid  was  the  sole 


Cranboum  Chase:  King  Johtis  Hunting-seat.       i7 

property  of  George,  Lord  Rivers.  There  is  an  ancient  custom  kept  up 
until  our  time — that  on  the  first  Monday  in  September,  the  steward  of 
the  Lord  of  the  Manor  holds  a  Court  in  the  Chase,  and  after  the  Court 
break  up  they  hunt  and  kill  a  brace  of  fat  bucks.  A  writer  in  the 
London  Magazine,  who  was  present  at  the  hunt  in  the  year  1823,  after 
pleasantly  describing  the  opening  of  the  Court,  the  fair  in  the  forest,  the 
assemblage  of  country  lads  and  lasses,  sportsmen,  foot  and  horse,  and 
ladies  on  horseback,  the  buck  breaking  cover,  who  steals  out,  dashes  over 
the  vale,  bounds  up  the  summit  of  an  opposite  hill,  where  he  is  fairly 
surrounded  by  the  hounds  and  his  pursuers,  informs  us  that  the  two 
bucks,  having  been  divided,  are  hung  up ;  and  next  day  the  steward 
presents  the  several  parts  to  gentlemen  who  wei-e  present  at  the  hunt. 
The  hunting-box  is  nearly  in  the  same  state  as  when  King  John  was 
present  there  as  Earl  Moreton :  it  is  now  a  fann-house  ;  the  walls  are  ot 
great  thickness,  and  the  rooms  are  large  and  lofty,  and  there  is  a  carved 
oak  chimney-piece  in  one  of  them.  There  is  a  legendary  story  of  the 
Chase,  as  follows: — "Once  upon  a  time.  King  John,  being  equipped  for 
Hunting,  issued  forth  with  the  gay  pageantry  and  state  of  his  day.  There 
were  dames  mounted  upon  high-bred  steeds,  that  were  champing 
and  foaming  on  the  bit,  and  whose  prancing  shook  the  ground ;  and 
Knights,  whose  plumes  were  dancing  in  the  wind,  while  borne  by  fiery 
chargers,  swift  as  the  deer  they  followed  ;  the  yeomen  dressed  in  green, 
with  girdles  round  their  waists ;  and  to  add  to  the  brilliancy  of  the 
scene,  the  morning  was  as  unclouded  as  the  good-humoured  faces  of 
the  party." 

The  King  appeared  overjoyed,  and  during  the  time  all  heads  were 
uncovered  as  he  rode  along,  he  overheard  a  gallant  youth  address  a  lady 
nearly  in  these  words : 

•'  We  will,  fair  queen,  up  to  the  mountain's  top, 
And  mark  the  musical  confusion 
Of  hounds  and  echo  in  conjunction." 

The  happy  couple  left  Tollard  Royal  on  horseback.  As  they  took 
leave  of  the  King,  the  moon  was  sinking  below  the  horizon.  The  King 
had  observed  before  they  left — 

"  This  night,  methinks,  is  but  the  daylight  side: 
It  looks  a  little  paler ;  'tis  a  day 
Such  as  the  day  is  when  the  sun  is  hid." 

But  they  rode  on,  too  happy  to  remember  that  the  moon  would  soon 
leave  them. 

They  were  missing  for  several  days,  until  the  King,  while  hunting 
with  his  courtiers,  found  their  lifeless  remains.    It  appeared  that  when 
**  c 


iS      Cranhourn  Chase :  King  yohiis  Hunting-seat. 

the  moon  descended,  the  faithful  pair  must  have  mistaken  their  road, 
and  had  fallen  into  a  hideous  pit,  where  both  were  killed,  as  likewise 
the  Knight's  horse,  close  beside  them.  The  lady's  horse,  a  dapple  grey, 
was  running  wild  as  the  mountain-deer :  he  was  soon  caught,  and  became 
the  King's,  who  rode  him  as  a  charger. 

King  James  I.  often  hunted  in  Cranbourn  Chase.  In  a  copy  of 
Barker's  Bible,  printed  in  1594,  which  formerly  belonged  to  the  family 
of  the  Cokers  of  Woodcotes,  in  the  Chase,  are  entries  of  the  King's 
visits :  "The  24th  day  of  August,  our  Kinge  James  was  in  Mr.  Butler's 
Walke,  and  found  the  bucke,  and  killed  him  in  Vernedich,  in  Sir  Walter 
Vahen's  walk ;  and  fi-om  thence  came  to  Mr.  Horole's  walk,  and  hunted 
ther,  and  killed  a  buck  under  Hanging  Copes.  And  sometime  after  that, 
and  {sic  in  MS.)  came  to  our  Mrs.  Carren%  and  ther  dined ;  and  after 
dinner  he  took  his  choch,  and  came  to  the  Quene  at  Tarande.  Anno  Dni. 
1607."  "  In  our  dayes,"  says  Mr.  CoUer,  in  his  Survey,  Cranborne 
gave  the  honourable  title  of  Viscount  unto  Robert  Cicell,  whom  King 
James  for  his  approved  wisdom  created  first  Baron  Cicell  of  Essendon  : 
and  the  year  after,  viz.,  1604,  Viscount  Cranborne  ;  and  1605,  Earle  of 
Sarum ;  whose  son  William  nowe  enjoys  his  honours  and  this  place, 
where  he  hath  a  convenient  house,  at  which  the  King,  as  often  as  hee 
comes  his  "Westerne  progrese,  resides  some  dayes,  to  take  his  pleasure  of 
hunting  both  in  the  Park  and  Chase." 

In  May,  1828,  an  Act  of  Parliament  was  passed  for  disfranchising 
Cranbourn  Chase ;  and  Lord  Rivers's  franchise  thereon,  which  was 
seriously  curtailed  in  18  r  6,  expired  on  the  loth  of  October,  1830. 
The  gradual  destruction  or  removal  of  the  deer  (about  1 2,000  head) 
was  commenced  by  the  Chase-keepers  shooting  nearly  2000  fawns, 
many  of  which  were  taken  for  sale  to  the  neighbouring  towns  in 
Dorset,  Wilts,  Hants,  &c.,  and  disposed  of  at  the  low  price  of  5J.  or 
6j.  apiece.  The  Committee  and  other  proprietors  of  lands  who  formed 
the  agreement  with  Lord  Rivers,  framed  a  very  judicious  mode  of 
assessing  the  yearly  payments  to  be  made  to  that  nobleman,  his  heirs, 
&c.,  by  the  several  landowners,  by  which  means  the  uncertain  question 
of  boundary  was  avoided. 

There  is  also  in  Wiltshire,  at  Aldbourne,  near  Marlborough,  a  farm- 
house, supposed  to  have  been  a  hunting-seat  of  King  John.  Aldbourne 
Chase,  an  extensive  waste,  with  a  large  rabbit-warren,  was  formerly 
well  wooded  and  stocked  with  deer. 


r9 


Devizes  Castle. 

In  ancient  records  this  place  is  called  Divisae,  De  Vies,  Divisis,  5cc. 
The  origin  of  the  name  seems  to  be  a  supposition  that  the  place  was 
divided  by  the  King  and  the  Bishop  of  Salisbury.  In  the  reign  of 
Henry  I.  a  spacious  and  strong  fortress  was  erected  here  by  Roger,  the 
wealthy  Bishop  of  Salisbury,  which  his  nephew,  Nigel,  Bishop  of  Ely, 
garrisoned  with  troops  and  prepared  to  defend  until  the  expected 
aiTival  of  the  Empress  Maud ;  but  Stephen  having  besieged  it,  he  de- 
clared that,  in  the  event  of  its  not  surrendering,  he  would  hang  the  son 
of  Bishop  Roger  on  a  gallows  which  he  had  erected  in  front  of  the 
Castle.  On  this  being  made  known  to  Nigel,  he  surrendered  the 
fortress,  together  with  all  the  Bishop's  treasures,  amounting  to  the  sum 
of  40,000  marks.  The  Castle  was  afterwards  (i  J41)  seized  by  Robert 
Fitzherbert,  on  pretence  of  holding  it  for  Maud,  but  on  her  amval  he 
refused  to  deliver  it  up,  and  was  subsequently  hanged  as  a  traitor  to 
both  parties.  In  1233,  Hubert  de  Burgh  was  confined  in  Devizes 
Castle,  whence  he  escaped  to  the  high  altar  of  the  parish  church,  but 
was  seized  and  reconducted  to  the  fortress.  The  guards  who  took  him 
were  excommunicated,  and  he  himself  was  soon  afterwards  released. 
About  the  end  of  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  the  Castle  was  dismantled  ; 
the  site  has  been  converted  into  pleasure-grounds. 

Richard  of  Devizes,  a  Benedictine  monk  of  the  twelfth  century,  whff 
wrote  a  Chronicle  of  English  History,  was  a  native  of  this  place.  In 
the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  Devizes  was  celebrated  for  its  market.  A 
large  cross,  which  is  said  to  have  cost  nearly  2000/.,  was  erected,  in 
1815,  in  the  market-place  by  Lord  Sidmouth,  for  many  years  Member 
for  and  Recorder  of  the  borough :  it  bears  an  inscription  recording  a 
singular  mark  of  divine  vengeance,  by  the  sudden  death  of  a  woman 
detected  in  an  attempt  to  cheat  another,  in  the  year  1753. 


20 


Littlecote  House — A  Mysterious  Story. 

Littlecote  House,  a  large,  respectable  and  ancient  mansion  in 
the  midst  of  a  finely-wooded  park,  in  tlie  valley  of  the  Kennet,  and 
about  four  miles  from  Hungerford  in  Wiltshire,  is  "renowned," 
says  Macaulay,  "  not  more  on  account  of  its  venerable  architecture 
and  furniture,  than  on  account  of  a  horrible  and  mysterious  crime 
which  was  perpetrated  there  in  the  days  of  the  Tudors." 

It  occupies  a  low  situation  at  the  north  side  of  the  park,  which, 
though  broken  and  unequal  in  its  surface,  comprehends  an  area  of 
four  miles  in  circumference,  and  is  watered  by  a  branch  of  the 
river  Kennet,  which  runs  through  the  garden,  and  forms  a  pre- 
serve for  trout.  The  mansion,  built  by  one  of  the  Darell  family — 
the  original  proprietors — in  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  centur)'-, 
has  undergone  alterations  on  many  occasions,  but  still  retains  a 
remarkable  number  of  the  features  of  the  architecture  and  deco- 
rations of  the  period  from  which  it  dates.  It  has  twice  been 
honoured  by  royal  visits.  Once  by  one  from  Charles  II.,  whc  at 
his  coronation  created  Sir  Francis  Popham,  the  heir  of  Littlecote, 
a  Knight  of  the  Bath  ;  and  again  by  one  from  William  III.,  who 
slept  here  one  night  while  on  his  journey  from  Torbay  to  London. 
The  walls  of  the  great  hall  are  hung  with  ancient  armour — buff 
coats,  massive  helmets,  cross-bows,  old-fashioned  fire-arms  and 
other  warlike  weapons,  together  with  a  pair  of  elk-horns,  measuring 
seven  feet  six  inches  from  tip  to  tip.  A  large  oak  table,  reaching 
nearly  from  one  end  of  the  room  to  the  other,  might  have  feasted 
the  whole  neighbourhood,  and  an  appendage  to  one  end  of  it  made 
it  answer  at  other  times  for  the  old  game  of  shuffle-board.  The 
remainder  of  the  furniture  is  in  a  corresponding  style.  The  picture 
gallery  which  extends  along  the  garden  front  of  the  house,  is 
1 1 5ft.  long,  and  contains  many  portraits,  chiefly  in  the  Spanish 
dresses  of  the  sixteenth  century.  In  one  of  the  bedchambers,  which 
you  pass  in  going  towards  the  gallery,  is  a  bedstead  with  blue 
furniture,  which  time  has  now  made  dingy  and  threadbare,  and  in 
the  bottom  of  one  of  the  bed-curtains  you  are  shown  a  place  where  a 
small  piece  has  been  cut  out  and  sewn  in  again — a  circumstance 
which  serves  to  identify  the  scene  of  the  following  remarkable 
story  :— 

The  horrible  and  mysterious  crime  alluded  to  by  Lord  Macaulay 
in  -connexion  with  this  house  was  first  divulged  to  the  general  pubhc 


Littlecoie  House.  21 

in  a  note  which  Sir  Walter  Scott  appended  to  the  5th  canto  of  his 
"  Rokeby."  Since  the  publication  of  that  poem,  however,  the 
whole  subject  has  undergone  re-examination.  The  local  pride  of 
the  members  of  local  archaeological  societies  was  not  to  be 
satisfied  with  a  story  which  seemed  merely  a  wild  tradition,  and  of 
which  the  possible  fact  and  probable  fiction  were  inextricably 
blended  together.  The  result  of  the  recent  sifting  of  the  whole 
evidence  is  that  the  mysterious  story  of  Littlecote  is  in  its  main  and 
most  prominent  features  strictly  and  incontestably  true.  The 
following  is  an  outline  of  the  story  as  told  in  the  light  of  recent 
investigations. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century,  when  the  mansion  of 
Littlecote  was  still  in  the  possession  of  its  founders — the  Darells — 
a  midwife  of  high  repute  dwelt  and  practised  her  art  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. This  person  having  returned  fatigued  from  a  profes- 
sional visit  at  a  late  hour  one  night  had  gone  to  rest — only  however 
to  be  disturbed  by  one  who  desired  to  have  her  help.  The  midwife 
pleaded  fatigue,  and  offered  to  send  her  assistant,  but  the  messenger 
was  resolved  to  have  the  principal  only.  She  accordingly  came  down 
stairs,  opened  the  door,  disappeared  into  the  darkness,  and  was 
heard  of  no  more  for  many  hours. 

Where  had  she  been  during  this  long  interval  ?  This  is  a  question 
which  she  alone  was  able  to  answer  ;  and  as  we  find  that  her  story^ 
originally  told  in  the  presence  of  a  magistrate,  detailed  circum- 
stances which  led  to  a  trial,  at  which  it  was  again  repeated,  and 
confirmed  by  a  number  of  curious  facts,  we  shall  give  her  own 
account  of  the  terrible  night's  adventure  : — 

She  stated  that  as  soon  as  she  had  unfastened  the  door  and  partly 
opened  it,  a  hand  was  thrust  in  which  struck  down  the  candle  and 
at  the  same  instant  pulled  her  into  the  road  in  front  of  the  house, 
which  was  detached  from  the  village  or  any  other  dwelling.  The 
person  who  had  used  these  abrupt  means  desired  her  to  tie  a  hand- 
kerchief over  her  head  and  not  wait  for  a  hat,  as  a  lady  of  the  firs 
quality  in  the  neighbourhood  was  in  want  of  immediate  assistance. 
He  then  led  her  to  a  stile  at  a  short  distance,  where  there  was  a 
horse  saddled,  and  with  a  pillion  on  its  back ;  he  desired  her  to 
seat  herself,  and  then  mounting  he  set  off  at  a  brisk  trot.  They  had 
travelled  thus  for  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile,  when  the  woman, 
alarmed  at  the  distance,  the  darkness,  the  hurry  and  mystery  of 
the  whole  matter,  expressed  great  fear.  Her  conductor  assured  her 
that  no  harm  should  happen  to  her,  and  that  she  should  be  wel 


22  Littlecote  House. 

paid ;  but  that  they  had  still  further  to  go.  The  horseman  had 
frequently  to  dismount  to  open  gates,  and  the  midwife  was  certain 
that  they  had  crossed  ploughed  and  corn  fields  ;  for  though  it  was 
quite  dark  the  woman  discovered  that  they  had  quitted  the  high 
road  about  two  miles  from  her  own  house  :  she  also  said  they 
crossed  a  river  twice.  After  travelling  for  an  hour  and  a  half  they 
entered  a  paved  court  or  yard,  on  the  stones  of  which  the  horse's 
hoofs  resounded.  Her  conductor  now  Hfted  her  off  her  horse, 
conducted  her  through  a  long,  narrow,  and  dark  passage  into  the 
house,  and  then  thus  addressed  her  : — "  You  must  now  suffer  me 
to  put  this  cap  and  bandage  over  your  eyes,  which  will  allow  you 
to  speak  and  breathe  but  not  to  see ;  keep  up  your  presence  of 
mind,  it  will  be  wanted — no  harm  will  happen  to  you."  Then 
having  conducted  her  into  a  chamber,  he  continued — "  Now  you 
are  in  a  room  with  a  lady  in  labour,  perform  your  office  well  and 
you  shall  be  amply  rewarded ;  but  if  you  attempt  to  remove  the 
bandage  from  your  eyes,  take  the  reward  of  your  rashness." 

According  to  her  account,  horror  and  dread  had  now  so  be- 
numbed her  faculties  that  for  a  time  she  was  incapable  of  action. 
In  a  short  time,  however,  a  male  child  was  born  and  committed  to 
the  care  of  an  aged  female  servant.  Her  impression  with  respect 
to  the  mother  of  the  child  was  that  she  was  a  very  young  lady ;  but 
she  dared  not  ask  questions  or  even  speak  a  word.  As  soon  as  the 
crisis  was  over  the  woman  received  a  glass  of  wine  and  was  told  to 
prepare  to  return  home  by  another  road  which  was  not  so  near  but 
was  free  from  gates  or  stiles.  Desirous  of  collecting  her  thoughts, 
she  begged  to  be  allowed  to  rest  in  an  arm-chair  while  her  horse 
was  being  got  ready.  Whilst  resting  she  pretended  to  fall  asleep  ; 
but  was  busy  all  the  time  making  those  reflections  which  laid  the 
foundation  of  the  legal  inquiry  that  afterwards  took  place.  Undis- 
covered and  unsuspected,  she  contrived  to  cut  off  a  small  piece  of 
the  bed-curtain.  This  circumstance,  added  to  others  of  a  local 
nature,  was  supposed  sufficient  evidence  to  fix  the  transaction  as 
having  happened  at  Littlecote,  then  possessed  by  William  Darcll, 
commonly  called  "Wild  Darell"  from  the  reckless,  wicked  life  he 
led.  In  the  course  of  her  evidence  the  midwife  declared  she  per- 
ceived an  uncommon  smell  of  burning,  which  followed  them  through 
all  the  avenues  of  the  house  to  the  courtyard  where  she  remounted 
the  horse.  The  guide  on  parting  with  her  at  a  distance  of  about 
fifty  yards  from  her  own  door,  made  her  swear  to  observe  secrecy, 
and  put  a  purse  containing  twenty-five  guineas   into  her  hand. 


Littlecoie  House,  23 

He  also  now  for  the  first  time  removed  the  bandage  from  her 
eyes. 

Up  to  this  point  there  is  some  contradiction  in  the  different 
versions  of  the  legend.  Scott  says  that  the  bandage  was  first  put 
over  the  woman's  eyes  on  her  first  leaving  her  own  house  that  she 
might  be  unable  to  tell  which  way  she  travelled  ;  and  that  when  she 
was  brought  to  the  house  and  led  into  the  bedchamber  the  bandage 
was  removed,  and  she  found  herself  in  a  sumptuously  furnished 
room.  Besides  the  lady  in  labour  there  was  a  man  of  a  "  haughty 
and  ferocious"  aspect  in  the  room.  As  soon  as  the  child  was  born, 
continues  Scott,  he  demanded  the  midwife  to  give  it  him,  and 
snatching  it  from  her,  he  hurried  across  the  room  and  threw  it  on 
the  back  of  the  fire  that  was  blazing  in  the  chimney.  The  child, 
however,  was  strong,  and  by  its  struggles  rolled  itself  out  upon  the 
hearth,  when  the  ruffian  again  seized  it  with  fury,  and,  in  spite  of 
the  intercession  of  the  midwife  and  the  more  piteous  entreaties  of 
the  mother,  thrust  it  under  the  grate,  and  raking  the  live  coals 
upon  it  soon  put  an  end  to  its  life. 

After  the  return  of  the  midwife  to  her  own  home  all  accounts  of 
this  story  agree  in  the  main.  In  the  morning  the  woman  was  so 
much  agitated  that  she  went  to  a  magistrate  and  made  a  deposition 
of  all  she  knew.  Two  circumstances  afforded  hope  of  detecting 
the  house  in  which  the  crime  had  been  committed—  one  was  the 
clipping  of  the  curtain,  the  other  was  that  in  descending  the  stair- 
case she  had  counted  the  steps.  Suspicion  fell  on  Darell,  whose 
house  was  examined  and  identified  by  the  midwife.  "  Darell  was 
tried  for  murder  at  Salisbury,"  says  Scott,  "  but  by  corrupting  his 
judge  (Sir  John  Popham,  afterwards  proprietor  of  Littlecote,  which, 
according  to  Aubrey,  Darell  gave  to  him  as  a  bribe)  he  escaped  the 
sentence  of  the  law — only  to  die  a  violent  death  shortly  after  by  a 
fall  from  his  horse." 

Some  few  years  ago  (see  Wilts  Archaeological  Magazine ^ 
vols.  i. — X.)  an  attempt  was  made  to  disprove  the  whole  story  from 
beginning  to  end  as  connected  with  Littlecote,  chiefly  on  the 
grounds  that,  after  every  inquiry  possible,  no  record  of  any  trial 
could  be  found ;  that  from  various  existing  state  papers  Darell 
appeared  to  have  held  his  position  as  a  gentleman  and  magistrate, 
and  had  no  apparent  blot  on  his  character  ;  that  Sir  John  Popham 
was  not  created  a  judge  at  all  until  three  years  after  DarelFs  death, 
which  took  place  quietly  in  his  own  bed  at  Littlecote  in  1589,  and 
that  legends  of  a  similar  kind  could  be  produced,  connected  with 


24     Dray  cot  House :  a  Lcq;cu(1  of  the  White  Hand. 

other  old  houses  both  in  this  and  other  counties.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  inquiry  brought  to  Hght  some  eViclcnce  of  a  very  extra- 
ordinary kind,  which  makes  it  no  longer  doubtful  that  the  story  is, 
in  the  main  facts  of  it,  correct.  This  evidence  consists  of  the  actual 
statement  in  writing  by  the  magistrate,  Mr.  Bridges,  of  Great 
Shefford,  in  Berks  (about  seven  miles  off),  who  took  down  the  depo- 
sition of  the  midwife  on  her  deathbed.  Her  name,  it  appears,  was 
Mrs.  Barnes,  of  Shefford.  She  does  not  say  that  she  was  blind- 
folded, but  that  having  been  decoyed  by  a  fictitious  message  pre- 
tending to  come  from  Lady  Knyvett,  of  Charlton  House,  she  found 
herself,  after  being  on  horseback  several  hours  in  the  night,  at 
another  house.  The  lady  she  had  to  attend  to  was  masked.  She 
does  not  say  what  house  this  was,  and  seems  not  to  have  known- 
Her  deposition  gives  the  fullest  particulars  of  the  atrocity  com- 
mitted, but  still  fails  to  identify  Littlecote  as  the  house  and  Will 
Darell  as  the  gentleman.  The  case .  seemed,  therefore,  likely  to 
continue  one  not  proved,  but  only  of  very  strong  suspicion.  The 
subsequent  discovery,  however,  at  Longleat,  by  the  Rev.  Canon 
Jackson,  of  Leigh  Delamere,  of  another  original  document  has  set 
the  matter  at  rest.  Sir  John  Thynne,  of  Longleat,  had  in  his  esta- 
blishment a  Mr.  Bonham,  whose  sister  was  the  mistress  of  W. 
Darell,  and  living  at  Littlecote.  The  letter  is  from  Sir  H.  Knyvett, 
of  Charlton,  to  Sir  John  Thynne,  desiring  "that  Mr.  Bonham  will 
inquire  of  his  sister  touching  her  usage  at  Will  Darell's,  the  birth 
of  her  children,  how  many  there  were,  and  what  became  of  them  ; 
for  that  the  report  of  the  murder  of  one  of  them  was  increasing 
foully,  and  will  touch  Will  Darell  to  the  quick."  This  letter  is  dated 
2nd  January,  1578-9.  How  Darell  escaped  does  not  appear,  but  it 
is  certain  that  in  1586  he  sold  the  reversion  of  his  Littlecote  estate 
to  Sir  John  Popham,  who  took  possession  of  it  in  1589,  and  in 
whose  descendants  it  still  continues.  All  these  facts,  together  with 
many  details  for  which  space  cannot  be  afforded  here,  will  be  found 
in  the  eighth  and  in  earlier  volumes  of  the  Wiltshire  Archaological 
Magazine, 


Draycot  House. — The  Legend  of  the  White  Hand. 

This  ancient  mansion,  situated  a  few  miles  to  the  north-east  of 
Chippenham,  derived  its  distinguishing  appellation  of  Draycot- 
Ceme  from  ft  family  to  whom  it  belonged  as  early  as  the  thirteenth 


Dray  cot  House:  a  Legend  of  the  White  Hand.      25 

century.  Heniy  de  Cerne,  Knight,  Lord  of  Draicot,  was  witness 
to  an  ancient  deed  preserved  by  Aubrey,  relative  to  the  gift  of  land 
at  Langelegh  to  the  Abbey  of  Glastonbury.  From  the  Cernes 
Draycot  passed  by  marriage  to  the  family  of  Wayte ;  and  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  VII.,  Sir  Thomas  Long  of  Wraxhall  became  pro- 
prietor in  right  of  his  mother,  Margaret,  heiress  of  the  family  of 
Wayte.  He  married  Margery,  daughter  of  Sir  George  Darell  of 
Littlecote,  by  whom  he  had  three  sons.  Of  these  Henry,  the 
eldest, greatly  distinguished  himself  at  the  battle  of  Therouenne,  and 
was  knighted  for  his  gallantry  by  Henry  VIII.,  who  likewis(/ 
granted  him  a  new  crest — "  A  Hon's  head  erased,  crowned,  with  a 
man's  hand  in  the  mouth."  His  grandson,  Walter  Long,  had  two 
wives — the  second  of  whom  was  Catherine,  daughter  of  Sir  John 
Thynne,  of  Longleat 

The  manor  of  Draycot  is  a  large  irregular  building,  with  a  park 
of  considerable  extent,  and  pleasure  grounds  attached  to  it.  The 
house  contains  many  objects  of  interest,  as  paintings,  Sevres  china, 
curious  fire-dogs  and  candelabra  presented  to  the  Longs  by 
Charles  II.  after  the  restoration.  The  park,  richly  studded  with 
ancient  oaks,  crowns  a  hill  commanding  an  extensive  prospect,  and 
is  esteemed  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  Wiltshire. 

The  following  legend  of  Draycot,  one  of  the  most  singular  in 
the  whole  range  of  English  legends,  is  abridged  from  Sir  J.  Bernard 
Burke's  "  Anecdotes  of  the  Aristocracy,  and  Episodes  in  Ancestral 
Story."  Sir  Bernard  introduces  his  story  with  a  few  words  to  the 
effect  that  the  marvels  of  real  life  are  more  startling  than  those  of 
the  pages  of  fiction,  and  this  reflection  "  may  serve,"  he  says,  "  to 
qualify  the  disbelief  of  our  readers,  should  any  happen  to  suppose 
that  we  have  drawn  upon  our  imagination  for  the  facts,  as  well  as 
the  colouring,  of  this  episode  in  domestic  history — a  supposition 
that,  we  can  assure  them,  would  be  altogether  erroneous.  And 
singular  as  this  story  may  seem,"  continues  Burke,  "  no  small  portion 
of  it  is  upon  record  as  a  thing  not  to  be  questioned  ;  and  it  is  not 
necessary  to  believe  in  supernatural  agency  to  give  all  parties  credit 
for  having  faithfully  narrated  their  impressions."  We  have  already 
said  that  Walter  Long  of  Draycot  had  two  wives — the  second  being 
Catherine,  daughter  of  Sir  John  Thynne,  of  Longleat.  Six  weeks 
after  their  marriage  the  happy  couple  returned  for  the  first  time  to 
the  halls  of  Draycot.  The  day  of  their  return  was  a  great  occasion 
for  the  villagers.  Revelry  after  the  approved  old  English  fashion 
prevailed,  and  all  were  happy— save  one.    This  sole  exceptional 


-^      Draycot  House:  a  Legend  of  the  White  Hand. 

person  was  no  other  than  John,  the  heir  of  the  houses  of  Draycot 
ind  Wraxhall,  son  of  the  man  who  was  that  day  a  happy  bride- 
groom— if  of  somewhat  mature  years — and  of  that  lady  now  in  her 
grave,  and  whose  place  a  girl  and  a  stranger  had  come  to  fill. 
John  Long,  though  himself  of  that  disposition  which  joins  in  fes- 
tivities with  even  reckless  enthusiasm,  was  silent,  sad  and  solitary 
on  the  morning  ot  the  "  Welcome  Home  "  of  his  father  and  his 
step-mother. 

John  Long  was  simple  and  candid  in  disposition,  while  at  the 
same  time  his  affections  were  warm  and  generous.  He  never 
suspected  man  or  woman.  He  never  took  the  trouble  to  consider 
the  motives  of  others,  or  to  estimate  the  weight  that  interest  might 
represent  in  an  action  apparently  spontaneous  and  cordial.  Lady 
Catherine,  his  father's  wife,  and  her  brother,  whom  Sir  J.  B.  Burke 
names  Sir  Egremont,  had  thought  it  worth  while  to  study  the 
character  of  the  simple  and  confiding  young  Master  of  Draycot 
with  some  attention.  They  had  the  same  object  in  so  doing,  and 
results  too  important  almost  to  be  estimated  hung  upon  the  success 
with  which  they  did  understand  the  youth.  They  had  hardly  been 
upon  the  scene  at  Draycot  for  more  than  a  few  days  when,  from 
servants  and  others,  they  were  informed  that  the  Master  was  never 
far  off  when  there  was  a  cheerful  party  over  the  wine  bottle,  or  a 
freely-spend-freely-win  group  around  the  dice-box.  The  knowledge 
ascertained,  their  course  of  conduct  was  already  arrived  at.  Young 
Long,  the  heir  of  all  his  father's  property — the  obstruction  in  the 
way  of  whatever  children  might  come  by  the  second  marriage — 
must  be  ruined,  or,  at  least,  so  disgraced  as  to  provoke  his  fatb^ 
to  disinherit  him. 

The  means  of  arriving  at  this  end  readily  presented  themselves. 
John's  father.  Sir  Walter,  a  man  of  grave  and  unrelenting  character, 
who  had  already  frequently  had  occasion  to  visit  his  son's  pecca- 
dilloes heavily  upon  his  head,  was,  neither  from  principle  nor  from 
interest,  at  all  given  to  lavish  pocket-money  upon  the  young  squire. 
His  parsimony  was  his  son's  enemies'  opportunity.  They  stuffed 
young  Long's  pockets  with  gold,  encouraged  him  to  take  life  easily 
and  freely,  merely  smiled  when  in  his  presence  they  heard  of  his 
excesses,  but  took  good  care  that  all  these  excesses  were  magnified 
into  heinous  crimes  by  themselves,  and  so  brought  under  the  notice  of 
the  lad's  father.  This  old  gentleman,  influenced  on  the  one  hand  by 
the  wiles  of  his  charming  wife,  on  the  other  by  the  deeper  wiles  of 
his  brother-in-law,  agreed  to  make  out  a  will,  disinheriting  his  soa 


Dray  cot  House :  a  Legend  of  the  White  Hand.      27 

by  his  first  wife,  and  settling  all  his  possessions  on  his  second  wife 
and  her  relations. 

Meantime  Sir  Walter  Long  had  declined  in  health,  was,  in  fact, 
on  the  brink  of  death.  Without  any  genuine  sympathy  with  his  son 
at  any  part  of  his  career,  he  had  now  been  alienated  from  him  in 
all  things  for  a  considerable  time.  He  deemed  it  a  sin  to  make  any 
provision  for  one  who  would  spend  all  his  possessions  in  drinking 
and  gambling.  It  was  then  with  alacrity  that,  when  Sir  Egremont 
Thynne,  of  Longleat,  drew  up  a  draft  will  and  set  it  before  him,  he 
approved  of  it  and  ordered  it  to  be  copied.  It  was  accordingly  given 
to  a  clerk  to  engross  fairly. 

The  work  of  engrossing  demands  a  clear,  bright  light.  Any 
shadow  intervening  between  the  light  and  the  parchment  would  be 
sure  to  interrupt  operations.  Such  an  interruption  the  clerk  was 
suddenly  subjected  to,  when,  on  looking  up,  he  beheld  a  white  hand 
—a  lady's  delicate  white  hand — so  placed  between  the  light  and  the 
deed  as  to  obscure  the  spot  upon  which  he  was  engaged.  The  un- 
accountable hand,  however,  was  gone  almost  as  soon  as  noticed. 
The  clerk  paused  for  a  moment  and  pondered  ;  but  concluding  that 
he  had  been  deceived  by  some  delusion  of  his  own  brain,  prepared 
to  go  on  with  the  work  as  before. 

He  had  now  come  to  the  worst  clause  in  the  whole  deed — the 
clause  which  disinherited  poor  John  Long,  and  which  was  rendered 
yet  more  atrocious  by  the  slanders  which  it  pleaded  in  its  own  justifi- 
cation— and  was  rapidly  travelling  over  this  black  indictment,  when 
again  the  same  visionary  hand  was  thrust  forth  between  the  light 
and  the  parchment  ! 

Uttering  a  yell  of  horror,  the  clerk  rushed  from  the  room,  woke 
up  Sir  Egremont  from  his  midnight  slumbers,  and  told  him  his 
story,  adding  that  the  spectre  hand  was  no  other  than  the  late  Lady 
Long's,  who  leaving  for  a  moment  her  avocations  in  the  other  world, 
had  visited  this  one  to  put  a  stop  to  those  machinations  that  were 
to  result  in  the  ruin  of  her  son. 

The  deed  was  engrossed  by  another  clerk,  however,  and  duly 
signed  and  sealed.  The  son  was  with  all  due  form  disinherited, 
and  Sir  William  dying  soon  afterwards,  left  his  great  fortune  to  the 
alien  and  the  stranger. 

Yet  the  miraculous  interference  of  the  white  hand  was  not  with- 
out its  results.  The  clerk's  ghostly  tale  soon  got  abroad,  and  his 
story  becoming  a  matter  of  universal  conversation,  a  number  of 
friends  rose  up  to  aid  the  disinherited  heir,  who  might  otherwise 


23  Avehtryy  Stonchenge^  and  Silhiiry  Hill. 

have  forgotten  him.  The  trustees  of  the  late  Lady  Long  arrested 
the  old  knight's  corpse  at  the  church  door ;  her  nearest  relations 
commenced  a  suit  against  the  intended  heir ;  and  the  result  was  a 
compromise  between  the  parties — ^John  Long  taking  possession  of 
Wraxhall,  while  his  half-brother  was  allowed  to  retain  Draycot. 
Hence  the  division  of  the  two  estates,  which  we  find  at  the  present  day. 
John  Long,  the  disinherited  son,  married  subsequently  Anne, 
daughter  of  Sir  William  Eyre,  of  Chaldfield,  and  left  issue,  which 
is  now  extinct  in  the  male  line.  His  half-brother,  to  whom  Draycot 
fell,  became  Sir  Walter  Long,  knight,  and  represented  Wiltshire 
in  Parliament.  From  him  directly  descended  the  late  Sir  James 
Tylney  Long,  of  Wraxhall  and  Draycot,  the  last  known  male  repre- 
sentative of  the  Longs  of  Wraxhall  and  Draycot.  He  died  in  early 
youth,  14th  of  September,  1805,  when  his  extensive  estates  devolved 
on  his  sister  Catherine,  wife  of  the  Hon.  William  Wellesley  Pole. 
This  lady's  fortune,  at  the  time  of  her  marriage,  is  said  to  have  ex- 
ceeded 80,000/.  a  year ! 


Avebury,  Stonehenge,  and  Silbury  Hill. 

In  1869,  the  history  of  these  celebrated  remains  received  very 
interesting  illustration,  in  a  communication  from  Mr.  A.  Hall  to 
the  AthetiCEum,  which  we  quote  here,  as  it  affords  a  special  view 
intelligible  to  those  who  are  at  all  acquainted  with  them : — "  Those 
centres  of  interest,  Avebury  and  Stonehenge,  serve  to  make  the 
district  in  which  they  stand  a  very  shrine  for  the  antiquary  ; 
and,  as  investigated  by  me  for  the  first  time,  a  most  gratifying 
treat,  i.  As  to  the  names  :  I  would  suggest  that  the  v  in  Avebury 
is  i\  u,  and  should  be  read  as  'Au,'  quasi  Auld-bury — i.e.  'old 
burrow ' ;  barrows  here  are  called  burrows,  and  the  terminal 
'  borough '  in  English  names  has  been  held  by  antiquaries  to  indi- 
cate remote  antiquity.  Here,  however,  we  have  a  village  old,  as  a 
residence,  among  boroughs — older,  for  instance,  than  M7ix\l)orou(^h, 
V^oodborough,  and  other  places  in  the  neighbourhood.  The  word 
Stonehenge  has  been  frequently  explained ;  it  refers  to  the  raised 
stones,  henge^  from  A.S.  hon,  he/i, gchengon,  *  to  hang.'  Here  we  find 
massive  uprights,  with  huge  imposts  hung  or  supported  upon  them. 
Henry  of  Huntingdon  says,  '  Stones  of  wonderful  magnitude  are 
raised  in  the  manner  of  doors,so  that  they  seem  like  doors  placed  over 
doors/    This  feature  is  no  longer  apparent,  but  the  fallen  stones 


Aveburyy  Stonehengey  and  Silbury  Hill.  29 

show  clearly  this  was  the  case  at  one  time :  the  wonder  being  that 
such  immense  blocks  should  be  so  raised— a  feeling  that  has  descended 
with  the  name  that  recorded  the  fact. 

"  2.  The  first  position  I  wish  to  lay  down  is,  that  there  is  one  great 
marked  distinction  between  Avebury  and  Stonehenge — viz.,  that  while 
the  latter  gives  in  its  structure  indisputable  proof  of  design,  by  the 
removal,  shaping,  elevation,  and  superimposition  of  the  stones,  the 
former  was  not  so  formed  by  man  ;  but  that  the  stones  at  Avebury 
are  still  in  situ — i.e.,  in  their  rough,  unhewn,  natural  state,  as  placed 
there  by  Dame  Nature  herself,  and  that  man  has  since  located  himself 
there  and  entrenched  the  spot  for  habitation. 

"3.  It  must,  I  think,  be  conceded  that  Avebury  is  the  older,  probably 
very  much  the  older,  place  of  the  two.  Stonehenge  has  no  name  as  a 
habitation,  but  it  adjoins  Amesbury,  an  old  town,  whose  name,  how- 
ever, dates  from  subsequently  to  the  Christian  era ;  it  is,  therefore, 
necessarily  posterior  to  Avebury,  the  name  of  whose  founder  is  lost  in 
the  mists  of  ages.  The  Avebury  stones  are  unhewn  ;  this  must  be  held 
to  prove  gi'eat  antiquity.  It  is  clearly  understood  that  the  Romans 
introduced  the  art  of  working  in  stone — an  art  lost  to  us  by  the  with- 
drawal of  their  legions  and  the  consequent  invasion  of  Saxon  barbarians, 
but  restored  by  Norman  influence  under  the  later  Saxon  kings.  With 
this  fact  before  us,  I  should  hesitate  to  believe  there  had  been  a  previous 
introduction  of  this  art  from  other  than  Roman  sources,  and  also  a 
previous  loss  of  it.  I  am,  therefore,  driven  to  the  conclusion  that 
Stonehenge  is  a  work  of  post-Roman  time.  The  labour  of  collecting 
and  transporting  these  huge  masses  must  have  been  great,  but  nothing 
as  compared  to  the  fitting  and  fixing  of  them,  which  is  very  complex. 
Each  upright  has  been  reduced  into  the  shape  of  a  round  tenon  at  top, 
to  match  with  a  round  mortice-hole  in  the  impost ;  besides  which, 
the  lower  end  of  each  upright  has  been  worked  with  a  lateral  projection 
to  bite  the  earth  underground,  like  an  ordinary  post  for  a  wooden 
gate;  then,  being  placed  in  a  prepared  hole,  the  cavity  has  been  filled 
in  with  rubble.  Further,  all  the  imposts  round  the  outer  circle,  when 
complete,  fitted  closely  together,  each  one  beingjointed  or  grooved  into 
its  neighbour  by  the  process  called  match  lining ;  the  rough,  weather- 
worn outline  of  this  dovetailing  may  still  be  perceived.  I  cannot 
believe  that  the  rude  Celts  whom  Caesar  found  here  could  have  done  this ; 
they  may  have  chipped  (lints  and  rounded  celts,  but  if  they  could  have 
dealt  thus  with  huge  blocks  of  stone,  they  would  have  had  stone  habi- 
tations, for  the  material  is  plentiful ;  but  Caesar  saw  none  such. 
"  4.  Stonehenge  is  therefore  clearly  within  the  historical  era,  and,  as  I 


30  Avehiry,  Stonehenge,  and  Silbury  Hill. 

think,  was  erected  for  a  Memorial,  the  object  being  to  produce  a  con- 
spicuous mark  in  the  landscape,  at  a  particular  spot.  The  first  we 
know  of  it  is  quoted  from  Nennius,  in  the  Eulogium  Britannia,  who, 
though  sufficiently  fabuloHS  in  other  things,  ascribes  Stonehenge  to  the 
fifth  century  a.d.  Geoffi'ey  of  Monmouth,  who  wrote  three  or  four 
hundred  years  later,  partly  confirms  this  conjecture.  Moreover,  when 
Villiei-s,  Duke  of  Buckingham,  excavated  the  area  in  1620,  he  brought 
to  light  some  Roman  remains. 

"  5.  Viewing  Stonehenge  as  comparatively  modern,  I  consider  Ave- 
bury  is  greatly  older,  and  that  its  existence  has  most  probably  sug- 
gested the  idea  that  we  see  caiTied  out  at  Stonehenge.  The  latter  has 
now  about  95  blocks  left ;  Avebury,  so  far  as  I  could  ascertain,  only 
25,  and  has  no  evidence  of  the  use  of  imposts. 

"  Although  Stonehenge  is  mentioned  so  frequently  and  so  copiously 
by  our  early  chroniclers,  history  is  silent  as  to  Avebury.  The  antiquary, 
Aubrey,  is  the  first  writer  who  describes  it.  In  1648  he  found  63 
stones;  Stukeley,  in  1743,  describes  29.  The  imagination  that  can 
magnify  this  trivial  quantity  into  650,  without  any  evidence  whatever, 
is  bold,  but  dangerous.  I  decline  to  believe  in  circles  or  avenues.  The 
whole  district  teems  with  these  stones.  Take  an  area  of  four  or  five 
miles,  and  we  may  count  them  by  thousands ;  but  there  is  no  proof 
tliat  any  vast  quantity  was  ever  concentrated  at  Avebury.  As  they 
a  -e  now  found,  they  were  evidently  dispersed  or  deposited  by  a  natural 
process.  The  line  may  be  traced  southward,  from  Marlborough 
Downs,  along  a  sloping  valley  which  crosses  the  regular  coach-road 
about  Fyfield.  Down  the  Lockridge,  towards  Alton,  there  they  lie — 
called  grey  wethers  at  one  place,  large  stones  at  other  places.  At 
Linchet's,  otherwise  Clatford  Bottom,  we  have  the  Devil's  Den:  a 
cromlech,  apparently.  They  have  been  forced  along  this  route  by  the 
agency  of  water  or  ice,  and  appear  to  consist  of  primary  rock  and  a 
soft  oolitic  sandstone  that  crumbles  into  dust.  Finding  them  so  freely 
scattered  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood,  I  infer  that  those  found  at 
Avebury  have  been  lodged  there  as  a  freak  of  Nature.  Accordingly,  I 
look  upon  devil's  dens,  serpent  avenues,  charmed  circles,  and  high 
altars  as  just  so  many  myths.  That  Avebury  was  entrenched  at  an 
early  period,  and  inhabited  by  primitive  Britons,  seems  very  clear. 
Their  rude  imaginations  may  have  prompted  them,  from  lack  of  know- 
ledge, to  venerate — yea,  to  worship— these  huge  fantastic  blocks, 
weather-worn  into  all  sorts  of  queer  sliapes,  placed  thereby  a  power 
which  they  could  not  divine,  and  thus  found  in  possccsion  of  the  land 
before  thenselves." 


Avebury,  Stonehenge,  and  Silbury  HilL  31 

The  soil  of  Abury  rendered  the  great  Druidical  temple  an  jnciim- 
brance  upon  its  fertility.  For  two  centuries  we  can  trace  the  course  of 
its  destruction.  Gibson  describes  it  as  '  a  monument  more  considerable 
in  itself  than  known  to  the  world.  For  a  village  of  the  same  name 
being  built  within  the  circumference  of  it,  and,  by  the  way,  out  of  its 
stones  too,  what  by  gardens,  orchards,  enclosures,  and  the  like,  the  pros- 
pect is  so  interrupted  that  it  is  very  hard  to  discover  the  form  of  it. 
It  is  environed  by  an  extraordinary  vallum,  or  rampire,  as  great  and  as 
high  as  that  at  Winchester;  and  within  it  is  a  grafF  (ditch  or  moat)  of 
a  depth  and  breadth  proportionable The  grafF  hath  been  sur- 
rounded all  along  the  edge  of  it  with  large  stones  pitched  on  end, 
most  of  which  are  now  taken  away ;  but  some  marks  remaining  give 
liberty  for  a  conjecture  that  they  stood  quite  round.'  In  Auljrey's 
time  sixty-three  stones,  which  he  describes,  were  standing  within  the 
entrenched  enclosure.  In  Dr.  Stukeley's  time,  when  the  destruction  of 
the  whole  for  the  purposes  of  building  was  going  on  so  rapidly,  still 
forty-four  of  the  stones  of  the  great  outward  circle  were  left,  and  many 
of  the  pillars  of  the  great  avenue :  and  a  great  cromlech  was  in  being, 
the  upper  stone  of  which  he  himself  saw  broken  and  carried  away,  the 
fragments  of  it  alone  making  no  less  than  twenty  cartloads."  In  18 12, 
according  to  Sir  Richard  Hoare,  only  seventeen  of  the  stones  remained 
within  the  great  inclosure.  Their  number  has  since  been  further  reduced. 

It  must  have  been  a  proud  day  for  John  Aubrey,  when  he  attended 
Charles  II.  and  the  Duke  of  York  on  their  visit  to  Abury,  or  Aubury, 
which  the  King  had  been  told  at  a  meeting  of  the  Royal  Society  in 
1663,  soon  after  its  formation,  as  much  excelled  Stonehenge  as  a 
cathedral  does  a  parish  church.  In  leaving  Abury,  the  King  "  cast  his 
eie  on  Silbury  Hill,  about  a  mile  off,"  and  with  the  Duke  of  York,  Dr. 
Charlton,  and  Aubrey,  he  walked  up  to  the  top  of  it.  Dr.  Stukeley, 
in  his  account  of  Abury,  published  in  1743,  probably  refers  to  another 
royal  visit,  when  he  notes :  *'  Some  old  people  remember  Charles  the 
Second,  the  Duke  of  York,  and  Duke  of  Monmouth,  riding  up  Silbury 
Hill." 

We  subjoin  a  few  of  the  more  striking  and  generally  received  opinions 
upon  the  origin  of  Avebury  and  Stonehenge ; — "  The  temples  in  which 
the  Britons  worshipped  their  deities  were  composed  of  large  rough  stones, 
disposed  in  circles;  for  they  had  not  sufficient  skill  to  execute  any  finished 
edifices.  Some  of  these  circles  are  yet  existing:  such  is  Stonehenge, 
near  Salisbury :  the  huge  masses  of  rock  may  still  be  seen  there,  grey 
with  age;  and  the  structure  is  yet  sufficiently  perfect  to  enable  us  to 
understand  how  the  whole  pile  was  anciently  arranged.    Stonehen^i? 


$2  Avebury,  Stonehenge,  and  Silbury  Hill. 

possesses  a  stern  and  savage  magnificence.  The  masses  of  which  it  is 
composed  are  so  large,  that  the  structure  seems  to  have  been  raised  by 
more  than  human  power.  Hence,  Choirganer  (the  *  Giants'  Dance,'  the 
British  name  of  Stonehenge)  was  fabled  to  have  been  built  by  giants, 
or  otherwise  constructed  by  magic  art ;  and  the  tradition  that  Merlin, 
the  magician,  brought  the  stones  from  Ireland,  is  felt  to  be  a  poetical 
homage  to  the  greatness  of  the  work.  All  around  you  in  the  plain  you 
will  see  mounds  of  earth,  or  *  tumuH,'  beneath  which  the  Britons  buried 
their  dead.  Antiquaries  have  sometimes  opened  these  mounds,  and 
there  they  have  discovered  vases,  containing  the  ashes  and  the  bo.ies  of 
the  primaeval  Britons,  together  with  their  swords  and  hatchets,  and 
arrow  heads  of  flint  or  of  bronze,  and  beads  of  glass  and  amber ;  for 
the  Britons  probably  believed  that  the  dead  yet  delighted  in  those 
things  which  had  pleased  them  when  they  were  alive,  and  that 
the  disembodied  spirit  retained  the  inclination  and  affections  of 
mortality." — Palgrave's  History  of  England. 

The  investigations  of  the  nature  of  the  stones  employed  in  these 
wonderful  monuments  present  some  curious  points,  of  which  the  fol- 
lowing are  specimens ; — 

Mr.  Gunnington,  quoted  in  the  History  of  South  Wiltshire,  says: 
"  The  stones  composing  the  outward  circle  and  its  imposts,  as  well  as 
the  five  large  trilithons,  are  all  of  that  species  of  stone  called  sarsen, 
which  is  found  in  the  neighbourhood;  whereas  the  inner  circle  of 
small  upright  stones,  and  those  of  the  interior  oval,  are  composed  of 
granite,  hornstones,  &c.,  most  probably  brought  from  some  part  of 
Devonshire  or  Cornwall,  as  I  know  not  where  such  stones  could  be 
found  at  a  nearer  distance."  Sir  R.  Colt  Hoare  says  :  "  What  is  under- 
stood by  sarsen  is  a  stone  drawn  from  the  natural  quarry  in  its  rude 
state.  It  is  generally  supposed  that  these  stones  were  brought  from 
the  neighbourhood  of  Abury,  in  North  Wiltshire,  and  the  circumstance 
of  three  stones  still  existing  in  that  direction  is  adduced  as  a  corrobo- 
rating proof  of  that  statement." 

A  Correspondent  of  Notes  and  Queries,  No.  304,  remarks :  "  The 
stones  have  not  been  quarried  at  all,  being  boulders  collected  from  the 
Downs.  It  is  supposed  by  eminent  geologists  that  they  belong  to  the 
tertiary  formation,  and  that  the  strata  in  which  they  were  embedded 
(represented  in  the  Isle  of  Wight)  have  been  swept  away  by  some 
great  catastrophe.  The  outer  circle  probably  contained  thirty-eight 
Btones,  of  which  seventeen  are  standing ;  and  the  number  of  their 
lintels  in  the  original  position  is  about  seven  or  eight.  Of  the  large 
trilithons  only  two  are  now  complete." 


Avebury,  Stonehenge,  and  Silbury  Hill.  33 

Another  Correspondent  says :  "  The  stones  for  the  great  Temple  of 
Abury  were  easily  collected  from  the  neighbouring  hills;  but,  judging 
from  the  present  state  of  Salisbury  Plains,  it  must  be  supposed  that 
the  materials  of  Stonehenge  were  sought  for  on  the  Marlborough 
Downs,  and  transported  down  the  course  of  the  Avon.  Still,  it  is  not 
unlikely  that  even  the  largest  of  these  stones  might  have  been  found 
near  at  hand ;  for,  doubtless,  many  such  were  dispersed  about  at  that 
time,  which  have  since  been  used  up  for  economical  purposes." 

Sir  R.  Colt  Hoare  adds  to  Stukeley's  opinion :  "A  modern  naturalist 
has  supposed  that  the  stratum  of  sand  containing  these  stones  once 
covered  the  chalk  land,  and  at  the  Deluge  this  stratum  was  washed  off 
from  the  surface,  and  the  stones  left  behind.  Certain  it  is  that  we  find 
them  dispersed  over  a  great  part  of  our  chalky  district,  and  they  are 
particularly  numerous  between  Abury  and  Marlborough;  but  the 
celebrated  field,  called  from  them  the  Grey  Wethers,  no  longer  presents 
even  a  single  stone,  for  they  have  all  been  broken  to  pieces  for  building 
and  repairing  the  roads." 

Mr.  Loudon,  when  he  visited  Stonehenge,  in  1836,  formed  this  con- 
jecture as  to  its  origin  :  "  On  examining  the  stones  we  find  they  are  of 
three  different  kinds — viz.,  the  larger  stones  of  sandstone,  the  smaller  of 
granite ;  and  two  or  three  stones,  in  particular  situations,  of  two  varieties 
of  limestone.  This  shows  that  they  have  been  brought  from  different 
places:  still,  there  is  wanting  that  mathematical  regularity  and  uniformity 
which  are  the  characteristics  of  masonry ;  and  we  conclude  by  won- 
dering how  savages  that  knew  not  how  to  hew  could  contrive  to 
set  such  stones  on  end,  and  put  other  stones  over  them.  Upon  further 
consideration,  observing  the  tenons  and  the  corresponding  mortices, 
and  reflecting  on  the  countless  number  of  years  that  they  must  have 
stood  there,  we  yield  to  the  probability  of  their  having  been  originally 
more  or  less  architectural."  Many  persons  have  absurdly  supposed 
that  the  stones  are  artificial,  and  formed  in  moulds. 

Mr.  Browne,  of  Amesbury,  author  of  Illustrations  of  Stonehenge  and 
Abury,  considers  Stonehenge  to  have  been  erected  before  the  Flood; 
and  Abury,  a  similar  monument,  to  have  been  constructed  under  the 
direction  of  Adam,  after  he  was  driven  out  of  Paradise,  as  a  "  remem- 
brance of  his  great  and  sore  experience  in  the  existence  of  evil." 

Mr.  Rickman,  the  well-informed  antiquary,  on  June  13,  1839,  ccni- 
municated  to  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  an  essay  containing  some  im- 
portant arguments,  tending  to  show  that  the  era  of  Abury  and  Stone- 
henge cannot  reasonably  be  carried  back  to  a  period  antecedent  to  the 
Christian  era.  After  tracing  the  Roman  road  fi-om  Dover  and  Can* 
*#  X> 


34    ^       Avehiry,  Stoiiehenge,  and  Silbury  Hill 

teibury,  through  Noviomagus  and  London,  to  the  West  of  England, 
he  noticed  that  Silbury  Hill  is  situated  immediately  upon  that  road, 
and  that  the  avenues  of  Abury  extend  to  it,  whilst  their  course  is 
referable  to  the  radius  of  a  Roman  mile.  From  these  and  other  cir- 
cumstances, he  argued  that  Abury  and  Silbury  are  not  anterior  to  the 
road,  nor  can  we  well  conceive  how  such  gigantic  works  could  be 
accomplished  until  Roman  civilization  had  furnished  such  a  system  of 
providing  and  storing  food  as  would  supply  the  concourse  of  a  vast 
number  of  people.  Mr.  Rickman  further  remarked  that  the  Temple 
of  Abury  is  completely  of  the  form  of  a  Roman  amphitheatre,  which 
'would  accommodate  about  48,000  spectators,  or  half  the  number  con- 
tained in  the  Coliseum,  at  Rome.  Again,  the  stones  of  Stonehcnge 
have  exhibited,  when  their  tenons  and  mortices  were  first  exposed,  the 
workings  of  a  well-directed  steel  point,  beyond  the  workmanship  of 
barbarous  nations.  It  is  not  mentioned  by  Caesar  or  Ptolemy,  and  its 
historical  notices  commence  in  the  fifth  century.  On  the  whole,  Mr. 
Rickman  is  induced  to  conclude  that  the  era  of  Abury  is  the  third 
century,  and  that  of  Stonehenge  the  fourth,  or  before  the  departure  of 
the  Romars  from  Britain ;  and  that  both  are  examples  of  the  general 
practice  of  the  Roman  conquerors  to  tolerate  the  worship  of  their 
subjugated  provinces,  at  the  same  time  associating  them  with  their  own 
superstitions  and  favourite  public  games. 

The  mysterious  monument  of  antiquity,  Stonehenge,  or  as  it  has  been 
called  the  "  Glory  of  Wiltshire,"  and  the  "  Wonder  of  the  West,"  is 
situated  on  Salisbury  Plain,  about  two  miles  directly  west  of  Amesjury, 
and  seven  north  of  Salisbury. 

•  Two  authors  suppose  it  to  have  been  built  for  a  very  different  pur- 
pose; one  assuming  it  to  have  been  a  temple  dedicated  to  Apollo,  and 
the  other  a  heathen  burial-place. 

The  soil  is  excellent  and  fertile ;  and  the  harvest  is  made  twice  in 
the  same  year.  Tradition  says,  that  Latona  was  born  here,  and  there- 
fore, Apollo  is  worshipped  before  any  other  deity;  to  him  is  also 
dedicated  a  remarkable  temple,  of  a  round  form,  &c. 

The  Rev.  James  Ingram  considers  it  to  have  been  destined  as  a 
heathen  burial-place,  and  the  oblong  spaces  adjoining,  as  the  course  on 
which  the  goods  of  the  deceased  were  run  for  at  the  time  of  the  burial ; 
and  this  opinion,  he  thinks,  is  strengthened,  from  the  circumstance  of 
the  vast  number  of  barrows  which  abound  in  this  part  of  the  plain. 
Within  a  short  distance,  also,  are  two  long  level  pieces  of  ground,  sur- 
rounded by  a  ditch  and  a  bank,  with  a  long  mound  of  earth  crossing  one 
end,  bearing  a  great  resemblance  to  the  ancient  Roman  courses  for  horse- 


Avcb:uy,  StoneJienge^  and  Silbury  HilL  35 

racing.  In  the  year  1 797,  three  of  the  stones  which  formed  part  of  the 
oval  in  the  centre  fell  to  the  earth ;  and  this  appears  to  have  been  the 
only  instance  on  record  of  any  alteration  having  taken  place  in  these 
remains  of  antiquity. 

For  whatever  purpose  it  was  erected,  or  whoever  may  have  been  the 
architects,  the  immense  labour  necessarily  employed  in  bringing  to- 
gether the  materials^  and  the  amazhig  mechanical  power  that  must  have 
been  used  to  raise  the  stones,  some  of  which  weigh  upwards  of  70  tons, 
to  their  proper  situations,  sliowthat  it  could  have  been  only  constructed 
for  some  great  national  purpose,  connected  either  with  religion  or  the 
government  of  the  State. 

The  author  whose  description  we  have  quoted  concludes  his  remarks 
in  this  manner: — "  Such,  indeed,  is  the  general  fascination  imposed  on 
all  those  who  view  Stonehenge,  that  no  one  can  quit  its  precincts  with- 
out feeling  strong  sensations  of  surprise  and  admiration.  The  ignorant 
rustic  will,  with  a  vacant  stare,  attribute  it  to  some  imaginary  race  of 
giants :  and  the  antiquary,  equally  uninformed  as  to  its  origin,  will 
regret  that  its  history  is  veiled  in  perpetual  obscurity ;  the  artist,  on 
viewing  these  enormous  masses,  will  wonder  that  art  could  thus  rival 
nature  in  magnificence  and  picturesque  effect.  Even  the  most  indif- 
ferent passenger  over  the  plain  must  be  attracted  by  the  solitary  and 
magnificent  appearance  of  these  ruins ;  and  all  with  one  accord  will  ex- 
claim, *  How  grand  !     How  wonderful !     How  incomprehensible'!" 

The  belief  now  appears  tolerably  settled  that  Stonehenge  was  a  temple 
of  the  Druids.  It  differs,  however,  from  all  other  Druidical  remains, 
in  the  circumstance  that  greater  mechanical  art  was  employed  in  its 
construction,  especially  in  the  superincumbent  stones  of  the  outer  circle 
and  of  the  trilithons,  from  which  it  is  supposed  to  derive  its  name :  start 
being  the  Saxon  for  a  stone,  and  heng  to  hang  or  support.  From  this 
circumstance  it  is  maintained  that  Stonehenge  is  of  the  very  latest  ages 
of  Druidism;  and  that  the  Druids  that  wholly  belonged  to  the  ante- 
historic  period  followed  the  example  of  those  who  observed  the  com- 
mand of  the  law:  "  If  thou  wilt  make  me  an  altar  of  stone,  thou  shalt 
not  build  it  of  hewn  stone :  for  if  thou  lift  up  thy  tool  upon  it,  thou 
hast  polluted  it."  (Exodus,  chap,  xx.)  Regarding  Stonehenge  as  a 
work  of  masonry  and  architectural  proportions,  Inigo  Jones  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  it  was  a  Roman  temple  of  the  Tuscan  order.  This 
was  an  architect's  dream.  Antiquaries,  with  less  of  taste  and  fancy 
than  Inigo  Jones,  have  had  their  dreams  also  about  Stonehenge,  almost 
a?  wiW  as  the  legend  of  Merlin  flying  away  with  the  stones  from  the 
Curragh  of  Kildare.    Some  attribute  its  erection  to  the  Britons  after 


36  Avebttry,  Stonehenge,  and  Silbury  Hill, 

the  invasion  of  the  Romans  Some  bring  it  down  to  as  recent  a  period 
as  that  of  the  usurping  Danes.  Others  again  carry  it  back  to  the  early- 
days  of  the  Phoenicians.  The  first  notice  of  Stonehenge  is  found  in  the 
writings  of  Nennius,  who  Hved  in  the  ninth  century  of  the  Christian 
era.  He  says  that  at  the  spot  where  Stonehenge  stands  a  conference 
was  held  between  Hengist  and  Vortigern,  at  which  Hengist  treache- 
rously murdered  four  hundred  and  sixty  British  nobles,  and  that  their 
mourning  survivors  erected  the  temple  to  commemorate  the  fatal  event. 
Mr.  Davies,  a  modern  writer  upon  Celtic  antiquities,  holds  that  Stone- 
henge was  the  place  of  this  conference  between  the  British  and  Saxon 
princes,  on  account  of  its  venerable  antiquity  and  peculiar  sanctity. 
There  is  a  passage  in  Diodorus  Siculus,  quoted  from  Hecataeus,  which 
describes  a  round  temple  in  Britain  dedicated  to  Apollo;  and  this  Mr. 
Davies  concludes  to  have  been  Stonehenge.  By  another  writer.  Dr. 
Smith,  Stonehenge  is  maintained  to  have  been  "  the  grand  orrery  of  the 
Druids,"  representing,  by  combinations  of  its  stones,  the  ancient  solar 
year,  the  lunar  month,  the  twelve  signs  of  the  zodiac,  and  the  seven 
planets.  Lastly,  Stonehenge  has  been  pronounced  to  be  a  temple  of 
Buddha,  the  Druids  being  held  to  be  a  race  of  emigrated  Indian  philo- 
sophers. 

After  noticing  that  a  chief  Druid,  whose  office  is  for  life,  presides 
over  the  rest,  Caesar  mentions  a  remarkable  circumstance  which  seems  to 
account  for  the  selection  of  such  a  spot  as  Sarum  Plain  for  the  erection 
of  a  great  national  monument,  a  temple,  and  a  seat  of  justice : — "These 
Druids  hold  a  meeting  at  a  certain  time  of  the  year  in  a  consecrated 
spot  in  the  country  of  the  Carnutes  (people  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Chartres),  which  country  is  considered  to  be  in  the  centre  of  all  Gaul. 
Hither  assemble  all,  from  every  part,  who  have  a  litigation,  and  submit 
themselves  to  their  determination  and  sentence."  At  Stonehenge,  then, 
we  may  place  the  seat  of  such  an  assize.  There  were  roads  leading 
direct  over  the  plain  to  the  great  British  towns  of  Winchester  and 
Silchester.  Across  the  plain,  at  a  distance  not  exceeding  twenty  miles, 
was  the  great  temple  and  Druidical  settlement  of  Avebury.  The  town 
and  hill-fort  of  Sarum  was  close  at  hand.  Over  the  dry  chalky  downs, 
intersected  by  a  few  streams  easily  forded,  might  pilgrims  resort  from  all 
the  surrounding  country.  The  seat  of  justice,  which  was  also  the  seat 
of  the  highest  religious  solemnity,  would  necessarily  be  rendered  as 
magnificent  as  a  rude  art  could  accomplish.  The  justice  executed  in 
that  judgment-seat  was,  according  to  ancient  testimony,  bloody  and 
terrible.  The  religious  rites  were  debased  into  the  fearful  sacrifices  of 
a  cruel  idolatiy. 


Avebury,  Stoneheuge,  and  Silbiiry  Hill.  37 

Sir  William  Gove  Ouseley  describes  a  Druidical  circle,  and  a  single 
upright  stone  standing  alone  near  the  circle,  as  seen  by  him  at  Darab, 
in  Persia,  surrounded  by  a  wide  and  deep  ditch  and  a  high  bank  o( 
earth ;  there  is  a  central  stone,  and  a  single  upright  stone  at  some  dis- 
tance from  the  main  groups,  the  resemblance  of  the  circle  at  Darab  tc 
the  general  arrangement  of  Stonehenge,  and  other  similar  monuments 
of  Europe,  led  Sir  William  Ouseley  to  the  natural  conclusion  that  a 
"  British  antiquary  might  be  almost  authorized  to  pronounce  it  Drui- 
dical, according  to  the  general  application  of  the  word  among  us."  At 
Darab  there  is  a  peculiarity  which  is  not  found  at  Stonehenge,  at  least 
in  its  existing  state.  Under  several  of  the  stones  there  are  recesses,  or 
small  caverns.  In  this  paiticular,  and  in  the  general  rudeness  of  its  con- 
struction, the  circle  of  Darab  resembles  the  Druidical  circle  of  Jersey, 
although  the  circle  there  is  very  much  smaller,  and  the  stones  of  very 
inconsiderable  dimensions, — a  copy  in  miniature  of  such  vast  works  as 
those  of  Stonehenge  and  Avebury.  This  singular  monument,  which 
was  found  buried  under  the  earth,  was  removed  by  General  Conway 
to  his  seat  near  Henley,  the  stones  being  placed  in  his  garden  according 
to  the  original  plan. 

At  Abury  are  two  openings  through  the  bank  and  ditch,  at  which 
two  lines  of  upright  stones  branched  off,  each  extending  for  more  than 
a  mile.  That  running  to  the  south,  and  south-east,  from  the  great 
temple,  terminated  in  an  elliptical  range  of  upright  stones.  It  consisted, 
according  to  Stukeley,  of  two  hundred  stones.  The  oval  thus  termi- 
nating this  avenue  was  placed  on  a  hill  called  the  Hakpen,  or  Overton 
Hill.  Crossing  this  is  an  old  British  track-way :  barrows  scattered  all 
around.  The  western  avenue,  extending  nearly  a  mile  and  a  half 
towards  Beckhamptcn,  consisted  also  of  about  two  hundred  stones, 
terminating  in  a  o'ngle  stone.  It  has  been  held  that  these  avenues,  run- 
ning in  curved  lines,  are  emblematic  of  the  serpent-worship,  one  of  the 
most  primitive  and  widely  extended  superstitions  of  the  human  race. 
Conjoined  with  this  worship  was  the  worship  of  the  sun,  according  to 
those  who  hold  that  the  "'•liole  construction  of  Abury  was  emblematic 
of  the  idolatry  of  primitive  Druidism.  On  the  high  ground  to  tiie  south 
of  Abury  within  the  avenues  is  a  most  remarkable  monument  of  the 
British  period,  Silbury  Hill ;  of  which  Sir  R.  Hoare  says,  "  There  can 
be  no  doubt  it  was  one  of  the  component  parts  of  the  grand  temple  at 
Abury;"  others  think  it  a  sepulchral  mound  raised  over  the  bones  and 
ashes  of  a  king  or  arch-druid,  as  does  the  author  of  these  lines: — 

•'  Grave  of  CuncLla,  were  it  vain  to  call, 
For  one  wild  lay  of  all  that  buried  lie 


3^  Avebury,  Stoneheftge,  and  Silbicry  Hill. 

Beneath  thy  giant  mound  ?    From  Tara's  hall 

Faint  warblings  yet  are  heard,  faint  echoes  die 
Among  the  Hebrides  :  the  ghost  that  sung 

In  Ossian's  ear,  yet  wails  in  feeble  cry 
On  Mor\'ern  ;  but  the  harmonies  that  rung 

Around  the  grove  and  cromlech,  never  more 
Shall  visit  earth  :  for  ages  have  unstrung 

The  Druid's  harp,  and  shrouded  all  his  lore, 
Where  under  the  world's  ruin  sleep  in  gloom 

The  secrets  of  the  flood, — the  letter'd  stone, 
Which  Seth's  memorial  pillars  from  the  doom 

Preserved  not,  when  the  sleep  was  Nature's  doom." 

Silbury  Hill  is  the  largest  mound  of  the  kind  in  England ;  the  next 
in  size  is  Marlborough  Mount,  in  the  garden  of  an  inn  at  Marlborough. 
No  history  gives  us  any  account  of  Silbury;  the  tradition  only  is, 
that  King  Sil,  or  Zel,  as  the  country-foik  pronounce  it,  was  buried  here 
on  horseback,  and  that  the  hill  was  raised  while  a  posset  of  milk  was 
seething.  Its  name,  however,  seems  to  have  signified  the  great  hill. 
The  diameter  of  Silbury  at  the  top  is  105  feet,  at  bottom  it  is  some- 
what more  than  500  feet ;  it  stands  upon  as  much  ground  as  Stone- 
henge,  and  is  carried  up  to  the  perpendicular  height  of  1 70  feet,  its 
solid  contents  amounting  to  13,558,809  cubic  feet.  It  covers  a  surface 
equal  to  five  acres  and  thirty-four  perches.  It  is  impossible,  at  this 
remote  period,  to  ascertain  by  whom,  or  for  what  precise  purpose,  this 
enormous  mound  of  earth  was  raised ;  but  from  its  proximity  to  the 
celebrated  Druidical  temple  of  A  bury,  it  is  supposed  to  have  had  some 
reference  to  the  idolatrous  worship  of  the  Druids,  and  perhaps  to 
contain  the  bones  of  some  personage. 

It  requires  no  antiquarian  knowledge  to  satisfy  the  observer  of  the 
great  remains  of  Stonehenge  and  Abury,  that  they  are  works  of  art,  in 
the  strict  sense  of  the  word — originating  in  design,  having  proportion  of 
parts,  adapted  to  the  institutions  of  the  period  to  which  they  belonged, 
calculated  to  affect  with  awe  and  wonder  the  imagination  of  the  people 
that  assembled  around  them.  But  Druidical  circles  are  not  confined 
to  England  or  Scotland.  On  the  opposite  shores  of  Brittany  the  great 
remains  of  Carnac  exhibit  a  structure  of  far  greater  extent  even  than 
Abury.  *'  Carnac  is  infinitely  more  extensive  than  Stonehenge,  but  of 
ruder  formation ;  the  stones  are  much  broken,  fallen  down,  and  dis- 
placed ;  they  consist  of  eleven  rows  of  unwrought  pieces  of  rock  or 
stone,  merely  set  up  on  end  in  the  earth,  without  any  pieces  crossing 
them  at  top.  These  stones  are  of  great  thickness,  but  not  exceeding 
nine  or  twelve  feet  in  height ;  there  may  be  some  few  fifteen  feet.  The 
rows  are  placed  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  paces  from  each  other,  extend- 
ing in  length  (taking  rather  a  semicircular  direction)  above  half  a  mile, 


Avebiiry,  Stoiiehenge^  and  Silbiiry  Hill.  39 

on  unequal  ground,  and  towards  one  end  upon  a  hilly  site.  When 
the  length  of  these  rows  is  considered,  there  must  have  been  nearly 
three  hundred  stones  in  each,  and  there  are  eleven  rows  :  this  will 
give  you  some  idea  of  the  immensity  of  the  work,  and  the  labour 
such  a  construction  required.  It  is  said  that  there  are  above  four 
thousand  stones  now  remaining."  (Mrs.  Stothard's  Tour  in  Nor-- 
mandy  and  Brittany^  It  is  easy  to  understand  how  the  same  reli- 
gion prevailing  in  neighbouring  countries  might  produce  monuments 
of  a  similar  character  ;  but  we  find  the  same  in  the  far  east,  in  lands 
separated  from  ours  by  pathless  deserts  and  wide  seas. 


40 


BERKSHIRE. 
Windsor  Castle,  and  its  Romances. 

Windsor,  as  a  royal  Castle  and  domain,  has  existed  from  the  Saxon 
era  of  our  history.  It  has  also  been  a  place  of  considerable  resort  for 
nearly  six  centuries ;  or  fiohi  the  period  when  Eleanor,  Queen  of  Ed- 
ward I.,  came  hither  by  water,  the  roads  being  impassable  for  waggons, 
the  only  vehicular  conveyance  then  in  use — to  our  own  railway  times, 
when  the  journey  from  London  occupies  little  more  than  half  an  hour. 
The  picturesque  beauty  of  the  country,  as  well  as  the  royal  fame  of  the 
locality,  have  doubtless  aided  this  enduring  popularity. 

The  name  is  from  Wmdksofra,  or  JVindleshora,  from  the  winding 
course  of  the  Thames  in  this  part.*  This,  however,  was  Old  Windsor, 
a  distinct  parish,  where  the  Saxon  Kings  had  a  palace,  about  two  miles 
south-east  of  New  Windsor.  Edward  the  Confessor  occasionally  kept  his 
court  here :  by  him  it  was  granted  to  the  monks  of  Westminster,  who 
subsequently  exchanged  it  with  the  Conqueror  for  Wokendom  and  other 
lands  in  Essex.  William  itnmediately  commenced  the  erection  of  a 
fortress  near  the  site  of  the  Round  Tower  of  the  present  Castle,  which, 
from  its  commanding  situation,  was  admirably  adapted  for  a  military 
post ;  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  it  was  ever  used  as  a  residence.  It  is 
mentioned  in  Domesday  as  covering  half  a  hide  of  land  (30  or  50  acres). 
The  tenure  is  "  Allodial,"  i.e»,  being  held  by  the  Sovereign,  subject  to 
no  chief  lord,  and  therefore  not  strictly  in  "fee."  Henry  I. enlarged 
the  Castle  in  1109,  and  added  a  chapel;  and  in  the  following  year  he 
formally  removed  from  the  old  Saxon  palace  to  the  new  Castle,  and 
there  solemnized  the  feast  of  Whitsuntide. 

Edward  I.  and  his  Queen,  Eleanor,  often  visited  the  fortress- palace, 
which  frequently  became  the  scene  of  chivalric  spectacle  ;  and  in  the 
sixth  year  of  the  King's  reign  a  grand  tournament  was  held  in  the  paik 
by  38  knightly  competitors. 


»  This  is  Camden's  stat(-ment ;  but  Stow  gives  two  other  etymologies— from 
Wind  us  over,  from  the  feiry-boat,  rope  and  pole ;  and  from  the  Wynd  is  sore, 
iiccause  it  hes  high  and  open  to  the  weather. — Harl.  MS.  367,  fol.  13,  "Of 
<foe  Castell  of  Wyndsorc,"  in  Stow's  handwriting. 


Wmdsor  Castle,  and  its  Romances,  41 

In  the  treaty  terminating  the  Civil  War  between  King  Stephen 
and  Henry,  Duke  of  Normandy  (afterwards  Henry  H.),  by  which  the 
former  gives  assurance  to  his  successors  of  the  Castles  and  strengths 
which  he  holds  in  England,  Windsor  appears  as  second  in  importance 
only  to  the  Tower  of  London,  That  it  was  at  this  time,  therefore,  a 
stronghold  of  strength,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt.  In  the  treaty  it 
is  coupled  with  The  Tower,  and  described  as  the  Mota  de  Windsor,  A 
few  fragments  of  Norman  architecture  were  brought  to  light  during  the 
excavations  made  in  our  time,  by  Sir  Jeffrey  Wyatville. 

King  John  lay  at  Windsor  during  the  conferences  at  Runnymede. 
Henry  III.  made  considerable  alterations  and  enlargements  in  the  Lower 
Ward,  and  added  a  chapel  70  feet  long  and  28  feet  high,  of  which  "the 
roof  was  of  wood,  lined  and  painted  like  stone,  and  covered  with  lead." 
This  Chapel  would  appear  to  have  stood  where  the  Tomb-house  stands. 
But  Windsor  Castle  owes  all  its  glory  to  King  Edward  III.;  for  it 
had  been  but  little  more  than  a  rude  fortress,  with  an  adjacent  chapel, 
till  Edward  of  Windsor  (it  was  his  native  place)  gave  it  grandeur,  ex- 
tent, and  durability.  "  The  two  Higher  Wards"  were  built  with  the  ran- 
soms of  the  captive  Kings  ;  the  Upper  Ward  with  the  French  King's 
(John),  the  Middle  Ward,  or  Keep,  with  the  Scotch  King  (David's) 
ransom.  Edward's  architect  was  William  of  Wykeham,  Bishop  of 
Winchester.  Edward  began,  it  would  appear,  with  the  Round  Tower 
in  T315,  when  he  was  in  his  i8th  year.  Wykeham  built  a  Castle 
on  the  site  for  its  royal  owner,  worthy  of  Edward,  of  Philippa,  his 
queen,  and  of  his  warlike  son,  the  hero  of  Poictiers. 

Froissart's  story  of  Edward  III.  and  the  Countess  of  Salisbury,  tells 
of  the  unhallowed  love  of  the  King,  and  the  constancy  of  the  noble 
lady,  when  she  welcomed  him  in  the  Castle  that  she  had  been  bravely 
defending  against  her  enemies!  "As  soon  as  the  lady  knew  of  the 
King's  coming,  she  set  open  the  gates,  and  came  out  so  richly  beseen 
that  every  man  marvelled  of  her  beauty,  and  could  not  cease  to  regard 
her  nobleness  with  her  great  beauty,  and  the  gracious  words  and  coun- 
tenance she  made.  AVhen  she  came  to  the  King,  she  kneeled  down  to 
the  earth,  thanking  him  of  his  succours,  and  so  led  him  into  the  Castle, 
to  make  him  cheer  and  honour  as  she  that  could  right  do  it.  Every 
man  regarded  her  marvellously ;  the  King  himself  could  not  withhold 
his  regarding  of  her,  for  he  thought  that  he  never  saw  before  so  noble 
nor  so  fair  a  lady:  he  was  stricken  therewith  to  the  heart,  with  a  sparkle 
of  fine  love  that  endured  long  after ;  he  thought  no  lady  in  the  world 
80  worthy  to  be  loved  as  she.  Thus  they  entered  into  the  Castle  hand- 
in-hand  J  the  lady  led  him  first  into  the  hall,  and  after  into  the  chamber, 


42  Windsor  Castle,  and  its  Romances.    • 

nobly  apparelled.  The  King  regarded  so  the  lady  that  she  was  abashed. 
At  last  he  went  to  a  window  to  rest,  and  so  fell  in  a  great  study.  The 
lady  went  about  to  make  cheer  to  the  lords  and  knights  that  were  there, 
and  commanded  to  dress  the  hall  for  dinner.  When  she  had  all  de- 
vised and  commanded,  then  she  came  to  the  King  with  a  merry  cheer, 
who  was  then  in  a  great  study,  and  she  said,  •  Dear  sir,  why  do  ye  study 
so  for  ?  Your  grace  not  displeased,  it  appertaineth  not  to  you  so  to  do ; 
rather  ye  should  make  good  cheer  and  be  joyful,  seeing  ye  have  chi.sed 
away  your  enemies,  who  durst  not  abide  you  :  let  other  men  study  for 
the  remnant.*  Then  the  King  said,  '  Ah,  dear  lady,  know  for  truth 
that  since  I  entered  into  the  Castle  there  is  a  study  come  into  my  mind, 
so  that  I  cannot  choose  but  to  muse,  nor  I  cannot  tell  what  shall  fall 
thereof:  put  it  out  of  my  heart  I  cannot.'  *  Ah,  sir,'  quoth  the  lady, 
*  ye  ought  always  to  make  good  cheer  to  comfort  therewith  your 
people.  God  hath  aided  you  so  in  your  business,  and  hath  given  you 
so  great  graces,  that  ve  be  the  most  doubted  (feared)  and  honoured 
prince  in  all  Christendom ;  and  if  the  King  of  Scots  have  done  you 
any  despite  or  damage,  ye  may  well  amend  it  when  it  shall  please  you, 
as  ye  have  done  divers  times  er  (ere)  this.  Sir,  leave  your  musing,  and 
come  into  the  hall,  if  it  please  you  ;  your  dinner  is  all  ready.'  *  Ah,  fair 
lady,'  quoth  the  King,  *  other  things  lieth  at  my  heart  that  ye  know 
not  of :  but  surely  the  sweet  behaving,  the  perfect  wisdom,  the  good 
grace,  nobleness,  and  excellent  beauty  that  I  see  in  you,  hath  so  sur- 
prised my  heart,  that  I  cannot  but  love  you,  and  without  your  love  I 
am  but  dead.'  Then  the  lady  said,  *  Ah  !  right  noble  prince,  for  God's 
sake  mock  nor  tempt  me  not.  I  cannot  believe  that  it  is  true  that  ye 
say,  or  that  so  noble  a  prince  as  ye  be  would  think  to  dishonour  me, 
and  my  lord  my  husband,  who  is  so  valiant  a  knight,  and  hath  done 
your  grace  so  good  sei'vice,  and  as  yet  lieth  in  prison  for  your  quarrel. 
Certainly,  sir,  ye  should  in  this  case  have  but  a  small  praise,  and 
nothing  the  better  thereby.  I  had  never  as  yet  such  a  thought  in  my 
heart,  nor,  I  tnist  in  God,  never  shall  have  for  no  man  living.  If  I  had 
any  such  intention,  your  grace  ought  not  only  to  blame  me,  but  also  to 
punish  my  body,  yea,  and  by  true  justice  to  be  dismembered.'  Here- 
with the  lady  departed  from  the  King,  and  went  into  the  hall  to  haste 
the  dinner.  When  she  returned  again  to  the  King,  and  brought  some 
of  his  knights  with  her,  and  said,  '  Sir,  if  it  please  you  to  come  into  the 
hall,  your  knights  abideth  for  you  to  wash  ;  ye  have  been  too  long  fast- 
ing.' Then  the  King  went  into  the  hall  and  washed,  and  sat  down 
among  his  lords  and  lady  also.  The  King  ate  little ;  he  sat  still  musing, 
and,  as  he  durst,  he  cast  his  eyes  upon  the  lady.    Of  his  sadness  his 


Windsor  Castle,  and  its  Romances,  43 

knights  had  marvel,  for  he  was  not  accustomed  so  to  be  ;  some  thought 
it  was  because  the  Scots  were  escaped  from  him.  All  that  day  the 
King  tamed  there,  and  wist  not  what  to  do :  sometime  he  imagined 
that  truth  and  honour  defended  him  to  set  his  heart  in  such  a  case,  to 
dishonour  such  a  lady  and  such  a  knight  as  her  husband  was,  who  had 
always  well  and  truly  sei-ved  him  ;  on  the  other  part,  love  so  constrained 
him  that  the  power  thereof  surmounted  honour  and  truth.  Thus  the 
King  debated  to  himself  all  that  day  and  all  that  night :  in  the  morning 
he  arose,  and  dislodged  all  his  host,  and  drew  after  the  Scots  to  chase 
them  out  of  his  realm.  Then  he  took  leave  of  the  lady,  saying,  '  My 
dear  lady,  to  God  I  commend  you  till  I  return  again,  requiring  you  to 
advise  you  otherwise  than  ye  have  said  to  me.'  *  Noble  prince,'  quoth 
the  lady,  '  God  the  Father  glorious,  be  your  conduct,  and  put  you  out 
of  all  villain  thoughts.  Sir,  I  am,  and  ever  shall  be,  ready  to  do  you 
pure  sei-vice  to  your  honour  and  to  mine.'  Therewith  the  King  de- 
parted all  abashed." 

To  carry  on  the  legend,  it  may  be  believed  that  the  King  subdued  his 
passions,  and  afterwards  met  the  noble  woman  in  all  honour  and 
courtesy  ;  then  we  may  understand  the  motto  of  the  Garter — "  Evil  be 
to  him  that  evil  thinks." 

Such  is  the  legend  of  the  old  chronicler  that  has  been  long  connected 
with  the  Institution  of  the  Order  of  the  Garter — a  legend  of  virtue 
subduing  passion,  and  therefore  not  unfit  to  be  associated  with  the 
honour  and  self-denial  of  chivalry.  Touching  it  is  to  read  that 
the  "  fresh  beauty  and  goodly  demeanour  "  of  the  lady  of  Salisbury 
was  ever  in  Edward's  remembrance;  but  that  at  a  great  feast  in 
London,  "  all  ladies  and  damsels  were  freshly  beseen,  according  to  their 
degrees,  except  Alice,  Countess  of  Salisbury,  for  she  went  as  simply  as 
she  might,  to  the  intent  that  the  King  should  not  set  his  regards  on  her." 

Henry  VI.  was  born  at  Windsor;  but  "Holy  Henry  "  did  little  for 
his  native  place  beyond  adding  "  a  distant  prospect  of  Eton  College  " 
to  the  fine  natural  view  of  the  lofty  keep.  To  Edward  IV.  we  owe 
St.  George's  Chapel  as  we  now  see  it;  to  Henry  VII.  the  adjoining 
Tomb-house;  and  to  Henry  VIII.  the  Gateway  still  standing,  with 
his  arms  upon  it,  at  the  foot  of  the  Lower  Ward. 

When  the  Protector  Somerset  was  outnumbered  by  the  conspirators 
leagued  against  him,  he,  for  his  own  safety's  sake,  hurried  the  boy- 
king,  Edward  VI.,  from  Hampton  Court,  in  the  middle  of  the  night, 
to  the  stronghold  of  Windsor  Castle,  where  he  was  heard  to  say, 
"  Methinks  I  am  in  prison  :  here  be  no  galleries  nor  no  gardens  to  walk 
in."     A  gallery  was  added  by  Elizabeth  :  it  ran  east  and  west  along  tlie 


44^  Windsor  Castky  and  its  Romances. 

North  Terrace,  between  "  the  Privy  Lodgings,"  and  "  the  Deanes  Tar- 
ras,  or  Grene  Walk."  After  the  Restoration,  the  fortress-like  cha- 
racter of  the  Castle  was  reduced  to  the  taste  of  a  French  palace  ;  and 
thus  it  mostly  remained  until,  in  1824,  King  George  IV.  began  a 
thorough  restoration  of  the  Castle,  with  the  directing  taste  of  Sit 
Jeffrey  Wyatville,  which  eventually  cost  a  million  and  a  half  of  money. 

The  great  Gateways  without  the  Castle  are  King  Henry  VII I.'s, 
tt.  George's,  and  King  George  IV.'s;  and  one  within,  called  the 
Wiirman,  or  Queen  Elizabeth's  Gate.  The  Round  Tower,  or  Keep, 
w^s  built  for  the  assembling  of  a  fraternity  of  knights  who  should  sit 
together  on  a  footing  of  equality,  as  the  knights  sat  in  romance  at  the 
Round  Table  of  King  Arthur,  which  King  Edward  designed  to  revive 
at  a  solemn  festival  annually ;  but  in  this  he  was  thwarted  by  the 
jealousy  of  Philip  de  Valois,  King  of  France.  This  induced  King 
Edward  to  establish  the  memorable  Order  of  the  Garter.  For  the 
construction  of  the  famous  Round  Table,  fifty-two  oaks  were  taken 
from  the  woods  of  the  Prior  of  Merton,  near  Reading,  for  which  was 
paid  26/.  1 3 J.  4</. 

When  King  Edward  III. held  the  great  feast  of  St.  George  at  Windsor, 
"  there  was  a  noble  company  of  earls,  barons,  ladies  and  damsels,  knights 
and  squires,  and  great  triumph,  justing,  and  tournays."  Of  his  unhappy 
grandson,  Froissart  thus  describes  the  last  pageants :  "  King  Richard 
caused  a  joust  to  be  cried  and  published  throughout  his  realm,  to 
Scotland,  to  be  at  Windsor,  of  forty  knights  and  forty  squires,  against 
all  comers,  and  they  to  be  apparelled  in  green  with  a  white  falcon,  and 
the  Queen  to  be  there,  well  accompanied  with  ladies  and  damsels. 
This  feast  was  thus  holden,  the  Queen  being  there  in  great  nobleness ; 
but  there  were  but  few  lords  or  noblemen,  for  more  than  two  parts 
of  the  lords  and  knights,  and  other  of  the  realm  of  England,  had  the 
King  in  such  hatred,  what  for  the  banishing  of  the  Earl  of  Derby  and 
the  injuries  that  he  had  done  to  his  children,  and  for  the  death  of  the 
Duke  of  Gloucester,  who  was  slain  in  the  Castle  of  Calais,  and  for  the 
death  of  the  Earl  of  Arundel,  who  was  beheaded  at  London :  the 
kindred  of  these  lords  came  not  to  this  feast,  nor  but  few  other." 

The  Round  Tower  stands  on  an  artificial  mound,  surrounded  by  a 
deep  fosse,  or  dry  ditch,  now  a  sunk  garden.  "The  compass  of  the 
Tower,"  says  Stow,  "is  one  hundred  and  fifty  paces."  Wyatville 
added  thirty-three  feet  to  the  Tower,  exclusive  of  the  Flag  Tower,  giving 
an  elevation  of  twenty- five  feet  more. 

The  interior  is  approached  by  a  covered  flight  of  one  hundred  steps  ; 
a  second  flight  leads  to  the  battlements  of  the  proud  Keep,  from  which 


Windsor  Castle,  and  its  Romances.  45 

twelve  counties  may  be  seen.  The  Prince  of  Wales  is  Constable  of 
this  Tower,  and  indeed  of  Windsor  Castle. 

This  fine  old  Keep  was  the  prison  of  the  Castle  from  the  reign  of 
Edward  III.  to  the  Restoration  in  1660. 

The  first  great  prisoner  of  note  confined  here  was  the  poet-king  of 
Scotland,  James  I.,  who,  in  the  tenth  year  of  his  age,  on  his  way  to 
France  to  complete  his  education,  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  English, 
and  confined  by  King  Henry  IV.,  first  at  Pevensey,  in  Sussex,  and 
then  at  Windsor.  The  period  of  his  imprisonment  was  nineteen  years. 
The  romantic  love  of  King  James  for  the  beautiful  Jane  Beaufort, 
daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Somerset,  is  beautifully  told  in  The  Kings 
Quhair,  a  poem  of  the  King's  own  composing.  The  Tower,  he  in- 
forms us,  wherein  he  was  confined,  looked  over  "  a  garden  faire,"  in 
there  was 

•'  Ane  herbere  green,  with  wandis  long  and  small 
Railed  about,  and  so  with  treis  set 
Was  all  the  place,  and  hawthorn  hedges  knet, 
That  life  was  none,  walkyng  there  forbye, 
That  might  within  scarce  any  wight  espye. 

•  *  *  *  *      .  • 

And  on  the  smalle'greene  iwis  issat 
The  little  sweete  nightingale,  and  sung 
So  loud  and  clear  the  hymnis  consecrate 
Of  lovis  use,  now  soft,  now  loud  among, 
-     That  all  the  gardens  and  the  wallis  rung 
Right  of  their  song 

•  «««*» 

And  therewith  cast  I  down  mine  eye  again, 

Whereas  I  saw  walking  under  the  tower, 

Full  secretly  new  comyn  her  to  pleyne, 

The  fairest  and  the  frest  younge  flower 

That  ever  I  saw  (me  thought)  before  that  hour : 

For  which  sudden  abate  anon  astert 

The  blood  of  all  my  body  to  my  heart." 

How  beiutifully  he  describes  the  Lady  Jane  Beaufort ; 

*•  In  her  was  youth,  beauty  with  humble  port, 
Bounty,  richess,  and  womanly  feature, 
God  better  wote  than  my  pen  can  report ; 
Wisdom,  largesse,  estate  and  cunning  lure. 
In  every  poynt  so  guided  her  mesure 
In  word,  in  deed,  in  shape,  in  countenance, 
That  Nature  might  no  more  her  child  advance." 

The  Lady  Jane  became  the  wife  of  the  poet-king,  and  they  lived 
long  in  mutual  love  and  sincere  affection. 

The  next  great  prisoner  of  note  at  Windsor  was  Henry  Howard, 
Earl  of  Surrey,  the  last  victim  brought  to  the  block  by  King 
Henry  VIIL    Here  Surrey  felt  "  the  sacred  rage  of  song,"  and  his 


4^  Windsor  Castle,  and  its  Rotnances, 

"childish  years"  were  passed  pleasantly ;  but  the  latter  portion  of  his 
too  short  life  was  spent  in  imprisonment.  He  had  the  King's  son  for 
his  companion — ill-exchanged  for  the  warder  and  the  lieutenant,  the 
gaoler  and  his  u\an  ;  which  exchange  he  thus  felt  and  sung : 

•*  So  cruel  prison  how  could  betide,  alas  ! 
As  proud  Windsor?  where  I,  in  lust  and  joy, 
With  a  king's  son  my  childish  years  did  pass, 
In  greater  feast  than  Priam's  son  of  Troy  : 
Where  each  sweet  place  returns  a  taste  full  sowr  I 
The  large  green  courts,  where  we  were  wont  to  rove, 
With  eyes  upcast  unto  the  Maiden's  Tower, 
And  easy  sighs  such  as  folks  draw  in  love  : 
The  stately  seats,  the  ladies  bright  of  hue, 
The  dances  short,  long  tales  of  great  delight. 
With  words  and  looks  that  tigers  could  but  rue. 
When  each  of  us  did  plead  the  other's  right : 
The  palm-play,  where,  desported  for  the  game. 
With  dazed  eyes,  oft  we  by  gleams  of  love 
Have  missed  the  ball,  and  got  sight  of  our  dame, 
To  bait  her  eyes,  which  kept  the  leads  above  ; 
The  gravelled  ground,  with  sleeves  tied  on  the  helm, 
On  foaming  horse,  with  swords  and  friendly  hearts  ; 
The  secret  groves,  which  oft  we  made  resound 
To  pleasant  plaint  and  of  our  ladies  praise  ; 
Recording  oft  what  grace  each  one  had  found. 
What  hope  of  speed,  what  dread  of  long  delays. 
The  wild  forest,  the  clothed  holts  with  green, 
With  reins  avail'd,  and  swiftly  breathed  horse, 
With  cry  of  hounds,  and  merry  blasts  between, 
When  we  did  chase  the  fearful  hart  of  force. 
The  pleasant  dreams,  the  quiet  bed  of  rest ; 
The  secret  thoughts,  imparted  with  such  trust ; 
The  wanton  talk,  the  divers  change  of  play  ; 
The  friendship  sworn,  each  promise  kept  so  just. 
Wherewith  we  past  the  winter  nights  away. 
,  .  .  And  with  this  thought  the  blood  forsakes  the  face, 
And  tears  berain  my  cheeks  of  deadly  hue." 

He  calls  for  the  noble  companion  of  his  boyhood,  but  Richmond 
w  as  no  more.    How  touching  is  his  plaint : 

"  Thus  I  alone,  where  all  my  freedom  grew. 
In  prison  pine,  with  bondage  and  restraint  ; 
And  with  remembrance  of  the  greater  grief, 
To  banish  the  less,  I  find  my  cliief  relief." 

The  walls  of  the  prison  house  bear  names,  and  dates,  and  badges, 
and  even  the  cause  of  the  captivity  here  of  other  prisoners.  **  From 
this  Tower,"  says  Stow,  "  when  ye  wethar  is  cleare,  may  easily  be 
descryed  Poll's  steple."  This  was  the  steeple  of  old  St.  Paul's.  The 
dome  and  lantern  of  the  new  Cathedral  may  be  descried  in  clear 
weather. 

Henry  VUI.  often  resided  at  the  Castle,  and  held  his  Court  theie. 


Windsor  Castle,  and  its  Romances.  47 

The  Tomb-house  east  of  St.  George's  Chapel  was  built  by  Henry  VII. 

for  his  own  remains,  but  he  erected  a  more  stately  tomb  for  himself 
at  Westminster  ;  and  Henry  VIII.  granted  his  father's  first  mausoleum 
to  Cardinal  Wolsey,  who  commenced  his  own  tomb  within  it,  employ- 
ing a  Florentine  sculptor  on  brazen  columns  and  brazen  candlesticks ; 
after  Wolsey 's  fall,  that  which  remained  in  1646  of  the  ornaments  of 
this  tomb  was  sold  for  600/.  as  defaced  brass.  James  II.  converted  the 
tomb-house  into  a  Romish  chapel,  which  was  defaced  by  a  Protestant 
rabble.  In  1742  it  was  appropriated  as  a  free  school-house.  Next 
George  III.  converted  it  into  a  tomb-house  for  himself  and  his  descen- 
dants. It  has  since  been  vaulted  in  stone,  inlaid  with  mosaic  work  (the 
finest  modern  work  extant),  and  the  windows  filled  with  stained  glass, — 
as  a  sepulchral  chapel  in  memory  of  the  late  Prince  Consort. 

The  west  wall  is  covered  with  mosaic  pictures  of  the  sovereigns, 
churchmen,  and  architects  more  intimately  connected  with  the  Castle 
and  its  ancient  and  Royal  Chapel  of  St.  George.  Here  are  the  portraits 
of  Henry  III.,  Edward  III.,  Edward  IV.,  Henry  VI.,  Henry  VII.,  and 
Henry  VIII.  Beneath  are  pictures  of  Wolsey,  Beauchamp,  and  William 
of  Wykeham,  in  enamel  mosaics.  On  the  north  side  the  windows  are 
filled  with  portraits  of  Gennan  princes,  ancestors  of  his  Royal  Highness 
the  Prince  Consort. 

Queen  Elizabeth  first  caused  the  terraces  to  be  formed,  and  annexed 
the  portion  of  the  Castle  built  by  Henry  VII.  to  that  designed  by  her- 
self, and  called  Queen  Elizabeth's  Gallery ;  the  state  beds,  "  shining  with 
gold  and  silver,"  were  her  additions.  In  the  Civil  War  the  Castle  was 
mercilessly  plundered,  until  Cromwell  stopped  the  spoliation.  Charles 
II.  made  it  his  summer  residence.  In  Prince  Rupert's  constableship, 
the  Keep  was  restored :  here,  says  Mr.  Eliot  Warburton,  he  established 
a  seclusion  for  himself,  which  he  soon  furnished  after  his  own  peculiar 
taste.  In  one  set  of  apartments,  forges,  laboratory  instruments,  retorts, 
and  crucibles,  with  all  sorts  of  metals,  fiuids,  and  crude  ores,  lay  strewed 
in  the  luxurious  confusion  of  a  bachelor's  domain ;  in  other  rooms, 
armour  and  anus  of  all  sorts,  from  that  which  had  blunted  the  Damascus 
blade  of  the  Holy  War  to  those  which  had  lately  clashed  at  Marston 
Moor  and  Naseby.  In  another  was  a  library  stored  with  strange  books, 
a  list  of  which  may  be  seen  in  the  Harlelan  Miscellany,  In  1670,  Evelyn 
described  the  Castle  as  "  exceedingly  ragged  and  ruinous."  Wren  spoiled 
the  exterior,  bnt  added  Star  Buildings,  17  state-rooms  and  grand  stair- 
case. Gibbons  was  much  employed,  and  Verrio  painted  the  ceilings,  to 
be  satirized  by  Pope  and  Walpole.  Thus  the  Castle  mostly  remained 
until  our  time. 


4^  Windsor  Casf/e,  and  its  Romances. 

There  are  three  divisions  in  the  palatial  part  of  Windsor  Castle: 
I.  The  Queen's  Private  Apartments,  looking  to  the  east.  2.  The  State 
Apartments,  to  the  north.  3.  The  Visitors'  Apartments,  to  the  south. 
We  shall  not  be  expected  to  describe  the  relative  position  and  magnitude 
of  the  buildings  and  towers  composing  the  Castle.  It  has  been  princi- 
pally enlarged  within  the  quadrangle,  on  the  exterior  facing  the  north 
terrace,  to  which  the  Brunswick  Tower  has  been  added ;  and  by  con- 
verting what  were  two  open  courts,  into  the  State  Staircase  and  th»,' 
Waterloo  Gallery.  The  corridor,  a  general  communication  along  the 
whole  extent  of  the  Private  Apartments,  is  an  adaptation  of  the  old 
French  boiserie  of  the  age  of  Louis  XV.  The  south  and  east  sides  of 
the  quadrangle  contain  upwards  of  369  rooms. 

It  is  gratifying  to  add,  that  as  the  attractiveness  of  the  Castle  has 
been  increased,  has  been  the  desire  of  our  excellent  Sovereign  that  all 
classes  of  her  subjects  should  have  free  access  to  the  State  Apartments 
of  this  truly  majestic  abode. 

Southward  of  Windsor  Castle  lies  the  Great  Park,  a  part  of  Windsor 
Forest,  which,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  was  cut  off  fi'om  the  Castle 
by  the  intervening  private  property ;  and  it  was,  therefore,  deteiinined 
to  buy  as  much  land  as  might  be  required  to  complete  an  avenue  from 
the  Castle  to  the  Forest.  This  is  the  present  Long  Walk,  generally 
considered  the  finest  thing  of  the  kind  in  Europe.  It  is  a  perfectly 
straight  line,  above  three  miles  in  length,  running  from  the  principal 
entrance  to  the  Castle  to  the  top  of  a  commanding  hill  in  the  Great 
Park,  called  Snow  Hill. 

On  each  side  of  the  Long  Walk,  which  is  slightly  raised,  there  is  a 
double  row  of  stately  elms,  now  in  their  maturity.  The  view  from 
Snow  Hill  is  very  fine;  on  its  highest  point,  in  1832,  was  placed  a 
colossal  equestrian  statue  of  George  the  Third,  in  bronze,  by  Sir  Richard 
Westmacott ;  it  occupies  a  pedestal  formed  of  huge  blocks  of  granite : 
the  total  elevation  of  the  statue  and  pedestal  exceeds  fifty  feet,  and  the 
statue  (man  and  horse)  is  twenty-six  feet  in  height.  The  statue  was 
raised  by  George  the  Fourth :  we  are  not  aware  of  its  cost,  but  the 
expense  of  the  pedestal  was  8000/. 

Curious  accounts  are  preserved  of  the  building  of  the  Castle  by  Ed- 
ward III.,  for  which  purpose  writs  were  issued  to  sheriffs,  mayors,  and 
bailiffs  of  the  several  counties  to  impress  labourers,  who  were  imprisoned 
on  refusal.  William  cf  Wykeham  was  clerk  of  the  works,  with  a 
salary  of  one  shilling  a  day.  In  1360  there  were  360  workmen  em* 
ployed  there  ;  in  1362  many  died  of  the  plague,  when  new  writs  were 
issued.    The  works  were  not  completed  at  the  time  of  King  Edward's 


Windsor  Castle,  and  its  Romances,  49 

d«^ath,  and  were  continued  by  Richard  II. ;  they  included  the  mews 
lor  the  falcons,  a  large  and  important  establishment  not  within  the 
walls.  Chaucer  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  works  in  this  reign,  and  he 
impressed  carpenters,  masons,  and  other  artisans. 

In  the  reign  of  Edward  IV.  (1474),  St.  George's  Chapel,  one  of  the 
finest  Perpendicular  Gothic  buildings  in  this  country,  was  commenced, 
Bishop  Beauchamp  and  Sir  Reginald  Bray  being  the  architects.  The 
first  chapel  was  built  hereby  King  Henry  I.;  the  second  by  King  Edward 
III.  upon  the  site  of  the  present  chapel:  built  when  is.  6d.  per  day 
was  high  wages  ;  and  built  by  Freemasons.  The  Choir  is  fitted  up  with 
the  stalls  and  banners  of  the  Order  of  the  Garter,  each  knight  having 
his  banner,  helmet,  lambriquin,  crest,  and  sword ;  the  dead  have 
mementoes  only  in  their  armorial  bearings.  The  very  large  Perpendicular 
window  has  15  lights.  In  this  Chapel  is  the  tomb  of  King  Edward 
IV.,  inclosed  by  "  a  range  of  steel  gilt,  cut  excellently  well  in  church- 
work,"  not  by  Quintin  Matsys,  but  by  Master  John  Tresilian, 
smith.  On  the  arch  above  hung  this  King's  coat  of  mail,  covered 
over  with  crimson  velvet,  and  thereon  the  arms  of  France  and 
Eng'and  embroidered  with  pearl  and  gold  interwoven  with  rubies. 
This  trophy  of  honour  was  plundered  thence  by  Captain  Fogg  in  1642, 
when  also  he  robbed  the  Treasury  of  the  Chapel  of  all  the  rich  altar 
plate.  In  1789,  more  than  300  years  after  its  interment,  the  leaden 
coffin  of  King  Edward  IV.  was  discovered  in  laying  down  a  new  pave- 
ment. The  skeleton  is  said  to  have  measured  seven  feet  in  length  ! 
A  lock  of  the  King's  hair  was  procured  by  Horace  Walpole  for  his 
Strawberry  Hill  collection.  Here  also  are  the  graves  of  Henry  VI., 
Henry  VIII.,  and  Queen  Jane  Seymour  ;  the  loyal  Marquis  of  Wor- 
cester; and  the  grave  of  King  Charles  I. : 

"  Famed  for  contemptuous  breach  of  sacred  ties, 
By  headless  Charles  see  heartless  Henry  lies." — Byron. 

In  1813  the  coffin  of  King  Charles  I.  was  opened  by  Sir  Henry 
Halford,  when  the  remains  were  found  just  as  the  faithful  Herbert 
had  described  them,  thus  negativing  the  statement  that  the  King  lay  in 
a  nameless  and  unknown  grave. 

We  have  a  few  additions  to  the  Romances.  Froissart,  adopting  the 
common  belief  of  his  age,  relates  that  King  Arthur  instituted  his  Order 
of  the  Knights  of  the  Round  Table  at  Windsor ;  but  the  existence 
of  such  a  British  King  as  Arthur  is  at  least  a  matter  of  doubt,  and 
that  part  of  his  history  which  assigns  Windsor  as  one  of  his  resi- 
dences, may  be  certainly  legarded  as  fabulous.  Harrison,  in  his 
description  of  England,  prefixed  to  Holinshed's  Chronicles^  says  the 
**  E 


50  Windsor  Castle,  and  its  Romances. 

Castle  was  "builded  in  times  past  by  King  Arthur,  or  before  him  by 
Arviragus,  as  it  is  thought." 

Froissart,  who  Uved  at  the  Court  of  Edward  III.,  probably  had  in 
his  recollection  some  current  traditions  of  the  day,  which  have  not 
descended  to  our  age,  or  at  least  have  not  yet  been  brought  to  light. 

Lambard,  in  his  Topographical  Dictionary^  says:  "It  would  make 
greatly  (I  know)  as  wel  for  the  illustration  of  the  glorie,  as  for  the 
extending  of  the  antiquitie  of  this  place,  to  alledge  out  of  Frozard  that 
King  Arthur  accustomed  to  hold  the  solemnities  of  his  Round  Table 
at  Wyndsore:  but  as  I  dare  not  over  bouldly  avouche  at  King 
Arthure's  antiquities,  the  rather  bycause  it  hathe  bene  thought  a  dis- 
putable question  wheather  theare  vveai'eever  any  suche  Kinge  or  no ;  so 
like  I  not  to  joine  with  Frozard  in  this  part  of  that  stoarie,  bycause  he 
is  but  a  fonein  writer,  and  (so  farre  as  I  see)  the  only  man  that  hath 
delivered  it  unto  us ;  and  therefore,  supposing  it  more  safe  to  follow 
our  owne  hystorians,  especially  in  our  owne  historic,  I  thinke  good  to 
leave  the  tyme  of  the  Brytons,  and  to  descend  to  the  raygne  of  the 
Saxon  Kings,  to  the  end  that  they  may  have  the  first  honour  of  the 
place,  as  they  were  indede  the  first  authors  of  the  name." 

The  tradition  of  "  Heme  the  hunter,"  which  Shakspeare  has 
employed  in  his  Merry  Wi^ves  of  Windsor,  is  that  Heme,  one  of  the 
Keepers  of  the  Forest,  was  to  be  seen,  after  his  death,  with  horns  on 
his  head,  walking  by  night,  "  round  about  an  oak,"  in  the  vicinity  of 
Windsor  Castle.  It  is  said  that,  "  having  committed  some  great 
offence,  for  which  he  feared  to  lose  his  situation  and  fall  into  disgrace, 
he  hung  himself  upon  the  oak  which  his  ghost  afterwards  haunted." 
In  the  first  sketch  of  the  play,  the  tradition  is  briefly  narrated,  without 
any  mention  of  the  tree  in  connexion  with  it : 

"Oft  have  you  heard  since  Home  the  hunter  dyed, 
That  \vomen  to  affright  their  little  children 
Ses  that  he  walkes  in  shape  of  a  great  stagge." 

No  allusion  to  the  legend  has  ever  been  discovered  in  any  other  writer 
of  Shakspeare's  time,  and  the  period  when  Herne  or  Home  lived  is  un- 
known. In  a  manuscript,  however,  of  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.,  in  the 
British  Museum,  Mr.  Halliwell  has  discovered,  "  Rycharde  Home, 
yeoman,"  among  the  names  of  the  "  hunters  whiche  be  examyncd  and 
have  confessed  for  hunting  in  his  Majesty's  forests;"  and  he  suggests 
that  this  may  have  been  the  person  to  whom  the  tale  related  by  Mrs. 
page  alludes,  observing  that  "  it  is  only  convicting  our  great  dramatist 
of  an  additional  anachronism  to  those  already  known  of  a  similar 
character,  in  attributing  to  him  the  introduction  of  a  tale  cf  the  time 


The  A  hhey  of  A  hingclcn.  5 1 

of  Henry  the  Eighth  into  a  play  supposed  to  belong  to  the  commence- 
ment of  the  fifteenth  century." 


The  Abbey  of  Abingdon. 

In  Berkshire,  during  the  prevalence  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith, 
thirty-five  religious  houses  were  built  and  endowed,  three  of  which 
were  numbered  at  the  Reformation  among  the  "  greater  monasteries." 
The  most  important  of  these  were  the  Benedictine  Abbeys  of  Abingdon 
and  Reading. 

Abingdon  Abbey  appears  to  have  been  originally  founded  upon  a 
hill  called  Abendune,  about  ten  miles  from  the  present  town,  nearer 
Oxford,  by  Cissa,  King  of  Wessex,  and  his  nephew,  Heane,  Viceroy  of 
Wiltshire,  in  605,  begun  at  Bagley  Wood,  now  Chilswell  Farm.  Five 
years  after,  its  foundation  was  removed  to  a  place  then  called 
Sevekisham,  and  since  then  Abbendon,  or  Abingdon,  and  enriched 
by  the  munificence  of  Ceadwalla  and  Ina,  Kings  of  Wessex,  and 
other  benefactors.  This  Abbey  was  destroyed  by  the  Danes,  and 
the  monks  were  deprived  of  their  possessions  by  Alfred  the  Great,  but 
their  property  was  restored  and  the  rebuilding  of  the  Abbey  com- 
menced at  least  by  Edred,  grandson  and  one  of  the  successors  of  Alfred. 
It  became  richly  endowed,  and  the  Abbot  was  mitred.  At  the  Sup- 
pression the  revenues  of  this  Monastery  amounted  to  nearly  2000/.  per 
annum ;  a  gateway  is  nearly  all  that  remains.  At  the  Abbey  was 
educated  Henry  I.,  and  with  such  fidelity  as  to  procure  him  the  name 
of  Beauclerc.  Here  was  buried  Cissa,  the  founder;  St.  Edward,  king  and 
martyr ;  Robert  D'Oyley,  builder  of  Oxford  Castle,  tutor  to  Henry  I.; 
<ind  the  Abbot,  the  historian  Geoffrey  of  Monmouth.  Here,  in  1107, 
Egelwinus,  Bishop  of  Durham,  was  imprisoned  and  stars'ed  to  death. 

The  Chronicle  of  Abingdon  gives  a  trustworthy  record  of  this  great 
Benedictine  establishment  during  a  period  of  500  years.  It  was  written 
at  a  time  when  the  monks  were  still  secure  of  the  affections  of  the 
people,  and  when,  therefore,  there  was  no  temptation  either  to  suppress 
or  pervert  the  truth ;  the  Chronicle  is  an  unvarnished  narrative,  strung 
together  by  an  honest  compiler  of  materials,  and  truthful  recorder  ot 
events.  It  may  be  useful  as  well  as  interesting  here  to  quote  from  an 
able  review  of  a  translation  of  the  Chronicle  of  Abingdon,  by  Mr. 
Stevenson,  inasmuch  as  it  will  show  the  interest  and  value  attached  to 
the  sketches  of  Abbeys  in  the  present  work. 

"  The  history  of  an  establishment  like  that  of  Abingdon  is  not  merely 
the  narrative  of  a  brotherhood,  isolated  from  the  outer  world  by  their 


5  2  The  A  hbey  of  A  bingdon, 

peculiar  aims  and  occupations,  as  might  be  the  case  with  the  descrip- 
tion of  a  modern  religious  fraternity ;  it  is  the  nan-ative  of  the  social 
condition  of  the  whole  English  people.  Most  persons  who  have 
bestowed  any  attention  to  our  early  annals  will  admit,  however  strong 
may  be  their  Protestant  prejudices,  that  the  best  features  of  our 
modern  civilization  are  due  to  the  social  organization  introduced  by 
the  monks.  Agriculture,  for  example,  the  parent  of  all  the  other  arts, 
was  despised  and  neglected  by  the  pagan  tribes  of  German  origin, 
whereas  the  rule  of  St.  Benedict,  which  was  of  primary  authority  with 
every  monastic  establishment,  proclaimed  the  *  nobility  of  labour'  as  a 
religious  duty,  inferior  in  its  responsibility  only  to  prayer  and  study. 

"  Benedict  thought  it  good  that  men  should  be  daily  reminded  that 
in  the  sweat  of  their  face  they  should  eat  bread,  and  day  by  day  they 
toiled  in  the  field  as  well  as  prayed  in  the  church.  After  having  been 
present  .?t  the  service  of  Prime,  the  monks  assembled  in  the  Chapter- 
house, each  individual  received  his  allotted  share  of  work,  a  brief 
prayer  was  offered  up,  tools  were  sen-ed  out,  and  the  brethren  marclied 
two  and  two,  and  in  silence,  to  their  task  in  the  field.  From  Easter 
until  the  beginning  of  October  they  were  thus  occupied  from  6  o'clock 
in  the  morning  until  lo,  sometime?  .:ntil  noon.  The  more  widely  the 
system  was  diffused  the  more  extentive  were  its  benefits.  Besides  the 
monks  lay  brethren  and  servants  were  engaged,  who  received  payment 
in  coin,  and  as  by  degrees  more  land  was  brought  into  tillage  than  the 
monastery  needed,  the  surplus  was  leased  out  to  lay  occupiers.  Thus, 
each  monastery  became  a  centre  of  civilization,  and  while  the  rude 
chieftain,  intent  on  war  or  the  chase,  cared  little  for  the  comfort  either 
of  himself  or  his  retainers,  the  monks  became  the  source,  not  only  of 
intellectual  and  spiritual  light,  but  of  physical  warmth  and  comfort, 
and  household  blessings. 

*'  The  boundaries,  which  are  incorporated  with  the  Saxon  charters, 
suppl;  us  with  many  characteristics  of  Anglo-Saxon  social  life,  and 
throw  considerable  light  on  the  topographical  history  of  Berkshire  and 
the  adjoining  portion  of  Oxfordshire.  The  absence  of  any  remark 
about  the  earlier  Celtic  population  is  noteworthy.  Not  only  do  they 
seem  to  have  been  exterminated,  but  every  trace  of  their  occupancy, 
except  in  the  names  of  brooks  and  rivers,  had  vanished.  Our  ancestors 
at  that  period  were  chiefly  occupied  with  the  breeding  of  sheep,  swine, 
horses,  and  homed  cattle.  They  had  made  little  progress  in  agricul- 
ture ;  wheat  and  oats  are  not  mentioned ;  barley  and  beans  rarely.  The 
indigenous  trees  were  the  oak,  the  hazel,  the  ash,  the  birch,  and  the 
beech.    The  willow,  alder,  maple,  apple,  and  linden  are  also  occasionary 


Wallingford  Castle,  53 

named.  The  Berkshire  hills  and  woods  abounded  with  wolves,  wild 
cats,  stags,  foxes,  and  badgers ;  beavers  and  wild  boars  were  also  nu- 
merous, while  in  the  marshes  were  to  be  found  geese,  snipe,  and  swans." 


Wallingford  Castle. 

Wallingford  is  a  place  of  great  antiquity,  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Thames,  and  is  thought  to  have  existed  in  the  time  of  the  Romans, 
their  coins  having  been  dug  up  here  ;  the  form  of  the  ramparts  (not  of 
the  Castle,  which  is  of  later  origin)  indicating  that  they  had  been 
traced  by  the  Romans.  The  first  historical  notice  of  Wallingford  is 
A.D.  1006,  when  it  was  taken  by  the  Danes  ;  but  it  was  rebuilt  in  1013. 
In  the  reign  of  Edward  the  Confessor  it  was  a  royal  borough,  contain- 
ing 276  houses  paying  a  tax  to  the  King. 

There  was  a  Castle  here  at  the  time  of  the  Conquesf,  belonging  to 
Wigod,  a  Saxon  noble,  who  invited  William  the  Conqueror,  after  the 
battle  of  Hastings,  to  come  to  Wallingford,  where  William  received 
the  homage  of  Archbishop  Stigand,  and  the  principal  nobles,  before 
marching  to  London.  About  a  year  after,  1067,  Robert  D'Oyley,  a 
Norman  baron,  who  had  married  Wigod's  only  daughter,  built  a  strong 
Castle  at  Wallingford,  but  whether  on  the  site  of  Wigod's  Castle  is 
not  clear.  In  the  Civil  War  of  Stephen,  this  Castle  was  held  for  the 
Empress  Maud.  Stephen  besieged  it  without  success  several  times,  and 
here  the  Empress  Maud  found  refuge  after  her  escape  from  Oxford. 
In  1 153,  Henry,  son  of  Maud,  besieged  a  fort,  which  Stephen  had 
erected  at  Crowmarsh  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Thames  ;  and  Stephen 
coming  to  its  relief,  a  peace  was  concluded.  During  the  imprisonment 
of  Richard  I.,  Wallingford  Castle  was  occupied  by  his  brother  John, 
but  was  taken  fiom  him  by  the  King's  party.  In  the  troubles  of  John's 
reign,  one  or  two  of  the  meetings  of  King  and  Barons  were  held  at 
Wallingford;  and  in  those  of  Henry  HI.  (a.d.  1264),  Prince  Edward, 
the  King's  son  (afterwards  Edward  I.),  Prince  Henry,  his  nephew,  and 
Richard,  King  of  the  Romans,  his  brother,  were  confined  for  a  time  in 
this  Castle.  It  was  twice  besieged  in  the  troubles  of  the  reign  of 
Edward  II.  Leland  and  Camden  describe  the  fortress  as  having  a 
double  wall ;  and  Camden  speaks  of  the  citadel,  or  keep,  as  standing 
on  a  high  mound.  In  the  Civil  War  of  Charles  I.,  it  was  repaired  and 
garrisoned  for  the  King ;  and  it  was  a  post  of  importance.  Towards 
the  close  of  the  war  it  was  besieged  by  Fairfax,  and  was  afterwards 
demolished,  except  part  of  the  wall  towards  the  river.  The  mound  la 
overgrown  with  trees,  but  in  our  time  balls  have  been  dug  up  here. 


54  Reading  Abbey 

Within  the  Castle  was  a  college  ;  and  connected  with  it  was  a  school 
For  the  instruction  of  singing-boys,  in  which  Tusser,  the  author  of  Five 
Hundred  Points  of  Good  Husbandry,  was  educated,  as  he  records  in  his 
Life,  prefixed  to  the  black-letter  edition  of  his  works.  Here  he  describes 
the  "  quiraster's  miserle"  as  hard  to  bear : 

*•  O  painful  time,  for  every  crime 
What  toosed  eares  !  like  baited  beares  ! 
What  bobbed  lips  !  what  yerks,  what  nips  I 
What  hellish  toies  ! 

What  robes  how  bare  !  what  coUedge  fare ! 
What  bred  how  stale  !  what  pennie  ale ! 
Then  Wallingford,  how  wert  thou  abhor'd 
Of  sillie  boies  !" 

There  was  a  Benedictine  Priory  at  Wallingford,  founded  in  the  reign 
of  William  the  Conqueror  ;  and  there  was  a  Mint  in  the  town  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  HI. 

Wallingford  had  anciently  fourteen  churches ;  it  has  now  three. 


Reading  Abbey. 

As  the  railway  traveller  approaches  Reading,  the  county  town  of 
Berkshire,  an  interesting  relic  of  the  architecture  of  seven  hundred  years 
since  can  scarcely  fail  to  arrest  his  attention,  among  the  modern  build- 
ings of  the  town.  This  relic  is  the  Hall  of  one  of  the  richest  religious 
houses  in  the  kingdom,  and  of  the  class  called  Mitred  Abbeys,  or,  in 
other  words,  whose  Abbots  sat  in  Parliament :  the  Abbot  of  Reading 
took  precedency  in  the  House  of  Peers,  next  after  the  Abbots  of  St. 
Albans  and  Glastonbury. 

It  appears  that  in  the  year  1006,  when  Reading  was  burnt  by  the 
Danes,  they  also  destroyed  an  Abbey  of  nuns,  said  to  have  been  founded, 
amongst  others,  by  Elfrida,  first  the  wife  of  Earl  Athelwold,  and  after- 
wards of  King  Edgar ;  the  foundation  being  in  atonement  for  the 
murder  of  that  Prince's  son,  Edward,  which  was  perpetrated  by  her 
command,  when  she  was  queen-mother.  Upon  the  site  of  this  nunnery, 
King  Henry  I.  laid  the  foundation  of  another  edifice  in  the  year  1121, 
and  endowed  the  same  for  the  support  of  200  monks  of  the  Benedictine 
order,  and  bestowed  on  it  various  important  privileges.  Among  them 
were  those  of  conferring  knighthood,  coining  money,  holding  fairs,  try- 
ing and  punishing  criminals,  &c.  The  founder  also  gave  a  relic,  assumed 
to  be  the  head  of  the  Apostle  James.  The  new  monastery  was  com- 
pletely finished  within  the  space  of  four  years.    It  was  dedic  ited  to  tlie 


Reading  A  hhey.  5  5 

Holy  Trinity,  the  blessed  Virgin,  St.  James,  and  St.  John  the  Evangelist. 

At  Reading,  it  was  commonly  known  as  St.  Mary's.     Henry  authorized 

the  Abbey  to  coin  in  London,  and  keep  there  a  resident  master  or 

moncyer.     The  body  of  King  Henry  was  interred  here,  as  well  as 

those  of  his  two  queens,  Matilda  and  Adeliza;  though  it  seems  that 

the  King's  bowels,  brains,  heart,  eyes,  and  tongue,  by  a  strange  fancy 

of  disseveration,   were  buried  at   Rouen ;    and   here,   probably,    was 

interred  their  daughter  Maud,  the  wife  of  the  Emperor  Henry  IV 

and  mother  of  Henry  II.  of  England.      Her  epitaph,  recordea.  by 

Camden,  has  been  deservedly  admired : 

"  Magna  ortu,  majorque  viro,  sed  maxima  partu  ; 
Hie  jacet  Henrici  filia,  sponsa,  parens." 

William,  eldest  son  of  Henry  II.,  was  buried  at  his  grandfather's 
feet.  Constance,  the  daughter  of  Edmund  Langley,  Duke  of  Yorkj 
Anne,  Countess  of  Warwick,  and  a  son  and  daughter  of  Richard  Earl 
of  Cornwall,  certainly  here  found  their  latest  abiding-place  in  this 
world.  There  was  an  image  of  the  royal  founder  placed  over  his  tomb ; 
but  that,  and  probably  many  other  monuments,  either  suffered  demolition 
or  removal,  when  this  religious  house  was  changed  into  a  royal  dwelling. 
Camden  says  :  "  The  monastery  wherein  King  Henry  I.  was  inten-ed, 
was  converted  into  a  royal  seat,  adjoining  to  which  stands  a  fair  stable, 
stored  with  horses  of  the  King's,  &c. ;"  but  this  does  not  justify  Sand- 
ford  in  asserting  that  the  bones  of  the  persons  buried  were  thrown  out, 
and  the  Abbey  converted  into  a  stable ;  nor  does  such  a  circumstance 
seem  likely  to  have  taken  place  at  this  time,  or  on  such  an  occasion  ; 
though  such  indignities  afterwards  characterized  the  days  of  Cromwell. 

A  well-known  trial  by  battle  occurred  herein  1163,  at  which  Henry 
II.  sat  as  judge.  It  was  the  appeal  of  Robert  de  Montfort  against 
Henry  of  Essex,  the  King's  standard-bearer,  for  cowardice  and  treachery, 
in  having  in  a  skirmish  in  Wales,  at  which  the  King  was  present,  cast 
away  the  royal  standard  and  fled,  upon  a  report  of  his  Sovereign  being 
killed.  Essex  pleaded  that  at  the  time  he  believed  the  report  to  be  true. 
The  combat  took  place,  it  is  supposed,  on  an  island  by  Caversham 
Bridge.  Montfort  was  the  victor,  and  the  body  of  Essex,  who  was 
apparently  killed,  was  given  to  the  monks  of  the  Abbey  for  burial. 
He  recovered,  however,  from  his  wounds,  and  being  permitted  to  assume 
the  habit  of  a  monk,  was  received  into  the  monastery.  His  estates  were, 
of  course,  forfeited. 

The  Abbey  provided  for  the  poor,  and  necessary  entertainment  for 
travellers.  William  of  Malmesbury,  who,  however,  died  about  1142, 
says,  there  was  always  more  spent  by  the  monks  on  strangers  than  on 


5^  Reading  A  bhcy, 

themselves.  One  Amherius,  the  second  Abbot  of  this  house,  had 
ah-eady  founded  an  hospital  for  the  reception  of  twelve  leprous  persons, 
where  they  were  maintained  comfortably.  Hugo,  the  eighth  Abbot, 
founded  another  hospital  near  the  gate,  for  the  reception  of  certain  poor 
persons  and  pilgrims,  who  were  not  admitted  into  the  Abbey.  To  this 
hospital  the  Church  of  St.  Lawrence  is  given  in  the  grant  for  ever,  for 
the  purpose  of  maintaining  thirteen  poor  persons ;  allowing  for  the 
keeping  of  thirteen  more  out  of  the  usual  alms.  The  reason  assigned 
by  the  Abbot  was  that  (though  we  are  told  more  money  was  laid  out 
on  hospitality  than  expended  on  the  monks),  yet,  he  had  observed  and 
lamented  a  partiality  in  entertaining  the  rich,  in  preference  to  the  poor. 
But  some  have  suspected  that  this  was  a  mere  pretence  whereby  to 
exclude  the  meaner  sort  entirely  from  the  Abbot's  table. 

At  the  Dissolution,  in  1539,  the  Abbot,  Hugh  Cook,  alias  Hugh 
FaiTingdon,  whom  Hall,  in  his  Chronicle,  calls  a  stubborn  monk,  and 
absolutely  without  learning,  was,  with  two  of  his  monks,  hanged, 
drawn,  and  quartered,  for  refusing  to  deliver  up  the  Abbey  to  the 
Visitors,  and  immediate  possession  was  taken.  The  clear  revenues 
at  this  period,  Lysons,  writing  in  1806,  considered  equivalent  t(^ 
at  least  20,000/.  The  Commissioners  found  here  considerable  quan- 
tities of  plate,  jewels,  and  other  valuable  articles.  Henry  VI H.  and 
his  successors  for  some  time  kept  a  portion  of  the  Abbey  rcsei^ved 
for  their  occasional  residence.  No  record  exists  of  the  time  when  the 
buildings  were  first  dismantled,  but  it  is  evident  that  they  were  in  ruins 
in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth  ;  for  when  the  church  of  St.  Mary  in 
the  town  of  Reading  was  rebuilt,  the  Queen  granted  two  hundied  loads 
of  stones  from  the  old  Abbey,  to  be  used  as  materials.  But  after  the 
reign  of  James  I.  it  does  not  appear  to  have  been  long  occupied  as  a 
royal  residence.  The  buildings  generally  began  to  decay,  and  im- 
mense quantities  of  the  materials  were  carried  off.  Some  of  these  were 
used  in  the  construction  of  the  Hospital  for  poor  Knights  at  Windsor, 
as  well  as  in  the  rebuilding  of  St.  Mary's  Church  ;  and  large  masses  were 
used  by  General  Conway  in  the  construction  of  a  bridge  at  Henley. 
The  Abbey  appears  to  have  been  surrounded  by  a  wall,  with  four  arched 
and  battlemented  gateways,  the  ruins  of  some  of  which  are  still  visible. 
There  was  also  an  inner  court,  with  a  gateway,  which  still  exists.  The 
north  front  has  a  beautiful  Saxon  arch,  with  an  obtuse  point  at  the 
lop,  rising  from  three  clustered  pillars  without  capitals.  Among  the 
chief  remains  is  a  portion  of  the  great  hall,  now  used  as  a  school-room. 
The  dimensions  of  the  hall,  were  80  feet  by  40.  Here  it  is  supposed 
were  held  the  numerous  parliaments  which  sat  here.     Vhat  remained 


Reading  Abbey.  57 

of  the  Abbey  church  up  to  the  period  of  the  Civil  War  was  then  further 
dilapidated;  the  ruins  of  the  north  transept,  in  particular,  are  then 
recorded  to  have  been  blown  up.  The  Abbey  mills  are  still  remaining 
in  excellent  preservation,  and  exhibit  arches  evidently  coeval  with  the 
Abbey  itself.  Over  the  mill  race  is  a  large  Norman  arch,  with  a  zig- 
zag moulding.  In  1815  a  fi-agment  of  a  stone  sarcophagus  in  two 
pieces,  was  found  about  the  centre  of  the  choir,  supposed,  with  some 
probability,  to  be  the  coffin  of  King  Henry  I. 

In  those  ages,  when  a  belief  existed  in  the  efficacy  of  real  or  fancied 
relics  of  saints,  a  most  singular  object  of  this  kind  was  presented  to  the 
Abbey  by  the  Empress  Maud,  who  brought  it  from  Germany  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  II.  It  was  the  hand  of  St.  James  the  Apostle,  and  in 
such  high  estimation  was  this  relic  held,  that  it  was  carefully  inclosed  in 
a  case  of  gold,  of  which  it  was  afterwards  stripped  by  Richard  I.  This 
monarch,  however,  granted  an  additional  charter,  and  gave  one  mark 
of  gold  to  cover  the  hand,  in  lieu  of  the  precious  metal  he  had  taken 
away.  His  brother.  King  John,  confirmed  this  charter,  and  presented 
to  the  Abbey  another  equally  wonderful  relic,  namely,  the  head  of  St. 
Philip  the  Apostle.  The  relic  of  St.  James's  hand  is  at  present  in  exis- 
tence :  it  was  discovered  about  80  years  ago  by  some  workmen,  in  dig- 
ging, and  after  passing  through  various  hands,  at  last  found  its  way 
into  the  Museum  of  the  Philosophical  Society  of  Reading.  The  relic 
consists  of  the  left  hand  of  a  human  being  half  closed^  with  the  flesh  dried 
on  the  bones.  Among  other  relics  were  a  quantity  of  glazed  tiles  on 
the  floor  of  the  church.  These  were  covered  with  various  ornaments, 
and  appeared  originally  to  have  formed  a  kind  of  cross  of  mosaic  work, 
but  the  greater  portion  was  missing.  Fragments  of  stained  glass  of 
beautiful  colours  were  found  ;  in  one  place  a  kind  of  coffin,  or  excava- 
tion, was  discovered,  just  capable  of  receiving  a  human  body:  it  con- 
tained bones,  but  had  no  covering.  The  steps  leading  down  to  what  is 
supposed  to  have  been  the  cellar  have  been  laid  open,  while  the  frag- 
ments of  carved  stones  which  have  been  found  show  that  the  building, 
in  its  pristine  state,  must  have  been  as  beautiful  as  it  was  extensive. 

Prynne,  in  his  History  of  the  Papal  Usurpation,  tells  us  that  the 
Abbot  of  Reading  was  one  of  the  Pope's  delegates,  together  with  the 
legate  Randulph,  and  the  Bishop  of  Winchester,  commissioned  for  the 
excommunication  of  the  Barons  that  opposed  King  John,  in  12 15,  and 
the  succeeding  year.  The  maintenance  of  two  Jewish  female  converts 
was  imposed  on  this  House  by  King  Henry  III.  Tlie  same  prince, 
desiring  to  borrow  a  considerable  sum  of  money  of  the  greater  abbeys, 
the  Abbot  of  Reading  positively  refused  to  comply  with  the  requisition. 


5  8  Reading  A  hhcy 

There  is  in  existence  a  letter  of  Edward,  the  first  Prince  of  Wales, 
written  in  1304,  to  Adam  de  Poleter,  of  Reading,  commanding  him  to 
lodge  four  tuns  of  good  wines  in  the  Abbey  of  Reading,  against  the 
aiTival  of  the  Prince's  sei'vants  at  the  Tournament  about  to  be  held 
there. 

Of  the  ancient  glory  of  the  Abbey,  but  a  few  walls,  or  a  ragged, 
broken  skeleton,  remain  ;  though,  in  recent  excavations,  the  plan  of  the 
building  has  been  traced  ;  and  "  there  have  been  brought  to  the  surface, 
from  the  neighbourhood  of  the  high  altar,  the  relics  of  kings,  and  war- 
riors, and  holy  men,  the  fathers  and  founders  of  a  church,  which  they 
probably  trusted  would  have  confined  their  bones  till  doomsday." 

The  Franciscan  Friars  settled  here  in  1 233.  Their  convent  stood 
near  the  west  end  of  Friar-street.  On  its  Dissolution,  the  warden 
petitioned  that  he  and  his  brethren,  being  aged  men,  might  be  permitted 
to  occupy  their  lodgings  during  life ;  but  even  that  humble  request 
was  denied.  According  to  Leland,  there  was  also  on  the  north  side  of 
Castle-street  "  a  fair  house  of  Grey  Friars." 

Among  the  Curiosities  shown  to  the  stranger  in  Reading  is  a  stratum 
of  sand  in  Catsgrove-lane,  which  is  filled  with  oyster-shells  and  other 
marine  fossils.  In  Dr.  Plot's  amusing  Natural  History  of  Oxford- 
shire (in  which  the  wonders*  of  any  other  county  are,  however,  gladly 
laid  under  contribution),  their  situation  is  proposed  to  be  accounted  for 
by  an  hypothesis  as  good  in  its  way  as  Voltaire's  pilgrims'  cockle-shells, 
and  for  which  it  might  have  afforded  a  hint.  W  hen  the  Danes  were 
besieged  in  Reading  by  King  Ethelred  and  his  brother  Alfred,  they 
endeavoured  to  secure  themselves  by  cutting  a  trench  across  the 
meadows.  Now,  says  Dr.  Plot,  "  the  Saxons  having  in  all  probability 
removed  their  cattle,  it  is  likely  that  they  might  be  supplied  by  their 
navy  with  oysters,  which,  during  the  time  of  the  abode  of  their  army 
on  land,  might  be  very  suitable  employment  for  it.  Which  conjecture 
allowed,  there  is  nothing  more  required  to  make  out  the  possibility  of 
the  bed  of  oysters  coming  thither,  without  a  deluge,  but  that  Catsgrove 
was  the  place  appointed  for  the  army's  repast." 


S9 


Cumnor  Place,  and  the  Fate  of  Amy  Robsart. 

Cumnor,  about  three  miles  west  of  Oxford,  has  an  old  manor  house, 
which  formerly  belonged  to  the  Abbots  of  Abingdon,  but  after  the 
Reformation  was  granted  to  the  last  Abbot  for  life,  and  on  his  death 
came  into  the  possession  of  Anthony  Forster,  whose  epitaph  in  Cumnor 
church,  speaks  of  him  as  an  amiable  and  accomplished  person.  But,  in 
Ashmole's  Antiquities  of  Berkshire,  he  is  represented  as  one  of  the 
parties  to  the  murder  of  Anne  Dudley,  under  very  mysterious  circum- 
stances. This  unfortunate  lady, who  became  the  first  wife  of  Lord  Robert 
Dudley,  Queen  Elizabeth's  favourite,  was  the  daughter  of  Sir  John 
Robsart.  Her  marriage  took  place  June  4, 1550 ;  and  the  event  is  thus 
recorded  by  King  Edward  in  his  Diary :  "  S.  Robert  dudeley,  third 
Sonne  to  th'  erle  of  warwic,  married  S.  John  Robsarte's  daughter,  after 
whose  marriage  there  were  certain  gentlemen  that  did  strive  who  should 
take  away  a  gose's  heade,  which  was  hanged  alive  on  tow  crose  postes." 
Soon  after  the  accession  of  Elizabeth,  when  Dudley's  ambitious  views 
of  a  royal  alliance  had  opened  upon  him,  his  wife  mysteriously  died ; 
and  Ashmole  thus  relates  the  melancholy  story : — 

"  Robert  Dudley,  Earl  of  Leicester,  a  very  goodly  personage,  and 
singularly  well  featured,  being  a  great  favourite  to  Queen  Elizabeth,  it 
was  thought,  and  commonly  reported,  that  had  he  been  a  bachelor,  or 
widower,  the  Queen  would  have  made  him  her  husband  :  to  this  end, 
to  fi-ee  himself  of  all  obstacles,  he  commands  his  wife,  or  perhaps  with 
fair  flattering  entreaties,  desires  her  to  repose  herself  here  at  his  servant 
Anthony  Forster's  house,  who  then  lived  at  the  aforesaid  Manor-house 
(Cumnor-place);  and  also  prescribed  to  Sir  Richard  Varney  (a  prompter 
to  this  design),  at  his  coming  hither,  that  he  should  first  attempt  to 
poison  her,  and  if  that  did  not  take  effect,  then  by  any  other  way  what- 
soever to  despatch  her.  This,  it  seems,  was  proved  by  the  report  of 
Dr.  Walter  Bayly,  sometime  Fellow  of  New  College,  then  living  in 
Oxford,  and  Professor  of  Physic  in  that  University,  who,  because  he 
would  not  consent  to  take  away  her  life  by  poison,  the  earl  endeavoured 
to  displace  him  from  the  Court.  This  man,  it  seems,  reported  for  most 
certain  that  there  was  a  practice  in  Cumnor  among  the  conspirators  to 
have  poisoned  this  poor  innocent  lady,  a  little  before  she  was  killed, 
which. was  attempted  after  this  manner: — They  seeing  the  good  lady 
sad  and  heavy  (as  one  that  well  knew  by  her  other  handling  that  her 
death  was  not  far  off),  began  to  persuade  her  that  her  present  disease 
was  abundance  of  melancholy,  and  other  humours,  &c.    And  therefore 


6o       Ctimnor  Place,  and  the  Fate  of  A  my  Rohsart. 

would  needs  counsel  her  to  take  some  potion,  which  she  absolutely  re- 
fusing to  do,  as  still  suspecting  the  worst :  whereupon  they  sent  a 
messenger  on  a  day  (unawares  to  her)  for  Dr.  Bayly,  and  entreated  him 
to  persuade  her  to  take  some  little  potion  by  his  direction,  and  they 
would  get  the  same  at  Oxford,  meaning  to  have  added  something  of 
their  own  for  her  comfort,  as  the  Doctor,  upon  just  cause  and  consi- 
deration did  suspect,  seeing  their  great  importunity,  and  the  small  need 
the  lady  had  of  physic ;  and  therefore  he  peremptorily  denied  their 
i-equest,  misdoubting  (as  he  afterwards  reported)  lest  if  they  had 
poisoned  her  under  the  name  of  his  potion,  he  might  have  been  hanged 
for  a  colour  of  their  sin  ;  and  the  Doctor  remained  still  well  assured, 
that  this  way  taking  no  effect,  she  would  not  long  escape  their  violence, 
which  afterwards  happened  thus  : — For  Sir  Richard  V^arney  aforesaid 
(the  chief  projector  in  this  design),  who  by  the  earl's  order  remained 
that  day  of  death  alone  with  her,  with  one  man  only,  and  Forster,  who 
had  that  day  forcibly  sent  away  all  her  servants  from  her  to  Abingdon 
market,  about  three  miles  distant  from  this  place,  they,  I  say,  whether 
first  stifling  her  or  else  strangling  her,  afterwards  flung  her  down  a  pair 
of  stairs  and  broke  her  neck,  using  much  violence  upon  her ;  but  yet, 
however,  though  it  was  vulgarly  reported  that  she  by  chance  fell  down 
stairs,  but  yet  without  hurting  her  hood  that  was  upon  her  head.  Yet 
the  inhabitants  will  tell  you  there  that  she  was  conveyed  from  her  usual 
chamber  where  she  lay  to  another,  where  the  bed's  head  of  the  chamber 
stood  close  to  a  privy  postern  door,  where  they  in  the  night  came  and 
stifled  her  in  her  bed,  bruised  her  head  very  much,  broke  her  neck,  and 
at  length  flung  her  downstair,  thereby  believing  the  world  would  have 
thought  it  a  mischance,  and  so  have  blinded  their  villany.  But,  behold 
the  mercy  and  justice  of  God  in  revenging  and  discovering  this  lady's 
murder  ;  for  one  of  the  persons  that  was  a  coadjutor  in  this  murder  was 
afterwards  taken  for  a  felony  in  the  marches  of  Wales,  and  ofl^ering  to 
publish  the  manner  of  the  aforesaid  murder,  was  privately  made  away 
with  in  prison  by  the  earl's  appointment.  And  Sir  Richard  Varney,  the 
other,  dying  about  the  same  time  in  London,  cried  miserably  and  blas- 
phemed God,  and  said  to  a  person  of  note  (who  has  related  the  same 
to  others  since)  not  long  before  his  death,  that  all  the  devils  in  hell  did 
tear  him  in  pieces.  Forster,  likewise,  after  this  fact,  being  a  man  for- 
merly addicted  to  hospitality,  company,  mirth  and  music,  was  after- 
wards observed  to  forsake  all  this,  and  being  affected  with  much 
melancholy  (some  say  with  madness)  pined  and  drooped  away.  The 
wife,  too,  of  Bald  Butler,  kinsman  to  the  earl,  gave  out  the  whole  fact 
a  little  before  her  death.    Neither  are  the  following  passages  to  be  for- 


Cumnor  Place,  and  the  Fate  of  Amy  Robsart,      6i 

gotten: — That  as  soon  as  ever  she  was  murdered,  they  made  great 
haste  to  bury  her  before  the  coroner  had  given  in  his  inquest  (which 
the  earl  himself  condemned  as  not  done  advisedly),  which  her  father, 
Sir  John  Robertsett  (as  I  suppose)  hearing  of,  came  with  all  speed 
hither,  caused  her  corpse  to  be  taken  up,  the  coroner  to  sit  upon  her, 
and  further  inquiry  to  be  made  concerning  this  business  to  the  full ;  but 
it  was  generally  thought  that  the  earl  stopped  his  mouth,  and  made  up 
the  business  betwixt  them ;  and  the  good  earl,  to  make  plain  to  the 
world  the  great  love  he  bore  to  her  while  alive — what  a  grief  the  loss  of 
so  virtuous  a  lady  was  to  his  tender  heart — caused  (though  the  thing 
by  these  and  other  means  was  beaten  into  the  heads  of  the  principal 
men  of  the  University  of  Oxford)  her  body  to  be  re-buried  in  St.  Mary's 
Church  in  Oxford,  with  great  pomp  and  solemnity.  It  is  remarkable 
when  Dr.  Babington,  the  earl's  chaplain,  did  preach  the  funeral  sermon, 
he  tript  once  or  twice  in  his  speech  by  recommending  to  their  memories 
that  virtuous  lady  so  pitifully  w«r^<?/W,  instead  of  saying  pitifully  slain." 

We  need  scarcely  add  that  these  circumstances,  with  considerable 
anachronisms,  have  been  woven  by  Sir  Walter  Scott  into  his  delightful 
romance  of  Kenil<worth.  "Of  the  gose  and  poste  "  this  explanation 
has  been  given  :  the  gose  was  intended  for  poor  Amy,  and  the  crosse 
posts  for  the  Protector  Somerset  and  his  rival,  Dudley  Duke  of  North- 
umberland, both  of  whom  were  bred  to  the  wicked  trade  of  ambition. 
Dudley  did  not,  however,  escape  suspicion.  The  lady  and  gentleman 
were  so  fully  assured  of  the  evil  treatment  of  the  lady,  that  they  sought 
to  get  an  inquiry  made  into  the  circumstances.  We  also  find  Burgh- 
ley,  presenting,  among  the  reasons  why  it  was  inexpedient  for  the 
Queen  to  marry  Leicester,  "  that  he  is  infamed  by  the  murder  of  his 
wife."  Mr.  Froude,  in  his  History  of  England,  gives  the  following 
summary  of  the  proceedings  taken  to  inquire  into  the  cause  of  the 
lady's  sad  fate. 

"In  deference  to  the  general  outcry,  either  the  inquiry  was  protracted, 
or  a  second  jury,  as  Dudley  suggested,  was  chosen.  Lord  Robert  himself 
was  profoundly  anxious,  although  his  anxiety  may  have  been  as  much  for 
his  own  reputation  as  for  the  discovery  of  the  truth.  Yet  the  exertions  to 
unravel  the  mystery  still  failed  of  their  effect.  No  one  could  be  found  who 
had  seen  Lady  Dudley  fall,  and  she  was  dead  when  she  waa  discovered. 
Eventually,  after  an  investigation  apparently  without  precedent  for  the 
strictness  with  which  it  had  been  conducted,  the  jury  returned  a  verdict 
of  accidental  death ;  and  Lord  Robert  was  thus  formally  acquitted. 
Yet  the  conclusion  was  evidently  of  a  kind  which  would  not  silence 
suspicion  j  it  was  not  proved  that  Lady  Dudley  had  been  murdered  j 


t>2       Ciimnor  Place,  and  the  Fate  of  Amy  Robs  art, 

but  the  cause  of  the  death  was  still  left  to  conjecture ;  and  were  there 
nothing  more — were  Cecil's  words  to  De  Quadra  proved  to  be  a  forgery 
— a  cloud  would  still  rest  over  Dudley's  fame.  Cecil  might  well  have 
written  of  him,  as  he  dvd  in  later  years,  that  he  *  was  infamed  by  his 
wife's  death  ;'  and  the  shadow  which  hung  over  his  name  in  the  popular 
belief  would  be  intelligible  even  if  it  was  undesei-vcd.  A  paper  remains, 
however,  among  Cecil's  MSS.,  which  proves  that  Dudley  was  less  zealous 
for  inquiry  than  he  seemed ;  that  his  unhappy  wife  was  indeed  mur- 
dered ;  and  that  with  proper  exertion  the  guilty  persons  might  have  been 
discovered.  That  there  should  be  a  universal  impression  that  a  par- 
ticular person  was  about  to  be  made  away  with,  that  this  person  should 
die  in  a  mysterious  violent  manner,  and  yet  that  there  should  have  been 
no  foul  play  after  all,  would  have  been  a  combination  of  coincidences 
which  would  not  easily  find  credence  in  a  well-constituted  court  of 
justice.  The  strongest  point  in  Dudley's  favour  was  that  he  sent  his 
wife's  half-brother,  John  Appleyard,  to  the  inquest.  Appleyard,  some 
years  after,  in  a  fit  of  irritation,  *  let  fall  words  of  anger,  and  said 
that  for  Dudley's  sake  he  had  covered  the  murder  of  his  sister.'  Being 
examined  by  Cecil,  he  admitted  that  the  investigation  at  Cumnor  had, 
after  all,  been  inadequately  conducted.  He  said  *  that  he  had  often- 
times moved  the  Lord  Robert  to  give  him  leave,  and  to  countenance 
him  in  the  prosecuting  of  the  trial  of  the  murder  of  his  sister — adding 
that  he  did  take  the  Lord  Robert  to  be  innocent  thereof;  but  yet  he 
thought  it  an  easy  matter  to  find  out  the  offenders — affirming  there* 
unto,  and  showing  certain  circumstances  which  moved  him  to  think 
surely  that  she  was  murdered — whereunto  he  said  that  the  Lord 
Robert  always  assured  him  that  he  thought  it  was  not  fit  to  deal 
any  further  in  the  matter,  considering  that  by  order  of  law  it 
was  already  found  otherwise,  and  that  it  was  so  presented  by  a 
jury.  Nevertheless  the  said  Appleyard  in  his  speech  said  upon 
examination,  that  the  jury  had  not  as  yet  given  up  their  ver- 
dict.' If  Appleyard  spoke  the  truth,  there  is  no  more  to  be 
said.  The  conclusion  seems  inevitable,  that,  although  Dudley  was 
innocent  of  a  direct  participation  in  the  crime,  the  unhappy  lady  was 
sacrificed  to  his  ambition.  She  was  murdered  by  persons  who  hoped 
to  profit  by  his  elevation  to  the  throne ;  and  Dudley  himself^ — aware 
that  if  the  murder  could  be  proved  public  feeling  would  forbid  his 
marriage  with  the  Queen — used  private  means,  notwithstanding  his  af- 
fectation of  sincerity,  to  prevent  the  search  from  being  pi"essed  incon- 
veniently far.  But  seven  years  had  passed  before  Appleyard  spoke, 
while  the  world  in  the  interval  was  sHenced  by  the  verdict ;  and  those 


Donnington  Castle^  and  the  Battles  of  Neivhiry.       ^3 

who  wished  to  be  convinced  perhaps  believed  Dudley  innocent.     It  is 
necessary  to  remember  this  to  understand  the  conduct  of  Cecil." 


Donnington  Castle,  and  the  Battles  of  Newbury. 

About  a  mile  from  the  town  of  Newbury,  on  an  eminence  thickly 
wooded,  at  the  base  of  which  runs  the  river  Kennet,  are  the  re- 
mains of  Donnington  Castle,  understood  to  have  been  erected  by 
Sir  Richard  Abberbury,  the  guardian  of  Richard  II.  during  his  minority, 
and  who  was  expelled  the  Court  in  1388  by  the  Barons,  for  his 
adherence  to  the  cause  of  that  monarch.  It  has  been  asserted  that 
Chaucer,  the  poet,  was  possessor  and  inhabitant  of  this  place,  but  the 
assertion  is  not  borne  out  by  evidence,  more  than  a  supposition  that 
the  Castle  was  purchased  about  this  time  by  his  son,  Thomas,  who  had 
married  a  rich  heiress.  After  Thomas  Chaucer's  death,  the  estate  was 
settled  upon  his  daughter,  Alice,  through  whom  William  de  la  Pole, 
Duke  of  Suffolk,  the  lady's  third  husband,  obtained  possession  of  it, 
and  enlarged  the  buildings.  Upon  the  attainder  of  the  above  Duke, 
Henry  VIII.  granted  the  estate,  with  the  title  of  Duke  of  Suffolk,  to 
Charles  Brandon.  Camden  describes  the  Castle  as  a  small  but  neat 
structure.  It  was  garrisoned  for  the  King  in  the  beginning  of  the 
Civil  War,  being  a  place  of  considerable  importance  as  commanding 
the  road  from  Newbury  to  Oxford.  It  was  first  attacked  by  the  Par- 
liamentarians under  Major-General  Middleton,  who,  to  a  summons  of 
surrender,  received  a  spirited  reply  from  Captain  John  Boys,  the  King's 
officer.  The  place  was  accordingly  assaulted,  but  the  besiegers  were 
driven  back  with  great  loss.  On  the  29th  September,  1644,  Colonel 
Horton  invaded  Donnington,  and  having  raised  a  battery  at  the  foot  of 
the  hill  near  Newbury,  continued  for  twelve  days  so  incessant  a  fire,  that 
he  reduced  the  Castle  almost  to  a  heap  of  ruins ;  three  of  the  towers 
and  a  part  of  the  wall  being  knocked  down.  A  second  summons  was 
now  sent,  but  still  in  vain  ;  and,  although  the  Earl  of  Manchester  came 
to  join  in  the  attack,  and  the  Castle  was  again  battered  for  two  or  three 
days,  every  effort  to  take  the  place  failed,  and  ultimately  the  Parlia- 
mentarians raised  the  siege.  Captain  Boys  was  knighted  for  his  services 
on  this  occasion. 

After  the  second  battle  of  Newbury,  the  same  gallant  officer  secured 
the  King's  artillery  under  the  walls,  while  the  latter  retired  towai  ds 
Oxford;  upon  which  the  Castle  was  once  more  attacked,  tte  Earl  of 
Essex  being  the  leader,  but  as  fruitlessly  as  ever.     In  a  f«w  days,  the 


64  Lady  Place,  or  Si.  Mary  Priory. 

King  was  allowed  to  revictual  the  garrison  without  opposition.  The 
only  part  of  the  Castle  now  remaining  is  the  entrance  gateway,  with 
its  two  towers,  and  a  small  portion  of  tlie  walls.  The  principal  en- 
trance was  to  the  east.  The  western  part  of  the  building  terminated 
in  a  semi-octagon  shape,  and  the  walls  were  defended  by  round 
towers  at  the  angles.  The  gateway  is  in  good  preservation,  and  the 
place  for  the  portcullis  is  still  visible.  Round  the  Castle,  occupying 
nearly  the  whole  eminence,  are  the  remains  ol  entrenchments  thrown 
up  during  the  Civil  War,  and  the  evident  strength  of  which  helps 
to  explain  the  successful  defence  of  Donnington. 

It  is  related  in  KnighVs  Journey  :  a  book  of  Berkshire,  that  in 
the  second  battle  of  Newbury,  the  King's  troops  were  posted  at 
Shaw  PJace,  under  the  command  of  Lieut.-Colonel  Page,  who,  being 
attacked  by  a  large  body  ot  loot,  repulsed  them  with  great  loss.  A 
basket-full  of  cannon-balls  thrown  either  during  the  battle  of  New- 
bury or  in  the  siege  of  Donnington  Castle,  and  picked  up  from 
different  parts  of  the  grounds,  is  still  preserved.  In  the  old  oak 
wainscot  of  a  bow-window  is  a  small  hole  about  the  height  of  a 
man's  head,  which,  according  to  tradition,  was  made  by  a  bullet 
fired  at  the  King  whilst  dressing  at  the  window,  and  which  very 
narrowly  missed. 


Lady  Place,  or  St.  Mary  Priory. 

The  parish  of  Hurley,  Berkshire,  is  beautifully  situated  on  the 
banks  of  the  Thames  about  thirty  miles  from  London.  In  the 
Norman  survey,  commonly  called  Domesday,  it  is  said  to  have 
lately  belonged  to  Efgin,  probably  a  Saxon  or  Danish  family  ;  but 
to  be  then  in  possession  of  Sir  Geoffrey  Mandeville.  This  person 
had  greatly  distinguished  himself  at  the  battle  of  Hastings  in  which 
King  Harold  was  defeated,  and  received  this  estate  from  William 
the  Conqueror  among  other  spoil,  as  the  reward  of  his  labours  and 
attachment.  Towards  the  end  of  the  Conqueror's  reign — in  1086 — 
Geoffrey  do  Mandeville  founded  here  the  priory  of  St.  Mary,  to  this 
day  commonly  called  Lady  Place,  and  annexed  it  as  a  cell  to  the 
great  Benedictine  Abbey  of  Westminster.  The  charter  of  the 
foundation  is  still  preserved  in  the  archives  there.  In  the  instru- 
ment the  founder  calls  himself  Gosfridus  de  Magnavilla,  and  thus 
states  the  motives  of  his  donation  : — "  For  the  salvation  of  my  soul 
and  that  of  my  wife,  Lecelina,  by  whose  advice,  under  the  providence 


Lady  PlacCy  or  St.  Mary  Prioty,  65 

of  divine  grace,  I  have  begun  this  good  work ;  and  also  for  the  soul 
of  Athelais,  my  first  wife,  the  mother  of  my  sons,  now  deceased ; 
and  also  for  the  souls  of  all  my  heirs  who  shall  succeed  me."  He 
then  states  the  particulars  of  his  endowment  and  its  objects — 
"  For  the  support  of  the  religious  order  serving  God  perpetually  in 
this  church." 

William  the  Conqueror  approved  and  confirmed  the  endowment 
of  the  founder  of  Hurley  Priory,  and  afterwards  Pope  Adrian  IV., 
in  a  bull  dated  11 57,  confirmed  it  among  other  possessions  to  the 
Abbey  of  Westminster. 

Geoffrey,  the  son  of  the  founder,  created  Earl  of  Essex,  was  like* 
wise  a  benefactor.  He  married  Roisia,  sister  to  Aubrey  de  Vere, 
first  Earl  of  Oxford.  This  lady  caused  a  subterraneous  chapel  to 
be  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock,  near  the  centre  of  the  present  town  of 
Royston,  in  which  she  was  buried.  This  chapel,  on  the  walls  of 
which  many  rude  figures  are  still  to  be  seen  in  relievo,  after  being 
lost  and  unknown  for  ages,  was  accidentally  discovered  by  some 
workmen  in  1742,  and  an  account  of  it  published  by  Dr.  Stukely. 
It  is  well  worthy  the  attention  of  tourists,  and  being  perfectly  dry 
and  easily  accessible,  is  often  visited  by  strangers  passing  between 
London  and  Cambridge. 

The  Earl  of  Essex  was  standard-bearer  of  England  in  the  time 
of  the  Empress  Maud  and  of  King  Henry  II. 

Hurley  Priory  remained  for  about  450  years  nearly  in  the  same 
condition  as  that  in  which  the  founder  and  his  son  left  it.  It  was 
suppressed  among  the  lesser  monasteries  in  the  26th  of  Henry  VIII. 
In  the  33rd  year  of  the  same  king's  reign  the  Priory  of  Hurley  be- 
came the  property,  by  grant,  of  Charles  Howard,  Esq. ;  and  three 
years  afterwards  the  site,  then  and  ever  since  called  Lady  Place, 
from  the  convent  having  been  dedicated  to  the  Virgin  Mar>%  as 
already  mentioned,  became  the  property  of  Leonard  Chamberleyn; 
Esq.,  from  whom  it  passed  in  the  same  year  to  John  Lovelace,  Esq., 
who  died  in  1558. 

From  Mr.  John  Lovelace,  himself  merely  a  private  gentleman,  a 
distinguished  family  sprung.  Richard,  the  son  of  John,  spent  an 
adventurous  youth.  He  was  with  Sir  Francis  Drake,  on  the 
Spanish  Main,  and  being  a  gentleman  of  position  and  means  he 
very  probably,  as  was  the  custom  in  those  days,  invested  money  in 
fitting  out  the  expedition  on  the  guarantee  that  when  the  expedition 
was  over,  that  money  should  be  repaid  together  with  a  per-centage 
on  all  the  spoils  captured  during  the  voyage.    But  en  whatever 


66  Lady  Place,  or  St.  Mary  Priory, 

condition  he  went  out  with  Drake,  it  is  certain  that  he  returned  from 
the  El  Dorado  of  that  age  enriched  with  a  harvest  of  moidores  and 
broad-pieces,  the  spoils  of  the  Spanish  treasure-ships  or  of  the 
palaces  of  the  Spanish  Governors,  who,  being  inveterate  robbers 
themselves,  and  always  having  good  store  of  gold  and  silver  in  their 
cellars,  ready  for  transport  periodically  to  Spain,  were  always 
tempting  prey  to  the  English  buccaneer.  This  young  and  lucky 
adventurer  spent  his  money  profitably  in  building  Lady  Place  upon 
the  ruins  of  the  ancient  convent,  about  the  year  1600.  His  son, 
Sir  Richard  Lovelace,  was  elevated  to  the  peerage  in  1627,  as 
Baron  Lovelace,  of  Hurley,  Berks.  John  Lovelace,  second  baron, 
married  Lady  Anne  Wentworth,  daughter  of  Thomas,  Earl  of 
Cleveland,  and  this  lady,  upon  the  death  of  her  niece,  Baroness 
Wentworth,  succeeded  to  that  barony  in  1686.  Thus  the  family 
had  become  wealthy  and  powerful ;  but  it  was  probably  under  the 
third  baron,  John  Lord  Lovelace,  a  somewhat  stormy  but  resolute 
and  consistent  man,  who  succeeded  to  the  barony  in  1670,  that  the 
family  rose  to  the  zenith  of  its  power.  Lord  Lovelace  was  distin- 
guished by  his  taste,  by  his  magnificence,  and  by  the  audacious  and 
intemperate  vehemence  of  his  Whiggism.  He  had  been  five  or  six 
times  arrested  for  political  offences.  The  last  crime  laid  to  his 
charge  was,  that  he  had  contemptuously  denied  the  validity  of  a 
warrant  signed  by  a  Roman  Catholic  justice  of  the  peace.  He  had 
been  brought  before  the  Privy  Council  and  strictly  examined,  but 
to  little  purpose.  He  resolutely  refused  to  criminate  himself,  and 
the  evidence  against  him  was  insufficient.  He  was  dismissed,  but 
before  he  retired  James  exclaimed  in  great  heat,  "  My  lord,  this  is 
not  the  first  trick  that  you  have  played  me."  "Sir,"  answered 
Lovelace,  with  undaunted  spirit,  "I  have  never  played  any  trick  to 
your  Majesty,  or  to  any  other  person.  Whoever  has  accused  me 
to  your  Majesty  of  playing  tricks  is  a  liar  •!"  Lovelace  was  subse- 
quently admitted  into  the  confidence  of  those  who  planned  the 
Revolution. 

"  His  mansion,"  says  Macaulay, "  built  by  his  ancestors  out  of  the 
spoils  of  Spanish  galleons  from  the  Indies,  rose  on  the  ruins  of  a 
liouse  of  our  Lady,  in  that  beautiful  valley,  through  which  the 
Thames,  not  yet  defiled  by  the  precincts  of  a  great  capital,  nor 
rising  and  falling  with  the  flow  and  ebb  of  the  sea,  rolls  under  woods 
of  beech  round  the  gentle  hills  of  Berkshire.  Beneath  the  stately 
saloon,  adorned  by  Italian  pencils,  was  a  subterraneous  vault  in 
whicli  the  bones  of  monks  had  sometimes  being  found.     lu  this 


Lady  Place,  or  St.  Mary  Priory,  67 

dark  chamber  some  zealous  and  daring  opponents  of  the  govern- 
ment held  many  midnight  conferences  during  that  anxious  time 
when  England  was  impatiently  expecting  the  Protestant  wind."  It 
was  in  this  retreat  of  darkness  and  secresy  that  resolutions  were 
first  adopted  for  calling  in  the  Prince  of  Orange,  and  it  is  said  that 
the  principal  papers  which  brought  about  the  Revolution  were 
signed  in  the  dark  recess  at  the  extremity  of  the  vault.  When  the 
time  for  action  came — when  William,  having  landed  at  Torbay, 
was  on  his  march  to  London — Lovelace  with  seventy  followers  well 
armed  and  mounted,  quitted  his  dwelling  and  directed  his  course 
westward.  He  was  one  of  the  boldest  and  most  earnest  of  William's 
supporters.  After  King  William  obtained  the  crown  he  visited 
Lord  Lovelace  at  his  estate,  and  descended  with  him  to  view  the 
vault  in  which  his  fortunes  had  been  so  often  the  theme  of  whispered 
conversations.  Inscriptions,  recording  this  visit,  as  well  as  that  of 
George  III.  and  General  Paoli  in  1780,  to  the  same  vault,  as  the 
cradle  of  the  Revolution,  were  placed  here  by  a  subsequent  pro- 
prietor, Joseph  Wilcocks,  Esq. 

Lord  Lovelace,  who  was  captain  of  the  band  of  pensioners  to 
King  William,  lived  in  a  style  of  such  splendour  and  prodigality 
that  he  involved  himself  in  difficulties.  A  great  portion  of  his 
estates  came  to  the  hammer  under  a  decree  of  the  Court  of 
Chancery.  One  source  of  his  embarrassment  was  the  expense  he 
incurred  in  fitting  up  and  decorating  the  family  mansion.  The 
grand  inlaid  staircase  was  very  magnificent.  The  ceilings  of  the 
principal  hall  and  of  other  rooms  were  painted  by  Verrio  probably 
at  the  same  time  with  those  at  W^indsor  Castle,  and  the  panels  of 
the  saloon,  painted  in  landscape  by  Salvator  Rosa,  were  in  them- 
selves treasures  of  an  almost  inestimable  value.  The  inlaid  stair- 
case has  been  removed  to  a  house  in  the  north  of  England,  and  the 
painted  panels  were  sold  in  one  lot  for  1000/. 

On  the  decline  of  the  Lovelace  family,  which  speedily  followed, 
the  estate  was  sold  under  a  decree  of  Chancery. 

Lady  Place  and  the  Woodlands  were  purchased  by  Mrs.  Williams, 
sister  to  Dr.  Wilcocks,  Bishop  ot  Rochester,  which  lady  in  one 
lottery,  had  two  tickets  only,  and  one  of  these  came  up  a  prize  of 
500/.,  the  other  oi  20,000/.,  with  which  she  purchased  the  property 
here.  The  estate  then  passed  to  Mrs.  Williams's  daughter,  and 
from  her  to  her  relative  Joseph  Wilcocks,  in  1771. 

The  next  person  in  the  entail  was  the  brave  but  unfortunate 
Admiral  Kempenfeldt,  who  went  down  in  the  Royal  George  off 

F2 


68  Bishain  Abbey, 

Portsmouth.  His  brother  succeeded  to  Lady  Place  ;  but  dying  un- 
married, he  left  the  property  to  his  relative  Mr.  Richard  Troughton, 
of  the  Custom  House,  whose  representatives  sold  the  estate  in  lots 
some  time  after.  Lady  Place  itself  and  part  of  the  estate  were  pur- 
chased for  the  Hon.  Henry  Waller. 

The  old  mansion  of  Lady  Place,  venerable  even  in  decay,  with 
its  enclosure  of  fifteen  acres,  having  fish  ponds  communicating  with 
the  Thames,  having  been  much  neglected  or  inadequately  occupied 
for  so  many  years,  gradually  fell  into  a  ruinous  condition. 

The  house  itselt  was  entirely  destroyed  in  1837,  and  the  vaults, 
covered  by  a  mound  of  green  turf,  are  all  that  remain.  Admiral 
Kempenfeldt  and  his  brother  planted  two  thorn  trees  here  during 
the  proprietary  of  the  former.  One  day  on  coming  home  the  brother 
noted  that  the  tree  planted  by  the  admiral  had  withered  away.  "  I 
feel  sure,"  he  said,  "  that  this  is  an  omen  that  my  brother  is  dead." 
That  evening  came  the  news  of  the  loss  of  the  Royal  George, 


Bisham  Abbey. 

Bisham,  anciently  Bisteham  or  Bustleham,  the  most  interesting 
house  in  Berkshire,  is  situated  about  four  and  a  half  miles  north  of 
Maidenhead,  and  one  mile  from  Great  Marlow,  in  Bucks,  from 
which  it  is  separated  by  the  river  Thames. 

The  manor  was  given  by  William  the  Conqueror  to  Henry  de 
Ferrars,  whose  grandson,  Robert,  Earl  Ferrars,  gave  it  in  the  reign 
of  King  Stephen  to  the  Knights  Templars,  who  are  said  to  have 
had  a  preceptory  there.  After  the  suppression  of  that  order,  it  was 
successively  in  the  possession  of  Thomas  Earl  of  Lancaster,  Hugh 
le  Despencer,  and  Eubulo  L'Estrange.  In  1335  it  was  granted  by 
Edward  HL  to  William  Montacute,  Earl  of  Sahsbury,  who  two 
years  afterwards  procured  a  royal  licence  for  founding  a  monastery 
at  Bisham  and  endowing  it  with  lands  of  300/.  per  annum. 

Within  the  walls  of  this  convent  were  interred  William,  Earl  of 
Salisbury,  son  of  the  founder,  who  distinguished  himself  at  the 
battle  of  Poictiers ;  John,  Earl  of  Salisbury,  who,  confederating 
against  King  Henry  IV.,  was  slain  at  Cirencester  in  1401  ;  Thomas, 
Earl  01  Salisbury,  the  famous  hero  of  Henry  V.'s  reign,  who  lost 
his  life  at  the  siege  of  Orleans  in  1428  ;  Richard  Neville,  Earl  of 
Salisbury  and  Warwick,  who  was  beheaded  at  York  in  1460,  for  hit 


Bisham  Abbey.  69 

adherence  to  the  house  of  Lancaster ;  Richard  Neville,  the  great 
Earl  of  Warwick  and  Salisbury,  and  his  brother  John,  Marquis  of 
Montague,  who  both  fell  at  the  battle  of  Barnet,  1470 ;  and  the  un- 
fortunate Edward  Plantagenet,  Earl  of  Warwick,  son  of  the  Duke 
of  Clarence,  who,  bred  up  from  his  cradle  in  prison,  was  beheaded 
in  1499,  ^or  attempting  to  taste  the  sweets  of  liberty.  Most  of  the 
above-mentioned  illustrious  characters  had  splendid  monuments  in 
the  conventual  church  ;  but  these  were  all  destroyed  after  the  dis- 
solution of  the  abbey,  without  regard  to  the  rank  or  famed  exploits 
of  the  deceased — not  even  excepting  the  tomb  of  Salisbury,  "The 
mirror  of  all  martial  men,  who  in  thirteen  battles  overcame,  and 
first  trained  Henry  V.  to  the  wars." 

King  Edward  VI.  granted  the  site  of  Bisham  Abbey  to  his 
father's  repudiated  wife  Anne  of  Cleves,  who  having  surrendered  it 
to  the  Crown  again  in  1552,  it  was  then  given  up  to  Sir  Philip 
Hobby.  This  personage  was  the  last  English  Papal  Legate  at 
Rome,  where  he  died,  and  his  brother,  Sir  Thomas,  was  ambassador 
in  France,  where  he  died  also.  The  widow  of  the  latter  had  both 
their  bodies  brought  back  to  Bisham,  and  raised  a  magnificent 
monument  to  their  memory.  This  monument,  still  to  be  seen  in 
the  church,  was  inscribed  with  three  epitaphs,  in  Greek,  Latin,  and 
English  respectively,  and  all  of  them  composed  by  the  widow  her- 
self— the  most  learned  lady  of  the  period.  One  of  her  epitaphs 
concludes  with  the  lines — 

•'  Give  me,  O  God  !  a  husband  like  unto  Thomas  ; 
Or  else  restore  me  to  my  beloved  Thomas." 

This  prayer  had  its  answer  in  her  marriage,  after  the  lapse  of  a 
year,  with  Sir  Thomas  Russel. 

In  this  ancient  house  the  princess  Elizabeth,  who  was  committed 
to  the  care  of  the  two  sisters  of  Lady  Hobby,  resided  during  part 
of  three  years,  and  at  this  time  the  bow  window  in  the.  council 
chamber  was  constructed  for  her  pleasure,  and  a  dais  erected  sixteen 
inches  above  the  floor.  This  portion  of  the  great  Princess's  life 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  spent  unhappily,  judging  from  the 
welcomje  she  gave  to  Sir  Thomas  when  he  first  went  to  Court  after 
she  became  Queen.  "  If  I  had  a  prisoner  whom  I  wanted  to  be 
most  carefully  watched,"  said  the  Queen,  "  I  should  entrust  him  to 
your  charge;  if  I  had  a  prisoner  whom  I  wished  to  be  most  ten- 
derly treated,  I  should  entrust  him  to  your  careP 

The  Rev.  Sir  Philip  Hobby,  Bart.,. the  last  heir  male  of  the  family, 


70  Bisham  Abbey, 

died  in  1766,  when  this  estate  went  to  the  Mills  in  Hampshire,  who 
were  connected  with  the  Hobbys  by  marriage.  Bisham  Abbey  is 
now  the  seat  of  George  Vansittart,  Esq. 

"  The  scenery  of  this  beautiful  spot  is  well  known  from  the  pic- 
tures of  De  Wint  and  other  water-colour  artists,  who  have  portrayed 
the  broad  sweep  of  the  transparent  river,  the  gigantic  trees,  the 
church  and  the  abbey,  with  its  mossy  roof,  projecting  oriels,  and 
tall  tower,  in  every  effect  of  cloud  or  sunshine." 

Of  the  building  as  it  at  present  stands,  the  octagonal  tower,  the 
hall,  and  the  pointed  doorway  are  part  of  the  original  foundation  of 
Stephen.  The  rest  of  the  building,  which  is  a  fine  specimen  of  the 
Tudor  style,  was  built  by  the  Hobbys. 

The  hall,  which  was  beautifully  restored  in  1859,  has  a  fine 
ancient  lancet  window  of  three  lights  at  one  end,  and  a  dark  oak 
gallery  at  the  other.  "  Here  is  a  picture  of  Lady  Hobby,  with  a 
very  white  face  and  hands,  dressed  in  the  coif,  weeds,  and  wimple 
then  allowed  to  a  baronet's  widow.  In  this  dress  she  is  still  sup- 
posed to  haunt  a  bedroom,  where  she  appears  with  a  self-supported 
basin  moving  before  her,  in  which  she  is  perpetually  trying  to  wash 
her  hands.  The  legend  is  that  because  her  child,  William  Hobby, 
could  not  write  without  making  blots,  she  beat  him  to  death.  It  is 
remarkable  that  twenty  years  ago,  in  altering  the  window  shutter,  a 
quantity  of  children's  copy-books  of  the  time  of  Elizabeth  were  dis- 
covered, pushed  into  the  rubble  between  the  joists  of  the  floor,  and 
that  one  of  these  was  a  copy-book  which  answered  exactly  to  the 
story,  as  if  the  child  could  not  write  a  single  line  without  a  blot." 

Behind  the  tapestry  in  one  of  the  bedrooms  a  secret  room  was 
discovered  with  a  fireplace,  the  chimney  of  which  is  curiously  con- 
nected with  that  of  the  hall,  for  the  sake  of  concealing  the  smoke. 

According  to  tradition,  Montacute,  Earl  of  Salisbury,  was  going 
to  the  Crusades.  He  came  with  all  his  train  for  last  prayers  at  the 
abbey  he  had  founded ;  and  his  daughter,  then  at  the  convent  at 
Marlow,  came  hither  with  all  her  nuns  to  meet  him.  A  squire  who 
had  been  in  love  with  her  before,  seized  the  opportunity  for  elope- 
ment, and  they  escaped  in  a  boat,  but  were  taken  at  Marlow.  She 
was  sent  back  to  her  convent  and  he  was  shut  up  in  the  tower, 
whence  he  tried  to  escape  by  means  of  a  rope  which  he  made  from 
his  clothes  torn  into  shreds.  The  rope  broke  and  he  was  dreadfully 
injured,  and  was  taken  into  the  abbey,  where  he  afterwards  became 
gmonk. 


7t 

Engelfield  Manor. 

Engelficld,  in  Berkshire,  six  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Reading,  a 
little  to  the  north  of  the  Bath  road,  from  which  it  appears  a  con- 
spicuous object,  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  interesting  manorial 
residences  in  England,  and  was  the  seat  of  a  Berkshire  family  who 
claimed  to  have  been  settled  for  two  centuries  and  a  half  before  the 
Norman  Conquest  in  the  place  which  still  bears  their  name,  and  to 
have  enjoyed  an  uninterrupted  possession  of  the  soil  for  seven  hun- 
dred years.  Here,  in  871,  the  battle  of  CEscendun  was  fought  be- 
tween the  Saxons  under  Ethelwulf,  alderman  of  Berkshire,  and  the 
piratical  Danes.  A  lofty  spirit  seems  to  have  inspired  the  defen- 
ders of  their  homes,  and  Ethelwulf  added  a  sublime  confidence  to 
their  bravery  and  heart  for  the  fight  when,  addressing  them,  he 
said,  "  Though  the  Danes  attack  us  with  the  advantage  of  more 
men,  we  may  despise  them,  for  our  commander,  Christ,  is  braver 
than  they."  In  the  conflict  the  Pagans  were  defeated,  and  two  of 
their  great  sea-earls,  who  were  more  accustomed  to  the  deck  than 
to  the  saddle,  were  unhorsed  and  slain. 

According  to  Camden,  the  ancient  family  of  the  Engelfields  was 
surnamed  from  the  town  of  Engelfield,  of  which  place  they  are  said 
to  have  been  proprietors  as  early  as  the  second  year  of  King  Egbert 
— i.e.,  A.D.  803.  Haseulf  di  Engelfyld  is  mentioned  in  several  pedi- 
grees as  lord  of  the  manor  aboilt  the  time  of  Canute,  and  again  in 
the  reign  of  Hardicanute.  He  died  in  the  time  of  Edward  the 
Confessor.  Guy  de  Engelfyld,  son  and  heir  of  Haseulf,  flourished 
in  the  time  of  William  the  Conqueror.  His  grandson  gave  the 
parsonage  of  Engelfield  to  the  abbey  of  Reading  in  the  reign  of 
Henry  I. — the  gift  being  confirmed  by  charter  of  King  Henry  II. 
But  the  honours  of  the  Engelfields  under  Egbert,  or  Ethelwulf,  or 
Alfred,  concern  us  only  very  remotely ;  and  it  is  not  until  later  times 
that  the  public  transactions  of  this  famous  family  ha^•e  a  really 
living  interest  for  us.  Those  more  stirring  times  commenced  with 
the  year  1307.  That  year,  says  the  Earl  of  Carnarvon,  in  his 
pleasing  and  useful  "  Archaeology  of  Berkshire,"  was  the  last  in  the 
long  and  eventful  reign  of  Edward  I.,  who,  as  he  gave  by  his  politic 
foresight  an  early  impulse  to  commerce,  was  amongst  the  first  also 
to  mould  into  rude  but  real  form  that  parliamentary  system  which 
has  since  been  developed  into  those  mighty  proportions  which  we 
now  recognise  as  without  precedent  or  rival.  In  that  year  Sir 
Roger  of  Engelfield  was  duly  returned  to  Parliament  as  a  knight  of 


72  Engcljield  Manor, 

the  shire ;  but  in  those  days  service  in  the  Commons  House  was 
considered  less  as  an  honourable  than  a  burthensome  task,  to  which 
the  elected  member  yielded  with  so  much  reluctance,  that,  in  the 
words  of  a  modern  historian,  it  was  almost  as  difficult  to  execute  a 
Parliamentary  summons  in  parts  of  England,  as  it  has  been  of 
recent  times  to  effect  the  execution  of  a  writ  of  capias  in  the  county 
of  Galway ;  and  the  sheriff  was  sometimes  obliged  to  appeal  to  force 
to  prevent  the  flight  of  the  member  to  the  Chiltern  Hundreds  or  to 
some  other  place  of  refuge.  The  public  career  of  the  Engelfields, 
thus  begun  in  the  public  service  of  the  country,  extends  continu- 
ously onward  to  times  almost  recent.  Nicholas  Engelfield,  grand- 
son of  Sir  Roger,  was  comptroller  of  the  household  of  Richard  III. 
A  century  later  and  we  find  the  Engelfield  of  the  day  is  a  certain 
Thomas,  whom  we  discover  standing  among  kings  and  princes  on 
the  occasion  of  the  marriage  of  Prince  Arthur,  the  son  of 
Henry  VH.  and  the  unfortunate  Katherine  of  Aragon,  and  receiv- 
ing the  honour  of  his  knighthood  on  this  auspicious  day.  A  few 
years  afterwards  he  is  appointed  Speaker  of  the  first  of  those  im- 
portant Parliaments  which  legislated  during  the  reign  of  Henry 
Vni.  His  son,  another  Sir  Thomas,  still  maintained  the  position 
of  the  family  in  public  life  as  Justice  of  the  Common  Pleas,  but  in 
his  grandson  the  honours,  the  eminence,  and  the  prosperity  of  the 
family  attained  their  zenith. 

Sir  Francis  Engelfield  was  a  man  of  considerable  distinction  in 
his  time.  He  was  a  Privy  Councillor  under  Edward  VI.,  and  under 
Mary  he  united  to  that  duty  the  office  of  Master  of  the  Wards. 
But  Mary's  reign  soon  passed  away,  and  the  times  of  Elizabeth 
were  uncongenial  to  those  who  had  been  the  trusted  ministers  of 
her  sister.  Not  perhaps  that  there  was  any  substantial  difference 
between  the  loyalty  and  patriotism  of  Roman  Catholic  and  Protes- 
tant, but — setting  aside  the  controverted  question  as  to  the  religious 
faith  of  Lord  Howard  of  Effingham — when  the  Armada  appeared 
off  the  southern  coast  there  was  neither  doubt  or  division  in  the 
country,  and  national  honour  and  interests  were  equally  safe  in  the 
keeping  of  Roman  Catholic  or  of  Protestant.  But  Sir  Francis 
Engelfield  trod  a  more  slippery  and  dangerous  path  :  he  was  not 
only  devoted  to  the  Roman  Church,  but  he  was  a  zealous  adherent 
of  the  unfortunate  Mary  Queen  of  Scots.  In  the  sixth  of  Elizabeth 
he  was  indicted  in  the  King's  Bench  for  high  treason  committed  at 
Kemures,  in  partibus  iransmarinis^  and  outlawed.  He  was  subse- 
quently attainted  and  convicted  of  high  treason  at  the  parliameiU 


Eiigelfield  Manof.  73 

In  the  twenty-eighth  of  Elizabeth,  and  all  his  manors,  lands,  and 
vast  possessions  were  declared  forfeited  to  the  queen.  Sir  Francis, 
however,  had  by  indenture  of  the  1 8th  of  the  same  reign,  settled  his 
manor  and  estate  of  Engelfield  on  Francis  his  nephew,  with 
power  notwithstanding  of  revoking  his  grant,  if  he,  "  during  his 
natural  life,  should  deliver  or  tender  to  his  nephew  a  gold  ring/' 
"  With  intent,"  says  Burke,  "  to  make  void  the  uses  of  his  said 
settlement,  various  disputes  and  points  of  law  arose  whether  the  said 
manor  and  estate  of  Engelfield  were  forfeited  to  the  queen."  In 
order  to  settle  the  dispute  off-hand,  Elizabeth,  in  the  ensuing 
session,  had  a  special  act  passed,  establishing  the  forfeiture  of 
Engelfield  to  herself,  her  heirs  and  assigns  ;  and  backed  by  this 
enactment  she  came  upon  the  scene,  tendered  a  gold  ring  to  the 
nephew  of  Sir  Francis,  "  and  seized  and  confiscated  the  said  manor 
and  estate,  and  many  other  possessions."  He  withdrew  to  Spain, 
and  there  he  is  said  to  have  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  devot- 
ing the  wreck  of  his  fortunes  to  the  endowment  of  the  English 
College  at  Valladolid.  Strong  in  attachment  to  his  hereditary 
faith,  and  animated  perhaps  by  generous  impulse  in  the  cause  of  a 
lady  and  captive  sovereign,  we  may  not  lightly  pass  a  censure  upon 
him. 

By  the  ingenious  if  not  cunning  device  by  which  Elizabeth  confis- 
cated the  estates  of  the  Engelfields,  this  ancient  family  was  stripped 
of  an  inheritance  upon  which  they  had  flourished  for  780  years. 

Sir  Francis  Walsingham,  who,  curiously  enough,  was  afterwards 
the  chief  agent  in  threading  the  mysteries  of  Babington's  con- 
spiracy ;  who  sat  as  a  commissioner  at  Mary's  trial,  and  whose 
clerk  deciphered  the  secret  letter  on  which  the  verdict  was  supposed 
mainly  to  turn — then  became,  by  a  grant  from  the  Crown,  the 
owner  of  Engelfield.  Soon,  however,  the  property  passed  to  the 
Powlets,  and  after  Loyalty  House  was  burnt  to  the  ground  by 
Cromwell  and  his  Ironsides,  its  possessor.  Lord  Winchester,  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life  at  the  old  seat  of  the  Engelfields,  and  hes 
buried  in  the  parish  church.  Anne,  daughter  and  sole  heir  of  Lord 
Francis  Powlet,  only  surviving  son  of  the  Marquis  by  his  second 
wife,  brought  this  estate  to  the  Rev.  Nathan  Wright,  younger  son 
of  the  Lord  Keeper.  On  the  death  of  his  son  Nathan,  in  1789, 
Engelfield  devolved  to  the  late  Richard  Benyon,  by  the  widow  of 
Powlet  Wright,  elder  brother  of  the  last  mentioned  Nathan.  In 
the  possession  of  the  Benyons  the  estate  remains  to  the  present 
day. 


74  Bngelfield  MandK 

WHiat  manner  of  structure  Engelfield  House  was  in  the  early 
Saxon  and  Norman  periods  we  can  only  conjecture.  It  is  only 
natural,  however,  to  suppose  that  when  the  Engelfields  themselves 
became  aggrandized,  as  in  the  days  of  the  Tudors,  the  old  house, 
whatever  may  have  been  its  excellences  or  its  archaeological 
interest,  would  be  taken  down  and  a  new  mansion  erected.  The 
house  is  a  Tudor  building,  and  was  quaintly  described  in  1663  as  a 
*'  well-seated  palace,  with  a  wood  at  its  back,  like  a  mantle  about  a 
coat  of  arms."  Its  chief  features  are  a  series  of  projecting  bays,  a 
central  tower,  and  fine  stone  terraces  leading  to  gardens,  &c. 

In  the  Park,  which  abounds  in  deer,  is  the  little  church  con- 
taining a  number  of  noteworthy  monuments.  The  north  aisle  of 
the  chancel  was  built  as  a  burial-place  for  the  Engelfield  family  in 
15 14,  and  here  the  greater  number  of  the  Engelfield  monuments  and 
inscriptions  are  to  be  seen.  Here  was  buried,  in  1780,  Sir  Henry 
Engelfield,  with  whose  son.  Sir  Henry  Charles  Engelfield,  the  title 
became  extinct  In  the  south  wall  of  the  south  aisle  of  the  church, 
under  an  obtuse,  is  the  effigy  of  a  crusader  cut  in  stone — 
doubtless,  one  of  the  early  Engelfields.  Under  a  similar  arch  is 
the  effigy  of  a  lady,  carved  in  wood,  in  the  dress  of  the  early  part 
of  the  fourteenth  century.  It  appears  to  have  been  painted 
originally.  But  the  most  noteworthy  monument  is  that  of  John, 
Marquis  of  Winchester,  who  defended  Basing  House  against  the 
Parliamentary  army  ;  he  died  in  1674.  The  following  fine  lines  by 
Dryden  are  inscribed  on  the  monument  : — 

•'  He  who  in  impious  times  undaunted  stood, 
And  midst  rebellion  durst  be  just  and  good  : 
Whose  arms  asserted,  and  whose  sufferings  more 
Confirmed  the  cause  for  which  he  fought  before, 
Rests  here,  rewarded  by  an  Heavenly  Prince 
For  what  his  earthly  could  not  recomijcnse  ; 
Pray,  reader,  that  such  times  no  more  appear, 
Or,  if  they  happen,  learn  true  honour  here. 
Ask  of  this  age's  faith  and  loyalty 
Which  to  preser\'e  them.  Heaven  confined  in  thee, 
Few  subjects  could  a  king  like  thine  deserve  ; 
And  fewer  such  a  king  so  well  could  serve. 
Blest  king,  blest  subject  whose  exalted  state 
By  sufferings  rose  and  gave  the  law  to  fate  ! 
Such  souls  are  rare,  but  mighty  patterns  given 
To  earth,  and  meant  for  ornaments  to  heaven," 


75 


White  Horse  Hill — Battle  of  Ashdown— Scouring  of 
the  White  Horse. 

White  Horse  Hill,  a  bold  eminence  of  the  chalk-hills  of  Berk- 
shire, about  ten  miles  north  of  Hungerford,  and  over  twenty  miles 
west  north-west  of  Reading,  rises  to  the  height  of  nine  hundred 
feet  above  sea-level.  It  is  the  highest  point  of  the  hill  district, 
which  extends  right  across  this  county  from  Lambourne  and  Ash- 
down  on  the  west  to  Streatley  on  the  east.  Its  summit  is  a  magni- 
ficent Roman  camp,  with  gates,  and  ditch,  and  mound  all  as 
complete  as  it  was  after  the  strong  old  legions  left  it.  This  summit, 
from  which  it  is  said  eleven  counties  can  be  seen,  is  a  table-land  of 
from  twelve  to  fourteen  acres  in  extent.  This  table-land  the 
Romans  deeply  trenched,  and  on  its  surface  they  planted  their 
camp.  On  either  side  of  White  Horse  Hill  the  Romans  built  a 
great  road  called  the  "  Ridgway "  (the  Rudge  it  is  called  by  the 
country  folk)  straight  along  the  highest  back  of  the  hills  to  east 
and  west.  Leaving  the  camp  and  descending  westward  the  visitor 
finds  himself  on  sacred  ground— on  the  field  of  the  battle  of  Ash- 
down  (the  CEscendun  of  the  chroniclers)  where  Alfred  broke  the 
Danish  power  and  made  England  a  Christian  land.  There  is  a 
curious  story  told  of  why  the  Danes  came  over  here :  the  following  is 
the  version  of  it  given  pretty  much  as  it  is  told  by  the  chronicler 
John  Brompton  : — 

There  was  a  man  of  royal  birth,  in  the  kingdom  of  Denmark, 
named  Lodbroc,  who  had  two  sons,  Hungnar  and  Hubba.  This  man 
embarked  one  day  with  his  hawk  in  a  small  boat  to  catch  ducks 
and  other  wild  fowl  on  the  adjoining  sea-coast  and  islands.  A 
terrible  storm  arose  by  which  Lodbroc  was  carried  away  and  tossed 
for  several  days  on  every  part  of  the  ocean.  After  numberless 
perils  he  was  cast  ashore  on  the  coast  of  Norfolk,  where  he  was 
found  with  his  hawk,  and  presented  to  King  Edmund.  That  king, 
struck  with  the  manliness  of  his  form,  kept  him  at  his  court  and 
heard  from  his  own  mouth  the  history  of  his  adventures.  He  was 
there  associated  with  Berne,  the  king's  huntsman,  and  indulged  in 
all  the  pleasures  of  the  chase — for  in  the  exercise  of  both  hunting 
and  hawking  he  was  remarkably  skilful,  and  succeeded  in  capturing 
both  birds  and  beasts  according  as  he  had  a  mind.  In  fact  Lodbroc 
was  the  sort  of  man  to  please  King  Edmund;  for  the  art  of  captur- 
ing birds  and  beasts  was  next  to  the  art  of  fighting  for  one's  home 


76  lV/r:fe  Horse  Hill. 

and  country,  the  art  most  esteemed  by  the  Anglo-Saxons,  who 
acknowledged  that  skill  and  good  fortune  in  this  art  as  in  all  others 
are  among  the  gifts  of  God.  The  skill  of  Lodbroc  bred  jealousy 
in  the  heart  of  Berne,  the  huntsman,  who,  one  day,  as  they  went 
out  together  hunting,  set  upon  Lodbroc,  and  having  foully  slain 
him,  buried  his  body  in  the  thickets  of  the  forest.  But  Lodbroc 
had  a  small  harrier  dog,  which  he  had  bred  up  from  its  birth, 
and  which  loved  him  much.  While  Berne,  the  huntsman,  went 
home  with  the  other  hounds,  this  little  dog  remained  alone  with  his 
master's  body.  In  the  morning  the  king  asked  what  had  become 
of  Lodbroc,  to  which  Berne  answered,  that  he  had  parted  from  him 
yesterday  in  the  woods  and  had  not  seen  him  since.  At  that 
moment  the  harrier  came  into  the  hall  and  went  round  wagging  its 
tail,  and  fawning  on  the  whole  company,  but  especially  on  the 
king;  when  he  had  eaten  his  fill  he  again  left  the  hall.  This 
happened  often ;  until  some  one  at  last  followed  the  dog  to  see 
where  he  went,  and  having  found  the  body  of  the  murdered 
Lodbroc,  came  and  told  the  story  to  the  king.  The  affair  was 
now  carefully  inquired  into,  and  when  the  truth  was  found  out,  the 
huntsman  was  exposed  on  the  sea  without  oars,  in  the  boat  which 
had  belonged  to  Lodbroc.  In  some  days  he  was  cast  ashore  in 
Denmark  and  brought  before  the  sons  of  Lodbroc,  who,  putting 
him  to  the  torture,  inquired  of  him  what  had  become  of  their  father, 
to  whom  they  knew  the  boat  belonged.  To  this,  Berne  answered, 
like  the  false  man  he  was,  that  their  father  Lodbroc  had  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  Edmund,  King  of  East  Anglia,  by  whose  orders 
he  had  been  put  to  death. 

When  Hungnar  and  Hubba  heard  the  tale  of  Berne  the  hunts- 
man, they,  like  good  and  true  sons,  according  to  the  notions  of 
piety  then  current  among  the  Danes,  hastened  to  fit  out  a  fleet  to 
invade  England  and  avenge  their  father,  and  their  twin  sisters  wove 
for  them  the  standard,  called  the  Raven,  in  one  day — which  flag 
waved  over  many  a  bloody  field  from  Northumbria  to  Devonshire, 
until  it  was  taken  by  King  Alfred's  men.  It  was  said  that  when 
the  Danes  were  about  to  gain  a  battle,  a  live  crow  would  fly  before 
the  middle  of  the  standard ;  but  if  they  were  to  be  beaten  it  would 
hang  motionless. 

So  Hungnar  and  Hubba  landed  in  the  country  of  the  East  Angles, 
and  wintered  there  ;  but  in  the  spring  of  the  year  867  they  crossed 
the  Humber,  marched  hastily  upon  York,  and  took  it.  The  king- 
dom of  Northumbria  was  just  the  place  for  the  army  of  Pagans  and 


White  Horse  Hill.  77 

the  Standard  Raven  at  this  time  ;  for  it  was  divided  against  itself. 
The  Northumbrians  marched  to  York  to  avenge  the  insult,  and  a 
most  bloody  battle  took  place  within  the  walls  of  the  ancient  city. 

In  the  winter  of  869,  large  reinforcements  from  Denmark,  under 
King  Bcegseeg  and  King  Halfdane,  came  over  the  sea  to  the  Danes, 
and  these  having  now  stripped  Northumbria  of  all  its  spoils  rose  up 
and  marched  fearlessly  down  upon  King  Edmund's  country  of 
East  Anglia.  King  Edmund  was  not  the  man  to  see  the  desolation 
of  any  part  of  his  people,  or  to  shut  himself  up  in  fenced  cities, 
while  the  Pagan  cavalry  rode  through  East  Anglia  ;  so  he  gathered 
his  men  together,  and  in  the  words  of  the  old  chronicler,  "fought 
fiercely  and  manfully  against  the  army.  But  because  the  merciful 
God  foreknew  that  he  was  to  arrive  at  the  crown  of  martyrdom,  he 
there  fell  gloriously."  Hungnar  and  Hubba  took  the  wounded 
King  on  the  field  of  battle,  and  tied  him  to  a  tree,  because  he 
chose  to  die  sooner  than  give  over  his  people  to  them,  and  there  shot 
him  through  the  body  with  their  arrows.  But  his  people  got  his 
body,  and  buried  it  at  a  place  named  after  him,  St.  Edmund's  B.iry. 

And  now  the  Pagan  kings,  with  a  new  army,  very  great,  like  a 
flowing  river  which  carries  all  along  with  it,  having  doubtless  been 
reinforced  again  from  over  the  sea  when  the  story  of  their  victories 
had  spread  far  and  wide,  were  looking  about  for  some  new  field  for 
plunder  and  murder.  The  whole  north  and  east  of  England  was 
a  desolate  waste  behind  them,  London  was  in  ruins,  and  Kent  had 
been  harried  over  and  over  again  by  their  brethren  the  sea-kings. 
But  some  thirty  miles  up  the  Thames  was  a  fine  kingdom,  stretch- 
ing far  away  west,  down  to  the  distant  sea.  This  was  Wessex,  the 
kingdom  of  the  West  Angles,  over  which  Ethelred,  the  brother  of 
Alfred,  was  now  ruling. 

It  was  just  a  thousand  and  one  years  ago  that  the  Danes  (in  an 
early  month  of  the  year  871)  marched  up  the  Thames  with  their 
usual  swiftness,  and  seized  on  Reading,  then  the  easternmost  city 
in  Wessex.  A  day  or  two  after  they  had  taken  the  town  they  began 
scouring  the  country  for  plunder. 

But  the  men  of  Wessex  were  numerous  and  valiant,  and  their 
leader,  Ethelwx)lf,  Alderman  of  Berkshire,  was  a  man  "  who  raged 
as  a  lion  in  battle."  So  Ethelwolf,  with  as  many  men  as  he  could 
assemble,  fought  the  Pagans  at  Englefield  and  defeated  them  with 
great  loss. 

Within  the  next  three  days  King  Ethelred  and  his  brother  Alfred 
came  up  from  the  west,  caqh  leading  a  strong  band  of  West  Saxoo 


7S  IVh'U  Horse  Hill 

warriors,  and  joined  Ethehvolf.  On  the  fourth  day  they  attacked 
the  Pagans  at  Reading.  But  after  a  terrific  combat  in  which  there 
was  great  slaughter  on  both  sides,  the  Pagans  succeeded  in  retain- 
ing their  position,  while  the  Wessexmen  were  obliged  to  fall  back 
with  their  king  along  the  line  of  chalk  hills  to  the  neighbourhood 
of  White  Horse  Hill. 

But  every  mile  of  retreat  strengthened  the  forces  of  Ethelred  and 
Alfred,  for  fresh  bands  of  men  were  continually  coming  up  from 
the  rear.  At  length,  deeming  themselves  strong  enough,  Ethelred 
and  Alfred  turned  to  bay  at  Ashdown,  and  drew  up  their  men  ia 
order  of  battle. 

It  was  about  four  days  after  the  battle  of  Reading  that  King 
Ethelred  and  his  brother  Alfred,  afterwards  known  as  the  Great 
King,  fought  against  the  whole  army  of  Pagans  at  Ashdown,  under 
the  shadow  of  White  Horse  HilL  It  was  determined  that  King 
Ethelred  with  his  men  should  attack  the  two  Pagan  kings,  but  that 
Alfred  with  his  men  should  take  the  chance  of  war  against  the 
Danish  earls,  who  were  second  in  command  after  the  kings.  Things 
being  so  settled  Ethelred  remained  a  long  time  in  prayer,  hearing 
mass,  and  said  he  would  not  leave  it  till  the  priest  had  done, 
nor  abandon  the  protection  of  God  for  that  of  man.  But  the 
Pagans  came  up  quickly  to  the  fight.  "  Then  Alfred,"  continues 
the  chronicler,  "  though  holding  a  lower  authority,  as  I  have  been 
told  by  those  who  were  there,  and  would  not  lie,  could  no  longer 
support  the  troops  of  the  enemy  unless  he  retreated  or  charged 
upon  them  without  waiting  for  his  brother  :  so  he  marched  out 
promptly  with  his  men  and  gave  battle.  The  Pagans  occupied  the 
higher  ground,  and  the  Christians  came  up  from  below.  There  was 
also  in  that  place  a  single  stunted  thorn-tree,  which  I  myself  have 
seen  with  my  own  eyes.  Around  this  tree  the  opposing  hosts  came 
together  with  loud  shouts  from  all  sides.  In  the  midst  of  the  fight, 
and  when  Alfred  was  hard  pressed,  the  king  came  up  with  his  fresh 
forces.  And  when  both  hosts  had  fought  long  and  bravely,  at  last 
the  Pagans,  by  God's  judgment,  could  no  longer  bear  the  attack  of 
the  Christians,  and  having  lost  great  part  of  their  men  took  to  a 
disgraceful  flight,  and  continued  that  flight  not  only  through  all  the 
dead  hours  of  the  night,  but  during  the  following  day,  until  they 
reached  the  stronghold  which  they  had  left  on  such  a  fniitless 
mission.  The  Christians  followed,  slaying  all  they  could  reach, 
until  it  became  dark.  The  flower  of  the  Pagan  youth  were  there 
slain,  so  that  neither  before  nor  since  was  ever  such  destruction 
known  since  the  Saxons  first  gained  Britain  by  their  arms." 


IV/dfe  Horse  HifL  ;9 

"This  year,  871,"  says  T.  Hughes,  himself  a  Berkshire  man,  and 
the  well-known  describer  of  the  "  Scouring  of  the  White  Horse, ' 
**  is  a  year  for  Berkshire  men  to  be  proud  of,  for  on  them  fall  the 
brunt  of  that  fiery  trial ;  and  their  gallant  stand  probably  saved 
England  a  hundred  years  of  Paganism.  For  had  they  given  way  at 
Ashdown,  and  the  reinforcements  from  over  the  sea  come  to  a  con- 
quering instead  of  a  beaten  army  in  the  summer-time,  there  was 
nothing  to  stop  the  Pagans  between  Reading  and  Exeter.  Alfred 
fought  eight  other  battles  in  this  year  against  the  Danes.  But  they 
were  mere  skirmishes  compared  with  the  deadly  struggle  at  Ashdown. 
Alfred  felt  that  this  great  victory  was  the  crowning  mercy  of  his 
life,  and  in  memory  of  it  he  caused  his  army  (tradition  says  on  the 
day  after  the  battle)  to  carve  the  White  Horse,  the  standard  of 
Hingist,  on  the  hill-side  just  under  the  castle,  where  it  stands  as  you 
see  until  this  day." 

"  Right  down  below  the  White  Horse,"  says  Mr.  Hughes  in  his 
**  Tom  Brown's  School  Days,"  "  is  a  curious  broad  and  deep 
gulley  called  *  The  Manger,'  into  one  side  of  which  the  hills  fall 
with  a  series  of  the  most  lovely  sweeping  curves,  known  as  the 
*  Giant's  Stairs  ;'  they  are  not  a  bit  like  stairs,  but  I  never  saw  any- 
thing like  them  anywhere  else,  with  their  short  green  turf  and  tender 
bluebells  and  gossamer  and  thistle-down  gleaming  in  the  sun,  and 
the  sheep  paths  running  along  their  sides  like  ruled  lines." 

The  other  side  of  the  *'  Manger "  is  formed  by  the  Dragon's 
Hill,  a  curious  little,  round,  self-asserting  projection,  thrown  forward 
from  the  main  range  of  hills,  and  having  no  similar  natural  feature 
in  its  vicinity.  On  this  hill  some  deliverer  of  his  country,  St. 
George,  or  King  George,  the  country  people  say,  slew  a  dragon. 
The  essential  meaning  of  the  legend  has  long  ago  been  lost.  The 
track  where  the  blood  of  the  monster  ran  down  is  still  pointed  out, 
and  the  clenching  statement  is  added  that  from  that  day  to  this  no 
grass  has  ever  grown  where  the  blood  of  the  enemy  of  mankind 
ran.  It  remains  a  puzzle,  however,  that  the  track  taken  by  the 
blood  in  coming  down  the  hill  is  the  way  which  visitors  find  easiest 
in  ascending  it. 

The  famous  figure  of  the  White  Horse,  cut  out  of  the  turf  of  White 
Horse  Hill,  can  be  seen  from  a  great  distance,  but  is  not  always 
seen  to  the  same  advantage.  After  a  lapse  of  bad  weather  the  horse 
gets  out  of  condition,  and  is  only  brought  into  proper  form  by  being 
"  scoured."  Wise,  one  of  the  old  topographical  writers,  thus  speaks 
of  it  after  having  suffered  from  exceptional  weather  : — "  When  I  saw 
**the  heiid  bad  suffered  a  little  and  wantei  reparation,  and  the  ex- 


So  White  Horse  Hill. 

tremities  of  his  hinder  legs,  from  their  unavoidable  situation,  have 
by  the  fall  of  rains  been  filled  up  in  some  measure  with  the  washings 
from  the  upper  parts  ;  so  that,  in  the  nearest  view  of  him,  the  tail, 
which  does  not  suffer  the  same  mconvenience,  and  has  continued 
entire  from  the  beginning,  seems  longer  than  the  legs.  The  supplies 
which  nature  is  continually  offering  occasion  the  turf  to  crumble 
and  fall  off  into  the  white  trench  and  not  a  little  obscures  the  bright- 
ness of  the  horse ;  though  there  is  no  danger  from  hence  of  the 
whole  figure  being  obliterated,  for  the  inhabitants  have  a  custom 
of  '  scouring  the  horse'  as  they  called  it ;  at  which  time  a  solemn 
festival  is  celebrated,  and  manlike  games,  with  prizes,  exhibited, 
which  no  doubt  had  their  original  in  Saxon  times  in  memory  of 
the  victory." 

The  ceremony  of  scouring  the  horse,  from  time  immemorial,  has 
been  solemnized  by  a  numerous  concourse  of  people  from  all  the 
villages  round  about.  The  White  Horse  is  in  the  manor  of  Uffing- 
ton,  yet  other  towns  claim,  by  ancient  custom,  a  share  of  the  duty 
upon  this  occasion. 

The  figure  of  the  White  Horse  is  374  feet  long.  It  has  been  said 
that  lands  in  the  neighbourhood  were  held  formerly  by  the  tenure 
of  cleaning  the  White  Horse  by  cutting  away  the  turf  so  as  to 
render  the  figure  more  visible ;  but  what  is  certain  is,  that  the  neigh- 
bouring inhabitants  had  an  ancient  custom  of  assembling  for  this 
purpose.  On  these  occasions  they  are  entertained  (while  with  pick 
and  shovel  and  broom  they  render  more  distinct  the  form  of  the 
thousand-year-old  horse)  at  the  expense  of  the  lord  of  the  manor. 
The  custom  of  scouring  was  formerly  an  annual  one ;  but  it  was 
suspended  in  1780,  only,  however,  to  be  renewed  with  great  pomp 
and  much  rejoicing,  as  well  as  with  a  good  chance  of  being  con- 
tinued periodically,  on  the  17th  and  i8th  September,  1857. 

Passing  along  the  Ridgeway  to  the  west  for  about  a  mile  from 
the  hill,  an  old  "  cromlech" — a  huge  flat  stone  raised  on  seven  or 
eight  others — is  seen.  A  path  leads  up  to  it,  and  large  single  stones 
are  set  up  on  each  side  of  it.  This  is  traditionally  known  as  Way- 
land  Smith's  Cave.  It  stands  on  ground  slightly  raised,  and  at 
certain  seasons  has  a  weird  look,  from  the  mysterious  character  of 
the  structure  itself,  from  the  loneliness  of  its  situation,  and  from 
the  wind-stricken  trees  near  it,  which  heighten  the  effect  of  deso- 
lation and  devastation.  The  origin  of  the  cave  is  wrapped  in 
mystery.  It  is  supposed  by  some  to  be  Danish,  and  that  it  was  the 
burial-place  of  King  Boegseeg,  slain  at  the  battle  of  CEscendun. 


White  Horse  Hill.  8 1 

Lysons  suggests  that  the  origin  is  British.  In  the  Earl  of  Car- 
narvon's '' Archseology  of  Berkshire,"  the  following  on  this  topic 
occurs  : — "  What  shall  we  say  of  the  wild  legends  of  Wayland 
Smith,  which  it  will  be  our  duty  to  examine  and  discuss  ?  And  first, 
by  what  name  shall  we  know  him  ?  Shall  it  be  Weland,  who,  in 
Scandinavian  lore,  plays  the  part  which  is  assigned  to  the  old  fire- 
god,  'U^ai(TTos,  in  the  classic  tales  of  Greece,  who  learnt  the  art  of 
working  metal  from  the  dwarfs,  the  supernatural  indwellers  of  the 
mountain — the  same,  perhaps,  as  they  who,  in  another  northern 
tale,  wrought  the  famous  sword  of  Tirfing,  which  was  doomed  to 
accomplish  three  of  the  most  disgraceful  acts — who  forges  the 
breastplates  and  the  arms  of  the  heroes  ?  Or  shall  we  call  him  by 
his  French  and  Mediaeval  name  of  Ealand  ? — Ealand,  who  enters 
into  every  tale  of  love  and  war  and  adventure,  who  tempered  the 
blade  of  Sir  Gawaine  of  the  Round  Table,  and  who  wrought  the 
famous  blade  with  which  Charlemagne  hewed  his  way  through  the 
ranks  of  paynimry  ?  ....  Or  shall  we  view  him  by  the  light  of 
Anglo-Saxon  legend,  as  Wayland  Smith,  the  cunning  goldsmith,  the 
magical  farrier,  whose  name  still  lives  in  the  stories  of  the  White 
Horse  Hills,  and  whose  cave  has  been  consecrated  by  the  genius  of 
Sir  Walter  Scott?"  In  a  note  to  " Kenilworth,"  Sir  Walter  Scott 
says  the  popular  belief  still  retains  memory  of  this  wild  legend, 
which,  connected  as  it  is  with  the  site  of  a  Danish  sepulchre,  may 
have  arisen  from  some  legend  concerning  the  northern  Duergar, 
who  resided  in  the  rocks  and  were  cunning  workers  in  steel  and 
iron.  It  was  believed  that  Wayland  Smith's  fee  was  sixpence,  and 
that,  unlike  other  workmen,  he  was  offended  if  more  was  offered. 
Of  late  his  offices  have  been  again  called  to  memory  ;  but  fiction 
has  in  this,  as  in  other  cases,  taken  the  liberty  to  pillage  the  stores 
of  oral  tradition.  This  m.onument  must  be  very  ancient,  for  it  has 
been  pointed  out  that  it  is  referred  to  in  an  ancient  Saxon  charter 
as  a  landmark.  The  monument  has  been  of  late  cleared  out  and 
made  considerably  more  conspicuous." 

BALLAD   OF  THE  SCOURING  OF  THE   WHITE   HORSE, 

"  The  owld  White  Horse  wants  zettin  to  rights  ; 
And  the  Squire  hev  promised  good  cheer, 
Zo  we'll  gee  un  a  scrape  to  kip  un  in  zhape, 
And  a'll  last  for  many  a  year. 

••  A  was  made  a  long,  long  time  ago, 
Wi'  a  good  dale  o'  labour  and  pains, 
By  King  Alfred  the  Great  when  he  spwiled  their  consafc, 
And  caddled  (worried)  thay  wosberds  (birds  of  woe)  the  Danes. 
•  *  G 


82  W/itU  Horse  HilL 

••  The  Bleawin  Stwun,  in  days  gone  by, 
Wur  King  Alfred's  bugle  harn, 
And  the  tharnin  tree  you  med  plainly  zeo 
As  is  called  King  Alfred's  Tharn. 

"  Ther'll  be  backsword  play  and  climmin'  the  pow 
And  a  race  for  a  peg  and  a  cheese  : 
And  us  thinks  as  hisn's  a  dummel  (dull)  zovl 
rf\5  dwoant  care  for  zich  spwoarts  as  th«^.:>c." 


83 


BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. 

Ashridge  House. 

At  a  short  distance  from  the  Berkhampstead  Station  of  the  London 
and  North- Western  Railway,  lies  the  magnificent  domain  of  Ashridge, 
which,  for  upwards  of  six  centuries  and  a  half  has  been  a  site  of  great 
interest.  It  is  an  extensive  pile  of  buildings,  as  large  as  half  a  dozen 
German  or  Italian  palaces ;  and  with  its  beautiful  church,  lovely 
gardens,  and  noble  avenues  of  beech  and  chestnut  trees,  forms  one  of 
those  pictui-es  of  combined  architectural  and  sylvan  picturesqueness, 
which  can  only  be  seen  to  perfection  in  England. 

The  present  mansion  was  built  between  1808  and  18 14,  on  the  site 
of  an  ancient  monastic  edifice,  parts  of  which  have  been  preserved  and 
incorporated  with  the  modern  edifice.  Its  principal  front  is  to  the 
north  ;  to  the  east  and  west  are  double  lines  of  stately  elms  and  limes, 
the  frontage  from  the  eastern  to  the  western  tower  extending  one 
thousand  feet.  The  spire  of  the  chapel,  with  the  embattled  tower  of 
the  mansion,  and  noble  Gothic  doorway,  with  large  oriel  windows, 
present  an  impressive  architectural  group.  The  entrance-hall  is 
separated  from  the  grand  staircase  by  a  rich  screen  of  arches  and  open 
galleries.  The  hall,  round  which  the  staircase  turns  in  double  flight,  is 
38  feet  square,  and  95  feet  high  ;  and  is  adorned  by  statues,  Gobelin 
tapestry,  armorial  bearings,  and  ancient  brasses.  A  magnificent  suite 
of  apartments,  each  50  feet  by  30,  extends  at  one  end  into  a  green- 
house and  orangery,  and  at  the  other  into  a  conservatory  ;  the  dining- 
room,  drawing-room,  and  library,  open  by  deep  oriel  windows  upon 
the  garden  lawn.  The  conservatory  again  opens  into  a  Gothic  chapel, 
with  windows  of  ancient  painted  glass  brought  from  the  Low 
Countries. 

The  historical  associations  of  Ashridge  render  it  doubly  attractive 
in  its  memorials  of  the  past.  On  going  over  it,  we  see  here  a  fine 
crypt,  there  a  stately  Gothic  doorway,  here  a  cloister,  there  a  monu- 
mental brass ;  here  the  arches  of  monkish  sepulture,  there  a  flourishing 
tree  planted  by  the  hand  of  Quetn  Elizabeth  ;  in  one  room  embroidery 
worked  by  the  maiden  Queen,  when  she  was  residing  in  "  the  Old 


84  Ashrid^^c  House, 

House;'*  and  in  another  apartment  the  portrait  of  **the  Lady"  for 
whom  Milton  wrote  his  Comus, 

The  monastic  history  of  Ashridge  may  be  thus  briefly  told.  About 
the  year  1221,  there  came  over  to  England  an  order  of  preaching 
friars,  nearly  allied  to  the  Albigenses.  Edmund,  Earl  of  Cornwall, 
a  grandson  of  King  John,  founded  at  Ashridge  an  Abbey  for  an 
order  of  these  friars,  called  Bonhommes,  which  edifice  was  completed 
in  1285.  The  statutes  and  ordinances  of  this  College  are  still  pre- 
served among  the  family  papers  at  Ashridge:  and  an  epitaph  written 
by  one  of  the  monks  is  still  extant,  for  the  tomb  of  the  founder,  who 
it  appears,  died  at  the  College.  Among  the  registers  are  entries  of 
donations  from  the  Black  Prince ;  with  many  curious  ordinances  and 
customs  of  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries.  One  of  the  last 
entries  in  the  register  refers  to  the  fall  of  the  College,  and  the  expulsion 
of  the  monks,  under  Henry  VIII.  After  relating  the  decapitation  of 
Anne  Boleyn,  the  writer  says,  in  Latin  :  "  In  this  year,  the  noble  house 
of  Ashridge  was  destroyed,  and  the  brethren  were  expelled."  He  adds, 
with  extreme  anger,  "  In  this  year  was  beheaded  that  great  heretic  and 
traitor,  Thomas  Cromwell,  who  was  the  cause  of  the  destruction  of 
all  the  religious  houses  in  England." 

After  the  dissolution  of  the  College,  Ashridge  became  a  royal  resi- 
dence; and  subsequently  to  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.,  was  given  to 
the  Princess  Elizabeth  by  her  brother,  Edward  VI.,  after  whose  death 
she  continued  to  occupy  Ashridge  during  the  reign  of  Queen  Mary. 
Letters  exist  in  the  British  Museum  from  her,  both  to  Edward  and 
Mary,  dated  from  Ashridge;  and  after  her  retirement  from  the  Court 
of  her  sister,  EHzabeth  resided  there  constantly,  until  she  was  suspected 
of  conniving  at  Sir  Thomas  Wyat's  rebellion.  Then  a  troop  of  horse 
was  dispatched  to  Ashridge;  and  although  she  was  confined  to  her 
bed  from  illness,  she  was  taken  prisoner  to  London.* 


*  Her  committal  to  the  Tower  is  related  in  vol.  i.  p.  24,  of  the  present 
work ;  but  the  following  additional  details  may  be  quoted  hero.  The 
Earl  of  Sussex  came  to  inform  her  that  she  must  go  to  the  Tower,  that 
the  tide  served,  and  the  barge  was  in  readiness.  In  great  distress  she  begged 
for  delay,  and  asked  peirnission  to  write  to  Mary,  whereupon  her  removal  was 
postponed,  but  next  day  being  Palm  Sunday,  that  she  might  be  taken  to  prison 
with  more  privacy,  it  was  directed  throughout  London  that  the  people  should 
all  repair  to  church  carrying  palms.  Thinking  every  hope  had  vanished,  Elizabeth 
followed  tlie  Earl  down  the  garden  to  the  barge.  '1  here  were  with  her  divers 
gentlewomen  and  lords,  but  in  passing  London  Bridge,  owing  to  the  great  fall 
of  water  at  half-tide,  the  whole  party  narrowly  escaped  with  their  lives.  When 
she  came  to  Traitors'  Gate  it  rained,  and  a  cloak  was  offered  her,  but  she 
angrily  refused,   adding  her  inemorAble  declaration  of  loyalty,  and  reliance 


Ashridge  House,  *S 

Among  the  family  archives  are  grants  of  various  portions  of  the 
domain  of  Ashridge  by  Elizabeth  to  different  persons ;  but,  before 
the  end  of  her  reign,  it  had  passed  into  the  possession  of  her  Lord 
Keeper  of  the  Great  Seal,  Thomas  Egerton,  Baron  ot  Ellesmere,  who 
was  afterwards  Lord  High  Chancellor  to  James  L  The  son  of  this 
Chancellor,  soon  after  the  death  of  his  father,  was  created  Earl  of 
Bridgewater ;  and  to  his  appointment  as  Lord  President  of  Wales,  we 
owe  Milton's  masque  of  Comus.  Lord  Bridgewater  had  been  long 
before  acquainted  with  the  great  Poet,  and  invited  him  to  join  the 
festivities  at  Ludlow  Castle  on  the  occasion  of  his  entering  upon  his 
new  duties.  Lady  Alice  Egedaa  -md  two  of  her  brothers,  on  coming 
to  join  their  father's  guests,  ajtc^r  having  visited  a  relation,  mistook 
their  road,  and  Lady  Alice  was  lost  for  some  time  in  a  wood.  This 
accident  furnished  Milton  with  the  subject  for  his  masque,  which  was 
performed  as  a  Michaelmas  festivity,  in  1643.* 

We  need  not  follow  the  history  of  Ashridge  through  the  successive 


upon  God.  Her  confinement  was  extremely  harsh.  Mass  was  forced  upon 
her  in  her  apartment,  and  she  was  not  allowed  to  take  exercise  in  the 
.  Queen's  garden.  A  little  boy  of  four  years  old,  who  was  wont  to  bring  her 
flowers,  was  strictly  examined,  with  promises  of  figs  and  apples,  and  was  asked 
who  had  sent  him  to  the  Princess,  and  whether  he  had  messages  for  her,  upon 
which  he  said,  "  I  will  go  to  the  Earl  of  Devonshire,  and  ask  what  he  would 
give  me  to  carry  to  her. "  Whereupon  the  Chancellor  said,  "This  same  is  a 
crafty  child."  "  Ay,  my  lord  (exclaimed  he),  but  pray  give  me  the  figs."  "  No, 
marry  (quoth  he) ;  you  shall  be  whipped  if  you  come  any  more  to  the  Lady 
Elizabeth."  On  her  release  from  the  Tower,  some  of  the  city  churches  rang 
their  bells  for  joy  of  her  deliverance,  and  there  is  a  tradition  that  when  she  be- 
came Queen,  she  presented  them  with  silk  bell-ropes,  and  on  inquiry  it  was 
found  that  some  silk  bell-ropes,  of  very  ancient  date,  were  preserved  in  the 
vestry  at  Aldgate.  Elizabeth  attended  service  at  the  church  of  Allhallows 
Staining,  Langbourne  Ward,  on  her  release  from  the  Tower,  and  dined  off  pork 
and  peas  after^vards,  at  the  King's  Head  in  Fenchurch-street,  where  the  metal 
dish  and  cover  she  is  said  to  have  used  is  still  preserved.  But  upon  inquiry  in 
the  neighbourhood,  we  learn  from  persons  likely  to  be  best  informed,  that 
no  relation  of  the  above  story  is  to  be  found  in  the  parish  records,  or  elsewhere ; 
nor  is  there  any  known  traditional  authority  for  it. 

*  Mr.  T.  F.  Dillon,  in  a  paper  read  by  him  to  the  British  Archaeological 
Association,  at  Ludlow,  in  1867,  recapitulates  well  known  facts  in  reference  to 
the  production  of  Comus,  and  thus  refers  to  some  of  its  localities  as 

"  The  perplexed  paths  of  this  drear  wood. 
The  nodding  horror  of  whose  shady  brows 
Threats  the  forlorn  and  wandering  passenger— 

in  which  spot,  mindful  of  Lady  Alice,  we  may  perchance  lose  oar 

unacquainted  feet 
In  the  blind  snares  of  this  tangled  wood. 

And  where  the  Lady  adds — 


S^  Borstall  Tower, 

Earls  and  Dukes  of  Bridgewater,  to  Viscount  Alford,  eldest  son  and 
heir  of  the  Earl  Brovvnlow,  to  whom  the  broad  lands  of  Ashridge  were 
bequeathed  by  the  last  Earl  of  Bridgewater.  At  one  time  this  exten- 
sive property  was  in  danger  of  being  convef'^ed  into  farms ;  when  the 
Duke  of  Bridgewater,  the  "  Father  of  Inland  Navigation,"  risked 
his  whole  fortune  upon  the  success  of  the  great  Canal  which  bears  his 
name.  But  the  good  conferred  upon  the  country  was  not  without  its 
due  reward ;  and  we  have  the  satisfaction  to  know  that  Lord  Alford 
followed  in  the  steps  of  his  great  predecessor,  establishing  schools  for 
the  children  of  the  poorer  classes  on  his  estates,  converting  the  peasants 
cottages  into  neat  and  comfortable  homes,  encouraging  industry  and 
orderly  habits,  and  thus  raising  the  moral  tone  and  physical  condition 
of  his  tenantry. 


Borstall  Tower. 

On  the  western  side  of  Buckinghamshire,  near  the  border  of  the 
county,  is  situated  this  fine  specimen  of  castellated  architecture  of  the 
best  period.  It  is  within  two  miles  of  Brill,  which  formed  part  of 
the  ancient  demesne  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  Kings,  who  had  a  palace 
there ;  and  a  close  near  the  church  at  Brill,  at  this  day  called  "  the 
King's  Field,"  is  reputed  to  have  been  the  site  of  the  palace.    Edwaid 


My  brothers,  when  they  saw  me  wearied  out 

With  the  long  way,  resolving  here  to  lodge 

Under  the  spreading  favour  of  these  pines, 

Stept,  as  they  said,  to  the  next  thicket  side 

To  bring  me  berries  or  such  cooling  fruit 

As  the  kind  hospitable  woods  provide. 

They  left  me  then,  when  the  gray  hooded  Ev'n 

Like  a  sad  votarist  in  palmer's  weed 

Rose  from  the  hindmost  wheels  of  Phoebus'  wain. 

Hut  where  they  are  and  why  they  came  not  back 

Is  now  the  labour  of  my  thoughts. 

We  would  there  picture  to  ourselves  '  the  tufted  grove,  over  which  a  sable  cloud 
turned  forth  her  silver  lining  on  the  night,*  and  we  would  note  'the  prosperous 
growth  of  this  tall  wood.'  We  would  point  to  that  which  may,  or  may  not, 
have  been  the  identical  grassy  turf'  on  which  the  lady  was  'left  weary.'  We 
tiiould  explore 

Each  lane  and  every  alley  green, 

Dingle,  or  bushy  dell  of  this  wild  wood, 

And  every  bosky  bourn  from  side  to  side  ; 

or,  •  in  this  close  dungeon  of  innumerous  boughs'  we  may  '  lean  against  the 
rugged  bark  of  some  broad  elm,'  and  so  conjure  up  the  stately  palace,  where 

Immur'd  in  cypress  shades  a  sorcerer  dwells. 
Of  Bacchus  and  of  Circe  bom.  great  Comus." 


Borstall  Tower.  ^7 

tnc  Confessor  frequently  retired  here  to  enjoy  hunting  in  Bernwood 
Forest,  which,  tradition  says,  was  about  that  time  infested  by  a  wild 
boar,  which  was  at  last  slain  by  a  huntsman  named  Nigel ;  to  whom,  in 
reward,  the  King  granted  some  lands,  to  be  held  by  cornage,  or  the 
sei*vice  of  a  horn  ;  a  mode  of  livery  which,  in  that  age,  was  not  un- 
common. On  the  land  thus  given  Nigel  erected  a  large  manor-house, 
and  named  it  Bore-stall,  or  Boar-stall,  in  remembrance  of  the  incident 
through  which  he  obtained  possession.  These  circumstances  are  cor- 
roborated by  various  transcripts  relating  to  the  manor,  which  are  con- 
tained in  a  manuscript  folio  volume,  composed  about  the  time  of 
Henry  VI.  It  has  also  a  rude  delineation  of  the  site  of  Borstall  House,' 
and  its  contiguous  grounds ;  beneath  which  is  the  figure  of  a  man  on 
one  knee,  presenting  a  boar's  head  to  the  King,  who  is  returning  him  a 
coat-of-arms. 

From  an  inquisition  taken  in  the  year  1265,  it  appears  that  Sir  John 
Fitz-Nigel,  or  Fitz-Neale,  then  held  a  hide  of  arable-land,  called  the 
Dere-hide,  at  Borstall,  and  a  wood,  called  Hull  Wood,  by  grand- 
serjeantry,  as  Keeper  of  the  forest  of  Bernwood ;  that  his  ancestors 
had  possessed  the  same  lands  and  office  prior  to  the  Conquest,  holding 
them  by  the  service  of  a  horn ;  and  that  they  had  been  unjustly  with- 
held by  the  family  of  De  Lazures,  of  whom  William  Fitz-Nigel,  father  of 
John,  had  been  obliged  to  purchase  them.  Prior  to  this,  William 
Fitz-Nigel  had  been  compelled  to  pay  King  John  eleven  marks  for  the 
enjoyment  of  his  father's  office,  and  for  liberty  to  marry  at  his  own 
pleasure. 

In  the  reign  of  Edward  I.  (1300)  John  Fitz-Nigel  gave  his  daughter 
in  marriage  to  John,  son  of  Richard  de  Handlo,  who,  by  this  match 
became  in  a  few  years  Lord  of  Borstall ;  and  in  13 12  (6th  Edward  II.) 
he  obtained  licence  from  the  King  to  fortify  his  mansion  at  Borstall, 
and  make  a  Castle  of  it.  In  1327  (2nd  Edward  III.)  the  said  John 
was  summoned  to  Parliament  as  a  baron  ;  but  his  son,  or  grandson, 
Edmund,  dying  in  his  minority,  in  1356,  this  estate  afterwards  passed, 
by  heirs  female,  into  the  families  of  De  la  Pole,  James,  Rede,  Dynham, 
Banistre,  Lewis,  and  Aubrey.  Bernwood  was  not  disafforested  until 
the  reign  of  James  I. 

Willis  called  Borstall  "a  noble  seat;"  and  Hearne  described  it  as 
**  an  old  house  moated  round,  and  every  way  fit  for  a  strong  garrison, 
with  a  tower  at  the  north  end,  much  like  a  small  castle."  This  tower, 
which  is  still  standing,  forms  the  gatehouse.  It  is  a  large  and  square 
massive  building,  with  a  square  embattled  turret  at  each  corner.  The 
entrance  was  across  ^  drawbridge,  and  under  a  massive  arch,  protected 


£8  Borstal  I  Toiven 

by  a  portcullis  and  door  strengthened  with  studs  and  plates  ot  iron. 
The  mansion  was  a  fortified  post  of  strength  and  importance,  especially 
in  situation,  about  half-way  between  Oxford  and  Aylesbury;  the 
latter  garrisoned  by  the  Parliament,  and  Oxford  being  the  King's 
chief  and  strongest  hold,  and  his  usual  place  of  residence  during  the 
Civil  Wars. 

Early  in  the  struggle,  Borstall  House,  then  belonging  to  Lady 
Dynham,  was  taken  possession  of  by  the  Royalists,  and  converted  into 
a  garrison ;  but  in  1 644,  when  it  was  decided  to  concentrate  the  King's 
forces,  Borstall  was  abandoned.  It  was  then  taken  by  Parliamentary 
troops  from  Aylesbuiy,  who  harassed  the  garrison  at  Oxford,  and 
seized  provisions  by  the  way.  It  was,  therefore,  determined  to  attempt 
the  recovery  of  Borstall ;  and  Colonel  Gage,  with  a  party  of  infantry, 
a  troop  of  horse,  and  three  pieces  of  cannon,  attacked  the  fortified 
house,  after  a  slight  resistance  gained  possession  of  the  church  and  out- 
buildings, and  battered  the  house  with  cannon.  It  at  once  surrendered, 
with  the  ammunition  and  provisions,  the  garrison  being  allowed  to 
depart  only  with  their  arms  and  horses.  Lady  Dynham  being  secretly 
on  the  side  of  the  Parliament,  stole  away  in  disguise. 

Next  year,  the  house  was  again  strongly  garrisoned  for  the  King, 
under  the  command  of  Sir  William  Campion,  who  was  ordered  "  to 
pull  down  the  church  and  other  adjacent  buildings,"  and  "  to  cut  down 
the  trees,  for  the  making  of  palisades  and  other  necessaries  for  use  and 
defence."  Sir  William  Campion  is  thought  to  have  demolished  the 
church-tower  for  this  purpose  ;  and  three  attempts  were  made  to  re- 
cover Borstall  from  the  Royalists.  In  1644  it  was  attacked  by  Sir 
William  Whalley,  and  by  General  Skippon  in  May,  1645,  unsuccess- 
fully. Anthony  Wood,  who  was  then  a  schoolboy  at  Thame,  de- 
scribes this  harassing  warfare.  One  day  a  body  of  Parliamentary 
troopers  rushed  close  past  the  Castle  whilst  the  gairison  were  at  dinner. 
On  another  occasion,  a  large  Parliamentary  party  at  Thame  was  attacked 
and  dispersed  by  the  Cavaliers  from  Oxford  and  Borstall,  who  took 
home  27  officers  and  200  soldiers  as  prisoners,  together  with  between 
200  and  300  horses.  Some  venison  pasties,  prepared  at  the  vicarage 
for  the  Parliamentary  soldiers,  fell  as  a  prize  to  the  schoolboys  in  the 
vicar's  care.  Meanwhile,  the  Bucks  peasantry  were  incessantly  terrified : 
labourers  were  forcibly  impressed  into  the  ganison;  farmers'  hci-ses 
and  carts  were  taken  for  service  without  remuneration ;  their  crops, 
cattle,  and  provender  carried  off;  gentlemen's  houses  were  plundered 
of  their  plate,  money,  and  provisions ;  hedges  were  torn  up,  trees 
cut  down,  and  the  country  laid  waste.     Nor  was  it  only  the  pro- 


Borsiall  Toiver.  ^9 

perty  of  the  peaceable  that  suffered  :  in  November,  1 645,  a  force  fi'om 
Borstal!  and  Oxford  made  a  rapid  expedition  through  Buckinghamshire, 
caiTying  away  with  them  several  of  the  principal  inhabitants,  whom 
they  detained  till  they  were  ransomed.  Dragoons  carried  off  persons, 
and  deprived  them  of  their  horses,  their  coats,  and  their  money.  We 
read  of  a  parson  being  brutally  treated  by  a  party  of  dragoons,  though 
,he  pleaded  that  he  was  a  clergyman,  a  prisoner,  and  disarmed ;  he  was 
stripped  of  his  hat  and  cap,  jerkin  and  boots,  and  so  severely  wounded 
in  one  of  his  arms,  that  it  was  necessary  to  amputate  it,  when  although 
he  was  sixty  years  old,  he  bore  the  loss  of  his  limb  with  incredible  re- 
solution and  courage. 

In  1646,  on  the  lothof  June,  Sir  William  Fairfax  again  attacked 
Borstall,  and  reduced  it,  after  an  investiture  of  eighteen  hours  only,  it 
being  surrendered  by  the  governor.  Sir  William  Campion.  He  is  de- 
scribed as  "a  little  man,  who  upon  some  occasion  lay  flat  on  the 
ground  on  his  belly,  to  write  a  letter,  or  bill,  or  the  form  of  a  pass." 
He  was  subsequently  slain  at  Colchester. 

Borstall  being  now  entirely  relinquished  by  the  Royalists,  was  taken 
possession  of  by  its  owner.  Lady  Dynham.  In  1 651,  Sir  Thomas 
Fanshawe,  who  had  been  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Worcester, 
was  brought  here  on  his  way  to  London.  Lady  Dynhara  received  him 
kindly,  and  would  have  given  him  all  the  money  she  had  in  the  house ; 
but  he  thanked  her,  and  told  her  that  he  had  been  so  ill  that  he  would 
not  tempt  his  governor  with  more,  "  but  that  if  she  v^^ould  give  him  a 
shirt  or  two,  and  a  few  handkerchiefs,  he  would  keep  them  as  long  as  he 
could  for  her  sake.  She  fetched  him  some  shifts  of  her  own,  and  some 
handkerchiefs,  saying,  that  she  was  ashamed  to  give  them  to  him,  but 
having  none  of  her  son's  shirts  at  home,  she  desired  him  to  wear  them." 

At  length,  peaceful  times  returned.  In  1668  Anthony  Wood  again 
visited  Borstall,  which  he  describes  as  quite  altered  since  he  was  there 
in  1646 :  "  for  whereas  then  it  was  a  gamson,  with  high  bulwarks  about 
it,  deep  trenches,  and  palisades,  now  it  had  pleasant  gardens  about  it, 

and  several  sets  of  trees  well  growne Between  nine  and  ten  of 

the  clock  at  night,  being  an  hour  or  two  after  supper,  there  was  seen  by 
them,  M.  H.  and  A.  W.,  and  those  of  the  family  of  Borstall,  a  Draco 
volans  fall  from  the  sky.  It  made  the  place  so  light  for  a  time,  that  a 
man  might  see  to  read.  It  seemed  to  A.  W.  to  be  as  long  as  All  Saints' 
steeple  at  Oxon,  being  long  and  narrow ;  and  when  it  came  to  the 
lower  region  it  vanished  into  sparkles,  and,  as  some  say,  gave  a  report. 
Great  rains  and  inundations  followed." 

Late  in  the  seventeenth  century,  Sir  John  Aubrey,  Bart.,  by  marriage, 


c,o  Stoke  PogeiSj  and  Lady  Hatton, 

became  possessed  of  Borstall ;  and  it  continued  to  be  the  property  and 
residence  of  his  descendants  till  it  ••'as  pulled  down  by  Sir  John  Aubrey, 
about  the  year  1783:  he  had  o'le  son,  bora  in  1771,  who  came  to  an 
eai*ly  and  melancholy  death.  When  about  five  yeai"s  old,  he  was 
attacked  with  some  slight  ailment,  for  which  his  nurse  had  to  give  him 
a  dose  of  medicine.  She  then  prepared  for  him  some  gruel,  which  he 
refused  to  take  saying  it  was  nasty.  She  then  sweetened  it,  and  he 
swallowed  it.  ^^''ithin  a  few  hours,  he  was  a  corpse  !  She  had  made  the 
gruel  of  oatmeal  with  which  arsenic  had  been  mixed  to  poison  rats. 
Thus  died,  January  2,  1777,  the  heir  of  Borstall,  and  of  all  his  father's 
possessions.  The  poor  nurse  became  distracted ;  the  mother  never 
recovered  the  shock,  and  within  a  year  died  of  grief,  at  the  early  age  of 
32.  Sir  John  Aubrey,  having  thus  lost  his  wife  and  child,  pulled  down 
the  house  in  which  they  died,  with  the  exception  of  the  turreted  gate- 
way, which  still  exists,  in  fair  preservation :  it  was  built  in  13 12,  by 
John  de  Handloo,  and  one  of  its  bay  windows  still  contains  part  of  the 
original  stained  glass,  particularly  an  escutcheon  of  the  De  Lazures  and 
the  De  Handloos. 

The  antique  horn,  said  to  be  the  identical  one  given  to  Nigel,  as 
already  mentioned,  has  descended  with  the  manor  of  Borstall,  and  is  still 
in  the  possession  of  the  present  proprietor.  This  horn  is  two  feet  four 
inches  long,  of  a  dark  brovra  colour,  resembling  tortoiseshell.  It  is 
tipped  at  each  end  with  silver-gilt,  and  fitted  with  a  leather  thong,  to 
hang  round  the  neck ;  to  this  thong  are  suspended  an  old  brass  ring 
bearing  the  rude  impression  of  a  horn,  a  brass  plate  with  a  small  horn 
of  brass  attached  to  it,  and  several  smaller  plates  of  brass  impressed  with 
fleurs-de-lis,  which  are  the  anns  of  the  De  Lazures,  who  intruded  into 
the  estate  soon  after  the  reign  of  William  the  Conqueror. 


Stoke,  or  Stoke  Pogeis,  and  Lady  Hatton. 

This  pleasant  village,  which  lies  between  Colnbrook  and  Maiden- 
head, obtained  the  appellation  of  Pogeis  from  its  ancient  lords  of  that 
name.  The  heiress  of  the  family,  in  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  mar- 
ried Lord  MoUines,  who  shortly  afterwards  procured  a  licence  from 
the  King  to  convert  the  manor-house  into  a  castle.  From  him  it  de- 
scended to  the  Lords  Hungerford,  from  them  to  the  Hastings,  Earls  of 
Huntingdon.  The  manor  was,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  seized 
by  the  Crown  for  a  debt. 

The  old  manor  house  of  Stoke  Pogeis  is  the  scene  of  the  opening  of 


Stoke  Pogeis,  and  Lady  Haiton,  9^ 

Gray's  humorously  descriptive  poem,  called  The  Long  Story,  in  which  the 
style  of  building,  and  the  fantastic  manners  of  Elizabeth's  reign  are  de- 
lineated with  much  truth  :  the  origin  of  the  poem  is  curious  enough. 
Gray's  Elegy,  previous  to  its  publication,  being  handed  about  in  manu- 
script, had,  amongst  its  admirers,  the  Lady  Cobham.  The  performance 
induced  her  to  wish  for  the  author's  acquaintance,  and  Lady  Schaub 
and  Miss  Speed,  then  at  Stoke  Pogeis,  undertook  to  introduce  her  to 
the  poet.  These  two  ladies  waited  upon  the  author  at  his  aunt's  soli- 
tary habitation,  and  not  finding  him  at  home,  they  left  their  cards. 
Gray,  surprised  at  such  a  compliment,  returned  the  visit ;  and  as  the 
beginning  of  this  intercourse  bore  some  appearance  of  romance.  Gray 
gave  the  humorous  and  lively  account  of  it  in  the  Long  Story,  The 
mansion  at  Stoke,  and  one  of  its  tenants,  are  thus  described : 

•'  In  Britain's  isle — no  matter  where— 

An  ancient  pile  of  building  stands  : 
The  Huntingdons  and  Hattons  there 

Employed  the  power  of  fairy  hands — 
To  raise  the  building's  fretted  height, 

Each  panel  in  achievement  clothing, 
Rich  windows  that  exclude  the  light, 

And  passages  that  lead  to  nothing. 
Full  oft  within  the  spacious  walls, 

When  he  had  fifty  winters  o'er  him, 
My  grave  Lord  Keeper  led  the  brawls  ; 

The  seal  and  maces  danced  before  him. 
His  bushy  beard  and  shoe-strings  green, 

His  high-crowned  hat,  and  satin  doublet. 
Moved  the  stout  heart  of  England's  Queen, 

Though  Pope  and  Spaniard  could  not  trouble  it." 

This  *' grave  Lord  Keeper"  was  Sir  Christopher  Hatton,  who,  it 
must  be  remarked,  was  never  the  owner  or  occupier  of  this  old  mansion, 
although  generally  supposed  to  have  been  so  by  topographers,  and  by 
annotators  of  Gray's  Poems.  The  old  manor-house,  indeed,  was  not 
completely  finished  till  it  came  into  the  possession  of  Henry,  the  third  Earl 
of  Huntingdon,  who,  although  it  might  have  been  burdened  by  a  mort- 
gage, certainly  retained  possession  of  it  till  his  death.  One  of  his  letters, 
now  in  existence,  is  dated  at  Stoke,  on  the  13th  December,  1592,  and 
among  the  payments  after  his  funeral,  occurs  this  item — "  Charges  about 
the  vendition  of  my  Lord's  goods  in  the  county  of  Bucks,  8/."  This 
most  probably,  refers  to  the  sale  of  his  property  at  Stoke.  Now,  Sir 
Christopher  Hatton  died  in  November,  1591,  a  year  before  the  date  of 
the  Earl's  letter  fi-om  Stoke,  and  four  yeai-s  before  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1595.  But  we  have  more  conclusive  evidence  to  the  same 
eiFect.    Sir  Christopher  Hatton  has  left  numerous  letters,  from  which 


9-  Stoke  Pogeis,  and  Lady  Hation. 

his  proceedings  during  the  latter  years  of  his  life — the  only  time  in  which 
he  could  have  been  at  Stoke — may  be  traced  from  month  to  month, 
almost  from  day  to  day,  and  not  one  of  these  letters  affords  the  slightest 
indication  of  his  connexion  with  Stoke.  Nor  is  such  connexion  noticed 
in  any  parish  record  at  Stoke.  The  idea  rests  solely  on  tradition,  and 
can  easily  be  accounted  for. 

We  are  indebted  for  this  correction  of  a  popular  error  respecting 
Stoke,  to  a  contribution  by  W.  H.  K.  to  Chambers's  Book  of  Days, 
vol.  i.  pp.  415-417.  On  the  death  of  the  third  Earl  of  Huntingdon, 
(continues  this  Correspondent,)  Sir  Edv^^ard  Coke,  the  great  lawyer, 
purchased  the  manor,  and  resided  at  Stoke,  and  soon  after,  in  1598, 
married  for  his  second  wife.  Lady  Hatton,  widow  of  Sir  William  Hatton, 
nephew  and  heir  of  the  "  Lord  Keeper."  This  lady  was  sufficiently 
conspicuous  to  stamp  the  name  of  Hatton  on  the  traditions  of  Stoke. 
[We  need  not  here  detail  Lady  Hatton's  broils  with  Sir  Edward 
Coke,  or  "the  honeymoon  of  the  happy  pair"  at  her  house  in  Hol- 
born,  as  they  will  be  found  sketched  in  "  The  Strange  History  of  Lady 
Hatton,"  in  the  first  volume  of  the  present  work,  pp.  77-83.]  It  will 
be  sufficient  to  take  up  the  narrative  after  Sir  Edward  Coke  and  Lady 
Hatton  were  reconciled,  and  "he  flattered  himself  she  would  still 
prove  a  veiy  good  wife."  The  dismantled  Manor-house  at  Stoke  must 
now  have  been  restored,  and  the  reconciled  pair  were  then  living  there 
with  their  daughter,  whose  marriage  was  negotiated  with  Sir  John 
Villiers,  brother  of  Buckingham,  the  King's  favourite.  The  proposal 
was  graciously  received,  and  Sir  Edward  was  delighted.  His  wife  and 
daughter  did  not  relish  this  scheme ;  but  this  did  not  much  trouble 
Coke,  as  he  considered  that  his  daughter,  in  such  a  case,  was  bound  to 
obey  her  father's  mandate.  They  had  been  talking  the  matter  over  one 
night  at  Stoke,  when,  highly  gratified  with  the  prospect,  Coke  retired  to 
rest  and  enjoyed  a  quiet,  undisturbed  slumber.  But  the  first  intelli- 
gence of  the  next  morning  was  that  Lady  Hatton  and  her  daughter 
had  left  Stoke  at  midnight,  and  no  one  kne*v  where  they  were  gone. 
Day  after  day  passed,  yet  Coke  could  leani  no  tidings  of  the  fugitives. 
At  last,  he  ascertained  that  they  were  concciled  at  Oatlands,  in  a  house 
then  rented  by  a  cousin  of  Lady  Hatton.  Without  waiting  for  a  war- 
rant, Sir  Edward,  accompanied  by  a  dozen  sturdy  men,  all  well 
armed,  hastened  to  Oatlands,  and  after  two  hours'  resistance,  took  the 
house  by  assault  and  battery,  which  Lady  Hatton  has  described  as  Sir 
Edward  Coke's  "most  notorious  riot,"  in  which  he  took  down  the 
doors  of  the  gatehouse  and  of  the  house  itself,  &c. 

Having  thus  gained  possession  of  his  daughter,  he  carri^  her  oflf  to 


Stoke  Pogeis,  and  Lady  Hat  ton.  ^^ 

Stoke,  locked  her  up  in  an  upper  chamber,  and  kept  the  key  of  .the 
door  in  his  pocket.  Lady  Hatton  then  strove  to  recover  her  daughter 
by  forcible  means ;  but  to  her  astonishment,  her  husband,  now  fortified 
by  the  King's  favour,  threw  her  into  prison.  Thus,  with  his  wife  in  a 
public  prison,  and  his  daughter  locked  up  in  his  own  house,  he  forced 
both  to  promise  a  legal  consent  to  the  marriage,  which  took  place  at 
Hampton  Court  in  presence  of  the  King  and  Queen,  and  nobility.  Two 
years  afterwards  Sir  John  Villiers  was  raised  to  the  peerage  as  Viscount 
Purbeck,  and  Baron  Villiers  of  Stoke  Pogeis.  But  the  sequel  was  me- 
lancholy. Lady  Purbeck  deserted  her  husband,  and  lived  with  Sir 
Robert  Howard,  which  rapidly  brought  on  her  degradation,  imprison- 
ment, and  an  early  death.  Lady  Hatton  pursued  her  husband  with 
rancorous  hatred,  and  openly  wished  him  dead.  This  gave  rise  to  a 
report  of  his  death,  whereupon  Lady  Hatton  immediately  left  London 
for  Stoke,  to  take  possession  of  the  mansion ;  but  on  reaching  Coin- 
brook,  she  met  one  of  Sir  Edward  Coke's  physicians,  who  informed  her 
of  his  amendment,  on  hearing  which  she  returned  to  London  in  evident 
disappointment.  Sir  Edward,  in  his  solitary  old  age,  had  his  daughter. 
Lady  Purbeck,  to  console  him.  He  died  September  3rd,  1634,  in  his 
eighty-fourth  year. 

Lady  Hatton  now  took  possession  of  the  old  manor-house  at  Stoke, 
and  occasionally  resided  in  it  till  her  death  in  1644.  Her  strange  his- 
tory might  well  be  mixed  up  with  the  traditional  gossip  of  Stoke,  which 
Gray,  in  his  poem,  applied  to  the  Lord  Keeper,  who  certainly  never  pos- 
sessed the  old  manor-house.  It  was,  however,  honoured  by  the  presence 
of  his  royal  mistress.  Queen  Ehzabeth,  in  1601,  visited  at  Stoke  Sir  Ed- 
ward Coke,  who  entertained  her  very  sumptuously,  and  presented  her  on 
the  occasion  with  jewels  worth  fi-om  ten  to  twelve  hundred  pounds. 
In  1647,  the  mansion  was  for  some  days  the  residence  of  Charles  I.,  when 
a  prisoner  in  the  custody  of  the  Parliamentary  army.  Ten  years 
later.  Sir  Robert  Gayer,  by  the  bequest  of  his  brother,  came  into  pos- 
session of  the  manor  at  Stoke.  Sir  Robert,  at  the  coronation  of 
Charles  II.,  was  made  a  Knight  of  the  Bath,  which  so  strengthened  his 
attachment  to  the  House  of  Stuart,  that  he  never  could  be  respectful  to 
any  other  dynasty.  It  is  related  in  Lipscomb's  History  of  Bucks,  that 
80on  after  William  III.  had  ascended  the  throne,  he  visited  the  village 
of  Stoke,  and  signified  his  desire  to  inspect  the  old  manor-house.  But 
its  possessor.  Sir  Robert  Gayer,  flew  into  a  violent  rage,  declaring  that 
the  King  should  never  come  under  his  roof.  "  He  has  already,"  said 
he,  '*  got  possession  of  another  man's  house.  He  is  an  usurper.  Tell 
him  to  go  back  again  !"     Lady  Gayer  expostulated,  she  entreated,  she 


94  Stowe. 

even  fell  on  her  knees  and  besought  her  husband  to  admit  the  King, 
who  was  then  actually  waiting  at  the  gate.  All  her  entreaties  were 
useless.  The  obstinate  Sir  George  only  became  more  furious,  vociferat- 
ing— "  An  Englishman's  house  is  his  castle.  I  shall  open  and  close  my 
door  to  whom  I  please.  The  King,  I  say,  shall  not  come  within  these 
walls!"  So  his  Majesty  returned  as  he  came — a  stranger  to  the  inside 
of  the  mansion,  and  the  Stuart  knight  gloried  in  his  triumph. 

Thus  the  old  manor-house  at  Stoke,  after  having  entertained  one 
sovereign  magnificently,  received  another  as  a  prisoner  in  the  custody  of 
his  subjects,  and  refused  admission  to  a  third  monarch,  was  itselt 
pulled  down,  except  one  wing,  in  1 789,  by  its  then  owner,  Granville 
Penn,  Esq.,  a  descendant  of  the  celebrated  William  Penn,  the  founder 
of  Pennsylvania.  At  this  time  was  built,  by  James  Wyatt,  the  magnif 
ficent  seat.  Stoke  Park.  The  grounds  are  adorned  with  a  colossal  statue 
of  Sir  Edward  Coke. 

Gray  passed  much  of  his  youth,  with  his  mother,  at  Stoke ;  and  here 
he  composed  his  "  Ode  on  a  Distant  Prospect  of  Eton  College,"  and 
his  "  Elegy  written  in  a  Country  Churchyard."  He  died  in  1771,  and 
was  buried,  according  to  his  desire,  by  the  side  of  his  mother  at  Stoke : 
his  remains  lie,  without  any  monumental  inscription  over  them,  under  a 
tomb  which  he  had  erected  over  the  remains  of  his  mother  and  aunt  In 
the  year  1799,  however,  Mr.  Penn  erected,  "  in  honour  of  Gray,'  in  a 
field  adjoining  the  churchyard,  a  large  stone  sarcophagus,  on  a  square 
pedestal,  with  inscriptions  on  each  side  ;  and  the  late  Earl  of  Carlisle  pre- 
sented to  Eton  College  a  bust  of  Gray,  which  has  been  added  to  the 
collection  of  busts  of  other  worthies  placed  in  the  Upper  School-room. 


Stowe. 


This  princely  seat  of  the  Buckingham  family  lies  near  the  town  of 
Buckingham,  and  has  a  brief  but  eventful  history.  The  place,  origi- 
nally an  Abbey,  came  into  the  possession  of  the  Temple  family  in  the 
sixteenth  century.  The  house  was  originally  built  by  Peter  TempL-, 
Esq.,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth  ;  it  was  rebuilt  by  Sir  Richard 
Temple,  Bart.,  who  died  in  1697.  After  the  death  of  Lord  Cobham,  in 
1749,  the  property  merged  in  the  family  of  the  Grenvilles.  Tiie  plea- 
surc-gardens,  from  which  Stowe  obtained  its  principal  feme,  were  laid 
out  for  Lord  Cobham  by  Kent,  who  exerted  his  skill  both  as  an  archi- 
tect and  a  garden -planner ;  and  such  a  profusion  of  ornament  arose 
from  his  invention,  and  that  of  Bridgeman  and  other  artists,  that  Stowe, 


Stowe.  95 

"  when  beheld  from  a  distance,  appears  like  a  vast  grove,  interspersed 
with  obelisks,  •  columns,  and  towers,  which  apparently  emerge  from  a 
luxuriant  mass  of  foliage."  The  beauties  of  Stowe  have  been  comme- 
morated by  Pope  and  West,  who  spent  many  festive  hours  with  the 
then  owner.  Lord  Gobham.  The  grounds  are  adorned  with  arches, 
pavilions,  temples,  a  rotunda,  a  hermitage,  a  grotto,  a  lake,  and  a  bridge. 
In  the  temples  were  busts,  under  which  were  appropriate  inscriptions. 
The  temples  of  Ancient  Virtue  and  British  Worthies  may  be  mentioned 
as  exhibiting  objects  for  the  mind  as  well  as  for  the  eye  to  dwell  upon. 
The  mansion,  which  has  been  greatly  enlarged,  extends  916  feet,  whole 
frontage,  and  the  centrpi  part  456.  "  The  rich  landscape,"  says  Walpole, 
"occasioned  by  the  multiplicity  of  temples  and  objects,  and  various  pic- 
tures that  present  themselves  as  we  shift  our  situation,  occasion  surprise  and 
pleasure,  sometimes  rivalling  Albano's  landscapes  to  our  mind,  and  oftener 
to  our  fancy  the  idolatrous  and  luxuriant  vales  of  Daphne  and  Tempe." 
The  interior  is  very  superb.  The  principal  rooms  form  one  long 
suite,  opening  into  each  other.  Here  was  the  Rembrandt  Room,  so 
called  from  its  being  hung  with  pictures  by  that  painter ;  a  marqueterie 
clock,  ten  feet  high,  formerly  in  the  palace  of  Versailles ;  carved  and 
gilt  frames,  from  the  Doge's  palace  at  Venice ;  a  state  bed,  constructed 
in  1737,  for  Frederic,  Prince  of  Wales,  and  occupied  in  1805  by  the 
Prince  of  Wales,  afterwards  George  IV. ;  carved  and  gilt  furniture  from 
the  Doge's  palace  at  Venice;  marble  pavement  from  the  Baths  of 
Titus,  at  Rome ;  tapestry  of  old  and  quaint  historic  pageantry ;  carpets 
from  the  looms  of  Persia  and  Turkey;  draperies  from  the  marble 
palaces  of  Venetian  statesmen  ;  relics  from  classic  Italy ;  rich  stuffs,  the 
spoils  of  Tippoo  Saib  and  other  fallen  Eastern  warriors ;  ornamental 
weaving  from  Holland  and  the  Low  Countries,  &c.  Add  to  this  a 
valuable  collection  of  paintings:  among  them,  portraits — of  Martin 
Luther,  by  Holbein ;  Oliver  Cromwell  (said  to  be  original),  by 
Richardson ;  Pope,  by  Hudson  ;  Charles  I.  and  his  Queen  Henrietta, 
by  Vandyke ;  Addison,  by  Kneller  ;  Lady  Jane  Grey,  Camden  the  anti- 
quary, and  others.  The  display  of  plate  was  magnificent :  enormous 
gold  and  silver  vases,  candelabra,  wine-coolers,  cups,  salvers  and  epergnes. 
This  enumeration  conveys  but  an  imperfect  idea  of  the  rich  treasures 
of  art  with  which  the  galleries  and  saloons  of  princely  Stowe  were 
crowded.  *In  this  superb  pilace,  Richard,  the  first  Duke  of  Bucking- 
ham, entertained  the  royal  family  of  France,  Louis  XVIII.  and 
Charles  X.  and  their  suites,  during  their  residence  in  England ;  until 
the  Duke,  burdened  with  debt,  was  compelled  to  shut  up  Stowe  and  go 
abroad.     His  successor,  Richard  Plantagenet   celebrated  the  majority 


^  Whaddon  Hall, 

of  his  son  with  costly  cheer  at  Stowe  in  1844  ;  and  in  the  following 
year  received  Queen  Victoria  and  the  Prince  Consort,'  at  enormous 
cost.  In  1848  the  crisis  came:  Stowe  was  dismantled  of  its  sump- 
tuous contents,  which  were  sold  in  forty  days,  and  realized  upwards  of 
75,000/. — this  vicissitude  being  the  sad  realization  of  a  dream  which  the 
first  Duke  of  Buckingham  had  in  his  compulsory  exile  upon  the  con- 
tinent. Of  the  many  instances  of  fallen  fortune  to  be  found  in  human 
history,  the  sad  fate  of  Stowe  and  its  possessors  presents  us  with  the 
most  melancholy  lesson — to  lecture  us  with  its  fallen  grandeur,  and  to 
impress  us  with  the  virtue  of  contentment,  and  teach  us  that — 
"  Not  a  vanity  is  given  in  vain." 


Whaddon  Hall. 

Not  far  from  the  county-town  of  Buckingham  stands  Whaddon 
Hall,  formerly  a  seat  of  the  Duke  of  Buckingham :  but  which  acquired 
greater  notoriety  as  the  abode  of  Browne  Willis,  the  eccentric  anti- 
quary, bom  late  in  the  seventeenth  century.  His  person  and  dress  were 
so  singular,  that  though  a  gentleman  of  1000/.  a  year,  he  was  often 
taken  for  a  beggar.  An  old  leathern  girdle  or  belt  always  surrounded 
the  two  or  three  coats  he  wore,  and  over  them  an  old  blue  coat.  Very 
little  of  Whaddon  remained  a  century  ago,  and  what  was  left  was 
thought  to  be  the  offices,  which  were  dark  and  gloomy.  In  the  garden 
was  then  a  venerable  and  remarkably  sized  oak,  under  which  Willis 
supposed  Spenser  wrote  much  of  his  poetry.  Willis  is  said,  by  Cole,  the 
Cambridge  antiquary,  to  have  written  the  very  worst  hand  of  any  man 
in  England,  such  as  he  could  only  with  difficulty  read  himself.  He  wore 
very  large  boots,  patched  and  vamped  till  they  were  forty  years  old : 
they  were  all  in  wrinkles,  and  did  not  come  halfway  up  his  legs,  whence 
he  was  called  in  his  neighbourhood,  Old  Wrinkle-hoots,  He  rode  in  his 
*•  wedding  chariot,"  which  had  his  arms  on  brass  plates  about  it,  was 
painted  black,  and  not  unlike  a  coffin.  Mr.  Willis  never  took  the  oaths 
to  the  Hanover  family.  He  was  as  remarkable  for  his  love  of  the 
structure  of  churches  as  for  his  variance  with  the  clergy  of  his  neigh- 
bourhood. Yet  he  built  by  subscription  the  chapel  at  Fenny  Stratford ; 
repaired  Bletchley  Church  at  a  great  expense;  and  Bow  Brickhill  Church, 
desecrated,  and  not  used  for  a  century.  His  most  important  work 
was  his  Survey  of  the  Cathedrals  of  England,  He  presented  to  the 
University  of  Oxford  his  valuable  collection  of  coins,  and  gave  many 
MSS.  to  the  Bodleian  Library.  He  died  at  Whaddon  Hall,  Feb.  5, 1 7C0. 


97 


Creslow  House. 

In  the  reign  of  Edward  the  Confessor  this  manor  was  held  by 
Aluren,  a  female,  from  whom  it  passed  at  the  Conquest  to  Edward 
Sarisberi,  a  Norman  lord.  In  1 120  it  was  given  to  the  Knights 
Templars  ;  and  on  the  suppression  of  that  community  it  passed  to 
the  Knights  Hospitallers,  from  whom,  at  the  dissolution  of  the 
monasteries,  it  passed  to  the  crown.  From  this  time  to  the  reign 
of  Charles  II.  the  manor  was  used  as  a  feeding  ground  for  cattle 
for  the  royal  household  ;  and  it  is  remarkable  that  nearly  the  whole 
of  this  manor,  comprising  over  850  acres,  has  been  pasture  land 
from  the  time  of  Domesday  survey  till  now.  It  is  still  of  extraordi- 
nary fertility,  and  the  cattle  still  fed  here  are  among  the  finest  in  the 
kingdom. 

While  Creslow  Manor  continued  in  possession  of  the  Crown,  it 
was  committed  to  the  custody  of  a  keeper.  In  1634  the  regicide, 
Cornehus  Holland,  was  keeper.  This  Cornelius  Holland,  whose 
father  died  insolvent  in  the  Fleet,  was  "a  poore  boy  in  court 
waiting  on  Sir  Henry  Vane,"  by  whose  interest  he  was  appointed 
by  Charles  I.  keeper  of  Creslow  Manor.  He  subsequently  deserted 
the  cause  of  his  royal  patron,  and  was  rewarded  by  the  Parhament 
with  many  lucrative  posts.  He  entered  the  House  of  Commons  in 
1642,  and  after  taking  a  very  prominent  part  against  the  King, 
signed  his  death-warrant.  He  became  so  wealthy  that,  though  he 
had  ten  children,  he  gave  a  daughter  on  her  marriage  5000/.,  equal 
to  ten  times  that  sum  at  the  present  day.  He  is  traditionally  ac- 
cused of  having  destroyed  or  dismantled  many  of  the  churches  in 
the  neighbourhood.  At  the  Restoration,  being  absolutely  excepted 
from  the  royal  amnesty,  he  escaped  execution  only  by  flying  to 
Lausanne,  where  he  ended  his  days  in  universal  contempt. 

On  the  23rd  of  June,  1673,  the  manor  was  granted  by  Charles  II. 
to  Thomas,  first  Lord  Clifford  of  Chudleigh,  and  has  continued  ever 
since  in  the  possession  of  his  successors. 

The  manor-house  itself,  though  diminished  in  size  and  beauty,  is 
still  a  spacious  and  handsome  edifice.  The  original  parts  date  from 
the  time  of  Edward  III.,  including  the  crypt  and  tower;  a  good 
many  alterations  took  place  during  the  15th  century,  of  which 
period  a  pointed  doorway  remains  ;  still  greater  alterations  took 
place  in  the  time  of  Charles  I.,  of  which  plaster  ceilings  and  square 
windows  remain.  It  is  a  picturesque  and  venerable-looking  build* 
*^  H 


q8  Creslow  House, 

ing,  with  numerous  gables  and  ornamental  chimneys,  some  ancient 
mullioned  windows,  and  a  square  (ower  with  octagonal  turret.  The 
walls  of  the  tower  are  of  stone,  six  feet  thick ;  the  turret  is  forty- 
three  feet  high,  with  a  newel  staircase  and  loopholes.  Some  of  the 
more  interesting  objects  within  the  house  are  the  ground  room  in 
the  tower,  a  large  chamber  called  the  banqueting  room,  with  vaulted 
timber  roof ;  a  large  oak  door  with  massive  hinges,  and  locks  and 
bolts  of  a  peculiar  construction ;  and  various  remains  of  sculpture 
and  carving  in  different  parts  of  the  house.  Two  ancient  cellars, 
called  the  "  crypt"  and  "  the  dungeon,"  deserve  special  attention. 

The  crypt,  which  is  excavated  in  the  solid  limestone  rock,  is 
entered  by  a  flight  of  stone  steps,  and  has  but  one  small  window  to 
admit  air  and  light.  It  is  about  twelve  feet  square,  and  its  roof, 
which  is  a  good  specimen  of  light  Gothic  vaulting,  is  supported  by 
arches  springing  from  four  columns,  groined  at  their  intersections, 
and  ornamented  with  carved  flowers  and  bosses,  the  central  one 
being  about  ten  feet  from  the  floor. 

The  dungeon,  which  is  near  the  crypt,  is  entered  by  a  separate 
flight  of  stone  steps,  and  is  a  plain  rectangular  building,  eighteen 
feet  long,  eight  and  a  half  wide,  and  six  in  height.  The  roof,  which 
is  but  slightly  vaulted,  is  formed  of  exceedingly  massive  stones. 
There  is  no  window  or  external  opening  into  this  cellar,  and  for 
whatever  purpose  intended,  it  must  have  always  been  a  gloomy, 
darksome  vault,  of  extreme  security.  It  now  contains  several  skulls 
and  other  human  remains — some  thigh-bones,  measuring  more  than 
nineteen  inches,  must  have  belonged  to  persons  of  gigantic  stature. 
This  dungeon  had  formerly  a  subterranean  communication  with  the 
crypt,  from  which  there  was  a  newel  staircase  to  a  chamber  above, 
which  still  retains  the  Gothic  doorway,  with  hood-moulding  resting 
on  two  well  sculptured  human  heads,  with  grotesque  faces.  This 
chamber,  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  preceptor's  private 
room,  has  also  a  good  Gothic  window  of  two  lights,  with  head 
tracery  of  the  decorated  period. 

This  is  the  haunted  chamber  !  For  Creslow,  like  all  old  manor- 
houses,  has  its  ghost  story.  But  the  ghost  is  not  a  knight-templar 
or  knight  of  St.  John — but  a  lady — Rosamond  Clifford  !  Seldom, 
indeed,  has  she  been  seen,  but  often  has  she  been  heard,  only  too 
plainly,  by  those  who  have  ventured  to  sleep  in  this  room,  or  enter 
it  after  midnight.  She  appears  to  come  from  the  crypt  or  dungeon, 
nnd  always  enters  this  room  by  the  Gothic  door.  After  entering 
she  is  heard  to  walk  about,  sometimes  in  a  grave,  stately  manner, 


Creslozv  House,  99 

apparently  with  a  long  silk  train  sweeping  the  floor — sometimes 
Aer  motion  is  quick  and  hurried,  her  silk  dress  rustling  violently,  as 
if  she  were  engaged  in  a  desperate  struggle.  As  these  mysterious 
visitations  had  anything  but  a  somniferous  effect  on  wearied 
mortals,  this  chamber,  though  furnished  as  a  bed-room,  was  seldom 
so  used,  and  was  never  entered  by  servants  without  trepidation  and 
awe.  Occasionally,  however,  some  one  was  found  bold  enough  to 
dare  the  harmless  noises  of  the  mysterious  intruder,  and  many  are 
the  stories  respecting  such  adventures.  The  following  will  suffice 
as  a  specimen,  and  may  be  depended  on  as  authentic. 

About  the  year  18 — ■,  a  gentleman,  who  resided  some  miles  dis- 
tant, rode  over  to  a  dinner  party ;  and  as  the  night  became  exceed- 
ingly dark  and  rainy,  he  was  urged  to  stay  over  the  night,  if  he  had 
no  objection  to  sleep  in  a  haunted  chamber.  The  offer  of  a  bed  in 
such  a  room,  so  far  from  deterring  him,  induced  him  at  once  to 
accept  the  invitation.  The  room  was  prepared  for  him.  He  would 
neither  have  a  fire  nor  a  burning  candle,  but  requested  a  box  of 
lucifers,  that  he  might  light  a  candle  if  he  wished.  Arming  himself 
in  jest  with  a  cutlass  and  a  brace  of  pistols,  he  entered  his  formid- 
able dormitory.  Morning  came,  and  ushered  in  one  of  those 
glorious  autumnal  days  which  often  succeed  a  night  of  soaking 
rain.  The  sun  shone  brilliantly  on  the  old  manor-house.  Every 
loophole  and  cranny  in  the  tower  was  so  penetrated  by  his  rays, 
that  the  venerable  owls,  that  had  long  inhabited  its  roof,  could 
scarcely  find  a  dark  corner  to  doze  in  after  their  nocturnal  labours. 
The  family  and  their  guests  assembled  in  the  breakfast  room  to 
hear  an  account  of  the  knight's  adventures,  which  he  related  in  the 
following  words.:—"  Having  entered  the  room,  I  locked  and  bolted 
both  doors,  carefully  examined  the  whole  room,  and  satisfied  myself 
that  there  was  no  living  creature  in  it  but  myself,  nor  any  entrance 
but  those  I  had  secured.  I  got  into  bed,  and  with  the  conviction 
that  I  should  sleep  as  usual  till  six  in  the  morning,  I  was  soon  lost 
in  a  comfortable  slumber.  Suddenly  I  was  aroused,  and  on  raising 
my  head  to  listen,  I  heard  a  sound  certainly  resembling  the  light, 
soft  tread  of  a  lady's  footstep,  accompanied  with  the  rustling  as  of 
a  silk  gown.  I  sprang  out  of  bed  and  lighted  a  candle.  There  was 
nothing  to  be  seen,  and  nothing  now  to  be  heard.  I  carefully 
examined  the  whole  room.  I  looked  under  the  bed,  into  the  fire- 
place, up  the  chimney,  and  at  both  the  doors,  which  were  fastened 
as  I  had  left  them.  I  looked  at  my  watch,  and  it  was  a  few  minutes 
past  twelve.    As  all  was  now  perfectly  quiet,  I  extinguished  the 

H  3 


100  Great  Hampden, 

candle  and  entered  my  bed,  and  soon  fell  asleep.  I  was  again 
aroused.  The  noise  was  now  louder  than  before.  It  appeared  like 
the  violent  laistling  of  a  stiff  silk  dress.  I  sprang  out  of  l3ed,  darted 
to  the  spot  where  the  noise  was,  and  tried  to  grasp  the  intruder  in 
my  anus.  My  arms  met  together,  but  enclosed  nothing.  The 
noise  passed  to  another  part  of  the  room,  and  I  followed  it,  groping 
near  the  floor,  to  prevent  anything  passing  under  my  arms.  It  was 
in  vain  ;  I  could  feel  nothing — the  noise  had  passed  away  through 
the  Gothic  door,  and  all  was  still  as  death  !  I  lighted  a  candle  and 
examined  the  Gothic  door,  and  there  I  saw — the  old  monks'  faces 
grinning  at  my  perplexity  ;  but  the  door  was  shut  and  fastened,  just 
as  I  had  left  it.  I  again  examined  the  whole  room,  but  could  find 
nothing  to  account  for  the  noise.  I  now  left  the  candle  burning^ 
<<iough  I  never  sleep  comfortably  with  a  light  in  my  room.  I  got 
into  bed,  but  felt,  it  must  be  acknowledged,  not  a  little  perplexed  at 
not  being  able  to  detect  the  cause  of  the  noise,  nor  to  account  for 
its  cessation  when  the  candle  was  lighted.  While  ruminating  on 
these  things  I  fell  asleep,  and  began  to  dream  about  murders  and 
secret  burials,  and  all  sort  of  horrible  things  ;  and  just  as  I  fancied 
myself  knocked  down  by  a  knight-templar,  I  awoke,  and  found  the 
sun  shining  brightly !" 

"  Doubtless  there  are  no  ghosts  ; 
Yet  somehow  it  is  better  not  to  move, 
Lest  cold  bands  seize  upon  us  from  behind." 

Abridged  from  the  Book  of  Days, 


Great  Hampden. 

Great  Hampden,  the  paternal  seat  of  the  patriot,  John  Hampden, 
and  still  the  property  of  his  descendant  in  the  seventh  generation 
through  heirs  female,  stands  in  a  secluded  spot  high  up  among  the 
Chiltcrn  Hills,  about  five  miles  south-west  of  Wcndover.  It  is 
shrouded  in  ancient  woods  and  approached  by  a  long  beech  avenue. 
The  house,  one  of  the  most  ancient,  has  been  sadly  disguised  and 
disfigured  by  modern  stucco  and  whitewash,  but  the  structure  is  the 
original  one.  It  is  difficult  to  assign  a  date  to  the  building  of  this 
house.  The  first  estate  granted  to  the  Hampden  family  in  England 
was  given  by  Edward  the  Confessor  to  Baldwyn  de  Hampden, 
whose  name  seems  to  indicate  that  he  was  one  of  the  Norman 
favourites  of  the  last  Saxon  king.  The  Hampdcns,  then,  had  settled 
in  England,  prior  to  its  conquest  by  their  countrymen,  the  Normans. 


Great  Hampden,  10 1 

The  estate  was  fortunate  enough  to  escape  the  rapacity  of  the 
Normans,  and,  amplified  and  extended  by  powerful  alliances,  it 
v?as  passed  down  from  father  to  son  in  succession,  ever  increasing 
in  influence  and  wealth.  There  is  a  tradition  that  King  Edward  III. 
and  the  Black  Prince  once  honoured  Hampden  with  a  visit,  and 
that  whilst  the  prince  and  his  host  were  exercising  themselves  in 
feats  of  chivalry  a  quarrel  arose,  in  which  the  prince  received  a  blow 
on  the  face,  which  occasioned  him  and  his  royal  father  to  quit  the 
place  in  great  wrath,  and  to  seize  on  some  valuable  manors  be- 
longing to  their  host  as  a  punishment  for  his  rashness.  The  story 
gave  rise  to  the  following  rhymes  : — 

"  Tring,  Wing,  and  Ivinghoe, 
Hampden  did  foregoe, 
For  striking  of  a  blow, 
And  glad  he  did  'scape  so." 

The  story  is  doubted,  and  no  proof  can  be  adduced  that  any  of 
the  mansions  named  in  the  rhyme  ever  were  included  in  the 
Hampden  estates.  These,  however,  were  very  large,  not  only  in 
Buckinghamshire,  but  also  in  Essex,  Berks,  and  Oxfordshire. 
Queen  Elizabeth  was  entertained  at  Hampden  during  one  of  her 
progresses,  by  Griffith  Hampden,  Esq.,  who,  in  order  to  afford  her 
Majesty  more  commodious  access  to  the  house,  is  said  to  have  cut 
an  avenue  through  his  wood,  still  called  the  Queen's  Gap. 

The  Hampdens  appear  to  have  been  distinguished  in  chi- 
valry ;  they  were  often  intrusted  with  civil  authority,  and  repre- 
sented their  native  county  in  several  parliaments.  We  find  in  the 
Rolls  of  Parliament  that  in  the  wars  between  the  Houses  of  York 
and  Lancaster,  the  Hampdens  took  the  side  of  the  red  rose — that 
some  lands  were  escheated  from  them  in  consequence,  and  that  they 
were  excepted  from  the  general  Act  of  Restitution,  in  the  first  of 
Edward  Fourth.  "  Edward  Hampden,"  says  Lord  Nugent  in  his 
"  Memorials,"  "  was  one  of  the  Esquires  of  the  Body  and  Privy 
Councillor  to  Henry  VH.  And  in  the  succeeding  reign  we  find 
Sir  John  Hampden  of  the  Hill  appointed  with  others  to  attend 
upon  the  English  Queen  at  the  interview  of  the  sovereigns  at  the 
Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold.  It  is  to  his  daughter,  Sybil  Hampden, 
who  was  nurse  to  the  Prince  of  Wales,  afterwards  Edward  VI.,  and 
ancestress  to  William  Penn,  of  Pennsylvania,  that  the  monument  is 
raised  in  Hampton  church,  Middlesex,  which  records  so  many 
virtues  and  so  much  wisdom.  Grififith  Hampden,  who  received 
Queen  Elizabeth  at  his  mansion,  as  already  noted,  sei-ved  as  High 


102  Great  Hampden, 

Sherif!  of  his  county,  and  represented  it  in  the  Parliament  of  1585. 
His  eldest  son,  William,  who  succeeded  him  in  1591,  was  member 
in  1593  for  East  Lode,  then  a  considerable  borough.  He  married 
Elizabeth,  second  daughter  of  Sir  Henry  Cromwell,  of  Hinchin- 
brooke,  in  Huntingdonshire,  and  aunt  to  the  Protector,  and  died  in 
1597,  leaving  two  sons,  John  and  Richard. 

John  Hampden,  so  frequently  spoken  of  in  history  as  "  the  Pa- 
triot," was  born  in  1594.  He  succeeded  to  his  father's  estate  in  his 
infancy.  After  passing  some  years  in  the  grammar-school  at  Thame, 
he  was  sent,  at  fifteen,  to  Magdalen  College,  Oxford.  At  nineteen  he 
was  admitted  a  student  of  the  Inner  Temple,  where  he  made  him- 
self master  of  the  principles  of  the  English  law.  In  1619  (when 
now  twenty-five  years  of  age),  he  married  Elizabeth,  only  daughter 
of  Edmund  Symeon,  Esq.  His  marriage  marks  an  era  in  his  life. 
Prior  to  that  event  "  he  had  indulged  himself  in  all  the  licence  in 
sports,  in  exercises  and  company  which  were  used  by  men  of  the 
most  jolly  conversation  ;"  but  no  sooner  was  he  married  than  from 
a  life  of  great  pleasure  and  licence  he  retired  to  extraordinary 
sobriety  and  strictness,  to  a  more  reserved  and  melancholy  society. 
The  events  of  his  life  are  notable  incidents  in  English  history. 
He  served  in  the  Parliament  of  1626,  and  in  all  the  succeeding 
parliaments  of  the  reign  of  Charles  I.  In  1636  he  became  uni- 
versally known  by  his  intrepid  refusal  to  pay  ship-money  as  an 
illegal  tax.  Upon  this  he  was  thrown  into  prison  ;  but  his  conduct 
under  persecution  gained  him  great  reputation.  When  the  Long 
Parliament  began,  the  eyes  of  all  men  were  fixed  upon  him  as  the 
father  of  his  country.  In  the  beginning  of  the  civil  war  he  com- 
manded a  regiment  of  foot,  and  did  good  service  to  the  Parliament 
at  the  battle  of  Edgehill.  The  story  of  his  last  skirmish  with  the 
Royalists,  and  subsequent  death,  is  told  by  Macaulay  with  hia 
jsual  spirit  and  picturesqueness  : — 

In  the  early  part  of  1643,  the  shires  lying  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  London,  which  were  devoted  to  the  cause  of  the  Parliament, 
were  incessantly  annoyed  by  Rupert  and  his  cavalry.  Essex  had 
extended  his  lines  so  far  that  almost  every  point  was  vulnerable. 
The  young  prince,  who,  though  not  a  great  general,  was  an  active 
and  entcrprizing  partizan,  frequently  surprised  posts,  burned  vil- 
lages, swept  away  cattle,  and  was  again  at  Oxford  before  a  force 
sufficient  to  encounter  him  could  be  assembled. 

The  languid  proceedings  of  Essex  (the  Parliamentary  com* 
mander)  were  loudly  condemned  by  the  troops.    All  the  ardent 


Great  Hampden,  103 

and  daring  spirits  in  the  Parliamentary  party  were  eager  to  have 
Hampden  at  their  head.  Had  his  hfe  been  prolonged,  there  is 
every  reason  to  believe  that  the  supreme  command  would  have 
been  intrusted  to  him.  But  it  was  decreed  that,  at  this  conjunc- 
ture, England  should  lose  the  only  man  who  united  perfect  disin- 
terestedness to  eminent  talents — the  only  man  who,  being  capable 
of  gaining  the  victory  for  her,  was  incapable  of  abusing  that  victory 
when  gained. 

In  the  evening  of  the  17th  of  June,  Rupert  darted  out  of  Oxford 
with  his  cavalry  on  a  predatory  expedition.  At  three  in  the  morning 
of  the  following  day  he  attacked  and  dispersed  a  few  Parliamentary 
soldiers  who  lay  at  Postcombe.  He  then  flew  to  Chinnor,  burned 
the  village,  killed  or  took  all  the  troops  who  were  quartered  there, 
and  prepared  to  hurry  back  with  his  booty  and  his  prisoners  t(? 
Oxford. 

Hampden  had  on  the  preceding  day  strongly  represented  to  Essex 
the  danger  to  which  this  part  of  the  line  was  exposed.  As  soon  as 
he  received  intelligence  of  Rupert's  incursion,  he  sent  off  a  horse- 
man with  a  message  to  the  General.  The  Cavaliers,  he  said,  could 
return  only  by  Chiselhampton  Bridge.  A  force  ought  to  be  instantly 
despatched  in  that  direction  to  intercept  them.  In  the  meantime  he 
resolved  to  set  out  with  all  the  cavalry  that  he  could  muster  for  the 
purpose  of  impeding  the  march  of  the  enemy  till  Essex  could  take 
measures  for  cutting  off  their  retreat.  A  considerable  body  of  horse 
and  dragoons  volunteered  to  follow  him.  He  was  not  their  com- 
mander. He  did  not  even  belong  to  their  branch  of  the  service. 
But  "he  was,"  says  Lord  Clarendon,  "second  to  none  but  the 
General  himself  in  the  observance  and  application  of  all  men."  On 
the  field  of  Chalgrove  he  came  up  with  Rupert.  A  fierce  skirmish 
ensued.  In  the  first  charge  Hampden  was  struck  in  the  shoulder 
with  two  bullets,  which  broke  the  bone  and  lodged  in  his  body. 
The  troops  of  the  Parliament  lost  heart  and  gave  way.  Rupert, 
after  pursuing  them  for  a  short  time,  hastened  to  cross  the  bridge, 
and  made  his  retreat  unmolested  to  Oxford. 

Hampden,  with  his  head  drooping,  and  his  hands  leaning  on  his 
horse's  neck,  moved  feebly  out  of  the  battle.  The  mansion  which 
had  been  inhabited  by  his  father-in-law,  and  from  which  in  his 
youth  he  had  carried  home  his  bride,  Elizabeth,  was  in  sight. 
There  still  remains  an  affecting  tradition  that  he  looked  for  a 
moment  towards  that  beloved  house,  and  made  an  effort  to  go  thither 
to  die.     But  the  enemy  lay  in  that  direction.     Turning  his  hoi  ec, 


104  Great  Ihxmpdeiu 

therefore,  he  rode  back  across  the  grounds  of  Hazely  on  his  way  to 
Thame.  At  the  brook  which  divides  the  parishes  he  paused  a  while  ; 
but  it  being  impossible  for  him  in  his  wounded  state  to  remount, 
had  he  alighted  to  lead  his  horse  over,  "  he  suddenly  summoned  his 
strength,  clapped  spurs  to  his  steed,  and  cleared  the  leap.  At  Thame 
he  arrived  almost  fainting  with  agony.  The  surgeons  dressed  his 
wounds.  But  there  was  no  hope.  The  pain  which  he  suffered  was 
most  excruciating.  But  he  endured  it  with  admirable  firmness  and 
resignation.  His  first  care  was  for  his  country.  He  wrote  from  his 
bed  several  letters  to  London  concerning  public  affairs,  and  sent  a 
last  pressing  message  to  the  head-quarters  recommending  that  the 
dispersed  forces  should  be  concentrated.  When  his  public  duties 
were  performed,  he  calmly  prepared  himself  to  die.  He  was 
attended  by  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England,  with  whom  he 
had  lived  in  habits  of  intimacy,  and  by  the  chaplain  of  the  Buck- 
inghamshire Grcencoats,  Dr.  Spurton,  whom  Baxter  describes  as  a 
famous  and  excellent  divine. 

A  short  time  before  Hampden's  death,  the  Sacrament  was  admi- 
nistered to  him.  He  declared  that,  though  he  disliked  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Church  of  England,  he  yet  agreed  with  that  church  as 
to  essential'matters  of  doctrine.  His  intellect  remained  unclouded. 
When  all  was  nearly  over  he  lay  murmuring  faint  prayers  for  him- 
self and  for  the  cause  in  which  he  died.  "  Lord  Jesus,"  he  exclaimed 
in  the  moment  of  the  last  agony,  "receive  my  soul.  O  Lord,  save 
my  country  ;  O  Lord,  be  merciful  to ."  In  that  broken  ejacu- 
lation passed  away  his  noble  and  fearless  spirit. 

He  was  buried  in  the  parish  church  of  Hampden.  His  soldiers, 
bareheaded,  with  reversed  arms  and  muffled  drums  and  colours, 
escorted  his  body  to  the  grave,  singing,  as  they  marched,  that  lofty 
and  melancholy  psalm  in  which  the  fragility  of  human  life  is  con- 
trasted with  the  immutability  of  Him  to  whom  a  thousand  years  are 
as  yesterday  when  it  is  passed,  and  as  a  watch  in  the  night. 

The  news  of  Hampden's  death  produced  as  great  a  consternation 
in  his  party,  according  to  Clarendon,  as  if  their  whole  army  had 
been  cut  off.  The  journals  of  the  time  amply  prove  that  the  Par- 
liament and  all  its  friends  were  filled  with  grief  and  dismay. 
Lord  Nugent  has  quoted  a  remarkable  passage  from  the  Weekly 
Intelligencer: — "The  loss  of  Colonel  Hampden  goeth  near  the 
beart  of  every  man  that  loves  the  good  of  his  king  and  country,  and 
makes  some  conceive  little  content  to  be  at  the  army  now  that  he 
is  gone.    The  memory  of  this  deceased  colonel  is  such  that  in  no 


Great  Hampden,  105 

z.g'Q.  to  come  but  it  will  more  and  more  be  had  in  honour  and 
esteem  ;  a  man  so  religious  and  of  that  prudence,  judgment,  temper, 
valour,  and  integrity,  that  he  hath  left  few  his  like  behind." 

"  He  had  indeed  left  none  his  like  behind  him.  There  still  re- 
mained, indeed,  in  his  party  many  acute  intellects,  many  eloquent 
tongues,  many  brave  and  honest  hearts.  There  still  remained  a 
rugged  and  clownish  soldier,  half  fanatic,  half  buffoon,  whose  talents, 
discerned  as  yet  by  only  one  penetrating  eye,  were  equal  to  all  the 
highest  duties  of  the  soldier  and  the  prince.  But  in  Hampden,  and 
in  Hampden  alone,  were  united  all  the  qualities  which  at  such  a 
crisis  were  necessary  to  save  the  state — the  valour  and  energy  of 
Cromwell,  the  discernment  and  eloquence  of  Vane,  the  humanity 
/nd  moderation  of  Manchester,  the  stern  integrity  of  Hall,  the 
ardent  public  spirit  of  Sydney.  Others  might  possess  the  qualities 
which  were  necessary  to  save  the  popular  party  in  the  crisis  of 
danger  ;  he  alone  had  both  the  power  and  the  inchnation  to  restrain 
its  excesses  in  the  hour  of  triumph.  Others  could  conquer ;  he  alone 
could  reconcile.  A  heart  as  bold  as  his  brought  up  the  cuirassiers 
who  turned  the  tide  of  battle  on  Marston  Moor.  As  skilful  an  eye 
as  his  watched  the  Scotch  army  descending  from  the  heights  above 
Dunbar.  But  it  was  when  to  the  sullen  tyranny  of  Laud  and  Charles 
had  succeeded  the  fierce  conflict  of  sects  and  factions,  ambitious  of 
ascendancy  and  burning  for  revenge,  it  was  when  the  vices  and 
ignorance  which  the  old  tyranny  had  generated  threatened  the  new 
freedom  with  destruction,  that  England  missed  the  sobriety,  the 
self-command,  the  perfect  soundness  of  judgment,  the  perfect  recti- 
tude of  intention,  to  which  the  history  of  revolutions  furnishes  no 
parallel,  or  furnishes  a  parallel  in  Washington  alone." 

Of  the  house  of  Great  Hampden  itself,  as  it  is  at  present  to  be 
seen,  not  much  remains  to  be  said.  It  is  entered  by  a  curious  old 
hall,  surrounded  by  a  wooden  gallery.  Among  the  relics  of  this 
ancient  manor  are  a  bust  and  two  portraits  of  Hampden,  portraits 
of  Henrietta  Maria,  of  Sir  Kenelm  Digby,  by  Vandyck ;  of  Oliver 
Cromwell,  Hampden's  cousin,  in  armour,  and  others.  There  is  a 
curious  full-length  portrait  of  Elizabeth  in  the  room  occupied  by 
her  on  the  occasion  of  her  visit  to  Great  Hampden.  At  the  top  of 
the  house  is  a  long  room,  filled  with  old  books,  and  named  John 
Hampden's  Library.  In  a  small  library  below,  where  Hampden  was 
sitting  when  the  commissioners  came  to  arrest  him,  is  a  Bible  of 
the  Cromwell  family,  with  a  register  of  his  birth  and  those  of  his 
brothers  and  sisters. 


106  Great  Hampden. 

The  clmrch  of  Great  Hampden  stands  near  the  house.  On  the 
south  wall  of  the  chancel  is  the  monument  erected  by  Kampden 
in  memory  of  his  first  wife,  Elizabeth,  with  the  following  beautiful 
epitaph  : — 

"  In  her  pilgrimage — 
The  staie  and  comfort  of  her  neighbours, 
The  love  and  glory  of  a  well-ordered  family, 
The  delight  and  happiness  of  tender  parents^ 
But  a  crown  of  Blessings  to  a  husband. 
In  a  wife  to  all  an  eternal  pattern  of  goodness 
And  cause  of  love  while  she  was. 
In  her  dissolution— 
A  loss  invaluable  to  each, 
Yet  herself  blessed,  and  they  fully  recompensed 
In  her  translation,  from  a  Tabernacle  of  Claye 
And  Fellowship  with  Mortalls,  to  a  celestiall  Mansion 
And  communion  with  the  Deity." 

Near  this  is  the  patriot's  own  grave,  without  any  memorial.  This 
grave  was  opened  by  Hampden's  biographer,  Lord  Nugent,  and 
the  body  w^as  found  in  such  a  perfect  state  that  the  picture  on  the 
staircase  of  the  house  was  known  to  be  his  from  the  likeness. 


107 


HERTFORDSHIRE. 
Waltham  Cross. 

Waltham  Cross,  or  Vv"est  Waltham,  a  village  in  Hertfoidshire,  i& 
situated  one  mile  and  a  half  west  from  Waltham  Abbey,  which  we 
have  just  described.  It  derives  its  name  from  a  cross  which  stands  upon 
the  spot  where  the  procession  which  had  conveyed  Queen  Eleanor's  re- 
mains fi'om  Lincoln,  diverged  fi-om  the  high  road  to  deposit  the  body 
for  the  night  in  the  Abbey  Church. 

The  design  of  Waltham  Cross,  which  is  very  elegant,  is  in  the 
chastest  style  of  Pointed  architecture ;  and  it  is  deserving  of  remark  that 
one  of  the  statues  of  the  Qiieen  in  the  second  division  very  nearly  re- 
sembles the  effigy  which  lies  upon  her  tomb  in  Westminster  Abbey, 
the  figure  being  arrayed  in  long  flowing  drapery,  and  regally  crowned; 
whilst  the  right  hand  has  borne  a  sceptre,  and  the  left  is  represented  as 
holding  a  crucifix  suspended  from  her  necklace.  There  were  originally 
several  shields,  with  the  arms  of  England,  Castile,  Leon,  Ponthieu,  &c. 
In  1795,  preparations  were  made  for  taking  down  this  Cross,  in  order  to 
remove  it  into  the  grounds  of  Sir  William  George  Prescott,  Bart.,  lord 
of  the  manor,  for  its  better  preservation  ;  but  after  removing  the  upper 
tier  of  stone,  finding  it  too  hazardous  an  undertaking,  on  account  of  the 
decayed  state  of  the  ornamental  parts,  the  scaffold  was  removed,  and 
proper  measures  were  taken  for  its  restoration.  However,  the  Cross 
was  in  such  a  dilapidated  state,  that  a  subscription  was  entered  into  for 
rer.ovating  the  whole  in  exact  conformity  to  the  original  work. 
Although  many  parts  had  suffered,  as  well  from  the  effect  of  time  as 
from  wanton  defacements,  yet  the  sculptural  details  (particularly  where 
sheltered  by  the  Falcon  Inn)  were  sufficiently  obvious  to  be  fully 
understood,  and  of  course  to  be  correctly  restored,  except  as  to 
the  crowning  finial,  of  which  nothing  but  the  central  shaft  remained ; 
from  this  it  would  appear  that  the  upper  portion,  which  had  been 
removed  in  1795,  was  not  replaced  as  intended.  During  the  year  1833, 
the  restoration  was  proceeded  with,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  W.  B. 
Clarke,  assisted  by  a  committee  of  the  subscribers.  The  lower  story 
has  been  only  new-faced,  where  necessary,  but  that  above  it,  which  is 


1 08  The  A  bbey  of  St.  A  Iban, 

of  open  Pointed  work,  was  entirely  rebuilt;  the  three  statues  of  the 
Queen  were,  however,  left  unrepaired. 

The  structure  is  hexagonal  in  fonn,  and,  independently  of  the  plinth 
and  basement  steps,  consists  of  three  storeys,  each  finished  by  an 
embattled  frieze  or  cornice,  and  at  each  angle  isa  graduated  buttress, 
enriched  with  foliated  crockets  and  finials.  Within  the  panelled 
tracery  of  the  lower  story,  are  shields  boldly  sculptured  with  arms  sus- 
pended from  knots  of  foliage.  There  are  two  shields  on  each  face  of 
the  octagon,  the  spaces  ovc^  which  are  enriched  with  ornaments  ;  the 
spandrels  being  charged  with  rosettes,  in  diamond-shaped  panelling, 
bearing  a  close  resemblance  to  the  ornamental  facings  of  the  eastern 
interior  walls  of  Westminster  Abbey  Church.  The  second  storey  is 
even  yet  more  elegant,  both  from  its  pyramidical  assemblage  of  open 
pointed  arches  and  sculptured  finish,  as  well  as  from  the  graceful  statues 
of  Queen  Ele;  nor  which  enrich  its  open  divisions. 


The  Abbey  of  St.  Alban. — Shrine  and  Relics. 

The  town  of  St.  Albans,  in  Hertfordshire,  is  situated  close  to  the 
site  of  the  ancient  Ferulamium,  probably  at  first  a  British  town,  and 
then  a  town  with  some  of  the  privileges  of  Roman  citizens.  The 
Roman  road,  called  by  the  Saxons  the  Watling-strect,  was  also  called 
Werlaem-street,  because  it  went  direct  to  Verulam,  passing  close  under 
its  walls.  Verulam  was  the  scene  of  dreadful  slaughter  in  the  great 
rebellion  under  Boadicea,  who  destroyed  here  and  at  Londinium 
(London),  and  at  other  places,  about  70,000  Roman  citizens  and  their 
allies.  Suetonius  Paulinus,  the  then  governor  of  Britain,  in  return  for 
her  barbarity,  attacked  her  forces,  gained  a  complete  victory,  and  put 
80,000  to  the  sword.  Verulam  was  then  rebuilt,  and  its  inhabitants 
enjoyed  their  privileges  until  the  Dioclesian  persecution,  a.d.  304 ; 
when  the  city  was  again  rendered  famous  by  the  martyrdom  of  its 
citizen,  St.  Alban : 

"  In  Britain's  isle  was  Holy  Alban  born." 

He  being  yet  a  pagan,  entertained  in  his  house  a  certain  clei^gyman 
flying  from  the  persecutors.  He  was  engaged  in  prayer  and  watching 
day  and  night,  when  Alban  was  gradually  instructed  by  his  whole- 
some admonitions,  cast  off  the  darkness  of  idolatry,  and  became  a 
Christian  in  all  sincerity  of  heart.  After  the  clergyman  had  been  some 
days  entertained  by  Alban,  it  came  to  the  ears  of  the  wicked  Prince 


ST.    ALBAN  S    ABBEY. 

Nave  of  the  Abbey  Church. 


p.  io8 


The  A  bbey  of  St.  A  Wan,  109 

that  this  holy  confessor  of  Christ  was  concealed  at  Alban's  hoube 
Soldiers  were  sent  to  make  a  strict  search  after  him.  Alban  imme- 
diately-presented himself  to  the  soldiers  instead  of  his  guest  and  master, 
in  the  habit  or  long  coat  which  he  wore,  and  was  led  bound  before  the 
judge,  who  was  then  standing  at  the  altar,  and  offering  sacrifices  to 
devils.  When  he  saw  Alban,  being  much  enraged  that  he  should  thus 
of  his  own  accord  put  himself  into  the  hands  of  the  soldiers,  and  incur 
danger  in  behalf  of  his  guest,  he  commanded  him  to  be  dragged  up  to 
the  images  of  the  devils,  before  which  he  stood,  saying,  "  Because  you 
have  chosen  to  conceal  a  rebellious  and  sacrilegious  person,  rather  than 
deliver  him  up  to  the  soldiers,  that  his  contempt  of  the  gods  might 
meet  with  the  penalty  due  to  such  blasphemy,  you  shall  undergo  ah 
the  punishment  that  was  due  to  him,  if  you  abandon  the  worship  of  our 
religion."  Alban,  who  had  voluntarily  declared  to  the  persecutors  of 
the  faith  that  he  was  a  Christian,  was  not  at  all  daunted  at  the  Prince's 
threat,  but  putting  on  the  armour  of  spiritual  warfare,  publicly  de- 
clared that  he  v^^ould  not  obey  the  commands.  The  judge  being  much 
incensed,  ordered  the  holy  confessor  to  be  scourged ;  he  was  cruelly 
tortured,  but  he  bore  all  patiently,  or  rather  joyfully,  for  our  Lord's 
sake.  When  the  judge  perceived  that  he  was  not  to  be  overcome  by 
torture,  he  ordered  him  to  be  put  to  death.  Being  led  to  execution, 
he  came  to  a  river,  which  ran  rapidly  between  the  wall  of  the  town  and 
the  place  of  execution.  A  great  multitude  of  persons  had  assembled 
and  impeded  Alban's  progress,  and  when  he  reached  the  stream  the 
water  became  dried  up,  and  made  way  for  him  to  pass.  Among  the 
rest,  the  executioner,  who  was  to  put  him  to  death,  saw  this,  and  on 
meeting  Alban  at  the  place  of  execution  cast  down  the  sword  which  h«. 
had  carried  ready  drawn,  fell  at  his  feet,  praying  that  he  might  rather 
suffer  with  the  martyr  whom  he  was  ordered  to  execute,  or,  if  possible, 
instead  of  him.  Alban  then  ascended  a  hill  not  far  off;  it  was  clothed 
with  flowers,  and  sloped  down  to  a  beautiful  plain.  On  the  top  of 
this  hill  Alban  prayed  that  God  would  give  him  water,  and  imme- 
diately a  living  spring  broke  out  at  his  feet ;  this  was  the  river  which, 
having  performed  its  holy  service,  returned  to  its  natural  course.  Here 
the  head  of  our  most  courageous  martyr  was  struck  off;  but  he  who 
gave  the  wicked  stroke  had  his  eyes  dropped  upon  the  ground,  together 
with  the  blessed  martyr's  head. 

The  spot  whereon  Alban  suffered  martyrdom  was  called  Holm* 
hurst  in  the  Saxon,  signifying  a  woody  place,  near  the  city  of  Verulam, 
where  his  remains  were  interred. 

Upon  the  aiTival  in  Britain  of  Germanus,  Bishop  of  Auxerre,  accom- 


no  TJie  A  bbey  of  St,  A Iban, 

panied  by  Lupus,  Bishop  of  Troyes,  whose  mission  was  to  preach  here 
against  the  Pelagian  heresy,  the  remains  of  Alban  were  exhumed  ;  and 
having  been  placed  by  German  us  with  great  solemnity  in  a  wooden 
coffin,  together  with  a  goodly  supply  of  holy  relics,  to  presci-ve  them, 
they  were  restored  to  the  earth  amidst  prayers  and  lamentations.  By 
the  care  of  Germanus  a  small  church  was  erected  to  the  martyr's 
memory,  and  was  constructed  (according  to  Bede)  with  admirable 
taste,  though  only  of  timber  and  plank;  and  as  the  recognised  sepulchre 
of  Alban,  it  continued  in  good  repute,  not  only  for  the  piety  of  the 
martyr  but  for  the  miracles  there  shown,  and  was  worshipped  by 
the  religious  ot  these  times,  and  honoured  by  all.  On  the  invasion 
of  the  Saxons,  however,  this  church,  with  many  others,  was  levelled 
to  the  ground,  whereby  all  trace  of  the  martyr's  resting-place  be- 
came lost :  it  continued  so  until  its  well-known  discovery  by  Ofia, 
who,  we  are  infonncd,  was  accosted  in  the  silence  of  the  night  by  an 
angel,  who  admonished  him  to  raise  out  of  the  earth  the  body  of  the 
first  British  martyr,  Alban,  and  place  his  remains  in  a  shrine  with 
suitible  ornament.  This  vision  having  been  reported  to  Humbert, 
Bishop  of  Lichfield,  and  Turner,  a  Bishop  of  Leicester,  and  Ceolwolf, 
Bishop  of  Lindsey,  his  suffragans,  they  joined  immediately  with  a  great 
crowd  of  followers  of  both  sexes  and  of  all  ages  to  meet  the  King  at 
Veiulam  on  the  day  appointed  by  him,  and  in  array  there  they  com- 
menced their  search  for  the  grave  of  Alban  with  prayer,  fasting,  and 
alms.  Fortunately  their  pious  exertions  were  soon  rewarded  by  suc- 
cess, as  a  light  from  heaven  assisted  their  discovery,  and  a  ray  of  fire 
stood  over  the  place  "  like  the  star  that  conducted  the  magi  to  Beth- 
lehem." The  ground  was  opened,  and  in  the  presence  of  Offa,  the  body 
of  Alban  was  found,  excellently  preserved  by  the  relics  already  named,  in 
a  coffin  of  wood,  just  as  Germanus  had  placed  them  344  years  before. 
The  body  being  then  raised  from  the  earth,  they  conveyed  it  in  solemn 
procession  to  a  little  chapel  without  the  walls  of  Verulam,  where  Offii 
IS  said  to  have  then  placed  a  circle  of  gold  round  the  bare  skull  of 
Alban,  with  an  inscription  thereon,  to  signify  his  name  or  title:  he  also 
caused  the  repository  to  be  enriched  with  plates  of  gold  and  silver,  and 
the  chapel  to  be  decorated  with  pictures,  tapestry,  and  other  ornaments, 
until  a  more  noble  edifice  could  be  erected.  This  transaction  happened 
507  ycai-s  after  tlie  suffering  of  Alban,  344  after  the  invasion  of  the 
Saxon,  and  on  the  ist  August,  in  the  thirty-sixth  of  Offa's  reign — that 
is,  A.D.  791.  Tiie  Abbey  was  then  erected,  and  on  its  completion  the 
bones  of  Alban,  who  by  that  time  had  been  promoted  to  the  dignity  of 
a  Saint,  were  placed  therein ;  and  Offa  procured  for  it  and  granted 


The  A  bbey  of  St.  A  Ibmu  1 1 1 

extraordinary  privileges.  As  the  Saint  of  this  chuich  was  the  first 
martyr  in  England,  Pope  Honorius  granted  the  Abbot  a  superiority 
over  all  others.  It  was  opened  for  the  reception  of  loo  monks  of  the 
Benedictine  order,  who  were  carefully  selected  from  houses  of  the  most 
regular  discipline ;  gradually  it  increased  and  flourished  for  more 
than  seven  centuries,  and  viras  governed  successively  by  forty-one 
abbots— 

*'  Till  Henry's  mandate  struck  the  fated  shrine, 
And  sadly  closed  St.  Alban's  mitred  line." 

Of  Offa's  munificence  a  murder  was  the  true  source.  He  invited 
Ethelbert,  Prince  of  the  East  Angles,  to  his  Court,  on  pretence  of 
marrying  him  to  his  daughter,  but  beheaded  him,  and  severed  his  domi- 
nions. The  pious  Offa  had  recourse  to  the  usual  expiation  of  murder 
in  those  melancholy  ages — the  founding  of  a  monastery.  In  the  edifice 
was  an  ancient  painting  of  King  Offa,  seated  on  a  throne,  with  a  Latin 
inscription,  thus  translated : — 

"  The  founder  of  the  church,  about  the  year  793, 
Whom  you  behold  ill  painted  on  his  throne 
Sublime,  was  once  for  Mercian  Offa  known." 

In  the  lapse  of  time,  the  memory  of  the  first  church  perished,  and  it 
was  said  that  Oifa  was  miracuously  guided  to  the  place  where  the  re- 
mains of  St.  Alban  were  entombed.  From  that  time  there  had  been 
a  church  on  this  site.  After  this  we  come  down  three  hundred  years 
at  a  leap,  to  the  time  of  the  Norman  Conquest,  when  Abbot  Paul 
began  to  build  the  church  which  remains  to  this  day.  It  was  con- 
secrated in  1 1 15  ;  thus  the  church  is  not  only  itself  of  great  age,  but  it 
was  constructed  of  the  fragments  of  other  buildings  that  had  fallen  into 
ruins.  Abbot  Paul  ransacked  Verulam,  and  brought  a  great  quantity 
of  materials  therefrom  for  the  erection  of  this  church.  The  interior 
walls  were  full  of  Roman  bricks,  and  the  outside  wall  was  of  Roman 
brick  and  very  little  else.  Even  where  the  brickwork  did  not  appear, 
the  flint  and  rubble  were  Roman  materials  brought  to  this  spot.  Two 
Abbots  before  Paul  had  collected  materials  for  the  rebuilding  of  the 
Abbey,  but  a  time  of  famine  coming  on,  they  sold  the  materials  to  re- 
lieve the  wants  of  the  poor.  Not  a  vestige,  however,  of  the  splendid 
foundation  is  now  left,  except  the  Abbey  Church,  and  a  large  square 
gateway.  All  the  monastic  buildings  were  pulled  down  in  the  reigns  of 
Henry  VIII.  and  Edward  VI.;  but  the  church,  to  the  lasting  honour 
of  the  Corporation  and  inhabitants,  was  rescued  from  impending  destruc- 
tion, and  purchased  by  them  of  the  latter  sovereign  for  400/.,  and  then 
made  parochial.  The  church  is  in  the  form  of  a  cross ;  its  extreme  length 


1 1 2  The  A  bbey  of  St.  A  limn, 

is  556  feet,  being  three  feet  longer  than  Winchester  Cathedral,  and  thus 
longer  than  any  of  our  cathedrals.  There  are  two  transepts,  170  feet 
long,  and  a  central  tower,  150  feet  high,  of  the  Norman  period,  from 
which  time  to  that  of  Edward  IV.  the  style  of  every  age  may  be  traced 
in  succession.  The  most  central  parts  are  the  most  ancient.  The 
carved  oak  ceiling  of  the  Norman  lantern  is  102  feet  from  the  pave- 
ment. The  interior  was  plundered  by  Cromwell's  soldiers,  who  left 
only  one  brass  monument  of  great  value— a  plate  12  feet  long,  of 
Abbot  de  la  Mare,  who  lived  in  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  The  Abbot 
in  his  robes,  curiously  engraven,  is  a  capital  specimen  of  sculpture  in 
that  reign. 

In  an  Abbey  like  St.  Albans,  relics  were  indispensable.  On  the 
authority  of  that  well-known  herald  and  antiquary,  Elias  Ashmole,  we 
learn  that  Mr.  Robert  Shrimpton,  who  had  been  four  times  Mayor  of 
St.  Albans,  and  who  lived  when  the  Abbey  was  yet  in  the  enjoyment 
of  its  privileges  and  authority,  perfectly  remembered  a  hollow  image 
of  the  Virgin  which  stood  near  the  shrine  of  the  saint,  and  was  large 
enough  to  admit  a  performer  who  governed  the  wires  as  instructed, 
caused  the  eyes  of  the  figure  to  move,  and  the  head  to  nod,  according 
to  the  approval  or  otherwise  of  the  offering  made. 

Notwithstanding,  however,  the  care  taken  to  preserve  the  bones  of 
the  saint  intact,  they  were  not  destined  to  long  remain  either  in  peace 
or  in  safety,  as  in  the  year  950,  the  Danes  were  committing  great 
excesses  throughout  England  ;  and  a  party  of  them  hearing  the  fame 
of  St.  Alban,  came  to  the  Abbey,  broke  open  the  tomb,  and  seized  the 
saint's  bones ;  they  unceremoniously  carried  some  of  them  off  into  their 
own  country,  and  there  deposited  them  in  a  costly  shrine  built  for  the 
purpose  in  a  house  of  the  Black  Monks,  hoping  they  would  be  wor- 
shipped and  adored  with  the  like  veneration  in  Denmark  as  they  had 
been  in  England.  Such  was  not  the  case  ;  some  of  the  bones  had  been 
lost,  and  those  which  remained  were  collected  and  returned  to  their 
former  resting-place. 

In  less  than  a  hundred  years  after  this,  the  bones  were  again 
disturbed.  During  the  time  of  ^^Ifric,  the  nth  Abbot,  who  ruled 
the  monastery  during  the  reigns  of  Canute,  Harold,  and  Hardicanutc, 
and  part  of  that  of  Edward  the  Confessor,  the  Danes  (in  104 1) 
renewed  their  invasion.  With  a  dread  of  their  ravages,  M\h-\c  how- 
ever resolved  that  no  further  portion  of  St.  Alban's  bones,  nor  of  his 
shrine,  should  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  invaders.  First,  the  real  bones  were 
secured  by  those  in  the  secret  removing  the  shrine  containing  them, 
and  concealing  it  in  a  hole  in  the  wall  which  had  been  specially  piie- 


The  A  bbey  of  St.  A  Ihan,  1 1 S 

pared  for  the  purpose,  close  under  the  altar  of  St.  Nicholas.  That 
done,  other  bones  were  substituted  for  the  genuine  ones,  and  plac^ed  in 
a  very  rich  chest.  The  Abbot  having  then  openly  expressed  to  his 
monks  the  fears  he  entertained  of  the  Danish  invasion,  proposed  that 
for  the  effectual  preservation  of  the  relics  of  St.  Alban,  he  should 
request  the  monks  of  Ely  (which  place  was  well  secured  by  water  and 
marshes  fi'om  the  attack  of  robbers)  to  take  charge  of  the  remains, 
together  with  some  ornaments  of  the  Abbey;  and  the  Abbot  completed 
the  consignment  with  a  very  rough  shagged  old  coat,  which  was 
commonly  represented  to  be  the  very  coat  worn  by  Amphibalus,  when 
he  converted  Alban.  The  Ely  monks  readily  consented  to  receive  and 
presei-ve  the  relics,  and  solemnly  pledged  their  word  to  send  them  back 
whenever  requested  so  to  do.  Fortunately,  however,  for  ^Ifric's  peace 
of  mind,  the  Danish  king,  while  going  on  board  his  ship,  fell  into  the 
sea  and  was  drowned.  No  sooner,  therefore,  was  peace  assured,  than 
the  monks  of  St.  Albans  requested  their  brethren  of  Ely  to  return 
them  their  sacred  bones  and  relics.  This  they  refused  to  do.  It  was 
useless  that  ^Ifric  reminded  his  brother  of  Ely  of  the  sanctity  of  his 
promise.  Ely  had  got  the  bones,  and  resolved  to  keep  them.  jElfric 
on  the  other  hand  threatened  he  would  not  only  tell  the  King  but 
appeal  to  the  Pope,  and  complain  of  such  a  breach  of  good  faith  and 
religious  duty.  The  Ely  monks  then  promised  to  restore  the  property. 
'Tis  true  they  sent  back  the  old  coat  and  the  rich  chest  containing 
bones,  but  not  THE  bones.  These  they  detennined  to  keep  to  them- 
selves, and  they  carried  their  plan  into  execution  by  forcing  open  the 
bottom  of  the  chest  and  extracting  the  old  bones  they  found  there,  and 
replacing  them  with  another  sham  set.  They  then  allowed  the  St. 
Albans  monks  to  depart  with  the  fullest  assurance  that  they  were 
taking  with  them  the  real  remains  of  their  much  loved  saint.  Abbot 
T^lfric  however  knew  better.  On  the  amval  of  the  convoy  he  quietly 
turned  the  substituted  bones  of  Ely  into  the  earth,  and  aided  by  his 
."issistants  drew  the  genuine  bones  from  their  hiding-place  in  the  wall, 
and  restored  them  to  the  shrine  in  the  church. 

Thus  matters  remained  for  a  century  or  more,  but  at  length  the 
monks  of  Ely  admitted  the  authenticity  of  the  bones  at  St.  Albans. 
Still,  a  considerable  portion  of  the  flock  abstained  from  discharging  their 
religious  duties  at  the  Abbey,  when,  to  induce  them  t-o  return,  a  life-sized 
figure  of  St.  Alban,  clothed  in  a  magnificent  robe,  was  dressed  up,  and 
occasionally  carried  by  the  monks  into  the  town  in  solemn  procession, 
and  deposited  at  the  market  cross,  where,  after  the  appointed  adaress 

had  been  delivered  to  the  assembled  multitude,  the  signal  was  given 
**  I 


I H  The  A  bbey  of  St.  A  Iban. 

for  the  s;iint'8  removal,  whereupon  commenced  the  miracle.  The  saint 
remained  immovable  until  the  Abbot  had  been  sent  for.  On  his  arrival 
(duly  aiTTied  with  mitre  and  crozier)  he  laid  the  latter  upon  the 
rebellious  saint,  saying,  "  Arise,  arise,  St.  Alban,  and  get  thee  home  to 
the  sanctuary,"  whereupon  immediate  submission  was  the  result,  and 
the  saint  returned  as  he  came. 

Amongst  the  benefactors  of  the  monastery  was  Geoffrey  de  Gor- 
ham,  the  i6th  Abbot  (1119-1146),  who  gave  a  very  handsome  vessel 
for  the  reception  of  certain  relics  then  belonging  to  the  Abbey.  He 
a-lso,  with  a  pious  regard  for  the  relics  of  St.  Alban,  commenced  a  veiy 
sumptuous  shrine  for  the  reception  of  the  saint's  body,  and  had  ex- 
pended upon  it  60/.  (in  our  time  about  800/.),  when,  owing  to  a  great 
scarcity  of  food,  he  was  compelled  to  convert  the  gold  and  silver 
ornaments  of  the  shrine  into  money,  and  expended  it  for  the  relief  of  the 
poor.  The  famine  having  passed  away,  the  Abbot  collected  money 
for  the  shrine,  and  by  the  aid  of  a  monk  named  Awketill,  a  goldsmith, 
who  had  passed  seven  years  in  the  sei-vice  of  the  King  of  Denmark,  he 
brought  the  shrine  to  great  perfection,  both  in  ornament  and  magni- 
ficence, the  materials  of  the  shrine  being  of  silver-gilt.  For  want  of 
funds  the  upper  part  of  the  canopy,  called  "  the  crest,"  remained  un- 
finished, the  intention  being  to  adorn  and  ornament  it  with  gold  and 
precious  stones,  whenever  they  could  be  obtained  in  sufficient  quantity. 
The  shrine  being  erected  in  the  space  behind  the  great  altar,  a  day 
was  appointed  for  the  translation  or  removal  of  the  saint's  remains,  with 
great  ceremony. 

Rumours,  however,  had  got  abroad  that  some  of  the  saint's  bones 
were  missing;  when  they  were  taken  out, exhibited  singly,  and  numlx^red. 
The  head  was  then  held  up  for  the  inspection  of  all  present  by  the 
venerable  Ralph,  Archdeacon  of  the  Abbey.  On  the  fore  pait  was  a 
scroll  of  parchment,  pendant  from  a  thread  of  silk  with  this  inscrip- 
tion, "  Sanctus  Albanus."  A  circle  of  gold  enclosed  the  skull,  fixed  by 
the  order  of  Offa,  and  engraved  with  these  words,  "  Hoc  est  corpus 
Sancti  Albani,  protomartyris  Anglias."  But  one,  namely,  the  left 
scapula  or  shoulder-bone  was  missing,  and  especial  note  having  been  taken 
of  the  fact,  the  translation  was  completed,  with  all  the  ceremonies  and 
splendour  of  the  Romish  church.  A  few  years  after,  two  foreign  monks 
arrived  at  the  Abbey  with  letters  credential  from  the  Church  and 
Monastery  of  Naunburg,  in  Germany,  declaring  that  they  were  possessed 
of  the  missing  "  scapula,"  which  had  been  brought  to  them  direct  from 
St.  Albans  by  King  Canute.  The  bone  having  been  produced  and 
identified,  was  added  to  the  others  in  the  shrine  amidst  great  festivity 


The  Abbey  of  SL  Alhan,  ^  ^ 5 

and  rejoicing.  The  Abbot  ordered  three  hundred  poor  persons  to  be 
relieved  at  the  gate  of  the  monastery ;  the  priests  sang  four  masses,  and 
the  rest  of  the  brethren,  by  way  of  rejoicing,  sang,  instead  of  a  mass, 
fifty  psalms.  The  day  of  this  solemnity  was  the  4th  of  the  month  of 
August,  in  the  29th  year  of  Henry  I.,  1129,  and  for  many  years  after- 
wards the  anniversary  was  solemnized  with  great  devotion  and  festivity, 
and  remission  to  penitents.  Robert,  the  i8th  Abbot,  on  his  return 
from  Rome,  caused  the  coffin  and  shrine  of  the  saint  to  be  repaired, 
and  the  gold  and  silver  ornaments  and  precious  stones  which  had  been 
taken  from  the  shrine,  in  order  to  purchase  their  estate  at  Brentfield,  to 
be  reinstated  in  their  former  splendour.  Robert's  successor,  Symond, 
spent  the  greater  part  of  his  time  in  procuring  gold  and  silver,  rich 
cups,  and  utensils,  and  with  many  precious  stones  decorating  the 
shrine,  so  that  Matthew  Paris  (who  lived  nearly  a  century  afterv^'ards) 
"  had  never  seen  a  shrine  more  splendid  and  noble."  It  was  then  in  the 
form  of  an  altar  tomb,  rising  with  a  lofty  canopy  over  it,  supported  on 
four  pillars,  and  upon  it  was  represented  the  saint  lying  in  great  state. 
This  shrine  enclosed  the  coffin  wherein  the  bones  of  the  saint  had 
been  deposited  by  Abbot  Geoffrey,  sixteenth  Abbot.  This  coffin  was 
in  its  turn  enclosed  in  an  outer  case,  which  on  two  sides  was  orna- 
mented with  figures,  and  embossed  in  gold  and  silver,  portraying  the 
chief  events  of  the  saint's  life.  At  the  head  was  placed  a  large 
crucifix,  with  a  figure  of  Maiy  on  the  one  side  and  St.  John  on  the  other, 
ornamented  with  a  row  of  very  splendid  jewels.  At  the  west,  and  in 
h'ont  of  the  choir,  was  placed  an  image  of  the  Virgin  holding  her  son 
in  her  bosom,  seated  on  a  throne  ;  the  work  being  of  richly  embossed 
gold,  and  enriched  with  precious  stones  and  very  costly  bracelets. 
The  four  pillars  which  su  pported  the  canopy  stood  one  at  each  corner, 
and  were  shaped  in  resemblance  like  towers,  with  apertures  to  represent 
windows,  all  being  of  plate  gold.  The  inside  of  the  canopy  was  also 
covered  with  crystal  stones.  Such  was  the  magnificent  shrine  of  the 
Saint  at  that  period. 

To  the  Abbey  Treasury,  in  the  time  of  William  de  Trumpington, 
the  22nd  Abbot,  an  inestimable  relic  was  added,  one  of  the  "  Ribs  of 
Wulstan,"  who  was  Bishop  of  Worcester  in  the  time  of  William  the 
Conqueror.  A  monk  named  Lawrence,  who  had  just  arrived  from  the 
monastery  of  Jehosaphat,  near  Jerusalem,  brought  a  Holy  Cross,  cer- 
tified to  be  made  from  a  portion  of  the  real  Cross  upon  which  the 
Saviour  had  suffered.  Next  was  a  human  arm,  positively  declared  to 
be  that  of  St.  Jerome,  which  the  Abbot  enclosed  in  a  case  of  gold, 
set  with  jewels  and  stones  of  great  value,  and  caused  it  from  that  time 
to  be  borne  in  the  Abbey  processions  on  all  great  festivals. 


1 1 6  The  A  bbey  of  Si,  A  lb  an. 

Hitherto  we  have  spoken  of  the  remains  of  St.  Alban  with  a  conli- 
dence  not  to  be  mistaken  ;  we  are  gravely  assured  that  in  1256,  during 
the  abbacy  of  John  of  Hertford,  during  some  repairs  then  done  at  the 
east  end  of  the  Abbey,  the  workmen  in  opening  the  ground  discovered 
a  stone  coffin  which,  according  to  the  inscription  upon  it,  contained 
the  true  bones  of  St.  Alban.  This  discovery  is  said  to  have  been 
made  between  the  altar  of  Oswin  and  that  of  Wulstan,  where  the 
matins  were  usually  said :  here  stood  an  ancient  painted  shrine,  and 
under  it  a  marble  tomb  or  coffin,  supported  on  marble  pillars,  and 
which  place  and  tomb  had  been  therefore  considered  and  called  the 
tomb  of  St.  Alban.  Here  then  it  was  decided  the  holy  martyr  had 
been  interred  on  the  day  of  his  execution  about  970  years  before. 
Fortunately,  this  most  important  but  unexpected  discovery  was  made 
in  the  presence  of  the  Abbot  John,  as  well  as  of  the  Bishop  of  Bangor, 
and  of  Philip  de  Chester.  There  were  present  also  all  the  inmates  of 
the  monastery,  including  Matthew  Paris  the  narrator.  As  a  conclusive 
proof  of  the  authenticity  of  the  remains  of  the  Saint,  miracles  were 
performed  at  his  coffin,  and  Matthew  Paris  relates  that  first  one  boy  was 
thereby  raised  from  death,  and  then  another,  and  that  many  were  cured 
of  blindness,  and  of  the  palsy.  John  of  Wheathampstead,  the  justly 
famous  Abbot,  also  caused  a  picture  of  the  Saint,  curiously  enriched 
with  gold  and  silver,  to  be  painted  at  his  own  expense  and  suspended 
over  the  shrine ;  but  this  has  long  since  perished. 

To  restore  the  pristine  influence  of  the  shrine  as  far  as  possible, 
the  Abbot  William  of  Wallingford  caused  the  stately  screen  (the 
mutilated  remains  of  which  are  still  to  be  seen  and  admired)  to  be 
erected  before  the  altar.  By  it  the  shrine  was  enclosed  thencefortis, 
and  only  shown  on  rare  occasions,  and  with  great  solemnity.  Still, 
despite  the  screen,  the  attractions  of  the  shrine  gradually  faded  away 
before  the  rising  star  of  the  Reformation,  and  were  utterly  extinguished 
on  December  5th,  1539,  when  Sir  Thomas  Pope  received  the  final 
surrender  of  the  Abbey,  its  privileges  and  power,  from  the  hireling 
Abbot,  Richard  Boreman.  Immediately  afterwards  the  hands  of  the 
spoiler  became  paramount,  and  so  strongly  was  the  work  of  destruction 
carried  on  that  all  trace  of  the  former  honours  rendered  to  tiie  saint 
soon  disappeared,  leaving  the  inscription  "  S.  Albanus  Vcrolamensis 
Anglorum  Protomartyr,  17  Junii,  293,"  as  the  only  existing  link 
between  the  i6th  century  of  the  shrine  of  St.  Alban  and  the  Abbey 
relics.  The  Abbey — as  such,  became  extinguished,  its  glories  departed, 
its  shrine  was  despoiled,  and  its  relics  scattered  and  lost.  The  church, 
however,  never  lost  its  position  as  a  place  of  worship,  but  remained  in 


The  A  hhey  of  St  A  than.  1 1 7 

possession  of  the  crown  until  the  charter  was  conferred  upon  St» 
Albans  in  1553  by  Edward  VI.,  at  which  period  it  was  sold  for  the 
nominal  sum  of  400/.  to  a  worthy  and  wealthy  inhabitant  of  the  town, 
rejoicing  in  the  euphemistic  and  appropriate  name  of  "  Stump."* 

The  Abbey  was  visited  by  the  majority  of  our  Sovereigns,  until  the 
reign  of  Henry  VIII.  To  the  visit  of  Henry  I.  and  his  "Queen 
Matilda  of  Scotland,"  we  owe  the  production  of  the  miniature  like- 
ness of  this  royal  benefactress,  then  taken  by  one  of  the  limners  of  the 
Abbey  :  it  was  afterwards,  in  the  early  part  of  the  T4th  century,  copied 
into  the  "  Golden  Register  of  St.  Albans,"  which  still  exists,  and  is 
now  to  be  found  in  the  British  Museum  (Cottonian  MSS.  Nero  D), 
and  is  a  sort  of  conventual  album,  wherein  were  entered  the  portraits 
of  all  the  benefactors  of  the  Abbey,  together  with  an  abstract  of  their 
donations.  In  that  miniature  the  Queen  appears  in  the  costume  she 
doubtless  wore  at  the  consecration  of  the  Abbey.  She  displays  with  her 
left  hand  the  charter  she  ga-^the  Abbey,  from  which  hangs  a  very  large 
red  seal,  whereon  without  doubt  was  impressed  her  effigy  in  grand 
relief. 

Henry  III.,  on  no  less  than  six  different  occasions  became  the 
Abbot's  guest,  and  evinced  his  favour  to  the  Monastery  in  a  very 
marked  and  substantial  manner.  Thus,  in  1244,  whilst  John  of  Hert- 
ford was  the  23rd-  Abbot,  the  King  visited  St,  Albans  twice,  and 
remained  at  the  Abbey  three  days  on  each  occasion.  His  Majesty's 
second  visit  took  place  on  the  feast  of  St.  Thomas,  just  before  Christ- 
mas (21  December).  On  this  occasion,  whilst  attending  the  Abbey 
mass,  he,  in  the  course  of  his  devotion  at  the  altar,  made  an  offering  of 
a  very  rich  pall  or  cloak,  and  in  addition  gave  three  bracelets  of  gold 
to  be  affixed  to  the  shrine  to  the  honour  of  St.  Alban,  and  in  remem- 
brance of  himself.  In  1249  Henry  once  more  sought  the  hospitality 
of  the  Abbey  on  his  way  to  Huntingdon,  and  at  this  time  his  Majesty 
was  so  distressed  for  money  as  to  be  obliged  to  entreat  the  Abbot  John 
to  lend  him  the  trifling  sum  of  sixty  marks,  and  to  prove  the  urgency  of 
the  want,  he  told  John,  on  his  handing  the  money,  that  "  it  was  as 
great  a  charity  as  to  give  an  alms  at  the  Abbey  gate."  The  King, 
however,  was  accustomed  to  these  "  loans,"  which  he  well  knew  could 
not.  be  refused  to  him,  as  he  honoured  the  Abbey  so  frequently  with 
his  presence,  and  presented  to  it  habits  and  ornaments  of  great  value. 
In  1251  the  King  came  twice  to  the  Abbey,  and  made  an  offering  of 


*  Condensed  and  selected  from  an  elaborate  paper  by  H.  A.  Holt,  Esq. 
read  to  the  British  Archceological  Association  Congress,  at  St.  Albans,  ii 
August,  1S69. 


1 1 8  The  A  bbey  of  St.  A  Ibaii. 

three  robes,  manufactured  entirely  of  silk,  which  with  others  before 
given,  amounted  to  thirty  in  number,  as  well  as  two  necklaces  of  great 
value.  In  the  year  1252,  during  the  abbacy  of  John  the  23rd  Abbot, 
Henry's  Queen,  Eleanor  of  Provence,  honoured  the  Abbey  with  her 
presence,  accompanied  by  her  children.  During  her  stay,  the  Queen 
was  in  imminent  danger  fi'om  a  thunderstorm,  as  whilst  sitting  in  her 
room  the  lightning  struck  the  chimney  of  her  chamber  and  shivered  it 
to  pieces.  The  Abbey  laundry  burst  into  flames,  and  such  a  commo- 
tion was  caused  by  the  elements  that  Alanus  le  Zouch,  the  King's  chief 
justice  of  Chester  and  of  the  Welsh  district  (who  was  escorting  two 
treasure  carts,  and  had  temporarily  accepted  hospitality  at  the  Abbey), 
thinking  the  whole  structure  was  devoted  to  destruction,  rushed  forth 
with  his  attendants  into  the  highway,  and  as  they  went,  they  fancied 
a  flaming  torch  or  a  drawn  sword  preceded  them.  As  a  token  of 
gratitude  for  her  preservation  the  Queen  made  an  offering  on  the 
altar  of  a  rich  cloth  called  a  "  baldekin  "  of  tissue  of  gold.  In  the 
beginning  of  March,  1257,  the  King  again  visited  the  Monastery,  when 
the  several  inmates  were  habited  in  their  best  attire,  the  saint  was 
borne  on  such  portion  of  his  shrine  as  was  portable,  the  King  him- 
self following  in  the  train,  and  testifying  his  veneration  for  the  sacred 
relics  of  St.  Alban.  The  King  made  great  offerings  to  the  shrine* 
consisting  of  a  curious  and  splendid  bracelet  and  valuable  rings,  as  well 
as  a  large  silver  cup  to  receive  the  dust  and  ashes  of  the  venerable 
martyr.  He  also  gave  six  robes  of  silk  as  a  covering  to  the  said  old 
monument.  On  this  occasion  his  Majesty  prolonged  his  stay  for  a 
week,  and  conversed  much  with  the  celebrated  Matthew  Paris,  then  an 
inmate  of  the  Abbey,  making  him  his  companion  at  table,  as  well  as  in 
the  audience  chamber,  and  in  his  closet  or  private  room. 

In  1264,  St.  Albans  was  a  scene  of  great  tumult  and  disorder,  con- 
sequent upon  a  dispute  between  Roger,  the  24th  Abbot,  and  the 
townspeople,  connected  with  the  use  of  the  Abbey  mills.  In  the  midst 
of  the  confusion  the  Queen  amved,  and  multitudes  crowded  the  way 
for  the  purpose  of  begging  the  royal  interference  in  their  behalf,  but 
being  foiled  in  this  expectation  by  the  Abbots  introducing  the  Queen 
to  the  Monastery  by  some  private  way,  the  inhabitants  became  more 
outrageous  than  before,  and  so  barricaded  the  town  at  every  aw  luu', 
tliat  from  its  fortified  state  it  was  called '•  Little  London."  It  w:is 
during  this  tumult  that  Gregory  de  Stokes,  the  Constable  of  Hertford 
Castle,  and  his  three  attendants,  were  seized  and  decapitated  by  the 
infuriated  townsmen  ;  for  this  outrage  the  King  amerced  the  town  in 
100  marks,  which  they  instantly  paid. 


The  A  bbey  of  St.  A  lb  ait,  1 1 9 

In  1268,  tie  King  made  his  last  visit  to  the  Abbey  of  which  \7ri 
have  any  record — namely,  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Bartholomew.  On  this 
occasion  Henry  was  accompanied  by  his  eldest  son,  the  Prince 
Edward — afterwards  Edward  I.  The  royal  party  entered  the  Church 
with  great  solemnity,  and  made  offerings  of  rich  palls,  bracelets,  golden 
rings,  and  of  twelve  talents  besides,  the  King  directing  that  the  Abbot 
might  convert  these  valuable  articles  into  money  if  he  pleased,  provided 
that  the  proceeds  were  laid  out  in  ornaments  for  St.  Alban's  shrine. 

Upon  the  accession  of  Edward  II.,  that  monarch  demanded  of  John 
Maryus,  the  26th  Abbot,  to  be  furnished  on  his  Scottish  wars  with 
two  carts  and  proper  horses,  and  all  appurtenances ;  but  the  Abbot 
injudiciously  pleaded  his  poverty,  and  declared  his  inability  to  comply 
with  it;  whereupon,  on  the  King's  visit  to  the  Abbey  in  131 1,  accom- 
panied by  his  favourite.  Piers  Gaveston,  Edward  refused  either  to  see 
the  Abbot,  or  to  converse  with  him,  whereupon  Maryus  at  once 
sought  the  mediation  of  Gaveston,  and  by  presenting  the  King  ^vith 
100  marks  of  silver,  peace  was  restored  between  King  and  Abbot ;  but 
the  King  soon  afterwards  cut  down  a  wood  at  Langley,  near  West- 
wood,  under  pretence  of  enlarging  the  royal  mansion  there,  where- 
upon the  Abbot  claimed  the  wood  as  belonging  to  the  Monastery,  but 
lost  it. 

Though  we  have  no  knowledge  of  any  actual  visit  of  Edward  III. 
to  the  Abbey,  certain  it  is  that  the  Abbot  procured  from  this  King 
many  considerable  donations  for  the  shrine,  amongst  which  may  be 
mentioned  a  crucifix  of  gold  set  with  pearls,  a  cup  of  silver-gilt  of 
great  value,  sundry  Scottish  relics,  timber  for  repairing  the  choir,  and 
100/.  in  money.  Consequent  upon  the  extortionate  demands  made 
upon  the  Monastery  during  the  abbacy  of  Thomas  de  la  Mare,  the 
youthful  Richard  II.  (soon  after  the  death  of  Wat  Tyler)  hearing  of 
the  great  commotions  at  St.  Albans,  decided  to  march  thither  and 
suppress  the  disorders ;  it  was  not,  however,  until  they  were  posi- 
tively assured  of  the  King  being  on  his  way  to  the  town  that  they 
restored  the  goods  they  had  stolen  from  the  Abbey,  and  gave  a  bond 
to  pay  200/.  to  the  Abbot  for  damages.  Richard  was  attended  on 
this  occasion  by  Sir  Robert  Tresillian,  his  much-dreaded  chief  justice, 
and  escorted  with  a  guard  of  1000  bowmen  and  soldiers.  The  King 
was  received  at  the  west  door  by  the  Abbot  and  his  monks,  in  pro- 
cession, and  with  great  solemnity.* 


*  In  the  choir  of  the  church  there  formerly  hung  a  hfe-like  portrait  of 
Richard  II.,  seated  in  State,  with  crown  and  sceptre  upon  what,  from  its  con- 
struction (the  height  of  its  pinnacles,  and  the  fact  of  its  being  raised  on  a  step 


1 20  The  A  bbcy  cf  St.  A  Iban. 

History  is  altogether  silent  as  to  either  visit  or  donation  by  either 
King  Henry  IV.  or  his  son  Henry  V.,  and  it  is  not  until  we  reach  the 
38th  year  of  the  reign  of  Henry  VI.,  or  77  years  after  Richard's  visit, 
ihat  royalty  seems  to  have  again  smiled  upon  the  Abbey.  May  22, 
14515,  was  a  sad  day  for  Henry  VI.,  and  one  long  noted  in  the  annals 
of  the  Abbey.  Upon  it  was  fought  the  first  famous  battle  of  St. 
Albans,  between  the  houses  of  York  and  Lancaster,  which  although  it 
lasted  but  one  short  hour,  yet  proved  so  disastrous  to  Henry,  and  left 
him  wounded  in  the  neck  by  an  arrow,  and  a  prisoner  to  the  Duke  of 
York.  The  King  remained  on  the  field  until  he  was  left  perfectly 
alone,  under  his  royal  banner,  when  he  took  refuge  in  a  baker's  shop, 
and  was  there  visited  by  the  conquering  Duke,  who  bending  his  knee 
bade  him  "  Rejoice,  as  the  traitor  Somerset  was  slain," — and  then  led 
the  King,  first  to  the  shrine  of  St.  Alban,  and  afterwards  to  his  apart- 
ments in  the  Abbey ;  on  the  following  day  he  took  him  to  London. 
In  1459,  however,  Henry  and  his  Queen,  with  their  youthful  and  only 
son,  Edward  Prince  of  Wales,  then  in  his  7th  year  (called  by  Speed 
*'  The  child  of  sorrow  and  infelicity"),  visited  the  Abbey,  and  were 
entertained  by  John  of  Wheathampstead,  the  33rd  Abbot,  and  by  far 
the  most  famous  and  illustrious  of  all  the  rulers  of  the  Monastery. 

At  Easter,  1459,  ^^^  King  again  passed  his  holidays  at  the  Abbey; 
being  altogether  without  means  to  adequately  acknowledge  the  hos- 
pitality shown  him,  he  ordered  his  best  robe  to  be  given  to  the  Abbot 
as  a  token  of  his  satisfaction.  His  treasurer,  however,  knowing  that 
the  King  had  not  a  second  robe  to  his  back,  was  amazed  at  the 
royal  command,  but  with  admirable  presence  of  mind,  whilst  affecting 
to  obey  the  King's  wishes,  whispered  in  the  Abbot's  ear,  that  •'  some 
of  those  days  "  he  would  send  him  fifty  marks  instead  of  the  robe,  but 


or  steps),  may  certainly  be  called  a  lofty  throne.  Mr.  Riley  surmises  that  this 
portrait  was  painted  for  Abbot  William  de  Colchester.  Upon  that  Abbot's 
dissjrace,  and  in  order  to  protect  the  portrait  from  the  Bolingbroke  party,  when 
Richard  was  unseated,  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  removed  from  the  Abbot's 
palace  to  the  interior  of  the  Abbey,  where  no  one  could  molest  it  under  penalties 
of  sacrilege.  "This,"  says  \.\\q  Athenceum,  "is  more  probable,  perhaps,  than 
another  suggestion  which  has  been  made  respecting  the  origin  of  this  portrait. 
The  Earl  of  Arundel,  who  had  been  ordered  to  attend  the  funeral  of  Richard's 
Queen,  arrived  so  late  in  the  Abbey,  that  the  angry  King  on  seeing  the  Earl 
and  his  indifference,  seized  a  beadle's  staff,  knocked  Arundel  down,  and  would 
have  murdered  him  on  the  spot  but  for  the  bystanders.  As  it  was,  blood  from 
the  Earl's  wound  desecrated  the  Abbey,  and  the  rites  were  suspended  till 
prayer  had  cleansed  the  place  of  sacrilege.  It  has  been  suggested  that,  in  part 
expiation  of  the  crime,  Richard  gave  this,  the  first  painted  presentment  now 
extant  of  any  of  our  kings,  to  the  Abbey  ;  but,  as  it  seems  lo  have  been  at  St. 
Aibans  before  it  wns  at  Westminster,  Mr.  Riley's  later  surmise  seems  to  bear 
Ihe  greater  amount  of  probability." 


The  A bbey  of  St.  A  Iban.  1 2 1 

Henry,  Clearing  of  the  arrangement,  would  brook  no  delay  in  payment 
sf  the  money,  and  insisted  on  the  Prior  sending  specially  to  London 
for  it,  which  was  done.  The  King  had  it  counted,  and  paid  over  by 
the  Lord  Treasurer  in  the  royal  presence,  but  imposed  as  a  condition 
that  it  should  be  expended  by  the  Abbot  in  the  purchase  of  gold  cloth 
of  great  value,  and  commonly  called  "  Cremsyne  Thissue,"  and  this  to 
be  made  up  in  one  cope  or  chasuble,  two  tunics,  and  one  complete  suit 
for  the  cover  of  the  grand  altar. 

On  Shrove  Tuesday  (17th  February),  1461,  the  hostile  forces  of 
York  and  Lancaster  again  met  near  St.  Albans,  when  the  fortune  ol" 
the  day  rested  with  the  Queen  (Margaret).  As  night  set  in  the 
defeated  Yorkists  fled  precipitately,  leaving  their  royal  prisoner, 
King  Henry,  nearly  alone  in  a  tent  with  Lord  Montague,  his  chamber- 
lain, and  two  or  three  attendants.  The  Queen  on  being  apprised  of 
her  lord's  captivity,  attended  by  her  son  the  Prince  of  Wales,  flew  to 
greet  Henrj^.  The  royal  family  and  their  northern  lords  then  went 
immediately  to  the  Abbey,  at  the  doors  of  which  they  were  met  by 
the  Abbot  John,  attended  by  his  monks,  who  chanted  hymns  of 
triumph  and  of  thanksgiving  for  the  King  s  safety.  The  whole  party 
then  proceeded  to  the  high  altar  to  return  thanks  for  the  victory  and 
deliverance  of  the  King,  after  which  the  shrine  of  St.  Alban  was  visited 
for  a  similar  purpose,  and  on  the  conclusion  of  their  religious  duties, 
the  King,  Queen,  and  Prince  were  conducted  to  their  apartments  in  the 
Abbey,  where  they  took  up  their  abode  for  several  days,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded  to  London. 

With  Plenry  VL  the  royal  favours  shown  to  the  Abbey  were  fast 
drawing  to  a  close.  It  is  true  that  Edward  IV.'s  pleasures  of  the  chase 
in  the  forest  of  Whittlebury,  led  to  his  early  acquaintance  with  the 
Abbey  and  its  rules,  but  no  record  is  left  of  any  state  visit,  holiday- 
making  or  regal  offerings  by  this  King,  although,  from  an  entry  in  the 
Abbey  accounts,  it  appears  that  John  of  U^heathampstead  expended 
S5/.  (no  inconsiderable  sum  in  those  days)  in  entertaining  the  young 
King,  Edward  IV.,  at  his  first  visit  after  his  coronation.  Tolerance 
and  protection  to  the  Abbey  appear  to  have  been  the  leading  features 
in  Edward's  time.  Richard  III.  however,  both  before  and  after  his 
accession,  showed  great  favour  to  the  Monastery,  and  warmly  en- 
couraged the  completing  and  publishing  of  the  celebrated  St,  Albans 
Chronicle ;  but  with  his  reign  the  last  royal  favour  ceased  for  ever,  and 
neither  the  ancient  splendour  of  the  Abbey  nor  its  literary  fame  could 
any  longer  secure  to  it  the  grace  and  favour  of  the  sovereign :  it  ex- 
perienced a  fatal  blow  when  Henry  VII.  ascended  the  throne. 


1 2  2  The  A  bbey  of  St.  A  lb  an. 

Whilst  under  Morton  and  Fox  the  work  of  oppression  and  destruc- 
Hon  became  easy,  yet  with  an  hypocrisy  only  exceeded  by  his  selfish- 
ness, the  King  affected  to  manifest  great  respect  and  devotion  to  this 
Abbey,  as  in  the  20th  year  of  his  reign  he  caused  the  Abbot  and 
Convent  of  Westminster  to  engage  to  pay  yearly  to  the  Abbey  of  St. 
Albans  100^.,  in  order  to  keep  and  observe  a  most  solemn  anniversar)'  on 
the  7th  Feb. ;  and  thereon  to  pray  for  the  king  and  his  father,  and  when 
his  mother,  the  Countess  of  Richmond,  should  be  dead,  for  her  also.* 

Chaucer  and  our  early  authors  complain  as  to  the  treatment  of  bond- 
men, or  villeins,  which  complaints  certain  modern  writers  say  are 
grossly  exaggerated,  and  that  the  condition  of  the  Abbey  bondman 
especially  was  little  worse,  comparatively,  than  that  of  a  tenant  farmer 
now.  Here  are  two  instances  to  the  contrary,  from  the  records  of  St. 
Albans.  In  1353  Nicholas  Tybbesone  charged  the  Abbot  of  St. 
Albans  and  his  fellow-monk,  Reginald  of  Spalding,  that  they  assaulted, 
beat,  wounded,  and  imprisoned  him  the  said  Nicholas,  and  kept  him 
two  days  in  prison  till  he  paid  them  a  fine  of  76  shillings  to  let  him  go. 
They  pleaded  that  Nicholas  had  no  right  of  action  against  them,  as  he 
was  their  bondman.  He  could  not  deny  this,  and  was  in  consequence 
"  amerced  for  making  a  false  complaint."  Again,  in  1355,  the  Abbot 
and  his  men  break  into  the  close  of  one  of  his  villeins,  John  Albyn,  and 
carry  off  his  bull  and  twenty-four  cows,  of  the  value  of  twenty  marks. 
On  suing  the  Abbot,  he  pleads  that  Albyn  is  his  villein ;  and  consequently, 
the  poor  man  not  only  loses  his  cattle,  but  "  is  amerced  for  making  a 
false  claim"  to  his  own  property. — {Atbenaum  journal.) 

One  of  the  monks  of  St.  Albans  was  Malken  of  Paris,  and  another 
was  one  of  the  first  of  our  English  printers.  The  first  book  known  to 
have  been  printed  by  Caxton  in  this  country  is  dated  1474,  and  in 
1480  was  published  the  earliest  book  printed  at  St.  Albans  Abbey, 
entitled  Rhetorica  nova  Fratris  Laurencli  Gulielmi  de  Soona,  Of  this 
book  three  copies  are  extant.  Two  other  works  appeared  the  same 
year.  In  148 1  appeared  Aristotle's  Physics,  and  a  little  after  the  St. 
Albans  Chronicle,  and  then  the  Gentleman  s  Recreation,  by  the  Prioress 
01  the  neighbouring  nunnery  of  Sopwell,  Dame  Juliana  Berners.  The 
subject  may  be  thought  singular  for  a  lady  in  such  a  position  in  our 
time.  The  work  consists  of  three  treatises— one  on  "Hawking," 
another  on  "  Hunting  and  Fishing,"  and  the  third  on  "  Brass  Armour." 

Facing  the  entrance  of  the  south  door  of  the  Abbey  church  is  the 

*  Condensed  and  selected  from  an  elaborate  paper  by  H  F.  Holt,  Esq., 
read  to  the  British  Archaeological  Association  Congress,  at  St.  Albans,  ia 
August,  1869. 


The  Abbey  of  St.  A  lb  an,  123 

monument  to  Humphrey,  brother  to  King  Henry  V.,  commonly  distm- 
guished  by  the  title  of  the  Good  Duke  Humphrey.  It  is  adorned  with  a 
ducal  coronet,  and  the  arms  of  France  and  England.  In  niches  on  one 
side  are  seventeen  Kings  ;  but  in  the  niches  on  the  other  side  there  are 
no  statues  remaining.  Before  this  monument  is  a  strong  iron  grating, 
to  prevent  the  sculpture  being  defaced.  The  inscription,  in  Latin, 
alludes  to  the  pretended  miraculous  cure  of  a  blind  man,  detected 
by  the  Duke,  and  to  the  gift  of  books  for  the  Divinity  School  at  Oxford. 
It  may  be  thus  translated  : 

"SACRED  TO  THE    MEMORY  OF  THE   BEST  OF  MEN. 

"  Interr' d  within  this  consecrated  ground, 
Lies  he  whom  Henry  his  protector  found  : 
Good  Humphrey,  Gloster's  Duke,  who  well  could  spy. 
Fraud  couch'd  within  the  blind  impostor's  eye. 
His  country's  light,  and  state's  rever'd  support. 
Who  peace  and  rising  learning  deign'd  to  court : 
Whence  his  rich  library  at  Oxford  plac'd, 
Her  ample  school  with  sacred  influence  grac'd : 
Yet  fell  beneath  an  envious  woman's  wile. 
Both  to  herself,  her  king,  and  country,  vile  ; 
Who  scarce  allow'd  his  bones  this  spot  of  land, 
Yet,  spite  of  envy,  shall  his  glory  stand." 

In  the  chancel  is  the  vault,  discovered  in  1703,  in  which  the  Duke 
was  buried  ;  at  which  time  the  body  w^as  entire,  and  in  strong  pickle ; 
the  pickle,  however,  has  long  been  dried  up,  the  flesh  wasted  away,  and 
nothing  remains  of  this  great  and  good  prince  but  a  few  bones.  We 
were  shown,  many  years  ago,  some  dust,  stated  to  be  the  Duke's  !* 


*  These  mouldering  remains  gave  rise  to  the  following  jeu  d' esprit,  by  the 
illustrious  actor,  Garrick.  In  the  summer  of  1765,'  Garrick  and  Quin  (who 
was  hardly  more  renowned  for  his  merits  as  a  player  than  for  his  fondness  for 
good  living),  with  other  friends,  visited  at  St.  Albans,  where,  at  the  Abbey 
Church,  they  were  shown  the  bones  of  Duke  Humphrey ;  Quin  jocosely 
lamented  that  so  many  aromatics,  and  such  a  quantity  of  spirit,  should  be  used 
in  the  preservation  of  a  dead  body.  After  their  return  to  dinner,  and  whilst 
the  bowl  was  circulating,  Garrick  took  out  his  pencil,  and  wrote  the  following 
verses,  which  he  denominated 

"  QUm'S  SOLILOQUY. 
•'  A  plague  on  Egypt's  arts  I  say — 
Embalm  the  dead  !  On  senseless  clay 

Rich  wines  and  spices  waste  ! 
Like  sturgeon,  or  like  brawn,  shall  I, 
Bound  in  a  precious  pickle  lie. 
Which  I  can  never  taste? 

•*  Let  me  embalm  this  flesh  of  mine, 
With  turtle  fat,  and  Bordeaux  wine. 

And  spoil  th'  Egyptian  trade  ! 
Than  Humphrey's  duke  more  happy  I  I 
Embalm  "d  alive,  old  Quin  shall  lie 
A  mummy  ready  made  1" 


1 24  The  A  bbey  of  St.  A  Iban. 

Near  where  the  shrine  stood  is  "  the  Watch  Room,**  in  which  the 
monks  attended  to  receive  the  donations  of  devotees,  as  well  as  to 
guard  the  riches  of  the  shrine.  Beneath  the  above  is  a  stone  coffin,  on 
which  is  inscribed  an  account  of  Sir  John  Mandeville,  the  greatest 
traveller  of  his  time.  He  was  a  native  of  St.  Albans,  and  dying  in 
1372,  was  buried  at  Liege,  in  Flanders. 

Here  are  a  beautiful  stone  screen,  and  some  finely  sculptured  monu- 
ments of  Abbots  Ramryge  and  Wheathampstead,  and  Frederic;  a  brass 
plate  to  the  memory  of  Sir  Anthony  Grey,  of  Groby,  knighted  by 
Henry  VI.  at  Colney,  but  slain  next  day  at  the  second  battle  of  St. 
Albans,  February  17,  1461.  Abbot  Frederic  made  the  boldest  stand 
against  William  the  Conqueror.  The  battle  of  Hastings  was  over, 
Harold  was  killed  in  it,  no  head  was  made  against  William's  sub- 
duing the  whole  island ;  and  he  came  on  by  slow  marches  to  take 
possession  rather  than  to  subdue  by  force.  Having  passed  the  Thames 
at  Wallingford,  he  rested  at  Berkhampstead,  where  Abbot  Frederic 
stopped  him  by  cutting  down  trees,  and  throwing  them  in  the  invader  s 
way.  By  this  delay  the  Abbot  gained  time  to  convene  the  nobility  of 
the  country  at  St.  Albans,  to  consult  about  some  effort  to  drive  the 
Normans  back,  and  free  the  country  from  their  yoke;  but  their 
attempts  to  this  purpose  were  vain. 

The  Abbot's  resolute  answer  to  William  is  remarkable.  Being 
asked  by  him,  "  Why  he  felled  the  trees  to  impede  the  army's  pro- 
gress ?"  he  boldly  replied,  that  "  he  had  done  no  more  than  his  duty; 
and  if  all  the  clergy  in  the  realm  had  done  the  same,  they  might  have 
stopped  his  progress."  This  produced  a  menace  from  King  William, 
"  that  he  would  cut  their  power  shorter,  and  begin  with  him."  Thus 
St.  Albans  greatly  suffered  from  the  conduct  of  its  Abbot,  who,  on 
the  dissolution  of  the  confederacy,  was  obliged  to  seek  refuge  in  the 
monastery  of  Ely,  where  he  died  of  grief  and  mortification  ;  while 
William  seized  all  the  abbey  lands  between  Barnet  and  London  Stone, 
together  with  the  manor  of  Redburn;  and  would  have  effectually 
ruined  the  monastery,  but  for  the  solicitation  of  Lanft-anc,  Archbish.op 
of  Canterbury. 

The  stately  Abbey  Church  had  fallen  into  partial  and  piecemeal 
decay,  when,  in  the  year  1832,  a  fund  was  raised  for  its  substantial 
repair,  under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  L.  N.  Cottingham,  architect. 
The  subscription  was  headed  by  King  William  IV.,  who,  being  0:1  a 
visit  to  the  Marquis  of  W  estminster,  at  Moor  Park,  near  Rickmanswortl., 
bis  Majesty,  during  a  drive  through  the  grounds,  halted  to  admire  the 
massive  fonii  of  th?  Abbey  Church,  in  one  of  the  picturesque  pros;)ect« 


Hertford  Castle.  125 

from  the  beautiful  domain.  The  opportunity  proved  a  golden  one  to 
report  to  the  King  the  repairs  in  progress,  when  his  Majesty  was 
pleased  to  signify  his  donation  of  100  guineas  to  the  funds.  The  good 
work  has  since  been  carried  on  ;  and  in  the  autumn  of  1869,  a  hope 
was  expressed  by  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Rochester  for  the  speedy  and 
effectual  restoration  of  the  interesting  fabric ;  and  that  ere  long,  when 
the  necessity  for  aid  has  become  extensively  known,  his  lordship's 
wishes  may  be  fulfilled,  and  that  it  may  be  possible  to  reckon  b) 
thousands  the  visitors  and  benefactors  of  the  Abbey  of  St.  Alban. 

Here  may  be  noted  some  particulars  of  Neckam,  a  scientific  English- 
man of  the  twelfth  century,  a  native  of  St.  Albans,  born  on  the  same 
night  as  Richard  Gccur  de  Lion,  and  suckled  at  the  same  breast.  He 
became  a  distinguished  professor  at  the  University  of  Paris,  and  was 
afterwards  elected  Abbot  of  Cirencester.  In  his  treatise  De  Naturd 
Rerum  are  many  anecdotes  characteristic  of  the  times,  and  they 
especially  teach  us  how  great  was  the  love  of  all  animals  in  the  Middle 
Ages,  how  ready  people  of  all  classes  were  to  observe  and  note  the 
peculiarities  of  animated  nature,  and  especially  how  fond  they  were  of 
tamed  and  domestic  animals.  The  mcdiseval  castles  and  great  man- 
sions were  like  so  many  menageries  of  rare  beasts  and  birds  of  aU. 
kinds.  His  love  for  symbolism  is  great ;  and  wonderful  is  his  dis- 
covery of  the  whole  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  in  the  first  word  of  the 
Book  of  Genesis  in  Hebrew.  Neckam  was  a  precursor  of  Bacon,  who 
speaks  of  him  respectfully,  but  declines  to  admit  him  as  an  authority. 


Hertford  Castle. 

Hertford  is  a  town  of  considerable  antiquity,  by  some  writers  thought 
to  have  been  originally  a  Roman  station.  In  673,  a  national  eccle- 
siastical council  was  held  here  by  Theodore,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
to  compel  submission  to  the  Papal  see ;  two  of  the  Saxon  Kings  at- 
tended. About  905,  Edward  the  Elder  erected  the  Castle,  and  re- 
built the  town,  which  had  probably  been  ruined  by  the  Danes.  In  the 
Civil  War  of  the  reign  of  John,  the  Castle  was  taken,  after  a  stout 
defence,  by  the  Dauphin  Louis  and  the  revolted  Barons.  It  next 
came  to  the  Grown.  In  1357,  Isabella,  Queen  of  Edward  II.,  was  re- 
siding here,  as  we  learn  from  the  very  interesting  account  of  her  last 
days,  drawn  from  the  Book  of  her  Household  Expenses,  by  Mr.  E, 
A.  Bond,  F.S.A.,  of  the  British  Museum.    We  have  here  detailed  her 


1 26  Berkhampsiead  Castle, 

pilgrimage  from  Hertford  Castle  to  Canterbuiy ;  her  reception  of  the 
renowned  Captal  de  Buche,  cousin  of  the  Comte  de  Foix,  who  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  Poitiers,  and  while  at  Hertford  Castle  was  visited 
by  several  noble  captives,  taken  in  that  battle.  Then  we  read  of  Queen 
Isabella  resting  at  Tottenham,  on  her  way  to  Hertford,  and  presenting 
a  gift  to  the  nuns  at  Cheshunt,  who  met  the  Queen  at  the  Cross. 
Isabella  died  at  Hertford  Castle,  although  often  stated  to  have  expired  at 
Castle  Rising.  We  have  an  account  of  numerous  journeys  of  medical 
attendants,  and  bearers  of  messages  during  the  month  the  Queen  lay 
ill.  Her  body  lay  at  Hertford,  in  the  chapel  of  the  Castle,  whence  her 
funeral  left  for  London,  for  interment  in  the  church  of  the  Grey 
Friars. 

In  1362,  at  Hertford  Castle,  died  Joan,  wife  of  David,  King  of 
Scotland,  and  sister  of  Edward  III.,  during  whose  reign  Jean  II.,  King 
of  France,  and  David,  King  of  Scotland,  spent  part  of  their  captivity 
here.  In  1369,  Henry,  Duke  of  Lancaster  (afterwards  Henry  IV.), 
kept  his  Court  here  when  Richard  II.  was  deposed.  The  Castle  was 
then  granted  in  succession  to  John  of  Gaunt,  and  to  the  Queens  of 
Henry  IV.,  V.,  and  VI.;  the  latter  sovereign  spent  his  Easter  here  in 
1429.  Queen  Elizabeth  occasionally  resided  and  held  her  Court  in 
Hertford  Castle. 


Berkhampstead  Castle. 

Berkhamstead,  or  Berkhampstead,  as  it  is  generally  though  comiptly 
HTitten,  is  an  ancient  market  town  in  Herts,  seemingly  of  Saxon  origin. 
The  name  is  certainly  Saxon — Berg  signifying  a  hill.  Earn  a  town,  and 
Stedt,  a  seat,  it  being  seated  among  the  hills  ;  or  it  may  be  fiom  Burg^ 
a  fortified  place,  and  Ham-stede,  the  fortified  Hamstede,  homestead. 
The  kings  of  Mercia  had  certainly  a  palace  or  Castle  at  this  place,  and 
to  this  we  may  attribute  the  growth  if  not  the  origin  of  the  town. 
William  the  Conqueror  came  to  Berkhampstead  on  his  way  through 
Wallingford  to  London,  after  the  battle  of  Hastings,  and  was  obliged 
to  make  some  stay  there,  his  further  progress  having  been  intercepted 
by  Frederic,  Abbot  of  St.  Albans,  as  described  in  page  27.  The 
grand  meeting  afterwards  held  at  Berkhampstead  between  William  and 
the  notJlc  prelates  who  belonged  to  the  powerful  confederacy  Abbot 
Frederic,  who  waS  of  the  royal  blood  of  the  Saxons,  had  organized 
with  the  object  of  compelling  the  Norman  to  rule  according  to  the 
ancient  laws  and  customs  of  the  country,  or  else  of  doing  their  utmoet 


Berkhampstcad  Castle.  127 

to  raise  Edgar  Atheling  to  the  throne.  William  thought  it  prudent 
to  take  the  required  oath,  and  it  is  well  known  how  he  neglected  it 
when  he  was  firmly  seated  on  the  throne.  In  the  distribution  of 
territory  among  his  followers  which  then  took  place,  the  Castle  and 
Manor  of  Berkhampstead  were  given  to  his  half-brother,  the  Earl  of 
Mortaigne.  Domesday  Book  informs  us  that  the  property  was  rated  at 
thirteen  hides,  and  that  it  was  worth  twenty-four  pounds  when 
bestowed  on  the  Earl,  but  only  sixteen  pounds  at  Domesday  time. 
Among  other  curious  particulars  in  this  account,  it  is  mentioned  that 
the  land  contained  two  arpends  of  vineyards.  The  Earl  enlarged  and 
strengthened  the  Castle  ;  but  in  the  time  of  his  son,  it  was  seized  by 
Henry  I.,  and,  according  to  most  accounts,  razed  to  the  ground,  on 
account  of  the  rebellion  of  its  possessor,  William,  Earl  of  Mortaigne ; 
and  the  town  and  manor  reverted  to  the  Crown.  It  is  probable,  how- 
ever, that  the  demolition  was  only  a  partial  one,  or  that  the  Castle  was 
soon  after  rebuilt,  as  Henry  II.  occasionally  kept  his  Court  here,  and 
granted  great  privileges  "  to  the  men  and  merchants  of  the  honour 
of  Wallingford  and  Berkhamsted  St.  Peter's."  Among  them  it  was 
granted  that  they  should  have  "  firm  peace  in  all  his  land  of  England  and 
Normandy,  wheresoever  they  should  be,"  with  the  enjoyment  of  all  the 
laws  and  customs  which  they  had  in  the  time  of  Edward  the  Confessor 
and  King  Henry,  his  grandfather.  He  also  granted  that  wheresoever 
they  should  go  with  their  merchandizes  to  buy  or  sell  through  all 
England,  Normandy,  Anjou,  and  Aquitaine,  they  should  be  free  from 
all  toll  and  all  secular  customs  and  exactions,  and  all  servile  works  ;  and 
should  any  man  vex  or  disturb  them,  he  rendered  himself  liable  to 
a  penalty  of  ten  pounds. 

Robert,  the  Conqueror's  half-brother,  was  Earl  of  Cornwall,  and 
we  find  that  the  honour  of  Berkhamstead  almost  invariably  accom- 
panied every  subsequent  grant  of  the  earldom.  The  Castle  was  given 
by  Henry  II.  to  Becket.  At  a  later  date  it  was  the  jointure  of  Queen 
Isabelle,  the  bride  of  King  John  ;  and  in  12 16  it  was  besieged  by  Louis 
the  Dauphin  of  France,  who  had  come  over  to  assist  the  discontented 
barons.  The  besieged  held  out  till  the  King  sent  them  ordei"s  to 
suiTender.  It  was  then  the  dower  of  the  second  queen  of  Edward  I. , 
it  next  belonged  to  Richard,  Earl  of  Cornwall,  better  known  as  the 
King  of  the  Romans,  who  died  here ;  and  later  still  was  granted  by 
King  Edward  II.  to  his  favourite.  Piers  Gaveston.  When  Edward  III., 
in  the  twenty-eighth  year  of  his  reign,  advanced  his  eldest  son,  Edward 
the  Black  Prince,  to  the  title  and  dignity  of  Duke  of  Cornwall, 
the  Castle  and  Manor  of  Berkhampstcad  were  given  to  him  '•  to  hold 


128  Berkhampstead  Castle, 

to  him  and  the  heirs  of  him,  and  the  eldest  sons  of  the  kings  of  England, 
and  the  dukes  of  the  said  place."  Here  resided  for  a  time  the  Prince's 
illustrious  captive,  John,  King  of  France.  Accordingly,  the  property- 
has  since  descended  from  the  Crown  to  the  successive  Princes  of  Wales, 
as  heirs  to  the  throne  and  Dukes  of  Cornwall,  under  whom  it  has,  for 
the  last  three  centuries,  been  leased  out  to  different  persons. 

In  1496,  Cicely,  Duchess  of  York,  mother  of  Edward  IV.  and 
Richard  III.,  closed  here  her  long  life  of  sorrow  and  suffering,  after 
witnessing  in  her  own  family  more  appalling  vicissitudes  than  probably 
are  to  be  found  in  the  history  of  any  other  individual.  The  Castle  at 
Berkhampstead  appears  to  have  been  unoccupied  after  her  death  ;  and 
was  "  much  in  niin,"  even  in  Leland's  time. 

The  place  declined  in  importance  after  it  ceased  to  be  even  occa- 
sionally a  royal  residence.  The  Castle  became  gradually  ruined  by 
neglect.  The  mansion,  now  called  Berkhampstead  Place,  is  said  to  have 
been  erected  out  of  the  remains  of  the  Castle  early  in  the  seventeenth 
century.  The  greatest  part  of  this  mansion  was  destroyed  by  fire 
about  1 66 1,  and  only  about  a  third  part  was  afterwards  repaired,  which 
forms  the  present  residence. 

The  Castle  itself  was  situated  to  the  east  of  the  town,  and  though 
the  buildings  arc  now  reduced  to  a  few  massive  fragments  of  wall, 
enough  remains  to  evince  the  ancient  strength  and  importance  of 
the  fortress.  The  works  are  nearly  circular,  and  include  about  eleven 
acres.  It  was  defended  on  the  north-east  by  a  double  and  on  the  other 
side  by  a  triple  moat.  These  moats  are  still  in  some  parts  wide  and 
deep.  On  the  bank,  between  the  second  and  third  moat  fi'om  the 
outside,  are  two  rude  piers  of  masonry,  "between  which  the  entrance 
probably  lay  over  drawbridges  connecting  the  several  moats.  The 
space  enclosed  by  the  inner  moat  is  surrounded  by  a  wall,  constructed 
with  flints  coarsely  cemented  together,  within  which  stood  the 
habitable  part  of  the  Castle.  Strongly  as  this  Castle  was  fortified,  it 
could  not  have  been  tenable  after  the  invention  of  cannon,  as  its  site, 
though  elevated,  is  commanded  by  still  higher  eminences  on  the  north 
and  north-east.  An  account,  written  about  fifty  years  since,  describes 
the  ramparts  of  the  Castle  as  very  bold,  and  trees  growing  on  the  site  or 
the  keep,  which  stood  upon  a  high  artificial  mount. 

Although  Berkhampstead  was  favoured  by  royalty,  their  visits  were 
respectively  but  of  short  duration.  Berkhampstead  had  two  reprcN 
sentatives  in  the  Parliament  of  the  14th  and  15th  Edward  III.,  but 
there  is  no  record  of  such  return  from  this  place  on  a;iy  other  occasion. 
The  charter  of  incorporation  granted  by  James  I.  scarcely  survived  the 


Bishop's  Stortford  Castle.  129 

reign  of  his  son  Charles,  uho  is  said  to  have  had  a  great  affection  for 
the  place,  in  consequence  of  having  been  nursed  at  the  manor-house 
with  his  elder  brother  Henry,  under  the  care  of  Mrs.  Murray.  It  is 
certain  that  the  place  was  much  distinguished  by  the  favour  of  Charles, 
both  before  and  after  his  accession  to  the  throne. 


Bishop's  Stortford  Castle.  ^ 

Bishop's  Stortford  derives  its  name  of  Stortford  from  its  situation 
upon  the  river  Stort,  and  the  prefix  from  having  been,  even  from  Saxon 
times,  the  property  of  the  Bishops  of  London.  Domesday  Book  records 
that  the  Conqueror  gave  the  town  and  Castle  of  Stortford  to  Maurice, 
Bishop  of  London ;  if  so,  he  gave  no  more  than  he  had  previously 
taken,  for  the  same  document  mentions  that  William,  the  last  bishop 
but  one  before  Maurice,  had  purchased  the  manor  of  the  Lady  Eddeva. 
It  was  worth  eight  pounds  per  annum,  but  had  been  worth  ten  in  the 
time  of  the  Confessor.  The  small  Castle,  which  stood  on  an  artificial 
hill,  is  said  to  have  been  built  by  William  the  Conqueror,  to  protect 
the  trade  of  the  town,  and  to  keep  it  in  subjection  at  the  same  time. 
It  was,  however,  thought  to  have  existed  before  the  Conquest,  and  to 
have  been  strengthened  and  repaired  by  the  King.  It  was  called  Wayte- 
more  Castle,  and  stood  on  a  piece  of  land  surrounded  by  the  Stort. 
The  site  is  thought  to  have  been  occupied  as  a  Roman  camp,  as  Roman 
coins  of  the  lower  empire  have  been  found  in  the  Castle  gardens.  It 
was  a  fortress  of  some  consequence  in  the  time  of  King  Stephen,  and 
the  Empress  Maud  endeavoured,  but  ineffectually,  to  prevail  upon  the 
Bishop  to  exchange  with  her  for  other  lands.  King  John  caused  the 
Castle  to  be  demolished  in  revenge  for  the  active  part  which  Bishop 
William  de  St.  Maria  took  against  him  in  his  difference  with  the  Pope. 
When  the  Pope  triumphed  over  the  King,  the  latter  found  it  neces- 
sary to  give  the  Bishop  his  own  manor  of  Guildford,  in  Surrey,  to 
atone  for  the  demolition  of  this  Castle.  "  The  Castle  hill,"  says 
Salmon  (in  \i\%  History  of  Hertfordshire,  1728),  "stands  yet  a  monument 
of  King  John's  powder  and  revenge ;  and  the  Bishop's  lands  remain  a 
monument  of  the  Pope's  entire  victory  over  him." 

Some  of  the  outbuildings  and  parts  of  the  Castle  were  standing  in  the 
seventeenth  century.  The  bishops  continued  to  appoint  a  custos,  or 
Keeper  of  "  the  Castle  and  Gaol  of  Stortford"  till  the  time  of  James  I. 
The  last  who  made  use  of  the  prison  was  Bishop  Bonner,  in  the  time  c^ 


130  Bishop' s  Stortford  Castle. 

Queen  Maiy,  who  in  its  deep  and  dark  dungeon  confined  convicted 
Protestants,  whence  it  obtained  the  name  of  the  Convict's  Prison  ;  of 
whom  we  learn,  from  the  authority  of  Mr.  Thomas  Leigh,  Vicar  of 
Stortford,  one  was  burned  in  Mary's  reign,  on  a  green,  called  Goose- 
meat,  or  God's-meat,  near  the  causeway  leading  from  Stortford  to 
Hockerill.  This  prison,  which  consisted  of  several  rooms,  was  sold 
about  the  year  1640,  and  pulled  down,  with  the  bridge  leading  to  it, 
by  the  purchaser,  who  erected  an  inn  near  it.  Some  remains  of  the 
lower  walls  of  the  dungeon  are  yet  to  be  seen  in  the  cellar  of  an  ale- 
house below  the  Castle  Hill ;  and  quit-rents  for  Castle-guard  are  still 
paid  to  the  see  of  London  from  many  manors  adjacent  to  Bishop's 
Stortford. 

The  only  fragments  of  the  Castle  existing  in  1830  were  a  few  stone 
walls  of  great  thickness,  overgrown  with  ivy,  which  stood  on  the  lofty 
mount.  The  area  formed  by  these  ruins  was  planted  with  cherry, 
gooseberry,  and  other  fruit  trees ;  and  some  yeai-s  previously  the  people 
were  allowed,  on  the  payment  of  a  trifling  sum,  to  ascend  the  hill  and 
regale  themselves  among  the  crumbling  ramparts.  Some  ancient  spurs, 
coins,  rings,  &c.,  have  been  found  on  this  interesting  spot ;  and  doubt- 
less, were  it  properly  excavated  and  examined,  many  other  relics  would 
be  discovered.  A  well  still  exists,  which  penetrates  through  the  hill 
itself,  and  into  the  ground  many  feet  below  it. 

Here,  as  in  many  other  cases,  the  Castle  seems  to  have  formed  an 
inducement  for  people  to  settle  in  the  neighbourhood,  as  it  offered  a 
place  of  safety,  to  which  they  could  retire  with  their  moveables  in  time 
of  danger.  It  must  have  been  a  place  of  some  consequence  when  King 
John  demolished  it,  to  punish  the  Bishops  that  boldly  published  the 
Pope's  interdict  against  the  nation.  These  daring  ecclesiastics  were, 
William  of  London,  Eustace  of  Ely,  and  M auger  of  Worcester. 
Fuller,  with  his  usual  quaintness,  writes,  that  "  no  sooner  had  they 
interdicted  the  kingdome,  but  with  Joceline,  Bishop  of  Bath,  and  Giles 
of  Hereford,  they  as  speedily  and  secretly  got  them  out  of  the  land,  like 
adventurous  empiricks,  unwilling  to  wait  the  working  of  their  des- 
perate physick,  except  any  will  compare  them  to  fearfull  boyes  which, 
at  the  first  tryall,  set  fire  to  their  squibs  with  their  faces  backwards,  and 
make  fast  away  from  them.  But  the  worst  was,  they  must  leave  their 
lands  and  considerable  moveables  in  the  kingdome  behind  them. ' 


131 


Moor  Park,  Rickmansworth. 

This  celebrated  domain  was  anciently  the  property  of  St.  Albans 
Abbey,  from  which  it  was  severed  during  the  contentions  between  the 
rival  houses  of  York  and  Lancaster.  Henry  VII.  granted  it  to  John 
de  Vere,  Earl  of  Oxford,  who  led  the  van  of  his  army  in  the  battle  of 
Bosworth  Field ;  but  it  again  reverted  to  the  Crown,  and  was  for  some 
time  in  the  possession  of  Cardinal  Wolsey.  The  former  house,  nearly 
on  the  same  site  as  the  present  one,*is  also  stated  to  have  been  built  by 
George  Neville,  Archbishop  of  York.  Edward  IV.  had  promised  to 
make  that  prelate  a  visit  there,  and  while  he  was  preparing  to  receive 
his  royal  master,  he  was  removed  to  Windsor,  and  arrested  for  high 
treason.  The  King  seized  at  the  Moor  all  his  rich  stuff  and  plate,  to 
the  value  of  20,000/.,  keeping  the  Archbishop  prisoner  at  Calais  and 
Hammes.  The  mansion  was  of  brick,  in  a  square  court,  entered  by  a 
gatehouse,  with  tower  ;  and  the  whole  was  moated.  It  had  aftenvards 
several  noble  owners,  among  whom  was  the  celebrated  Lucy,  Countess 
of  Bedford,  who  originally  laid  out  the  ground  in  the  formal  style  of 
her  time.  At  the  Restoration,  if  not  earlier,  the  estate  was  purchased 
by  Sir  John  Franklyn,  whose  son  sold  it  to  Thomas,  Earl  of  Ossory,  son 
to  the  Duke  of  Ormond,  who  also  sold  both  the  seat  and  the  Park  to 
the  unfortunate  Duke  of  Monmouth  (son  of  Charles  II.  by  Lucy 
Walters),  whose  widow,  Anne,  only  daughter  of  Francis,  Earl  of 
Buccleuch,  is  said  to  have  ordered  all  the  tree  tops  in  the  Park  to  be  cut 
oif  immediately  on  being  informed  of  the  decapitation  of  her  husband ; 
and  the  tradition  is  thought  to  be  strengthened  by  the  condition  of  many 
of  the  oaks  at  Moor  Park,  which  are  decayed  from  their  tops.  But  the 
late  Sir  Joseph  Paxton — a  deservedly  great  authority  in  such  matters — 
used  to  state  this  could  not  be  the  case.  The  Duchess  of  Monmouth 
sold  the  estate  to  H.  H.  Styles,  Esq.,  who  had  realized  a  great  fortune 
by  the  famous  South  Sea  Bubble.  After  his  decease,  it  was  purchased 
by  the  great  Lord  Anson,  on  the  united  fortunes  of  his  two  uncles 
devolving  to  him.  It  had  several  owners  during  the  next  century,  and 
is  now  the  residence  of  Lord  Ebury.  The  present  mansion  was 
built,  it  is  stated,  by  the  Duke  of  Monmouth ;  but  it  was  cased 
with  Portland  stone  by  Mr.  Styles,,  who  also  attached  to  it  a  magni- 
ficent Corinthian  portico,  and  erected  a  chapel  and  offices,  connected 
by  Tuscan  colonnades.  His  architect  was  Leoni ;  and  Sir  James 
Thornhill  painted  the  saloon,  and  acted  as  surveyor.  He  received  for 
painting  the  ceiling  of  the  saloon,  after  Guido,  3500/.    Upwards  of 


13-  Moor  Park,  Rickmansworik 

13,800/.  was  expended  in  conveying  the  stone  from  London ;  and  the 
entire  expense  was  more  than  150,000/.  The  north  front  commands 
the  finest  view ;  to  obtain  this,  the  hill  was  lowered ;  which  Pope  thus 
satirizes: — 

"  Or  cut  wide  views  through  mountains  to  the  plain, 
You'll  wish  your  hill  a  shelter'd  seat  again." 

This,  Pope  observes,  in  a  note,  "was  done  in  Hertfordshire  by  a 
wealthy  citizen,  at  the  expense  of  above  5000/.,  by  which  means,  merely 
to  overlook  a  dead  plain,  he  let  in  the  north  wind  upon  his  house  and 
parterre,  which  were  before  adorned  and  defended  by  beautiful  woods:" 
but  this  is  not  correct ;  the  view  opens  to  a  fertile  vale,  watered  by  the 
Gade  and  Colne,  and  embellished  with  noble  seats  and  villas.  The 
ball-room  of  the  mansion  cost  10,000/.  A  reverse  of  fortune  attending 
a  possessor,  Mr.  Rous,  he  had  the  wings  pulled  down  for  the  sake  of 
selling  the  materials.  Under  the  chapel  in  the  west  wing  were  buried 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Styles,  and  their  bodies  now  lie  beneath  the  grass-plot 
contiguous  to  the  west  angle  of  the  house. 

The  Park  is  about  five  miles  in  circumference,  and  cost  Lord  Anson 
80,000/.  in  improving  it.  It  is  much  praised  by  Sir  William  Temple. 
Lord  Anson  first  planted  here  the  famous  "  Moor  Park  Apricot ;"  the 
lettuces  are  also  famous.  The  entire  estate  now  extends  to  nearly  four 
thousand  acres,  the  whole  within  a  ring  fence. 

There  is  a  curious  account  of  "  the  good  Countesse  Elizabeth  Mon- 
mouth," stated  to  have  died  at  Watford.  She  was  the  wife  of  Robert 
Carey,  of  Leppington,  created  Earl  of  Monmouth,  Feb.  5,  1626.  Sir 
Robert  was  a  great  favourite  with  his  royal  mistress,  Queen  Elizabeth, 
till  he  rashly  committed  the  offence  of  wedding  a  fair  and  virtuous 
gentlewoman,  Elizabeth,  the  daughter  of  Sir  Hugh  Trevanion,  of 
Corriheigh,  Cornwall.  In  his  Autobiography  he  says :  "  I  married  this 
gentlewoman  more  for  her  worth  than  her  wealth,  for  her  estate  was 
about  500/.  a  yeare  jointure  ;  and  she  had  between  five  and  six  hundred 
pounds  in  her  purse.  The  Queen  was  mightily  offended  with  me  for 
marrying,  and  most  of  my  best  friends,  only  my  father  was  no  ways 
displeased  at  it,  which  gave  me  great  content."  Soon  after  the  acces- 
sion of  James  I.,  in  1603,  Sir  Robert  says:  "  My  wife  waited  on  the 
Queen  [Anne  of  Denmark],  and  at  Windsor  was  sworn  of  her  privy 
chamber,  and  the  mistress  of  her  sweet  coffers  [mistress  of  the  robes], 
and  had  a  lodging  allowed  her  at  Court.  This  was  some  comfort  tc 
me  that  I  had  my  wife  so  near  me."  To  the  care  of  Lady  Carey  was 
committed  "  the  baby  Charles,"  when  the  royal  infant  was  between 
three  and  four  years  old  j  and  it  was  to  her  sensible  management  that  the 


Hatfield  House.  ^33 

preservation  of  Charles  I.  fi-om  deformity  may  be  attributed.  **  When 
the  little  Duke  was  first  delivered  to  my  v^^ife,"  writes  Sir  Robert,  "  he 
was  not  able  to  go,  nor  scarcely  to  stand  alone,  he  was  so  weak  in  his 
joints,  especially  in  his  ankles,  insomuch  that  many  feared  they  were 
out  of  joint.  Many  a  battle  my  wife  had  with  the  King,  but  she  still 
prevailed.  The  King  would  have  him  put  into  iron  boots  to 
strengthen  his  sinews  and  joints;  but  my  wife  protested  so  much 
against  it,  that  she  got  the  victory,  and  the  King  was  fain  to  yield." 
Again,  Sir  Robert  tells  us  that,  "at  the  Queen's  death,  in  1619,  her 
house  was  dissolved,  and  my  wife  was  forced  to  keep  house  and 
family,  which  was  out  of  our  way  a  thousand  a-year,  that  we  saved 
before."  In  the  second  year  of  Charles  I.  Sir  Robert  was  created  Earl 
of  Monmouth,  and  died  April  16,  1639.  Both  the  Earl  and  the 
Countess  were  buried  in  Rickmansworth  Church;  but  the  monu- 
mental inscription  in  the  chancel  of  that  church  does  not  state  the  date 
of  the  death  of  the  Countess. — Notes  and  Queries^  2nd  S.  No.  13. 


Hatfield  House. 

The  town  of  Hatfield  lies  nineteen  miles  north  from  London,  and  is 
of  considerable  antiquity.  The  manor  of  Hetfelle  (as  it  is  called  in 
Domesday)  was  granted  by  King  Edgar  to  the  Abbey  or  Monastery 
of  St.  Ethelred,  at  Ely;  and  upon  the  erection  of  that  Abbey  into  a 
Bishopric,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  I.,  a.d.  1108,  is  supposed  to  have 
acquired  the  designation  of  Bishop's  Hatfield.  It  then  became  one  of 
the  residences  of  the  prelates,  who  had  no  fewer  than  ten  palaces  belong- 
\ng  to  the  see.  The  Bishop  of  Ely  had  a  palace  at  Hatfield,  which, 
with  the  manor,  was  made  over  to  the  Crown  in  the  time  of 
Henry  VIII.,  but  had  been  before  that  period  an  occasional  royal 
residence.  William  of  Hatfield,  second  son  of  Edward  III.,  was  born 
here.  During  the  latter  part  of  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.,  Prince 
Edward  resided  at  the  palace  of  Hatfield.  Upon  the  death  of  his 
father,  Henry  VIII.,  the  young  King  Edward  was  escorted  thence  by 
his  uncle,  the  Earl  of  Hartfort,  and  others  of  the  nobility,  to  the  Tower 
of  London,  previous  to  his  coronation.  In  the  fourth  year  of  his  reign 
the  King  conveyed  the  palace  to  his  sister,  the  Princess  Elizabeth.  In 
the  latter  part  of  the  reign  of  Queen  Mary,  the  Princess  was  removed 
from  the  monastery  of  Ashridge,  in  Buckinghamshire,  to  London,  and 
imprisoned  in  the  Tower,  in  consequence  of  her  being  charged  with 


134  Hatfield  House, 

participation  in  the  rebellion  of  Sir  Thomas  Wyat ;  she  was,  how- 
ever, permitted  to  retire  to  Hatfield,  under  the  guardianship  of  Sir 
Thomas  Pope,  the  founder  of  Trinity  College,  Oxford.  Here,  in 
1587,  the  Princess  was  visited  by  Queen  Mary,  at  Hatfield,  when  she 
was  received  with  great  state  and  festivity,  and  a  child  sang,  accom- 
panied on  the  virginals  by  Elizabeth  herself.  Here,  while  seated 
beneath  an  ancient  oak  in  the  Park,  the  Princess  received  the  intel- 
ligence of  the  death  of  Queen  Mary  :  in  the  old  palace  Queen  Elizabeth 
held  her  first  privy  council,  and  from  hence  she  was  conducted  to 
ascend  the  throne.  At  her  decease,  her  successor,  King  James  I.,  ex- 
changed Hatfield  for  the  palace  of  Theobalds  with  Sir  Robert  Cecil, 
afterwards  Earl  of  Salisbury,  about  which  time  his  Lordship  com. 
menced  building  the  present  mansion  of  Hatfield,  which  he  finished  in 
1611. 

The  brick  entrance  leading  to  the  park  and  gi'ounds  seems  to  be  of 
a  little  earlier  date  than  the  reign  of  Henry  VHI.  A  wall  of  several 
feet  in  thickness  has  been  found,  probably  part  of  a  building  of  much 
more  ancient  date.  After  entering,  all  that  remains  of  the  old  palace 
inhabited  by  Edward  VI.  and  Queen  Elizabeth  meets  the  eye.  A 
large  portion  of  this  is  used  as  stabling  and  other  oflSces.  Here  is  the 
room  where  Elizabeth  was  kept  for  some  time  a  State  prisoner :  the 
chamber  which  she  occupied  is  situated  in  the  north  part  of  this  build- 
ing :  the  exterior,  of  dark  red  brickwork  still,  is  partly  overgrown  with 
ivy.  The  stable  has  a  wooden  roof  springing  from  grotesque  corbel 
heads,  and  is  lighted  from  windows  partly  filled  with  stained  glass  on 
each  side.  This  apartment  is  very  lofty  and  of  great  size,  and  was  the 
banqueting  hall  of  the  old  palace :  here  were  kept  Christmas  festivals  ; 
and  at  Shrovetide,  1556,  Sir  Thomas  Pope  made  for  the  "  Ladie 
Elizabeth,  alle  at  his  own  costes,  a  greate  and  rich  maskinge,  in  the 
greate  hall  at  Hatficlde,  where  the  pageaunts  were  marvelously  fur- 
nislicd."  At  night  the  cupboard  of  the  hall  was  richly  garnished  with 
gold  and  silver  vessels,  and  a  "  banket  of  sweete  dishes,  and  after  a 
\oide  of  spices  and  a  suttlctie  in  thirty  spyce,  all  at  the  chardges  of  Sir 
Thomas  Pope."  On  the  next  day  was  the  play  of  Holophernes. 
Queen  Mary,  however,  did  not  approve  of  these  "  follirics,"  and  ui- 
timatcd  in  letters  to  Sir  Thomas  Pope  that  those  disgiiisings  must 
cease. 

The  present  mansion  is  a  fine  specimen  of  the  architecture  of  the 
Elizabethan  period.  It  is  built  of  brick,  in  the  form  of  a  half  H.  In 
the  centre  is  a  portico  of  nine  arches,  and  a  loftf  tower,  on  the  froni. 
of  which  13  the  dite   161 1;   and  ei»d»  of  »he  two  wings  has  two 


Hatfield  House,  ^^^ 

rMirets,  with  cupola  roofs.  By  the  north  entrance  you  are  admitted 
into  a  spacious  hall,  which  leads  to  a  gallery  of  great  length,  open 
on  one  side  by  a  sort  of  trellis-work  to  the  lawn.  Here  is  dis- 
played a  large  collection  of  arms,  some  of  which  were  captured  from 
the  Spanish  Armada.  Here  is  the  saddle-cloth,  of  rich  materials, 
which  was  used  on  the  white  charger  ridden  by  Queen  Elizabeth  at 
Tilbury.  There  is  another  saddle-cloth,  used  by  the  first  Earl  of 
Salisbury.  There  are  also  models,  &c.,  and  weapons  captured  in  the 
Crimean  war.  The  various  apartments  used  as  bedchambers  and 
dressing-rooms  have  a  sombre,  yet  rich  appearance.  In  each  chamber 
there  are  wardrobes  and  other  furniture,  carved  in  the  style  of  James  l.'s 
reign.  The  mantelpieces  of  some  are  supported  by  massive  pillars  en- 
twined with  flowers,  by  caryatides  and  other  figures.  In  this  wing 
a  fire  broke  out  in  November,  1835,  when  the  Dowager  Marchioness 
of  Salisbury,  the  grandmother  of  the  present  Marquis,  perished  in 
the  flames.  The  building  has  been  well  restored ;  and  in  the  carved 
woodwork  of  a  mantelpiece  an  oval  gilt  frame  has  been  introduced, 
containing  a  well-painted  portrait  of  the  deceased  Marchioness  when 
she  was  a  young  girl. 

In  the  chapel,  at  the  other  end,  is  a  stained  glass  window  of  con- 
siderable brilliancy.  It  is  of  Flemish  work,  and  contains,  in  compart- 
ments, scenes  from  Bible  history.  The  light  streams  in  from  the 
numerous  windows  on  the  dark  oak  floor,  and  lights  up  cabinets  and 
furniture  of  curious  workmanship.  Here  is  a  State  chair,  which  is  said 
to  have  been  used  by  Queen  Elizabeth ;  and  the  hat  which  we  are 
told  was  worn  by  the  Princess  Elizabeth  when  she  received  the  mes- 
sengers in  the  Park.  At  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  gallery  is  a 
very  fine  room,  called  the  Great  Chamber,  and  was  probably  used  as 
such  by  the  Lord  Treasurer  Cecil  for  his  royal  master.  The  large 
mantelpiece  of  various  marbles  has  in  the  centre  a  statue  in  bronze  of 
James  I.  There  are  several  famous  pictures  in  this  room,  amongst 
them  a  head  of  Henry  VIII.,  by  Holbein;  heads  of  Henry's  wives; 
a  characteristic  portrait  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  other  historical 
personages. 

The  Grand  Staircase  is  one  of  the  most  magnificent  features  of  this 
palace-home.  It  is  ascended  by  a  flight  of  five  landings,  and  occupies 
a  space  of  35  feet  by  21  feet  in  dimension.  The  balusters  are  massive, 
and  boldly  carved  in  the  Italian  form  ;  above  the  hand-rail  are  repre- 
sented genii,  armorial  lions,  &c. ;  here  is  a  carved  hatch-gate,  pro- 
bably to  keep  the  favourite  dogs  from  ascending  to  the  drawing-rooms. 
The  upper  division  of  the  ceiling  is  enriched  by  a  very  beautiful 


1 5^        '  Hatfield  House. 

pendant  in  the  Florentine  style,  and  has  been  coloured  and  relieved  by 
^old  and  silver  enrichments,  which  are  not,  however,  just  to  our  taste. 
The  wall  is  hung  with  choice  portraits  of  the  Cecils,  many  of  them 
whole  lengths,  by  Lely,  Kneller,  Vandycke,  Zucchero,  Reynolds,  &c. 
One,  the  fourth  Earl  of  Salisbury,  has  a  novel  appearance,  there  being 
a  portrait  of  the  unfortunate  Duke  of  Monmouth  rising  rather  above 
and  immediately  behind  that  of  the  Earl.  It  was  discovered  on  the 
cleaning  of  the  painting.  The  canvas  originally  possessed  a  portrait 
of  the  Duke  of  Monmouth,  by  Wissing;  but  this  has  been  repainted 
over,  and  the  fourth  Earl  painted  on  it  by  Dahl. 

At  the  foot  of  the  staircase  is  the  door  of  the  Dining  Parlour,  and 
over  it  a  white  marble  contemporary  bust  of  Lord  Burghley.  This 
room  is  panelled  throughout  with  oak,  and  has  an  enriched  chimney- 
piece  and  ceiling.  This  apartment  is  in  the  east  fi-ont.  Adjoining  are 
the  Summer,  Breakfast,  and  Drawing  Rooms ;  and  the  remainder  of 
the  eastern  wing,  on  the  Ground  Story,  is  occupied  by  spacious  private 
apartments,  furnished  in  the  olden  taste :  with  massive  fire-dogs  for 
burning  wood.  Some  of  the  most  valuable  pictures  are  in  these  rooms ; 
among  them  Zucchero's  celebrated  portrait  of  Queen  Elizabeth.  The 
entire  collection  consists  of  nearly  250  paintings,  some  of  which  in- 
clude the  finest  specimens  of  Zucchero,  De  Heere,  Hilliard,  Mark 
Gerards,  and  other  esteemed  portrait-painters  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  ; 
a  portion  of  the  collection  having  been  the  private  property  of  that 
Queen,  consisting  of  portraits  of  the  favoured  nobility  and  popular 
characters  who  formed  her  Court  and  household.  There  are  five 
highly-finished  original  portraits  of  Elizabeth  (including  the  large  one 
by  Zucchero),  profusely  decorated  with  jewels,  pearls,  symbolic  eyes 
and  ears,  and  rainbow. 

The  Grand  Staircase  also  communicates  with  the  upper  end  of  the 
Great  Hall,  or,  as  it  is  called,  the  Marble  Hall,  50  feet  by  30.  It  is 
lighted  by  three  bay  windows  rising  the  whole  height  of  the  apartment, 
besides  the  oriel  at  the  upper  end,  near  which  the  lord's  table  stood  in 
the  "  golden  days"  of  our  ancestors.  A  massive  carved  screen  runs  the 
whole  length  of  the  hall  at  the  east  end,  with  an  open  gallery,  enriched 
with  cai-ving,  amidst  which  are  introduced  lions,  forming  part  of  the 
heraldic  insignia  of  the  family,  bearing  shields  of  the  cartouche 
form,  on  which  are  blazoned  the  arms.  The  room  is  panelled  with 
oak,  and  the  walls  lined  with  splendid  tapestry  brought  from  Spain. 
This  hall  presents  one  of  tiie  earliest  departures  fiom  the  ancient  open 
timber  roof  and  louvre ;  the  ceiling  being  coved,  and  its  ten  com- 
partments  filled  with  relievo  heads  of  the  CiEsais.     On  asccndinjj 


Hatfield  House.  I37 

the  staircase,  the  first  apartment  entered  is  the  great  chamber,  called 
King  James's  Room,  nearly  60  feet  long  and  27  feet  wide,  and  lit  by 
three  immense  oriel  windows.  This  vast  apartment  has  the  ceiling 
elaborately  decorated  in  the  Florentine  style,  enriched  by  pendants,  and 
most  elaborately  gilt.  From  it  hang  six  gilt  chandeliers,  of  pure 
Elizabethan  design.  Upon  the  walls  are  hung  whole-length  portraits  of 
King  George  III.  and  Queen  Charlotte,  by  Reynolds;  and  portraits  of 
the  Salisbury  family.  Over  the  lofty  chimney-piece  is  a  marble  statue 
of  James  I.;  and  in  the  fireplace  are  massive  silver  fire-dogs.  The 
whole  of  the  furniture  is  heavily  gilt. 

From  King  James's  Room  is  entered  the  Gallery,  which  extends  the 
whole  length  of  the  southern  front  to  the  Library.  It  is  160  feet  long, 
panelled  with  oak,  and  has  an  Ionic  screen  at  each  end.  The  "  Frette 
Seelinge"  is  entirely  gilt,  the  intersections  being  ornamented  in  colours, 
in  the  same  style  as  the  coloured  ceiling  at  the  Royal  Palace  at 
Munich. 

The  Library  is  of  equal  dimensions  with  King  James's  Room. 
Over  the  chimney-piece  is  a  Florentine  Mosaic  Portrait  of  Robert 
Cecil,  Earl  of  Salisbury,  1608.  The  books,  prints,  and  manuscripts 
are  ranged  in  oaken  cases,  and  above  them  is  a  series  of  royal  and 
noble  portraits.  Hatfield  is  rich  in  historical  documents.  Here  are 
the  forty-two  Articles  of  Edward  VI.,  with  his  autograph  ;  Cardinal 
Wolsey's  instructions  to  the  Ambassador  sent  to  the  Pope  by  Henry 
VIII.,  with  Wolsey's  autograph  ;  and  a  pedigree  of  Queen  Elizabeth, 
emblazoned  (1559),  tracing  her  ancestry  to  Adam !  The  State- 
papers  in  the  collection  extend  through  the  successive  administrations 
of  Lord  Burghley  and  his  son  the  Earl  of  Salisbury,  and  include  docu- 
ments which  came  into  Lord  Burghley's  possession  from  his  connexion 
tvith  the  Court.  Here  are  no  less  than  13,000  letters,  from  the  reign  of 
Heni-y  VIII.  to  that  of  James  I.  Among  the  earlier  MSS.  are  copies 
of  William  of  Malmesbury's  and  Roger  Hoveden's  English  History ; 
a  splendid  MS.  on  vellum,  with  a  beautifully  executed  miniature  of 
King  Henry  VII. ;  a  translation  from  the  French  of  "  The  Pilgrimage 
of  the  Soul,"  with  the  autograph  of  King  Henry  VI.,  to  whom  it  once 
belonged.  Of  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.  are  a  treatise  on  Councils,  by 
Cranmer ;  and  the  original  Depositions  touching  the  divorce  of  Anne 
of  Cleeves.  Of  Edward  VI.,  here  is  the  proclamation  made  on  his 
ascending  the  throne,  which  is  not  noticed  by  historians.  Of  the  reign 
of  Mary,  is  the  original  Council-book.  The  historical  MSS.  of  Eliza- 
beth's reign  contain  memoranda  in  Lord  Burghley's  hand  ;  the  Norfolk 
Book  of  Entiies,  or  copies  of  the  Duke's  letters  on  Mary  Queen  <rf 


1 5  ^  Hatfield  House. 

Scots ;  a  copious  official  account  of  the  Earl  of  Northumberland's 
conspiracies,  &c.  Here  are  plans,  maps,  and  charts,  fi-om  flenry  VIII. 
to  the  present  reign ;  the  actual  draft  of  the  proclamation  declaring 
James  King  of  England,  in  the  handwriting  of  Sir  Robert  Cecil ;  and 
various  MSS.  illustrating  Raleigh's  and  the  Gunpowder  Plots. 

Here  are  also  several  autograph  letters  of  Elizabeth,  and  the  Cecil 
Papers ;  the  oak  cradle  of  Elizabeth ;  the  pair  of  silk  stockings  pre- 
sented to  her  by  Sir  Thomas  Gresham  ;  and  the  purse  of  James  I.  Here 
are  also  original  letters  and  other  memorials  relating  to  the  political 
affairs  in  the  reigns  of  Henry  VII.  and  Edward  VI. 

The  Chapel,  enriched  similarly  to  the  rest  of  the  mansion,  has  a 
large  painted  window,  and  an  oaken  gallery  hung  with  scriptural 
paintings.  The  chapel  and  a  suite  of  ten  rooms  were  completed  by 
the  late  Marquis,  the  rooms  being  of  different  woods,  as  oak,  walnut, 
ash,  sycamore,  &c.  King  James's  bedroom  has  the  fittings,  it  is  said, 
exactly  as  when  the  King  last  used  them. 

The  picturesque  park  and  gardens  have  many  interesting  objects, 
besides  charming  prospects,  the  richly  coloured  brickwork  harmoniz- 
ing with  the  various  shades  of  verdure.  Near  the  house  are  a  racket 
ground  and  riding-school.  A  host  of  historical  objects  and  localities 
present  themselves  in  the  views  from  the  windows  of  the  mansion. 
Westward  is  the  venerable  Abbey  Church  of  St.  Albans,  crowning  a 
beautiful  eminence ;  the  hill  at  Sandridge  next  breaks  the  line,  and  the 
wide-spreading  woods  of  Brocket  Hall  and  Wood  Hall  appear  on  the 
north.  Eastward  are  Digswell  House,  Tewin  Water,  and  Panshanger ; 
while  south  are  Gubbins  or  Gobions,  near  North  Mimms,  once  a  seat 
of  Sir  Thomas  More ;  and  Tyttenhanger,  anciently  the  residence  of 
the  Abbots  of  St.  Albans,  to  which  King  Henry  VIII.  and  his  Queen 
Catherine  retired  for  the  summer  of  1528.  There  ai*e  some  brave  old 
oaks,  as  the  "Lion  Oak,"  upwards  of  30  feet  girth,  and  1000  years  old; 
and  Queen  Elizabeth's  oak :  by  the  way,  the  man  who  brought  her  the 
news  of  Queen  Mary's  death,  was  one  of  many  who  supped  once  too 
often  with  my  Lord  of  Leicester,  and  died  in  1570,  after  eating  figs  at 
that  table. 

The  Gardens  and  Vineyard  were  celebrated  as  early  as  the  days  of 
Evelyn  and  Pepys,  who,  in  their  Diaries  have  described  them.»  Evelyn 
notes,  1643,  March  1 1 — "  I  went  to  see  my  Lord  of  Salisbury's  palace 
at  Hatfield,  where  the  most  considerable  rarity,  besides  the  house 
(inferior  to  few  then  in  England  for  its  architecture),  was  the  Garden 
and  Vineyard  rarely  well  watered  and  planted."  Pepys  notes,  1661, 
July  23,—"  1  come  to  Hatfield  before  twelve  o'clock,  and  walked  all 


Knebworth,  139 

alone  in  the  Vineyard,  which  is  now  a  veiy  beautiful  place  again ;  an*? 
coming  back  I  met  Mr.  Looker,  my  Lord's  gardener,  who  showed  m? 
;the  house,  the  chappel  with  brave  pictures,  and,  above  all,  the  gardens, 
puch  as  I  never  saw  in  all  my  life ;  nor  so  good  flowers,  nor  so  great 
gooseberrys,  as  big  as  nutmegs."  Then  he  tells  us  how,  one  Lord's- 
day,  he  got  to  Hatfield  in  church-time,  "  and  saw  my  simple  Lord 
Salisbuiy  sit  there  in  the  gallery."  The  Vineyard  is  entered  through 
an  avenue  of  yew-trees,  cut  in  singular  shapes,  straight  and  solid  as  a 
wall,  with  arches  formed  by  the  branches,  and  imitating  a  fortress  with 
jtowers,  loopholes,  and  battlements ;  and  from  the  centre  turfed  steps 
descending  to  the  river  Lea.  The  Vineyard  is  mentioned  in  the 
accounts  of  building  the  mansion  and  laying  out  the  grounds,  all  which 
cost  but  7631/.  II  J.  o^d. 

The  Privy  Garden,  on  the  west  side,  was  very  small,  being  only 
150  feet  square:  encompassed  by  a  stately  arched  hedge;  a  close 
walk,  or  avenue,  of  limes  round  the  sides ;  in  the  centre  of  the  plot  a 
rockwork  basin  ;  the  angles  of  the  garden  occupied  by  small  grass- 
plots,  having  a  mulberry-tree  in  each,  reputed  to  have  been  planted  by 
King  James  L ;  and  bordered  with  herbaceous  plants  and  annuals. 
The  garden  facing  the  east  front  is  in  the  ancient  geometrical  style  of 
the  seventeenth  century  ;  and  below  it  is  a  maze,  which  belongs  to  the 
same  period  of  taste.  Below  the  south  front  is  the  Elizabethan  garden. 
The  northern  ft-ont  is  the  principal  one,  and  here  and  at  the  south  fi'ont 
three  pair  of  metal  gates  were  placed  in  October  1846,  when  the 
Marquis  of  Salisbury  was  honoured  with  a  visit  by  her  Majesty  and 
the  Prince  Consort.  To  conclude,  no  hom.e  in  the  kingdom,  erected  at 
so  early  a  date,  remains  so  entire  as  Hatfield  ;  the  additions  or  re-erec- 
tions have  been  made  accordant  with  the  original  style ;  and  the  gates 
just  mentioned  are  evidences  of  this  judgment ;  they  were  cast  in  Paris, 
and  are  extremely  rich  and  beautiful  in  detail ;  the  coronet  and  crest 
of  the  family,  in  the  head-way,  being  picked  out  in  colours. 


Knebworth. 

This  ancestral  home  of  one  so  various  and  accomplished  as  to  unite 
in  himself  the  characters  of  the  dramatist  and  poet,  the  novelist  and 
statesman,  possesses  great  attraction  ;  and  when  to  this  living  interest 
is  added  the  historic  vista  of  centuries  in  the  transition  from  the  hiU 
fortress  of  the  Norman  period  to  the  picturesque  mansion  of  the  Eliza- 
bethan age,  much  may  be  expected  from  the  olden  story  of  such  an 


140  KnehivortK 

abode,  and  its  eventful  associations,  as  well  as  from  the  instant  interest 
which  attaches  to  the  present  distinguished  owner.  Such  is  Kneb- 
worth,  Stevenage,  Hertfordshire,  the  seat  of  Lord  Lytton,  who,  on 
succeeding  to  the  Knebworth  estate,  by  the  will  of  his  mother,  in  1843, 
took  the  surname  of  Lytton  by  sign-manual. 

Knebworth,  which  is  placed  upon  the  highest  elevation  in  the  county, 
was  held  as  a  fortress  by  Eudo  Dapifer,  at  the  time  of  the  Norman 
Conquest.  Sir  Bernard  Burke,  in  his  Visitation  of  the  Seats  and  Arm: 
of  the  Noblemen  and  Gentlemen  of  Great  Britain,  tells  us  that  Knebworth 
was  possessed  by  Thomas  de  Brotherton,  fifth  son  of  King  Edward  L 
Plis  eldest  daughter  and  co-heiress  brought  the  lordship  of  Knebworth 
to  the  celebrated  Sir  Walter  Manny,  Knight  of  the  Garter ;  and  at  his 
decease  she  continued  to  hold  it  under  the  title  of  Duchess  of  Norfolk. 
From  her,  Knebworth  passed  to  her  daughter  and  heir,  Anne,  the  wife 
of  John  de  Hastings,  Earl  of  Pembroke.  It  was  then  sold  to  Sir  John 
Hotoft,  Treasurer  of  the  Household  to  Henry  VL  From  him  it 
went  to  Sir  Thomas  Bourchier  (son  to  Sir  John  Bourchier),  Knight  of 
the  Garter,  and  was  purchased  of  him  by  Sir  Robert  Lytton  (of  Lytton 
in  the  Peak),  a  Knight  of  the  Bath,  Privy  Councillor  to  Henry  VH., 
Keeper  of  the  Wardrobe,  and  under-treasurer.  Sir  Robert  Lytton 
immediately  set  about  enlarging  the  fort ;  and  the  work  was  continued 
by  his  successor,  William  de  Lytton,  Governor  of  Boulogne  Castle. 
Knebworth  was  completed  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  by  Sir  Rowland 
de  Lytton,  Lieutenant  for  the  shires  of  Hertford  and  Essex,  at  the  time 
of  the  Spanish  invasion.  Queen  Elizabeth  frequently  visited  Sir  Row- 
land at  Knebworth  ;  and  the  room  in  which  she  slept  at  the  time  of 
the  Armada,  is  preserved,  and  named  "  Queen  Elizabeth's  Chamber." 

Knebworth,  thus  enlarged,  in  the  early  Tudor  style,  was  a  large  quad- 
rangle, the  east  front  or  gateway  having  iDeen  a  portion  of  the  ancient  fort. 
For  many  years  it  was  but  in  part  inhabited  ;  till,  in  181 1,  Mrs.  Bulwer 
commenced  the  restoration  of  the  mansion  ;  when  three  sides  were,  of 
necessity,  removed ;  and  the  fourth  side,  built  by  Sir  Robert  de  Lytton, 
in  a  style  resembling  Richmond  Palace,  and  erected  in  the  same  reign, 
was  restored.  Its  embattled  tower  and  turrets  ai-e  seen  from  the  Ste^ 
venage  station  of  the  Great  Northern  Railway,  from  which  Kneb- 
worth is  2  miles  south,  Stevenage  lying  28.^  miles  from  the  metropolis. 

The  principal  apartments  in  the  mansion  are  the  banquet-hall,  the 
oak  drawing-room,  the  library,  and  the  great  drawing-room  or  presence- 
chamber.  The  hall  ceiling  is  of  the  age  of  Henry  VII.;  the  screen 
Elizabethan  ;  the  chimney-piece  in  the  style  of  Inigo  Jones ;  and  the 
walls  arc  b  ing  with  suits  of  armour.    A  door  leads  to  the  capacious 


KnebivorUu  14J 

cellar,  whither,  in  the  olden  time,  it  was  customary  for  the  gentle- 
men to  adjourn  after  dinner  from  the  hall,  to  finish  their  potations 
Another  door  leads  to  the  oak  drawing-room,  where,  in  the  reign 
of  Charles  I.,  the  great  Parliamentary  leaders,  Pym,  Eliot,  and 
Hampden,  met  their  staunch  supporter,  the  Sir  William  Lytton  of 
that  day.  The  library,  fitted  up  in  the  style  of  Henry  VI  I.'s  reign,  con- 
tains two  bronze  candelabra,  with  lamps  of  bronze  inlaid  with  silver  ; 
they  were  dug  up  in  Apuha,  on  the  site  of  the  palace  of  Joan,  Queen 
of  Naples,  and  are  supposed  to  be  genuine  Roman  antiquities. 

A  double  flight  of  stairs  leads  to  the  State  rooms,  the  carved 
balustrades  supporting  the  lion  rampant,  one  of  the  ancient  family 
crests.  The  staircase  is  hung  with  amiour  and  trophies,  and  family 
portraits  ;  and  the  windows  are  blazoned  with  descents  from  the 
alliance  of  Barrington  and  that  of  the  St.  Johns.  The  first  State 
room  has  stamped  and  gilt  leather  hangings,  carved  panels,  and  an 
armorial  ceiling.  The  long  ante-room  is  hung  with  bugle  tapestry, 
very  rare.  Hence,  an  oval  drawing-room  conducts  to  the  old  pre- 
sence-chamber (now  the  oak  drawing-room),  with  armorial  ceiling 
and  windows  charged  with  ninety-nine  quarterings.  The  furniture 
includes  items  of  the  seventh  and  eighth  Henries'  reigns ;  portraits 
of  rare  historic  interest ;  armour  from  the  Crusades  to  the  Civil 
War ;  and  some  fine  specimens  of  Italian  and  Dutch  art. 
Over  the  hall  is  the  music  gallery,  communicating  with  the  Round 
Tower  chamber  ;  whence  a  corridor  leads  to  the  Hampden  cham- 
ber, where  John  Hampden  once  slept ;  and  beyond  is  Queen  Eliza- 
beth's room. 

This  fine  old  mansion  is  charmingly  and  lovingly  described  by  its 
present  owner,  Lord  Lytton — the  poet,  novelist,  and  essayist — to 
whom  Knebworth  was  the  cradle  of  childhood,  the  home  of  youth, 
the  retreat  and  solace  of  a  life-struggle,  and  is  now  at  last  the  prized 
heritage  of  honoured  age.  That  he  knows  every  chamber  and 
turret  of  the  mansion,  every  wide  prospect  and  sequestered  nook  of 
the  estate,  is,  of  course,  only  to  be  expected  ;  but  that  he  should 
write  of  them,  as  he  does  in  the  following  delightful  and  exquisitely 
finished  passages,  and  of  himself  in  connexion  with  them,  so  can- 
didly, and  with  so  much  spontaneous  feeling — taking  the  reader  into 
his  confidence,  and  imparting  to  him  his  impressions  as  they  rise 
■—is  a  graceful  concession  to  the  natural  and  intelligent  curiosity  of 
the  tens  of  thousands  who  admire  and  regard  him  and  are  interested 
in  hearing  him  talk  of  himself,  which  must  be  appreciated.  In  aii 
essay  on  Knebworth,  by  the  noble  owner  of  this  ancient  hall,  the 


142  Kiiehworth. 

following  morceaux  of  charming  description  and  just  and  candid 
reflection  occur  : — 

Amidst  the  active  labours  in  which  from  my  earliest  youth  I  have 
been  plunged,  one  of  the  greatest  luxuries  I  know  is  to  return,  for 
short  intervals,  to  the  place  in  which  the  happiest  days  of  my  child- 
hood glided  away.  It  is  an  old  manorial  seat  that  belongs  to  my 
mother,*  the  heiress  of  its  former  lords.  The  house,  formerly  of 
vast  extent,  built  round  a  quadrangle,  at  different  periods,  from  the 
date  of  the  second  crusade  to  that  of  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  was  in 
so  ruinous  a  condition  when  she  came  to  its  possession,  that  three 
sides  of  it  were  obliged  to  be  pulled  down,  the  fourth  ye';  remaining, 
and  much  embellished  in  its  architecture,  is  in  itself  one  of  the 
largest  houses  in  the  country,  and  still  contains  the  old  oak  hall 
with  its  lofty  ceiling  and  raised  music  gallery.  The  place  has  some- 
thing of  the  character  of  Penshurst,  and  its  venerable  avenues, 
which  slope  from  the  house  down  to  the  declivity  of  the  park,  giving 
wide  views  of  the  opposite  hills  crowded  with  cottages  and  spires, 
impart  to  the  scene  that  peculiarly  English,  half  stately,  and  wholly 
cultivated  character  which  the  poets  of  Elizabeth's  day  so  much 
loved  to  linger  upon.  As  is  often  the  case  with  similar  residences, 
the  church  stands  in  the  park,  at  a  bowshot  from  the  house,  and 
formerly  the  walls  of  the  outer  court  nearly  reached  the  green 
sanctuary  that  surrounds  the  sacred  edifice.  The  church  itself, 
dedicated  anciently  to  St.  Mary,  is  worn  and  grey,  in  the  simplest 
architecture  of  ecclesiastical  Gothic,  and,  standing  on  the  brow  of 
the  hill,  its  single  tower,  at  a  distance,  blends  with  the  turrets  of  the 
douse,  so  that  the  two  seem  one  pile.  Beyond,  to  the  right,  half- 
way dow^n  the  hill,  and  neighboured  by  a  dell  girded  with  trees,  is 
an  octagon  building  of  the  beautiful  Grecian  form,  erected  by  the 
present  owner — it  is  the  mausoleum  of  the  family.  Fenced  from 
the  deer  is  a  small  surrounding  space  sown  with  flowers — those 
fairest  children  of  the  earth,  which  the  custom  of  all  ages  has  dedi- 
cated to  the  dead.  The  modernness  of  this  building,  which  contrasts 
with  those  in  its  vicinity,  seems  to  me,  from  that  contrast,  to  make  its 
objects  more  impressive.  It  stands  out  alone,  in  the  venerable 
landscape  with  its  immemorial  hills  and  trees — the  prototype  of  the 
thought  of  death — a  thing  that,  dealing  with  the  living  generation, 
admonishes  them  of  their  recent  lease  and  its  hastening  end.  For 
with  all  our  boasted  antiquity  of  race,  we  ourselves  are  the  ephemera 


The  collection  in  which  this  essay  is  included  was  published  in  1835. 


Knebworth.  143 

df  the  soil,  and  bear  the  truest  relation,  so  far  as  our  mortality  is 
concerned,  with  that  which  is  least  old. 

The  most  regular  and  majestic  of  the  avenues  I  have  described 
conducts  to  a  sheet  of  water,  that  lies  towards  the  extremity  of  the 
park.  It  is  but  small  in  proportion  to  the  domain,  but  is  clear 
and  deep,  and,  fed  by  some  subterraneous  stream,  its  tide  is  fresh 
and  strong  beyond  its  dimensions.  On  its  opposite  bank  is  a  small 
fishing  cottage,  whitely  peeping  from  a  thick  and  gloomy  copse  of 
firs  and  larch  and  oak,  through  which  shine,  here  and  there,  the  red 
berries  of  the  mountain  ash ;  and  behind  this,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
brown,  moss-grown  deer  paling,  is  a  wood  of  considerable  extent. 
This,  the  further  bank  of  the  water,  is  my  favourite  spot.  Here, 
when  a  boy,  I  used  to  while  away  whole  holidays,  basking  indo- 
lently in  the  noon  of  summer,  and  building  castles  in  that  cloudless 
air  until  the  setting  of  the  sun. 

The  reeds  then  grew  up,  long  and  darkly  green,  along  the  margin ; 
and  though  they  have  since  yielded  to  the  innovating  scythe,  and  I 
hear  the  wind  no  longer  ghde  and  sigh  amidst  those  earliest  tubes 
of  music,  yet  the  whole  sod  is  still  fragrant,  from  spring  to  autumn, 
with  innumerable  heaths  and  wild  flowers  and  the  crushed  odours 
of  the  sweet  thyme.  And  never  have  I  seen  a  spot  which  the  but- 
terfly more  loves  to  haunt,  particularly  that  small  fairy,  blue-v/inged 
species  which  is  tamer  than  the  rest,  and  seems  almost  to  invite 
you  to  admire  it — throwing  itself  on  the  child's  mercy  as  the  robin 
upon  man's.  The  varieties  of  the  dragon  fly,  glittering  in  the  sun, 
dart  ever  through  the  boughs  and  along  the  water.  It  is  a  world 
.which  the  fairest  of  the  insect  race  seem  to  have  made  their  own. 
There  is  something  in  the  hum  and  stir  of  a  summer  noon  which  is 
inexpressibly  attractive  to  the  dreams  of  the  imagination.  It  fills 
us  with  a  sense  of  life,  but  a  life  not  our  own — it  is  the  exuberance 
of  creation  itself  that  overflows  around  us.  Man  is  absent,  but  life 
is  present.  Who  has  not  spent  hours  in  some  such  spot,  cherishing 
dreams  that  have  no  connexion  with  the  earth,  and  courting,  with 
half  shut  eyes,  the  images  of  the  Ideal  ! 

Stretched  on  the  odorous  grass  I  see,  on  the  opposite  shore,  that 
quiet  church,  where  the  rude  forefathers  of  the  hamlet  sleep — that 
mausoleum  where  my  own  dust  shall  rest  at  last,  and  the  turrets  of 
my  childhood's  home.  All  so  solitary  and  yet  so  eloquent  !  Now 
the  fern  waves  on  the  slope  and  the  deer  comes  forth,  marching 
with  his  stately  step  to  the  water  side  to  pause  and  drink.  O 
Nymphs  ! — O  Fairies  ! — O  Poetry,  I  am  yours  again  ! 


144  Knebworth. 

I  do  not  know  how  it  is  but  every  year  that  I  visit  these  scenes  I 
have  more  need  of  their  solace.  My  departed  youth  rises  before 
me  in  more  wan  and  melancholy  hours,  and  the  past  saddens  me 
more  deeply  than  the  present.  Yet,  every  year,  perhaps,  has  been 
a  stepping-stone  in  the  ambition  of  my  boyhood,  and  brought  me 
nearer  to  the  objects  of  my  early  dreams.  It  is  not  the  mind  that 
has  been  disappointed,  it  is  the  heart.  What  ties  are  broken — 
what  affections  marred  !  the  Egeria  of  my  hopes, — no  cell  conceals, 
r.0  spell  can  invoke  her  now  !  Every  pausing-place  in  the  life  of 
the  ambitious  is  marked  alike  by  the  trophy  and  the  tomb.  But 
little  men  have  the  tomb  without  the  trophy  !    .     .     .     . 

The  churchyard— the  village — the  green  sward — the  woods— the 
fern-covered  hills— the  waterside,  odorous  with  the  reeds  and 
thyme — the  deep-shagged  dells — the  plain  where  the  deer  couch, — 
all  united  and  blended  together,  make  to  me  the  place  above  all 
ethers  which  renews  my  youth  and  redeems  it  from  the  influence  of 
the  world.  All  know  some  such  spot — blessed  and  blessing — the 
Kaaba  of  the  earth — the  scene  of  their  childhood,  the  haunt  of 
their  fondest  recollections.  And  while  it  is  yet  ours  to  visit  it  at 
will — while  it  yet  rests  in  the  dear  and  sacred  hands  to  which  it 
belonged  of  yore — while  no  stranger  sits  at  the  hearth,  and  no  new 
tenants  chase  away  "  the  old  familiar  faces,"  who  has  not  felt  as  if 
in  storm  and  shower  there  was  a  shelter  over  his  head — as  if  he 
were  not  unprotected — as  if  fate  preserved  a  sanctuary  to  the  fugitive 
and  life  a  fountain  to  the  weary  ! 

It  would  be  strange  indeed  if  this  noble  remnant  of  past  times 
had  not,  in  the  progressive  ages  and  amid  the  varying  fortunes  of 
its  owners,  gradually  surrounded  itself  with  traditions.  One  of  the 
strangest  of  these  was  that  of  "  Jenny  Spinner,  or  the  Hertford- 
shire Ghost,"  which  is  the  title  of  a  very  interesting  little  book 
published  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  and  which  tells 
the  story  of  the  nightly  visits  of  the  ghostly  housewife  that  haunted 
the  old  mansion  of  Knebworth,  and  thrilled  the  hearts  of  the  sleep- 
less, o'nights,  with  the  sound  of  her  spinning  wheel.  Under  what 
doom  this  ghostly  lady  was  compelled  to  draw  out  the  thread  after 
her  own  had  been  cut  short,  and  at  that  witching  hour,  when  every 
hooded  ghost — whatever  his  occupations  during  the  remainder  of 
the  twenty-four  hours  may  be — gives  himself  up,  as  a  rule,  to  mere 
vagrancy  and  aimless  revisitings  of  the  glimpses  of  the  moon,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  say.    The  old  wheel  upon  which  the  spectre 


Sopwell  Nunnery.  1 4  5 

spinner  used  to  perform,  and  which  was  extant  at  the  beginning  of 
the  century,  has  been  destroyed,  and  we  beheve  the  ghost  is  now 
seen  no  more. 


Sopwell  Nunnery. 

Occupying  a  considerable  space  of  ground,  about  half  a  mile 
south-eastward  of  St.  Albans,  are  the  dilapidated  remains  of  this 
once  famous  establishment  of  monastic  times.  The  nunnery  was 
of  the  Benedictine  order,  and  was  founded  about  1140,  by  Geoffrey 
de  Gorman,  sixteenth  Abbot  of  St.  Albans,  on  the  site  of  a  dwelling 
that  had  been  reared  with  the  trunks  of  trees,  by  two  pious  women, 
who  lived  here  in  seclusion  and  strict  abstinence.  The  Abbot  or- 
dained that  the  number  of  nuns  should  not  exceed  thirteen,  and 
that  none  should  be  admitted  into  the  sisterhood  but  maidens.  He 
also  granted  them  some  lands,  and  their  possessions  were  increased 
oy  different  grants  from  Henry  de  Albini,  and  others  of  his  family. 
An  estate  in  the  parish  of  Ridge  was  likewise  given  to  them  by 
Richard  de  Tany,  or  Todenai. 

In  the  year  1541,  Henry  VHI.  granted  the  site  and  building  of 
he  Nunnery  to  Sir  Richard  Lee,  who  had  been  bred  to  arms,  as 
was  the  person  who  had  previously  obtained  the  grant  of  the  lands 
ying  contiguous  to  the  Abbey  church.  According  to  Newcome, 
Sir  Richard  was  indebted  for  Sopwell  to  the  solicitations  of  his 
handsome  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Margaret  Greenfield,  and 
who  was  in  no  small  favour  with  the  licentious  King. 

By  Sir  Richard  Lee  the  buildings  were  enlarged  and  altered  for 
his  own  residence  ;  and  the  surrounding  grounds  were  inclosed  by 
a  wall  and  converted  into  a  park.  He  died  in  1575,  leaving  two 
daughters.  By  Anne,  the  eldest,  who  married  Sir  Edward  Sadlicr, 
econd  son  of  Sir  Ralph  Sadlier,  of  Standon,  in  the  same  county, 
Sopwell  passed  into  that  family.  About  the  time  of  the  Restoration, 
it  again  fell  to  an  heiress,  married  to  Thomas  Saunders,  Esq.,  of 
Beechwood  ;  it  was  afterwards  sold  to  Sir  Harbottle  Grimstone,  an 
ancestor  of  the  Earl  of  Vcrulam,  of  Gorhambury.  Sir  Harbottle 
was  a  lawyer,  and  sat  in  Parliament  for  Colchester  in  the  reign  of 
Charles  L  ;  and  afterwards  rose  to  eminence  in  the  law. 

The  rviins  of  Sopwell  are  mostly  huge  fragments  of  wall,  composed 
of  flint  and  brick.     This  Nunnery  is  said  to  have  obtained  the  name 
of  Sopwell  from  the  circumstance  of  the  two   women  who   first 
*♦  L 


1 40  The  Great  Bed  of  Ware, 

established  themselves  here  sopping  their  crusts  in  the  water  of  a  neigh- 
bouring well.  Many  of  those  who  assumed  the  veil  at  Sopwell  were 
ladies  of  distinguished  rank,  family,  and  learning.  It  has  been  said  that 
Henry  VIII.  was  privately  married  to  Anne  Boleyn  in  the  chapel  at 
Sopwell ;  but  it  is  better  known  that  this  ill-observed  ceremony  was 
performed  in  one  of  the  chambers  of  Whitehall. 


The  Great  Bed  of  Ware. 

Ware,  called  IVaras  in  Domesday-book,  lies  on  the  great  North 
road,  and  on  the  river  Lea.  In  1408,  the  town  was  destroyed  by  a 
great  inundation,  when  sluices  and  weirs  were  made  in  the  river,  to 
preserve  it  from  future  floods.  In  the  reign  of  Henry  III.,  Margaret, 
Countess  of  Leicester,  founded  here  a  priory  for  Grey,  or  Franciscan 
Friars ;  and  here,  too,  was  an  alien  priory  of  Benedictines,  some  re- 
mains of  which  existed  to  our  time. 

^  A  more  popular  object  of  antiquarian  curiosity  is,  however,  "  the 
Bed  of  Ware,"  or  rather  a  Bedstead,  of  unusually  large  dimensions, 
which  has  been  preserved,  between  two  and  three  centuries  past,  at  an 
inn  in  the  town ;  and  its  celebrity  may  be  inferred  from  Shakspeare 
employing  it  as  an  object  of  comparison  in  his  play  of  Twelfth  Nighty 
bearing  date  1614,  thus:  "  Sir  Andreiu  Aguecheek.  Will  either  of  you 
bear  me  a  challenge  to  him  ?  Sir  Toby  Belch,  Go,  write  it  in  a  martial 
hand  ;  be  curst  and  brief:  it  is  no  matter  how  witty,  so  it  be  eloquenti 
and  full  of  invention :  taunt  him  with  the  licence  of  ink ;  if  thou 
thou  St  him  some  thrice,  it  shall  not  be  amiss ;  and  as  many  lies  as  will 
Ue  in  thy  sheet  of  paper,  although  the  sheet  were  big  enough  for  the  Bed 
of  Ware,  in  England,"  Act  iii.  sc.  2.  In  a  much  later  comedy,  Serjeant 
Kite  describes  the  Bed  of  Honour  as  "  a  mighty  large  bed,  bigger  by 
half  than  the  Great  Bed  cf  Ware.  Ten  thousand  people  may  be  in  it 
together,  and  never  feel  one  another." — Farquhar's  Recruiting  Officer. 

Still,  we  gather  little  from  the  county  historian  relative  to  the  Bed. 
Clutterbuck,  in  his  folio  History,  records:  "  One  of  the  inns  at  Ware, 
knov/n  by  the  name  of  the  Saracen's  Head,  contains  a  Bed  of  unusually 
large  dimensions,  measuring  12  feet  square,  consisting  wholly  of  oak, 
curiously -and  elaborately  carved.  After  diligent  inquiry,  I  have  not 
been  able  to  meet  with  any  written  document,  or  local  tradition,  which 
throws  any  light  upon  the  history  of  this  curious  Bed,  to  which 
allusion  is  made  by  Shakspeare,  in  his  play  of  Twelfth  Night.  There  is 
a  date  of  1463  painted  on  the  back  of  the  Bed;  but  it  appears  to  be 


The  Great  Bed  of  Ware,  W 

more  modern  than  the  Bed  itself,  which,  from  the  style  of  the  carving, 
may  be  referred  to  the  age  of  Queen  Elizabeth." 

In  Chauncy's  Hertfordshire,  there  is  an  account  of  the  Bed  receiving 
at  once  tw^elve  men  and  their  wives,  who  lay  at  top  and  bottom,  in  this 
mode  of  arrangement:  first,  two  men,  then  two  women,  and  so  on 
alternately,  so  that  no  man  was  near  to  any  woman  but  his  Avife. 

The  possession  of  the  Bed  has  also  been  attributed  to  Warwick, 
the  King-maker ;  which  tradition,  in  all  probability,  explains  the  date 
of  1463 — the  period  at  which  Warwick  flourished,  in  the  Wars  of  the 
Roses — which  we  suspect  to  have  been  painted  to  suit  the  story  ;  and 
which  further  states  the  Bedstead  to  have  been  sold,  amongst  other 
moveables  belonging  to  Warwick,  at  Ware  Park. 

The  common  story  is,  that  the  Bedstead  was  made  by  one  Jonas 
Fosbrooke,  a  journeyman  carpenter,  and  presented  to  the  Royal 
Family,  in  1463,  as  a  rare  specimen  of  carving,  and  for  the  use  of  the 
said  Royal  Family,  for  princes  or  nobles  of  gentle  blood  to  sleep  in  on 
any  great  occasion.  The  King  (Edward  IV.)  being  much  pleased 
with  the  workmanship,  and  great  labour  of  the  maker,  allowed  him  a 
pension  for  life. 

There  is  also  the  following  strange  legend  attached  to  the  Bed  :  that, 
after  many  years,  being  much  neglected,  this  Bed  was  used  on  occasions 
of  the  town  being  very  full,  for  any  large  parties  to  sleep  in;  such  as 
those  engaged  in  hunting,  or  attendant  on  weddings,  &c.  Whenever 
so  used,  its  occupants  were  always  unable  to  obtain  their  wished-for 
sleep,  being  in  the  night  subject  to  all  kinds  of  pinching,  nipping,  and 
scratching,  till  at  last  the  Bed  became  deserted.  The  reason  is  said  to 
be  this — that  the  spirit  of  Jonas  Fosbrooke  always  hovered  about  his 
favourite  work,  and  being  vexed  at  the  base  use  it  was  put  to  (he 
leaving  made  it  for  nought  but  noble  blood  to  sleep  in),  prevented  any- 
body else  from  getting  a  moment's  rest. 

There  is  also  a  story  of  one  Harrison  Saxby,  of  Lancashire,  a  Master 
of  the  Horse  to  King  Henry  VIII.,  who  having  fallen  deeply  in  love 
with  the  daughter  of  a  miller  and  maltster,  residing  at  Chalk  Island,  near 
Ware  (she  having  other  suitors  of  her  own  rank),  swore  he  would  do  any. 
thing  to  obtain  her.  This  coming  to  the  ears  of  the  King,  as  he  was  passing 
through  Ware,  on  his  way  to  his  favourite  retreat  at  Hertford,  his 
Majesty  ordered  the  girl  and  all  her  suitors  before  him,  and,  to  set  the 
matter  at  rest,  promised  her  hand  to  him  who  would  sleep  all  night  in 
the  Great  Bed,  provided  he  were  found  there  in  the  morning.  The 
suitors,  all  being  superstitious,  declined ;  but  the  Master  of  the  Horse 
complied,  and  retired  to  the  chamber,  though  not  to  sleep,  or  rest  j  for, 


148  The  Rye  House  and  its  Plot, 

in  the  morning,  on  the  servants  of  the  King  entering  the  apartment,  he 
was  found  on  the  floor,  covered  v^ith  bruises,  and  in  a  state  of  exhaustion. 
The  B?d  is  stated  to  have  been  kept  at  the  Old  Crown  Inn,  where 
they  had  a  ceremony  at  showing  it,  of  drinking  a  small  can  of  beer,  and 
repeating  some  health.  It  was  at  the  Saracen's  Head,  in  September, 
1864,  when  it  was  put  up  for  sale  by  auction,  at  100  guineas ;  no  one 
advanced  upon  it,  and  it  was  bought  in. 


The  Rye  House  and  its  Plot. 

In  the  parish  of  Stanstead,  in  the  road  from  Ploddesdon  to  VVdic,  on 
the  Great  Eastern  Railway,  in  Hertfordshire,  is  Rye  House,  an  ancient 
house  erected  by  Andrew  Osgard,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VI.,  that 
monarch  having  granted  him  a  licence  to  build  a  castle  on  his  manor  of 
Rye.  Part  of  the  building  has  both  battlements  and  loopholes :  it  was 
the  gatehouse  of  the  Castle  which  Andrew  Osgard  had  liberty  to  erect; 
and  it  is  consequently  among  the  earliest  of  those  brick  buildings 
erected  after  the  form  of  bricks  was  changed  fi-om  the  ancient  flat  and 
broad  to  the  modern  shape. 

The  Rye  House  has  become  celebrated  from  having  been  tenanted  by 
Rumbold,  one  of  the  persons  engaged  in  the  real  or  pretended  con- 
spiracy to  assassinate  Charles  II.  and  the  Duke  of  York  (afterwards 
James  II.)  in  1683,  on  their  return  from  Newmarket.  The  plan  of  the 
conspirators  was  to  overturn  a  cart  on  the  highway,  and  when  the  royal 
cortege  was  thrown  into  confusion,  to  shoot  the  King  and  his  brother 
from  behind  the  hedges.  Fortunately  for  the  King,  the  house  in  which 
he  was  staying  at  Newmarket  took  fire,  and  he  returned  to  London 
three  days  before  the  appointed  time,  which  of  course  upset  the  plans 
of  the  conspirators.  The  plot,  however,  was  betrayed,  and  the  dis- 
covery led  to  that  of  another,  though  of  a  different  nature,  and  by 
parties  of  a  much  more  exalted  station.  In  consequence  of  the  infor- 
mation given,  the  Earl  of  Essex,  and  Lords  Russell  and  Howard,  Al- 
gernon Sydney,  the  great  republican,  and  Hampden,  son  of  the  great 
John  Hampden,  the  friend  of  Cromwell,  were  arrested,  tried,  and 
although  there  was  in  reality  no  evidence  against  them,  were  found 
guilty ;  when,  to  the  infamy  of  England,  Russell  and  Sydn'^  were  exe- 
cuted, Hampden  was  heavily  fined.  Lord  Howard  escaped  by  turning 
evidence  against  his  fellow-prisoners,  and  the  Earl  of  Essex  was  fouu'' 
dead  in  his  cell,  but  whether  from  suicide  or  murder  is  a  matter  ot 
debate  to  the  present  day. 


149 


Historical  Hertfordshire. 

At  the  Cflngress  of  the  British  Archaeological  Association,  held  at 
St.  Albans  in  1869,  Lord  Lytton,  the  President,  in  his  inaugura, 
address  grouped  the  historical  sites  of  the  county  with  his  wonteA 
felicity,  being,  from  the  long  connexion  of  his  family  with  the  county 
of  Herts,  master  of  all  its  details :  thus  picturesquely  illustiating  the 
text  of  Camden,  that  "  for  the  renown  of  antiquity  Hertfordshire  may 
vie  with  any  of  its  neighbours,  for  scarce  any  other  county  can  show 
as  many  remains." 

Lord  Lytton  remarked,  that  in  that  county  and  at  St.  Albans  the  Asso- 
ciation would  find  memorials  and  reminiscences,  that  illustrated  the  his- 
toryof  our  native  land  from  the  earliest  date.  Round  the  spot,  too,  on 
which  they  were  assembled,  one  of  the  bravest  and  the  greatest  of  the 
British  tribes  held  dominion  ;  far  and  near  round  that  spot  they  trod 
on  ground  which  witnessed  their  dauntless  and  despairing  resistance  to 
the  Roman  invader.  *  *  *  *  England  never  seemed,  from  the 
earliest  historical  records,  to  have  been  inhabited  by  any  race  which 
did  not  accept  ideas  of  improved  civilizatiou  fi'om  its  visitors  or  con- 
querors. The  ancient  Britons  were  not  ignorant  barbarians,  in  our 
modern  sense  of  the  word,  at  the  time  of  the  Roman  Conquest.  Their 
skill  in  agriculture  was  considerable ;  they  had  in  familiar  use  imple- 
ments and  machinery,  such  as  carriages,  the  watermill  and  the  wind- 
mill, which  attested  their  application  of  science  to  the  arts  ot  husbandry. 
The  Romans  were  to  the  ancient  world  what  the  railway  companies 
were  to  the  modern — they  were  the  great  constructors  of  roads  and 
highways.  Again,  to  the  Romans  the  Britons  owed  the  introduction 
of  civil  law,  and  the  moment  the  principle  of  secular  j  ustice  between 
man  and  man  was  familiarized  to  their  minds  the  priestly  domination  of 
the  Druids,  with  all  its  sanguinary  superstitions,  passed  away.  It  was 
to  Rome,  too,  that  Britons  owed  that  institution  of  municipal  towns  to 
which  the  philosophical  statesman,  M.  Guizot,  traced  the  rise  oi 
modern  freedom  in  its  emancipation  from  feudal  oppression  and  feudal 
serfdom.  When  the  Romans  finally  withdrew  from  Britain,  ninety- 
two  considerable  towns  had  arisen,  of  which  thirty-three  cities  pos- 
sessed superior  privileges.  Among  the  most  famous  of  these  cities  was 
Verulam,  which  was  a  municipium  in  the  time  of  Nero,  and  the  remains 
of  which  were  being  more  clearly  brought  to  light  by  the  labours  ot 
the  Association.  The  members  would  be  enabled,  he  believed,  to  see 
at  least  the  stage,  the  proscenium,  and  the  orchestra  of  the  only  Roman 
theatre  yet  found  in  this  country.     Lastly,  it  was  to  the  Roman  coii'« 


150  His  tot  ical  Hertfordshire, 

queror  that  the  Briton  owed,  if  not  the  first  partial  conception,  at  least 
the  national  recognition  of  that  Christian  faith  whose  earliest  British 
martyr  had  bequeathed  his  name  to  St.  Albans. 

When  they  passed  to  the  age  of  the  Anglo-Saxons  their  vestiges  in 
that  county  surrounded  them  on  every  side.  The  names  of  places 
familiar  as  household  words  marked  their  residences.  And  here  he 
might  observe  that  the  main  reason  why  the  language  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  had  survived  the  Norman  invasion,  and  finally  supplanted  the 
language  of  the  Conqueror,  did  not  appeal*  to  him  to  have  been  clearly 
stated  by  our  historians.  He  believed  the  reason  to  be  really  this.  The 
language  that  men  spoke  in  after-life  was  formed  in  the  nursery ;  it 
was  learnt  from  the  lips  of  the  mother.  The  adventurers  of  Scan- 
dinavian origin  who  established  themselves  in  Normandy  did  not  select 
their  wives  in  Scandinavia,  but  in  France,  and  thus  their  children  leanicd 
in  the  nursery  the  French  language.  In  like  manner,  when  they  con- 
quered England,  those  who  were  still  unmarried  had  the  good  taste  to 
seek  their  wives  among  the  Saxons,  and  thus  the  language  of  the 
mothers  naturally  became  that  of  the  children,  and  being  also  the 
language  of  the  servants  employed  in  the  household,  the  French 
language  necessarily  waned,  receded,  and  at  last  became  merged  into 
the  domestic  element  of  the  Anglo-Saxon,  retaining  only  such  of  its 
native  liveliness  and  adaptability  to  metrical  rhyme  and  cadence  as 
enriched  the  earliest  utterances  of  our  English  poetry  in  the  Muse,  at 
once  grave  and  sportive,  at  once  courtly  and  popular,  which  inspired 
the  lips  of  Chaucer.  In  the  county  in  which  they  were  assembled 
were  the  scenes  of  fierce,  heroic  conflict  between  the  Saxons  and  the 
Danes.  Where  now  stood  the  town  of  AA^are  anchored  the  light 
vessels  which  constituted  the  Danish  navy  as  it  sailed  from  London 
along  the  Thames  to  the  entrance  of  the  river  Lea.  There  they 
besieged  the  town  of  Hertford,  and  there  the  remarkable  genius  of 
Alfred  the  Great,  at  once  astute  and  patient,  studying  the  nature  of 
the  river,  diverted  its  stream  into  three  channels,  and  stranded  the 
Danish  vesr>els,  which  thus  became  an  easy  prey  to  the  Londoners. 

Nor  was  the  county  destitute  of  memorials  of  the  turbulent  ajes 
which  followed  the  Norman  Conquest.  When  Prince  Louis  of  France 
invaded  England  no  stronghold,  with  the  exception  of  Dover,  restited 
his  siege  with  more  valour  or  with  greater  loss  to  the  invaders  than  the 
Castle  of  Hertford,  and  under  the  soil  around  its  walls  lay  the  bones 
of  many  an  invading  Frenchman.  At  St.  Albans,  on  the  22nd  of  iMay, 
1455'  Henry  VI.  pitched  his  standard  against  the  armies  of  the  White 
Rose  led  by  Richard,  Duke  of  York,  and  the  great  Earls  of  Warwick 


Historical  HertfordsJiire.  151 

and  Salisbury;  and  then  again,  on  the  17th  of  February,  1461, 
Heniy  VI.  was  brought  from  London  to  be  the  reluctant  witness  and 
representative  of  a  conflict  against  his  Queen,  who,  however,  delivered 
him  from  the  custody  of  the  Yorkists,  and  sullied  her  victory  by  such 
plunder  and  cruelty  as  a  few  days  afterwards  insured  the  crown  to 
Edward  IV.  On  the  summit  of  Christ  Church  tower,  at  Hadley,  was 
still  to  be  seen  the  lantern  which,  according  to  tradition,  lighted  the 
forces  of  Edward  IV.  through  the  dense  fog  which  the  superstition  of 
the  time  believed  to  have  been  raised  by  the  incantation  of  Friar 
Bungay,  and  through  the  veil  of  that  fog  was  fought  the  battle  of 
Barnet,  where  the  power  of  the  great  feudal  barons  expired  with 
Warwick,  the  king-maker,  and  a  new  era  in  the  records  of  liberty 
and  civil  progress  practically  commenced.  For  he  was  convinced  from 
a  somewhat  careful  study  of  the  time  that  the  contests  between  the 
Houses  of  York  and  Lancaster  was  not  a  mere  dispute  of  title  to  the 
throne,  or  a  mere  rivalry  for  power  between  the  great  feudal  chiefs. 
The  House  of  Lancaster  with  its  monkish  King  represented  a  more 
intolerant  spirit  of  Papal  persecution ;  it  was  under  that  house  that  the 
great  religious  reformers  had  been  mercilessly  condemned  to  the  gibbet 
and  the  flames,  and  the  martyrdom  of  the  Lollards  under  Henry  IV. 
and  Henry  V.  left  a  terrible  legacy  of  wrath  and  doom  to  Henry  VI. 
Besides  the  numerous  descendants  of  these  Lollards,  large  bodies  of 
the  Church  itself,  including  the  clergy,  were  favourable  to  religious 
refoiin,  and  these  were  necessarily  alienated  from  the  House  of  Lan- 
caster and  inclined  to  the  House  of  York.  With  the  House  of  York, 
too,  were  the  great  centres  of  energy  and  intelligence,  London  and  the 
powerful  trading  cities.  The  commercial  spirit  established  a  certain 
familiar  sympathy  with  Edward  IV.,  who  was  himself  a  merchant, 
venturing  commercial  speculations  in  ships  fitted  out  by  himself.  Thus 
the  Battle  of  Barnet  was  fought  between  the  new  ideas  and  the  old, 
and  those  new  ideas  which  gave  power  to  the  middle  class  in  the  reign 
of  Henry  VII.,  and  rendered  the  religious  reformation  in  the  reign  of 
Henry  VIII.  popular  in  spite  of  its  violent  excesses,  shared  at  Barnet 
the  victory  of  the  King,  under  whom  was  established  the  first  printing- 
press  known  in  England. 

But  Hertfordshire  had  also  furnished  the  birthplace  or  the  home  of 
no  inconsiderable  persons.  According  to  tradition,  Cashiobury  was 
the  royal  seat  of  Cassibelaunus,  and  passing  to  the  noble  family  that 
now  held  its  domains,  it  found  an  owner  as  brave  as  its  old  British 
possessor  in  the  first  Lord  Capel,  faithful  in  life  and  in  death  to  the 
cause  of  Charles  I.     King's  Langley  was  the  birthplace  of  Edmund de 


1 5  2  Panshanger  House. 

Langley^  the  brave  son  of  Edward  III.,  and  close  beside  it  was  bom 
Nicholas  Brakespeare,  afterwards  Pope  Adrian  IV.  Moor  Park- 
was  identified  with  the  names  of  Cardinal  Wolsey  and  the  ill-fated 
Duke  of  Monmouth.  Sir  John  Mandeville,  the  famous  traveller, 
who,  if  he  invented  his  travels,  certainly  beat  them  all  in  the  art  of 
romance,  was  a  native  of  St.  Albans.  Panshanger  was  associated 
with  the  name  of  Cowper,  while  the  delightful  essayist,  Charles 
Lamb,  boasted  his  descent  from  Hertfordshire.  Future  archaeolo- 
gists will  revere  at  Brocket,  the  residence  of  the  two  distinguished 
men  who  swayed  the  destinies  of  the  country  in  our  time  as  first 
Ministers  of  the  Crown — Lords  Melbourne  and  Palmerston,  akin  by 
family  connexion,  akin  still  more  by  the  English  attributes  they 
held  in  common — an  exquisite  geniality  of  temper  united  with  a 
robust  and  simple  manliness  of  character.  At  Hatfield  members  of 
the  Association  would  find  a  place  stored  with  brilliant  memories 
and  associations.  There  still  stood  the  tower  from  the  window  of 
which,  according  to  tradition,  the  Princess  Elizabeth  envied  the  lot 
of  the  humble  milkmaid,  and  there  was  still  seen  the  trunk  of  the 
oak  under  which  she  heard  the  news  of  her  accession  to  the  throne. 
And  what  Englishman — nay,  what  stranger  from  the  foreign  nations 
to  which,  conjointly  with  the  posterity  of  his  native  land,  Francis 
Bacon  intrusted  the  verdict  to  be  pronounced  on  his  labours  and 
his  name — would  not  feel  that  he  was  on  haunted  ground  when  he 
entered  the  domain  of  Gorhambury  and  examined  the  remains  of 
the  abode  in  which  the  Shakespeare  of  Philosophy  united  the  most 
various  knowledge  of  mankind  with  the  deepest  research  into  the 
secrets  of  Nature  and  the  elements  of  human  thought  ? 


Panshanger  House. — The  Story  of  Spencer  Cowper. 

Panshanger  is  a  remarkably  handsome,  large,  and  splendid  house, 
situated  on  the  north-east  bank  of  the  river  Meriman,  in  the  midst 
of  a  spacious  park  in  the  county  of  Hertford,  and  about  two  miles 
from  the  town  of  that  name.  It  is  the  family  residence  of  Earl 
Cowper,  but  has  only  become  so  within  recent  years — Colne  Green, 
at  a  little  distance  to  the  south-west,  having  hitherto  been  the 
favourite  family  scat. 

Panshanger  was  erected  at  the  commencement  of  the  last 
century,  but  was  pulled  down  in  1801  by  the  Earl  Cowper  of  that 


Panshanger  House.  153 

date,  and  the  present  mansion  erected  near  its  site.  The  grounds 
are  laid  out  with  much  taste.  One  of  the  "  Hons"  of  the  park  is  a 
huge  oak,  measuring  seventeen  feet  in  circumference  at  five  feet 
from  the  ground.     It  was  called  the  "  Great  Oak"  in  1709. 

The  collection  of  paintings  here  is  exceedingly  fine,  and  the 
different  works  are  arranged  in  splendid  apartments  with  much 
taste.  '•  The  drawing-room,"  says  Waagen,  "  is  one  of  thos^  apart- 
ments which  not  only  give  pleasure  by  their  size  and  elegance,  but 
also  afford  the  most  elevated  gratification  to  the  mind  by  works  of 
art  of  the  noblest  kind.  This  splendid  apartment  receives  light 
from  three  skylights,  and  from  large  windows  at  one  of  the  ends  ; 
while  the  paintings  of  the  Italian  school  are  well  relieved  by  the 
crimson  silk  hangings.  I  cannot  refrain  from  praising  the  refined 
taste  of  the  English  for  thus  adorning  the  rooms  they  daily  occupy, 
by  which  means  they  enjoy  from  their  youth  upwards  the  silent  and 
slow,  but  sure  influences  of  works  of  art." 

There  are  two  invaluable  pictures  of  the  Virgin  and  Child,  by 
Raphael.  Of  the  Infant  Christ,  seated  on  his  mother's  lap,  by  Fra 
Bartolommeo,  Dr.  Waagen  says,  "  This  is  the  most  beautiful  picture 
that  I  am  acquainted  with  by  this  friend  of  Raphael." 

Three  or  four  portraits,  and  figure  paintings  of  Joseph  making 
himself  known  to  his  Brethren,  with  others  representing  in  the 
most  spirited  way  some  old  Italian  legend,  are  by  the  great  Andrea 
del  Sarto.  Of  the  portrait  of  the  artist  by  himself  the  conception 
is  extremely  animated  and  noble — the  tender  melancholy  wonder- 
fully attractive,  and  the  finely  drawn  head  very  softly  executed  in  a 
deep,  clear  sfumato  treatment.  There  is  a  fine  picture  by  Titian, 
representing  three  children,  as  well  as  admirable  specimens  of 
Annibale  Caracci,  Guido  Reni,  Guercino,  Carlo  Dolce,  and  other 
artists  of  the  later  Italian  schools ;  and  examples  also  of  Poussin, 
Rembrandt,  Vandyke,  and  the  English  Wilson.  The  art  treasures 
of  this  noble  hall  have  lately  been  increased  in  number,  and  speci- 
mens are  now  to  be  seen  of  Perugino,  Correggio,  Paul  Veronese, 
Teniers,  Rubens,  Caspar  Poussin,  and  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds. 

The  family  of  Cowper  is  descended  from  John  Cowper,  Esq.,  of 
Strode,  in  Sussex,  during  the  reign  of  Edward  IV.  The  third  in 
descent  from  him  was  John  Cowper,  Esq.,  one  of  the  sheriffs  of  the 
city  of  London  in  155 1,  and  alderman  of  Bridge  Ward.  His  son, 
William  Cowper,  Esq.,  of  Ratling  Court,  Kent,  was  created  a 
baronet  in  1642,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  grandson.  Sir  William 
Cowper,  M.P.  for  Hertford,  whose  eldest  son  and  successor,  Sii 


1 54  Paitshanger  House, 

William  Covvper,  achieved  a  splendid  reputation  as  a  lawyer  of  the 
highest  ability.  His  advancement  was  rapid  and  his  political 
career  illustrious.  He  was  appointed  Lord  Keeper  of  the  Great 
Seal  in  1705,  and  elevated  to  the  peerage  in  the  following  year  as 
Baron  Cowper,  of  Wingham,  Kent.  In  1706,  also,  he  was  chosen 
one  of  the  commissioners  for  the  arrangement  of  the  treaty  of  union 
between  England  and  Scotland.  In  1707  he  rose  to  be  Lord  High 
Chancellor  of  Great  Britain.  On  the  death  of  Queen  Anne,  Lord 
Cowper  was  appointed  one  of  the  Lords  Justices  until  the  arrival  of 
George  I.  from  Hanover.  He  was  appointed  Lord  High  Steward 
of  Great  Britain  in  1716,  for  the  trial  of  the  rebel  lords  ;  and  in  the 
following  year  he  was  advanced  to  the  dignities  of  Viscount  Ford- 
wick  and  Earl  Cowper.  Soon  afterwards,  however,  he  resigned  the 
seals.  He  died  in  1723,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  elder  son 
William,  second  Earl  Cowper,  who  assumed  the  surname  Clavering 
before  that  of  Cowper,  in  obedience  to  the  will  of  his  maternal 
uncle.  He  married  Henrietta,  daughter  and  eventually  sole  heiress 
of  Henry  de  Nassau  Auverquerque,  Earl  of  Grantham,  son  of  the 
famous  marshal,  and  the  sole  descendant  of  the  legitimized  children 
of  Maurice  of  Nassau.  The  second  earl  was  succeeded  by  his  SDn 
George  Nassau,  third  Earl  Cowper,  who  was  created  a  prince  in 
Germany  by  the  Emperor  Joseph  II.  as  the  sole  remaining  repre- 
sentative of  the  princes  and  counts  of  Nassau  Auverquerque.  He 
was  succeeded  by  his  son  George-Augustus,  fourth  earl ;  but  he 
dying  unmarried,  the  honours  fell  to  his  brother  Peter-Leopold, 
fifth  earl.  The  fifth  earl  died  in  1837,  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
son,  George  Augustus  Frederick,  sixth  earl ;  and  he  dying  in  1856, 
was  succeeded  by  his  son,  the  present  inheritor  of  the  honours  and 
estates  of  this  famous  house.  Sir  Francis-Thomas-de  Grey  Cowper, 
K.G.,  seventh  earl.  He  is  a  Prince  of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire, 
and  as  heir-general  of  Thomas,  Earl  of  Ossory,  eldest  son  of  James, 
first  Duke  of  Ormonde,  inherits  the  barony  of  Butler  in  the  English 
peerage,  and  that  of  Dingwall  in  the  peerage  of  Scotland. 

The  annals  of  this  family  are  not  wanting  in  those  incidents 
which  give  to  the  sober  page  of  history  the  colours  of  romance. 
William,  the  first  baronet,  and  who  owed  his  baronetcy  to 
Charles  I.,  was  a  devoted  adherent  to  the  royal  cause  in  storm  and 
sunshine,  in  good  and  evil  report.  He  suffered  for  his  fidelity  in 
being  subjected  by  the  republicans  to  a  long  and  severe  imprisom 
ment.  His  fate  was  shared  by  his  eldest  son,  who,  however,  died 
in  confinement.    It  was  in  consequence  of  this  sad  event  that  we 


Patis hanger  House,  155 

find  the  estates  passing  from  the  first  baronet  to  his  grandson.  At 
the  time  of  the  Revolution  the  politics  of  the  family  underwent  a 
change ;  and  indeed  the  Cowpers  from  this  time  onward  may  be 
ranked  among  the  principal  Whig  houses.  William  Cowper,  mem- 
ber for  Hertford,  had  been  in  arms  for  the  Prince  of  Orange  and  a 
Free  Parliament,  although  his  father  had  suffered  death  by  im- 
prisonment for  the  King.  This  sudden  and  entire  change  of  poli- 
tics drew  upon  the  Cowpers  at  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  and 
the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  a  bitterness  of  party  hatred 
and  an  amount  of  obloquy  for  which  it  is  difficult,  in  these  more 
tolerant  days,  to  account.  During  the  closing  year  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  after  the  session  was  over,  and  when  the  passions 
of  partizans  no  longer  found  vent  in  the  accustomed  place,  the  vio- 
lence of  the  opposing  parties  manifested  itself  throughout  tl  e 
country,  embittered  provincial  squabbles,  and  even  influenced  the 
decisions  of  circuit  judges. 

The  Cowpers,  perhaps,  suffered  more  from  the  deadly  malice  of 
political  opponents  than  any  other  family  of  this  period. 

Sir  William  Cowper,  the  M.P.  for  Hertford  already  mentioned, 
had  two  sons,  William,  his  successor,  who  raised  the  family  to  the 
summit  of  its  greatness,  and  Spencer  Cowper,  a  barrister,  and  the 
grandfather  of  that  excellent  poet  and  most  amiable  yet  most  un- 
happy of  men,  William  Cowper. 

By  a  strange  chain  of  unfortunate,  or,  accordingly  as  they  were 
viewed,  suspicious  circumstances,  Spencer  Cowper  became  impli- 
cated in  a  mysterious  death  which  occurred  in  the  town  which  his 
father  represented  in  Parliament — Hertford.  The  death  took  place 
on  the  night  on  which  the  barrister  arrived  in  the  town,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  assizes,  and  he  was  the  person  who  was  known  to 
have  been  last  in  the  company  of  the  deceased. 

No  sooner  was  suspicion  attached  to  the  name  of  Cowper  than 
the  Tory  party  of  the  town  rose  to  the  scent  and  exerted  their  ut- 
most endeavours,  their  ingenuity,  and  their  political  animosity  to 
run  their  game  to  death.  Spencer  Cowper's  elder  brother,  William, 
had  succeeded  his  father  in  the  representation  of  Hertford,  and  the 
family  had  considerable  influence  here.  But  among  the  electors 
there  was  a  strong,  active,  and  bitter  Tory  minority,  and  though 
Cowper  had  carried  his  seat  it  was  not  without  a  hard  fight  in  which 
blows,  that  could  not  readily  be  forgiven,  had  been  exchanged 
between  the  fierce  politicians.  An  opportunity  had  now  arisen  for 
crushing  the  influence  of  the  Whiggish  Cowpers  in  Hertford  for 


1  $6  PausJianger  House. 

e\cr.  A  cadet  of  the  family,  one  who  was  fast  rising  into  practice 
as  a  barrister  on  the  Home  Circuit,  was  to  take  his  place  at  theba.t 
on  a  charge  of  murder,  and  his  enemies  were  resolved  to  leave  no 
means  untried  to  find  a  verdict  against  him.  It  seems  astounding 
that  gentlemen  should  have  been  not  only  willing  but  eager  to  in- 
crease their  "  political  capital "  by  the  sacrifice  of  a  human  being, 
but  it  is  simply  a  fact  undeniable  and  illustrated  by  many  a  story 
besides  the  following  one  : — 

Mr.  Spencer  Cowper,  a  barrister  and  a  married  man  (this  latter 
point  should  be  borne  in  mind),  set  out  at  the  Spring  Assizes  of 
1699  for  the  Home  Circuit  and  took  his  way  from  London  to  Hert- 
ford on  horseback.  He  was  intimately  acquainted  with  a  Quaker 
lady  and  her  only  daughter,  named  Stout,  who  stayed  in  Hertford, 
and  with  whom  he  had  on  several  occasions  when  visiting  the  town 
passed  the  night.  He  had  on  this  occasion  forwarded  a  letter  to 
Mrs.  Stout,  announcing  his  intended  visit  to  Hertford  and  intimating 
his  intention  to  lodge  with  her  for  the  night.  On  reaching  the 
town,  he  alighted  at  an  inn  to  get  rid  of  the  marks  of  travel,  and  in 
the  meantime  sent  on  a  servant  with  his  horse  to  Mrs.  Stout's,  with 
the  message  that  he  himself  would  follow  in  time  for  dinner.  At  the 
appointed  hour  he  arrived  and  waited  till  four  o'clock,  when  he  left, 
after  having  arranged  to  come  back  in  the  evening  and  pass  the  night. 
Cowper  kept  his  promise  so  far.  He  returned,  supped  with  Mrs. 
Stout  and  her  daughter,  and  remained  conversing  with  them  till 
about  eleven  o'clock,  when  orders  were  given  to  the  maid  in  his 
hearing,  and  without  any  remonstrance  or  interruption  on  his  part, 
to  prepare  his  bed.  This  was  done,  but  Mr.  Cowper  did  not  come 
up,  as  expected,  to  his  room.  The  maid,  after  waiting  and  wondering 
at  Mr.  Cowper's  delay,  was  surprised  to  hear  the  street-door  slam. 
Going  down  stairs  she  was  still  more  astonished  to  find  Miss  Stout 
as  well  as  Mr.  Cowper  gone.  At  once  she  communicated  with  Mrs, 
Stout,  who  had  retired  some  time  previously.  Her  surprise  was 
almost  unbounded,  yet  having  great  confidence  in  Mr.  Cowper 
she,  at  the  time,  felt  neither  alarm  nor  suspicion.  The  only  feature 
of  the  mysterious  case  that  seemed  perfectly  clear  to  her  was,  that 
her  daughter  must  have  gone  out  with  Mr.  Cowper  ;  for,  as  was  stated 
in  the  subsequent  trial,  "  the  nature  of  the  door  was  such,  that  it 
makes  a  great  noise  at  the  clapping  of  it,  so  that  any  particular  person 
in  the  house  may  be  sensible  of  another's  going  out."  And  the  dooi 
had  been  heard  to  slam  only  once. 

Neither  the  young  lady  nor  Mr.  Cowper  came  back  to  the  hous^ 


Paiishangcr  House,  157 

The  next  morning  the  dead  body  of  Miss  Stout  was  found  floating 
among  the  stakes  of  a  mill-dam  on  the  stream  called  the  Priory 
river.  The  neck  was  slightly  disfigured  with  swelling  and  black- 
ness, according  to  the  deposition  of  one  medical  witness.  Mr. 
Cowper  was  the  last  person  seen  in  her  company. 

These  circumstances,  the  simultaneous  or  supposed  simultaneous 
departure  of  the  young  couple  from  the  house,  and  the  body  being 
found  with  marks  that  might  indicate  violence,  rendered  the  position 
of  Mr.  Cowper,  in  relation  to  the  case,  very  suspicious  indeed.  On 
many  occasions  has  capital  punishment  been  inflicted  where  guilt 
did  not  seem  so  apparent. 

Yet,  on  the  other  side  of  the  question,  there  were  many  points  de- 
manding attention  and  examination.  It  was  known,  and  was  proved 
in  court,  that  Miss  Stout  was  labouring  under  hypochondriasis,  ii 
not  actual  insanity  ;  and  that  on  certain  occasions  she  had  confessed 
that  she  had  resolved  on  committing  suicide  to  put  an  end  to  her 
melancholy.  To  one  who  conjured  her  to  put  all  thoughts  of  self- 
destruction  out  of  her  mind  the  unhappy  girl  replied,  "  I  may  thank 
God  that  ever  I  saw  your  face,  otherwise  I  had  done  it ;  but  I  can- 
not promise  I  will  not  do  it."  It  is  thus  evident  that  for  some  time 
previously  Miss  Stout  had  been  contemplating  suicide  as  the  one 
cure  for  the  melancholy  that  oppressed  her. 

Mr.  Cowper  proved  his  innocence  of  the  murder  at  once  by  an 
alibi.  Mrs.  Stout's  servant  distinctly  stated  in  her  evidence  that  it 
was  a  quarter  to  eleven  or  less  when  the  door  slammed  ;  and  a 
dozen  respectable  witnesses  proved  that  he  was  in  the  Glove  and 
Dolphin  Inn  before  the  clock  struck  eleven — the  distance  between 
the  mill-stream  and  the  inn  being  at  least  half  an  hour's  walk. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  Miss  Stout  was  hypochondriacal, 
if  not  actually  insane.  It  is  known,  further,  that  her  character  was 
not  above  reproach,  and  that  she  cherished  an  ungovernable  and 
unlawful  passion  for  Mr.  Cowper.  She  was  in  the  habit  of  writing 
letters  to  him  which  no  woman  under  the  control  of  her  judgment 
would  have  written.  These  letters  were  produced  in  court.  In 
consequence  of  these  letters  Mr.  William  Cowper,  the  future  Lord 
Chancellor,  persuaded  his  brother  not  to  stay  again  at  Mrs.  Stout's, 
but  to  take  private  lodgings.  Mr.  Spencer  Cowper  acceded  to  this 
advice,  and  only  went  to  Mrs.  Stout's  to  pay  over  some  money  he 
had  received  for  her,  and  to  excuse  himself  for  not  coming  there  to 
lodge  as  he  had  promised.  He  perceived  that  to  declare  this  in- 
tention would  give  rise  to  a  scene  on  the  young  lady's  part,  and 


158  Panshanger  House. 

therefore,  when  the  order  was  given  to  the  servant  to  prepare  his 
bed,  he  offered  no  objection.  It  was  only  when  the  two  were  alone 
that  the  explanation  came.  Having  announced  his  resolution  of 
putting  an  end  to  the  intimacy  between  them,  and  then  having  de- 
parted, Cowper  left  the  girl  a  prey  to  her  passion  and  despair.  She 
crept  softly  to  the  door  some  little  time  after,  closed  it  gently  after 
her,  and  sought  in  a  suicide's  grave  the  peace  which  her  ill-regulated 
mind  and  the  constitutional  gloom  which  preyed  upon  her,  denied 
to  her  in  life.  It  need  scarcely  be  added  that  the  verdict  was  Not 
Guilty  and  that  Mr.  Cowper  was  discharged. 

The  prosecution  was  conducted  by  the  Quakers,  to  which  sect 
the  Stouts  belonged,  and  the  Tories,  who  were  only  too  eager  to 
spring  at  the  reputation  of  an  influential  Whig  family.  The  coali- 
tion between  the  Quakers  and  Tories  formed  an  opposition,  fired 
by  religious  bigotry  and  political  animosity,  which  might  have 
attained  its  aim  but  from  the  evident  innocence  of  Cowper.  The 
Tories  exulted  in  the  prospect  of  winning  two  seats  from  the  Whigs, 
and  the  whole  kingdom  was  divided  between  Stouts  and  Cowpers. 
The  malignity  and  unfairness  of  the  prosecution  seem  to  us  almost 
incredible  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  Cowper  defended  himself  with 
admirable  ability  and  self-possession.  The  verdict  gave  general 
satisfaction,  but  even  then  the  malevolence  of  his  enemies  did  not 
cease.  He  was  held  up  to  public  execration  in  a  succession  of 
libels.  But  the  public  did  him  justice,  and  his  advancement  in  his 
career  and  in  the  good  opinion  of  his  fellow-men  went  on  together. 
On  his  brother's  elevation  to  the  Woolsack,  Spencer  Cowper  suc- 
ceeded him  in  the  representation  of  Beeralston,  and  sat  for  Truro. 
He  adhered  to  the  Whig  party  inflexibly,  and  was  a  frequent  and 
successful  speaker.  He  was  appointed  Attorney-General  to  the 
Prince  of  Wales  on  the  accession  of  George  I.,  and  at  length  he 
took  his  seat,  with  general  applause,  on  the  judicial  bench,  and  there 
distinguished  himself  by  the  humanity  which  he  had  never  failed  to 
show  to  unhappy  men  who  stood,  as  he  himself  had  once  stood,  at 
the  bar. 


159 


Cassiobury. 

Close  to  the  town  of  Watford,  and  distant  seventeen  miles  from 
London,  is  Cassiobury  House,  the  seat  of  the  Earl  of  Essex,  a 
spacious  and  very  beautiful  building,  in  a  magnificent  and  well- 
wooded  park,  through  which  flows  the  river  Eade.  The  manor  is  sup- 
posed to  derive  its  name  from  Cassibelanus,  the  British  chief  of  the 
Cassii.  In  Doomsday  Survey  it  is  stated  that  "  the  Abbot  of  St. 
Albans  holds  Caisson."  The  whole  of  the  land  in  the  parish  of 
Watford  seems  to  have  been  comprehended  in  the  manor  of  Cashio. 
The  abbot  continued  to  enjoy  this  among  his  other  demesnes  until 
the  Dissolution,  when  it  came  to  the  Crown.  In  the  37th  year  of 
his  reign,  Henry  conveyed  it  to  Richard  Morison,  Esq.,  a  learned 
and  accomplished  gentleman,  about  the  place  of  whose  birth  there 
is  much  uncertainty.  He  spent  several  years  at  Oxford,  where  he 
made  rapid  progress  in  philosophical  studies  and  in  the  classics. 
He  then  travelled  in  foreign  parts,  and  having  acquired  the  cha- 
racter of  a  learned  and  proficient  gentleman,  attracted  the  notice  of 
Henry,  who  knighted  him  and  employed  him  in  several  embassies 
to  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  and  other  princes  of  Germany — in 
which  expeditions  he  was  attended  by  no  less  a  personage  than 
Roger  Ascham.  Morison  was  employed  in  the  same  capacity  under 
Edward  VI.,  and  that  prince  finding  the  scholar  full  of  zeal  for  the 
Protestant  religion,  appointed  him  one  of  the  reformers  of  the 
University  of  Oxford.  He  afterwards  resided  many  years  abroad 
^during  the  reign  of  Queen  Mary,  under  whom  his  emphatic  Pro- 
testantism was  not  appreciated — and  then  returning  to  his  native 
country,  he  began  to  build  a  mansion  at  Cassiobury. 

Of  the  distinctive  character  of  this  early  edifice  we  have  no  precise 
record,  but  we  may  conjecture  from  his  well-attested  taste  and  his 
wealth  that  his  mansion  was  both  large  and  handsome,  and  that 
being  built  before  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  it  bcre  the 
ordinary  architectural  features  of  the  Tudor  style.  An  old  writer 
informs  us  that  Sir  Richard  commenced  '•'  a  faire  and  large  house, 
situated  upon  a  dry  hill  not  far  from  a  pleasant  river,  in  a  faire 
park,  and  had  prepared  materials  for  the  finishing  thereof;  but 
before  the  same  could  be  half  built,  he  was  forced  to  fly  beyond  the 
seas."  Again  he  found  himself  out  of  tune  with  the  times  as  far  as 
his  religious  opinions  went,  and  to  prevent  untoward  complications 
he  fled  from  England.     He  died  at  Strasbourg  in  1556. 


l6o  Cassiohiry, 

The  building  of  the  "  faire  and  large  house,"  however,  was  carried 
on  and  completed  by  his  son.  Sir  Charles  Morison.     The  mansion 
remained  the  home  of  the  family  for  a  hundred  years,  and  it  was 
not  until  the  Capels,  subsequently  Earls  of  Essex,  became  owners 
of  Cassiobury  by  marriage  with  the  great-granddaughter  of  Sir 
Richard  Morison,  that  the  mansion  was  rebuilt.     The  first  Earl  of 
Essex  of  this  line  wholly  rebuilt  the  house  with  the  exception  of  the 
north-west  wing.     The  house  thus  rebuilt,  with  its  gardens,  &c., 
are  thus  described  by  that  prince  of  diarists,  Evelyn,  who,  writing 
on  the  1 6th  April,  1680,  says  : — "  On  the  earnest  invitation  of  the 
Earl  of  Essex,  I  went  with  him  to  his  house  at  Cassioberie,  in  Hart* 
fordshire.     It  was  Sunday,  but  going  early  from  his  house  in  the 
square  of  St.  James's,  we  arrived  by  ten  o'clock  :  this  we  thought  tcd 
late  to  go  to  church,  and  we  had  prayers  in  his  chapell.    The  house 
is  new,  a  plain  fabric,  built  by  my  friend  Mr.  Hugh  May.     There 
are  diverse  faire  and  good  roomes,   and    excellent    carving  by 
Gibbons,  especially  ye  chimney-piece  of  ye  library.     There  is  in 
the  porch  or  entrance  a  painting  by  Verrio,  of  'Apollo  and  the 
Liberal  Arts.'     One  room  parquetted  with  yew,  which  I  liked  well. 
Some  of  the  chimney  mantles  are  of  Irish  marble,  brought  by  my 
lord  from  Ireland,  when  he  was  Lord-Lieutenant,  and  not  much 
inferior  to  Italian.   The  lympanum,  or  gable  at  the  front,  is  a  basso^ 
relievo  of  Diana  hunting,  cut  in  Portland  stone  handsomely  enough. 
I  did  not  approve  of  the  middle  dores  being  round,  but  when  the 
hall  is  finished  as  designed,  it  being  an  oval  with  a  cupola,  together 
with  the  other  wing,  it  will  be  a  very  noble  palace.     The  library  is 
large  and  very  nobly  furnished,  and  all  the  books  arc  richly  bound 
and  gilded  ;  but  there  are  no  MSS.  except  the  Parliament  rolls  and 
journals,  the  trr.nscribing  and  binding  of  which  cost  him,  as  he 
assured  me,  500/.     No  man  has  been  more  industrious  than  this 
noble  lord  in  planting  about  his  seat,  adorned  with  walks,  ponds, 
and  other  rural  elegancies ;  but  the  soile  is  stonic,  churlish,  and 
uneven,  nor  is  the  water  ncere  enough  to  the  house,  though  a  very 
swift  and  clcare  streame  runs  within  a  flight-shot  from  it  in  the 
valley,  which  may  be  fitly  called  Coldbrook,  it  being  indeed  ex- 
cessive cold,  yet  producing  faire  troutes.    'Tis  pity  the  house  was 
Jiot  situated  to  more  advantage,  but  it  seems  it  was  built  just  where 
•Jie  old  one  was,  which,  I  believe,  he  onlley  meant  to  repaire  ;  this 
eads  men  into  irremediable  errors,  and  saves  but  a  little.    The 
land  about  it  is  exceedingly  addicted  to  wood,  but  the  coldnesse  of 
the  place  hinders  the  growtli.    Black  cherry-trees  prosper  even  tc 


Cassiobiiry,  l6i 

gonsiderable  timber,  some  being  80  foot  long ;  they  make  alsoe 
very  handsome  avenues.  There  is  a  pretty  oval  at  the  end  of  a 
faire  walke,  set  about  with  treble  rows  of  Spanish  chesnut  trees. 
The  gardens  are  very  rare,  and  cannot  be  otherwise,  having  so 
skilful  an  artist  to  govern  them  as  Mr.  Cooke^  who  is,  as  to  ye 
mechanic  part,  not  ignorant  in  mathematics,  and  portends  to 
astrologie.     There  is  an  excellent  collection  of  the  choicest  fruit."     ' 

This  mansion,  as  described  by  Evelyn,  remained  in  the  main 
unaltered  for  more  than  a  hundred  years.  In  the  year  1800  it  was 
pulled  down  by  George,  fifth  Earl  of  Essex,  and  the  present  building 
erected  from  the  designs  of  Mr.  James  Wyatt. 

We  have  seen  from  the  brief  description  of  an  early  chroniclet 
what  manner  of  building  was  originally  erected  in  Cassioburj 
Manor  by  Sir  Richard  Morison  its  first  secular  proprietor,  and  we 
have  the  minute,  critical,  and  altogether  admirable  description  of 
the  mansion  which  succeeded  it  by  Evelyn.  We  now  proceed  to 
notice  the  house  as  it  at  present  exists. 

Cassiobury  House,  commenced  in  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  is  in  the  peculiar  style  of  Wyatt's  works,  of  which  Fonthill 
Abbey  and  parts  of  Windsor  are  other  examples.  The  general 
plan  is  square,  with  a  courtyard  or  quadrangle  in  the  middle.  The 
entrance  is  to  the  west ;  on  the  side  of  the  sunny  south  are  the 
principal  rooms  ;  the  private  or  family  apartments  are  to  the  east ; 
while  the  kitchen,  servants'  offices,  &c.  are  to  the  north.  The 
entrance  doorway  is  screened  by  a  porch,  and  to  the  east  of  it  is  the 
great  cloister,  with  five  windows  with  stained  glass,  and  containing 
pictures,  mostly  family  portraits.  The  saloon  between  the  dining 
and  drawing  rooms  branches  off  from  the  cloisters.  Its  ceiling  is 
adorned  with  the  painting  Evelyn  mentions  as  belonging  to  the  hall 
of  the  old  mansion,  and  as  having  been  the  work  of  Verrio ;  the 
subject  being  composed  chiefly  of  allegorical  figures — Painting, 
Sculpture,  Music,  and  War.  In  this  apartment  are  two  cabineti 
containing  numerous  miniatures  painted  by  the  Countess  of  Essex 
The  dining-room,  a  noble  apartment  with  wainscoted  walls,  con- 
tains among  other  pictures,  the  "  Cat's  Paw "  by  Landseer,  and 
the  "  Highlander's  House "  by  Wilkie,  together  with  numerous 
family  and  other  portraits  by  Vandyke,  Hoppner,  and  others.  The 
grand  drawing-room,  a  niost  luxurious  apartment,  evincing  the 
utmost  elegance  and  refinement  of  taste,  contains  a  number  of  the 
choicest  cabinets,  &c.,  and  is  adorned  with  rare  and  beautiful 
examples  of  the  great  English  masters  in  Art — Turner,  Galcott, 


1 62  Cassiobury, 

Collins,  &c.  The  library  extends  over  four  rooms,  named  respec- 
tively the  great  library,  the  inner  library,  the  dramatists'  library,  and 
the  small  library,  and  embraces  collections  of  rare  and  valuable 
books  in  every  branch  of  literature.  In  the  rooms  of  the  library 
the  fine  collection  of  the  family  portraits  may  be  studied  with 
advantage.  Here,  too,  are  still  to  be  seen  the  matchless  wood 
carvings  of  Gibbons,  referred  to  by  Evelyn,  adorning  the  former 
mansion.  There  are  in  the  library  also  a  few  relics  that  will  be 
regarded,  at  least,  with  curiosity.  They  consist  of  the  handker- 
chief which  was  applied  by  Lord  Coningsby  to  the  shoulder  of 
William  III.,  when  he  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  theBoyne,  and 
which  still  bears  a  stain  as  of  blood  ;  a  piece  of  the  velvet  pall  which 
covered  the  tomb  of  Charles  I.  at  Windsor,  when  it  was  opened  in 
1813,  and  a  fragment  of  the  garter  which  the  King  wore  at  his 
execution.  It  is  needless,  after  describing  the  principal  rooms,  to 
notice  those  apartments  which  have  fewer  pretensions  to  splendour. 
We  may  only  add  that  the  family  portraits  are  very  numerous,  and 
embrace  examples  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  and  Sir  Peter  Lely,  as 
well  as  the  artists  already  named.  There  are  also,  scattered 
throughout  the  different  rooms,  excellent  specimens  of  Rembrandt, 
Cuyp,  Teniers,  &c. 

Cassiobury  Park  has  an  area  of  about  seven  hundred  acres,  and 
is  divided  by  the  river  Eade  into  the  "Home  Park,"  and  the 
•'  Upper  Park."  These  are  well  wooded  with  majestic  trees,  the 
growth  of  centuries,  conspicuous  among  them,  besides  the  beech, 
oak,  and  elm  plantations,  being  the  enormous  firs,  resembling  the 
giant  trees  of  Norway.  Several  of  the  beeches  cover  an  area  of 
( 50  feet.  The  gardens  of  this  ancient  manor  have  been  celebrated 
for  more  than  a  hundred  years. 

Among  the  successive  owners  of  Cassiobury  several  have  been 
placed  in  conspicuous  positions  by  the  rush  of  the  events  of  the 
country's  history,  and  dependant  mainly  on  the  troubles  caused  by 
the  Revolution.  It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  the  great- 
grand-daughter  of  Sir  Richard  Morison  (we  retain  the  spelling  of 
the  name  given  in  Clutterbuck's  excellent  and  sumptuous  "  History 
of  the  county  of  Hertford")  married  Arthur  Capel  and,  being  an 
only  child,  carried  the  Morison  estates  with  her  into  the  Capel 
family.^ 

The  House  of  Capel  is  illustrious  at  once  for  its  antiquity,  and 
for  the  genius  and  the  heroic  qualities  of  many  of  its  members.  It 
appears  to  have  sprung  originally  from  Capel's  Moan,  near  Stoke 


Cassiohiry,  163 

Neyland  in  Suffolk.      Here  in  1261  lived  Sir  Richard  Capel,  Lord 
Justice  of  Ireland.    John  de  Capel  was  chaplain  to  Lionel,  Duke 
of  Clarence,  son  of  Edward  III.,  who  in    1368  left  his  spiritual 
adviser  "  a  girdle  of  gold,  to  make  a  chalice  in  memory  of  my 
soul."     The  faculties  of  the  Capels  seem  to  have  been  various. 
Another  John  Capel  became  a  draper  and  citizen  of  London,  and 
rose  to  be  successively  alderman,  sheriff,  representative  of  the  city 
in  Parliament,  and  Lord  Mayor.   This  member  of  the  family,  whose 
prosperity  was  surpassed  only  by  that  of  the  renowned  Whittington, 
himself  a  brother  merchant,  received  the  honour  of  knighthood  from 
the  hand  of  Henry  VII.     Civic  honours  were  heaped  upon  him. 
He  was  re-elected  Lord  Mayor,  and  represented  the  city  in  several 
Parliaments.    Dying  in  15 15,  he  was  buried  in  a  chapel  founded  by 
himself,  on  the  south  side  of  the  church  of  St.  Bartholomew,  near 
the  Royal  Exchange.     His  name  is  commemorated  in  Capel  Court. 
His  grandson.  Sir  Henry  Capel,  married  Anne,  granddaughter  of 
the  Duchess  of  Essex,  sister  of  King  Edward  IV.    Arthur  Capel, 
perhaps  the  most  famous  member  of  this  family,  was  born  about 
the  year  1614.     He  was  brought  up  under  the  tuition  of  his  grand- 
father. Sir  Arthur  Capel,  Knight.     In  the  troubled  times,  when  the 
Revolution  was  growing  to  a   head,  he   espoused  the  cause  of 
Charles  L,  and  was  one  of  the  most  devoted,  zealous,  and  most 
highly  esteemed  of  the  royalist  nobles.  It  is  of  him  that  Charles  I. 
writes  to  his  Queen  : — "  There  is  one  that  doth  not  yet  pretend, 
that  deserves  as  well  as  any  ;  I  mean  Capel ;  therefore  I  desire 
thy  assistance  to  find  out  something  for  him  before  he  ask."    He 
was  raised  to  the  peerage  with  the  title  of  Baron  Capel,  of  Hadham. 
He  was  appointed  Lieutenant-General  of  Shropshire,  Cheshire, 
and  North  Wales  in  1643,  ^^^  he  soon  brought  his  district  into  an 
association  and  raised  a  body  of  horse  and  foot.     In  the  same  year 
he  was  named  by  the  King  one  of  the  Council  to  attend  the  person 
of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  after  frustrating  a  design  formed  to 
seize  the  prince  he  was  instrumental  in  finding  him  a  secure  re- 
treat in  Pendennis  Castle,  and  afterwards  in  Scilly  Island,  whence 
he  sailed  with  him  to  Jersey  in  1646.     In  the  meantime  the  House 
of  Commons  voted  that  his  estate  should  be  sold.     Soon  after  he 
arrived  in  England,  and,  entering  into  terms  with  the  Republicans, 
was  allowed  to  retire  to  his  Manor  of  Hadham,  where  he  sought 
repose  from  the  distractions  of  those  troublous  times  in  the  affec- 
tion of  his  family  and  the  intercourse  of  his  friends.     Impatient 
and  restless,  however,  about  the  welfare  of  the  King,  he  waited 

M  2 


164  Cassiohury, 

upon  him  at  Hampton  Court,  and  there  Charles  informed'  him  ol 
the  overtures  which  the  Scots  had  made,  and  of  their  design  of 
entering  England  with  a  powerful  army  for  the  purpose  of  liberating 
him  and  restoring  him  to  the  throne.  Capel  now  acted  up  to  the 
instructions  he  had  received  in  watching  for  the  coming  oppor- 
tunity, and  in  raising  men  to  join  the  expected  movement.  In  con- 
junction with  the  Earl  of  Norwich  and  Sir  Charles  Lucas  in  Essex, 
he  raised  a  force  of  4000  men  and  fortified  Colchester,  where  they 
were  closely  besieged  by  Fairfax,  to  whom  after  a  gallant  resistance 
they  surrendered  on  the  condition  of  receiving  quarter.  Fairfax, 
however,  in  violation  of  all  the  rules  of  honourable  warfare,  caused 
Sir  Charles  Lucas  and  Sir  George  Lisle  to  be  shot  in  cold  blood 
under  the  walls  of  the  castle  they  had  so  manfully  defended.  At 
their  execution  the  Parliamentary  general  turned  to  Lord  Capel, 
who  was  expecting  every  moment  to  suffer  the  same  fate,  and  said, 
in  excuse  of  this  bloody  proceeding,  that,  "  having  done  what  mili- 
tary duty  required,  the  lives  of  the  rest  were  safe,  and  that  they 
should  be  well  treated,  and  disposed  of  as  the  Parliament  should 
direct."  To  which,  this  patriotic  nobleman,  with  the  true  undaunted 
spirit  of  a  Roman,  replied  that  "  they  should  do  well  to  finish  their 
work,  and  execute  the  same  rigour  to  the  rest."  This  saying  of 
Capers  was  the  cause  of  an  altercation  between  him  and  Ireton, 
which  is  thought  to  have  occasioned  the  severity  of  the  sentence 
afterwards  passed  on  the  Royalist  Lord.  From  Colchester  he  was 
sent,  a  prisoner,  to  Windsor,  and  afterwards  to  the  Tower.  His  cou- 
rage and  ingenuity  enabled  him  to  break  from  his  prison  ;  but  a  strict 
search  being  made  for  him,  and  100/.  being  offered  for  his  capture,  he 
was  discoveredand  taken  in  Lambeth,  and  again  placed  in  the  Tower. 
About  his  ultimate  fate  the  court  seemed  to  hesitate.  They  could  not 
accuse  him  of  treason — he  had  chosen  his  side,  and  had  remained 
loyal  to  it,  in  the  face  of  the  utmost  danger  and  at  the  risk  of  death. 
His  lady  petitioned  Parliament  on  his  behalf,  and  over  this  petition 
there  was  a  long  debate.  But  his  enemies  were  numerous  and  un- 
forgiving. It  was  resolved  that  he  should  not  be  reprieved.  He 
was  condemned  to  be  beheaded,  6th  March,  1648,  after  having  been 
on  examination  before  the  court  five  times.  A  short  time  before  he 
went  to  the  scaffold  he  told  Dr.  Morley,  who  attended  him,  that 
"if  he  thought  there  were  nothing  of  vain  ostentation  in  it,  he 
would  give  orders  that  his  heart  should  be  taken  out  of  his  body 
and  kept  in  a  silver  box  until  his  Majesty  came  home  (as  he  doubted 
not  but  he  would),  and  then  that  it  might  be  presented  to  him  with 


Cassiohury.  165 

^is  humble  desire,  that  where  the  King,  his  father,  was  interred  it 
might  be  buried  at  his  feet,  in  testimony  of  the  zeal  he  had  for  his 
service,  and  the  affection  he  had  for  his  person,  while  he  lived." 
Being  brought  to  the  scaffold  he  mounted  it  with  a  firm  step,  and 
laying  his  head  on  the  block  met  death  with  the  greatest  resolution. 
"In  his  life,"  says  Fuller,  " he  wrote  a  book  of  meditation,  pub- 
lished since  his  death,  wherein  much  judicious  piety  may  be  dis- 
covered. His  mortified  mind  was  familiar  with  afflictions,  which 
made  him  to  appear  with  such  Christian  resolution  on  the  scaffold, 
where  he  seemed  rather  to  fright  death  than  to  be  frighted  with  it. 
Hence  one  not  unhappily  alluding  to  his  arms  (a  Lion  Rampant  in 
a  field  Gules  betwixt  three  Crosses),  thus  expresseth  himself : — 

'  Thus,  lion -like,  Capel  undaunted  stood, 
Beset  with  crosses  in  a  Field  of  Blood.'  " 

This  was  the  Capel  who  married  Elizabeth  Morison,  and  so 
became  possessed  of  Cassiobury  and  the  other  rich  estates  which 
had  been  acquired  by  the  merits  and  services  (»f  the  founder  of  the 
Morison  family.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Arthur,  second 
Baron  Capel,  who  was  created  Earl  of  Essex  in  1661.  On  a  charge 
Df  being  concerned  in  the  "  Rye  House  Plot "  he  was  apprehended 
at  Cassiobury  and  thrown  into  the  Tower,  where  it  is  believed  he 
was  foully  murdered — having  been  found  dead  in  his  cell  with  his 
throat  cut. 

The  estates  are  now  in  the  possession  of  Arthur  Algernon  Capel, 
sixth  Earl  of  Essex. 


166 


SUFFOLK. 

Dunwich  Swallowed  up  by  the  Sea. 

Dunwich,  in  ancient  times  a  city  with  six  or  eight  churches,  but 
now  a  mere  village,  three  miles  and  a  half  from  Southwold,  stands  upon 
elevated  ground  on  the  Suffolk  coast,  washed  by  the  German  Ocean 
It  was  once  an  important,  opulent,  and  commercial  city ;  but  unlike 
the  ruined  cities  whose  fragments  attest  their  former  grandeur,  Dun- 
wich is  wasted,  desolated,  and  void.  Its  palaces  and  temples  are  no 
more,  and  its  environs  present  an  aspect  lonely,  stern,  and  wild.  From 
the  discovery  of  Roman  coins  here,  it  has  been  set  down  as  a  Roman 
station.  With  respect  to  its  ecclesiastical  history,  we  learn  that  Felix, 
the  Burgundian  Bishop,  whom  Sigebert,  King  of  the  East  Angles, 
brought  here  to  reconvert  his  subjects  to  Christianity,  fixed  his  episcopal 
see  at  Dunwich  in  the  year  636.  The  see  was,  however,  divided,  and 
Dunwich  had  the  Suffolk  portion  only.  In  Domesday  Book,  Dunwich 
was  valued  as  paying  50/.  a  year  to  the  King,  and  60.000  henings.  In 
King  Stephen's  time  the  ships  at  Orford  paid  toll  to  Dunwich,  which, 
in  the  time  of  Henry  II.,  is  said  to  have  been  stored  with  riches  of  all 
sorts.  King  John  granted  it  a  charter,  and  the  wrecks  at  sea ;  and  to 
the  burgesses  the  liberty  of  marrying  their  sons  and  daughters  as  they 
would.  Here  were  certainly  six  if  not  eight  parish  churches,  besides 
three  chantries,  the  Temple  Church,  which,  probably,  belonged  to  the 
Templars,  and  afterwards  to  the  Hospitallers ;  two  houses  of  Franciscan 
and  Dominican  friars,  each  with  churches.  The  Franciscan  walls 
remain  within  an  inclosure  of  seven  acres,  with  the  arches  of  two 
entrance-gates,  the  group  of  ruins  covered  with  ivy. 

The  city  being  seated  upon  a  hill  of  loam  and  loose  sand,  on  a  coast 
destitute  of  rock,  the  buildings  successively  yielded  to  the  encroach- 
ments of  the  sea.  In  the  rcign  of  Henry  III.  it  made  so  great  a  breach 
that  the  King  wrote  to  the  Barons  of  Suffolk  to  assist  the  inhabitants  in 
stopping  the  destruction.  The  church  of  St.  Felix  and  the  cell  of 
monks  were  lost  very  early,  and  before  the  23rd  year  of  the  reign  of 
Edward  III.,  upwards  of  400  houses,  with  certain  shops  and  wind- 
mills, were  devoured  by  the  sea.    St.  Leonard's  church  was  next  over- 


5/.  Edmund  King  and  Martyr:  a  Suffolk  Legend,   16; 

thrown ;  and  in  the  T4th  century,  St.  Martin's  and  St.  Nicholas  were 
also  destroyed  by  the  waves.  In  the  i6th  century  two  chapels  were 
overthrown ,  with  two  gates,  and  not  one  quarter  of  the  town  was  left 
standing.  In  1677  the  sea  reached  the  market-place.  In  1702  St. 
Peter's  church  was  divested  of  its  lead,  timber,  bells,  &c,,  and  the  walls 
tumbled  over  the  cliifs  as  the  waves  undermined  them.  In  1816  the 
encroachment  was  still  proceeding,  when  the  borough  consisted  of  only 
forty-two  houses,  and  half  a  church.  The  place  was  wholly  disfran- 
chised by  the  Reform  Bill  of  1832. 


St.  Edmund  King  and  Martyr :  a  Sufiolk  Legend. 

In  the  ninth  century  the  Danes  had  acquired  considerable  skill  in  the 
art  of  war,  and  during  their  invasion  of  England,  in  the  year  870,  they 
displayed  more  than  their  usual  ferocity.  Lincolnshire  was  attacked  by 
them  ;  and  here,  according  to  the  traditions  of  the  country,  they  were 
resisted  with  more  conduct  and  valour  than  in  other  parts  of  England. 
Three  Danish  Kings  were  slain  in  one  battle.  But  fresh  reinforcements 
of  the  invaders  more  than  supplied  the  loss ;  and  five  kings  and  the  like 
number  of  Jarls  or  Earls,  poured  their  barbarian  hordes  into  the 
country.  Great  numbers  of  the  inhabitants  were  slain ;  and  the  monas- 
teries of  Croyland,  Medhamstede  (afterwards  Peterborough),  Marney, 
Ramsey,  and  Ely,  were  laid  in  ruins.  Their  attacks  had  a  settled  plan 
of  strategy  and  operation,  which  was  to  post  their  forces  across  the 
island,  and  also  to  occupy  the  best  stations  on  the  seacoast ;  thence  they 
now  attacked  East  Anglia.  At  this  period  the  East  Angles  were 
governed  by  Edmund,  a  King  of  singular  virtue  and  piety,  and 
who  defended  his  people  with  great  bravery.  But  the  King  was  over- 
powered by  numbers,  defeated,  and  made  captive.  It  is  said  that  this 
event  took  place  at  Hoxne,  in  Suffolk,  on  the  banks  of  the  Waveney,  not 
far  from  Eye.  The  catastrophe  is  picturesquely  related  by  Sir  Francis 
Palgrave,  in  his  charming  Anglo-Saxon  History.  "  Being  hotly  pur- 
sued by  his  foes,  the  King  fled  to  Hoxne,  and  attempted  to  conceal 
himself  by  crouching  beneath  a  bridge,  now  called  Goldbridge,  The 
glittering  of  his  golden  spurs  discovered  him  to  a  newly-married  couple, 
who  were  returning  home  by  moonlight,  and  they  betrayed  him  to  the 
Danes.  Edmund,  as  he  was  dragged  from  his  hiding-place,  pronounced 
a  malediction  upon  all  who  should  aftei*wards  pass  this  bridge  on  their 
way  to  be  married ;  and  so  much  regard  is  paid  to  this  tradition  by  the 


1 68    Sacking-  of  the  Monastery  of  St,  Edmund,  Bury. 

good  folks  of  Hoxne,  that  now,  (1831,)  or  at  least  within  the  last 
twenty  years,  no  bride  or  bridegroom  would  venture  along  the  forbidden 
path.  A  particular  account  of  Edmund's  death  was  given  by  his 
sword-bearer,  who,  having  attained  a  very  advanced  age,  was  wont  to 
repeat  the  sad  story  at  the  court  of  Athelstane.  Edmund  was  fettered 
and  manacled,  and  treated  with  every  species  of  cruelty  and  indignity. 
The  Danes  offered  him  his  life  on  condition  that  he  denied  his  faith ; 
but,  firmly  refusing,  he  was  first  cruelly  scourged,  then  pierced  with 
arrows,  which  were  also  shot  at  him  as  a  mark :  he  continued  steadfast 
amidst  his  sufferings,  until  his  head  was  struck  off  by  Inguair  and  Ubba, 
and  the  head  w^s  thrown  into  a  thicket. 

Hence  Edmund  was  reverenced  as  a  saint  and  martyr,  and  is  still 
retained  in  the  Church  Calendar.  The  ancient  service  contains  the 
following  legend  of  the  discovery  of  his  remains.  A  party  of  his  friends 
having  ventured  in  search  of  them,  "  they  went  seeking  all  together, 
and  constantly  calling,  as  is  the  wont  of  those  who  oft  go  into  woods, 
'  Where  art  thou,  comrade  ?'  and  to  them  answered  the  head,  *  Here, 
here,  here.'  They  all  were  answered  as  often  as  any  of  them  called, 
until  they  all  came  through  the  wood  calling  to  it.  There  lay  the  grey 
wolf  that  guarded  the  head,  and  with  his  two  feet  had  the  head  em- 
braced, greedy  and  hungry,  and  for  God  durst  not  taste  the  head,  and 
held  it  against  wild  beasts.  Then  were  they  astonished  at  the  wolfs 
guardianship,  and  carried  the  holy  head  with  them,  thanking  the 
Almighty  for  all  His  wonders.  But  the  wolf  followed  forth  with  the 
head  until  they  came  to  the  town,  as  if  he  were  tame,  and  after  that 
turned  into  the  woods  again."  The  remains  were  removed  to  a  town 
originally  called  Badrichesworth,  and  there  interred,  the  place  being  ir 
consequence  called  Bury  St.  Edmund's  —  a  monastery  having  been 
founded  there  to  his  honour  by  King  Canute.  "  Of  this  building, 
once  the  most  sumptuous  in  England,  only  a  few  fragments  remain ;  but 
the  name  of  Edmund,  transmitted  from  generation  to  generation  in  the 
families  of  Norfolk  and  Suffolk,  attests  the  respect  anciently  rendered 
in  East  Anglia  to  the  martyred  Sovereign." 


Sacking  of  the  Monastery  of  St.  Edmund,  Bury. 

The  final  disasters  of  his  reign  were  thickly  gathering  about  the 
%ing,  Edward  H.  The  whole  kingdom  was  in  confusion;  and  whilst 
the  Queen  and  nobles  were  in  arms  against  the  king,  the  burgesses  and 
populace  exhibited  in  the  most  lawless  manner  their  dislike  of  some  of 


Sacking  of  the  Monastery  of  St.  Edmund ^  Bury,  169 

the  principal  ecclesiastical  corporations.  The  monasteries  of  St.  Albans, 
Abingdon,  and  Bury  St.  Edmunds,  suffered  greatly. 

Queen  Isabella,  in  1326,  landed  in  Essex  on  the  24th  of  September, 
with  her  son  Prince  Edward.  She  came  to  Bury  St.  Edmunds  on 
Michaelmas  day,  and  thence  set  out  on  that  expedition  against  the 
King  which,  within  four  months,  deprived  him  of  his  crown.  His  son, 
Edward  III.,  was  declared  King  on  the  20th  January,  1327.  Eight 
days  before  this,  on  the  1 2th  of  J  anuary,  the  discontented  burgesses  of 
Bury  St.  Edmunds  assembled  at  the  Guildhall,  and  determined  on  ex- 
torting from  the  monastery  some  change  in  the  administration  of  the 
aifairs  of  the  town  and  the  property  of  the  convent,  which  they  had 
long  wished  to  obtain. 

The  very  next  day  they  took  forcible  possession  of  the  monastery, 
committing  vast  destruction  in  it  on  that  and  the  two  following  days. 
They  continued  in  possession  no  less  than  ten  months,  keeping  the 
monks  in  constant  terror  by  frequent  ravages ;  but  the  chief  ravages 
after  the  first  three  days  were  early  in  February,  when  they  imprisoned 
the  Abbot ;  in  May,  when  the  secular  clergy  were  conspicuously  leading 
the  rioters;  and  in  October,  when  the  complete  destruction  of  the 
monastery  seemed  resolved  upon,  and  for  several  days  it  was  given  up 
to  the  flames,  the  people  carrying  off  the  lead  from  the  roof  as  it  fell 
down  molten  into  the  gutters,  and  using  tortoises  and  other  appliances 
to  ascend  to  the  top,  to  remove  this  valuable  material.  At  length, 
the  presence  of  the  sheriff  put  a  period  to  the  destruction,  which  had 
been  so  complete  that  they  found  no  shelter  for  their  horses  except  in 
the  parlour  of  the  monks.  The  King's  judges  soon  arrived,  and  made 
such  short  work  of  their  business  that  on  the  T4th  of  December  nine- 
teen of  the  rioters  were  hanged.  For  several  years  the  convent  was 
engaged  in  lawsuits  for  the  recovery  of  damages,  of  which  very  full 
particulars  are  preserved,  till  finally  they  got  a  verdict  against  the 
townspeople  for  140,000/. ;  which  proved  so  ruinous  to  them  that  the 
King  himself  arranged  with  the  convent  to  remit  it  altogether. 

In  the  narrative  of  the  first  attack  on  the  monastery,  the  progress  ot 
the  spoliators  is  very  clearly  described.  In  the  ravages  the  mob  were 
split  into  so  many  gangs,  all  operating  at  once,  and  the  destruction 
became  general.  In  the  first  attack  the  rioters,  about  three  thousand 
in  number,  having  first  broken  the  great  gates  and  effected  an  entrance, 
destroyed  the  doors  and  part  of  the  sub-cellary,  drew  out  the  spigots 
from  the  casks,  and  let  the  beer  run  out  to  the  ground.  Thence  entering 
the  cloister,  they  broke  the  lockers,  carrols,  and  closets  in  it,  and  carried 
off  the  books  and  mumments.    Afterwards  they  entered  the  chamber  of 


^7o  Sacking  of  the  Monastery  of  St.  Edmund,  Bury, 

the  prior,  took  thence  vessels  of  silver  and  jewels,  and  broke  the 
chests  and  closets  of  the  sacristan,  which  they  emptied  of  their  valuable 
contents  and  muniments,  and  consumed  his  wine.  Thence  they  visited 
the  infirmary  and  chamberlain's  department,  caiTying  off  everything  of 
value,  and  greatly  disturbing  the  infirm  monks.  Next  they  broke  into 
the  treasury  of  the  church,  and  spoiled  it  of  a  vast  amount  of  gold  and 
silver  vessels,  money,  jewels,  charters,  and  muniments.  At  a  second 
visit  to  the  vestry  they  carried  off  a  quantity  of  the  richest  tunics,  copes, 
chasubles,  and  dalmatics ;  thuribles,  festival  or  processional  crosses, 
golden  chalices  and  cups,  and  even  took  the  **  Corpus  Dei "  in  its 
golden  cup  from  the  altar  of  the  church.  They  also  plundered  the 
refectory.  During  the  summer  they  took  away  all  the  arras  from  the 
wardrobe  of  the  Abbot,  carried  away  in  the  Abbot's  carts  the  victuals 
of  the  convent,  broke  the  conduit,  and  cut  off  the  water-supply, 
took  down  the  church  doors,  and  destroyed  the  glass  windows  of  the 
church. 

For  the  last  attack,  on  Sunday  the  i8th  of  October,  they  entered  the 
presbytery  of  the  church  after  vespers,  but  were  driven  out  by  the 
monks.  They  then  rang  the  bell  in  the  Tolhouse  of  the  town,  and  the 
fire-bell  in  St.  James's  tower,  and  so  collecting  an  immense  multitude, 
they  burnt  the  great  gates  of  the  Abbey,  with  the  chamber  of  the 
janitor  and  master  of  the  horse,  the  common  stable,  the  chambers  of  the 
cellarer  and  sub -cellarer,  of  the  seneschal  and  his  clerk,  the  brewery, 
cattle-shed,  piggery,  mill,  bakery,  hay-house,  bakery  of  the  Abbot; 
Priory  stable,  with  its  gates  and  all  the  appendages  ;  the  great  hall,  with 
the  kitchen,  and  with  the  chamber  of  the  master  of  the  guests,  and  the 
chapel  of  St.  Lawrence ;  the  whole  department  of  the  chamberlain  and 
8ub-chamberlain,  with  all  its  appendages  ;  the  great  edifice  formerly  of 
John  de  Soham,  with  many  appendagts ;  part  of  the  great  hall  of  the 
priory ;  the  great  hall  of  the  infirmary ;  a  certain  solemn  mansion, 
called  Bradfield,  with  the  hall,  chamber,  and  kitchen,  which  the  King 
occupied  so  frequently  ;  the  chamber  of  the  sacrist,  with  his  'vinarium, 
or  wine  store ;  the  tower  adjoining  the  Prior's  house ;  the  whole  home 
of  the  Convent  without  the  great  wall  of  the  great  court ;  besides, 
within  the  great  court,  the  entire  almonry,  from  the  great  gates  of  the 
court,  with  a  penthouse  for  the  distribution  of  bread,  as  far  as  the  hall 
of  pleas,  which  they  also  burnt ;  the  chamber  of  the  queen,  with  the 
larder  of  the  Abbot  and  his  granary  ;  the  granary  of  the  sub-cellarer, 
with  his  gate  and  the  chapel  built  over  it :  the  chamber  of  the  cook 
in  the  larder  of  the  convent,  the  pitanceiy,  and  chamber  of  the  pre- 
centor^ 


Franilingham  Castle.  ^7^ 

The  existing  records  of  the  monastery  of  St.  Edmund,  Bmy,  are,  how- 
ever, so  numerous  that  vast  information  could  be  obtained  beyond  what 
has  been  attempted  to  arrange  in  this  very  interesting  paper,  in  the 
Journal  of  the  British  Archaeological  Association,  by  Mr.  Gordon 
Hills. 


Framlingham  Castle. 

•'  Castle  of  ancient  days  !  in  times  long  gone 
Thy  lofty  halls  in  royal  splendour  shone  ! 
Thou  stood'st  a  monument  of  strength  sublime, 
A  giant  laughing  at  the  threats  of  time  ! 
Strange  scenes  have  pass'd  within  thy  walls,  and  strange 
Have  been  thy  fate  through  many  a  chance  and  change  ! 
Thy  towers  have  heard  the  war-cry,  and  the  shout 
Of  friends  within,  and  answering  foes  without, 
Have  rung  to  sounds  of  revelry,  while  mirth 
Held  her  carousal,  when  the  sons  of  earth, 
Sported  with  joy,  till  even  he  could  bring 
No  fresh  dehght  upon  his  drooping  wing." 

James  Bird. 

This  noble  fortress  is  said  to  have  been  founded  by  Redwald,  or 
Redowold,  one  of  the  most  powerful  kings  of  the  East  Angles,  between 
A.D.  599  and  624.  It  belonged  to  St.  Edmund,  one  of  the  Saxon 
monarchs  of  East  Anglia,  who,  upon  the  invasion  of  the  Danes  in  870, 
(led  from  Dunwich  or  Thetford  to  this  Castle,  from  which  being  driven, 
and  overtaken  at  Hegilsdon  (now  Hoxne,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles 
from  Framlingham),  where  he  yielded,  and  was  there  martyred,  because 
he  would  not  renounce  his  faith  in  Christ,  by  the  Danes  binding  him  to 
a  tree,  and  shooting  him  to  death  with  arrows.  His  body,  after  many 
years,  was  removed  to  a  place  called  Bederies-gueord,  now  St.  Edmunds- 
bury.  The  Castle  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Danes  fifty  years,  until 
they  were  subdued  by  the  Saxons. 

William  the  Conqueror  and  his  son  Rufus  retained  the  Castle  in  their 
possession:  the  third  son  of  William,  Henry  I.,  granted  it,  with  the 
manor  of  Framlingham,  to  Roger  Bigod,  in  whose  family  it  continued 
till  Roger  Bigod,  the  last  of  his  race,  a  man  more  turbulent  than  any  of 
his  predecessors,  but  who  was  compelled  to  resign  it  to  King  Edward 
I.  When  the  British  Archasological  Association  inspected  the  fortress  in 
1865,  Mr.  R.  M.  Phipson  considered  it  probable  that  the  old  Saxon 
Castle  was  pulled  down  by  King  Henry  H. ;  and  he  quotes  various 
accounts  of  wages  paid  expressly  for  its  removal.  The  walls  them- 
selves are  equally  decisive  on  this  point,  since  nothing  appears  of  an 
older  date  than  the  Norman  architecture.    The  Rev.  Mr.  Hartshorne 


1/2  Framlingham  Castle. 

is  of  opinion  that  the  whole  of  the  upper  part  of  the  building  was 
erected  upon  old  foundations ;  and  entries  upon  the  Court  Rolls  of 
the  Exchequer  prove  that  the  Castle  was  built  about  1170. 

Edward  II.  gave  it  to  his  half-brother,  Thomas  Plantagenet,  suniamed 
De  Brotherton,  from  whom  it  descended  to  Thomas  de  Mowbray, 
twelfth  Baron  Mowbray,  created  Duke  of  Norfolk  29th  September, 
1397.  From  the  Mowbrays  it  descended  to  the  Howards,  Dukes  of 
Norfolk,  Sir  Robert  Howard  having  married  Margaret,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Mowbray,  first  Duke  of  Norfolk.  His  son,  John  Howard,  was 
created  Earl  Marshal  and  Duke  of  Norfolk,  June  28,  1483.  He  was 
slain  at  Bosworth  Field,  1485;  and  his  son  Thomas,  Earl  of  Surrey, 
being  attainted,  the  Castle  fell  into  the  hands  of  King  Henry  VII.,  who 
granted  it  to  John  de  Vere,  thirteenth  Earl  ot  Oxford,  from  whom  it 
again  returned  to  the  Howards.  Thomas  Howard,  third  Duke  of 
Norfolk,  being  attainted,  it  was  seized  by  the  King,  who,  dying  the  same 
year,  his  successor,  Edward  VI.,  granted  it  to  his  sister,  the  Princess, 
afterwards  Queen  Mary.  King  James  I.  granted  it  to  Thomas 
Howard,  first  Baron  Howard  de  Walden,  youngest  son  of  Thomas, 
fourth  Duke  of  Norfolk,  created  Earl  of  Suffolk  July  21,  1603;  but 
his  lordship  making  Audley  Inn  his  seat,  the  Castle  fell  into  decay,  and 
his  son  Theophilus,  second  Earl  of  Suffolk,  sold  it,  in  1635,  with  the 
domains,  to  Sir  Robert  Hitcham,  Knight,  Senior  Sergeant  to  James  I., 
who  bequeathed  it,  August  10,  1636,  to  the  master  and  scholars  of 
Pembroke  College,  in  trust  for  certain  charitable  uses;  since  which 
time  the  Castle  has  remained  in  a  dismantled  state. 

The  defences  consisted  of  an  outer  and  an  inner  moat ;  the  latter 
running  close  to  the  walls,  except  on  the  west  side,  where  the  broad 
expanse  of  the  mere  probably  afforded  sufficient  protection.  The  outer 
wtill  is  all  that  remains  of  the  ancient  building.  The  greatest  changes 
were  probably  made  by  the  Dukes  of  Norfolk,  who  built  the  church  at 
Framlingham,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.;  and  it  was  probably  at 
that  period  that  nearly  all  the  walls  above  the  present  surface  were 
built.  Mr.  Hartshorne  is  of  opinion  that  there  was  a  keep  to  the  Castle, 
and  that  it  stood  in  the  south-west  angle.  With  respect  to  the  disposi- 
tion of  the  space  inside  the  walls,  it  appears  that  the  sill  of  the  chapel 
was  on  the  right  of  a  person  entering  by  the  main  gateway,  and  that 
the  dining-hall  joined  it.  The  capacious  opening  in  the  fireplace  of  this 
apartment  is  still  visible,  and  the  circular  chimney-shaft  is  in  go(xl  pre- 
servation.  By  examination  of  the  outside  walls,  it  is  thought  that  the 
barbican  was  erected  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  The  work  is 
dilapidated,  but  the  seats  for  the  warders  are  in  good  preservation, 


Framlingham  Castle.  173 

Several  passages  in  the  walls  in  different  directions  are  thought 
to  be  connected  with  the  ventilation  of  the  guard-rooms  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  towers,  and  others  were  made  by  the  bond-timber 
wrought  into  the  wall.  The  tasteful  brick  chimneys  upon  the  towers 
have  the  ornamental  bricks,  not  moulded,  but  cut  into  the  elaborate 
pattern  they  are  made  to  assume.  It  is  probable  that  the  bricks  were 
cut  before  they  were  built,  and  that  this  was  done  to  avoid  the  difficulty 
of  moulding.  Mr.  Green,  of  Framlingham,  possessed  a  carving  of  a 
coat  of  aims  upon  solid  oak  or  chestnut,  between  seven  and  eight  feet 
long,  supposed  to  have  been  heretofore  a  fixture  in  the  Castle,  and 
intended  to  commemorate  the  marriage  of  John  Mowbray,  fourth 
Duke  of  Norfolk,  with  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Talbot,  first  Ear^ 
of  Shrewsbury,  circa  1461. 

Mr.  Bird,  whose  poem  we  have  already  quoted,  has  told  in  fervid 
verse  the  historic  renown  of  this  venerable  and  majestic  ruin  :— 

•'  Heir  of  antiquity ! — fair  castled  town, 
Rare  spot  of  beauty,  grandeur,  and  renown, 
Seat  of  East  Anglian  Kings  ! — proud  child  of  fame. 
Hallowed  by  time,  illustrious  Framlinghame  ! 
I  touch  my  lyre,  delighted  thus  to  bring 
To  thee  my  heart's  full  homage  while  I  sing. 
And  thou,  old  Castle — thy  bold  turrets  high. 
Have  shed  their  deep  enchantment  to  mine  eye, 
Though  years  have  chang'd  thee,  I  have  gazed  intent 
In  silent  joy  on  tower  and  battlement. 
Where  all  thy  time-worn  glories  met  my  sight ; 
Then  have  I  felt  such  rapture,  such  delight, 
That,  had  the  splendour  of  thy  dales  of  yore 
Flash 'd  on  my  view  I  had  not  loved  thee  more. 
Scene  of  immortal  deeds,  thy  walls  have  rung 
To  pealing  shouts  from  many  a  warrior's  tongue ; 
When  first  thy  founder,  Redwald  of  the  spear, 
Manned  thy  high  tower,  defied  his  foemen  near. 
When,  girt  with  strength.  East  Anglia's  King  of  old, 
The  sainted  Edmund,  sought  thy  sheltering  hold. 
When  the  proud  Dane,  fierce  Hinguar,  in  his  ire, 
Besieged  the  King,  and  wrapped  thy  walls  in  fire. 
While  Edmund  fled,  but  left  thee  with  his  name 
Linked,  and  for  ever,  to  the  chain  of  fame  ; 
Thou  wast  then  great !  and  long,  in  other  years 
Thy  grandeur  shone — thy  portraiture  appears, 
From  history's  pencil  like  a  summer  night. 
With  much  of  shadow,  but  with  more  of  light. 

Pile  of  departed  days  !  my  verse  records 
Thy  time  of  glory,  thy  illustrious  lords, 
Thy  fearless  Bigods — Brotherton — De  Vere, 
And  kings  who  held  therein  their  pride,  or  fear. 
And  gallant  Howards,  'neath  whose  ducal  sway 
Proud  rose  thy  towers,  thy  rugged  heights  were  ga? 


1 74  Wing  field  Castle, 


With  glittering  banners,  costly  trophies  rent 
From  men  in  war,  or  tilt,  or  tournament, 
With  all  the  pomp  and  splendour  that  could  grace 
The  name  and  honour  of  that  warlike  race. 
Howard  !  the  rich,  the  noble,  and  the  great, 
Most  brave,  unhappy,  most  unfortunate  ! 
Kings  were  thy  courtiers  —Queens  have  sued  to  share 
Thy  wealth,  thy  triumphs — e'en  thy  name  to  bear. 
Tyrants  have  bowed  thy  children  to  the  dust. 
Some  for  their  worth,  and  some  who  broke  their  trust  1 
And  there  was  one  among  thy  race  who  died, 
To  Henry's  shame,  his  country's  boast  and  pride  ; 
Immortal  Surrey  !  offspring  of  the  Muse  ! 
Bold  as  the  lions,  gentle  as  the  dews 
That  fall  on  fiow'rs  to  wake  their  odorous  breath, 
And  shield  their  blossoms  from  the  tomb  of  death, 
Surrey  !  thy  fate  was  wept  by  countless  eyes, 
A  nation's  woe  assailed  the  pitying  skies. 
When  thy  pure  spirit  left  this  scene  of  strife. 
And  soar'd  to  Him  who  breath'd  it  into  life  ; 
Thy  funeral  knell  peal'd  o'er  the  world — thy  fall 
Was  mourn'd  by  hearts  that  lov'd  thee — mourn'd  by  all- 
All,  save  thy  murderers — thou  hast  won  thy  crown  ; 
And  thou,  fair  Framlingham  !  a  bright  renown. 
Yes,  thy  rich  temple  holds  the  stately  tomb, 
Where  sleeps  the  Poet  in  his  lasting  home. 
Immortal  Surrey  !  hero,  bard  divine. 
Pride,  grace,  and  glory  of  brave  Norfolk's  line. 
Departed  spirit ! — oh,  I  love  to  hold 
Communion  sweet,  with  lofty  minds  of  old. 
To  catch  a  spark  of  that  celestial  fire 
Which  glows  and  kindles  in  thy  rapturous  lyre. 
Though  varying  themes  demand  my  future  lays, 
Yet  thus  my  soul  a  willing  homage  pays 
To  that  bright  glory  which  illumes  thy  name, 
Though  nought  can  raise  the  splendour  of  thy  fame  1" 


Wingfield  Castle. 

About  six  miles  north-east  of  Eye,  in  Suffolk,  is  the  village  of  Wing- 
field,  the  seat  of  an  ancient  family,  who,  it  is  supposed,  took  tlieir  nanie 
from  the  place.  There  are  pedigrees  of  the  Wingfields,  which  would 
give  them  possession  of  the  Castle  of  Wingfield  before  the  Norman  Con- 
quest, but  there  is  nothing  to  establish  the  fact.  Early  in  the  reign  of 
Edward  III.  it  was  the  seat  of  Richard  de  Brew,  who  had  a  grant  for 
a  fair  to  be  held  there ;  and  it  probably  first  became  the  residence  of 
the  Wingfield  family  in  the  time  of  Sir  John  Wingfield,  a  soldier  of 
high  character  in  the  martial  reign  of  Edward  III.,  and  chief  counsellor 
of  the  Black  Prince. 

About   1362,  the  widowed  brother,  the  executor  of  this  valorous 


Wingfield  Castle,  ^75 

Knight,  agreeably  to  his  bequest,  built  a  college  here  for  a  provost  and 
several  priests,  dedicating  it  to  St.  Mary,  St.  John  the  Baptist,  and 
St.  Andrew.  By  the  mamage  of  Catherine,  daughter  and  heiress  of 
the  said  Sir  John,  to  Michael  de  la  Pole,  Earl  of  Suffolk,  the  manor 
and  extensive  estate  attached  to  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  that  family, 
which  makes  such  a  striking  figure  in  the  page  of  English  history.  In 
the  collegiate  church  was  buried,  in  1450,  "the  Duke  of  Suffolk, 
William  de  la  Pole,"  to  whom,  in  conjunction  with  Beaufort,  Cardinal 
of  Winchester,  was  attributed  the  murder  of  the  good  Duke  Humphrey 
of  Gloucester.  Shakspeare,  in  the  Second  Part  of  Henry  the  Sixth,  not 
only  describes  Suffolk  and  Beaufort 

"  As  guilty  of  Duke  Humphrey's  timeless  death," 

but  paints  in  vivid  colours  the  shocking  end  of  both  these  noblemen,  and 

particularly  the  ten-ors  of  a  guilty  conscience  in  the  case  of  Beaufort, 

who 

"  Dies  and  makes  no  sign." 

Close  upon  this  horrid  deed  followed  Suffolk's  tragical  and  untimely  fate. 
Having  been  accused  of  high  treason,  and  (that  charge  failing)  of  divers 
misdemeanours,  the  public  hatred  pressing  heavily  upon  him,  he  was 
sentenced  by  King  Henry  VI.  to  five  years'  banishment.  He  then 
quitted  his  Castle  at  Wingfield,  and  embarked  at  Ipswich,  intending  to 
sail  for  France;  but  he  was  intercepted  in  his  passage  by  the  hired 
captain  of  a  vessel,  seized  in  Dover  roads,  and  beheaded  "  on  the  long- 
boat's side."  His  head  and  body,  being  thrown  into  the  sea,  were 
cast  upon  the  sands,  where  they  were  found,  and  brought  to  Wingfield 
for  interment.  His  duchess  was  Alice,*  daughter  and  heiress  of  the 
poet,  Geoffrey  Chaucer.  His  son  and  successor,  John  de  la  Pole,  the 
restored  Duke  of  Suffolk,  who  married  Elizabeth,  sister  of  King  Edward 
IV.,  was  buried  at  Wingfield  in  1491. 

The  Castle  stands  low,  without  any  eai-thworks  for  its  defence.    The 
south  front,  which  is  the  principal  entrance,  is  still  entire  ;  the  gateway. 


*  This  lady  was  married,  first  to  John  Philip,  who  died  without  issue,  and 
afterwards  to  the  above  Duke  of  Suffolk,  by  whom  she  had  three  children. 
She  died  in  1475,  and  her  issue  having  failed,  the  descendants  of  Chaucer 
are  presumed  to  be  extinct.  The  eldest  son  of  the  Duchess  of  Suffolk  married 
the  Princess  Elizabeth  Plantagenet,  sister  of  Edward  IV.,  whose  eldest  son, 
created  Earl  of  Lincoln,  was  declared  by  Richard  III,,  heir  apparent  to  the 
throne,  in  the  event  of  the  death  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  without  issue  ;  "  so 
that,"  observes  Sir  Harris  Nicolas,  "  there  was  strong  possibility  of  the  great- 
grandson  of  the  Poet  succeeding  to  the  crown."  The  Earl  of  Lincoln  was 
slain  at  the  battle  of  Stoke  in  1487.— Note  to  Bell's  English  Poets. 


176  Castles  of  Orford  and  Clare, 

on  each  side  of  which  are  the  arms  of  De  la  Pole,  with  those  of  Wing- 
field,  cut  in  stone,  is  flanked  by  lofty  polygonal  towers,  which,  together 
with  the  walls,  are  machicolated.     The  west  side  is  a  farm-house. 

It  appears  that  the  Wingfields  branched  off,  and  removed  to 
Letheringham  and  Easton,  in  the  same  county.  Sir  Anthony  Wing- 
field,  who  flourished  in  the  reigns  of  Henry  VIII.  and  Edward  VI.,  was 
Captain  of  the  Guard,  Vice- Chamberlain,  Knight  of  the  Garter,  and  a 
Member  of  the  Privy  Council.  Under  Henry,  it  is  said,  there  were 
eight  or  nine  Knights  of  the  Garter  of  this  family.  Camden  says  of 
the  Wingfields,  they  were  "  famous  for  their  knighthood  and  ancient 
nobility."  King  Edward  employed  Sir  Anthony  to  assist  in  the  execu- 
tion of  his  will,  for  which  he  bequeathed  him  a  legacy  of  200/.  His 
descendant  of  the  same  name  was  created  a  baronet  by  King  Charles  I. 
in  1627.  T^^  estate  of  Wingfield  was  for  many  years  in  the  Catlyn 
family ;  it  afterwards  devolved  to  the  heirs  of  Thomas  Leman,  Esq., 
and  thence  to  Sir  Edward  Kerrison,  Bart.  There  may  be  little  in 
Wingfield  Castle,  as  a  structure,  to  interest  the  reader;  but  the 
chequered  fates  and  fortunes  of  its  early  noble  but  often  turbulent 
inmates  are  historical  evidences  of  the  troubles  that  beset  greatness. 


Castles  of  Orford  and  Clare. 

At  Orford,  twenty-one  miles  from  Ipswich,  there  was  a  royal  Castle 
in  the  time  of  Henry  III.,  who  granted  a  charter  to  the  town, 
which  was  previously  a  borough  by  prescription.  It  is  now,  like 
Dunwich,  a  mere  village.  Only  the  keep  of  the  Castle  remains ;  it  is  a 
polygon  of  eighteen  sides,  with  walls  90  feet  high,  and  has  square 
towers  in  its  circuit,  which  overtop  the  rest  of  the  building  ;  the  archi- 
tecture is  Norman,  and  it  was  erected  by  Glanville,  Earl  of  Suffolk. 

Clare,  eighteen  miles  south-west  fiom  Bury,  was  one  of  the  ninety- 
five  manors  in  the  county  of  Suffolk  bestowed  by  the  Conqueror 
upon  Richard  Fitzgerald.  His  grandson,  Richard,  the  first  Earl  of 
Hertford,  fixed  his  principal  seat  at  Clare,  and  thenceforth  the  family 
took  the  surname  of  De  Clare ;  and  in  the  Latin  documents  of  the 
time  the  several  members  were  styled  Clarensis,  The  name  of  the 
lordship  thus  becoming  the  family  name,  it  is  easy  to  see  how  in 
common  usage  the  formal  epithet  Clarensis  soon  became  Clarence,  and 
why  Lionel,  the  son  of  Edward  III.,  upon  his  marriage  with  Elizabeth 
de  Burgh,  the  grand-niece  and  heiress  of  the  last  Gilbertus  Clarensis, 
should  choose  as  the  title  for  his  dukedom  the  surname  of  the  great 


Castles  of  Or  ford  ana  Clare.  177 

family  of  which  he  had  now  become  the  representative.  The  King  of 
Anns,  called  Clarenceux — or,  in  Latin,  Clarentius — was,  as  it  is  very 
reasonably  conjectured,  originally  a  herald  retained  by  a  Duke  of 
Clarence. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  town  of  Clare  are  the  vestiges  of  the  old 
Castle  erected  by  the  Earls  of  Clare ;  the  site  may  be  traced,  and  it 
appears  to  have  comprehended  an  area  of  about  twenty  acres.  The 
mound  on  which  the  Keep  stood,  and  some  fragments  of  the  walls  of 
the  Keep,  yet  remain.  Near  the  ruins  of  the  Castle  are  the  remains  of 
a  Priory  of  regular  canons  of  St.  Augustine ;  part  of  the  buildings  are 
occupied  as  a  dwelling,  and  the  chapel  is  converted  into  a  barn. 

Clarence  is  beyond  all  doubt  the  district  comprehending  and  lying 
around  the  town  and  castle  of  Clare,  in  Suffolk,  and  not  as  some  have 
fancifully  supposed,  the  town  of  Chiarenza,  in  the  Morea.  Some  of 
the  Crusaders  did,  indeed,  acquire  titles  of  honour  derived  from  places 
in  eastern  lands,  but  certainly  no  such  place  ever  gave  its  name  to  an 
honorary  feud  held  of  the  Crown  of  England,  nor,  indeed,  has  e'ver  any 
English  Sovereign  to  this  day  bestowed  a  territorial  title  derived  from  a 
place  beyond  the  limits  of  his  own  nominal  dominions ;  the  latest  crea- 
tions of  the  kind  being  the  Earldoms  of  Albemarle  and  Tankerville, 
respectively  bestowed  by  William  III.  and  George  I.,  who  were  both 
nominally  Kings  of  Great  Britain,  France,  and  Ireland.  In  ancient 
times  every  English  title  (with  the  exception  of  Aumerle  or  Albemarle, 
which  exception  is  only  an  apparent  one)  was  either  personal,  or  de- 
rived from  some  place  in  England.  The  ancient  Earls  of  Albemarle 
were  not  English  peers  by  virtue  of  that  earldom,  but  by  virtue  of  the 
tenure  of  land  in  England,  though  being  the  holders  of  a  Norman 
earldom,  they  were  known  in  England  by  a  hij^^her  designation,  just  as 
some  of  the  Barons  of  Umfravill  were  styled  even  in  writs  of  summons, 
by  their  superior  Scottish  title  of  Earl  of  Angus.  If  these  Earls  had 
not  held  English  fees,  they  would  not  have  been  peers  of  England  any 
more  than  were  the  ancient  Earls  of  Tankerville  and  Eu.  In  later 
times,  the  strictness  of  the  feudal  law  was  so  far  relaxed  that  two  or 
three  English  peers  were  created  with  territorial  titles  derived  from 
places  in  the  Duchy  of  Nonnandy."—  (Communication  to  Notes  and 
Queries,  No.  228).* 

*  The  following  is  the  passage  referred  to  above,  describing  the  ancient 
town  of  Clarentza, — "One  of  the  most  prominent  objects  was  Castle  Tornese, 
an  old  Venetian  fort,  now  a  ruin,  but  in  former  days  affording  protection  to 
the  town  of  Chiarenza  or  Clarentza,  which,  by  a  strange  decree  of  fortune, 
has  given  the  Ville  of  Clarence  to  our  Royal  Family.  It  would  appear  that  at 
the  time  when  the  Latin   Conquerors  '^f  Constantinople  divided  the  Western 


17S  The  Roman  Castle  of  BiirgJu 

At  the  Castle  were  found,  in  the  autumn  of  1866,  during  some  rail- 
way excavations,  an  elegant  pectoral  Cross  and  Chain  of  gold,  believed 
to  have  belonged  to  Lionel,  Duke  of  Clarence.  On  the  cross,  v^'hich 
has  been  enamelled,  is  carved  a  crucifix ;  there  are  four  pearls  in  the 
angles  of  the  cross,  and  the  reverse  is  adorned  with  "  pounced"  work. 
The  Cross  and  Chain  are  now  the  property  of  her  Majesty  the  Queen. 

At  the  visit  of  the  Archaeological  Institute  to  Clare,  in  1869,  a 
curious  circumstance  was  noted  respecting  Clare  Church.  In  the 
Athenaum  report  of  the  meeting  it  is  remarked  that  "  Dowsing,  who  is 
so  often  quoted  as  an  illustration  of  the  iconoclasm  of  Cromwell,  said 

*  the  thing  that  is  not.'  He  writes,  *  in  the  church  of  Clare  I  destroyed 
one  thousand  images  in  niches.'  It  is  a  tall  Perpendicular  church, 
with  not  a  niche  in  it.  He  says  also,  I  destroyed  *  the  sun  and  the 
moon.'  I  do  not  know  how  many  suns  and  how  many  moons  the  good 
people  of  Clare  required  in  the  olden  time;  but  there  is  a  sun  and 
there  is  a  moon  still  in  the  east  window.  Mr.  Bloxam,  who,  I  beheve, 
is  an  authority,  averred  that  the  yellow  glass  in  the  east  window  was  of 
the  reign  of  Elizabeth.     If  Dowsing's  attack  on  Clare  church  was  so 

*  thorough,'  how  could  he  have  left  the  monogram  of  the  Virgin  that 
is  still  on  the  finely  carved  wooden  pew  or  chapel  that  remains  ?  The 
glass  that  remains  is  more  than  in  many  places  of  which  we  have  not 
such  a  detailed  account  of  the  desti-uction." 


The  Roman  Castle  of  Burgh. 

This  ancient  Roman  encampment  lies  on  the  borders  of  Suffolk,  and 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river  Waveney,  near  its  confluence  with  the  Yare, 
Its  extent  is  642  feet  long  by  400  feet  broad  ;  the  walls  are  about  14 
feet  high,  and  9  feet  thick.    The  east  side  of  the  walls  is  furnished 

Empire  amongst  their  leading  chieftains,  Clarentza,  with  the  district  around  it, 
and  which  comprised  almost  all  ancient  Elis,  was  formed  into  a  Duchy,  and 
fell  to  the  lot  of  one  of  the  victorious  nobles,  who  transmitted  the  title  and 
dukedom  to  his  descendants,  until  the  male  line  failed,  and  the  heiress  of 
Clarence  married  into  the  Hainault  family.  By  this  union,  Philippa,  the 
consort  of  Edward  III.,  became  the  representative  of  the  Dukes  of  Clarence  ; 
and  on  this  account  was  Prince  Lionel  invested  with  the  title,  which  has  since 
remained  in  our  Royal  Family.  It  is  certainly  singular  that  a  wretched  village 
in  Greece  should  have  bestowed  its  name  upon  the  British  Monarch."  Accord- 
ing to  the  above  account,  Clarentia  is  a  corruption  of  Clarentza,  and  perhaps 
took  its  name  in  honour  of  the  son  of  the  warlike  Edward  ;  but  as  to  "a 
wretched  village  in  Greece"  bestowing  its  name  upon  the  British  Monarch,  the 
writer  must  be  aware,  according  to  his  own  account,  that  in  ancient  times 
Clarentza  was  no  more  a  poor  village  than  Clare  is  what  it  was  when  the 
wassail-bowl  cheered  the  baronial  hall  of  its  now  mouldering  castle. 


The  Roman  Castle  of  Burgh,  i79 

with  circular  watch  towers,  and  is  almost  perfect ;  but  the  walls  017 
the  r.orth  and  south  sides  are  partly  in  ruins ;  the  west  wall,  if  ev?.' 
there  was  one,  has  entirely  disappeared.  The  site  of  the  encampment 
is  slightly  elevated  towards  the  west,  and  the  interior  is  iiTegular,  which 
may  be  accounted  for  on  the  supposition  that  the  small  eminences  are 
occasioned  by  the  ruins  of  former  edifices.  The  whole  area  of  the  in- 
closure  was  about  four  acres  and  three  quarters.  The  walls  are  of 
rubble  masonry,  faced  with  alternate  courses  of  bricks  and  flints  ;  and 
on  the  tops  of  the  towers,  which  are  attached  to  the  walls,  are  holes  two 
feet  in  diameter  and  two  feet  deep,  supposed  to  have  been  intended  for 
the  insertion  of  temporary  watch  towers,  probably  of  wood. 

On  the  east  side  the  four  circular  towers  are  fourteen  feet  in  diameter. 
Two  of  them  are  placed  at  the  angles,  where  the  walls  are  rounded,  and 
two  at  equal  distances  from  the  angles.  An  opening  has  been  left  in  the 
centre  of  the  wall,  which  is  considered  by  Mr.  King  to  be  the  Porta 
Decumana,  but  by  Mr.  Ives  the  Porta  Praetoria.  The  north  and  south 
sides  are  also  defended  by  towers  of  rubble  masonry.  The  foundation 
on  which  the  Romans  built  these  walls  was  a  thick  bed  of  chalk-lime, 
well  rammed  down,  and  the  whole  covered  with  a  layer  of  earth  and 
sand,  to  harden  the  mass,  and  exclude  the  water ;  this  was  covered  with 
two-inch  oak  plank,  placed  transversely  on  the  foundation,  and  over 
this  was  a  bed  of  coarse  mortar,  on  which  was  roughly  spread  the  first 
layer  of  stones.  The  mortar  appears  to  be  composed  of  lime  and  coarse 
sand,  unsifted,  mixed  with  gravel  and  small  pebbles,  or  shingles.  Hot 
grouting  is  supposed  to  have  been  used,  which  will  account  for  the 
tenacity  of  the  mortar.  The  bricks  at  Burgh  Castle  are  of  a  fine  red 
colour  and  very  close  texture.  They  are  one  foot  and  a  half  long,  one 
foot  broad,  and  one  inch  and  a  half  thick.  We  give  these  details 
minutely,  as  the  Castle  presents  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  this  kind 
of  construction  which  our  Roman  conquerors  have  left  us. 

The  west  side  of  this  station  was,  probably,  defended  in  ancient  times 
by  the  sea,  which  is  now,  however,  at  some  distance,  the  river  Waveney 
being  at  present  the  western  boundary.  The  fact  of  the  sea  having 
receded  is  proved  by  an  old  map,  supposed  to  have  appeared  in  the  year 
1000.  A  copy  of  this  map  was  made  in  the  time  of  Elizabeth,  and  is 
preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  Corporation  of  Yarmouth.  In  confir- 
mation of  this  circumstance,  there  have  been  discovered  at  Burgh  Castle 
parts  of  anchors,  rings,  and  other  large  pieces  of  iron. 

This  station  may  have  been  founded  by  Ostorius  Scapula,  an  officer 
of  the  Roman  army,  who,  on  bemg  appointed  Governor  of  Britain,  in 
the  year  50,  gained  a  decisive  victory  over  the  Icenians,  who  attempted 


I  So  The  Roman  Castle  of  Burgh. 

to  prevent  his  building  a  chain  of  forts  between  the  Severn  and  the 
Avon,  or  Nen.  His  success  against  the  natives  enabled  him  to  reduce 
part  of  the  island  into  the  form  of  a  province.  He  obtained  triumphal 
honoui-s,  and  died  in  the  year  51,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  Britons,  from 
great  fatigue,  before  he  had  held  the  command  for  a  single  year.  Such, 
*t  is  believed,  was  the  founder  of  this  great  Roman  work  of  defence. 

The  Pratorium,  or  General's  Tent,  is  placed  by  some  at  the  south-west 
comer  of  the  station.  Others  consider  it  to  be  an  additional  work  by 
the  Saxons  or  Normans,  similar  to  the  Saxon  keep  at  the  south-east 
corner  of  the  Castrum  (or  camp)  at  Pevensey,  in  Sussex.  The  towers 
are  thought  to  have  been  added  after  the  walls.  There  are  some  re- 
mains of  a  fosse  on  the  south  side.  This  was  the  Roman  Garianonum, 
which,  in  its  perfect  state,  is  engraved  in  the  Penny  Cyclopedia,  voce 
Burgh  Castle. 

It  is  calculated  that  the  Castle  was  capable  of  containing  one  whole 
cohort  and  a  half,  with  their  allies.  Several  Roman  coins  and  other 
antiquities  have  been  discovered  here.  The  oldest  is  a  copper  coin  ot 
Domitian.  A  coin  of  Gratian,  of  silver,  and  some  coins  of  Constantine 
have  also  been  found.  Some  silvei*  and  gold  coins  were  given  by  a 
former  possessor  of  the  place  to  Dr.  Moore,  Bishop  of  Norwich. 
Besides  these,  coins  were  found  both  in  the  inclosure  and  in  a  field  con- 
tiguous to  the  Castle.  There  have  been  found  coarse  urns,  a  silver 
spoon  with  a  pointed  handle,  bones  of  cattle,  coals,  burnt  wheat,  rings, 
keys,  fibulae  (buckles),  and  a  spear-head.  The  field  is  supposed  to  have 
been  the  burial-place. 

The  earliest  modern  notice  of  Burgh  Castle  is  in  the  reign  of  Sigebert, 
636,  when  Furseus,  an  Irish  monk,  having  collected  a  company  of 
religious  persons,  settled  at  this  spot.  In  the  tune  of  Edward  the 
Confessor,  Bishop  Stigand  held  it  by  socage.  The  Castle  was  after- 
wards held  by  Hubert  de  Burgh,  from  whom  the  present  name  is 
probably  derived.  He  was  formerly  seneschal  of  Poitou,  and  with  Peter 
de  Roches,  Bishop  of  Winchester  ("  a  man  well  skilled  in  war "), 
shared  between  them  the  rule  of  the  kingdom  for  a  while.  He  was 
frequently  employed  in  foreign  embassies  by  King  John,  and  strcnuously 
supported  his  cause  against  the  Barons.  He  was  the  chief  ruler  of  the 
kingdom  during  the  early  years  of  Henry  III.,  held  a  number  of  the 
most  important  offices,  as  Constable  of  Dover  and  Burgh  Castles,  and 
sheriff  of  several  counties,  and  received  the  earldom  of  Kent.  But  at 
length  he  fell  into  disgrace,  was  deprived  of  power,  and  obliged  to  sur- 
render several  strong  castles — among  which  was  that  of  Burgh,  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  ill.,  who  r^ve  it  to  the  monastery  of  Bromholde, 


Hadleigh — Martyrdom  of  Dr.  Taylor,   '         i8i 

in  the  county  of  Norfolk.  It  afterwards  came  into  the  possession  of 
laymen. 

The  massive  remains  of  Burgh  Castle  attest  to  this  day  the  strong 
fortresses  which  nearly  two  thousand  years  ago  were  erected  on  the 
Suffolk  coast.  Reculver  and  Richborough,  and  Lymne,  in  Kent,  and 
Pevensey,  in  Sussex,  are  especially  interesting,  as  evidently  built  to  guard 
a  tract  of  country  almost  coinciding  in  limits  with  those  of  the  famous 
incorporation  of  the  Cinque  Ports,  and  thus  rendering  probable  the 
Roman  origin  of  that  peculiar  system  for  the  defence  of  the  seaboard. 

"  Castles  and  towers, — Burgi  as  they  were  called  by  the  Romans 
— were  constantly  garrisoned  by  armed  men.  The  stations  were  so 
near  to  each  other,  that  if  a  beacon  was  lighted  on  any  one  of  the 
bulwarks,  the  wamors  who  garrisoned  the  next  station  were  able  to  see 
and  to  repeat  the  signal  almost  at  the  same  instant,  and  the  next  onwards 
did  the  same,  by  which  they  announced  that  some  danger  was  impend- 
ing, so  that  in  a  very  short  time  all  the  soldiers  who  guarded  the  line  of 
wall  could  be  assembled.  The  coast  was  protected  with  equal  care  against 
any  invading  enemy ;  and  the  ancient  maritime  stations,  Garianonum 
and  Portus  Rutupis  (Burgh  Castle,  in  Suffolk,  and  Richborough,  in 
Kent)  may  be  instanced  as  specimens  of  Roman  skill  and  industry."— 
Sir  F,  Pa/grave  J  History  of  England — Anglo'Haxon  Period, 


Hadleigh — Martyrdom  of  Dr.  Taylor. 

Hadleigh,  in  Suffolk,  nine  miles  west  of  Ipswich,  is  said  to  have 
been  the  burial-place  of  Guthrum  the  Dane,  to  whom  Alfi-ed  ceded 
East  Anglia.  It  is  also  memorable  as  the  place  of  the  Martyrdom  of 
Dr.  Rowland  Taylor,  burned  in  the  pei-secution  under  Queen  Mary,  on 
what  was  commonly,  but  improperly,  called  Aldham  Common,  near  the 
town,  February  9th,  1555.  Dr.  Taylor  was  rector  of  Hadleigh  fronr. 
the  year  1544  to  1554.  Of  his  great  and  pious  character  it  is  scarcely 
possible  to  speak  in  terms  too  laudatory ;  he  was,  in  fact,  the  perfecl 
model  of  a  parish  priest,  and  literally  went  about  doing  good.  Of  h'.» 
sufferings  and  martyrdom,  Dr.  Drake,  in  his  JVinter  Nights,  has  left  th'. 
very  touching  account : — 

It  was  not  to  be  expected,  therefore,  that  when  the  bigoted  Mar 
ascended  the  throne  of  these  realms,  a  man  so  gifted,  at  the  same  tim- 
so  popular  as  was  Dr.  Taylor,  should  long  escape  the  arm  of  persecu- 
tion.   Scarcely  had  this  sanguinaiy  woman  commenced  her  reign,  when 


1 82  Hadlcigh — Martyrdom  of  Dr,  Taylor. 

an  attempt  was  made  to  celebrate  Mass  by  force  in  the  parish  church  of 
Hadleigh ;  and  in  endeavouring  to  resist  this  profanation,  which  was 
planned  and  conducted  by  two  of  his  parishioners,  named  Foster  and 
Gierke,  assisted  by  one  Averth,  rector  of  Aldham,  whom  they  had 
hired  for  the  purpose.  Dr.  Taylor  became,  of  course,  obnoxious  to  the 
ruling  powers  ;  an  event  foreseen,  and  no  doubt  calculated  upon  by  the 
instigators  of  the  mischief. 

A  citation  to  appear  before  Stephen  Gardiner,  Bishop  of  Win- 
chester, and  then  Lord  Chancellor  of  England,  was,  on  the  information 
of  these  wretches,  the  immediate  result  of  the  transaction.  And  though 
the  friends  and  relatives  of  the  Doctor  earnestly  advised  his  non- 
compliance, and  recommended  him  instantly  to  fly,  he  resisted  their 
solicitations,  observing,  that  though  he  fully  expected  imprisonment, 
and  a  cruel  death,  he  was  determined,  in  a  cause  so  good  and 
righteous,  not  to  shrink  from  his  duty.  "  Oh  !  what  will  ye  have  me 
to  do  ?  (he  exclaimed),  I  am  old,  and  have  already  lived  too  long  to  see 
these  terrible  and  most  wicked  days.  Fly  you,  and  do  as  your  con- 
science leadeth  you  ;  I  am  fully  detci-mined,  with  God's  grace,  to  go  to 
the  Bishop,  and  to  his  beard  to  tell  him  that  he  doth  naught." 

Accordingly,  tearing  himself  from  his  weeping  friends  and  flock,  and 
accompanied  by  one  faithful  seiTant,  he  hastened  to  London,  where, 
after  enduring  with  the  utmost  patience  and  magnanimity  the  virulence 
and  abuse  of  Gardiner,  and  replying  to  all  his  accusations  with  a  truth 
of  reasoning  which,  unfortunately,  served  but  to  increase  the  malice  of 
his  enemies,  he  was  committed  a  prisoner  to  the  King's  Bench,  and 
endured  a  confinement  there  of  nearly  two  years. 

During  this  long  period,  however,  which  was  chiefly  occupied  by 
Dr.  Taylor  in  the  study  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  in  preaching  to 
ind  exhorting  his  fellow  prisoners,  he  had  three  further  conferences 
with  his  persecutors.  The  second,  which  was  held  in  the  Arches  at 
Bow-church,  a  few  weeks  after  his  commitment,  terminated  in  his 
being  deprived  of  his  benefice,  as  a  married  man.  The  third,  which 
did  not  take  place  until  January  22nd,  1555,  and  was  carried  on  not 
only  with  the  Bishop  of  Winchester,  but  with  other  episcopal  commis- 
Bioners,  ended,  after  a  long  debate,  in  which  the  piety,  erudition,  sound 
sense,  and  christian  forbearance  of  the  suflferer  was  pre-eminently  con- 
♦jpicuous,  in  his  re- commitment  to  prison,  under  a  threat  of  having 
ii;dgment  passed  upon  him  within  a  week. 

This  judgment  was  accordingly  pronounced  at  a  fourth  conference 
on  the  28th  of  the  same  month,  the  Bishops  of  Winchester,  Norwich, 
London,  Salisbury,  and  Durham,  being  present ;  when,  on  the  Doctor 


lladleigh — Martyrdom  of  Dr,  Taylor.         183 

again  declining  to  submit  himself  to  the  Roman  Pontiff,  he  was  con- 
demned to  death,  and  the  day  following  removed  to  the  Poultry 
Compter.  Here,  on  the  4th  of  February,  he  was  visited  by  Bonner, 
Bishop  of  London,  who,  attended  by  his  chaplain  and  the  necessary 
officers,  came  to  degrade  him.  Refusing,  however,  to  comply  with 
this  ceremony,  which  consisted  in  his  putting  on  the  vestures,  or  mas^ 
garments,  he  was  compelled  to  submit  by  force,  and  when  the  Bishop 
as  usual,  closed  this  disgusting  mummery  with  his  curse,  Tayloi 
nobly  replied — "  Though  you  do  curse  me,  yet  God  doth  bless  me.  I 
have  the  witness  of  my  conscience,  that  ye  have  done  me  wrong  an«< 
violence ;  and  yet  I  pray  God,  if  it  be  his  will,  forgive  you." 

It  was  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  February,  1555,  at  the  early 
hour  of  two  o'clock,  that  the  sheriff  of  London,  arriving  at  the  Compter 
demanded  the  person  of  Dr.  Taylor,  in  order  that  he  might  commence 
his  pilgrimage  towards  Hadleigh,  the  destined  place  of  his  martyrdom. 
It  was  very  dark,  and  they  led  him  without  lights,  though  not  un- 
observed, to  an  inn  near  Aldgate.  His  wife  (and  I  shall  here  adopt 
the  language  of  John  Fox,  which  in  this  place,  as  in  many  others,  is 
remarkable  for  its  pathos  and  simplicity),  "  his  wife,  suspecting  that 
her  husband  should  that  night  be  carried  away,  watched  all  night  in 
St.  Botolph's  church  porch,  beside  Aldgate,  having  with  her  two 
children,  the  one  named  Elizabeth,  of  thirteen  years  of  age,  whom, 
being  left  without  father  or  mother.  Dr.  Taylor  had  brought  up  ot 
alms,  from  three  years  old ;  the  other  named  Mary,  Dr.  Taylor's  own 
daughter." 

Now  when  the  Sheriff  and  his  company  came  against  St.  Botolph's 
church,  Elizabeth  cried, saying,  "  O  my  dear  father;  mother,  mother,  here 
is  my  father  led  away."  Then  cried  his  wife,  "Rowland,  Rowland,  where 
art  thou  ?"  for  it  was  a  very  dark  morning,  that  the  one  could  not  see 
the  other.  Dr.  Taylor  answered,  "  Dear  wife,  I  am  here,"  and  stayed. 
The  sheriff's  men  would  have  led  him  forth ;  but  the  sheriff  said,  "  Stay 
a  little,  masters,  I  pray  you,  and  let  him  speak  to  his  wife,"  and  so  they 
stayed. 

Then  came  she  to  him,  and  he  took  his  daughter  Mary  in  his 
arms;  and  he,  his  wife,  and  Elizabeth  kneeled  down,  and  said  the 
Lord's  Prayer.  At  which  sight  the  sheriff  wept  apace,  and  so  did 
divers  others  of  the  company.  After  they  had  prayed,  he  rose  up  and 
kissed  his  wife,  and  shook  her  by  the  hand,  and  said,  "  Farewell,  my 
dear  wife,  be  of  good  comfort,  for  I  am  quiet  in  conscience.  God 
shah  stir  up  a  father  for  my  children."  And  then  he  kissed  his 
daughter  Mary,  and  said,  "  God  bless  thee,  and  make  thee  his  servant :" 


184         Hadleigh — Martyrdom  of  Dr.  Taylor, 

and  kissing  Elizabeth  he  said,  "  God  bless  thee.  I  pray  you  all  stand 
strong  and  steadfast  unto  Christ  and  his  word,  and  keep  you  from 
idolatry."  Then  said  his  wife,  "  God  be  with  thee,  dear  Rowland ;  I 
will,  with  God's  grace,  meet  thee  at  Hadleigh." 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  same  morning  Dr.  Taylor  left  Aldgate,  ac- 
companied by  the  sheriff  of  Essex,  and  four  yeomen  of  the  guard,  and 
ifter  once  more  taking  an  affectionate  leave  of  his  son  and  servant,  who 
met  him  at  the  gates  of  the  inn,  he  proceeded  to  Brentwood,  where,  in 
order  to  prevent  his  being  recognised,  they  compelled  him  to  wear  a 
mask,  or  close  hood,  having  apertures  for  the  eyes  and  mouth.  Nothing, 
however,  could  depress  the  spirits  or  abate  the  fortitude  of  this  intrepid 
sufferer  in  the  cause  of  truth ;  for  not  only  was  he  patient  and  re- 
signed, but,  at  the  same  time,  happy  and  cheerful,  as  if  a  banquet  or  a 
bridal,  and  not  a  stake,  were  to  be  the  termination  of  his  journey. 

When  within  two  miles  of  Hadleigh,  appearing  more  than  com- 
monly cheerful,  the  sheriff  was  induced  to  inquire  the  cause.  "  I  am 
now  (replied  the  Doctor)  almost  at  home.  I  lack  not  past  two  stiles 
to  go  over,  and  I  am  even  at  my  father's  house."  He  then  demanded 
if  they  should  go  through  Hadleigh;  and  being  answered  in  the 
affirmative,  he  returned  thanks  to  God,  exclaiming,  "  Then  shall  I  once 
more,  ere  I  die,  see  my  flock,  whom,  thou  Lord  knowest,  I  have  most 
dearly  loved,  and  truly  taught." 

At  the  foot  of  the  bridge  leading  into  the  town  there  waited  for 
him  a  poor  man  with  five  small  children,  who,  when  they  saw  the 
Doctor,  fell  down  upon  their  knees,  the  man  crying  with  a  loud  voice, 
"  O  dear  father  and  good  shepherd.  Dr.  Taylor,  God  help  and  succour 
thee,  as  thou  hast  many  a  time  succoured  me  and  my  poor  children." 
The  whole  town,  indeed,  seemed  to  feel  and  deplore  its  loss  in  a 
similar  manner,  the  streets  being  lined  with  men,  women,  and  children, 
who,  when  they  beheld  their  beloved  pastor  led  to  death,  burst  into  a 
flood  of  tears,  calling  to  each  other,  and  saying,  •'  There  gocth  our  good 
shepherd  from  us,  that  so  faithfully  hath  taught  us,  so  fatherly  hath 
cared  for  us,  and  so  godly  hath  governed  us  I  Oh !  merciful  God, 
strengthen  him  and  comfort  him ;"  whilst  ever  in  reply  the  blessed 
EufTerer,  deeply  touched  by  the  sorrows  of  his  flock,  kept  exclaiming — "  I 
have  preached  to  you  God's  word  and  truth,  and  am  come  this  day  to 
seal  it  with  my  blood."  Such  in  fact  was  the  sympathy,  such  the 
lamentation  expressed  by  all  ranks  for  his  approaching  fate,  that  the  sheriflF 
and  his  attendants  were,  as  Fox  declares,  "  wonderfully  astonished," 
and  though  active  in  threatening  and  rebuking,  found  it  utterly  impos. 
bible  to  suppress  the  emotions  of  the  jx^ople. 


Hadleigh — Martyrdom  of  Dr.  Taylor*  l8s 

Thi  Doctor  was  now  about  to  address  the  agitated  spectators, 
>vhen  one  of  the  yeomen  of  the  guard  thrust  his  staff  into  his  mouth  ; 
and  the  sheriff,  on  being  appealed  to,  bade  him  remember  his  promise, 
alluding,  as  is  conjectured,  to  a  pledge  extorted  from  him  by  the 
council,  under  the  penalty  of  having  his  tongue  cut  out,  that  he  would 
not  address  the  people  at  his  death.  "  Well,"  said  the  Doctor,  with 
his  wonted  patience  and  resignation,  "the  promise  must  be  kept;"  and 
then,  sitting  down,  he  called  to  one  Soyce,  whom  he  had  seen  in  the 
crowd,  and  requested  him  to  pull  off  his  boots  ;  adding,  with  an  air  of 
pleasantry,  "  thou  hast  long  looked  for  them,  and  thou  shalt  now  take 
them  for  thy  labour." 

He  then  rose  up,  stripped  off  his  clothes  unto  his  shirt,  and  gave 
them  to  the  poor ;  when  trusting  that  a  few  farewell  words  to  his 
flock  might  be  tolerated,  he  said  with  a  loud  voice,  "  Good  people,  I 
have  taught"  you  nothing  but  God's  Holy  word,  and  those  lessons  that 
I  have  taken  out  of  God's  blessed  book,  the  Holy  Bible ;  and  I  am  come 
hither  this  day  to  seal  it  with  my  blood." 

When  he  had  finished  his  devotions  he  went  to  the  stake,  kissed  it, 
and  placing  himself  in  the  pitch  barrel  which  had  been  prepared  for 
him,  he  stood  upright  therein,  with  his  back  against  the  stake,  his 
hands  folded  together,  his  eyes  lifted  to  heaven,  and  his  mind  absorbed 
in  continual  prayer. 

They  now  bound  him  with  chains,  and  the  sheriff  calling  to  one 
Richard  Doningham,  a  butcher,  ordered  him  to  set  up  the  faggots;  but 
he  declined  it,  alleging  that  he  was  lame,  and  unable  to  lift  a  faggot ; 
and  though  threatened  with  imprisonment  if  he  continued  to  hesitate,  he 
steadily  and  fearlessly  refused  to  comply. 

The  sheriff  was  therefore  obliged  to  look  elsewhere,  and  at  length 
pitched  upon  four  men,  perhaps  better  calculated  than  any  other  for  the 
office  they  were  destined  to  perform — viz.,  one  Mullein,  of  Kersey,  a 
man,  says  Fox,  fit  to  be  a  hangman ;  Soyce,  whom  we  have  formerly 
mentioned,  and  who  was  notorious  as  a  drunkard;  Warwick,  who  had 
been  deprived  of  one  of  his  ears  for  sedition  ;  and  Robert  King,  a  man 
of  loose  character,  and  who  had  come  hither  VN'ith  a  quantity  of  gun* 
powder,  which,  whether  it  were  intended  to  shorten  or  increase  ths 
torments  of  the  sufferer,  can  alone  be  known  to  Him  from  whom  no 
secrets  are  concealed. 

While  these  men  were  diligently,  and,  it  is  to  be  apprehended,  cheer 
fully  employed  in  piling  up  their  wood,  Warwick  wantonly  and  cruelly 
threw  a  faggot  at  the  Doctor,  which  struck  him  on  the  head,  and  like- 
wise cut  his  face,  so  that  the  blood  ran  copiously  down — an  act  of  savage 


1 86  Origin  of  L  owestoft, 

fbxKity  which  merely  drew  from  their  victim  this  milil  reproach :  "  Oh, 
friend,  I  have  harm  enough,  what  need  of  that?"  Nor  were  these 
diabolical  insults  confined  to  those  among  them  of  the  lowest  rank ;  for 
when  this  blessed  martyr  was  saying  the  psalm  "  Miserere  "  in  English, 
Sir  John  Shelton,  who  was  standing  by,  struck  him  on  the  lips,  exclaim- 
ing at  the  same  time,  "  Ye  knave,  speak  Latin,  or  I  will  make  thee.'' 

They  at  length  set  fire  to  the  faggots ;  when  Dr.  Taylor,  holding 
up  both  his  hands,  called  upon  his  God,  and  said,  "  Merciful  Father  of 
Heaven,  for  Jesus  Christ,  my  Saviour's  sake,  receive  my  soul  into  thy 
hands."  In  this  attitude  he  continued,  without  either  crying  or  moving, 
until  Soyce  striking  him  forcibly  on  the  head  with  his  halbert,  his  brains 
fell  out,  and  the  corse  dropped  down  into  the  fire. 

Thus  perished  midway  in  the  race  of  piety  and  utility,  all  that  was 
mortal  of  one  of  the  best  and  most  strenuous  defenders  of  the  Protes- 
tant Church  of  England:  a  man  who,  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  and  in 
all  the  vicissitudes  of  the  most  turbulent  periods,  in  the  hour  of  adversity 
as  in  that  of  prosperity,  practised  what  he  preached. 

A  stone  with  this  inscription  was  set  up  to  mark  the  spot  whereon 

he  suffered : 

"1555.     Dr.  Taylor,  in  defending  that  was  gode,  at  this 
plas  left  his  blode." 

**  There  is  nothing,  (says  Bishop  Heber)  more  beautiful  in  the  whole 
beautiful  *  Book  of  Martyrs'  than  the  account  which  Fox  has  given  of 
Rowland  Taylor,  whether  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty  as  a  parish  priest 
or  in  the  more  arduous  moments  when  he  was  called  on  to  bear  his 
cross  in  the  cause  of  religion.  His  warmth  of  heart,  his  simplicity 
of  manners,  the  total  absence  of  the  false  stimulants  of  enthusiasm  or 
pride,  and  the  abundant  overflow  of  bitter  and  holier  feelings,  are  de- 
lineated, no  less  than  his  courage  in  death  and  the  buoyant  cheerfulness 
with  which  he  encountered  it,  with  a  spirit  only  inferior  to  the  elo- 
quence and  dignity  of  the  Phadon,*' 


Origin  of  Lowestoft. 

Lowestoft,  the  most  easterly  point  of  land  in  England,  is  a  town  of 
great  antiquity,  which  it  contests  with  Yarmouth.  The  ancient 
Lowestoft,  however,  is  supposed  to  have  been  washed  away  at  an  early 
period  by  the  ocean ;  for  there  was  to  be  seen,  till  the  25th  year  of 
Henry  VHI^  the  remains  of  a  blockhouse  upon  an  insulated  spot,  left 


Origin  of  Loivestoft,  1^7 


drjr  at  low  water,  about  four  furlongs  east  of  the  present  beach.  The 
origin  of  its  name,  too,  has  given  rise  to  various  conjectures :  but  the 
most  popular  opinion  is,  that  it  is  derived  from  Lodbrog,  a  Danish 
prince,  who  was  murdered  near  the  mouth  of  the  Yare ;  and  most  of 
our  ancient  annalists  ascribe  to  this  most  foul  deed  the  first  invasion  of 
England  by  the  Danes. 

Lodbrog,  King  of  Denmark,  was  very  fond  of  hawking  ;  and  one  day, 
while  enjoying  that  sport,  his  favourite  bird  happened  to  fall  into  the  sea. 
The  monarch,  anxious  to  save  the  hawk,  leaped  into  the  first  boat  that 
presented  itself,  and  put  off  to  its  assistance.  A  storm  suddenly  arose, 
and  carried  him,  after  encountering  imminent  dangers,  up  the  mouth  of 
the  Yare,  as  far  as  Reedham  in  Suffolk.  The  inhabitants  of  the  country, 
having  discovered  the  stranger,  conducted  him  to  Edmund,  who  then 
kept  his  court  at  Caistor,  only  ten  miles  distant.  The  King  received 
him  with  great  kindness  and  respect,  entertained  him  in  a  manner  suit- 
able to  his  rank,  and  directed  Bern,  his  own  falconer,  to  accompany  his 
guest,  whenever  he  chose  to  take  his  favourite  diversion.  The  skill  and 
success  of  the  royal  visitor  in  hawking  excited  Edmund's  admiration, 
and  inflamed  Bern  with  such  jealousy,  that  one  day,  when  they  were 
sporting  together  in  the  woodsf  he  seized  the  opportunity,  murdered 
him,  and  buried  the  body.  Lodbrog's  absence  for  three  days  occa- 
sioned considerable  alarm.  His  favourite  greyhound  was  observed  to 
come  home  for  food,  fawning  upon  Edmund  and  his  courtiers  whenever 
he  was  compelled  to  visit  them,  and  to  retire  as  soon  as  he  had  satisfied 
his  wants.  On  the  fourth  day  he  was  followed  by  some  of  them,  whom 
he  conducted  to  the  body  of  his  master.  Edmund  instituted  an  inquiry 
into  the  affair,  when,  from  the  ferocity  of  the  dog  to  Bern,  and  other 
circumstances,  the  murderer  was  discovered,  and  condemned  by  the 
King  to  be  turned  adrift  alone,  without  oai-s  or  sails,  in  the  same  boat 
which  brought  Lodbrog  to  East  Anglia.  The  skiff"  was  wafted  in 
safety  to  the  Danish  coast,  where  it  was  known  to  be  the  one  in  which 
Lodbrog  left  the  country.  Bern  was  seized,  carried  to  Inguar  and 
Hubba,  the  sons  of  the  King,  and  questioned  by  them  concerning  their 
father.  The  villain  replied,  that  Lodbrog  had  been  cast  upon  the  shore 
of  England,  and  there  put  to  death  by  Edmund's  command.  Inflamed 
with  rage,  the  sons  resolved  on  revenge ;  "and  speedily  raising  an  army  of 
^car  20,oco  men  to  invade  his  dominions,  set  sail,  and  landed  safely  at 
Berwick-upon-Tweed,  when,  after  committing  the  greatest  devastations, 
they  marched  southwards  to  Thetford,  King  Edmund's  capital,  and 
after  a  sanguinary  battle,  obtained  possession  of  that  place. 

King  Edmund,  according  to  the  old  chronicles,  they  killed  and  be- 


1 88  Queen  Elizabeth  in  Suffolk 

headed — but,  by  a  miracle,  the  head,  which  had  been  thrown  into  a 
wood,  was  preserved  by  a  wolf,  who  politely  handed  it  to  the  persons  in 
search  of  it,  and  the  moment  it  came  in  contact  with  the  body  it  united 
so  closely  that  the  juncture  was  not  visible,  except  when  closely  examined. 
The  wolf  remained  a  harmless  spectator  of  the  scene ;  and  as  we  are 
informed  by  all  the  ancient  historians,  after  gravely  attending  the  funeral 
at  Hoxne,  peaceably  retired  to  his  native  woods.  This  happened  about 
forty  days  after  the  death  of  the  saint.  Many  miracles  were  worked  by 
the  body,  which  at  length  was  removed  to  a  church  constructed  at 
Beodericvvorth,  which,  increasing  in  celebrity,  was  afterwards  called 
Bury  St.  Edmunds. 

» 

Queen  Elizabeth  in  Suftblk. 

Great  interest  attaches  to  Queen  Elizabeth's  royal  progress  through 
SuflTolk  in  i(;6i  and  1578.  Of  the  latter,  Churchyard  writes,  "  Albeit 
they  had  small  warning  ....  of  the  coming  of  the  Queen's  Majesty 
into  both  those  shires  (Norfolk  and  Suffolk),  the  gentlemen  had  made 
such  ready  provision,  that  all  the  velvets  and  silks  that  might  belaid 
hand  on  were  taken  up  and  bought  for  any  money,  and  soon  converted 
to  such  garments  and  suits  of  robes  that  the  shew  thereof  might  have 
beautified  the  greatest  triumphs  that  was  in  England  these  many  years. 
For,  as  I  heard,  there  were  200  young  gentlemen  clad  all  in  white  velvet, 
and  300  of  the  graver  sort  apparelled  in  black  velvet  coats  and  fair  chains, 
all  ready  at  one  instant  and  place,  with  1500  serving-men  more  on 
horseback,  well  and  bravely  mounted  in  good  order,  ready  to  receive 
the  Queen's  Highness  into  Suffolk,  which  surely  was  a  comely  troop, 
and  a  noble  sight  to  behold.  And  all  these  waited  on  the  Sheriff,  Sir 
William  Spring,  during  the  Queen's  Majesty's  abode  in  those  parts,  and 
to  the  very  confines  of  Suffolk.  But  before  her  Highness  passed  into 
Norfolk  there  was  in  Suffolk  such  sumptuous  feastings  and  banquets 
as  seldom  in  any  part  of  the  world  hath  been  seen  before."  In  her  first 
progress  (in  1561)  the  Queen  passed  five  days  at  Ipswich,  and  visited 
the  Waldegravcs  at  Smalbridge,  in  Bury,  and  the  Tollemachcs  at  Hel- 
mingham.  In  the  progress  of  1578  the  houses  she  visited  were 
Melford  Hall ;  Lawshall  Hall  *( where  she  dined) ;  Havvstead  Place, 
the  residence  of  Sir  William  Drury ;  Sir  William  Spring  (the  High 
Sheriff)  at  Lavenham ;  Sir  Thomas  Kitson  at  Hengrave;  Sir  Arthur 
Higham  at  Barrow;  Mr.  Rookwood  at  Euston,  and  others;  while 
Sir  Robert  Jcrmyn  feasted  the  French  ambassadors  at  Rushbrookc. 


1 89 


Bungay  Castle.— The  '•'  Bold  Bigod.** 

Bungay,  now  a  neat  and  modern  town  on  the  north  border  of 
Suffolk,  on  the  river  Waveney,  and  about  twelve  miles  from  the 
town  of  Norwich,  does  not  seem  at  first  glance  to  contain  many 
features  of  interest  to  the  uninstructed  traveller.  It  is  commanded 
by  the  rising  grounds  which  exiiend  on  the  south  side,  and  in  these 
days  of  long-ranged  guns  and  rifles  could  not  sustain  a  siege  for  a 
single  day.  In  early  times,  however,  when  the  furthest-reaching  of 
our  fatal  weapons  was  the  long-bow,  Bungay  was  a  fortress  of  very 
considerable  importance.  Here  during  the  Norman  period  the 
Earls  of  Suffolk  had  their  principal  castle  and  residence,  and  here> 
consequently,  a  number  of  noteworthy  deeds  were  done. 

The  Norman  baron  was  usually  solicitous  about  the  comforts  of 
religion.  His  life  was  a  turbulent  one  ;  and  as  he  never  knew  how 
soon  he  might  require  the  last  consolations  of  the  Church,  he  always 
contrived  to  have  some  properly-appointed  religious  house  near  his 
own  door.  Bungay  having  become  the  chief  residence  of  the  early 
Earls  of  Suffolk,  soon  added  churches  and  monastic  establishments 
to  its  principal  buildings  ;  and  a  good  trade  gradually  springing  up 
under  the  encouragement  of  the  lords  of  the  sword  and  the  lords  of 
the  rosary,  the  town  became  at  a  very  early  period  a  flourishing 
place. 

Suffolk  became  a  separate  earldom  during  the  reign  of  Edward 
the  Confessor,  and  was  bestowed  by  that  monarch  upon  Gurth,  the 
brother  of  Harold,  the  last  of  the  Saxon  kings.  The  battle  of 
Hastings  proved  fatal  to  both  brothers,  who  died  side  by  side, 
valiantly  defending  the  Saxon  standard. 

The  wealth  of  Suffolk  at  the  time  of  the  Conquest  may  be  esti- 
mated from  the  fact  that  William  the  Conqueror  bestowed  no  less 
Aan  six  hundred  manors,  which  he  had  confiscated,  upon  his  fol- 
lowers, who  held  them  as  grants  in  capife. 

The  lordship  of  Bungay  was  divided,  at  the  period  of  the  Domes- 
day Survey,  into  several  manors  and  estates,  which  the  Conqueror 
retained  in  his  own  hands,  under  the  stewardship  of  William  do 
Noiers.  At  this  time  there  were  three  churches  within  the  burgh 
and  two  without,  all  endowed  with  glebes.  The  tenants,  we  are 
told,  were  rich  in  swine,  sheep,  and  poultry ;  and  as  their  land  wa» 
held  at  what  appears  to  us,  in  these  days,  to  be  Drdy  a  nominaJ 


1 90  Bungay  Castle. 

rent,  the  people  of  the  district  seem  to  have  been,  at  least,  in  cir- 
cumstances of  ordinary  comfort. 

The  manors  and  estates  of  the  burgh  of  Bungay  were  conferred 
upon  Roger  Bigot — one  of  the  great  barons  of  the  Conquest— by 
the  Conqueror,  a  short  time  after  the  Domesday  Book  had  been 
compiled.  Even  in  the  Saxon  times  the  burgh  was  a  place  of  some 
consideration  ;  but  after  it  came  into  the  possession  of  the  Bigots, 
who  built  a  castle  here  and  made  it  their  chief  place  of  residence, 
it  rapidly  rose  in  importance.  Privileges  and  immunities  were 
granted  to  the  burgh,  showing  the  influence  of  the  local  lords  as 
well  as  the  requirements  of  the  inhabitants.  One  of  the  first  of 
these  was  a  grant  for  the  establishment  of  a  mint,  and  it  is  recorded 
that  in  1158  the  Jews  of  Bungay  paid  Henry  II.  15/.  as  minters. 
The  weekly  market  of  Bungay  was  established,  and  the  privileges 
of  the  fair  of  the  burgh  extended  ;  and  some  time  after  the  royalty 
of  the  river  Waveney,  or  the  free  right  of  fishing,  between  the 
towns  of  Beccles  and  Bungay  was  granltd  to  the  lord  of  the 
Manor. 

The  earldom  of  Suffolk  was  first  granted  by  William  the  Con- 
queror to  Ralph  de  Guader ;  but  the  knight  forfeited  this  and  all 
his  other  honours  by  rebellion  against  his  sovereign.  The  earldom 
was  afterwards  conferred  upon  Hugh  Bigod,  "  the  bold  Bigod,"  by 
King  Stephen.  This  redoubtable  baron,  a  man  of  great  courage, 
endless  resource,  and  total  want  of  principle,  whoce  perjury  to  the 
sovereign  to  whom  he  owed  his  knighthood  and  adherence  to  the 
cause  of  the  usurper  Stephen,  may  be  taken  as  affording  the  key 
to  his  character,  was  a  very  formidable  personage  in  his  time. 
He  was  essentially  a  freebooter  on  a  large  scale.  He  very 
materially  increased  the  strength  of  his  fortress  of  Bungay  Castle, 
and  proudly  boasted  that  once  within  its  walls  there  was  no  enemy 
he  feared.  The  assistance  of  Bigod  contributed  mainly  to  the 
establishment  of  Stephen  on  the  English  throne. 

No  sooner  had  Henry  I.  breathed  his  last  than  Stephen,  insen- 
sible to  all  the  ties  of  relationship,  and  the  debts  of  gratitude  by 
which  he  was  bound  to  the  dead  King  and  his  family,  gave  full 
reins  to  his  criminal  ambition,  and  trusted  that,  even  without  any 
previous  intrigue,  the  celerity  of  his  enterprise  and  the  boldness  of 
his  attempt  might  overcome  the  weak  attachment  which  the  Eng- 
lish and  the  Normans  in  that  age  bore  to  the  laws  and  to  the  rights 
of  their  sovereign.  He  hastened  over  to  England,  and  though  the 
citizens  of  Dover  and  those  of  Canterbury,  apprised  of  his  purpose, 


Bungay  Castle.  191 

5hut  their  gates  against  him,  he  did  not  draw  rein  till  he  arrived  in 
London,  where  some  of  the  lowest  rank,  instigated  by  his  emissaries, 
as  well  as  moved  by  his- general  popularity,  immediately  saluted 
him  king.  His  next  point  was  to  acquire  the  good-will  of  the 
clergy,  and,  by  performing  the  ceremony  of  coronation,  to  put 
himself  in  possession  of  the  throne,  from  which  he  was  confident 
it  would  not  be  easy  afterwards  to  expel  him.  His  brother,  the 
Bishop  of  Winchester,  was  useful  to  him  in  these  aims — having 
gained  Roger,  Bishop  of  Salisbury,  who,  though  he  owed  a  great 
fortune  and  advancement  to  the  favour  of  the  late  king,  preserved 
no  sense  of  gratitude  to  that  prince's  family.  He  applied,  in  con- 
junction with  that  prelate,  to  Wilham,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
and  required  him,  in  virtue  of  his  office,  to  anoint  Stephen  king. 
The  primate,  who,  like  all  the  others,  had  sworn  fealty  to  Matilda, 
the  daughter  of  the  late  king,  refused  to  perform  this  ceremony ; 
but  his  opposition  was  overcome  by  an  expedient  equally  dis- 
honourable with  the  other  steps  by  which  this  revolution  was 
effected.  Hugh  Bigod,  with  his  characteristic  duplicity,  took  oath 
before  the  primate  that  the  late  king,  on  his  deathbed,  had  shown 
a  dissatisfaction  with  his  daughter  Matilda,  and  had  expressed  his 
intention  of  leaving  Stephen  heir  to  all  his  dominions.  The  Arch- 
bishop, either  believing  or  feigning  to  believe  Bigod's  testimony, 
anointed  Stephen  and  put  the  crown  on  his  head.  This  religious 
ceremony  having  taken  place,  Stephen,  without  any  shadow 
either  of  hereditary  title  or  consent  of  the  nobility  or  people,  was 
allowed  to  assume  the  privileges  and  exercise  the  authority  of 
royalty. 

For  his  share  in  this  disgraceful  and  revolutionary  proceeding, 
Bigod  was  rewarded  with  the  earldom  of  Norfolk,  which  at  that 
time  signified  the  supremacy  of  the  county  of  Suffolk  as  well  as  of 
Norfolk.  For  five  years  Bigod  remained  a  consistent  partisan  of 
Stephen,  but  in  1 140,  thinking  that  amid  the  dissension,  the  evil, 
and  rapine  of  the  times,  he  would  advance  his  own  interests  more 
effectually  by  renouncing  the  ally  for  whom  he  had  committed 
perjury,  he  forsook  the  usurper  and  openly  espoused  the  cause  of 
the  Empress  Matilda.  The  baron  relied  upon  his  possessions  in 
Norfolk  and  Suffolk,  and  trusted  to  his  strong  castle  of  Bungay. 
But  Stephen,  who  was  at  least  a  most  intrepid  and  manly  soldier 
if  he  was  an  ungrateful  rebel,  immediately  turned  upon  his  old 
confederate,  and  resolved  to  bring  him  to  his  senses  by  chastise- 
ment.    He  marched  speedily  into  Suffolk,  sought  out  Bigod  in  his 


192  Bungay  Castle. 

stronghold  and  reduced  it.  The  old  chronicler  who  narrates  this 
incident  is  as  brief  in  his  chronicle  as  Stephen  appears  to  have  been 
prompt  in  action.  He  furnishes  no  details  of  the  siege,  but  dryly 
informs  us  of  the  fact  in  these  words — "  In  1140,  at  Pentecost,  the 
king,  with  his  army  came  upon  Hugo  Bigod,  of  Suffolk,  and  took 
the  castle  of  Bungay."  The  intention  of  Stephen,  however,  was  to 
rebuke  but  not  to  exterminate  his  rebellious  vassal,  who,  he  con- 
ceived, might  continue  to  be  of  use  to  him.  He,  therefore,  having 
punished  Bigod,  received  him  again  into  favour,  and  restored  him 
to  his  honours. 

Henry  II.  on  his  accession  to  the  throne  punished  the  adherence 
of  Bigod  to  the  cause  of  his  mother's  foe,  by  depriving  him  of  his 
castles  and  dignities  ;  but  the  bold  baron  was  too  powerful  to  be 
made  a  permanent  enemy  of,  and  Henry,  desiring  to  conciliate  him, 
reinstated  him  in  his  possessions  in  1163.  But  neither  severity  nor 
forgiveness  was  of  any  avail  in  keeping  the  wayward  baron  to  a 
line  of  consistently  honourable  action.  He  again  deserted  his 
sovereign  in  11 74,  and  intensified  the  guilt  of  his  rebelUon  by 
throwing  in  his  influence  with  the  cause  of  Henry's  rebellious  sons. 
The  king's  forces  defeated  Bigod  and  the  Flemings  whom  he  had 
enlisted  under  his  banner,  with  great  slaughter,  at  Bury  St.  Ed- 
munds, and  the  king  himself  marched  into  Suffolk,  resolved  to 
break  the  power  of  the  rebel  by  destroying  his  chief  stronghold. 
Meanwhile  Bigod  himself  was  retreating  with  speed  to  the  Wavcney, 
and  on  the  march  he  was  heard  to  exclaim  to  his  attendants  and 
those  near  him,  "  Were  I  in  my  castle  of  Bungay,  upon  the  waters 
of  Waveney,  I  would  not  set  a  button  by  the  King  of  Cockney." 
The  result  of  the  meeting  between  the  two  forces  is  admirably  set 
forth  in  an  old  ballad  in  which  the  careless  bravado  of  Bigod  is 
illustrated  with  much  humour.  As  the  ballad  tells  the  story  in 
verse  which  it  would  otherwise  be  necessary  to  tell  in  prose,  and  as 
the  verse  itself  in  several  passages  is  admirable,  we  submit  it  to 
the  reader  entire  : — 

THE  BOLD  BlGOD  AND  THE  KING  OF  COCKNEY. 

"  The  King  has  sent  for  Bigod  bold, 

In  Essex  whereat  he  lay, 
But  Lord  Bigod  laughed  at  his  Pursuivant, 

And  stoutly  thus  did  say  : — 

•  Were  I  in  my  castle  of  Bungay, 

Upon  the  river  of  Wavcney, 
I  would  ne  care  for  the  King  of  Cockney  1 


Bungay  Castle.  193 

"  Hugh  Bigod  was  lord  of  Bungay  Tow  :~f, 
And  a  merry  lord  was  he  ; 
So  away  he  rode  on  his  berry-black  ste^d. 
And  sung  with  hcence  and  glee — 
'  Were  I  in  my  castle  of  Bungay, 
Upon  the  river  of  Waveney, 
I  would  ne  care  for  the  King  of  Cockney  I* 

"  At  Ipswich  to  see  how  he  sped, 

And  at  Ufford  they  stared,  I  wis, 
But  at  merry  Saxmundham  they  heard  his  son^, 

And  the  song  he  sung  was  this — 

'Were  I  in  my  castle  of  Bungay, 

Upon  the  river  of  Waveney, 
I  would  ne  care  for  the  King  of  Cockney  l' 

"  The  Baily  he  rode,  and  the  Baily  he  ran. 

To  catch  the  gallant  Lord  Hugh  ; 
But  for  every  mile  the  Baily  rode 

The  Earl  he  rode  more  than  two  : 

Saying,  '  Were  I  in  my  castle  of  Bungay, 

Upon  the  river  of  Waveney, 
I  would  ne  care  for  the  King  of  Cockney !' 

*•  When  the  Baily  had  ridden  to  Bramfield  Oak, 
Sir  Hugh  was  at  Ilksall  Bower  ; 
When  the  Baily  had  ridden  to  Halesworth  Cross, 
He  was  singing  in  Bungay  Tower — 

•  Now  that  I'm  in  m.y  castle  of  Bungay, 
Upon  the  river  of  Waveney, 

I  will  ne  care  for  the  King  of  Cockney  I' 

"  When  the  news  was  brought  to  I^ondon  town 
How  Sir  Bigod  did  jest  and  sing; 
'  Say  you,  to  Lord  Hugh  of  Norfolk,* 
Said  Henry,  our  English  King, 
'  Though  you  be  in  your  castle  of  Bungay, 
Upon  the  river  Waveney, 
I'll  make  you  care  for  the  King  of  Cockney  !'  * 

*'  King  Henry  he  marshalled  his  merry  men  all, 
And  through  Suffolk  they  marched  with  speed. 
And  they  marched  to  Lord  Bigod's  castle  wall. 
And  knocked  at  his  gate,  I  rede, 

•  Sir  Hugh  of  the  castle  of  Bungay, 
Upon  the  river  Waveney, 

Come,  doff  your  cap  to  the  King  of  Cockney  I' 

*'  Sir  Hughon  Bigod,  so  stout  and  brave, 

When  he  heard  the  King  thus  say, 
He  trembled  and  shook  like  a  '  May-Mawthci,* 

And  he  wished  himself  away : 

'  Were  I  out  of  my  castle  of  Bungay, 

And  beyond  the  river  of  Waveney, 
I  would  ne  care  for  the  King  of  Cockney  l* 


•  « 


i94  Bungay  Castle, 

•*  Sir  Hugh  took  threescore  sacks  of  gold, 
And  flung  them  over  the  wall ; 
Says  '  Go  your  ways  in  the  Devil's  nain^ 
Yourself  and  your  merry  men  all ; 
But  leave  nie  my  castle  of  Bungay, 
Upon  the  river  Waveney, 
And  I'll  pay  my  shot  to  the  King  of  Cockney!'  * 

It  should  not  be  overlooked  that  this  ballad,  while  faithfully 
reproducing  the  relations  which  in  early  times  subsisted  between 
the  English  monarch  and  his  more  turbulent  barons,  and  while 
admirably  illustrating  the  rash,  reckless,  yet  gallant,  character 
of  its  hero,  is  strictly  accurate  in  its  local  allusions  and 
colouring.  For  example,  the  route  followed  by  Bigod  in  his  rapid 
march  to  Bungay  is  the  exact  route  pursued  in  ancient  times  by 
travellers  from  London  to  the  extremities  of  Suffolk.  Thus,  Bigod 
rides  from  Essex,  whereat  he  lay,  to  Ipswich  ;  thence  to  Ufford  and 
merry  Saxmundham  ;  thence  to  Bramfield  Oak  and  Halesworth 
Cross.  Up  to  this  point  the  baron  traced  the  usual  highway,  over 
which  (by  the  Eastern  Counties  Railway)  the  modern  tourist  is 
carried  at  the  present  day.  At  Halesworth  Cross,  however,  ho 
leaves  the  turnpike  road  to  Bungay  on  the  right,  and  proceeds  by 
cross  roads  to  Rumburgh  Green,  and  past  the  monastery  there  to 
"  Ilksall  Bower,"  and  thence  to  his  castle. 

The  "  Bramfield  Oak,"  a  forest  tree  celebrated  for  centuries,  stood 
in  the  grounds  surrounding  Bramfield  Hall,  within  a  few  yards  of 
the  present  highway.  The  age  of  this  monarch  of  the  forest  was  over 
a  thousand  years.  In  1832  it  had  three  main  branches ;  but  one 
of  these  soon  after  broke  away,  and,  thus  mutilated  and  scathed,  it 
remained  "  till  the  15th  June,  1843,  when,  on  a  calm,  sultry  day — 
without  a  breeze  to  moan  its  fate — it  fell  from  sheer  decay,  with  a 
most  appalling  crash,  enveloping  its  prostrate  form  with  clouds  of 
dust."  With  respect  to  the  size  of  the  tree,  it  was  asserted  at  the 
time  of  its  fall,  that  a  similar  bulk  of  sound  timber  would  ha*^ 
fetched  about  eighty  pounds.  Of  Ilksall  Bower  no  visible  tra;:cs 
are  now  pointed  out. 

It  appears,  however,  that  King  Henry  did  not  agree  to  let  the 
recalcitrant  baron  off  with  merely  "paying  his  shot  :"  the  terms  on 
which  he  granted  pardon  being  that  Bigod  should  pay  the  sum  of 
one  thousand  marks,  and  that  his  castle  should  be  demolished. 
The  knignt  soon  afterwards  went  abroad,  and  joined  the  Earl  of 
Flanders  in  a  crusading  expedition  to  the  Holy  Land,  whence  he 
returned  and  died  in  1 177,  surviving  his  disgrace  and  the  destruction 
of  his  castle  only  three  vears. 


Hen  ham  House,  195 

A  subsequent  owner  of  Bungay  manor  was  Roger  Bigod,  the  son  of 
the  bold  Hugh,  who  in  128 1  obtained  a  licence  from  King  Edward  I. 
to  embattle  his  house  on  the  site  of  the  old  castle.  The  ruins  of 
Bungay  Castle,  as  they  are  now  seen,  are  those  of  the  fortress 
which  Roger  Bigod  reared.  Roger,  having  no  heirs,  settled  all  his 
"castles,  towns,  manors,  and  hereditaments  upon  King  Edward 
and  his  heirs,  to  the  prejudice  of  his  brother,  John  le  Bigod,  who, 
after  the  earl's  decease,  was  found  to  be  his  next  heir,  but  never,  in 
consequence  of  this  surrender,  enjoyed  the  honours,  nor  any  part 
of  the  estates."  Sir  Henry  Spelman  tells  us,  the  earl  disinherited 
his  brother,  Sir  John,  "because  that  the  earl,  being  indebted  to  him, 
he  was  too  pressing  on  that  account."  "  A  new  way  to  pay  old 
debts,"  truly. 

In  13 1 2,  Thomas  de  Brotherton  obtained  a  charter  from  the  king, 
in  tail  general,  of  all  the  honours  formerly  enjoyed  by  Roger  Bigod. 
Brotherton  at  his  death  left  two  daughters,  the  eldest  of  whom, 
marrying  Edward  de  Montacute,  carried  the  property  of  Bungay 
with  her  into  that  family.  By  the  marriage  of  Joan  their  daughter 
with  William  de  Ufford,  Earl  of  Suffolk,  Bungay  was  again  trans- 
ferred to  a  new  family,  but  an  old  title.  The  property  was  subse- 
quently possessed  by  the  Howards,  by  Mr.  Meckleburgh,  an  inha- 
bitant of  Bungay,  who  sold  it  to  Mrs.  Bonhote,  the  authoress  of  the 
novel  "Bungay  Castle,"  who  sold  it  about  1800  to  Charles,  Duke 
of  Norfolk,  a  descendant  of  "  Bigod  bold." 

The  remains  of  Bungay  Castle  consist  of  the  shells  of  two  circular 
towers  and  a  number  of  rambling  foundation  walls,  from  which  no 
idea  can  be  formed  of  the  internal  arrangements  of  the  fortress  in 
ts  entire  state. 


Henham  House. — Charles  Brandon,  Duke  of  Suffolk. 

Henham,  a  hamlet  of  Wangford,  in  Suffolk,  about  four  miles  west 
of  the  east  coast  at  Southwold,  formed  the  estate  of  Ralph  Bainard,  at 
the  time  of  the  Norman  Survey,  and  when  this  estate  was  forfeited 
to  the  Crown  by  the  grandson  of  the  original  owner,  it  was  shared 
between  two  chieftains  who  erected  their  respective  shares  into 
manors,  and  named  them  Henham  and  Cravens.  On  the  ruin  of 
the  race  of  Bainard,  the  family  of  Kerdiston,  who  appear  to 
have  inherited  a  considerable  portion  of  their  estates,  were  here- 
ditary owners  of  Henham  early  in  the  reign  of  Henry  III.    In  the 

o  2 


tg6  tfenham  House. 

twentieth  of  Henry  VI.,  Thomas  de  Keidiston,  Knight,  transferred 
his  right  to  the  manor  of  Henham  to  William  de  la  Pole,  Earl  of 
Suffolk,  and  Alice  his  wife.  This  Alice,  Countess  of  Suffolk,  was 
daughter  and  heiress  of  Sir  Thomas  Chaucer,  son  of  the  immortal 
author  of  the  "  Canterbury  Tales."  The  Earl  of  Suffolk  and  his 
wife,  in  accordance  with  the  agreement  entered  into,  assumed  the 
property  of  Henham,  and  on  their  death  transmitted  it  to  their 
successors.  One  of  these,  Edmund  de  la  Pole,  was  beheaded  in 
1513,  and  Henham  reverted  to  the  crown,  but  was  soon  afterwards 
granted  to  Charles  Brandon,  Duke  of  Suffolk,  by  Henry  VHI.,  in 
exchange  for  the  dissolved  abbey  of  Leiston. 

This  Charles  Brandon  was  not  only  the  greatest  of  the  dukes  of 
Suffolk,  but  was  one  of  the  most  considerable  men  of  the  era  in 
which  he  lived.  Born  ere  yet  feudalism  had  begun  to  decay  as  a 
system,  and  while  yet  the  articles  of  the  creed  of  chivalry  were 
punctiliously  observed  by  all  aspiring  to  knightly  honours,  desiring 
to  wear  their  spurs  in  such  a  manner  as  to  command  the  respect 
of  brave  men  and  the  esteem  of  fair  ladies,  he  felt  that  he  had  not 
been  born  out  of  his  due  time ;  but  that  his  natural  predilections 
would  lead  him  to  shine  in  chivalric  exploits,  and  to  cast  lustre 
upon  a  system  which  from  men  like  him  borrowed  and  reflected 
upon  the  rank-and-file  (so  to  speak)  of  knighthood  a  radiance  that 
had  its  origin  only  in  the  generals  and  the  lieutenants  of  chivalry. 

The  mind  of  Charles  Brandon  seems  to  have  been  deeply 
tinctured  with  that  romance  which,  in  spite  of  Cervantes'  having 
laughed  it  out  of  the  world,  manifested  itself  under  noble  and 
magnanimous  forms,  until  the  development  of  man  and  the  ap- 
proach of  more  practical  times  relegated  it,  in  its  relations  to  the 
immediate  wants  and  necessities  of  man,  among  the  falsehoods  and 
shams  of  an  exploded  system. 

Birth  gave  Brandon  position.  He  was  the  son  of  Sir  William 
Brandon,  standard-bearer  at  Bosworth,  who  fell  by  the  hand 
of  King  Richard  himself.  Young  Brandon  was  a  devoted  lover  of 
all  martial  exercises  from  his  youth,  and  before  he  had  arrived  at 
manhood  his  skill  and  success  in  the  tourney  had  covered  him 
with  glory. 

In  1 5 10  solemn  jousts  were  held  at  Westminster  in  honour  of 
Katharine  of  Arragon.  At  this  meeting  of  adventurous  knights 
Brandon  appeared  in  the  dress  of  a  recluse,  and  begged  of  the 
queen  permission  to  run  a  tilt  in  her  presence.  His  request  being 
cornpUed  with,  he  threw  off  his  weeds,  and  was  soon  in  tlie  listj 


Hcnham  House.  107 

completely  anned.  In  the  following  year  he  signalized  himself  at 
Tournay,  at  the  jousts  held  there  by  Margaret,  Princess  of  Castile, 
in  compliment  to  Henry  VIII.  On  this  occasion  all  the  appoint- 
ments of  the  lists  were  sumptuous.  The  course  was  flagged  with 
black  marble,  and  to  prevent  any  accident  from  slipping  the  horses 
were  shod  v/ith  felt.  Here  the  young  English  Knight  bore  himself 
so  gallantly  that  he  won  the  heart  of  the  Princess  Margaret  herself. 
But  another  princess  had  already  enthralled  his  affections — a  pro- 
found and  lasting  attachment  already  bound  him  to  the  Princess 
Mary,  the  sister  of  Henry  VIII.  of  England.  Henr>',  however, 
gave  his  sister  in  marriage  to  Louis  XII.  of  France.  Brandon 
followed  her  to  her  adopted  country  in  the  character  of  ambassador. 
Grand  tournaments  were  decreed  to  be  held  at  Paris  on  the  occasion 
of  the  approaching  coronation,  and  the  young  knight,  now  Duke  of 
Suffolk,  through  the  favour  of  his  royal  master,  was  present  at  the 
chivalric  meeting  attended  by  the  Marquis  of  Dorset  and  his  four 
brothers. 

The  French  had  already  seen  so  many  of  the  wonderful  feats  of 
Brandon  that  they  feared  the  young  knight  would  beat  all  their 
champions  out  of  the  lists,  and  in  order  to  prevent  this  they  intro- 
duced among  the  combatants  on  their  side  a  gigantic  German, 
believed  to  be  of  incomparable  strength  and  power,  whose  bone 
and  muscle  by  sheer  force  and  weight,  were  expected  to  bear  down 
all  opposition. 

The  combat  began,  and  after  a  time,  during  which  the  French 
were  trembling  every  moment  for  their  champion,  the  English 
knight  suddenly  caught  his  antagonist  round  the  neck,  and  beat  him 
on  the  helm  so  violently  with  the  hilt  of  his  sword  that  the  blood 
issued  from  the  side  of  the  casque.  The  French  then  inteifered 
and  carried  the  German  away. 

Soon  after  this  Louis  XII.  of  France  died,  and  Brandon  was 
now  at  liberty  to  pay  his  addresses  to  the  royal  lady  whom  he  had 
loved  so  long  and  with  such  constancy.  The  duke's  advances  were 
regarded  favourably,  and  it  was  evident  the  attachment  was  mutual. 
Having  discovered  the  actual  state  of  affairs,  the  royal  lady,  suppos- 
ing that  the  fear  of  committing  a  breach  of  etiquette  hindered  the 
duke  from  proposing  marriage,  extricated  him  from  his  dilemma  by 
sending  him  a  message  stating  that  she  gave  him  four  days  to 
decide  whether  he  would  marry  her  or  not.  The  duke,  of  course, 
agreed  with  alacrity.  He  then  conveyed  her  from  France,  married 
her,  and  celebrated  his  wedding  by  tournaments  at  which  he  himsell 


198  Henham  House. 

tilted.  On  this  great  occasion  the  hvery  and  trappings  of  th(j 
duke's  horse  were  half  cloth  of  gold  and  half  cloth  of  frieze,  with 
the  following  legend  referring  to  his  union  with  a  royal  bride : — 

"  Cloth  of  gold  do  not  despise, 
Though  thou  art  matched  with  cloth  of  frieze  ; 
Cloth  of  frieze  be  not  too  bold, 
Though  thou  art  matched  with  cloth  of  gold." 

From  the  marriage  of  Brandon  with  Queen  Mary  of  France  im- 
mense wealth  accrued  to  the  ducal  family  of  Suffolk.  Her  annual 
Income  was  sixty  thousand  crowns,  and  from  France  she  brought 
personal  property  with  her  to  England  estimated  at  two  hundred 
thousand  crowns,  exclusive  of  a  famous  diamond  of  almost  price- 
less value,  named  "  le  miroir  de  Naples." 

The  connexion  of  this  illustrious  pair  with  the  manor  of  Henham 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  very  intimate  or  of  very  long  duration. 
Yet  Brandon's  life  was  not  without  stirring  events.  His  skill  in  knightly 
exercises  was  not  confined  to  the  lists  :  he  signalized  his  manhood 
in  the  actual  battle-field  as  well  as  in  the  tournament.  Like  many 
knights  of  his  time,  he  fought  as  well  at  sea  as  on  shore,  and  in 
15 13  we  hear  of  his  achieving  fame  in  a  desperate  action  with  a 
French  squadron  off  Brest.  At  the  sieges  of  Tirouenne  and  Tournay 
he  displayed  great  valour,  and  at  the  Battle  of  Spurs  he  led  the  van 
of  the  English  army  with  his  usual  gallantry.  He  invaded  France 
in  1523,  and  if  the  expedition  was  a  fruitless  one,  the  blame  does 
not  rest  with  the  high-hearted  Englishman.  He  closed  the  list  of 
his  warlike  achievements  by  capturing  Boulogne  in  1544.  In  the 
following  year  he  died. 

In  his  preparations  for  death  he  evinced  a  degree  of  magnanimity 
ivhich  should  not 'pass  unnoticed.  By  his  will  he  provided  that  his 
Collar  of  the  Garter  should  be  converted  into  a  cup  of  gold  and 
given  to  the  king,  thus  returning  the  badge  and  token  of  his  nobility 
to  the  source  whence  he  obtained  it.  He  also  provided  that  his 
funeral  should  be  conducted  with  a  simplicity  and  economy  more 
becoming  the  occasion  and  the  ultimate  "  dust  to  dust"  than  har- 
monizing with  the  ideas  of  his  time,  when  the  funerals  of  the  great 
were  conducted  with  great  magnificence.  The  king,  however,  used 
his  authority  to  alter  the  will  in  one  respect.  He  caused  the  body 
of  his  departed  favourite  to  be  buried  in  St.  George's  Chapel, 
Windsor ;  the  cost  of  the  ceremonious  funeral,  which  was  re- 
markable for  pomp  and  magnificence,  being  defrayed  wholly  from 
the  royal  purse. 


Henham  House,  199 

On  the  death  of  the  Duke  of  Suftolk,  the  manor  of  Henham 
reverted  to  the  Crown.  Sir  Arthur  H  opt  on,  of  Blythborough,  was 
then  appointed  housekeeper,  and  soon  after  was  enfeoffed  of  the 
estate,  which  he  conveyed  to  Sir  Anthony  Rous,  knight,  of  Den- 
nington,  in  Suffolk.  The  property,  together  with  that  portion  of  it 
called  the  manor  of  Craven's,  which  for  so  many  generations  had 
remained  in  the  possession  of  a  distinct  proprietor,  still  remains  the 
property  of  the  Rous  family. 

In  Le  Neve's  MSS.  it  is  stated  that  Queen  Mary  appointed  Lady 
Rous  one  of  the  Quorum  for  Suffolk,  and  the  chronicler  goes  on  to 
observe  that  "  she  did  actually  sit  on  the  bench  at  assizes  and 
sessions  among  other  justices  cincta  gladio  (girt  with  a  sword). 
This  masculine  lady,  and,  I  presume,  dispenser  of  indifferent 
justice,  must  have  been  Agnes,  daughter  of  Sir  Thomas  Blenner- 
hasset,  of  Frense,  in  the  county  of  Norfolk.  I  have  met  with  no 
cases  on  record  of  her  magisterial  decisions." 

Not  far  distant  from  the  modern  Henham  Hall  stands  a  vene- 
rable oak,  which,  though  scathed  and  shorn  of  its  leafy  honours, 
is  noted  for  its  legend  of  loyalty  and  conjugal  affection.  The  fol- 
lowing version  of  the  legend  was  communicated  by  Miss  Agnes 
Strickland,  the  talented  writer  of  the  "Lives  of  the  Queens  of 
England,"  to  the  assiduous  compiler  of  the  "  History  of  Suffolk." 
''  I  really  wish,"  says  Miss  Strickland,  "  it  were  in  my  power  to 
communicate  anything  calculated  to  be  of  service  to  you  in  your 
much-needed  *  History  of  Suffolk ;'  but  I  fear  the  story  of  the 
Henham  Oak,  though  a  very  picturesque  legend,  rests  on  a  vague 
and  doubtful  foundation — that  of  oral  tradition — handed  down  from 
village  chroniclers  of  former  days,  a  race  now,  I  fear,  extinct. 

"  One  of  these  worthies  told  me  many  years  ago,  that  there  was 
a  brave  gentleman  of  the  Rous  family  in  the  great  rebellion,  whose 
life  was  preserved,  when  a  party  of  the  rebels  came  down  to 
Henham  with  a  warrant  for  his  arrest,  by  his  lady  concealing  him 
in  the  hollow  trunk  of  that  venerable  old  oak  beneath  the  windows 
of  the  Hall.  This  tree  being  used  by  the  family  as  a  summer- 
house,  was  luckily  provided  with  a  door  faced  with  bark,  and  which 
closed  so  artificially  that  strangers,  not  aware  of  the  circumstance, 
would  never  suspect  that  the  tree  was  otherwise  than  sound.  The 
hero  of  the  tale  was,  I  presume,  the  Cavalier  baronet,  Sir  John 
Rous,  to  whom  King  Charles  H.  wrote  an  autograph  letter,  thank* 
ing  him  for  his  loyal  services.  According  to  the  story,  the  Round- 
head authorities  used  threatening  language  to  the  lady  to  make  her 


200  Henhain  House. 

declare  her  husband's  retreat,  but  she  courageously  withstood  aV 
Iheir  menaces.  They  remained  there  two  or  three  days,  during 
which  time  she,  not  daring  to  trust  any  one  with  the  secret,  stole 
softly  out  at  night  to  supply  her  lord  with  food,  and  to  assure  her- 
self of  his  safety.  I  fancy  this  conjugal  heroine  must  have  been 
the  beautiful  Elizabeth  Knevitt,  whose  portrait  is  preserved  at 
Henham.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  the  tradition  may  belong 
to  a  period  still  more  remote.  Our  Suffolk  peasants  are  not  an 
imaginative  race,  therefore  I  should  be  inclined  to  think  that  the 
incident  really  did  occur  to  a  former  possessor  of  Henham.  In  the 
course  of  my  historical  investigations,  I  have  generally  found  that 
tradition,  if  not  always  the  truth,  was,  at  least,  a  shadowy  evidence 
of  some  unrecorded  fact ;  and  I  am  always  anxious  to  believe  any- 
thing to  the  honour  of  my  own  sex. 

"The  oak  was  afterwards  a  noted  resort  for  select  Jacobite 
meetings  of  a  convivial  nature,  when  Sir  Robert  Rous  and  two  or 
three  staunch  adherents  of  the  exiled  house  of  Stuart  were  accus- 
tomed to  drink  deep  healths  *  to  the  king,  over  the  water,'  on  bended 
knees.'* 

The  letter  mentioned  in  the  preceding  quotation  is  dated  from 
Breda,  April  27th,  1660 — the  precise  day  on  which  a  number  of 
other  letters  were  forwarded  by  a  confidential  agent  from  the  exiled 
monaich  to  his  friends  in  England.  The  letters  are  not  all  couched 
in  precisely  the  same  language,  but  the  general  purport  of  them  is 
identical,  and  the  expressions  similar.  The  note  addressed  to 
Rous  may  be  taken  as  a  specimen  of  the  kind  of  communication 
which  in  those  days  was  sent  from  the  king  to  his  supporters.  It 
ran  as  follows  : — 

"  It  is  no  newes  to  me  to  heare  of  your  good  affection,  which  I 
always  promised  myselfe  from  your  family,  yett  I  was  well  pleased 
with  the  accounte  this  bearer  brought  to  me  from  you  of  the  activity 
you  have  lately  ubed  for  the  promoting  my  interest ;  in  which  so 
many  have  followed  the  good  example  you  gave,  that  I  hope  I  and 
you,  and  the  whole  nation,  shall  shortly  receive  the  fruit  of  it,  and 
that  I  may  give  you  my  thanks  in  your  own  country  ;  in  the  mean- 
time you  may  be  confident  I  am 

"  Your  affectionate  friende, 

"Breda,  27th  April,  1660."  "  CHARLES  R." 

The  promise  given  to  the  ear  in  the  above  letter  was  not  broken 


Henhain  House,  201 

to  the  hope ;  for  in  August  of  the  same  year,  Sir  John  Rous  was 
created  a  baronet,  and  was  elected  to  represent  the  borough  of 
Dunwich  in  the  Parliament  of  the  following  year.  The  sixth  baronet 
of  this  family  was  raised  to  the  peerage  as  Baron  Rous,  of  Ben- 
nington, in  Suffolk,  in  1796,  and  advanced  to  the  dignities  of 
Viscount  Dunwich  and  Earl  of  Stradbroke  in  1821.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son. 

The  old  Hall  of  Henham  was  built  of  red  brick,  with  stone 
dressings,  quoins,  and  window  frames.  On  the  back  of  a  drawing 
illustrating  its  principal  court  the  following  notice  of  the  building 
itself  and  of  the  occurrence  which  caused  its  demolition  is  written  : — 
*'  This  large,  noble,  and  magnificent  mansion,  which  had  been  the 
seat  and  residence  of  the  De  la  Poles,  Earls  of  Suffolk,  and  of 
Charles  Brandon,  Duke  of  Suffolk,  who,  it  is  supposed,  built  the 
front,  had  from  the  last  year  of  King  Henry  VIII.  been  the  seat 
and  residence  of  the  ancient  family  of  Rous,  iDcing  granted  by  that 
king  to  Sir  Arthur  Hopton,  knt.,  who  in  the  same  reign  sold  it  to 
Sir  Anthony  Rous,  knt.,  till  on  the  8th  May,  1773,  a  fire  was  dis- 
covered in  the  west  front  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
which  raging  with  great  violence,  before  night  had  consumed  and 
laid  waste  the  whole,  consisting  at  that  time  of  about  45  rooms, 
besides  garrets,  the  principal  of  which  had  lately  been  elegantly 
fitted  up  and  furnished  by  the  late  Sir  John  Rous,  bart,  who  died 
Oct.  30,  1 77 1,  leaving  an  only  son,  the  present  John  Rous,  who, 
when  the  fire  happened,  was  at  Venice." 

Neither  mansion  nor  furniture  was  insured,  and  the  loss  by  the 
fire  was  estimated  at  30,000/.  Of  the  furniture  and  decorations  cf 
the  old  hall  little  escaped  destruction.  A  few  portraits  were  rescued, 
and  a  fine  old  wassail  bowl  of  wood,  round  the  circular  lip  of  which 
is  this  appropriate  legend — 

"  Reddit  securum  potantem  vas  bene  purum 
Hinc,  precor,  haurite  tanquam  lacti  sine  lite  ;" 

which  has  been  thus  freely  translated  by  the  late  Lord  Strad- 
broke— 

•'  My  bowl  is  so  clean, 
The  liquor  so  pure, 
The  nicest  may  taste, 
Of  health  most  secure.  • 

"  Drink  deep,  then,  I  pray, 
Rememb'ring  this  law— 
Ye  joyful  may  be, 
But  none  of  your  jaw. " 


202  Barsham  Hall. 

It  is  very  possible,  suggests  the  historian  of  Suffolk,  that  Charles 
Brandon,  with  his  charming  wife,  the  Queen  of  France,  and  even 
"bluff  King  Hal"  himself,  may  have  drunk  out  of  this  antique 
bowl. 

The  new  hall,  the  seat  of  the  Earl  of  Stradbroke,  is  a  com- 
modious mansion,  modern  in  style,  and  not  calling  for  special 
notice. 


Barsham  Hall. — Sir  John  Suckling  the  Poet. 

Barsham  Manor  belonged  at  the  time  of  the  Norman  survey  to 
Robert  de  Vallibus,  or  Vaux,  who  held  it  of  Roger  Bigod,  as 
capital  lord.  It  was  two  and  a  quarter  miles  in  length  by  three 
quarters  of  a  mile  in  breadth  ;  but  it  also  included  over  and  above 
this  area  a  large  tract  originally  covered  with  water,  but  which  is 
now  drained  meadow-land. 

After  having  been  possessed  by  a  succession  of  proprietors,  none 
of  whom  are  known  to  be  of  interest  to  modern  readers,  Barsham 
was  purchased  in  1613,  by  Sir  John  Suckling,  third  son  of  Robert 
Suckling,  of  Woodton.  The  family  of  Suckling  is  a  very  ancient 
one.  Thomas  Socling  held  certain  estates  in  Woodton  and  Lang- 
hall  in  1348,  and  his  possessions  were  handed  down  in  unbroken 
succession  through  a  series  of  substantial  descendants,  to  Robert 
Suckhng,  M.P.  for  Norwich,  who  died  in  1589.  Sir  John  Suckling, 
son  of  the  preceding,  was  the  purchaser  of  Barsham  Hall,  in  16 13. 
In  many  respects.  Sir  John  was  a  noteworthy  man.  In  due  time 
he  became  the  father  of  Sir  John  Suckling,  the  poet,  who  was  con- 
spicuous for  the  brightness  and  playfulness  of  his  fancy,  but  the 
strictly  practical  character  of  his  own  mind  may  be  estimated  from 
the  following  letter  which  he  wrote  to  his  brother  Charles,  imme- 
diately after  having  purchased  Barsham.  "  I  am  nowe,"  he  says, 
"  gone  thorough  for  Barshame,  and  have  had  a  fine  and  recoverie 
acknowledged  to  my  use,  before  my  Lord  Hubbard,  and  to-morrow 
the  indentures  and  all  other  assurances  are  to  be  sealed.  For  the 
letting  of  it,  I  am  resolute  not  to  lett  the  house  and  dcmc:  les 
thereof  under  240/.,  and  I  hope  that  by  your  care  and  diligence  in 
providing  me  a  good  tenant,  I  may  have  250/.  p.  ann.  I  ame  con- 
fident that  ere  longe  landes  will  beare  a  better  and  a  higher  prise  ; 
and  therefore  my  purpose  is  not  to  grant  any  lease  above  seaven 
yeares  :  besides  I  mean  to  keep  all  the  »-9yalties  and  the  fishinge  in 


Barsham  Hall.  203 

mine  own  handes  ;  and  upon  these  tearmes,  if  you  can  find  me  out 
an  honest  man  that  will  hire  it,  I  will  think  myself  behouldeinge 

unto  you It  is  nowe  myne,  and  I  trust  that  the  name  of 

the  Sucklings  shall  inheritt  and  possess  it,  when  I  am  dead  and 
rotten." 

This  very  sagacious  and  out-spoken  gentleman  did  the  state 
some  service  in  his  day.  He  was  a  staunch  royalist,  and  held  the 
offices  of  Secretary  of  State,  Comptroller  of  the  Household  and 
Privy  Counsellor  to  King  James  I.  and  to  his  unfortunate  son 
Charles.  He  was  an  aspirant  also  for  honours  still  more  dis- 
tinguished ;  for  in  a  letter  written  in  1621  by  Lord  Leicester  to  his 
son,  the  following  expression  occurs  :— -"  It  is  not  known  who  shall 

be  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer it  is  between  Sir  Richard 

Weston  and  Sir  John  Suckling."  Sir  Richard  Weston  was  in  this 
case  the  fortunate  person.  Suckling  married  Martha  Cranfield, 
sister  to  Lionel,  Earl  of  Middlesex,  by  whom  he  had  Sir  John 
Suckling,  the  poet,  Lionel  Suckling,  and  four  daughters. 

On  the  decease  of  Suckling  the  statesman  in  1627,  his  eldest  son? 
the  poet,  came  into  possession  of  Barsham  and  the  other  estates. 

The  poet  was  born  in  his  father's  house  at  Whitton,  in  the  parish 
of  Twickenham,  Middlesex,  and  was  baptized  there  in  February, 
1608-9.  Of  his  early  life  very  little  is  known.  When  fifteen  years 
of  age  he  was  removed  to  Cambridge,  and  matriculated  at  Trinity 
College.  Davenant  states  that  he  w^as  only  eleven  years  of  age 
when  he  was  received  at  Cambridge  ;  but  this  assertion  is  only 
well-suited  to  accompany  the  absurd  statements  of  Langbaine, 
repeated  by  Dr.  Johnson  and  every  subsequent  biographer  (down 
to  the  year  1836,  when  the  only  trustworthy  life  that  has  been  pub- 
lished appeared),  that  "  he  spoke  Latin  at  five  and  writ  it  at  nine." 
The  source  of  this  and  similar  errors  is  that  the  date  of  the  poet's 
birth  is  usually  set  down  as  161 3,  whereas  the  fact  is  that  in  that 
year  Suckling  was  five  years  old.  Music,  languages,  and  poetry  were 
the  accomplishments  he  cultivated  con  amo7'e,  and  the  facility  with 
which  he  advanced  in  these  was  remarkable.  He  early  distinguished 
himself  by  the  strength  of  his  genius  and  capacity,  which  required 
less  pains  and  application  in  him  than  it  did  in  others,  to  make 
himself  master  of  whatever  subject  he  pursued. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  Suckling  suffered  an  irreparable  loss  in 
the  death  of  his  father ;  for  had  this  practical  and  solid  guardian 
only  lived  for  a  few  years  longer  the  son  might  have  been  diverted 
irom  the  gaiety  and  the  folly  in  whi'^h  he  was  now  beginning  freely  to 


204  Barsham  Hall. 

indulge.  Well  aware  of  the  son's  gay  and  thoughtless  disposition, 
the  elder  Suckling  provides  in  his  will  that  his  son  and  heir  shall 
not  enter  upon  the  possession  of  his  estates  till  he  shall  have  com- 
pleted his  twenty-fifth  year. 

In  1628,  Suckling,  then  in  his  twentieth  year,  commenced  his 
travels.  He  traversed  France  and  Italy ;  but  it  was  in  Germany 
that  he  entered  upon  really  interesting  adventures.  This  country 
was  at  that  time  the  object  of  universal  attention  from  the  splendid 
military  successes  there  of  Gustavus  Adolphus,  "  the  Lion  of  the 
North."  About  this  time  Charles  of  England  granted  a  commission 
to  the  Marquis  of  Hamilton  to  raise  a  body  of  six  thousand  troops 
to  act  with  him  as  their  general  under  the  King  of  Sweden,  and 
in  favour  of  the  unfortunate  Prince  Palatine  of  the  Rhine,  who  had 
married  the  only  sister  of  the  English  king.  Suckling  united 
himself  to  this  expedition  as  one  of  the  "  forty  gentlemen's  sons  " 
whose  duty  it  was  to  serve  about  the  Marquis  himself.  This 
English  contingent  was  by  no  means  a  merely  ornamental  corps. 
It  was  sent  into  active  service,  and  rendered  effectual  assistance  to 
Gustavus,  in  particular  at  the  first  defeat  of  Tilly  before  Leipsic — a 
battle  of  great  importance  at  that  time,  and  obstinately  contested. 
In  this  battle  Suckling  was  engaged ;  he  was  also  present  at  the 
sieges  of  Crossen,  Guben,  Glogan,  and  Magdeburg,  and  obtained 
considerable  military  reputation  for  his  conduct  in  several  suc- 
cessive actions,  fought  during  the  inroads  of  Hamilton  in  the 
provinces  of  Lusatia  and  Silesia. 

Suckling  is  supposed  to  have  followed  those  wars  till  1632,  and  at 
the  close  of  his  campaign  he  returned  to  England,  bringing  with 
him  the  character — which  no  one  has  ever  sought  to  deny  him — of 
an  accomplished  gentleman,  distinguished  for  polite  learning,  wit, 
and  gallantry. 

His  appearance  at  this  time,  judging  from  Vandyke's  splendid 
portrait  of  him — the  original  picture  is  to  be  seen  at  Woodton  in 
Suffolk — must  have  been  prepossessing  in  a  high  degree.  The 
ample  forehead,  the  firmly-cut  and  classically-moulded  mouth  and 
chin,  and  the  streaming  cavalier  "locks"  must  have  rendered  him  a 
noticeable  man,  while  to  the  observant  there  would  be  something 
specially  pleasing  in  the  mild  expression  of  his  eminently  con- 
scious and  comprehensive  eyes.  To  a  frankness  of  manner  and 
graceful  person,  he  added  an  ease  of  carriage  and  elegance  of 
address  so  remarkable  that  he  drew  forth  the  observation,  that "  he 
had  the  peculiar  happiness  of  making  everything  he  did  become 


Barsham  Hall.  205 

him.**  He  was  so  famous  at  court  "  for  his  accomplishments  and 
ready  sparkling  wit,"  says  Sir  William  Davenant,  the  dramatist,  his 
intimate  friend  and  one  that  loved  him  entirely,  "  that  he  was  the 
bull  that  was  bayted  ;  his  repartee  and  witt  being  most  sparkling 
when  most  set  on  and  provoked." 

And  one  can  readily  comprehend  how  a  man  of  Suckling's  gifts 
should  be  highly  valued  at  such  a  court  as  that  of  Charles  I.  Two 
parties  were  forming  out  of  the  general  mass  of  the  Enghsh  people 
— parties  fated  at  first  to  oppose  and  wrangle  merely,  but  subse- 
quently to  contend  to  the  death  on  many  a  battle-field.  By  tradition, 
breeding,  and  native  sympathies.  Suckling  was  a  Royalist,  and  the 
ability  with  which  he  could  caricature  the  awkward  solemnity  and 
severe  asceticism  of  the  growing  democratic  party  was  relished  as 
highly  as  the  zeal  with  which  he  entered  into  schemes  of  pleasure. 
And  at  this  time  literature  and  the  fine  arts  obtained  an  unpre- 
cedented encouragement  from  the  king  ;  and  these,  directed  by  his 
own  acknowledged  taste  and  by  that  of  the  beautiful  Henrietta 
Maria,  rendered  the  Court  of  England  the  most  polished  in  Europe. 

"  The  pleasures  of  the  Court,"  says  Walpole,  "  were  carried  on 
with  much  taste  and  magnificence.  Poetiy,  painting,  music,  and 
architecture  were  all  called  in  to  make  them  r&tional  amusements. 
Ben  Jonson  was  the  laureate  ;  Inigo  Jones  the  inventor  of  the 
decorations  ;  Laniere  and  Ferabosco  composed  the  symphonies ; 
the  King  and  Queen  and  the  young  nobility  danced  in  the  inter- 
ludes." 

In  society  like  this  the  accomplishments  of  Suckling  were  emi- 
nently calculated  to  shine  :  gay,  witty,  generous,  and  gallant,  he 
was  considered,  says  Winstanley,  "  as  the  darling  of  the  Court." 
And  he  brought  all  his  faculties  into  play  in  his  devotion  to  the 
refined  pleasures  of  society.  At  his  house  at  Whitton  he  gave  en- 
tertainments similar  to  the  court  masques,  and  expended  upon  their 
elaboration  and  adornments  the  utmost  labours  of  his  music. 

"One  of  his  magnificent  assemblies,"  says  his  biogapher,  "was 
given  in  London,  and  was  noted  for  its  sumptuousness  and  eccen- 
tricity, and  is  said  to  have  cost  him  an  astonishing  sum.  Every 
court  lady  who  could  boast  of  youth  and  beauty  was  present ;  his 
gallantr}--  excluding  those  not  so  blest.  Yet  so  abundant  were  fair 
faces  in  that  day  that  the  rooms  were  overflowing ;  as  if  nature 
were  resolute  in  producing  objects  of  adoration,  in  proportion  as 
their  votaries  were  numerous  and  devoted.  These  ladies  Suckling 
«ntertained  with  every  rarity  which  wealth  could  collect  and  taste 


\ 


206  Barsham  Hall, 

prescribe.  But  the  last  course  displayed  his  sprightly  gallantry  ;  il 
consisted  not  of  viands  yet  more  delicate  and  choice,  but  of  silk 
stockings,  garters,  and  gloves, — presents  at  that  time  of  no  con- 
temptible value." 

But  while  thus  engaged  for  the  most  part  he  began  to  contract  a 
love  for  pleasures  of  a  still  more  exciting  kind.  He  became  ena- 
moured of  play,  and  soon  won  the  unenviable  reputation  of  being 
the  best  hand  at  cards  in  the  kingdom. 

Towards  his  latter  years,  however,  he  began  to  evince  some 
degree  of  earnestness  and  seriousness  of  purpose.  The  merely  fri- 
volous was  beginning  to  pall  upon  his  taste.  His  companions  now 
were  for  the  most  part  men  dignified  by  their  virtue  and  distin- 
guished by  their  abilities.  Lord  Falkland,  Roger  Boyle,  Lord  Brog- 
hill,  upon  the  occasion  of  whose  marriage  Suckling  wrote  one  of 
the  most -beautiful  ballads  in  our  language,  were  among  his  chosen 
companions,  while  with  Stanley,  the  editor  of  Eschylus,  Davenant, 
and  Jonson,  Shirley  Hall,  and  Nabbes,  all  men  of  high  hterary 
culture,  he  was  on  terms  of  the  most  intimate  friendship. 

While  Suckling  was  basking  in  the  sunshine  of  the  Court,  a  cir- 
cumstance of  considerable  importance  to  his  reputation  and  happi- 
ness occurred.  1'he  story  is  thus  told  in  the  Strafford  State  Papers  : 
"  Sir  John  Suckling,  a  young  man,  son  to  him  that  was  comptroller, 
famous  for  nothing  before  but  that  he  was  a  great  gamester,  was  a 
suitor  to  a  daughter  of  Sir  Henry  Willoughby's,  in  Derbyshire,  heir 
to  a  thousand  a  year. 

"  By  some  friend  he  had  in  Court  he  got  the  King  to  write  for  him 
to  Sir  H.  Willoughby,  by  which  means  he  hoped  to  get  her  ;  for  he 
thought  he  had  interest  enough  in  the  affection  of  the  young  woman, 
so  her  father's  consent  could  be  got.  He  spoke  somewhat  boldly 
that  way,  which  coming  to  her  knowledge,  she  intrusted  a  young 
gentleman,  who  also  was  her  suitor — a  brother  of  Sir  Kenelm 
Digby's — to  draw  a  paper  in  writing,  which  she  dictated,  and  to  get 
Sir  John  Suckling's  hand  unto  it.  Thereon  he  must  disavow  any 
interest  he  hath  in  her  by  promise  or  otherwise. 

"  If  he  would  undertake  this,"  she  said,  **  it  was  the  readiest  way 
he  could  use  to  express  his  affection  for  her.  He  willingly  undertakes 
it,  gets  another  young  man,  a  Digby,  into  his  company,  and  having 
each  of  them  a  man,  goes  out  upon  this  adventure,  intending  to 
come  to  London,  where  he  thought  to  find  him  ;  but  meeting  Suck- 
ling on  the  way,  he  saluted  him  and  asked  him  whither  he  was 
going  ?    He  said  on  the  King's  business,  but  would  not  tell  him 


Bar  sham  Hall,  207 

whither,  though  he  pressed  him  if  it  were  not  to  Sir  Henr>'  Wil- 
» ''oughby's  ?  He  then  drew  forth  his  paper,  and  read  it  to  him,  and 
pressed  him  to  underwrite  it.  He  would  not,  and  with  oaths  con- 
firms this  denial.  He  told  him  he  must  force  him  to  it ;  he  answered 
nothing  would  force  him.  Then  he  asked  him  whether  he  had  any 
such  promise  from  her,  as  he  gave  out  ?  In  that,  he  said,  he  would 
not  satisfy  him." 

The  narrative,  which  slightly  rambles,  goes  on  to  state  that 
at  this  point  Digby  attacked  Suckling  with  his  cudgel — the  latter 
never  offering  to  draw  his  sword. 

Digby  was  obliged  by  the  King  to  make  a  very  abject  apology 
afterwards ;  but  from  this  time  forth  there  is  a  slur  resting  on 
Suckling's  courage.  This  slur,  by  which  his  manhood  is  tarnished, 
seems,  on  examination,  to  be  wholly  undeserved. 

Digby  was  the  best  swordsman  of  his  time,  and  besides  was  a 
man  of  great  strength  and  a  habitual  brawler.  That  it  was  his 
intention  to  provoke  Suckling  to  draw  first,  and  thus  give  him  an 
excuse  for  drawing  and  despatching  his  enemy,  which  he  was  both 
strong  enough  and  skilful  enough  to  do,  seems  only  too  evident. 

Suckling  sank  for  a  time  in  the  opinion  of  his  frivolous  friends, 
and  we  hear  of  him  shortly  after  as  taking  seriously  to  pubHc  busi- 
ness, and  as  being  much  employed  by  his  monarch. 

In  1637  Suckling  pubhshed  his  "Sessions  of  the  Poets,"  a 
strikingly  original  work,  which  has  had  hosts  of  imitators  ;  and 
about  the  same  time  appeared  his  "  Account  of  Religion  by  Reason," 
which,  according  to  Dr.  Johnson,  is  remarkable  for  soundness  of 
argument  and  purity  of  expression,  far  exceeding  the  controversial 
writings  of  that  age.  In  the  following  year  he  published  his  chief 
play,  "  Aglaura,"  which  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  play  acted  in 
this  kingdom  with  scenes.  In  1639  appeared  his  tragedy  of 
"  Brenoralt,"  with  its  first  title  of  the  "  Discontented  Colonel,"  and 
which  was  intended  as  a  satire  upon  the  rebels.  But  his  efforts  in 
behalf  of  his  monarch  were  not  confined  to  his  pen.  The  Scottish 
*' League  and  Covenant"  having  ended  in  open  rebellion,  he  re 
solved  on  offering  more  direct  assistance. 

Charles  was  at  this  time  unable  to  carry  on  his  own  cause  froU 
the  want  of  supplies,  and  Suckhng  stood  forward  to  show  his  coun- 
trymen the  duties  of  loyalty  at  such  a  crisis,  and  presented  his 
Majesty  with  a  troop  of  one  hundred  horsemen,  whom  he  clothed 
and  maintained  from  his  own  private  resources. 

The  uniform  adopted  for  this  body  of  men  was  white  doublets 


208  Barsham  Hall. 

with  scarlet  coats,  breeches  and  hats  ;  while  a  feather  of  the  samt 
colour  attached  to  each  man's  bonnet  completed  his  attire.  Aj 
they  had  been  selected  with  great  attention  to  vigour  and  manly" 
appearance,  and  were  well  mounted  and  armed,  this  troop  was  con- 
sidered as  the  finest  sight  "  in  his  Majesty's  "  army.  Raising  this 
troop  is  said  to  have  cost  Suckling  twelve  thousand  pounds. 

The  poet  joined  the  King's  army  on  its  march  to  the  north.  On 
29th  May,  1639,  the  army  arrived  at  Berwick,  carrying  with  it,  says 
Lord  Clarendon,  more  show  than  force.  Another  weak  point  in 
the  expedition  was  that  its  leader,  the  Earl  of  Arundel,  had  no 
claim  to  abihties,  either  military  or  political. 

The  armies  having  come  within  sight  of  each  other,  orders  for 
an  advance  were  given.  The  command  of  the  English  cavalry  had 
been  intrusted  to  Lord  Holland,  who  is  described  by  Sir  Philip 
Warwick  as  "fitter  for  a  show  than  a  field  ;"  and  who  has  further 
been  suspected  of  treachery  to  his  own  cause.  In  any  case  it  has  been 
ascertained  that  he  disgraced  the  king's  troops  by  ordering  a  retreat 
without  striking  a  blow  ;  or,  as  some  have  asserted,  without  having 
even  seen  an  enemy.     The  whole  English  army  broke  into  flight. 

And  although  the  whole  force  laid  itself  open  to  ridicule,  yet  one 
can  understand  how  all  that  ridicule  came  down  on  the  head  ol 
Suckling  alone.  He,  a  wit  himself  and  the  rival  of  wits,  was  per- 
haps the  only  officer  in  the  army  whose  career  was  closely  watched. 
And  then  there  was  so  much  bravery  in  the  dress  of  his  troops — those 
scarlet  runners — and  so  little  bravery  in  the  men  themselves,  that 
on  the  whole  the  subject  was  too  tempting,  too  delicious,  not  to 
overcome  the  sense  of  fairness  and  justice  in  the  mind  of  the 
London  epigrammatists,  and  they  poured  their  contemptuous  verse 
upon  him  mercilessly.  The  ballad  of  Sir  John  Mennis  has  con- 
siderable humour  in  it.  It  ends,  after  describing  Suckling's  un- 
willingness to  get  too  far  in  front,  as  follows — 

"  The  colonell  sent  for  him  back  again, 
To  quarter  him  in  the  van-a  ; 
But  Sir  John  did  sweare  he  wouldn't  come  thcre^ 
To  be  killed  the  very  first  man-a. 

"  To  cure  his  fear  he  was  sent  to  the  rear. 
Some  ten  miles  back  and  more-a. 
Where  Sir  John  did  play  at  trip  and  away, 
And  ne'er  saw  the  enemy  more-a. 

••  But  now  there  is  peace  he's  returned  to  ircreasa 
His  money,  which  lately  he  spent-a  ; 
But  his  lost  honour  must  lie  still  in  the  dust. 
At  Berwick  away  it  went-a." 


Barsham  Hail.  209 

Suckling  was  afterward  prosecuted  on  an  absurd  charge  of  con- 
spiracy and  he  fled  the  country,  convinced  that  the  court  which  had 
shown  its  inability  to  protect  Strafford  was  unable  to  shield  his 
adherents. 

"  The  active  life  of  our  poet,"  concludes  his  biographer,  "was  now 
drawing  rapidly  towards  its  closing  scene.  Time  as  it  rolled  its 
increasing  course  brought  no  prospect  of  a  national  reunion,  while 
the  interdict  against  his  safety  continued  in  full  validity."  Reduced 
at  length  in  fortune  and  dreading  to  encounter  poverty,  his  energies 
gave  way  to  the  complicated  wretchedness  of  his  situation,  and  he 
contemplated  an  act  which  he  had  himself  condemned  in  others. 

He  purchased  poison  of  an  apothecary,  he  swallowed  it,  and  thus 
put  an  end  to  his  life.  Other  accounts  of  his  last  days  have  been 
given  ;  this  one,  however,  is  sanctioned  and  confirmed  by  family 
tradition  based  on  ascertained  fact. 

Thus  perished  prematurely  and  in  a  land  of  strangers  the  accom- 
plished Suckling,  the  darling  of  the  court  he  adorned  and  refined. 
If  he  be  charged  with  want  of  prudence  in  the  direction  of  his 
great  abilities  to  his  own  advancement,  they  were  at  least  ever 
exerted  in  favour  of  the  learned  and  the  deserving.  If  his  earlier 
years  were  stained  by  habits  of  intemperance  and  frivolity,  he 
amply  redeemed  himself  by  the  exertions  of  his  maturer  age.  To  a 
kind  and  amiable  temper  he  united  a  generous  and  friendly  dis- 
position, while  the  proofs  of  his  patriotism  and  loyalty  have  been 
so  fully  developed  that,  with  all  his  imperfections,  he  is  entitled  to 
rank  with  the  most  distinguished  men  of  his  day. 

Sir  John  had  sold  the  property  of  Barsham  to  his  uncle,  Charles 
Suckhng  of  Woodton,  who  appears  as  lord  in  1640,  The  manor 
and  advovvson  remain  with  his  descendants. 


210 


NORFOLK. 

Norwich  Castle. 

Norwijh  18  built  on  an  eminence,  with  the  River  Wensum  flowing  at 
hs  feet,  and  spreads  over  a  large  site,  with  openings  planted  with  trees, 
and  towers  of  churches  surmounting  each  block  of  building,  thus 
recalling  old  Fuller's  description  : — "  Norwich  (as  you  please)  either  a 
city  in  an  orchard,  or  an  orchard  in  a  city."  It  is  not  mentioned  in 
history  before  the  time  of  the  earlier  Danish  invasions.  It  appears  to 
have  risen  gradually  from  the  decay  of  Caistor  or  Castor  St.  Edmunds, 
now  a  small  village,  about  three  miles  south  of  Norwich,  but  anciently 
a  British,  and  subsequently  a  Roman  town  under  the  name  of  Fenta 
Icenorum,    An  old  distich  records  that 

"  Castor  was  a  city  when  Norwich  was  none, 
And  Norwich  was  built  of  Castor  stone." 

During  the  existence  of  the  separate  kingdom  of  the  East  Angles,  their 
kings  had  erected  upon  what  was  then  a  promontory  on  the  shore  of  the 
estuary  of  the  sea,  and  is  now  the  Castle  Hill,  a  royal  fortress.  The 
town  grew  around  the  Castle,  and,  in  the  time  of  Edward  the  Confessor, 
had  1320  burgesses  and  twenty-five  parish  churches;  and  it  may  be 
questioned  if  at  this  time  it  was  exceeded  in  wealth  and  population  by 
any  place  in  England  except  London,  and  perhaps  York. 

The  Castle,  which  stands  on  a  lofty  eminence  in  the  centre  of  the 
town,  bears  evidence  of  Norman  construction,  built  on  the  site  of  a 
strongly  fortified  place  which  existed  long  before  that  period,  and  is 
attributed  to  Uffa,  the  first  King  of  East  Anglia,  about  575 ;  and  the 
fact  of  lands  granted  in  677  to  the  monastery  of  Ely  being  charged  with 
castle  guard  to  Norwich  Castle  is  strong  in  support  of  the  above  con- 
clusion. Mr.  Harrod  has  examined  the  question  of  the  site  with  great 
care,  and  considers  the  earthworks  to  be  British.  The  fortress  was 
built  early  in  the  Conqueror's  reign.  The  hill  was  encircled  with  walls 
and  towers,  of  which  some  remained  in  1581. 

Its  history  is  interesting.  In  the  Conqueror's  time  it  was  entrusted  to 
Ralf  de  Gunder,  Earl  of  Norfolk  ;  but  he  rebelling  against  the  King,  in 
1075,  and  being  defeated,  took  shipping  at  Norwich,  and  fled  into 


Norzvich  Castle,  211 

Bretagnc.  His  wife,  who  valiantly  defended  the  Castle,  was  obliged  to 
capitulate.  The  constableship  of  the  Castle,  with  the  Earldom  of 
Norfolk,  was  then  conferred  on  Roger  Bigot,  or  Bigod,  to  whom,  on 
strong  presumptive  evidence,  the  erection  of  the  present  keep  has  been 
ascribed.  On  the  accession  of  William  Rufus,  the  city  was  damaged  by 
this  Earl  Roger  Bigod,  who  held  the  Castle  for  Robert  of  Normandy, 
William's  eldest  brother.  On  the  peace  of  109 1,  Roger  was  pardoned, 
and  retained  his  office.  In  his  time,  and  probably  by  his  encourage- 
ment, the  bishopric  of  the  East  Angles  was  removed  from  Thetford  ta  \ 
Norwich,  and  the  foundations  of  the  Cathedral  were  laid.  The  Con- 
quest and  the  rebellion  of  Guader  had  materially  injured  the  town,  for  at 
the  Domesday  Sui-vey  the  number  of  burgesses  was  only  half  the 
number  of  those  in  the  Confessor's  time.  Henry  I.  granted  the  citizens 
a  charter,  and  soon  after  this  the  Flemings  began  to  settle  here,  and  in- 
troduced the  worsted  manufacture.  The  Castle  remained  (except  for 
a  short  interval  in  the  reign  of  Stephen)  in  the  hands  of  the  Bigod  family, 
until  the  reign  of  Henry  III.  Hugh  Bigod,  being  in  the  interest  of 
young  Henry,  son  of  Henry  II.,  took  the  city  by  assault  in  11 74,  with 
the  aid  of  a  body  of  Flemish  troops.  Henry  II.,  to  reward  the  loyalty 
of  the  citizens,  who  had  resisted  this  attack,  restored  or  confirmed  their 
privileges  by  a  charter,  which  is  still  extant,  and  which  is  one  of  the 
oldest  in  the  kingdom. 

In  the  time  of  King  John,  Roger  Bigod  having  joined  the  insurgent 
Barons,  Norwich  Castle  was  seized  by  the  King.  Soon  after  John's 
death,  it  was  taken  by  the  Dauphin  Louis,  but  on  the  peace  which  fol- 
lowed his  departure,  it  was  restored  to  the  Bigod  family,  by  one  of 
whom,  about  1224,  it  was  surrendered  to  the  Crown.  It  was  subse- 
quently committed  to  the  charge  of  the  Sheriff  of  Norfolk  and  Suffolk, 
and  made  the  common  prison.  The  area  originally  comprehended  23 
acres.  The  keep,  the  only  part  remaining,  is  no  feet  3  inches  from 
east  to  west,  and  from  north  to  south  92  feet  10  inches ;  height  to  the 
battlements  69  feet  10  inches  ;  it  has  been  recased,  but  in  barbarous 
taste.  When  the  Archaeological  Institute  visited  Norwich  in  1847,  the 
Castle  was  described  as  "  Norman  structure,  recently  re-cased  in  what 
was  called  twenty  years  ago,  good  old  Norman ;  but  now  we  know  a 
good  deal  better,  and  can  see  the  gross  defects  of  this  restoration.  Some 
good  old  genuine  Norman  work  remains  within,  sufficient  to  create  a 
wish  that  the  Castle  itself  had  been  let  alone.  Norwich  Castle  was  of 
A  very  different  character." 


212 


The  Burning  of  Norw^ich  Cathedral  Priory.* 

In  the  Liber  de  Antiquis  Legibus  of  the  Corporation  of  London,  it  is 
related  that  in  August,  1272,  there  happened  at  Norwich  a  certain  most 
grievous  misfortune,  and  among  Christians  unheard  of  for  an  age  :  That 
the  Cathedral  Church  in  honour  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  there  anciently 
founded,  was  completely  destroyed  by  fire,  wilfully  placed,  with  all  the 
houses  of  the  monks  constructed  within  the  cloisters.  And  this  was 
occasioned  by  the  Prior  of  the  monastery  ;  for  with  his  assent  messen- 
gers and  servants  of  the  monks  often  entered  the  city,  abusing  and 
wounding  men  and  women  within  and  without  their  houses,  and  doing 
much  evil.  The  Prior  endeavoured  to  draw  away  men  of  the  commons 
from  the  city.  The  monks  had  every  year  a  fair,  and  it  happened  this 
year  that  about  the  Feast  of  the  Holy  Trinity  the  citizens  coming  with 
their  merchandize  had,  foi  the  most  part,  returned  home  at  the  end  of 
the  fair,  when  the  servants  of  the  monks  wickedly  assaulted  those  who 
remained,  abusing,  wounding,  and  killing  certain  of  them  ;  and  for  this 
they  never  made  any  redress,  but  persevering  in  their  malice  and 
wickedness,  perpetrated  all  sorts  of  evil  against  the  citizens,  who,  not 
being  able  to  bear  it  any  longer,  assembled,  and  prepared  to  arm  them- 
selves to  repel  force  by  force.  When  the  most  detestable  Prior  understood 
this,  he  caused  to  come  from  Yarmouth  who  in  the  time  of  trouble  in 
the  kingdom  had  been  robbers,  ravishers,  and  malefactors ;  all  these 
came  by  water  to  the  monastery,  ascending  the  belfi-ey  where  the  bells 
were  hung,  furnishing  it  with  arms  like  a  camp,  and  thence  they  fired 
with  bows  and  catapults,  so  that  no  one  was  able  to  pass  near  the 
monastery  without  being  wounded.  The  citizens,  seeing  their  violence, 
supposed  those  persons  were  manifestly  evil-doers  against  the  peace  \A 
our  lord  the  King,  who  had  made  a  hostile  camp  in  their  city.  They, 
therefore,  gathered  together,  ordering  men  to  apprehend  and  lead  them 
to  the  King's  Justice,  furnished  themselves;  when  these  persons  ap- 
proached the  closed  gate  of  the  court,  not  being  able  to  anter  by  reason 
of  the  array  oi  men-at-arms  who  defended  it,  raised  a  fire,  and  fiercely 
burned  the  gate.  As  the  fire  waxed  stronger,  the  belfrey  was  burned, 
and  all  the  houses  of  the  monks,  and  also,  as  some  say,  the  Cathedral 
Church,  so  that  all  which  could  be  burned  was  reduced  to  ashes, 
except  a  certain  chapel  which  remains  uninjured.  The  monks,  how- 
ever, and  all  who  were  able,  taking  to  flight,  got  away,  but  certain  men 
were  killed. 

The  King  (Henry  JU.),  when  he  heard  these  most  horrid  rumours, 


The  Burning  of  No  ranch  Cathedral  Priory.       213 

was  greatly  g.ieved  ;  and  in  fiu-y  and  vehement  wrath  proceeded  to  the 
city,  and  when  he  had  arrived,  he  caused  the  suspected  citizens  to  be 
apprehended  and  incarcerated  in  the  Castle.  And  he  caused  men  re- 
maining without  the  city  to  be  summoned,  desiring  on  their  oaths  to 
know  the  truth  of  this  affair ;  and  when  they  presented  themselves 
before  the  King's  Justices  for  this  purpose,  the  Bishop  of  the  place, 
Roger  by  name,  came  forward,  not  falling  short  of  the  wickedness  and 
cruelty  of  his  Prior,  neither  considering  his  religious  vows  nor  his  own 
dignity,  but  lacking  all  religion  and  pity,  desiring  as  far  as  he  could  to 
condemn  the  citizens  to  dwth,  he  before  the  whole  people  excom- 
municated all  who  for  favour,  pay,  religion,  or  pity,  should  spare  any 
of  the  citizens  from  undergoing  trial;  so  that,  after  his  opinion  had 
been  declared,  the  King  would  extend  favour  to  none,  although  he  was 
entreated  by  many  religious  men  within  and  without  the  city.  And  no 
allowance  was  then  made  to  the  citizens,  on  the  ground  that  the  Prior 
and  his  accomplices  were  the  origin  and  cause  of  all  that  misfortune, 
nor  by  reason  of  the  losses  or  evils  which  the  citizens  had  suffered  by 
means  of  the  Prior  and  his  men  ;  but  the  only  inquiry  made  was,  H^ho 
took  part  in  this  conflict  f  And  all  who  were  convicted  of  this  were  by 
the  jurors  condemned  to  death;  and  Laurence  de  Broke,  a  justice  at 
Newgate  for  a  gaol  delivery,  who  was  there  present  acting  as  Judge, 
condemned  about  thirty  young  men  belonging  to  the  city  to  a  most 
cruel  death — namely,  to  be  drawn,  hung,  and  their  bodies  burnt  after 
death.  A  certain  priest  also,  and  two  clerks,  were  clearly  convicted 
of  robbing  in  the  church,  and  they  were  sent  to  the  Bishop  to  be 
judged  according  to  the  custom  of  Holy  Church. 

Afterwards,  by  a  most  truthful  inquest  of  forty  knights,  who  re- 
mained near  the  city,  it  appears  that  the  church  was  burned  by  that 
accursed  Prior,  and  not  by  the  fire  of  the  citizens ;  for  he  had  secretly 
caused  smiths  to  go  up  into  the  tower  of  the  church,  who  made  there 
weapons  and  darts  to  be  cast  by  them  with  catapults  into  the  city ;  and 
when  these  smiths  saw  the  belfry  on  fire  they  fled,  and  did  not  ex- 
tinguish their  own  fire ;  and  as  this  fire  increased,  the  tower  caught 
fire  and  burned  the  church. 

It  appeared  also  that  the  most  wicked  Prior  proposed  to  burn  the 
twhole  city ;  for  which  purpose,  by  his  accomplices,  he  caused  fire  to  be 
raised  in  three  parts  of  the  place.  Certain  of  the  citizens,  however, 
wishing  to  avenge  that  evil,  increased  it  very  grievously,  for  they 
burned  with  the  same  fire  the  gate  of  the  Priory. 

The  wicked  Prior  was  also  convicted  of  homicide,  of  robbery,  and 
wiumerable  other  cruelties  and  iniquities,  perpetrated  by  him  per- 


2 1 4  Thetford  Priory, 

sonally,  or  by  his  iniquitous  accomplices.  Therefore,  the  King  caused 
him  to  be  apprehended,  and  gave  him  into  the  hands  of  his  Bishop,  who 
being  far  too  favourable  to  him,  purged  himself  after  the  ecclesiastical 
manner,  and  so  that  most  wicked  man  (with  shame  be  it  said)  re- 
mained unpunished  for  the  crime  laid  to  his  charge.  Subsequently, 
within  the  next  half-year,  divine  vengeance  overtaking  him,  as  the 
authority  believes,  he  miserably  died. 

This  circumstantial  account  of  the  fire  varies  considerably  from  that 
of  Cotton  as  to  its  actual  causes.  He  says,  on  the  Feast  of  St. 
Lawrence  the  citizens  encircled  and  besieged  the  monastery,  and  when 
by  assault  they  were  unable  to  obtain  ingress,  they  fired  the  great  gate* 
of  the  monastery,  and  beyond  it  a  parochial  church,  which,  with  all 
the  ornaments,  books,  and  images,  and  everything  contained  therein, 
they  burned.  They  also  fired  the  great  house  of  the  almonry,  and 
the  gates  of  the  church ;  also  the  great  belfrey,  which,  together  with  the 
bells,  was  immediately  destroyed.  Certain  of  them  also,  without  the 
tower  of  St.  George,  with  catapults,  threw  fire  into  the  great  belfrey, 
which  was  above  the  choir,  and  by  this  fire  they  bumed  the  whole 
church,  except  the  chapel  of  the  Blessed  Mary,  which  was  miraculously 
preserved.  The  dormitory,  refectory,  strangers'  hall,  infirmary,  with  the 
chapel,  and  almost  all  the  edifices  of  the  court,  were  consumed  by  fire. 

The  difference  between  this  account  and  the  London  narrative  is 
amusing  enough.  Cotton's  (says  Mr.  Harrod)  is,  of  course,  the 
monkish  history  of  it. 


Thetford  Priory. 

Thetford  was,  in  ancient  times,  the  metropolis  of  the  East  Angles: 
it  had  eight  monasteries,  twenty  churches,  and  other  religious  founda- 
tions. When  the  Danes  invaded  England  in  the  reign  of  Ethelred  L, 
they  fixed  their  head-quarters,  a.d.  870,  at  Thetford,  which  they 
sacked.  There  appears  to  have  been  an  Abbey  near  the  town  at  a  very 
early  period,  for  King  Edred,  the  grandson  of  Alftcd  the  Great,  ordered 
a  great  slaughter  to  be  made  of  Thetforda  (as  it  was  then  called),  in 
revenge  of  the  Abbot  whom  they  had  formerly  slain.  The  town  was 
fired  by  the  Danes  a.d.  1004,  and  again  in  loio.  In  the  reign  of  William 
the  Conqueror  the  bishopric  of  East  Angles  was  transferred  to  it  from 
North  Elmham,  but  was  transferred  to  Norwich  in  1094.  After  this 
a  Cluniac  Priory  was  founded  here  by  Roger  Bigod ;  and  twelve 
Cluniac  monks,  with  Malgod  the  Prior  arrived  at  Thetford  in  1104, 
amidst  great  rejoicing,  and  for  three  years,  laboured  hard  at  the  build- 


Thetford  Priory,  2 1 5 

ings  of  the  monastery  adjacent  to  the  church  of  Saint  Mary  the  Great. 
Malgod  was  then  recalled,  and  Stephen,  sent  from  Lewes,  replaced  him ; 
and  disapproving  of  the  site,  with  the  approbation  of  the  founder  and 
the  King,  the  establishment  was  removed  to  the  Norfolk  side  of  the 
Ouse,  the  site  on  which  it  now  stands.  The  founder  died  in  1107, 
and  had  directed  his  body  to  be  buried  in  the  monastery ;  but  the  Bishop 
obtained  it  for  his  own  foundation  at  Norwich,  it  being  a  valuable 
source  of  revenue,  by  masses,  offerings,  and  commemorations  of  so 
great  and  wealthy  a  man  as  the  founder.  In  11 14,  the  monks  removed 
to  their  new  monastery.  Matthew  Paris  tells  a  strange  story  of  the 
Prior  in  1348  ;  he  was  a  Savoyard  by  birth,  and  a  monk  of  Clugny,  and 
declared  himself  a  kinsman  of  the  Queen :  he  invited  his  brothers, 
Bernard,  a  Knight,  and  Guiscard,  a  clerk,  to  come  to  his  house  at  Thet- 
ford :  there  he  remained,  according  to  custom,  the  whole  night,  till 
cockcrow,  eating  and  drinking  with  them,  forgetting  his  matin  devotions  ; 
and  seldom  was  he  present  at  mass,  or  even  little  masses,  or  at  canonical 
hours.  These  gluttonous  persons  swallowed  up  all  the  food  of  the 
monks  in  the  Charybdis  of  the  belly,  and,  afterwards,  when  well  gorged, 
loaded  them  with  insults.  Meanwhile,  a  strife  arose  between  the  Prior 
and  one  of  his  monks,  whom  the  former  swore  should  proceed  on  a 
pilgrimage  with  the  scrip  and  wallet,  when  the  demoniac  monk  drew 
a  knife  and  plunged  it  into  the  Prior's  belly.  The  wounded  Pricr, 
with  the  death-rattle  in  his  throat,  endeavoured  to  rouse  the  monks, 
but  in  vain,  when  the  monk  again  rushed  upon  him,  and  buried  the 
knife  up  to  the  handle  in  his  lifeless  body.  The  assassin  was  secured, 
and  committed  to  prison.  When  the  crime  came  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  King  (Henry  III.),  wonied  by  the  continued  complaints  of  the 
Queen,  he  ordered  the  murderer  to  be  chained,  and,  after  being  deprived 
of  his  eyes,  to  be  thrown  into  the  lowest  dungeon  in  the  castle  of 
Norwich.  These  occurrences  were  talked  of  by  an  enemy  of  the  monks 
as  an  opprobrium  to  religious  men,  one  of  whom  said,  in  reply, 
"  Amongst  the  angels  the  Lord  found  a  rebel ;  amongst  the  seven 
deacons  a  deviator  from  the  right  path ;  and  amongst  the  Apostles  a 
traitor;  God  forbid  that  the  sin  of  one  man  or  of  a  few  should  redound 
to  the  disgrace  of  such  a  numerous  community." 

The  Convent  had  fallen  into  a  bad  state.  Still,  the  Bigods  and  the 
Mowbrays  were  buried  there  ;  and  then  the  Howards,  many  of  which 
noble  family  sleep  within  these  hallowed  walls.  Thomas,  Duke  of 
Norfolk,  strove  hard  to  save  the  Priory  from  suppression,  but  in  vain : 
the  Surrender  deed  was  executed  by  the  Prior  and  twelve  monks,  and 
the  site  and  possession  were  given  to  the  Duke,  who  removed  the  bones 


^16  Rising  Castle. 

and  tombs  ©f  some  of  his  family  from  Thetford  to  Framlingham,  and 
the  building  was  then  abandoned  to  decay.  A  small  etching,  by  Hollar, 
shows  the  ruins  as  they  existed  in  his  time.  Gough  tells  us  how  the 
edifice  was  destroyed  by  rapacious  tenants.  Mr.  Harrod,  F.S.A.,  in 
1854,  was  enabled,  by  excavations  by  subscription,  to  verify  points,  to 
construct  a  large  plan  of  this  noble  Priory.  Among  other  noteworthy 
results  was  the  identification  in  the  choir  of  the  tomb  of  John  Mowbray, 
Duke  of  Norfolk,  who  died  in  1475;  ^^^  ^^^  ht^vi  mistaken  for  the 
tomb  of  Thomas,  Duke  of  Norfolk  ("  Jockey  of  Norfolk"),  killed  on 
Bosworth  Field.  In  the  large  hall  was  the  famous  picture  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  purchased  for  this  Priory  by  the  Lady  Maude  de  Sax- 
mundham,  a  lay  sister  of  the  Convent.  In  the  Scriptorium,  the  erudite 
monk  Brame  may  have  toiled  in  recording  the  marvels  wrought  at  his 
fevourite  shrine;  but  he  is  not  over -credulous  when  he  remarks: 
"There  were  many  of  saints  beside  those  named,  whose  names  and 
merits  God  knows,  but  we,  out  of  regard  for  truths  should  not  presume 
to  mention  '* 


Rising  Castle. 

Of  the  history  of  these  noble  ruins,  Mr.  Harrod  brought  together  a 
large  mass  of  materials  in  1850,  for  his  truthful  Gleanings  among  the 
Castles  and  Convents  of  Norfolk.*  The  village  above  which  the  Castle 
stands  lies  north-east  of  Lynn,  in  a  dreary  country.  The  Castle  is  in  the 
midst  of  stupendous  earthworks,  a  fine  specimen  of  Norman  castrame- 
tation.  Rising  was,  at  the  Conquest,  part  of  the  lordship  of  Snettisham, 
and,  with  other  possessions,  was  forfeited  by  Stigand,  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury.  The  Conqueror  bestowed  them  upon  his  half-brother, 
Odo,  Bishop  of  Bayeux ;  and  on  his  rebellion  against  William  Rufus, 
they  were  granted  to  William  d'Albini,  from  whom  they  descended  to 
his  son,  who  mairied  Adeliza,  the  widow  of  Heniy  I.,  and  to  whom 
the  erection  of  the  Castle  is  usually  attributed,  before  1176;  but 
the  edifice  appears  to  enclose  a  fragment  of  a  more  ancient  building. 
By  tenure  of  this  Castle  the  descendants  of  the  founder  enjoyed  a  third 
part  of  the  customs  of  the  port  of  Lynn  until  the  27th  Henry  III., 
when  the  people  of  Lynn  besieged  the  Earl  in  his  Castle,  and  com- 
pelled him  to  relieve  them  from  his  claim.  An  old  traditional  saying 
declares  that  "Rising  was  a  sea-port  town  when  Lynn  was  but  a 
marsh."    The  trade  was  considerable,  and  the  town  was  incorporated, 

•  To  this  work  of  patient  and  discriminative  research  we  are  largely  indebted 
for  the  details  of  our  Norfolk  Sketches. 


Rising  Castle,  217 

but  the  harbour  being  choked  up  with  sand,  was  deserted,  and  the 
place  fell  to  decay.  Rising  received  the  elective  fi'anchise  in  the  time  of 
William  and  Mary ;  but  the  number  of  voters  having  diminished  to  two 
or  three,  the  franchise  was  taken  away  by  the  Reform  Act. 

The  descent  of  the  Castle  and  Manor  of  Rising  would  occupy  more 
space  than  is  at  our  command.  One  of  its  possessors  was  Robert  de 
Montalt,  a  man  of  note  as  a  warrior  and  statesman,  who  had  a  re- 
markable lawsuit  with  the  Corporation  of  Lynn,  arising  out  of  his 
claims  of  the  tollbooth  and  tolls.  It  was  commenced  6  Edward  II. 
An  assault  on  Robert  and  his  men  had  been  committed  or  permitted 
upon  his  being  in  Lynn,  when  Nicholas  de  Northampton,  with  others, 
with  banners  unfurled,  insulted  the  said  Robert  and  his  men,  pursuing 
him  to  his  dwelling-house,  which  they  besieged,  broke  down  the  doors, 
beat  him  and  his  men,  and  carried  away  certain  arms,  swords,  spurs,  a 
gilt  zone,  purses  with  money,  and  jewels  to  the  value  of  40/.  The 
defendants  led  away  and  imprisoned  his  men,  confined  him  for  two  days, 
and  then  compelled  him  by  fear  of  death  to  release  all  actions  against 
the  Mayor,  to  give  up  the  right  of  appointing  a  bailiff,  to  leave  the 
profits  for  twenty  years  to  them,  &c.  They  afterwards  carried  him  to 
the  market-place,  and  there  compelled  him,  in  the  presence  of  a  mul- 
titude of  persons,  to  enter  into  these  compacts.  The  damage  of  the 
said  Robert  de  Montalt  being  laid  at  100,000  marks.  Judgment  was 
given  in  his  favour,  and  damages  6000/.  awarded,  which,  or  a  composi- 
tion of  4000/.,  they  were  compelled  to  pay  by  instalments,  and  the  town 
was  heavily  taxed  to  raise  these  sums. 

But  the  fact  of  the  gre  test  interest  in  the  annals  of  Rising,  that 
which  casts  a  lurid  light  on  the  history  of  this  Castle,  was  its  posses- 
sion by  the  "  she-wolf  of  France,"  Isabella,  Queen  Dowager  of  England. 
Rising  has  been  usually  pointed  out  as  the  place  of  her  imprisonment 
and  death.  After  Mortimer's  execution,  on  29th  November,  in  the 
fourth  year  of  Edward  III.,  we  are  told  that  "the  Queen  Mother 
was  deprived  of  her  enormous  jointure,  and  shut  up  in  the  Castle  of 
Rising,  where  she  spent  the  remaining  twenty-seven  years  of  her  life  in 
obscurity."  Edward,  however,  paid  her  a  respectful  visit  at  least  once 
a  year,  and  allowed  her  3000/.,  and  afterwards  4000/.,  for  her  annual 
expense.  It  is  remarkable  that  Blomefield,  who  repeats  the  story  ot 
her  twenty-seven  years'  imprisonment,  and  death  at  this  place,  prints, 
but  a  few  pages  further  on.  Letters  Patent  under  her  hand,  dated  from 
her  "  Castle  of  Hertford,"  in  the  20th  year  of  Edward  III.  Miss 
Strickland  quotes  and  adopts  the  account  of  Froissart  much  to  the 
same  effect,  adding  that  "  Castle  Rising  was  the  place  where  Queen 


V^  Rising  Castle, 

Isabella  was  destined  to  spend  the  long  years  of  her  widowhood  ;'*  that 
"during  the  first  two  years  her  seclusion  was  most  rigorous,  but  in 
1332  her  condition  was  ameliorated,"  and  quotes  a  notice  of  a  "  Pil- 
grimage to  Walsingham"  from  the  Lynn  Records.  Miss  Strickland's 
account  concludes  thus:  "Isabella  died  at  Castle  Rising,  August  22, 
1358.  3ged  sixty-three.  She  chose  the  Church  of  the  Grey  Friars, 
where  the  mangled  remains  of  her  paramour,  Mortimer,  had  been 
buried  eight-and-twenty  years  previously,  for  the  place  of  her  interment ; 
and  carrying  her  characteristic  hypocrisy  even  to  the  grave,  she  was 
buried  with  the  heart  of  her  murdered  husband  on  her  breast.  King 
Edward  issued  a  precept  to  the  Sheriffs  of  London  and  Middlesex, 
November  20,  to  cleanse  the  streets  from  dirt  and  all  impurities,  and 
to  gravel  Bishopsgate  Street,  Aldgate,  against  the  coming  of  the  body 
of  his  dearest  mother,  Queen  Isabella,  and  directs  the  officei-s  of 
Exchequer  to  disburse  9/.  for  that  purpose.  Isabella  was  interred  in  the 
choir  of  the  Grey  Friars  within  Newgate,  and  had  a  fine  alabaster  tomb 
erected  to  her  memory." — {Lives  of  the  Queens  of  England,  vol.  i.) 

Such  is  one  account  of  this  miserable  woman's  end;  but  Mr.  A.  H. 
Swatman,  in  1850,  expressed  his  belief  that  she  was  not  a  prisoner  at 
Rising,  for  that  he  found  she  occasionally  travelled  to  other  parts  of  the 
kingdom,  even  to  London ;  that  she  had  been  at  Northampton,  Wal- 
singham, and  Langley ;  and  that  the  King,  her  son,  visited  her  with  his 
Queen  in  the  eighth  year  of  his  reign,  and  again  in  the  following  year, 
when  many  presents  of  pipes  of  wine,  barrels  of  sturgeon,  falcons,  and 
other  things  were  made  by  the  Commonalty  of  Lynn  for  the  King's  enter- 
tainment ;  and  that  the  absence  of  all  notice  on  the  Lynn  rolls  of  pre- 
parations for  her  funeral,  led  him  to  the  conclusion  that  she  did  not  die 
at  Rising. 

Mr.  Harrod  quotes  a  series  of  extracts  from  Patent  Rolls,  which  are 
lew  materials  in  the  Queen's  life;  but  we  must  pass  on  to  1344,  when 
Queen  Isabella  was  with  the  King  and  Queen  at  the  Palace  of  Norwich, 
where  the  King  celebrated  his  birthday ;  as  were  the  Earls  of  Derby, 
Warwick,  Arundel,  Northampton,  Suffolk,  and  many  more  barons  and 
knights;  and  there  they  had  an  enormous  pie,  nuondrously  large! 
[Chronicle  of  a  Norfolk  Priory^  (qu.  Langley  ?)  of  which  only  a  very 
modem  copy  exists,  in  the  Harleian  MSS.  2188.]  She  obtained  the 
next  year,  for  the  city  of  Norwich,  a  grant  of  the  fee  of  the  Castle  and 
>ther  privileges.  The  Charter  was  scaled  by  the  King  at  Hertford 
(one  of  her  own  castles).  Finally,  we  have  an  Inquisition  taken  at 
Salisbury,  after  her  death,  which  states  that  she  died  at  the  Castle  of 
Hereford,  the  23rd  of  August,  in  the  32nd  Edward  III. 


Rising  Castle,  219 

Mr.  Bond,  F.S.A.,of  the  British  Museum,  next  communicated  additional 
information  relating  to  Queen  Isabella  to  the  Society  of  Antiquaries: 
this  being  the  Queen's  Household  Book,  from  October,  1357,  to  her 
death,  during  all  which  period  she  was  at  Hertford  Castle ;  the  entries 
are  continued  until  the  household  was  broken  up,  in  December,  1358. 

Rising  Castle  (which  in  general  style  is  Norman,  and  having  a  resem- 
blance to  that  of  Norwich  Castle)  is  erected  within  a  nearly  circular 
space,  enclosed  by  a  large  bank  and  ditch ;  the  entrance  being  by  pass- 
ing over  a  bridge,  and  through  a  Norman  gatehouse.  Of  the  numerous 
buildings  that  once  filled  the  space  within  the  lofty  bank — towers,  chapels, 
halls,  galleries,  stables,  granaries,  &c. — nothing  now  remains  but  the 
great  tower,  or  keep  (which  has  walls  three  yards  thick),  the  chapel, 
and  the  gatehouse;  and  part  of  the  Constable's  lodgings,  a  brick 
building  of  Henry  the  Seventh's  time:  the  walls  and  towers,  which 
formerly  crowned  the  bank,  are  gone.  The  great  hall,  gallery,  and 
chamber,  where  Queen  Isabella  entertained  her  son  and  his  Court,  are 
nearly  gone.  The  Castle,  like  many  of  our  Norman  fortresses,  must  have 
been  suffered  to  fall  to  decay  at  a  very  early  period ;  for,  about  the 
22nd  Edward  IV.,  it  was  reported  that  there  was  never  a  house  in  the 
Castle  able  to  keep  out  the  rain-water,  wind,  or  snow.  In  Elizabeth's 
reign  the  viewers  stated  that  for  spear  and  shield,  for  which  the  Castle 
was  originally  erected,  it  might  with  considerable  repairs,  be  maintained. 

The  Norman  windows  of  the  great  tower  do  not  appear  to  have  ever 
been  glazed,  but  furnished  with  shutters  within.  The  fireplace  was  a 
low  arch  with  no  flue,  and  the  smoke  must,  therefore,  have  made  its 
way  through  a  lantern  in  the  roof.  There  is  an  apartment  which  Mr. 
Harrod  considers  may  have  been  intended  for  the  private  room  of  the 
Lord  of  the  Castle,  if  he  were  driven  into  this  last  hold  of  the  great 
tower,  such  as  occurred  in  the  reign  of  Henry  III.;  and  most  gloomy 
and  dismal  must  this  tower  have  been  when  roofs  and  floors  shut  out 
the  light  of  day  ;  the  effect  of  it  is  massive,  stern,  and  appropriate.  Mr. 
Han-od  concludes  his  learned  Essay  with  the  following  lines,  little 
doubting  that  many  generations  may  yet  appreciate  its  beauties,  and 
study  amidst  its  walls  the  history  of  those  early  days  they  recall  ani 
illustrate : 

••  Thou  grey  magician,  with  thy  potent  wand, 
Evok'st  the  shades  of  the  illustrious  dead  ! 
The  mists  dissolve— uprise  the  slumbering  years-* 
On  come  the  knightly  riders,  cap-a-pie — 
The  herald  calls, — hark  to  the  clash  of  spears  ! 
To  Beauty's  Queen  each  hero  bends  the  knee ; 
Dreams  of  the  past,  how  exquisite  ye  be — 
Offspring  of  heavenly  faith  and  rare  antiquity  l" 


220 


Castle  Acre  Castle,  and  Priory. 

In  the  village  of  Castle  Acre,  about  four  miles  from  Swafiham,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river  Nar,  are  seen  the  earthworks  and  the  mouldering, 
ivy-clad  walls  of  this  ancient  fortress.  The  site  was  granted  by  the  Con- 
queror to  William  de  Warenne,  by  whom,  or  his  son,  the  Castle  was 
erected,  and  it  remained  in  this  family  till  the  early  part  of  the  fifteenth 
century.  But  it  had  fallen  to  ruin  in  the  reign  of  Edward  III.,  when 
the  site  of  the  Castle  and  ditches  were  mere  feeding -grounds  for  cattle, 
valued,  with  the  herbage,  at  t^s.  per  annum.  William  de  Warenne  mar- 
ried Gundreda,  a  daughter  of  the  Conqueror :  it  is  stated  that  she  died 
at  this  Castle  in  1085,  but  this  is  not  at  all  certain  ;  she  was  buried  at 
Lewes.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  Castle  Acre  Castle  was  fi-equently 
the  residence  of  the  De  Warennes,  and  that  kingly  visits  were  paid  to 
them  there.  Edward  I.  visited  Acre  several  times ;  the  last  time  in 
1297,  fifty  years  after  which  the  Castle  was  a  ruin.  The  present 
remains  are  two  earthworks,  horseshoe  and  circular.  Of  the  great  gate 
but  little  exists  ;  it  was  massive  and  unadorned.  A  few  foundations  of 
the  habitable  portions  of  the  Castle  are  but  just  discernible.  Mr. 
Harrod,  in  excavating,  reached,  at  a  considerable  depth,  the  walls  of  the 
great  tower;  it  was  very  small,  but  the  north  and  west  walls  were  thirteen 
feet  thick.  The  main  street  of  the  village  is  still  called  Bailey  Street : 
it  was  in  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Constable  of  the  Castle ;  and  hers 
resided  the  numerous  dependents,  the  armourers,  and  other  trader* 
whose  business  was  almost  exclusively  connected  with  the  Castle  ;  and 
similar  exempt  jurisdictions  are  to  be  found  in  almost  every  town  having 
an  ancient  castle.  At  Durham,  the  houses  in  Bailey  Street  were  origi- 
nally held  by  military  tenants,  bound  by  their  tenure  to  defend  the  Castle. 

Bailey  Street,  at  Acre,  was  protected  at  its  north  and  south  extre- 
mities by  a  gateway,  with  tower.  The  northern  one  only  remains. 
Almost  every  house  in  the  neighbourhood  has  some  of  the  stone- work 
of  the  Castle  or  the  Priory  in  its  walls. 

Tnete  is  no  doubt  of  the  fortress  having  been  erected  by  the  Warennes, 
but  did  they  construct  the  enormous  earthworks  ?  Mr.  HaiTod  con- 
siders they  are  not  Norman,  but  Roman,  the  occupation  of  the  site  by 
the  Romans  being  established,  and  Roman  pottery  and  coins  of  Vespa- 
sian, Constantine,  &c.,  have  been  found  here.  Evidence  is  then  quoted 
to  show  that  the  walls  and  earthworks  were  the  works  of  different 
people,  and  that  the  Normans  availed  themselves  of  these  sites  in  conse* 
quence  of  their  strength.    "  And  here,"  says  Mr.  Harrod,  "  we  see  the 


Bromhohn  Priory,  22  \ 

variety  of  interest  afforded  by  the  study  of  archaeology.  Here  is  a  castle, 
of  which  all  interesting  architectural  features  have  been  destroyed ;  but 
probably  from  that  very  cause  our  attention  is  drawn  to  the  remarkable 
character  of  the  earthworks,  and  a  view  of  the  subject  is  presented  to 
our  notice,  which  may  hereafter  be  of  great  use  in  the  investigation  of 
other  remains  of  a  similar  kind." 

We  must  now  glance  at  the  Priory.  Earl  Warenne  founded  a 
priory  of  Gluniac  monks  in  his  Castle  at  Acre,  and  made  it  a  cell  to 
Lewes  Priory.  He  died  in  1089.  The  second  Earl,  finding  the  site 
"  too  little  and  inconvenient,"  gave  the  monks  two  orchards,  all  the 
plough-land  from  the  same  to  his  Castle,  the  moor  under  it,  &c.,  and 
the  Priory  was  rebuilt  on  its  present  site-  One  curious  execution  of  a 
deed  of  gift  to  this  monastery  is  noted.  The  wax  was  put  to  the  grant, 
and  the  parties  bit  the  wax,  instead  of  affixing  a  seal.  There  are  con- 
siderable remains  of  this  religious  house.  The  ruins  of  the  west  front 
of  the  church,  and  the  towers  at  the  angles,  are  of  enriched  Nonnan 
architecture.  The  central  doorway  has  fine  zigzag  and  other  mould- 
ings. The  large  west  Perpendicular  window  has  been  much  mutilated. 
Some  large  columns  of  the  nave — only  one  perfect — the  walls  of  the 
transepts,  remnants  of  conventual  buildings,  of  the  Prior's  house,  and 
the  bam  of  the  monastery — remain.  The  site  within  the  walls  contains 
nearly  thirty  acres.    The  views  of  the  ruins  are  very  picturesque. 

Castle  Acre  has  many  objects  of  interest  for  the  archaeologist ; 
among  which  is  the  Friary,  founded  in  the  reign  of  Edward  HI. 
There  are  in  the  town  several  hostelries  which  belonged  to  the  Priory. 


Bromholm  Priory. — The  Cross  of  Baldwin. — The 
Paston  Family. 
This  Priory  was  founded  for  seven  or  eight  Gluniac  monks  at  Brom- 
holm, in  1 1 13.  It  was  considerably  enlarged  early  in  the  thirteenth 
century.  The  handsome  chapter-house  and  dormitory  were  built  through 
the  acquisition  of  a  valuable  relic,  of  which  Matthew  Paris  gives  a 
particular  account.  "  In  the  same  year  divine  miracles  became  ot 
frequent  occurrence  at  Bromholm,  to  the  glory  and  honour  of  the  life- 
giving  Cross  on  which  the  Saviour  of  the  world  suffered  for  the  re- 
demption of  the  human  race ;  and  since  Britain,  a  place  in  the  middle 
of  the  ocean,  was  thought  worthy  by  the  Divine  bounty  to  be  blessed 
with  such  a  treasure,  it  is  proper,  nay,  most  proper,  to  impress  on  the 
mind  of  descendants  by  what  series  of  events  that  Gross  was  brought 
from  distant  regions  into  Britain. 


222  BromJiohn  Priory, 

"Baldwin,  Count  of  Flanders,  was  from  a  Count  made  Emperor  ol 
Constantinople,  at  which  place  he  reigned  with  vigour  for  many  years. 
It  happened  at  one  time  that  he  was  dreadfully  harassed  by  the  infidel 
kings,  against  whom  he  marched  without  deliberation,  and  on  this 
occasion  neglected  to  take  with  him  the  Cross  of  our  Lord  and  other 
relics  which  always  used  to  be  carried  before  him  by  the  patriarch  and 
bishops  whenever  he  was  about  to  engage  in  battle  against  the  enemies 
of  the  Cross,  and  the  carelessness  he  found  out  on  that  day  by  dreadful 
experience;  for  when  he  rashly  rushed  on  the  enemy  with  his  small  army, 
paying  no  regard  to  the  multitude  of  his  enemies,  who  exceeded  his  own 
army  tenfold,  in  a  very  short  time  he  and  all  his  men  were  surrounded 
by  the  enemies  of  Christ,  and  were  all  slain  or  made  prisoners,  and  the 
few  who  escaped  out  of  the  whole  number  knew  nothing  of  what  had 
happened  to  the  Emperor,  or  whither  he  had  gone. 

"  There  was  at  that  time  a  certain  chaplain  of  English  extraction, 
who,  with  his  clerks,  performed  divine  service  in  the  Emperor's  chapel, 
and  he  was  one  of  those  who  had  the  charge  of  the  Emperor's  relics, 
rings,  and  other  effects.  He,  therefore,  when  he  heard  of  the  death  (for 
all  told  him  he  was  killed)  of  his  lord  the  Emperor,  left  the  city  of  Con- 
stantinople privately,  with  the  aforesaid  relics,  rings,  and  many  other 
things,  and  came  to  England.  On  his  arrival  there,  he  went  to  St, 
Albans,  and  sold  to  a  certain  monk  there  a  Cross  set  with  silver  and 
gold,  besides  two  figures  of  St.  Margaret,  and  some  gold  rings  and 
jewels,  all  which  things  are  now  held  in  great  veneration  at  the  monastery 
of  St.  Albans.  The  said  chaplain  then  drew  from  his  mantle  a  wooden 
Cross,  and  showed  it  to  some  of  the  monks,  and  declared  on  his  oath 
that  it  was  undoubtedly  a  piece  of  the  Cross  on  which  the  Saviour  of 
the  world  was  suspended  for  the  redemption  of  the  human  race  ;  but 
as  his  assertions  ^luere  dishelie'ved  at  that  place,  he  departed,  taking  with 
him  this  priceless  treasure,  although  it  was  not  known.  This  said 
chaplain  had  two  young  children,  about  whose  support,  and  for  the 
preservation  of  whom  he  was  most  anxious,  for  which  purpose  he  offered 
the  aforesaid  Cross  to  several  monasteries,  on  condition  that  he  and  his 
children  should  be  received  among  the  brethren  of  the  monastery  ;  and 
having  endured  repulse  from  the  rich  in  many  places,  he  at  length  came 
to  a  chapel  in  the  county  of  Norfolk,  called  Bromholm,  very  poor,  and 
altogether  destitute  of  buildings*  There  he  sent  for  the  Prior  and  some 
of  the  brethren,  and  showed  them  the  above-mentioned  Cross,  which 
was  constructed  of  two  pieces  of  wood,  placed  across  one  another,  and 
almost  as  wide  as  the  hand  of  a  man  :  he  then  humbly  implored  them 
to  receive  him  into  their  order,  with  the  Cross,  and  the  other  relici 


Bromholm  Priory.  2-i 

whidi  he  had  with  him,  as  well  as  his  two  children.  The  Prior  and  his 
brethren  then  were  overjoyed  to  possess  such  a  treasure,  and  by  the  in- 
tervention of  the  Lord,  who  always  protects  honourable  poverty,  put 
faith  in  the  words  of  the  monk  ;  then  they  with  due  reverence,  received 
the  Cross  of  our  Lord,  and  carried  it  into  their  oratory,  and  with  all 
devotion  preserved  it  in  the  most  honourable  place  there. 

"In  the  year  (1223)  then,  as  has  been  before  stated,  divine  miracles 
began  to  be  wrought  in  that  monastery,  to  the  praise  and  glory  of  the 
life-giving  Cross ;  for  there  the  dead  were  restored  to  life,  the  blind 
received  their  sight,  and  the  lame  their  power  of  walking,  the  skin  of 
the  lepers  was  made  clean,  and  those  possessed  of  devils  were  released 
fi'om  them  ;  and  any  sick  person  who  approached  the  aforesaid  Cross 
with  faith,  went  away  safe  and  sound.  This  said  Cross  is  frequently 
worshipped,  not  only  by  the  English  people,  but  also  by  those  from 
distant  countries,  and  those  who  have  heard  of  the  divine  miracles  con- 
nected with  it." 

"  Such,"  says  Mr.  Harrod,  "were  the  circumstances  of  this  acquisition, 
and  such  the  cause  of  the  prosperity  of  Bromholm."  The  extraordinary 
absence  of  anything  like  reasonable  identity,  even  with  the  Cross  of 
Baldwin,  will  be  immediately  apparent,  and  it  would  be  difficult  to 
believe  it  possible  that  monks  and  people  would  have  been  so  readily 
deluded,  but  that  in  our  own  times  we  have  winking  Virgins,  and  the 
extravagant  farce  of  "  Our  Lady  of  Salsette."  "It  was,  moreover,  con- 
firaied,"  says  Capgrave,  "  by  remarkable  miracles,  no  less  than  thirty-nine 
persons  being  raised  fi'om  the  dead.     Who  could  doubt  after  this  ?" 

The  Paston  family  were  great  patrons  of  this  monastery.  In  1466, 
Sir  John  Paston  died  in  London,  in  the  midst  of  his  fruitless  efforts  to 
recover  Caistor  from  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  who  had  seized  it  in  a  most 
scandalous  manner.  His  body  was  brought  to  Bromholm  for  inter- 
ment, and  there  exists  an  admirable  sketch  of  the  information  contained 
in  a  Roll  of  Expenses :  "  For  three  continuous  days  one  man  was  engaged 
in  no  other  occupation  than  that  of  flaying  beasts,  and  provision  was 
made  of  13  barrels  of  beer,  27  barrels  of  ale,  one  ban-el  of  beer  of  the 
greatest  assyze,  and  a  runlet  of  red  wine  of  15  gallons."  All  these,  how- 
ever, copious  as  they  seem,  proved  inadequate  to  the  demand ;  for  the 
account  goes  on  to  state  that  5  combs  of  malt  at  one  time  and  10  at 
another  were  brewed  up  expressly  for  the  occasion.  Meat,  too,  was  in 
proportion  to  the  liquor ;  the  country  round  about  must  have  been 
Bwept  of  geese,  chickens,  capons,  and  such  small  gear,  all  which,  with 
the  1300  eggs,  20  gallons  of  milk  and  8  of  cream,  and  the  41  pigs  and 
49  calves,  and  ip  "  nete,"  slain  and  devoured,  give  a  fearful  picture  of 


224       The  Priory  of  Our  Lady  of  Waist ngJianu 

the  scene  of  festivity  the  Abbey  walls  at  that  time  beheld.  Amongst 
such  provisions  the  article  of  bread  bears  nearly  the  same  proportion  as 
in  Falstaft's  bill  of  fare.  The  one  halfpenny- worth  of  the  staff  of  life  to 
the  inordinate  quantity  of  sack  was  acted  over  again  in  Bromholm 
Priory ;  but  then,  on  the  other  hand,  in  matter  of  consumption,  the 
torches,  the  many  pounds  weight  of  wax  to  burn  over  the  grave,  and 
the  separate  candle  of  enormous  stature  and  girth,  form  prodigious 
items."  No  less  than  20/.  was  changed  from  gold  into  smaller  coin 
that  it  might  be  showered  amongst  the  attendant  throng,  and  26  marks 
in  copper  had  been  used  for  the  same  object  in  London  before  the 
procession  began  to  move.  A  barber  was  occupied  five  days  in  smarten- 
ing up  the  monks  for  the  ceremony  ;  and  "  the  reke  of  the  torches  at 
the  dirge "  was  so  great  that  the  glazier  had  to  remove  two  panes  to 
permit  the  fumes  to  escape.  The  prior  had  a  cope  called  a  "  fi^ogge  of 
worstede  "  presented  to  him  on  the  occasion,  and  the  tomb  was  covered 
with  cloth  of  gold. 


The  Priory  of  Our  Lady  of  Walsinghanx 

A  ballad  in  the  Pepysian  Collection,  at  Cambridge,  composed  about 

1 460,  gives  a  tradition  of  the  foundation  of  this  celebrated  Priory — a 

chapel  built 

"  A  thousand  complete,  sixty  and  one, 
The  tyme  of  Saint  Edwarde,  King  of  this  region." 

But  this  is  mere  tradition.  The  far-famed  Chapel  of  the  Virgin  was 
founded  by  the  widow  of  Richoldie,  the  mother  of  Geoffrey  de  Favraches. 
By  deed,  Geoffrey,  on  the  day  he  departed  on  pilgrimage  for  Jerusalem, 
granted  to  God  and  St.  Mary,  and  to  Edwy,  his  clerk,  the  chapel  (which 
his  mother^  Richeldis,  had  built  at  Walsingham,  together  with  other  pos- 
sessions, to  the  intent  that  Edwy  should  found  a  Priory  there.  It 
became  one  of  the  richest  in  the  world  ;  and  Roger  Ascham,  when 
visiting  Cologne,  in  1550,  remarks:  "The  three  Kings  be  not  so  rich,  I 
believe,  as  was  the  Lady  at  Walsingham."  Almost  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  Pricry  there  was  one  unceasing  movement  of  pilgrims  to  and 
from  Walsingham.  The  Virgin's  milk,  and  other  attractions,  were 
from  time  to  time  added ;  but  the  image  of  the  Virgin,  in  the  small 
chapel,  "in  all  respects  like  to  the  Santa  Casa  at  Nazareth,  where  th<,' 
Virgin  was  saluted  by  the  angel  Gabriel,"  was  the  original,  and  con- 
tinued to  the  dissolution  of  the  Priory,  object  of  the  pilgrims'  visits  to 
the  Chapel  or  ihrine  of  "  Our  Lady  of  Walsingham,"  which  were  even 


The  Priory  of  Our  Lady  of  Walsingham.       62$ 

more  frequent  than  those  to  the  shrine  of  St.  Thomas  a  Becket,  and 
the  possessions  of  the  Priory  were  augmented  by  large  endowments  or 
costly  presents.  Foreigners  of  all  nations  came  hither  on  pilgrimage ; 
and  several  Kings  and  Queens  of  England,  among  them  Henry  VIII., 
m  the  commencement  of  his  reign,  paid  their  devotions  here.  The 
King  is  saidbySpelman,  the  antiquary,  to  have  walked  to  Walsingham 
barefoot  from  Baseham,  a  distance  of  about  three  miles,  it  being  an  essen- 
tial condition  that  the  pilgrim  should  walk  his  joumey  barefoot. 
Henry  presented  a  valuable  necklace  to  the  image.  Of  this  costly 
present,  as  well  as  the  other  valuable  appendages,  Cromwell,  doubtless, 
took  good  care,  when  he  seized  the  image,  and  burnt  it  at  Chelsea.  It 
is  supposed  that  Henry,  tempted  by  the  riches  and  splendour  of  the 
religious  house  at  Walsingham,  precipitated  their  fall.  Erasmus,  who 
visited  it  in  151 1,  has  derided  the  riches  of  the  chapel.  The  monks 
persuaded  the  people  that  the  Milky  Way  in  the  heavens  was  a  mira- 
culous indication  of  the  road  to  this  place,  whence  it  came  to  be  called 
by  some  "  the  Walsingham  way."  Erasmus  describes  the  church  and 
chapel  in  the  following  terms : — 

"  Osygitij,  The  church  is  graceful  and  elegant ;  but  the  Virgin  does 
not  occupy  it ;  she  cedes  it  out  of  deference  to  her  Son.  She  has  her 
oiun  church,  that  she  may  be  at  her  Son's  right  hand. 

'*  Mendemus,  On  his  right  hand  ?  To  which  point,  then,  looks  her 
Son? 

''Og,  Well  thought  of.  When  he  looks  to  the  west,  he  has  his 
mother  on  his  right  hand.  When  he  turns  to  the  sun  rising,  she  is  on 
the  left.  Yet  she  does  not  even  occupy  this ;  for  the  building  is  un- 
Nuished,  and  it  is  a  place  exposed  on  all  sides,  with  open  doors  and  opep 
V?  ndows,  and  near  at  hand  is  the  Ocean,  the  Father  of  the  winds. 

"  Me.  It  is  hard.     Where  then  does  the  Virgin  dwell  ? 

"  Og.  Within  the  church,  which  I  have  called  unfinished,  is  a  small 
chapel  made  of  wainscot,  and  admitting  the  devotees  on  each  side  by  a 
narrow  little  door.  The  light  is  small,  indeed,  scarcely  any  but  from 
the  wax-lights.     A  most  grateful  fragrance  meets  the  nostrils." 

The  pilgrims  who  arrived  at  Walsingham  entered  the  sacred  precinct 
by  a  low  narrow  wicket.  It  was  purposely  made  difficult  to  pass,  as  a 
precaution  against  the  robberies  which  were  frequently  committed  at 
the  shrine.  On  the  gate  in  which  the  wicket  opened  was  nailed  a 
copper  image  of  a  knight  on  horseback,  whose  miraculous  preservation 
on  the  spot  by  the  Virgin  formed  the  subject  of  one  of  the  numerous 
legendary  stories  with  which  the  place  abounded.  To  the  east  of  the 
gate,  within,  stood  a  small  chapel,  where  the  pilgrim  was  allowed,  for 


226       The  Priory  of  Our  Lady  of  Walsingham, 

money,  to  kiss  a  gigantic  bone,  said  to  have  been  the  finger-bone  of 
St.  Peter.  After  this  he  was  conducted  to  a  building  thatched  with 
reeds  and  straw,  inclosing  two  <wells,  in  high  repute  for  indigestion  and 
headaches ;  and  also  for  the  more  rare  virtue  of  insuring  to  the  votary, 
within  certain  limits,  whatever  he  might  wish  for  at  the  \\vci<ioi drinking 
their  fivaters.  The  building  itself  was  said  to  have  been  transported 
through  the  air  many  centuries  before,  in  a  deep  snow ;  and  as  a  proof 
of  it,  the  visitor's  attention  was  gravely  pointed  to  an  old  bear-skin 
attached  to  one  of  the  beams.  These  "  tweyne  wells,"  called  also  "  the 
Wishing  Wells,"  an  anonymous  ballad  speaks  of: — 

*•  A  chappel  of  Saynt  Laurence  standeth  now  there 
Fast  by,  tweyne  wallys,  experience  do  thus  and  lore ; 
There  she  (the  widow)  thought  to  have  sette  this  chappel, 
Which  was  begun  by  our  Ladle's  counsel. 
All  night  the  wedowe  permayning  in  this  prayer 
Our  blessed  Laydie  with  blessed  minystrys. 
Herself  being  her  chief  artificer, 
Arrered  thys  sayde  house  with  angells  handys, 
And  not  only  rered  it  but  sette  it  there  it  is. 
That  is  tweyne  hundred  foot  more  in  distannce 
From  the  first  place  folks  make  remembraince." 

The  Chapel  of  the  Virgin  we  have  described.  The  celebrated  image 
of  Our  Lady  stood  within  it  on  the  right  of  the  altar.  The  interior 
was  kept  highly  perfumed,  and  illuminated  solely  by  tapers,  which 
dimly  revealed  the  sacred  image,  surrounded  by  the  gold  and  jewels  of 
the  shrine.  The  pilgrim  knelt  awhile  on  the  steps  of  the  altar  in 
prayer,  and  then  he  deposited  his  offering  upon  it,  and  passed  on.  What 
he  gave  was  instantly  taken  up  by  a  priest  who  stood  in  readiness,  to 
prevent  the  next  comer  from  stealing  it  while  depositing  his  own  offering. 
At  an  altar,  apparently  in  the  outer  chapel,  was  exhibited  the  celebrated 
relic  of  the  Virgin's  milk.  It  was  inclosed  in  crystal,  to  prevent  the 
contamination  of  lips, 

"  Whose  kiss 
Had  been  pollution,  aught  so  chaste ;" 

and  set  in  a  crucifix.  The  pilgrims  knelt  on  the  steps  of  the  altar  to 
kiss  it,  and,  after  the  ceremony,  the  priest  held  out  a  board  to  receive 
their  offerings,  like  that  with  which  tolls  were  collected  at  the  foot  of 
bridges.  The  sacred  relic  itself,  Erasmus  says,  was  occasionally  like 
chalk  mixed  with  the  whites  of  eggs,  and  was  quite  solid.  The  image 
of  the  Virgin  and  her  Son,  as  they  made  their  salute,  also  appeared  to 
Erasmus  and  his  friend  to  give  them  a  nod  of  approbation. 
An  incident  of  a  personal  kind  illustrates  the  bigotry  and  intolerance 


The  Priory  of  Our  Lady  of  Walsingham.       ^^7 

which  prevailed  at  these  places.  After  the  ceremony  of  kissing  the 
sacred  milk,  Erasmus  requested  his  friend  to  inquire  for  him,  in  the 
mildest  manner,  what  was  the  evidence  that  it  was  indeed  the  true 
milk.  The  priest  appeared  at  first  not  to  notice  the  question,  but  on 
its  being  repeated,  his  countenance  assumed  an  expression  of  astonish- 
ment and  ferocity,  and  in  a  tone  of  thunder,  he  asked  if  they  had  not 
authentic  inscription  of  the  fact.  From  the  violence  of  his  manner,  they 
expected  every  instant  to  have  been  thrust  out  as  heretics,  and  were  glad 
to  make  their  peace  by  a  present  of  money.  The  inscription  which  he 
referred  to  was  found,  after  much  search,  fixed  high  upon  a  wall,  where 
it  was  scarcely  legible.  They  contrived,  however,  to  read  it,  but 
found  it  to  contain  merely  a  history  of  this  precious  relic  from  the 
tenth  century,  when  it  was  purchased  by  an  old  woman,  near  Constan- 
tinople, with  an  assurance,  from  which  arose  its  fame,  that  all  other 
portions  of  the  Virgin's  milk  had  fallen  on  the  ground  before  they  were 
collected,  while  this  was  taken  directly  from  her  breast. 

Mr.  HaiTod  notes  that  the  relati^re  estimation  in  which  each  of  the 
attractions  was  held  by  pilgrims,  may  be  judged  from  the  offerings 
made  in  the  year  before  the  value  was  taken  by  order  of  Henry  VIII., 
in  1534.  In  the  Chapel  of  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary,  201/.  is.  At  the 
sacred  Milk  of  the  blessed  Virgin,  2/.  2j.  ^d.  In  the  Chapel  of  St. 
Laurence,  8/.  gs,  i\dn 

•'  The  immense  value  of  the  treasures  gathered  about  the  altars  has 
been  already  alluded  to ;  they  included  the  silver  statue,  on  horse- 
back, of  Bartholomew  Lord  Burghcrsh,  K.G.,  ordered  by  his  will,  in 
1369,  to  be  offered  to  our  Lady;  and  King  Henry  VII.,  in  his  life- 
time, gave  a  kneeling  figure  of  himself  in  silver-gilt.  The  Visitors  of 
Henry  VIII.,  as  may  be  imagined,  took  especial  care  of  these  treasures." 

There  are  some  fine  remains  of  the  Convent :  a  richly  ornamented 
door,  supposed  to  have  formed  the  east  end  of  the  conventual  church  ; 
the  western  entrance  gateway  to  the  monastery ;  the  walls,  with 
windows  and  arches  of  the  refectory ;  a  Nonnan  arch  with  zigzag 
mouldings  ;  part  of  the  cloisters,  incorporated  with  the  mansion  of  the 
Rev.  D.  H.  Warner,  remain.  About  his  pleasure-grounds  are 
scattered  detached  portions  of  these  monastic  remains.  The  joint 
excavations  of  Mr.  H.  I.  L.  Warner  and  Mr.  Harrod  have  brought  to 
light  the  west  end  of  the  church,  of  the  Early  English  period,  or  Early 
Decorated.  The  refectory  and  dormitory  crypt  are  pure  Decorated, 
the  west  end  having  a  noble  window.  The  east  end  is  early  Perpen- 
dicular. The  results  in  the  choir  are  its  red  and  yellow  glazed  tile 
pavement,  buttresses,  and  crypt. 


228 


Houghton  Hall. — The  Walpoles. 

Houghton  Hall,  one  of  the  most  magnificent  mansions  in  the 
county  of  Norfolk,  was  built  by  Sir  Robert  Walpole,  the  great  Whig 
minister,  during  his  tenure  of  office,  between  the  years  1722  and 
1 738,  from  the  designs  of  Colin  Campbell,  the  author  of  "  Vitruvius 
Britannicus."  The  original  plans,  however,  were  departed  from, 
and  the  general  effect  of  the  structure  much  improved,  by  Thomas 
Ripley,  an  architect,  who  had  in  early  life  been  employed  as  a 
working  carpenter,  and  who  afterwards  rose  to  position  and  became 
the  prot^gd  of  the  great  Whig  Prime  Minister.  This  architect  has 
been  fortunate  or  unfortunate  enough  to  be  immortalised  in  the 
satire  of  Pope  : — 

••  Heaven  visits  with  a  taste  the  wealthy  fool, 
And  needs  no  rod  but  Ripley  with  a  rule. 
*  *  *  «  * 

So  Ripley,  till  his  destined  space  is  filled, 
Heaps  bricks  on  bricks,  and  fancies  'tis  to  build." 

But,  the  verses  apart,  it  is  undoubted  that  for  many  of  the  finest 
features  of  this  splendid  edifice  we  are  indebted  to  the  artistic  taste 
of  Ripley. 

The  building  consists  of  a  centre  block,  with  wings,  connected  by 
colonnades.  The  main  building  is  quadrangular,  166  feet  square. 
The  basement,  which  is  rustic,  is  ascended  by  a  double  flight  of 
steps,  with  a  balustrade ;  the  pediment  over  the  entrance,  con- 
taining the  arms,  is  supported  by  Ionic  columns ;  the  entablature 
is  continued  round  the  centre,  and  each  angle  of  the  quadrangular 
block  is  crowned  with  a  cupola  and  lantern.  Tuscan  colonnades 
connect  the  offices  with  the  centre,  and  the  whole  frontage  is  450 
feet  in  length.  The  following  amusing  description  of  the  house 
was  given  by  Lady  Hervey,  in  1765  : — "  I  saw  Houghton,  which  is 
the  most  triste,  melancholy,  fine  place  I  ever  beheld.  'Tis  a  heavy, 
ugly,  black  building,  with  an  ugly  black  stone.  The  hall,  saloon, 
and  a  gallery,  very  fine  ;  the  rest  not  in  the  least  so." 

The  house  itself  stands  low,  and  is  surrounded  by  an  ample  park. 
It  was  built  on  the  site  of  an  old  family  mansion,  and  is  surrounded 
with  magnificent  plantations,  which  cover  a  great  space,  and  are 
pierced  by  openings  left  in  many  places  to  let  in  views  of  the 
remoter  woods.  The  propricto"^  has  judiciously  contrived  to  obviate 


Houghton  Hall,  22g 

tlie  effect  of  the  flatness  of  the  country,  and  to  give  an  appearance 
of  unusual  extent  to  his  plantations  by  varying  the  species  of  the 
trees — each  species  forming  a  separate  plantation.  By  this  means 
there  is  a  great  variety  of  foliage,  and  the  various  shades  of  colour 
upon  which  the  eye  rests  as  it  ranges  along  the  vistas  that  pierce 
the  plantations  give  the  impression  of  an  immense  area.  The 
stables  at  Houghton  are  superb,  and  indeed  throughout  the  whole 
establishment  a  harmonious  and  consistent  luxury  and  magnifi- 
cence prevail.  The  furniture  and  decorations  are  all  that  wealth 
can  make  them — even  the  doors  and  window-cases  are  of  maho- 
gany, and  are  gilt. 

The  interior  consists  of  a  suite  of  magnificent  apartments, 
adorned  in  the  most  sumptuous  manner.  "  But  the  house,"  says 
Gilpin,  "  is  not  the  object  at  Houghton — the  pictures  attract  the 
attention."  These  pictures,  the  enjoyment  of  which  was  one  of  the 
principal  solaces  of  Sir  Robert  Walpole  during  the  latter  years  of 
his  life,  when  political  power  had  passed  away  from  him  for  ever, 
were  the  most  celebrated  collection  in  England.  They  are  now  at 
St.  Petersburg,  having  been  sold  in  1779,  by  George,  third  Earl  of 
Orford — the  nephew  of  Horace  Walpole — to  Catherine  of  Russia, 
for  the  sum  of  40,555/.  The  entire  collection  cost  Sir  Robert 
40,000/.,  and  as  the  Empress  of  Russia  acquired  only  a  portion  of 
the  gallery,  the  Orford  family  were  considerably  the  gainers  by  the 
sale.  Writing  about  this  transaction  to  his  friend,  Sir  Horace 
Mann,  Horace  Walpole  says  : — "  When  he  (his  nephew)  sold  the 
collection  of  pictures  at  Houghton,  he  declared  at  St.  James's  that 
he  was  forced  to  it,  to  pay  the  fortunes  of  his  uncles— which 
amounted  but  to  10,000/. ;  and  he  sold  the  pictures  for  40,000/., 
grievously  to  our  discontent,  and  without  any  application  from  us 
for  our  money,  which  he  now  retains,  trusting  that  we  will  not  press 
him,  lest  he  should  disinherit  us,  were  we  to  outlive  him.  But  we 
are  not  so  silly  as  to  have  any  such  expectations  at  our  ages  ;  nor, 
as  he  has  sold  the  pictures,  which  we  wished  to  have  preserved  in 
the  family,  do  we  care  what  he  does  with  the  estate.  Would  you 
believe — yes,  for  he  is  a  madman — that  he  is  refurnishing  Houghton ; 
ay,  and  with  pictures  too,  and  by  Cipriani.  That  flimsy  scene- 
painter  is  to  replace  Guido,  Claude  Lorraine,  Rubens,  Vandyke,"  &c. 
A  descriptive  catalogue  of  this  gallery  was  published  by  Horace 
Walpole,  and  from  it  we  learn  that,  in  the  Breakfast-Parlour,  on 
the  right  as  you  enter  the  house,  was  a  picture  of  hounds,  by 
Wooton ;  a  "  Concert  of  Birds,"  by  Mario  di  Fiori ;  the  "  Prodigal 


ZSO  Houghton  HalU 

Son,"  by  Pordenone ;  a  "  Horse's  Head,"  by  Vandyke  ;  and  a  num- 
ber of  family  portraits.  In  the  Supping  Parlour  were  Romano's 
**  Battle  of  Constantine  and  Maxentius,"  and  a  number  of  family 
and  other  portraits  by  Kneller  and  Jervase.  In  the  Hunting  Hall, 
"  Susannah  and  the  Elders,"  by  Rubens  ;  and  a  "  Hunting  Piece," 
with  portraits.  In  the  Coffee-room  were  a  "  Landscape  with 
Figures,"  by  Swanivelt ;  "  Jupiter  and  Europa,"  after  Guido,  por- 
traits, &c.  In  the  Dining  Parlour,  a  number  of  fine  portraits  by 
Kneller ;  a  "  Stud  of  Horses,"  by  Wouvermans  ;  a  "  Cook's  Shop," 
by  Teniers ;  heads  and  portraits  by  Rubens,  Rembrandt,  Salvator 
Rosa,  Vandyke,  and  Lely.  In  the  Little  Bedchamber  were  portraits 
of  the  first  and  second  wives  of  Sir  Robert  Walpole,  by  Dahl  and 
Vanloo  ;  with  a  "  Conversion  of  St.  Paul,"  by  Paul  Veronese.  In 
the  Little  Dressing-room,  specimens  of  Wooton  and  Claude  Lor- 
raine. In  the  Drawing-room,  which  is  30  feet  long  and  21  feet 
broad,  portraits  by  Vandyke ;  a  "  Sleeping  Bacchus,  with  Nymphs," 
&c.,  by  Jordano ;  "  King  Charles  I.,"  a  whole-length,  in  armour, 
by  Vandyke ;  Henrietta  Maria,  Archbishop  Laud,  Philip,  Lord 
Wharton,  Lady  Wharton,  by  the  same  artist ;  the  sons  of  Sir 
Robert  Walpole,  including  Horace,  the  third  son,  by  Rosalba.  In 
the  Saloon,  a  splendid  apartment,  40  feet  long,  40  feet  wide,  and 
30  feet  high,  and  which  is  hung  with  crimson  flowered  velvet,  a 
number  of  very  fine  sculptures,  vases,  and  bronzes  ;  "  Christ  Bap- 
tized by  St.  John,"  by  Albano ;  the  "Stoning  of  St.  Stephen,"  by 
Le  Soeur ;  "  Holy  Family,"  by  Vandyke,  originally  belonging  to 
Charles  I.  ;  "  Mary  Washing  Christ's  Feet,"  by  Rubens  ;  a  "  Holy 
Family,"  by  Titian,  and  many  others  by  the  best  masters.  In  the 
Carlo  Maratti  Room,  hung  with  variegated  silk,  presented  by  the 
Prince  of  Wales,  and  in  which  there  is  a  table  of  Lapis  Lazuli,  \\ 
inches  thick,  5  feet  long,  and  2  feet  6  inches  wide,  said  to  have 
cost  at  the  rate  of  4/.  an  ounce,  or  18,000/.  in  all,  portrait  of 
Clement  IX.,  and  the  "Judgment  of  Paris,"  and  others,  by  Carlo 
Maratti.  In  the  Dressing-room,  portraits,  by  Vandyke.  In  the 
Embroidered  Bedchamber,  a  "  Holy  Family,"  by  Poussin.  In  the 
Cabinet,  portrait  of  Rubens'  wife,  by  Vandyke  ;  "  Boors  at  Cards," 
by  Teniers ;  "Judgment  of  Paris,"  by  Schiavone  ;  naked  "Venus 
Sleeping,"  by  Carracci ;  "  Boors  Drinking,"  by  Ostade,  &c.  In  the 
Marble  Parlour,  specimens  of  Vandyke  and  Paul  Veronese.  The 
Hall,  a  cube  of  40  feet,  contains  many  pictures  and  other  art 
treasures.  In  the  gallery,  73  feet  long  by  21  feet  high,  were  the 
**  Doctors  of  the  Church,"  a  masterpiece  by  Guido  ;  the  "  Prodigal 


Hottghton  Hall,  231 

Son,"  by  Salvator  Rosa  ;  a  cartoon,  by  Rubens  ;  "  Four  Markets," 
by  Snyders ;  "  Dives  and  Lazarus,"  by  Paul  Veronese,  and  many 
other  memorable  pictures.  Most  of  these  works  of  art  having  been 
transferred  to  Russia,  can  only  instruct  and  delight  us  now  in  the 
form  of  prints  and  copies. 

The  ancient  family  of  Walpole  takes  its  name  from  the  town  of 
Walpole  in  Marshland,  Norfolk,  where  they  were  enfeoffed  of  lands 
belonging  to  the  see  of  Ely.  Jocehne  de  Walpole  was  living  at 
the  place  from  which  the  family  is  named,  as  early  as  the 
reign  of  Richard  I.  Reginald  de  Walpole  was  the  ancestor  of  the 
present  family.  He  lived  in  the  reign  of  Henry  I.  His  son 
Richard  married  Emma,  daughter  of  Walter  de  Havelton  or  Hou- 
ton,  and  after  this  marriage  this  branch  of  the  Walpole  family  con- 
tinued to  reside  at  Houghton. 

Edward  Walpole  married  Lucy,  daughter  of  Sir  Terry  Robsart, 
and  heir  to  Amy  Robsart,  first  wife  to  Sir  Robert  Dudley,  the  great 
Earl  of  Leicester. 

Sir  Edward  Walpole,  Knight  of  the  Bath,  succeeded  to  the 
family  estates  in  1663,  and  was  in  turn  succeeded  by  Robert  Wal- 
pole, who  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Sir  Jeffrey  Burwell,  Knight,  of 
Rougham  in  Suffolk,  Of  this  marriage  was  born  Robert  Walpole, 
the  third  son,  and  the  heir  to  the  Houghton  estates.  He  was  the 
greatest  English  statesman  of  his  age,  and  held  a  most  prominent 
position  at  the  head  of  the  affairs  of  his  country  as  the  prime  minister 
of  George  L  He  was  created  Earl  and  Viscount  of  Orford,  1774. 
He  was  a  man  in  whom  the  love  of  power  was  a  passion  for  the 
gratification  of  which  he  in  several  instances  sacrificed  even  his 
country's  interests.  (2tneta  non  inovere  was  with  him  a  favourite 
maxim.  He  might  have  been  urged  by  every  consideration  of  duty 
and  patriotism  to  rouse  the  "  sleeping  dog  ;"  but,  if  there  was  the 
slightest  chance  of  the  roused  animal  turning  upon  himself,  and 
menacing  that  power  which  he  wielded  so  long  and  on  the  whole 
so  well,  the  cur  might  sleep  for  ever,  so  far  as  Walpole  was  con- 
cerned. His  biographer  questions  the  assertion  that  Walpole  had 
so  little  faith  in  human  integrity  that  he  was  known  on  a  certain 
occasion  to  exclaim,  "  All  men  have  their  price."  Coxe  maintains 
that  the  satirical  remark  was  referable  not  to  men  generally,  but  to 
a  certain  clique  of  venal  politicians  with  whom  the  prime  minister 
was  not  on  very  good  terms  at  the  time.  That  he  acted  as  if  fe 
believed  every  man  could  be  bought  with  a  bribe— that  he  practised 
corruption  on  a  large  scale,  seems  to  be  indisputable.     Yet  he  has 


232  Houghton  Hall, 

this  justification  for  having  recourse  to  bribery,  that  the  age  in 

which  he  Hved  was  one  in  which  honest  political  conviction  had  no 
existence  in  the  British  House  of  Commons.  "  Walpole  governed 
by  corruption,"  says  Macaulay,  "  because,  in  his  time,  it  was  im- 
possible to  govern  otherwise." 

The  character  of  this  most  distinguished  of  the  Lords  of  Hough- 
ton is  thus  summed  up  by  the  most  brilliant  of  our  recent 
historians  : — "  He  had,  undoubtedly,  great  talent  and  great  virtues. 
He  was  not  indeed  like  the  leaders  of  the  party  which  opposed  his 
government,  a  brilliant  orator.  He  was  not  a  profound  scholar  like 
Carteret,  or  a  wit  and  fine  gentleman  like  Chesterfield.  In  all 
those  respects  his  deficiencies  were  remarkable.  His  literature 
consisted  of  a  scrap  or  two  of  Horace,  and  an  anecdote  or  two 
from  the  end  of  the  Dictionary.  His  knowledge  of  history  was  so 
limited  that,  in  the  great  debate  on  the  Excise  Bill,  he  was  forced 
to  ask  Attorney-General  Yorke  who  Empson  and  Dudley  were. 
His  manners  were  a  little  too  coarse  and  boisterous  even  for  that 
age  of  Westerns  and  Topehalls.  When  he  ceased  to  talk  of  politics 
he  could  talk  of  nothing  but  women  ;  and  he  dilated  on  his  favourite 
theme  with  a  freedom  which  shocked  even  that  plain-spoken  genera- 
tion, and  which  was  quite  unsuited  to  his  age  and  station.  The 
noisy  revelry  of  his  summer  festivities  at  Houghton  gave  much 
scandal  to  grave  people,  and  annually  drove  his  kinsman  and 
colleague,  Lord  Townshend,  from  the  neighbouring  mansion  to 
Rainham.  But  however  ignorant  Walpole  might  be  of  general 
history  and  general  literature,  he  was  better  acquainted  than  any 
man  of  his  day  with  what  it  concerned  him  most  to  know,  man- 
kind, the  English  nation,  the  Court,  the  House  of  Commons,  and 
the  Treasury.  Of  foreign  affairs'he  knew  httle  ;  but  his  judgment 
was  so  good  that  his  little  knowledge  went  very  far.  He  was  an 
excellent  parliamentary  debater,  an  excellent  parhamcntary  tacti- 
cian, an  excellent  man  of  business.  No  man  ever  brought  more  in- 
dustry or  more  method  to  the  transacting  of  affairs.  No  minister 
in  his  time  did  so  much,  yet  no  minister  had  so  much  leisure." 

George,  grandson  of  Sir  Robert  Walpole  and  third  Earl  of 
Orford,  was,  after  his  kind,  a  remarkable  man.  In  early  life  he 
was  Lord  of  the  Bedchamber  and  ranger  of  St.  James's  and  Hyde 
Parks  ;  but  he  is  noteworthy  less  for  the  fame  of  his  public  than 
f^  his  private  deeds.  His  uncle  Horace,  somewhat  undutifully 
calls  him  "a  madman"  for  selling  the  Houghton  collection  of 
pictures  ;  but  this  was  the  act  of  a  thrifty  and  sensible  man  com- 


Houghton  Hall.  233 

pared  with  some  of  his  performances.  He  sacrificed  more  time 
and  property  to  practical  or  speculative  sporting  than  any  man  of 
his  age.  Perhaps  his  most  extravagant  and  preposterous  experi- 
ment was  his  training  four  red-deer  stags  to  run  in  a  phaeton.  In 
this  rather  picturesque  feat  he  succeeded  wonderfully  up  to  a  certain 
point.  He  had  reduced  the  deer  to  perfect  discipline,  and  as  he  sat 
in  his  phaeton  and  drove  the  handsome  animals  he,  no  doubt,  fancied 
he  was  performing  no  inconsiderable  achievement.  It  happened, 
however,  that  as  he  was  driving  this  peculiar  team  to  Newmarket, 
on  one  occasion,  a  pack  of  hounds  crossing  the  road  in  their  rear, 
caught  sent  of  the  "  four-in-hand,"  and  at  once  started  off  on  this 
novel  chase  in  full  cry  and  with  "  breast  high "  alacrity.  The  scene 
was  at  once  novel,  ridiculous,  and  tragic — inasmuch  as  it  was  pro- 
bable the  denouement  would  result  fatally  for  his  lordship.  In  vain 
did  the  earl  exert  all  his  skill  as  a  Jehu,  in  vain  did  his  well-trained 
grooms  endeavour  to  get  in  advance  of  the  terror-stricken  game  ; — 
reins,  trammels,  nor  the  weight  of  the  carriage  seemed  to  restrain 
their  speed  in  the  slightest  degree,  and  the  stags  swept  onward  like 
a  whirlwind  with  the  terrified  earl  helpless  in  his  phaeton.  A 
"spill"  was  imminent,  and,  had  it  taken  place,  the  sportsman 
might  have  found  himself  unexpectedly  removed  to  the  "  happy 
hunting  grounds"  of  which  the  coursers  of  the  prairie  speak. 
Luckily,  however,  his  lordship  had  been  in  the  habit  of  driving  his 
"cattle"  to  a  special  inn  at  Newmarket — the  Ram — to  which  he 
was  rapidly  approaching.  To  reach  this  harbour  before  the  hounds 
were  upon  him  was  now  the  subject  of  his  fervent  prayers  and 
ejaculations.  At  last  into  the  inn-yard  the  stags  bounded,  striking 
hostler  and  stable-boy  powerless  with  terror  and  wonder.  In  an 
instant  his  lordship,  the  stags,  and  the  phaeton  were  promiscuously 
bundled  into  a  barn,  just  as  the  hounds  rushed  up  yelling  to  the  gate. 

This  adventure  brought  his  lordship's  experiments  with  deer  in 
the  traces  to  a  close  ;  but  nothing  could  damp  his  ardour  for  sport- 
ing ;  he  was  fated  to  live  and,  as  it  turned  out,  to  die  on  the  turf. 
A  character  so  eccentric  was,  as  might  be  expected,  so  peculiar  in 
his  appearance  as  to  create  general  amusement  in  the  field. 
"  Mounted  on  a  stump  of  a  piebald  pony  (as  broad  as  he  was  long) 
in  a  full  suit  of  black,  without  either  great-coat  or  gloves  ;  his  hands 
and  face  crimsoned  with  cold,  and  in  a  fierce  cocked  hat,  facing 
every  wind  that  blew,  his  lordship  rode,  regardless  of  the  elements 
and  the  sand-gathering  blasts  of  Norfolk." 

Horace  Walpole's  epithet  of  "madman"   was  not  quite  un- 


234  Houghton  HalL 

warranted.  The  earl  was  on  two  occasions  subject  to  mental  aber- 
ration, and  was  placed  under  restraint.  On  the  second  of  these 
occasions  his  general  health  seems  to  have  sunk.  His  sporting 
instincts,  however,  were  as  lively  as  ever,  and  he  fretted  against 
his  confinement,  principally  because  it  debarred  him  from 
coursing.  A  favourite  greyhound  of  his  was,  at  this  time,  to  run  a 
match  of  considerable  importance,  and  the  earl  employed  what 
wits  were  left  him  in  devising  how  he  might  get  free  for  this  one 
day,  see  one  match  more,  and  enjoy  the  triumph  which  he  felt  con- 
fident his  greyhound  Czarina  would  achieve. 

The  day  of  the  match  arrived,  the  gamekeepers  had  led  the  hounds 
to  the  field,  and  a  brilliant  company,  who  lamented  the  absence 
of  their  friend,  the  earl,  and  deplored  its  cause,  assembled.  In  the 
midst  of  such  sympathetic  condolences,  a  stumpy  piebald  pony  was 
observed  to  come  tearing  along  at  its  full  speed  toward  the  place  of 
rendezvous,  and  in  a  moment  more  its  rider  was  seen  to  be  no 
other  than  the  earl  himself.  He  had  contrived  by  some  ruse  to 
prevail  upon  the  keeper  to  leave  the  room  for  a  few  minutes,  when 
he  jumped  out  of  the  window,  saddled  his  faithful  piebald  at  a 
time  when  he  knew  the  grooms  were  engaged  and  out  of  the  way, 
and  now  here  he  was.  And  here  he  determined  to  remain  :  no 
entreaty,  no  warning  against  the  excitement  to  which  he  was  ex- 
posing himself,  would  wile  him  from  the  field  until  the  match  was 
over.  The  greyhounds  then  started,  and,  after  a  famous  run, 
Czarina,  the  earl's  favourite,  won.  But  the  excitement  of  the  race 
and  the  scene,  the  anxiety  for  the  result,  and  the  tumult  of  triurriph 
over  the  success,  proved  too  much  for  the  broken  energies  of  the 
earl.  He  fell  from  his  saddle,  and  almost  immediately  expired. 
The  event  occurred  in  1791. 

The  third  earl  seems  to  have  been  a  man  of  singularly  simple 
manners,  kindly  and  courteous  deportment,  and  winning  address. 
He  was  a  favourite  with  all — literally  from  the  prince  to  the  peasant ; 
for  the  Prince  of  Wales  frequently  visited  at  the  noble  old  mansion  of 
Houghton,  and  used  to  say  that  nowhere  was  there  such  a  profusion 
of  game  of  every  description,  such  a  display  of  attendant  game- 
keepers, such  a  noble  though  plain  hospitahty,  or  a  park  so  curiously 
and  infinitely  stocked  with  every  original  in  beast  and  fowl  of 
almost  all  countries,  from  the  African  bull  to  the  pelican  of  the 
wilderness,  as  at  Houghton. 

As  the  third  earl  never  married,  the  estates  reverted  to  his  uncle 
Horace  Walpole,  who  succeeded  as  fourth  Earl  of  Orford. 


Houghton  Hall.  235 

The  following  letter  written  from  Houghton  by  the  fourth  earl  on 
his  succession  to  the  property  is  at  once  descriptive  of  the  place 
and  of  the  man  : — 

"  Here  I  am  at  Houghton  !  and  alone  !  in  this  spot,  where  except 
two  hours  last  month,  I  have  not  been  for  sixteen  years.  Think 
what  a  crowd  of  reflections  !  No,  Gray  and  forty  churchyards 
could  not  furnish  so  many  ;  nay,  I  know  one  must  feel  them  with 
greater  indifference  than  I  feel  I  possess  to  put  them  into  verse. 
Here  I  am  probably  for  the  last  time  of  my  life,  though  not  for  the 
last  time.  Every  clock  that  strikes  tells  me  I  am  an  hour  nearer 
to  yonder  church — that  church  into  which  I  have  not  the  courage 
to  enter,  where  lies  the  mother  on  whom  I  doted  and  who  doted 
on  me  !  There  are  the  two  rival  mistresses  of  Houghton,  neither 
of  whom  ever  wished  to  enjoy  it !  There,  too,  lies  he  who  founded 
its  greatness,  to  contribute  to  whose  fall  Europe  was  embroiled. 
There  he  sleeps  in  quiet  and  dignity,  while  his  friend  and  his  foe, 
rather  his  false  ally  and  his  real  enemy,  are  exhausting  the  dregs 
of  their  pitiful  lives  in  squabbles  and  pamphlets. 

"The  surprise  the  pictures  gave  me  is  again  renewed :  accustomed 
for  many  years  to  see  nothing  but  wretched  daubs  and  varnished 

copies,  I  look  at  these  as  enchantment In  one  respect  I  am 

very  young,  I  cannot  satiate  myself  with  looking  :  an  incident  con- 
tributed to  make  me  feel  this  more  strongly.  A  party  arrived,  just 
as  I  did,  to  see  the  house,  a  man  and  three  women   in  riding 

di-esses,  and  they  rode  past  through  the  apartment How 

different  my  sensations  !  Not  a  picture  here  but  recalls  a  history ; 
not  one  but  I  remember  in  Downing  Street  or  Chelsea,  where 
queens  and  crowds  admired  them,  though  seeing  them  as  little  as 
those  travellers. 

"  When  I  had  drunk  tea,  I  strolled  into  the  garden  :  they  told 
me  it  was  now  called  '  the  pleasure  ground.*  What  a  dissonant 
idea  of  pleasure  !  Those  groves,  those  alleys,  where  I  have  passed 
so  many  charming  moments,  are  now  stripped  up  or  overgrown  : 
many  fond  paths  I  could  not  unravel,  though  with  a  very  exact  clue 
in  my  memory.  I  met  two  gamekeepers  and  a  thousand  hares  ! 
In  the  days  when  all  my  soul  was  turned  to  pleasure  and  vivacity, 
....  I  hated  Houghton  and  its  solitude.  Yet  I  loved  this  garden 
—as  now,  with  many  regrets,  I  love  Houghton — Houghton,  I  know 

not  what  to  call  it,  a  monument  of  grandeur  or  ruin Ho^t 

wise  a  man  [his  father,  SJi  Robert  Walpole]  at  once  and  how  weak  I 


236  Houghton  HalL 

For  what  has  he  built  Houghton  ?    For  his  grandson  to  annihilate, 

or  for  his  son  to  mourn  over." — H.  W. 

The  affectation  of  philosophic  and  magnanimous  tranquillity 
which  "  inspires"  this  letter  is  most  cleverly  assumed,  even  for 
Horace  Walpole,  the  prince  of  affectors.  The  above  specimen  of 
his  style,  taken  together  with  Macaula/s  masterly  outline  of  his  ^ 
character,  will  give  a  fair  notion  of  what  the  fourth  Earl  of  Orford 
was  like — the  last  Walpole  of  Houghton  of  the  main  line  : — 

"  The  faults  of  Horace  Walpole's  head  and  heart  are  indeed  suffi- 
ciently glaring.  His  writings,  it  is  true,  rank  as  high  among  the 
delicacies  of  intellectual  epicures  as  the  Strasburg  pies  among  the 
dishes  described  in  the  Almanack  des  Gourmands.  But  as  the 
■pdU  defoie-gras  owes  its  excellence  to  the  diseases  of  the  wretched 
animal  which  furnishes  it,  and  would  be  good  for  nothing  if  it  were 
not  made  of  livers  preternaturally  swollen,  so  none  but  an  un- 
healthy and  disorganized  mind  could  have  produced  such  literary 
luxuries  as  the  works  of  Walpole. 

"He  was  the  most  eccentric,  the  most  artificial,  the  most  fastidious, 
the  most  capricious  of  men.  His  mind  was  a  bundle  of  inconsis- 
tent whims  and  affectations.  His  features  were  covered  by  mask 
within  mask.  When  the  outer  disguise  of  obvious  affectation  was 
removed,  you  were  still  as  far  as  ever  from  seeing  the  real  man. 
He  played  innumerable  parts  and  over-acted  them  all.  When  he 
talked  misanthropy,  he  out-Timoned  Timon.  When  he  talked 
philanthropy,  he  left  Howard  at  an  immeasurable  distance.  He 
scoffed  at  courts,  and  kept  a  chronicle  of  their  most  trifling  scandal ; 
at  society,  and  was  blown  about  by  its  slightest  veerings  of  opinion  ; 
at  literary  fame,  and  left  fair  copies  of  his  private  letters,  with 
copious  notes,  to  be  published  after  his  decease  ;  at  rank,  and  never 
for  a  moment  forgot  that  he  was  an  Honourable ;  at  the  practice  of 
entail,  and  tasked  the  ingenuity  of  conveyancers  to  tie  up  his  villa 
in  the  strictest  settlement. 

"The  conformation  of  his  mind  was  such  that  whatever  was  little 
seemed  to  him  great,  and  whatever  was  great  seemed  to  him  httle. 
Serious  business  was  a  trifle  to  him,  and  trifles  were  his  serious 
business.  To  chat  with  blue -stockings,  to  write  little  copies  of 
complimentary  verses  on  little  occasions,  to  superintend  a  private 
press,  to  preserve  from  natural  decay  the  perishable  topics  of 
Ranelagh  and  White's,  to  record  divorces  and  bets,  Miss  Chud- 
Icigh's  absurdities  and  George  Selwyn's  good  sayings,  to  decorate  a 


Houghton  Hall.  237 

grotesque  house  with  pie-crust  battlements^  to  procure  rare  en- 
gravings and  antique  chimney  boards,  to  match  old  gauntlets,  to 
lay  out  a  maze  of  walks  within  five  acres  of  grounds,  these  were  the 
great  employments  of  his  long  life.  From  these  he  turned  to  poli- 
tics as  to  an  amusement.  After  the  labours  of  the  print-shop  and  the 
auction-room,  he  unbent  his  mind  in  the  House  of  Commons. 
And,  having  indulged  in  the  recreation  of  making  laws  and  voting 
millions,  he  returned  to  more  important  pursuits,  to  researches  after 
Queen  Mary's  comb,  Wolsey's  red  hat,  the  pipe  which  Van  Tromp 
smoked  during  his  last  sea-fight,  and  the  spur  which  King  William 
struck  into  the  flank  of  Sorrel." 

One  of  his  strangest  whims  was  that  he  disdained  to  be  consi- 
dered a  man  of  letters.  He  was  horror-struck  at  the  thought  of 
being  classified  with  the  hungry  '  hacks'  who  at  that  time  made  up 
the  rank  and  tile  of  literature.  He  wished  it  to  be  believed  that  he 
never  applied  himself  to  the  acquisition  of  any  knowledge  whatever, 
and  that  which  he  did  know  specially  came  to  him  through  a  sixth 
sense  denied  to  all  the  human  race  but  himself.  He  wished  to  be 
considered  a  gallant,  a  gay  trifler,  who  when  the  mood  was  on  him 
could  write,  and  without  any  labour  could  achieve  results  which  ordi- 
nary mortals  could  only  arrive  at  by  toil  and  assiduous  care.  Yet 
though  he  disclaimed  hterature  as  a  '  profession/  no  man  was 
ever  more  thoroughly  under  a  slavish  dread  lest  what  he  did 
write  should  not  appear  before  posterity  under  all  possible 
advantages.  He  really  stooped  and  grovelled  under  the  oppres- 
sive weight  of  his  literary  responsibilities,  though  he  affected 
to  carry  them  as  lightly  as  a  flower.  The  worst  feature  of  his 
intellectual  and  literary  character  is  that  he  was  consciously  insin- 
cere— that  he  knew  he  was  acting  a  part,  and  that  after  having  met 
the  shadow  '  feared  of  man'  he  would  still  in  his  books  at  least  con- 
tinue to  mime.  Of  natural  impulse  he  was  entirely  free ;  of  conscious 
affectation  and  pretence  he  was  '  all  compact.'  And  it  is  because 
his  works  betray  this  peculiar  idiosyncracy — the  very  last  feature 
he  would  have  permitted  them  to  betray  could  he  have  prevented 
it — that  his  writings  continue  to  amuse  and  entertain,  to  provoke 
us  to  laughter  both  at  him  and  with  him. 

Horace  Walpole,  fourth  Earl  of  Orford,  died  unmarried  in  1797, 
when  all  the  honours  of  the  family  expired,  except  the  barony  of 
Walpole,  which  devolved  upon  the  first  cousin  of  the  last  earl. 
The  estate  of  Houghton  descended  by  inheritance  to  the  family  of 
the  Marquis  of  Cholmondely,  in  which  it  still  remains. 


238 


Holkham  Hall  and  its  Treasures. 

Holkham  Hall  (Haeligham,  "  Holy  Home,")  a  mansion  of  almost 
peerless  magnificence,  as  far  as  its  noble  proportions,  its  gorgeous 
decorations,  and  its  art  and  literary  treasures  are  concerned,  is 
situated  in  the  midst  of  a  spacious  but  level  park,  on  the  northern 
skirt  of  Norfolk,  about  two  miles  from  the  sea  at  Well's  Harbour. 
In  the  words  of  the  inscription  over  the  entrance  to  the  great  hall, 
"  This  seat,  on  an  open,  barren  estate,  was  planned,  planted,  built, 
decorated,  and  inhabited  in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  by 
Thomas  Coke,  Earl  of  Leicester."  The  general  ideas  of  the  plans, 
elevations,  &c.,  were  supplied  by  the  Earls  of  Leicester  and  Bur- 
lington, and  committed  to  the  hands  of  Mr.  Kent,  an  architect,  who 
had  been  encouraged  in  his  studies  at  Rome  by  these  two  gentle- 
men, who  were  then  travelling  in  Italy.  The  maturing  and  finished 
execution  of  the  designs  are  said  to  have  employed  the  chief  atten- 
tion of  the  Earl  of  Leicester  during  the  seven  years  which  he  spent 
in  Italy,  and  the  sources  of  many  features  of  the  plans  were  the 
works  and  the  drawings  of  the  Venetian  Palladio  and  the  English 
Inigo  Jones.  Much  time  and  a  vast  amount  of  money  were  ex- 
pended in  collecting  pictures,  statuary,  vases,  &c.,  for  the  mansion 
that  had  alreidy  risen  only  in  the  mind's  eye  of  the  proprietor. 
The  success  v/ith  which  he  planned  his  palatial  mansion  and  the 
exquisite  taste  which  he  brought  to  the  selection  of  statuary,  &c., 
are  patent  from  an  inspection  of  his  famous  mansion.  The  his- 
torian of  Norfolk  says,  the  Earl  "has  been  enabled  to  leave  to  his 
successors  a  building  the  delight  of  the  present  age,  as  it  promises 
from  the  solidity  of  its  construction  to  be  that  of  posterity.  While 
the  love  of  Roman  arts  and  magnificence  shall  continue  it  must  be 
considered,  indeed,  as  a  permanent  monument  of  the  elegance  and 
the  refined  erudition  of  its  illustrious  founder."  Dallaway,  the 
accomplished  author  of  "  Anecdotes  of  the  Arts  in  England,"  has 
added  his  testimony  to  the  value  in  an  artistic  sense  of  the  labours 
of  the  Earl  of  Leicester.  "  To  the  Earls  of  Orford  and  Leicester," 
he  says,  "we  owe  two  edifices  at  Houghton  and  Holkham  in 
Norfolk  which  greatly  exceed,  both  in  taste  and  magnificence,  any 
that  were  erected  in  the  reign  of  George  II.  Ripley  [see  Houghton], 
so  severly  satirized  by  Pope,  and  who  lost  all  credit  in  his  portico 
at  the  Admiralty,  gave  the  first  plan  of  Houghton,  and  methodized 
the  frequent  alterations  which  were  suggested  by  Lord  Orford  and 


Hoik  ham  Hall  and  its  Treasures,  239 

\iis  friends.  A  very  splendid  pile  is  the  effect  of  their  joint  consul- 
tations. Lord  Leicester  is  said  to  have  imagined  the  whole  of  his 
palace  at  Holkham  in  his  own  mind,  unassisted  by  architects 
Some  credit  is  yet  due  in  the  execution  to  Britingham,  but  more  to 
Kent,  who  designed  the  noble  hall,  terminated  by  a  vast  staircase, 
producing  in  the  whole  an  imposing  effect  of  grandeur  not  to  be 
equalled  in  England." 

It  was  at  first  resolved  to  build  the  external  surface  of  Holkham 
in  Bath  stone,  which  has  a  peculiarly  fine  yellow  tint ;  but  a  brick 
earth  was  found  in  the  neighbouring  parish,  which  after  proper 
seasoning  and  tempering  produced  an  excellent  brick,  much  resem- 
bling Bath  stone  in  colour,  but  heavier,  and  of  a  much  closer  and 
fiiTner  texture.  Of  this  light- coloured  brick  Holkham  House  is 
built.  The  building  was  commenced  by  the  Earl  of  Leicester  in 
1734,  but  the  conception  of  having  a  house  here  was,  even  at  that 
time,  eight  or  nine  years  old.  In  1725  or  1726  the  Earl  resolved  to 
build  a  residence  here,  and  after  having  made  several  purchases  of 
intermixed  land  and  estates  he  began  to  enclose  and  cultivate  the 
land.  The  processes  of  enclosing,  cultivating,  planting,  laying  out 
lawns,  gardens,  water,  &c.,  went  on  for  years,  and  at  last  in  the  year 
named  the  foundations  were  made  on  the  site  of  the  old  manor- 
house  of  Hill  Hall.  The  Earl  died  in  1759,  but  the  completion  and 
the  adornment  of  the  house  was  carried  forward  by  the  Countess  of 
Leicester,  until  everything  was  finished  and  all  embellishments 
perfected  in  1 764. 

The  building  consists  of  a  central  quadrangular  block,  with  four 
wings,  one  at  each  angle,  and  connected  with  the  principal  structure  by 
corridors.  The  principal  floors  of  the  wings  are  thus  in  convenient 
communication  with  the  state  apartments  on  the  one  hand,  or,  on  the 
other,  with  the  lawn  or  the  servants'  offices  below,  on  the  basement 
story.  The  wings  are  seventy  feet  long  by  sixty,  and  each  of  them  is  set 
apart  for  special  uses.  The  strangers'  wing,  exclusively  used  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  visitors  of  the  family,  is  divided  into 
bed-chambers  and  single  and  •  double  dressing-rooms,  and  com- 
municates by  its  corridor  with  the  grand  apartments  at  the  north 
end  of  the  statue  gallery.  The  family  wing,  besides  the  apartments 
usually  occupied  by  the  family,  contains  the  library,  and  two  rooms, 
the  one  for  the  invaluable  collection  of  manuscripts,  the  other  for 
the  earliest  editions  of  the  classics.  The  chapel  wing  contains  the 
chapel,  servants'  sleeping  rooms,  and,  on  the  lower  floor,  the  laundry, 
dairy,  offices,  &c.     The  kitchen  wing  needs  no  description. 


240  Holkham  Hall  and  its  Treasures, 

Under  the  basement  story,  the  exterior  of  which  is  in  rustic-work 
— that  is,  the  joints  of  the  bricks  or  blocks  are  grooved — are  tiiC 
cellars,  &c.,  corresponding  in  size  with  the  rooms  above,  so  that 
the  partition  and  walls,  being  carried  up  directly  from  the  cellar 
floor,  have  a  safe  foundation.  Each  room  here  is  entirely  arched  over 
with  groined  brickwork,  constructed  in  the  most  masterly  style. 

The  mansion  has  two  fronts,  facing  the  south  and  north  respec- 
tively, and  each  presenting  a  view  of  the  house  itself  and  of  the 
two  wings.  The  south  front  is  peculiarly  light,  elegant,  and  har- 
monious in  proportion.  In  its  centre  the  basement  projects,  forming  a 
vestibule  with  a  portico  of  six  Corinthian  pillars.  The  whole  extent 
of  this  front  is  three  hundred  and  forty-four  feet,  and  its  great 
extent,  its  architectural  beauty,  and  the  luxury  of  its  fittings,  it$ 
gilded  window-frames,  &c.,  constitute  an  ensemble  of  great  mag- 
nificence. The  north  front  is  of  the  same  dimensions,  with  a  tier 
of  Venetian  windows  over  another  of  small  square  sashes  in  the 
rustic  basement. 

The  central  part  of  this  famous  house,  one  hundred  and  fourteen 
feet  by  sixty-two,  contains  the  grand  or  state  apartments.  These 
are  not  more  magnificent  and  tasteful  in  the  pictures,  statues,  &c., 
which  everywhere  diffuse  a  classical  and  intellectual  charm,  than 
they  are  in  the  materials  used  in  their  construction  and  in  the  work- 
manship displayed.  The  floors  are  entirely  of  wainscot  oak,  and 
the  chimney-pieces  are  either  in  the  purest  statuary  marble,  or  are 
composite  and  enriched  with  masterly  carved  ornamentation. 

As  the  art  collections  of  Holkham  are  the  chief  attraction  of  the 
place,  we  note  the  principal  apartments  and  enumerate  their  chief 
treasures.  These  treasures  were  carefully  examined  by  the  famous 
Dr.  Waagen,  the  distinguished  art-critic,  and  director  of  the  Royal 
Gallery  of  Pictures,  Berlin.  Of  the  principal  objects  of  art  men- 
tioned below  we  quote  Dr.  Waagen's  opinion. 

The  Hall,  seventy  feet  by  forty-six,  and  forty-three  feet  high,  is  a 
noble  apartment,  the  original  idea  of  which  was  suggested  by  the 
Earl  himself  from  Palladio's  plan  of  a  basilica  or  tribunal  of  justice, 
is  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  a  gallery  leading  to  the  different 
suites  of  apartments,  and  having  a  semi-circular  niche  at  the  upper 
3nd  with  a  flight  of  steps  leading  to  the  saloon.  It  contains,  among 
other  famous  statuary  works,  "Agrippina  the  younger,  mother  of 
Nero;"  "The  Death  of  Germanicus,"by  Nollekens;  "Socrates  Defend- 
ing himself  before  his  Judges,"  by  Westmacott,  and  numerous  family 
portraits.  In  the  Yellow  Dressing-room  is  "The  Triu/noh  of  Galatea/' 


Holkham  Hall  and  its  Treasures,  241 

by  Albano,  a  pleasing  picture,  rich  in  beauty  of  form  and  glowing 
colouring.  The  Parlour  contains  a  large  landscape  by  Claude 
Lorraine,  with  Apollo  and  Marsyas — a  picture  uniting  poetical 
feeling,  depth,  and  fulness  of  colour  in  a  degree  which  is  rare  even 
with  Claude.  The  Saloon  contains  Rubens's  "Flight  into  Egypt,"  and 
a  portrait  by  Vandyke  of  the  Duke  d'Aremberg,  a  noble  and 
princely  picture.  In  the  State-Room  are  landscapes  by  Claude 
Lorraine  and  Poussin,  a  portrait  of  the  Duke  of  Richmond  by 
Vandyke,  and  a  "Joseph  and  Potiphar's  Wife,"  by  Guido  Rcni. 
In  the  Landscape-room  are  specimens  of  Domenichino,  Claude 
Lorraine,  Poussin,  and  other  masters.  In  the  Dressing-room 
to  the  State-bedchamber  is  Annibale  Carracci's  "Polyphemus  Piping 
to  Galatea,"  as  well  as  specimens  of  Snyders  and  Albano.  In  the 
Northern  State-closet  are  admirable  specimens  of  Carlo  Maratti 
and  Canaletto.  In  the  Northern  State  Dressing-room  is  another 
landscape  by  Claude  Lorraine,  with  specimens  of  Luini,  Parmi- 
gianino,  and  others.  In  the  Brown  Dressing-room  is  a  group  of 
nineteen  figures  by  Michael  Angelo,  of  inestimable  value,  the 
subject  being  Florentine  soldiers  bathing,  and  suddenly  called  to 
arms  upon  an  unexpected  attack  made  by  the  Pisans.  The  subject 
gives  the  artist  an  admirable  opportunity  for  showing  his  thorough 
study  of  anatomy  and  foreshortening.  In  Lady  Leicester's  Dress- 
ing-room are  "Joseph  Recognised  by  his  Brethren,"  by  Raphael,  and 
landscapes  by  Poussin  and  Claude.  In  the  Library  of  Manuscripts 
is  a  book  of  thirty-five  leaves  with  drawings  of  architeeture,  for- 
merly in  the  possession  of  Carlo  Maratti  and  believed  to  be  from 
the  hand  of  Raphael.  There  are  also  illuminated  missals  and 
manuscripts  containing  miniature  portraits,  &c. 

In  the  Library,  which  is  equally  rich  in  printed  books  and  MSS., 
are  some  of  the  earliest  specimens  of  typography.  Plere  is  one  of 
the  finest  collections — or,  indeed,  libraries — of  manuscripts  anywhere 
preserved  ;  certainly  the  finest  in  any  private  individual's  possession. 
It  partly  consists  of  the  Chief-Justice's  papers  ;  the  rest,  the  bulk 
of  it,  was  collected  by  the  accomplished  nobleman  who  built  the 
/nansion,  the  last  male  heir  of  the  lawyer.  He  had  spent  many 
years  abroad,  where  he  collected  a  vast  number  of  valuable  manu- 
scripts. Many  of  the  finest  codices  of  the  Greek,  Latin,  and  old 
Italian  classics  are  to  be  found  in  this  superb  collection.  Among 
others  are  no  less  than  thirteen  of  Livy,  a  favourite  author  of  Lord 
Leicester,  whom  he  had  made  some  progress  in  editing,  when  he 
learned  that  Drachenborchius,  the  German  critic,  had  proceeded 


242  Holkham  Hall  and  its  Treasures, 

further  in  the  same  task,  and  to  him  Lord  Leicester  generously 
handed  the  treasures  of  his  library.  The  excellent  edition  of  that 
commentator  makes  constant  reference  to  the  Holkham  manu- 
scripts under  the  name  of  MSS.  Lovellianay  from  the  title  of 
Lovell;  Lord  Leicester  not  having  then  been  promoted  to  the 
earldom.  The  late  Mr.  Coke  had  the  whole  of  the  MSS.  unfolded, 
bound,  and  arranged,  after  they  had  lain  half  a  century  neglected, 
and  were  verging  on  decay.  This  labour  occupied  Mr.  Roscoe  ten 
years,  who  has  to  each  work  prefixed,  in  his  own  fair  handwriting,  a 
short  account  of  the  particular  MS.,  with  the  bibliography  appertain- 
ing to  it.  On  the  whole  it  may  be  affirmed,  that  no  creation  of  modern 
taste  and  opulence  in  this  part  of  the  island  surpasses  Holkham. 

The  park  of  Holkham  is  nine  miles  in  circuit,  and  contains  three 
thousand  two  hundred  acres,  of  which  one  thousand  acres  were 
planted  by  the  first  earl,  who  had  the  gratification  of  seeing  the 
launch  of  a  ship,  at  Lynn,  built  of  oaks  from  acorns  planted  by 
himself.  The  park  abounds  in  game,  the  trees  are  well  massed  and 
grouped,  and  the  lake  near  the  house  is  a  fine  sheet  of  water  about 
a  mile  long.  The  Obelisk,  eighty  feet  high,  erected  in  1729,  is  sur- 
rounded by  ilexes.  The  Leicester  Monument,  erected  in  memory 
of  "  Coke  of  Norfolk,"  in  1845-48,  is  a  lofty  column  surmounted  by 
a  wheaten  sheaf,  with  bassi  relievi  on  the  pedestal  and  figures  sym- 
bolical of  agricultural  operations  at  the  corners.  The  gardens  are 
very  charming,  but  have  no  special  characteristic. 

The  Cokes,  earls  of  Leicester,  are  a  very  ancient  family.  Coke  or 
Cocke  being  the  ancient  British  name  of  a  river,  according  to 
Camden.  The  family  descend  from  a  Coke  of  Didlington  in  Nor- 
folk mentioned  in  a  deed  of  1206,  from  whom  was  descended  Sir 
Edward  Coke,  the  famous  law>'er,  born  in  1549.  He  studied  at 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  entered  as  a  student  in  the  Inner 
Temple,  and  was  called  to  the  bar  in  1578.  Soon  after  he  married 
Bridget,  daughter  of  John  Fasten,  with  whom  he  acquired  a  fortune  of 
30,000/.  An  ancestor  of  his  wife  had  sat  upon  the  bench  with 
Judge  Littleton,  as  a  commentator  upon  whom  Edward  Coke  is 
now  best  known.  He  not  only  acquired  wealth  by  his  first  wife, 
Init  promotion  to  honours  and  preferments.  He  afterwards  married 
tht  Lady  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Thomas  Cecil,  first  Earl  of  Exeter. 
He  was  elected  to  represent  Norfolk  in  Parliament,  and  sub- 
sequently he  was  promoted  by  the  House  to  the  Speaker's  chair. 
He  became  Attorney-General  in  1593,  and  in  that  capacity  acted 
as  Slate  prosecutor  with  unusual  severity  and  roughness  of  manner. 


Holkham  Hall  and  its  Treasures,  243 

He  was  knighted  by  James  I.  at  Greenwich  in  1603,  and  three 
years  after  was  elevated  to  the  bench  as  chief-justice  of  the  Court 
of  Common  Pleas.  In  161 3  he  was  advanced  to  be  chief-justice  of 
the  Court  of  King's  Bench.  In  1628  he  was  elected  member  for 
Bucks,  and  distinguished  himself  for  his  strong  and  eloquent  adhe- 
sion to  the  side  of  the  Commons.  "  His  last  public  act,"  says 
Burke,  "was  his  proposing  and  framing  the  famous  Petition  of 
Rights."  So  great  had  been  his  good  fortune  in  his  marriages,  his 
lucrative  offices,  and  his  splendid  practice  at  the  bar,  that  he  reahzcd 
a  fortune  ample  enough  to  confer  upon  each  of  his  sons  an  estate 
equal  to  that  of  a  rich  peer's  eldest  son. 

The  grandson  of  Sir  Edward  Coke  dying  unmarried,  the  estate 
of  Holkham  fell  to  a  collateral  branch,  Henry  Coke  of  Thorington. 

Sir  Thomas  Coke  of  Holkham  was  elevated  to  the  peerage  in 
1728  as  Baron  Lovel  of  Minster  Level,  and  in  1744  was  created 
Viscount  Coke  of  Holkham  and  Earl  of  Leicester.  His  only  son 
died  in  1759,  when  the  earldom  and  minor  honours  became  extinct. 
The  estate  then  devolved  upon  his  nephew,  Wenham  Roberts,  who 
assumed,  in  consequence  the  surname  and  arms  of  Coke.  "  Coke 
of  Norfolk,"  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  was  the  son  of  the  pre- 
ceding, and  was  created  Earl  of  Leicester  in  1837.  He  died  in  1842. 
It  is  to  this  first  Earl  of  Leicester  (of  the  second  creation)  that  the 
surpassing  beauty  and  wealth  of  the  Holkham  estates  are  due.  He 
had  the  reputation  of  being  the  "  first  farmer  in  England."  On  his 
estate  the  surface  soil  was  sand,  but  below  there  was  marl.  He 
ploughed  deep,  spread  the  marl,  and  changed  the  character  and  the 
value  of  the  soil.  We  find  in  the  "Norfolk  Tour"  that  half  a  cen- 
tury ago  Norfolk  might  be  termed  a  rabbit  and  rye  country.  In  its 
northern  part  wheat  was  almost  unknown.  In  the  whole  tract 
lying  between  Holkham  and  Lynn  not  an  ear  was  to  be  seen,  and 
it  was  scarcely  believed  that  an  ear  could  be  made  to  grow.  Now 
the  most  abundant  crops  of  wheat  and  barley  cover  the  entire  dis- 
trict. It  is  to  the  perseverance  and  judicious  exertions  of  Mr.  Coke 
that  we  are  chiefly  indebted  for  this.  Thousands  of  sheep  and 
oxen  are  now  kept  where  hundreds  only  were  found  formerly. 
This  is  owing  to  turnip  culture,  the  basis  of  Norfolk  farming.  Mr. 
Coke  practised  the  four-course  system,  combined  with  the  drill  for 
sowing  and  "much  ploughing  and  stirring  of  the  soil  to  keep 
down  weeds,"  turnip-growing,  irrigation,  and  spotting  the  sandy 
waste  land  with  small  pieces  of  sward,  which  growing  together  soon 
converted  the  desert  into  a  pasture. 

R  2 


244 


Caistor  Castle. 

Tliis  fortress  is  one  of  the  four  principal  castles  of  Norfolk.  It 
is  situated  about  two  miles  from  Yarmouth,  is  built  of  brick,  and  is 
thought  to  be  one  of  the  oldest  brick  edifices  in  the  kingdom. 
Others  ascribe  its  erection  to  Sir  John  Fastolfe,  an  officer  who 
served  with  great  distinction  in  the  French  wars  of  Henry  V.  and 
VI.  It  afterwards  came  into  the  possession  of  Sir  John  Paston,* 
and  was  twice  besieged  in  the  Wars  of  the  Roses.  An  embattled 
tower  at  the  north-west  corner,  one  hundred  feet  high,  and  the 
north  and  west  walls,  remain  :  but  the  south  end  and  east  sides 
are  levelled  with  the  ground.  Caistor  was  a  place  of  importance- 
thought  to  be  a  Roman  cavalry  station,  and  the  abode  of  the  Kings 
of  East  Anglia,  probably  in  a  castle  of  much  earlier  date  than  the 
above,  where  Edmund  kept  his  court,  as  already  mentioned  in  our 
account  of  Lowestoft. 


*  One  of  the  writers  of  the  celebrated  Pasion  Letters,  the  authenticity  of 
which  has  been  established  as  "a  faithful  guide  through  the  dark  period  to 
which  they  relate," 


245 


HUNTINGDON  AND  CAMBRIDGESHIRE. 

Kimbolton  Castle. 

This  idmous  Castle,  though  ill-naturedly  termed  by  Horace  Walpole 
an  ugly  place,  and  by  dull  topographers  an  "  antient  stone  building," 
has  fortunately  found  a  more  genial  and  appreciative  writer  to  chronicle 
the  chequered  history  of  the  personages  who  have  resided  here,  and 
illustrate  the  autographic  treasures  deposited  within  its  walls,  and  known 
as  the  Kimbolton  Papers.  At  the  commencement  of  the  year  1861, 
Mr.  Hepworth  Dixon  visited  the  Duke  of  Manchester  at  Kimbolton 
Castle,  and,  under  peculiar  advantages,  drew  a  vivid  and  characteristic 
picture  of  the  place,  printed  in  the  Athenaum  for  January,  1861,  and 
of  which  we  have  taken  the  liberty  to  avail  ourselves  for  the  following 
descriptive  information : — 

"  Kimbolton  Castle,  seat  of  the  Duke  of  Manchester,  stands  at  the 
head  of  our  great  flat  or  fen  country,  and  is  the  centre  of  all  the 
histories  and  legends  of  the  shire  of  Huntingdon.  Though  pulled 
about  and  rebuilt  by  Sir  John  Vanbrugh,  the  Castle  has  still  a  grand 
antique  and  feudal  air.  The  memories  which  hang  about  it  are  in  the 
last  degree  romantic  and  imposing.  There  Queen  Katherine  of  Arragon 
died.  There  the  Civil  Wars  took  shape.  Yet  Kimbolton  is  not  more 
rich  in  grand  traditions  than  in  historical  pictures  and  in  historical 
papers.  All  the  Montagus  hang  upon  its  walls, — Judges,  Ambassadors, 
Earls,  and  Dukes.  The  originals  of  very  many  of  Walpole's  Letters 
are  in  its  library.  In  the  same  presses  are  many  unpublished  letters  of 
Joseph  Addison — of  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Marlborough — and  of 
Sir  John  Vanbrugh,  together  with  the  originals  of  a  great  mass  of  cor- 
respondence with  authors,  artists,  generals,  statesmen,  ministers,  and 
kings.  On  this  rich  mine  of  anecdote  and  gossip  (says  Mr.  Dixon)  I 
shall  draw — with  the  Duke's  permission ;  but  my  first  concern  is  with 
the  more  poetical  legends  of  Queen  Katherine  and  Queen  Katherine's 
ghost. 

•*  Kimbolton  is  perhaps  the  only  house  now  left  in  England  in  which 
you  still  live  and  move,  distinguished  as  the  scene  of  an  act  in  one  of 
Shakspeare's  plays.    Where  now  is  the  royal  palace  of  Northampton  ? 


246  Kimboltoft  Castle, 

— ^where  the  baronial  halls  of  Warkworth  ?  Time  has  trodden  under 
foot  the  pride  of  Langley  and  Ely  House.  The  Tower  has  become  a 
barrack,  Bridewell  a  jail.  Ivy  has  eaten  into  the  stone  of  Pomfret. 
Flint  has  fallen  into  the  Dee.  Westminster  Abbey,  indeed,  remains 
much  as  when  Shakspeare  opened  the  Great  Contention  of  York  and 
Lancaster  with  the  dead  hero  of  Agincourt  lying  there  in  state  ;  and  the 
Temple  Gardens  have  much  the  same  shape  as  when  he  made  Plantagenet 
pluck  the  white  rose,  Somerset  the  red ;  but  for  a  genuine  Shakspearian 
house,  in  which  men  still  live  and  love,  still  dress  and  dine,  to  which 
guests  come  and  go,  in  which  children  frisk  and  sport,  where  shall  we 
look  beyond  the  walls  of  Kimbolton  Castle  ? 

"  Of  this  Shakspearian  pile  Queen  Katherine  is  the  glory  and  the  fear^ 
The  room  in  which  she  died  remains.  The  chest  in  which  she  kept  her 
clothes  and  jewels,  her  own  cipher  on  the  lid,  still  lies  at  the  foot  of  the 
grand  staircase,  in  the  gallery  leading  to  the  seat  she  occupied  in  the 
private  chapel.  Her  spirit,  the  people  of  the  Castle  say,  still  haunts 
the  rooms  and  corridors  in  the  dull  gloaming  or  at  silent  midnight.  In 
the  Library,  among  a  mass  of  loose  notes  and  anecdotes  set  down  in  a 
handwriting  unknown  to  me,  but  of  the  last  century,  I  one  day  found  a 
story  of  her  in  her  early  happy  time,  which  is,  I  think,  singularly  pretty 
and  romantic.    Has  it  ever  been  in  print  ?  ^ 

"  The  legend  told  in  this  unknown  hand— whether  truth  or  fable- 
runs  in  this  wise : — In  the  bright  days  of  Katherine's  wedded  love,  long 
before  Hal  had  become  troubled  in  his  conscience  by 

•The  gospel  light  that  shone  in  Boleyn's  eyes,' 

Montagu,  her  Master  of  the  Horse,  fell  crazily  in  love  with  her.  Not 
daring  to  breathe  in  her  chaste  ear  one  word,  or  even  hint  this  passion 
for  her  by  a  glance  or  sigh,  the  young  gallant  stifled 

•  The  mighty  hunger  of  the  heart/ 

only  permitting  himself,  from  time  to  time,  the  sweet  reward  of  a  gentle, 
as  he  thought  imperceptible,  pressure  of  the  Queen's  hand  as  she  vaulted 
to  her  mare  for  a  ride,  or  descended  after  her  sport  with  the  falcon. 
That  tender  touch,  as  light  as  love,  as  secret  as  an  unborn  hope,  sent  the 
warm  soft  blood  of  youth  careering  through  his  veins  ;  but  the  passionate 
and  poetic  joy  was  too  pure  to  last.  Katherine  felt  the  fire  that  touched 
her  fingers ;  and  as  the  cold  Spanish  training,  which  allows  no  pressure 
of  hands  between  the  sexes,  or  indeed  any  of  those  exquisite  and  inno- 
cent familiarities  by  which  the  approach  of  love  is  signalled  from  heart 
to  heart  in  more  favoured  lands,  gave  her  no  clue  to  the  strange 


Ramsey  Abbey,  and  its  Learned  Monks.  ^Al 

behaviour  of:  her  Gentleman  of  the  Horse,  she  ran  with  the  thoughtless 
gaiety  of  a  child  to  ask  counsel  of  the  King. 

"Tell  me,  sir,"  says  the  Queen,  "what  a  gentleman  in  this  country 
means  when  he  squeezes  a  lady's  hand  ?  " 

"Ha,  ha  !"  roars  the  King,  "  but  you  must  first  tell  me,  chick,  docs 
any  gentleman  squeeze  your  hand  ?" 

*'  Yes,  sweetheart,"  says  the  innocent  Queen ;  "  my  Gentleman  of 
the  Horse." 

Montagu  went  away  to  the  wars.  An  attack  was  about  to  be  made 
on  the  enemy's  lines,  and  the  desperate  young  Englishman  begged  to 
have  the  privilege  of  fighting  in  the  fi'ont.  Gashed  with  pikes,  he  was 
carried  to  his  tent ;  and  in  the  blood  in  which  his  life  was  fast  oozing 
away  he  wrote  these  words  to  the  Queen — 

'  Madam,  I  die  of  your  love.' 

"  When  the  poor  Queen  herself,  many  years  after  the  date  of  this 
remarkable  incident,  came  to  Kimbolton  Castle  to  die,  it  was  the 
property  of  the  Wingfields,  not  of  the  Montagus.  The  present  family 
were  not  her  jailers,  nor  are  they  thought  to  be  in  any  way  obnoxious 
to  the  regal  shade.  To  them  the  legend  of  her  haunting  spirit  is 
a  beautiful  adornment  of  their  home. 

"  There  are,  in  popular  belief,  two  ghosts  at  the  Castle  and  the  sur- 
rounding Park :  one  of  the  unhappy  Queen  ;  one  of  the  stern  Judge, 
Sir  John  Popham,  whose  fine  old  portrait  hangs  in  the  great  hall. 
Katherine  of  Arragon  is  said  to  haunt  the  house,  to  float  through  and 
through  the  galleries,  and  to  people  the  dark  void  spaces  with  a 
mysterious  awe  ;  Sir  John  to  sit  astride  the  Park  wall  or  lie  in  wait  for 
rogues  and  poachers  under  the  great  elms.  The  poetical  interest  centres 
in  the  Queen." 

Mr.  Dixon  thus  describes  the  Queen's  Chamber,  the  room  in  which 
she  died,  where  a  panel  leads  to  what  is  called  her  hiding-places.  "  Mere 
dreams,  no  doubt,  but  people  here  believe  them.  They  say  the  ghost 
glides  about  after  dark,  robed  in  her  long  white  dress,  and  with  the 
royal  crown  upon  her  head,  through  the  great  hall,  and  along  the  cor- 
ridor to  the  private  chapel,  or  up  the  grand  staircase,  past  the  Pellegrini 
cartoons." 

Ramsey  Abbey,  and  its  Learned  Monks. 

Ramsey,  ten  miles  from  Huntingdon,  derives  its  origin  from  a 
Benedictine  Abbey,  founded  on  an  island  or  dry  spot  in  the  marshes, 
called  Ram's  ey — ix.  Ram's  Island,  in  the  reign  of  Edgar,  a.d.  969,  on 


248         Ramsey  Abbey,  and  its  Learned  Monks. 

land  given  by  Ailwine,  duke  or  earl  of  the  East  Angles,  and  founded  at 
the  instigation  of  Oswald,  successively  Bishop  of  Worcester  and  Arch- 
bishop of  York.  The  Abbey  obtained  great  wealth  and  repute. 
Many  of  the  abbots  and  monks  were  men  of  considerable  learning.  A 
school,  almost  coeval  with  the  Abbey  itself,  was  established  within  its 
walls,  and  became  one  of  the  most  celebrated  seats  of  learning  in 
England  during  the  latter  part  of  the  tenth  century,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Abbo,  one  of  the  foreign  monks  whom  Oswald  had  brought 
hither  fi'om  Fleury.  The  libraiy  was  celebrated  for  its  collection  of 
Hebrew  books,  previously  belonging  to  the  synagogues  at  Stamford  and 
Huntingdon,  and  purchased  at  the  confiscation  of  the  Je\\'^'  property 
in  England,  in  the  reign  of  Edward  I.,  by  Gregory  Huntingdon,  a 
monk  of  the  Abbey:  Robert  Dodford, another  monk,  was  also  eminent 
for  his  attainments  in  Hebrew ;  and  a  third,  Robert  Holbeach,  of  the 
time  of  Henry  IV.,  profiting  by  the  labour  of  his  predecessors,  com- 
piled a  Hebrew  Lexicon.  The  Reformation  broke  up  the  library,  and 
inteiTupted  the  studies  that  had  distinguished  this  secluded  spot  in  the 
dark  ages.  The  Abbots  of  Ramsey  were  mitred.  The  only  remains 
of  the  Abbey,  which  stood  not  far  from  the  church,  are  the  ruined 
gateway,  a  rich  specimen  of  Decorated  EngUsh  architecture,  but  in  a 
very  dilapidated  condition ;  and  a  statue  of  Earl  Ailwine,  the  founder, 
supposed  to  be  one  of  the  most  ancient  pieces  of  sculpture  extant. 

St.  Ives,  six  miles  east  of  Huntingdon,  derives  its  name  fi'om  Ivex 
or  St.  Ives,  a  Norman  ecclesiastic,  said  to  have  visited  England  as  a 
missionary  about  a.d.  600,  and  whose  supposed  remains  were  dis- 
covered here  some  centuries  afterwards.  On  the  spot  where  they  were 
found,  the  Abbots  of  Ramsey,  to  whom  the  manor  belonged,  first 
built  a  church,  and  then  a  Priory,  subordinate  to  Ramsey  Abbey,  which 
priory  remained  till  the  Dissolution.  The  dove-house  and  barn  of  the 
ancient  Priory  are  yet  standing.* 


•  An  incident,  illustrative  of  the  age,  took  place  at  Warboys,  in  this  county, 
near  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  cliildren  of  Robert  Throckmorton, 
Esq.,  having  been  afflicted  by  fits  of  a  peculiar  kind,  and  the  lady  of  Sir  Henry 
Cromwell  having  died  after  experiencing  similar  fits,  a  family  named  Samwell, 
consisting  of  an  old  man,  and  his  wife  and  daughter,  (Agnes,)  were  charged 
with  bewitching  them  ;  and  having  been  found  guilty  at  the  Lent  Assizes.  A.D. 
1593,  were  executed.  They  are  traditionally  known  as  "the  Witches  of  War- 
boys."  Sir  Henry  Cromwell,  to  whom  as  lord  of  the  manor  their  goods  were 
forfeited,  gave  them  as  an  endowment  for  ever  for  preaching  an  annual  sermon 
at  Huntingdon,  against  the  sin  of  witchcraft ;  and  the  sermon  continual  to  be 
preached  long  after  the  statutes  against  witchcraft  were  repealed. 


249 


Castles  of  Cambridge  and  Ely. 

The  first  well  authenticated  fact  relating  to  the  history  of  Cambridge 
IS  the  burning  of  it,  together  with  the  monasteries  of  Ely,  Soham,  and 
Thorney,  and  the  slaughtering  of  the  monks  by  the  Danes,  in  revenge 
for  the  death  of  Leofric.  In  875  Cambridge  was  the  head-quarters  of 
the  Danes,  under  Guthrum,  who  remained  there  a  twelvemonth.  In 
10 10  Cambridge  was  again  destroyed  by  the  Danes.  Whilst  the  Isle 
of  Ely  was  held  against  William  the  Conqueror  by  the  English  nobility, 
that  monarch  built  a  Castle  at  Cambridge — Grose  says  in  the  first 
year  of  his  reign  :  Ordericus  Vitalis  says  in  1068.  In  1088,  Cambridge 
shared  the  fate  of  the  county  in  being  laid  waste  with  fire  and  sword 
in  the  cause  of  Robert  Curthose.  King  John  was  at  Cambridge  on 
the  1 6th  of  September,  12 16,  about  a  month  before  his  death.  On 
his  departure  he  entrusted  the  defence  of  the  Castle  to  Jules  de  Brent, 
but  it  was  soon  after  taken  by  the  Barons  ;  and  after  the  King's  death 
a  Council  was  held  at  Cambridge  between  the  Barons  and  Louis  the 
Dauphin.  In  1249  we  have  the  first  notice  of  great  discord  between 
the  townsmen  of  Cambridge  and  the  scholars  of  the  University.  Upon 
the  first  symptoms  of  an  approaching  war  between  King  Charles  and 
his  Parliament,  the  University  of  Cambridge  demonstrated  their 
loyalty ;  but  in  1643,  Cromwell,  who  had  twice  represented  the  borough, 
took  possession  of  the  town  for  the  Parliament,  and  put  in  it  a  garrison 
of  1000  men.  In  August  1645,  the  King  appeared  with  his  Army  before 
it,  and  the  heads  of  the  University  voted  their  plate  to  be  melted  down 
for  the  King's  use  ; — but  we  have  no  account  of  any  siege  or  assault 
upon  the  town  ;  nor  does  anything  occur  which  connects  it  with  the 
civil  history  of  the  country  from  that  to  the  present  time.  The  Castle, 
which  is  said  to  have  been  erected  on  the  site  of  a  Danish  fortress,  was 
suffered  to  go  to  decay  at  least  as  early  as  the  reign  of  Henry  IV. ; 
all  that  remains  of  the  ancient  buildings  is  the  gatehouse. 

Among  the  troubles  of  Ely,  we  find  that  in  1 01 8  the  monks  who 
went  to  the  battle  of  Assendune  to  pray  for  their  countrymen,  were 
all  massacred  by  the  Danes.  And  in  1037,  at  Ely,  died  in  prison, 
Alfred,  the  eldest  son  of  Ethelred  II.,  whose  eyes  had  been  put  out  by 
order  of  Harold  I. 

When  William  the  Conqueror  invaded  England,  the  most  obstinate 
resistance  which  he  experienced  was  in  the  Isle  of  Ely.  William, 
designing  to  take  the  Isle,  built  a  Castle  at  Wisbeach  and  a  fortress  at 
Reche,  and  invested  the  Isle  by  land  and  water,  but  was  forced  to 
retire.   Hereward  le  Wake,  son  of  Leofric  lord  of  Brunne  (Bourne  ?) 


250  Castles  of  Cambridge  and  Ely, 

in  Lincolnshire,  had  been  banished  in  early  life  for  his  violent  temper ; 
and  having  signalized  his  valour  in  foreign  parts,  was  in  Flanders  when 
the  battle  of  Hastings  was  fought  in  1066.  Hearing  that  his  paternal 
inheritance  had  been  given  to  a  Norman  and  his  mother  ill-used,  he 
returned  to  England,  and  commenced  hostilities  against  the  usurper  of 
his  patrimony.  The  Isle  of  Ely  was  his  central  station,  and  he  built 
on  it  a  wooden  Castle,  which  long  retained  his  name.  William 
iurrounded  the  island  with  his  fleet  and  army,  attempting  to  make  a 
passage  through  the  fens  by  solid  roads  in  some  parts  and  bridges  in 
others ;  and  either  awed  by  the  superstition  of  the  times,  or  wishing  to 
make  it  subsei-vient  to  his  interests,  he  got  a  witch  to  march  at  the  head 
of  his  Army  and  try  the  effect  of  her  incantations  against  Hereward. 
The  Anglo-Saxon,  no  way  daunted,  set  fire  to  the  reeds  and  other 
vegetation  of  the  fens,  and  the  witch  and  the  troops  who  followed  her 
perished  in  the  flames.  The  actions  of  Hereward  became  the  theme 
of  popular  songs,  and  the  Conqueror's  own  Secretary,  stated  to  be 
Ingulphus,  has  penned  his  eulogium.  During  his  warfare  against  the 
Normans,  his  camp  was  the  refuge  of  the  friends  of  Saxon  indepen- 
dence. Morcar,  Earl  of  Northumbria,  Stigand,  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, Ellgwin,  Bishop  of  Durham,  and  others  repaired  to  him.  The 
defence  of  the  Isle  lasted  till  1074,  and  the  Conqueror  penetrated  at  last 
only  by  virtue  of  a  compact  with  the  monks  of  Ely,  whose  land 
beyond  the  island  he  had  seized.  Hereward,  unsubdued,  contrived  to 
make  his  peace  with  the  King,  obtained  the  restoration  of  his  inheri- 
tance, and  died  quietly  in  his  bed. 

In  the  Civil  Wars  of  Stephen  and  the  Empress  Maud,  the  Bishop  of 
Ely,  who  supported  the  latter,  built  a  wooden  Castle  at  Ely,  and 
fortified  the  Castle  of  Aldreth,  (in  Haddenham  parish,)  which  appears 
to  have  commanded  one  of  the  approaches  to  the  Isle.  In  11 40 
it  was  attacked  by  the  army  of  King  Stephen,  who  went  himself  with  a 
fleet  of  small  vessels  to  Aldreth,  entered  the  island,  and  marched  to  Ely ; 
but  it  was  retaken,  about  the  year  1142,  by  the  Bishop;  and  two 
years  after  the  Earl  of  Essex,  having  gone  over  to  the  Empress  Maud, 
had  the  Castles  of  Aldreth  and  Ely  for  his  charge.  He  committed 
many  depredations  on  the  King's  demesnes,  and  lost  his  life  at  the  siege 
of  Burwell  Castle.  The  Isle  afterwards  suffered  much  from  the  ravage 
of  war,  and  from  famine  and  pestilence,  the  consequence  of  these 
hostilities. 

In  the  Civil  War  between  John  and  his  Barons,  the  Isle  was  twice 
ravaged  by  the  King's  troops :  first,  under  Walter  de  Baneck,  with  a 
party  of  Brabanters,  who  entered  the  Isle  opposite  Hcrebie,  and  plundered 


The  Isle  of  Ely :  its  Monastery  and  Cathedral.  251 

the  monastery.  Afterwards  it  was  attacked  by  Fulk  de  Brent,  the 
King's  favourite,  who  had  been  appointed  governor  of  Cambridge 
Castle,  and  his  confederates.  This  was  about  the  year  1216.  About 
the  same  time,  the  Barons  took  Cambridge  Castle,  and  the  King  march- 
iflg  into  Cambridgeshire,  did,  as  Holinshed expresses  it,  "hurt  enough;" 
hut  on  the  King's  retreat,  the  Barons  recovered  the  Isle  of  Ely,  except 
une  Castle,  probably  that  at  Ely.  In  the  troubles  which  marked  the 
dose  of  the  reign  of  Henry  III.,  the  Isle  was  again  the  scene  of  contest. 
It  was  taken  and  fortified  by  the  Barons,  who  ravaged  the  county,  and 
took  and  plundered  Cambridge,  and  established  themselves  in  the  Isle  of 
Ely,  which  they  fortified.  In  1266-7,  the  King,  joined  at  Cambridge 
by  Prince  Edward,  with  a  Scottish  army  of  30,000  men,  marched  his 
forces  to  Windsor,  when  the  Barons  entered  the  town,  burnt  the  King's 
house,  and  threatened  Barnwell  Priory,  but  their  patrons  the  Peeches 
saved  it.  Prince  Edward  took  the  Isle  of  Ely  almost  without  oppo- 
sition. 

♦ 

The  Isle  of  Ely:  its  Monastery  and  Cathedral. 

According  to  Bede,  the  word  Ely,  which  was  given  to  the  large 
district  of  fens  in  which  the  city  is  situated,  as  well  as  the  city  itself,  is 
derived  from  Elgee  or  Elig,  an  eel,  and  consequently  has  reference  to 
the  abundance  of  eels  in  the  neighbourhood.  But  most  antiquaries 
derive  the  appellation  fi-om  Helig,  a  British  name  for  the  willow,  which 
grows  in  great  numbers  in  the  Isle,  and  hence  it  was  called  Willoiv 
Island.  "  Such  secluded  and  inaccessible  retreats  were  commonly 
chosen  by  the  Saxons  for  security  when  the  open  parts  of  the  country 
were  overrun  with  armies.  The  *  hardy  outlaw,'  Hereward,  the  last  of 
the  Saxons  who  held  out  against  William  of  Normandy,  retreated  upon 
Ely  ;  and  a  party  of  the  Barons,  after  the  loss  of  the  battle  of  Evesham, 
here  made  their  last  resistance  to  Edward." — (Mackenzie  Walcott,  M.yl.) 
'  Ely  is  a  city  and  county  of  itself,  and  the  seat  of  a  bishop's  see.  The 
foundation  of  its  magnificent  Cathedral  is  due  to  the  piety  of  St.  Ethel- 
dreda,  who  was  bom  at  a  small  village  called  Exning,  near  Newmarket, 
about  the  year  630.  The  early  part  of  her  life  she  devoted  to  the 
cloister.  About  the  year  652  she  mamed,  at  the  solicitation  of  her 
parents,  Toubert,  a  nobleman  of  East  Anglia.  By  this  marriage,  the 
Isle  of  Ely  fell  to  her  as  a  dowry ;  and  thither,  on  the  death  of 
Toubert,  which  occurred  about  three  years  after  their  espousal,  she 
retired  to  her  former  pious  meditations.  She  subsequently  married 
Egfride,  son  of  the  King  of  Northumberland,  and,  by  this  alliance. 


2  52  The  Isle  of  Ely :  its  Monastery  and  Cathedral, 

eventually  became  Queen.  She  then  withdrew  from  Court,  with  the 
sanction  of  the  King,  took  up  her  abode  in  the  Abbey  of  Goldington, 
took  the  veil,  and  at  length  retired  to  Ely,  and  laid  the  foundation  of 
her  church  and  monastery,  over  which  she  reigned  Abbess  about  six 
years.  Her  pious  life  and  gentle  sway  endeared  her  to  all  around  her ; 
and  she  died  universally  honoured,  A.D.  679,  leaving  the  Isle  of  Ely  as 
an  endowment  to  this  convent.  Her  sister  Sexberga  succeeded  her,  and 
lived  twenty  years  as  Abbess.  This  lady  was  followed  by  her  daughter 
Enninilda,  who  was  succeeded  by  her  daughter  Werberga.  Little  is 
known  after  this  of  the  heads  of  the  convent  for  a  number  of  years. 

During  the  repeated  incursions  of  the  Danes  the  monastery  was 
ruined ;  it  was  pillaged,  its  sacred  walls  were  destroyed,  and  its  inmates 
put  to  the  sword.  At  this  period  the  Danes  were  enabled  to  sail  their 
ships  close  up  to  the  v/alls  of  the  town,  the  river  being  much  deeper ;  in 
fact,  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  an  arm  of  the  sea.  One  of  the  oldest 
songs  extant  is  a  war  lyric  of  these  Northmen,  which  relates  that  they 
heard  the  monks  of  Ely  singing  their  hymns  as  they  were  sailing  round 
the  walls  at  night.  The  site  is  rendered  famous  by  the  old  ballad  of  King 
Canute: — 

"  Merrily  sang  the  monks  within  Ely 

When  Canute  the  King  rowed  thereLj  ; 

(Row  me,  Knights,  the  shore  along, 

And  listen  to  these  monks'  song.") 

About  the  year  970  it  was  rebuilt  by  Ethelwold,  Bishop  of  Win- 
chester, who  converted  it  into  a  monastery,  and  provided  it  with  monks, 
to  which  King  Edgar  and  many  succeeding  monarchs  gave  great  privi- 
leges and  grants  of  land,  so  that  the  Abbey,  in  process  of  time,  became 
one  of  the  richest  in  England.  The  charter  of  King  Edgar  was  con- 
firmed by  Canute  and  Edward  the  Confessor,  and  subsequently  by 
the  Pope.  The  Isle  was  gallantly  defended  against  William  the  Con- 
queror; but  after  repeated  attacks  the  inhabitants  were  obliged  to 
surrender.  Many  of  them  were  put  to  the  sword,  and  most  of  the 
valuable  furniture  and  jewels  of  the  monastery  were  seized ;  but  through 
the  firmness  of  Theodwin,  who  had  been  made  Abbot,  the  property  was 
restored.  The  monastery  was  successively  governed  by  nine  Abbots ; 
the  ninth  being  Simeon,  the  founder  of  the  present  structure — that  is  to 
say,  of  the  choir,  transepts,  central  tower,  and  a  portion  of  the  nave. 
These  portions  were  begun  A.D.  1083  ;  but  Simeon  did  not  live  to  sec 
them  finished.  They  were  completed  by  his  successor,  Abbot  Richard. 
Of  this  work  it  is  ascertained  that  little  more  than  the  lowest  stoiy  of 
the  transept  remains. 


The  Isle  of  Ely:   its  Monastery  and  Cathedral  253 

Richard,  the  eleventh  Abbot,  wishing  to  free  himself  of  the  Bishop  of 
Lincoln,  within  whose  diocese  his  monastery  was  situated,  and  not 
liking  so  powerful  a  superior,  made  great  interest  with  King  Henry  I. 
to  get  Ely  erected  into  a  bishopric,  and  spared  neither  purse  nor  prayers 
to  bring  this  about.  He  even  brought  the  Bishop  of  Lincoln  to  consent 
to  it,  by  giving  him  and  his  successors  the  manors  of  Bugden,  Biggles- 
wade, and  Spalding,  which  belonged  to  the  Abbey,  in  lieu  of  his 
jurisdiction ;  but  he  lived  not  to  taste  the  fruits  of  his  industry  and 
ambition,  for  he  died  before  his  Abbey  was  erected  into  a  see;  his 
successor  was  the  first  Bishop  of  Ely.  The  lands  of  the  monastery 
were  divided  between  the  bishopric  and  the  monks,  and  the  monastery 
K2,%  governed  by  the  Lord  Prior.  But  the  great  privileges  the  Bishop? 
enjoyed  during  a  long  succession  of  years  were  almost  wholly  taken 
away  or  much  restricted  during  the  reign  of  Henry  VI H.,  who  granted 
a  charter  to  convert  the  conventual  church  into  a  cathedral.  The 
structure  is  the  workmanship  of  many  different  periods,  and  displays  a 
singular  mixture  of  various  styles  of  architecture,  but,  taken  as  a  whole, 
it  is  a  noble  work.  The  most  ancient  part,  as  we  have  seen,  is  the 
transept,  which  was  erected  in  the  reigns  of  William  Rufus  and 
Henry  L 

From  the  roof  of  King's  College  Chapel,  at  Cambridge,  the  distinctive 
west  tower  (270  feet  high)  and  central  lantern  of  the  present  cathedral 
are  plainly  discernible.  The  western  transept  forms  a  magnificent 
vestibule  to  the  church.  Unhappily,  the  northern  portion  has  either 
fallen  or  been  demolished :  it  was  perfect  until  the  Reformation.  The 
interior  is  truly  magnificent,  with  its  perspective  of  a 

••  Pile,  large  and  massy,  for  decoration  built ; 
With  pillars  crowded,  and  the  roof  upheld 
By  naked  rafters,  intricately  crossed, 
Like  leafless  underboughs,  'mid  some  thick  grove, 
All  withered  by  the  depth  of  shade  above." 

Among  the  relics  is  one  of  the  latter  part  of  the  seventii  century, 
part  of  the  sepulchral  cross  of  Ovin,  Steward  to  Queen  Etheldreda. 

At  a  short  distance  south  from  the  cathedral  are  the  buildings  of  the 
old  conventual  church,  in  a  wonderful  state  of  preservation,  having 
perfect  all  the  characteristics  of  the  age  in  which  it  is  recorded  to 
iiave  been  erected  by  St.  Etheldreda,  in  673. 


254 


Cambridge  and  its  Colleges. 

The  town  of  Cambridge  (the  "  bridge  "  over  the  "  Cam  ")  covers 
a  space  of  level  ground  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  which  forms 
part  of  its  name.  Its  situation  is  not  so  striking  and  picturesque  as 
that  of  Oxford ;  but  its  stately  buildings,  varying  in  height  and 
outline,  and  relieved  and  contrasted  by  groups  and  avenues  of 
magnificent  trees,  themselves  an  evidence  of  the  taste  and  care  of  the 
early  authorities,  and  of  the  prosperity  under  which  the  town  has 
grown,  are  features  that  must  ever  give  to  the  town  a  distinctively 
beautiful  character.  Here,  as  at  Oxford,  the  University  overshadows 
and  eclipses  the  town — all  interests  are  merged  in  that  of  classical 
culture. 

The  time  at  which  the  University  was  first  established  at  Cam- 
bridge remains  uncertain.  Here  Henry,  the  youngest  son  of  the 
Conqueror,  studied  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  won  for  himself  the 
honourable  name  of  Beauclerk  ;  but  no  record  remains  of  the 
character  of  the  Cambridge  schools,  or  of  their  constitution  during 
the  eleventh  century,  and  we  find  that  whatever  progress  the  place 
had  made  as  a  seat  of  learning  was  checked  by  Robert  de  Montgo- 
mery ("  Mischievous  Montgomery"  as  Fuller  calls  him),  who  ravaged 
the  town  and  county  with  fire  and  sword — "  insomuch  as,  for  a 
time,  the  University  was  wholly  abandoned."  In  order  to  repair 
the  damage  thus  done,  King  Henry  (Beauclerk)  bestowed  many 
privileges  upon  the  town.  He  constituted  Cambridge  a  corporation 
and  fixed  here  the  regular  ferry  over  the  Cam,  "  which  brought 
much  trading  and  many  people  thereunto."  With  the  commercial 
interests  of  the  town  the  interests  of  learning  and  of  the  nascent 
University  flourished  as  a  matter  of  necessity. 

Passing  by  the  records  of  Ingulph  and  his  continuator,  Peter  of 
Blois,  as  scarcely  quite  trustworthy,  we  arrive  at  some  precise  know- 
ledge of  the  condition  of  Cambridge  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  thir- 
teenth century.  By  this  time  scholars  had  assembled  here  and 
were  a  recognised  body.  Writs  were  issued  in  123 1, by  Henry  III., 
at  Oxford,  for  the  regulation  of  the  Cambridge  *'  clerks,"  and  due 
mention  is  made  in  these  documents  of  the  Chancellor  and  Masters 
of  the  University.  By  this  time,  then,  the  germ  of  what  has  since 
become  so  famous  a  school  had  been  planted  and  was  growing 
here,  and  its  organization  was  a  thing  recognised  and  provided  for. 
"  The  townsmen  of  Cambridge,"  says  Fuller,  "  began  now  most 


Cambridge  and  its  Colleges.  255 

unconscionably  to  raise  and  rack  the  rent  of  their  houses  wherein 
the  scholars  did  sojourn.  Every  low  cottage  was  high  valued. 
Sad  the  conditio7i,  ivheii  teaming  is  the  tenant  and  igfiorance  must 
be  the  landlord"  It  came  at  last  to  this  pass,  that  the  scholars, 
wearied  with  exactions,  were  on  the  point  of  departing,  to  find  a 
place  where  they  might  be  better  accommodated  on  more  reasonable 
conditions. 

Out  of  this  miserable  state  of  affairs  arose  the  necessity  for 
students  having  separate  houses  wherein  to  lodge.  At  first  the 
scholars  had  lived  scattered  throughout  the  town,  or  were  gathered 
into  so-called  "  hostels."  The  time  was  now  rapidly  approaching 
when  the  piety,  the  patriotism,  and  the  sympathy  of  wealthy  men 
and  women  with  learning  were  to  induce  them  to  found  colleges  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  Cambridge  scholars. 

Meantime  the  University  was  getting  well  through  the  trials  of 
its  infancy,  being  nursed  and  cherished  in  all  its  sufferings  by  royal 
kindness.  In  1270  Prince  Edward  visited  Cambridge,  and,  learning 
that  frequent  differences  arose  between  the  scholars  and  the  towns- 
men, he  caused  an  instrument  to  be  drawn  up  providing  that  once 
every  year  thirteen  University  men  and  ten  burgesses  were  to  act 
in  concert  in  seeing  that  the  peace  was  faithfully  kept  between  the 
students  and  the  inhabitants. 

Cambridge  was  now  fully  warranted  in  bearing  the  title  of  a  Uni- 
versity. Its  studies  were  universal,  they  extended  to  all  arts  ;  and 
its  students,  no  longer  consisting  of  Englishmen  alone,  now  included 
Scotch,  Irish,  Welsh,  and  foreigners. 

In  1280  there  were  in  Cambridge  thirty-four  hostels  and  twenty 
Inns.  In  the  hostels  students  lived  under  the  rule  of  a  principal 
at  their  own  proper  charges,  before  any  colleges  were  endowed  in 
the  University.  They  were  thus  more  conveniently  accommodated 
than  in  townsmen's  houses,  and  they  hved  either  rent  free  or  paid 
a  small  rent  to  the  chief  of  their  society.  The  only  difference 
between  hostels  and  inns  was  that  the  latter  establishments  were 
smaller.  "  But,"  says  Fuller,  "  as  the  stars  lose  their  light  when 
the  sun  ariseth  ;  so  all  these  hostels  decayed  by  degrees  when  en- 
dowed colleges  began  to  appear  in  Cambridge." 

The  oldest  known  collegiate  foundation  in  Cambridge  is  St. 
Peter's  College,  or,  as  it  is  more  popularly  called,  Peterhouse, 
in  Trumpington  Street,  nearly  opposite  Pembroke  College.  It 
originated  in  an  act  of  private  munificence.  In  1257  Hugh  de 
Balsham,  sub-prior  of  Ely,  purchased  two  hostels,  one  called  St. 


256  Cambridge  and  its  Colleges. 

John's  Hostel  and  the  other  the  Hostel  of  the  Brothers  of  Penance, 
which  he  appropriated  to  the  support  of  certain  scholars  established 
by  him  in  the  Hospital  of  St.  John,  in  company  with  the  religious 
brethren  to  whom  that  foundation  appertained.  In  1284  he  ob- 
tained from  the  King  the  final  licence  to  found  his  college,  and  re- 
moved his  scholars  to  the  hostels  he  had  bought  in  Trumpington 
Street.  "  He  put  them  in  possession  of  these  hostels  and  of  the 
Church  of  St.  Peter,  with  the  tithes  of  the  two  mills  thereto  belong- 
ing, all  which  the  brethren  of  the  hospital  before  used  to  have,  and 
to  which  ordinance  of  the  bishop  they  submitted.  And  that  the 
brethren  of  the  hospital  might  not  be  losers  by  this  appointment,  he 
further  ordained  that  they  should  have  certain  rents  and  several 
houses  near  to  their  hospital,  which  he  had  before  assigned  to  his 
scholars."  The  right  of  patronage  of  the  church  was  afterwards  a 
subject  of  dispute  between  the  hospital  and  the  college,  but  was 
decided  in  favour  of  the  latter. 

Dying  in  1286  Hugh  de  Balsham  by  his  will  left  to  the  college 
the  sum  of  three  hundred  marks  for  the  purpose  of  building,  and 
with  this  money  the  master  and  scholars  purchased  a  piece  of 
ground  adjoining  to  St.  Peter's  Church,  on  which  they  erected  a 
hall,  kitchen,  and  butteries. 

Hugh  de  Balsham  had  placed  his  foundation  under  the  especial 
patronage  and  protection  of  the  bishops  of  Ely,  and  it  was  from 
them  that  the  scholars  received  their  earliest  and  greatest  benefac- 
tions. Ralph  Walpole,  the  second  bishop  after  the  founder,  gave 
to  St.  Peter's  College  two  houses  in  Cambridge  ;  John  de  Hotham 
(bishop  1 316-1 336)  gave  the  rectory  lands,  &c.,  in  Triplow,  in  this 
county,  with  lands  called  Chewel  in  Haddcnham.  Hotham's 
three  immediate  successors  are  also  among  the  list  of  the  benefactors 
of  the  college. 

From  the  first  the  college  possessed  a  library,  which  was  gradually 
increased  by  various  donations.  William  of  Whittlesey,  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury  (1367-1374),  who  had  been  master  of  St.  Peter's 
College,  left  the  whole  of  his  library  to  the  scholars.  The  library 
was  further  increased,  in  the  fifteenth  century,  by  the  books  of  two 
of  the  masters  of  the  college — John  Holbrooke,  one  of  the  most 
profound  English  mathematicians  of  his  day,  and  John  Warkworth, 
who  deserves  a  place  among  the  old  historians  of  the  country. 
From  the  pursuits  of  these  two  masters  the  character  and  value  of 
the  books  which  they  left  to  their  college  may  be  conjectured. 

In  1420  the  college  was  partially  destroyed  by  fire,  when  all  its 


Cambridge  aiid  its  Colleges.  257 

archives  were  lost.  The  foundation  was  rebuilt.  In  the  map  of 
Cambridge  (1574)  St.  Peter's  is  represented  as  consisting  of  one 
court  entirely  surrounded  by  buildings,  with  a  half-court  to  the 
west.  "A  new  court,  front,  and  gate  towards  the  street"  were  added 
in  1607-1615  ;  and  in  1632  a  chapel,  built  in  the  middle  of  the  prin- 
cipal court,  was  completed.  It  is  remarkable  that  this  chapel,  built 
only  eleven  years  before  the  Puritanical  visitation  in  1643,  seems 
to  have  contained  more  superstitious  images  than  most  other  similar 
edifices  in  the  University.  "We  went,"  says  the  report  of  the 
Puritan  visitors,  "  to  Peterhouse  with  officers  and  soldiers,  and, 
in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Hanscott,  Mr.  Wilson,  the  president,  Mr. 
Francis,  Mr.  Maxwell,  and  other  fellows,  we  pulled  down  two  mighty 
angels  with  wings  and  divers  other  angels,  the  four  Evangelists, 
and  Peter  with  his  keys  on  the  chapel  door,  together  with  about 
100  cherubims  and  many  superstitious  letters  in  gold.  And  at  the 
upper  end  of  the  chancel  these  words  were  written — viz..  Hie  locus 
est  Domus  Dei,  nil  aliud,  et  Porta  Cceli.  ....  Moreover,  we  found 
six  angels  on  the  windows,  all  which  we  defaced." 

In  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  northern  side  of  the 
first  court  was  rebuilt,  and  the  second  court  was  faced  with  a  new 
casing  in  1760.  A  third  court  has  been  more  recently  added  by 
the  munificence  of  the  Rev.  Francis  Gisbrooke,  formerly  fellow  of 
the  college,  in  1825.  It  is  named  from  its  founder  Gisbrooke 
Court. 

As  it  at  present  exists  this  college  present  no  very  attractive 
feature.  Of  its  three  courts,  the  first  is  separated  from  the  second 
by  a  small  cloister,  and  from  the  street  by  a  brick  wall.  The  two 
other  courts  are  not  remarkable — merely  neat,  modern  and  moder- 
nized buildings.  The  Chapel  is  in  the  unpleasing  Italianized  Gothic 
of  the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth  century.  It  is  fifty-five  feet  long, 
twenty-seven  broad,  and  the  same  in  height.  The  old  stained  glass 
of  the  east  window  (a  Crucifixion — the  principal  figures  of  which 
are  copied  from  the  famous  picture  by  Rubens  at  Antwerp)  con- 
trasts very  favourably  with  the  modern  Munich  glass  in  the  side 
windows.  The  Library,  forty-eight  feet  long  and  twenty-four 
broad,  is  rich  in  mediaeval  theology,  and  contains  some  very  ancient 
pictures. 

Among  the  eminent  men  who  have  been  educated  at  St.  Peter's 
are  Heywood,  the  dramatist ;  Crashaw,  the  poet ;  Sherlock,  Dean 
of  St.  Paul's  ;  Duke  of  Grafton,  sometime  Chancellor ;  Gray,  the 
poet ;  and  William  Smith,  Professor  of  Modern  History. 
**  s 


258  Cambridge  and  its  Colleges, 

The  foundation  and  growth  of  the  oldest  college  of  Cambridge 
has  been  sketched  for  the  purpose  mainly  of  exemplifying  how  the 
whole  class  of  colleges  which  make  up  the  University  of  Cambridge 
came  into  being.  In  noticing  the  most  important  of  the  other 
colleges,  only  the  distinctive  features  in  their  history  and  character 
can  be  referred  to. 

The  University  comprises  in  all  seventeen  colleges.  Of  ten  of 
the  most  important  of  these  brief  notices  are  given. 

Clare  Hall  was  built  on  the  site  of  the  University  Hall  in  the 
beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century.  Soon  afterwards  it  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  and  was  rebuilt  in  1344  by  Elizabeth  de  Burg,  heiress 
of  the  last  Earl  of  Clare.  From  this  lady  the  college  takes  its 
name.  It  is  the  most  uniform  in  its  buildings,  and  is  the  most 
pleasantly  situated  of  any  college  in  the  University. 

King's  College,  founded  by  the  "  Royal  Saint,"  Henry  VI.,  in 
1440,  is  open  only  to  the  scholars  of  Eton,  in  connexion  with  which 
it  was  established.  It  soon  became  the  largest  and  most  im- 
portant college  in  the  University.  The  Chapel,  the  only  one  of  the 
college  buildings  we  have  space  to  notice,  is  the  work  of  the  three 
Henries,  VI.,  VII.,  and  VIII.,  and  is  perhaps  the  finest  specimen 
of  Perpendicular  Gothic  in  the  world.  Its  internal  dimensions  are, 
three  hundred  and  sixteen  feet  long,  fifty  feet  wide,  and  ninety  feet 
high  ;  and  the  effect  on  the  beholder  of  the  magnificent  proportions 
of  the  massive  roof  of  stone,  hung,  as  it  were,  high  in  mid  air,  of 
its  lofty  branching  pillars,  and  of  the  entrancing  beauty  of  its  fan- 
like tracery  and  gorgeous  groining,  is  at  once  awe-inspiring  an  4 
overpowering,  and  the  thought  recurs — 

"  They  dreamt  not  of  a  perishable  home 
Who  thus  could  build  !" 

Wordsworth,  who  was  a  student  of  St.  John's  at  Cambridge,  was 

so  impressed  with  the  appearance  of  this  magnificent  structure,  and 

with  the  mingled  beauty  and  grandeur  of  its  interior — 

"  The  high  embowered  roof, 
With  antique  pillars  massy  proof, 
And  storied  windows  richly  dight, 
Casting  a  dim  religious  light" — 

that  he  has  embodied  his  feelings  in  two  of  the  finest  sonnets  in 

the  language  :— 

I. 

«'  Tax  not  the  royal  saint  with  vain  expense, 
With  ill-matched  aims  the  architect  who  planned— 
Albeit  labouring  for  a  scanty  band 
Of  wbite-robed  scholars  only— this  immense 


Cambridge  and  its  Colleges,  259 

And  glorious  work  of  fine  intelligence  ! 

Give  all  thou  canst :  high  Heaven  rejects  the  lore 

Of  nicely-calculated  less  or  more  ; 

So  deemed  the  man  who  fashioned  for  the  sense 

These  lofty  pillars,  spread  that  branching  roof 

Self-poised,  and  scooped  into  ten  thousand  cells, 

Where  light  and  shade  repose,  where  music  dwells 

Lingering — and  wandering  on,  as  loth  to  die  ; 

Like  thoughts  whose  very  sweetness  yielded  proof 

That  they  were  born  for  immortality !" 

II. 

•*  What  awful  perspective  !  while  from  our  sight 
With  gradual  stealth  the  lateral  windows  hide 
Their  portraitures,  their  stone-work  glimmers,  dyed 
In  the  soft  chequerings  of  a  sleepy  light. 
Martyr,  or  king,  or  sainted  eremite. 
Whoe'er  ye  be,  that  thus,  yourselves  unseen, 
Imbue  your  prison-bars  with  solemn  sheen, 
Shine  on,  iintil  ye  fade  with  coming  night ! 
But,  from  the  arms  of  silence — list !  oh,  list ! 
The  music  bursteth  into  second  life  : 
The  notes  luxuriate,  every  stone  is  kissed 
By  sound,  or  ghost  of  sound,  in  mazy  strife  ; 
Heart-thrilling  strains,  that  cast  before  the  eye 
Of  the  devout  a  veil  of  ecstasy  !" 

"The  interior,"  says  Fergusson,  "is  imposing  from  its  great 
height,  from  the  solemn  beauty  and  splendour  of  the  stained  glass, 
and  from  the  magnificent  fan-tracery  of  the  vaulting,  which  extends, 
bay  after  bay,  in  unbroken  and  unchanged  succession,  from  one  end 
of  the  chapel  to  the  other.  The  walls  are  all  covered  with  panel- 
ling. The  stained-glass  windows  are  remarkably  fine,  in  the  best 
style  of  the  art,  and  have  been  well  preserved.  Each  window  con- 
tains four  pictures — two  above  and  two  below  the  transom.  The 
subjects  of  the  lower  series  are  from  Gospel  history,  the  main  in- 
cidents in  the  life  of  our  Lord  being  treated  in  the  most  conspicu- 
ous place — the  windows  of  the  choir." 

Fletcher  and  Waller,  the  poets,  the  Walpoles,  Coxe  the  historian, 
and  Earl  Grey  of  Reform  Bill  notoriety  were  educated  here. 

Trinity  College,  founded  by  Henry  VI IL  in  1546,  occupies 
the  site  and  retains  actual  portions  of  several  earlier  foundations, 
the  chief  of  which  was  King's  Hall.  It  consists  of  three  courts  or 
quadrangles — the  Great  Court,  Neville's  Court,  and  the  New  Court 
For  a  long  time  the  buildings  of  the  older  foundations  were  con- 
fused and  irregular,  and  the  order  and  architectual  dignity  which 
distinguish  the  college  as  it  at  present  exist?  have  been  arrived  at 
only  by  a  gradual  process.     Having  been  built  at  different  and 

32 


26o  Cambridge  and  its  Colleges, 

distant  periods,  without  any  regularity  of  design,  this  college  forms 
an  extensive  and  irregular  mass  of  buildings,  presenting  externally 
no  striking  appearance,  except  towards  the  Walks,  where  the  Library 
and  western  side  of  the  New  Court  form  a  very  noble  line  of 
buildings.  The  Great  Court,  the  largest  of  the  three  courts  or 
quadrangles,  is  334  feet  by  287.  The  Chapel  and  King  Edward's 
Tower  occupy  the  north  side.  On  the  west  side  are  the  Master's 
Lodge,  Hall,  and  Combination  Rooms.  The  other  sides  are  occupied 
by  sets  of  rooms.  The  Hall,  the  chief  ornament  of  this  college 
and  one  of  the  chief  ornaments  of  the  University,  is  a  noble  and 
spacious  Gothic  structure.  Externally  it  presents  to  us  a  lofty 
building  supported  by  hght  buttresses,  with  a  high-peaked  Flemish 
roof  surmounted  by  an  elegant  lantern.  The  interior  presents  a 
perfect  picture  of  the  old  baronial  hall,  with  its  raised  dais,  screen- 
work,  music-gallery,  butteries,  and  adjacent  kitchen.  It  is  a  hundred 
feet  long,  forty  broad,  and  fifty  feet  high  ;  is  wainscoted  in  carved 
oak,  while  open  carved-oak  rafter-work  supports  the  roof.  In  the 
decoration  of  the  wainscoting  and  the  roof  gold  and  colour  have 
recently  been  used  with  admirable  effect.  The  grandeur  of  the 
spacious  apartment  is  much  enhanced  by  the  play  of  light  which 
enters  by  the  windows,  filled  with  coats  of  arms  of  distinguished 
members  of  the  college  in  stained  glass.  At  the  upper  extremity 
of  the  Hall,  immediately  below  the  high  table,  there  is  a  deep  and 
lofty  oriel  window  on  each  side.  Pictures,  chiefly  portraits,  are  dis- 
tributed around  the  walls  and  between  the  windows.  Among  these 
the  most  noteworthy  are  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  by  Valentine  Ritz, 
Cowley  (copy),  Dryden  (copy),  and  also  portraits  of  Sir  H.  Spel- 
man.  Sir  Edward  Coke,  Bishop  Pearson,  the  famous  Dr.  Bentley, 
and  the  last  Duke  of  Gloucester.  The  last  picture,  representing 
the  Duke  in  childhood,  is  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds.  There  is  also 
a  most  interesting  portrait  of  Richard,  Duke  of  Gloucester  (after- 
wards Richard  III.),  in  the  glass  of  one  of  the  oriel  windows.  It 
is  an  authentic  and  trustworthy  portrait.  In  the  Combination 
Rooms,  the  common  rooms  in  which  the  fellows  meet,  are  portraits 
of  Charles  Montagu,  Earl  of  Halifax,  by  Kneller  ;  Charles,  Duke 
of  Somerset,  by  Danse ;  Marquis  of  Granby,  by  Reynolds  ;  the 
Duke  of  Gloucester,  by  Opie ;  Duke  of  Sussex,  by  Lonsdale ; 
Marquis  of  Camden,  by  Sir  T.  Lawrence,  &c.  The  Master's  Lodge, 
on  this  side  of  the  court,  has  been  considerably  altered  and  en- 
riched within  recent  years.  Among  its  many  fine  apartments  it 
includes  suites  of  rooms  for  use  on  occasions  of  royal  visits.    The 


Cambridge  and  its  Colleges,  261 

judges  when  on  circuit  are  always  lodged  here.  Among  the  pictures 
are  an  original  portrait  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  a  curious  old  portrait 
of  Edward  III.,  a  gigantic  portrait  of  Henry  VIII.,  and  portraits  of 
Edward  VI.  and  Queen  Mary.  There  are  also  portraits  of  Sir 
Robert  Cecil,  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  Robert,  Earl  of  Essex,  Sir  Isaac 
Newton,  by  Vanderbank,  and  Scaliger,  by  Paul  Veronese.  The 
royal  foundation  of  Trinity  gave  it  pre-eminence  over  the  sister 
colleges,  and  all  English  Sovereigns  visiting  Cambridge  have  been 
entertained  here.  James  I.,  Charles  I.,  Queen  Anne  (who  knighted 
Newton  at  a  Court  held  in  the  Lodge),  George  I.  and  George  II., 
and,  in  1843,  Queen  Victoria,  were  hospitably  received  at  the 
Master's  Lodge.  It  was  in  the  hall  of  this  college  that  comedies 
and  tragedies,  in  Latin  and  English,  used  to  be  performed  before 
royal  and  other  distinguished  visitors.  Here  Cowley's  "  Guardian'* 
was  acted  before  Prince  Charles  (Charles  II.),  in  1642.  The  writer 
was  then  a  scholar  and  afterwards  became  a  fellow  of  Trinity.  In 
this  great  court  were  the  rooms  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton  and  Lord 
Byron.  The  Library,  by  Sir  Christopher  Wren,  is  a  fine  building 
in  the  style  of  Italian  antique,  in  which  that  great  architect  excelled. 
The  interior  is  unsurpassed  by  any  building  in  the  country  for 
harmonious  dignity  of  design  and  arrangement.  It  is  190  feet 
long  and  40  feet  broad.  At  the  south  end  are  folding  doors 
opening  upon  a  balcony,  from  which  there  are  fine  views  of  the 
walks  and  river.  Among  the  statuary  is  Thorwaldsen's  statue  of 
Lord  Byron,  busts  by  Roubiliac  of  Bacon,  Bentley,  Sir  R.  Cotton, 
Lord  Whitworth,  Newton,  Barrow,  and  Ray.  Woolner  has  also 
some  excellent  busts,  including  a  very  fine  one  of  Alfred  Tennyson. 
Along  the  summit  of  the  bookcases  are  arranged  on  each  side  of 
the  room,  a  long  series  of  smaller  busts  of  some  of  the  most 
eminent  men  of  ancient  and  modern  times.  Among  the  portraits 
on  the  walls  are  those  of  Barrow,  Neville,  Bishop  Hacket,  Monk 
Duke  of  Albemarle  and  the  Earl  of  Halifax,  by  Sir  G.  Kneller,  as 
well  as  a  copy  of  Shakspeare,  by  Mark  Gerrard.  At  the  southern 
end  of  the  library  is  a  large  stained-glass  window,  which  would  not 
be  worth  mentioning  were  it  not  that,  in  point  of  artistic  taste  and 
feeling,  it  is  so  curiously  and  outrageously  bad.  It  represents 
Newton  being  presented  to  George  the  Third,  with  Bacon  sitting  in 
his  robes  of  Lord  Chancellor  below  the  throne,  apparently  re- 
gistering in  a  book  the  reward  which  is  to  be  bestowed  on  the 
great  philosopher.  The  design  is  by  Cipriani,  whom  Walpole  styles 
"  that  flimsy  scene-painter." 


262  Cambridge  and  its  Colleges, 

The  Library  of  Trinity  College,  the  finest  in  Cambridge  after  the 
Public  Library,  is  rich  in  the  controversial  pamphlets  which  were 
published  so  abundantly  in  the  troubled  era  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  In  one  of  its  manuscript  cases  is  locked  up  the  curious 
collection  of  early  and  rare  books  illustrative  of  Shakspeare,  given 
to  the  college  by  Capel,  the  editor  of  the  works  of  the  dramatist. 
Another  case  contains  a  few  rare  and  fine  volumes  from  the  press 
of  William  Caxton.  Two  cases  contain  the  old  and  valuable  col- 
lection of  manuscripts  belonging  to  the  college,  some  of  them  richly 
illuminated,  and  affording  precious  illustrations  of  the  early  litera- 
ture and  history  of  England.  But  the  two  volumes  most  inquired 
for  are  one  which  contains  much  of  the  poetry  of  Milton,  written 
in  his  own  hand,  and  another,  consisting  of  mathematical  papers, 
in  the  handwriting  of  Newton. 

The  walks  are  remarkably  pleasing.  They  form  nearly  a  rect- 
angle, about  a  third  of  a  mile  in  circumference,  on  the  far  side  of 
the  Cam.  At  the  end  of  the  avenue  of  lime-trees,  whose  branches, 
at  a  great  height,  intersect  and  form  the  semblance  of  a  Gothic 
arch,  is  seen  the  steeple  of  the  pleasant  village  of  Coton.  It  was 
the  prospect  along  this  walk  that  the  witty  critic.  Person,  compared 
to  a  college  fellowship,  which,  he  said,  was  a  long,  dreary  road  with 
a  church  in  the  distance.  The  view  of  the  gateway  tower  of  the 
New  Court  from  the  avenue  is  peculiarly  grand. 

Among  the  famous  and  eminent  men  educated  at  Trinity  College 
are  Sir  Edward  Coke  and  the  immortal  Bacon  ;  Robert,  Earl  of 
Essex,  Elizabeth's  favourite ;  Fulke  Greville ;  Lord  Brooke,  the 
"friend  of  Sir  Philip  Sydney;"  John  Whitgift,  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  and  Matthew  Hutton,  Archbishop  of  York ;  George 
Herbert,  Giles  Fletcher,  Cowley,  and  Donne  ;  Andrew  Marvel,  Dr. 
Barrow,  John  Dry  den.  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  Dr.  Thomas  Gale, 
Porson,  Dobree,  Lord  Byron,  and  Lord  Macaulay. 

St.  John's  College,  next  in  magnitude  to  Trinity  College,  and 
nearest  it  in  situation,  is  built  on  the  site  of  the  former  Hospital 
of  St.  John  the  Evangelist.  The  king's  licence  for  the  suppression 
of  the  hospital  was  obtained  by  Lady  Margaret,  Countess  of 
Richmond  and  Derby,  and  in  terms  of  her  will  the  hospital  was 
dissolved  and  delivered  into  the  hands  of  her  executors  in  15 10. 
The  charter  of  the  foundation  of  the  college  is  dated  April,  151 1. 
The  building  consists  of  four  distinct  courts,  and  is  entered  from  the 
street  by  a  very  noble  gateway  tower — an  imposing  mass,  with  four 
cx)rncr  turrets.    The  chapel,  1 20  feet  long,  and  27  feet  wide,  is  a 


Cambridge  and  its  Colleges,  263 

handsome  building,  with  ancient  and  curious  carved  stalls.  The 
hall  is  remarkable  for  its  height  and  for  its  carved  and  gilt  wain- 
scoting. The  Master's  Lodge  is  stored  with  a  valuable  collection 
of  paintings,  the  portraits  mainly  of  benefactors  and  distinguished 
members  of  the  college.  Here  are  portraits  of  Mary  Queen  of 
Scots  ;  Thomas  Wentworth,  Earl  of  Strafford  ;  Matthew  Prior,  in 
his  ambassador's  robes,  &c.  The  library  is  rich  in  rare  contro- 
versial tracts  of  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth.  Among  the  eminent 
men  who  have  been  educated  here  may  be  mentioned  Bishop  Stil- 
lingfleet.  Lord  Burghley,  Sir  Thomas  Wyatt,  the  Earl  of  Strafford, 
Gary,  Lord  Fall^land,  Dr.  John  Dee,  Roger  Ascham,  Ben  Jonson, 
Thomas  Otway,  Matthew  Prior,  Wordsworth,  Henry  Kirke  White, 
and  Kenelm  Digby. 

Jesus  College,  situated  apart  from  all  the  other  similar  build- 
ings in  the  University,  sprang  out  of  the  only  nunnery  which  existed 
in  the  town  of  Cambridge.  It  was  founded  in  1406.  It  is  situated 
on  the  banks  of  the  Cam,  at  the  eastern  entrance  of  the  town.  Its 
retired  situation  attracted  the  attention  of  James  I.,  who,  when  on 
a  visit  to  Cambridge,  expressed  his  opinion  of  the  University  in  a 
saying  which  has  since  been  common — "  That  if  he  lived  in  the 
University,  he  would  pray  at  King's,  eat  at  Trinity,  and  study  and 
sleep  at  Jesus."  The  buildings  consist  of  two  courts,  and  the  front 
is  180  feet  in  length.  There  is  a  gateway  over  the  entrance,  and 
the  chapel  forms  one  of  the  most  prominent  features  of  the 
foundation.  The  Chapel  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  structures 
in  Cambridge.  It  is  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  with  a  large  square 
tower,  surmounted  by  a  beautiful  lantern  story.  Numerous 
interesting  paintings  enrich  the  chapel  and  hall.  Here  were  edu- 
cated the  three  archbishops,  Cranmer,  Bancroft,  and  Sterne ;  Flam- 
stead,  the  astronomer,  and  others. 
The  dates  of  the  foundation  of  the  remaining  colleges  are  :  -* 

Pembroke 1347 

Gonville  and  Caius 1348 

Trinity  Hall 1350 

Corpus  Christi 1351 

Queen's  College 1448 

St.  Catherine's  .    , 1473 

Christ's  College 1505 

Magdalen  College 15 19 

Emmanuel  College 1584 

Sidney  Sussex  College    ....     1598 
Downing  College  ......    1 800 


264 


Hinchinbrook  House. — The  Cromwells. 

This  ancient  and  highly  interesting  mansion  marks  the  site  of  a 
priory,  supposed  to  have  been  founded  by  William  the  Conqueror. 
At  the  dissolution  of  religious  houses,  the  site  was  granted  to 
Richard  Williams,  or  Cromwell — the  former  name  being  his  patro- 
nymic, the  latter  the  name  of  his  adoption,  in  deference  to  his 
uncle,  Thomas  Cromwell,  Earl  of  Essex,  and  to  the  wishes  of  King 
Henry  VIII.,  who,  at  the  incorporation  of  the  Welsh  with  the 
English,  endeavoured  to  accelerate  the  unification  of  the  princi- 
pality with  the  kingdom  by  persuading  the  Welsh  to  adopt  the 
style  of  the  English  in  taking  family  names.  Of  the  architectural 
character  of  the  original  priory  little  is  known.  It  is  probable  that 
the  present  building  was  constructed  out  of  the  materials  of  the 
former  one,  and  upon  a  cornice  of  the  east  front  of  Hinchinbrook 
is  the  date  1431,  which  marks  it  as  being  part  of  the  old  edifice. 
In  the  hall  (the  refectory  of  the  nunnery),  the  old  framed  timber 
roof  is  concealed  by  a  modern  floor,  but  is  still  to  be  seen  in  the 
chambers  above.  One  or  two  of  the  fishponds  belonging  to  the 
old  nunnery  are  also  remaining;  and  Nuns'  Bridge  and  Nuns* 
Meadows,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Park,  are  names  which  still 
designate  some  of  the  old  demesnes.  The  name  of  the  house  is 
derived  from  a  brook,  which,  rising  at  Thuming,  in  Northampton- 
shire, skirts  the  estate  and  joins  the  Ouse  at  Huntingdon,  between 
one  and  two  miles  below  the  house. 

Hinchinbrook,  for  several  generations  the  chief  seat  of  that 
family  of  the  Cromwells,  whence  sprang  the  great  Lord  Protector, 
is  now  the  residence  of  the  Montagus,  Earls  of  Sandwich.  It  is 
situated  on  the  north-west  slope  of  a  gentle  eminence,  commands 
a  pleasing  view,  including  the  fine  tower  of  St.  Neot's  church, 
about  nine  miles  distant.  On  the  south  of  the  pleasure-grounds  is 
a  high  terrace,  overlooking  the  road  from  Brampton  to  Hunting- 
don. The  mansion  displays  in  its  parts  the  architectural  taste  of 
the  earliest  as  well  as  of  the  latest  period  of  Queen  Elizabeth's 
reign.  The  buildings  surround  an  open  court,  and  the  principal 
fronts  are  those  to  the  north  and  east.  The  great  court-yard, 
leading  to  the  entrance  on  the  north  front,  is  crossed  diagonally  by 
a  walk,  ornamented  with  dipt  yews.  At  the  lodge  or  entrance  are 
ife-size  figures  of  four  savages  with  clubs.  On  this  front  are  two 
bay  windows  of  large  dimensions,  profusely  embellished  with  shields 


Hinchinhrooh  House,  265 

of  the  family  of  Cromwell,  the  arms  of  the  Queen,  and  a  variety  of 
heraldic  cognizances,  denoting  the  honours  of  the  Tudor  line — 
"  the  falcon,  the  portcullis,  a  ton  with  a  branch,  and  roses  of  dif- 
ferent forms,  which  are  upon  the  upper  cornice  of  each  window." 
The  bay  window  of  the  dining-room  displays  the  arms  of  EHzabeth 
upon  a  panel  2  feet  9  inches  wide,  upheld  by  angels,  with  the  royal 
badges  of  the  portcullis  and  the  harp  crowned ;  the  latter  placed 
between  the  initials  E.  R.  Over  this  window,  in  an  ornamental 
compartment,  is  a  large  radiated  rose.  Upon  the  west  side  of  the 
entrance  court  is  remaining  a  portion  of  the  Priory  entire — now 
used  as  the  sculler)',  dairy,  &c.  The  ancient  kitchen  is  still  in  use. 
The  east  front  has  also  two  bay  windows,  containing  the  arms, 
quarterings,  and  supporters  of  the  Montagu  family,  with  the  motto 
Post  tot  naufragia  porttim.  The  most  curious  part  of  the  mansion 
is  the  very  large  circular  bowed  window,  built  in  1602,  remarkable 
for  its  richness  of  ornamentation.  It  gave  light  to  the  great  dining- 
room,  in  which  King  James  I.  was  entertained  by  Sir  Oliver  Crom- 
well, and  the  gilded  roof  of  which  is  said  to  have  been  part  of  the 
chapel  of  the  ancient  priory  of  Barnwell.  The  basement  of  the 
window  forms  a  porch ;  seven  arches  spring  from  columns  at  the 
piers,  the  spandrils  and  keystones  of  which  are  enriched  with 
sculptured  shields  and  crests  of  the  Cromwell  family  alhances. 
The  whole  of  these  two  fronts  are  of  stone ;  other  parts  of  the 
house  are  of  brick  with  stone  dressing,  built  by  the  first  Earl  of 
Sandwich,  and  coloured  to  correspond  with  the  ancient  portion. 
The  great  staircase  of  Hinchinbrook  is  carved  with  the  arms  of 
Montagu,  in  panels.  The  principal  rooms  on  the  ground-floor 
are,  the  dining  and  drawing-rooms,  the  billiard-room,  and  the 
library,  with  all  the  offices.  The  windows  of  the  drawing-room 
are  of  painted  glass,  containing  the  marriages  and  issue  from 
Edward,  the  first  Earl  of  Sandwich,  to  John,  the  fourth  earL  On 
the  first  floor  the  great  dining-room  is  now  divided  into  five  bed- 
rooms ;  there  are  also  the  green-room,  the  velvet-room,  where 
stood  the  state  bed  of  King  James  I.,  Lady  Sandwich's  bed  and 
dressing  rooms,  &c. 

The  family,  which  in  former  times  kept  free  and  liberal  house  at 
Hinchinbrook,  were  of  Welsh  extraction,  and  owed  the  conspicuous 
position  they  at  once  assumed  in  England  to  the  influence  of  their 
powerful  kinsman,  Thomas  Cromwell,  Earl  of  Essex,  who  suc- 
ceeded Cardinal  Wolsey  as  the  ecclesiastical  instrument  which 
King  Henry  VIII.  used  to  effect  his  good  will  and  pleasure  respect- 


266  Hinchinhroo'k  House, 

ing  the  old  monastic  foundations  and  their  revenues.  This  Thomas 
Cromwell,  the  son  of  Walter  Cromwell,  a  blacksmith,  seems  to  have 
been  well  trained  in  youth.  He  served  abroad  for  some  time  under 
the  Duke  of  Bourbon,  and  aftenvards  obtained  a  post  in  the  suite 
of  Cardinal  Wolsey.  He  showed  great  fidelity  towards  his  master, 
and  when  the  great  prelate  was  thrown  into  disgrace  which  led  to 
death,  the  king  took  Cromwell  into  his  own  service.  In  this  position 
Cromwell  evinced  so  much  zeal  and  ability,  that  he  soon  opened 
up  the  road  to  the  highest  honours  in  the  State.  He  filled  suc- 
cessively the  positions  of  Master  of  the  Jewel  Office,  Clerk  of  the 
Transfer,  Principal  Secretary,  Justice  of  the  Forest,  Master  of  the 
Rolls,  and  Lord  Privy-Seal,  and  was  raised  to  the  peerage  as  Baron 
Cromwell,  of  Okeham,  in  1536.  Three  years  later  he  was  created 
Earl  of  Essex,  and  invested  with  the  Lord  High  Chamberlainship 
of  England.  He  used  his  great  power  to  abolish  the  religious 
houses  and  to  secularize  their  revenues.  He  is  named  "  malleus 
monachorum,"  which  Fuller  translates  "  the  mauler  of  the  monas- 
teries." One  of  the  chief  privileges  he  enjoyed  was  to  do  what  he 
liked  with  whatever  ecclesiastical  property  there  was  in  Hunting- 
donshire. He  did  what  he  liked  with  it — he  kept  the  greater  part 
of  it  to  himself  and  divided  the  remainder  among  his  kinsmen  and 
friends. 

One  of  these  relatives  was  Sir  Richard  Williams,  his  nephew. 
This  knight  sprang  from  an  ancient  Welsh  family  deducing  their 
pedigree  from  the  ancient  Lords  of  Powis  and  Cardigan.  He 
was  the  eldest  son  of  Morgan  Williams,  by  his  wife,  a  sister  of 
Cromwell,  Earl  of  Essex.  The  young  Sir  Richard  soon  became 
favourably  known  to  the  king,  through  his  uncle.  King  Henry 
advised  the  young  Welshman  to  change  his  name  to  that  of  his 
uncle,  Cromwell.  Sir  Richard  took  the  king's  advice,  and  showed 
so  much  zeal  towards  the  king  in  various  ways  that  he  soon,  with 
the  inlluence  of  his  uncle,  rose  into  a  good  position.  He  was  ap- 
pointed a  gentleman  of  the  Privy  Chamber  to  King  Henry  VHL, 
and  Constable  of  Berkeley  Castle.  Upon  the  dissolution  of  the 
monasteries,  he  obtained  all  the  lands  in  Huntingdonshire  belong- 
ing to  any  religious  house  in  that  county.  Additions  were  made 
to  his  possessions  by  the  king,  even  after  the  fall  of  the  favourite, 
Cromwell ;  so  that  at  the  period  of  his  death.  Sir  Richard's  estates 
probably  equalled  those  of  the  wealthiest  peers  of  the  present  day. 
At  a  tournament  held  by  his  royal  master,  in  1 540,  and  described 
by  Stowe,  Richard  Cromwell,  Esq.,  is  named  as  one  of  the  chal- 


HincJiinhrook  House,  267 

lengers — all  of  whom  were  rewarded  on  the  occasion  by  the  king 
with  an  annual  income  of  an  hundred  marks,  granted  out  of  the 
dissolved  Franciscan  monastery  of  Stamford,  and  with  houses  each 
to  reside  in.  His  Majesty  was  more  particularly  delighted  with 
the  gallantry  of  Sir  Richard  Cromwell  (whom  he  had  knighted  on 
the  second  day  of  the  tournament),  and  exclaiming,  "  Formerly  thou 
wert  my  Dick,  but  hereafter  thou  shalt  be  my  Diamond^^  presented 
him  with  a  diamond  ring,  bidding  him  for  the  future  to  wear  such 
a  one  in  the  fore-gamb  of  the  demi-lion  in  his  crest,  instead  of  a 
javelin,  as  heretofore.  The  arms  of  Sir  Richard,  with  this  alteration, 
were  ever  afterwards  borne  by  the  elder  branch  of  the  family,  and 
by  Oliver  himself  on  his  assuming  the  Protectorate,  although  prcv 
viously  he  had  borne  the  javelin. 

Sir  Richard  was  succeeded  by  his  son.  Sir  Henry  Cromwell, 
whose  second  daughter  was  married  to  William  Hampden,  Esq., 
and  became  the  mother  of  the  famous  John  Hampden,  the  Patriot. 
His  eldest  son  succeeded  as  Sir  Oliver  Cromwell,  K.B.,  and  in- 
herited Hinchinbrook,  while  the  second  son,  Robert  Cromwell,  of 
Huntingdon,  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  William  Stewart,  Esq., 
and  became  the  father  of  the  great  Oliver  Cromwell,  the  Lord 
Protector. 

Sir  Henry  Cromwell,  son  of  the  first  Sir  Richard,  was  called 
from  his  liberal  disposition,  "the  Golden  Knight."  He  erected  the 
chief  part  of  the  early  mansion  of  Hinchinbrook,  which  was  built 
for  his  winter  residence — his  summer  residence  being  at  Ramsey, 
an  abbey  which  he  had  also  converted  into  a  dwelling-house.  His 
eldest  son  and  successor.  Sir  Oliver  Cromwell,  the  uncle  of  the 
Protector,  entertained  King  James  I.,  then  on  his  way  to  take  pos- 
.session  of  the  throne  of  England,  at  Hinchinbrook.  The  following 
account  of  the  event  is  from  Stowe's  "  Annales." 

"The  27  Aprill,  the  King  removed  from  Burleigh  towards 
Hingchingbrooke  to  Sir  Oliver  Cromwell's."  ..."  and  about 
some  half  mile  ere  he  came  there,  his  majesty  was  met  by  the 
Bailiffe  of  Huntingdon,  who  made  to  him  a  long  oration,  and  then 
delivered  him  the  sword,  which  his  highness  gave  to  the  Earl  of 
Southampton  to  bcare  before  him  to  Master  Oliver  Cromwell's 
house,  where  his  highness  and  his  followers,  with  all  comers,  had 
such  entertainment,  as  not  the  like  in  any  place  before,  there  was 
such  plentie  and  varieties  of  meates  and  diversitie  of  wines,  and 
the  cellars  open  at  any  man's  pleasure.  There  attended  also  at 
Master  Ohver  Cromwel's,  the  Head  of  the  Universitie  of  Cambridge, 


26S  Hinchinhrooh  House, 

all  clad  in  scarlet  gownes  and  corner  caps,  who  having  presence  of 
his  majestic,  there  was  made  a  learned  and  eloquent  oration  in 
Latine,  welcomming  his  majesty,  as  also  intreating  the  confirma- 
tion of  their  privileges,  which  his  highness  most  willingly  granted. 
Master  Cromwell  presented  his  majesty  with  many  rich  and  valuable 
presents,  as  a  very  great  and  faire  wrought  standing  cuppe  of  gold, 
goodlie  horses,  deepe  mouthed  hounds,  divers  hawks  of  excellent 
wing,  and  at  the  remove  gave  fifty  pounds  amongst  his  majcstie's 
officers. — The  29th  of  April  after  breakfast  his  majesty  tooke  leave 
of  Master  Oliver  Cromwel  and  of  his  lady." 

The  king  took  an  early  opportunity  of  expressing  his  regard  and 
satisfaction  by  creating  Sir  Oliver  a  Knight  of  the  Bath,  1603,  on 
the  day  of  his  coronation. 

On  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war-  Sir  Oliver  naturally  sided  with 
the  king,  and  raised  men  and  contributed  large  sums  of  money  in 
support  of  the  cause.  But  one  who  had  lived  so  magnificently  and 
been  so  lavish  in  his  expenditure,  had  little  wealth  in  reserve  to 
draw  upon,  and  thus  his  devotion  to  the  Stuarts  necessitated  his 
parting  with  Hinchinbrook,  which  he  sold  to  the  Montagus,  since 
Viscounts  of  Hinchinbrook  and  Earls  of  Sandwich.  The  straits  to 
which  he  was  now  put,  and  his  inability  to  assist  his  sovereign, 
began  to  break  his  spirits  and  ruin  his  health.  He  retired  to  Ram- 
sey Abbey,  where,  poor  and  heart-broken,  but  still  fervidly  loyal,  he 
expired  in  1655,  in  his  ninety-third  year.  His  eldest  son.  Colonel 
Henry  Cromwell,  inherited  the  wreck  of  the  family  estates  ;  but, 
having  taken  an  active  part  on  the  side  of  the  king,  the  remains  of 
the  property  were  sequestrated,  though  the  sequestration  was  after- 
wards discharged,  at  the  request  of  his  kinsman,  Oliver  Cromwell, 
thenLord  Lieutenant  of  Ireland.  After  a  few  years,  harassed  by 
debts  and  difficulties,  incurred  by  his  adherence  to  the  royalist 
cause,  and  by  that  extravagance  which  seems  to  have  been  inherent 
in  the  family,  he  died,  in  1657.  His  son  and  successor,  Henry 
Cromwell,  either  from  conviction,  or  swayed  by  the  favoui  shown 
him  by  the  Protector,  departed  from  the  political  traditions  of  his 
ancestors,  went  over  to  the  party  at  the  head  of  which  was  his 
great  kinsman,  and  took  his  seat  in  Parliament.  He  died  in  1673, 
leaving  no  issue,  and  thus  the  great  Huntingdonshire  line  of  Crom- 
wells,  the  wealthiest  family  in  this  part  of  England  during  several 
generations,  expired.  The  remainder  of  the  estates,  including  the 
Abbey  of  Ramsey,  were  sold. 

It  is  now  necessary  to  return  to  "  the  Golden  Knight"  of  Hin- 


Hinchinbrook  House,  269 

cbmbrook,  Sir  Henry  Cromwell.  His  second  son  was  Robert 
Cromwell,  some  time  M.P.  for  Huntingdon,  and  successor  to  an 
estate  in  or  near  the  town  he  represented.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Stewart,  and  left  five  daughters  and  one  son — the  redoubtable 
Oliver,  who  was  born  at  Huntingdon,  25th  April,  1599.  He  re- 
ceived his  baptismal  name  from  his  uncle,  Sir  Oliver  Cromwell,  of 
Ramsey.  After  having  reached  his  majority  he  married  a  lady  of 
fortune,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Sir  James  Bourchier,  of  Felsted,  in 
Essex.  The  career  of  the  Protector  forms  a  portion  of  the  historj 
of  England  and  of  Europe,  and  cannot  be  followed  here,  where  we 
are  confined  to  tracing  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  family  of  which  he 
was  the  most  distinguished  member.  One  little  matter  may  be 
noted  in  passing.  The  vulgar  tradition  that  this  great  man  was  at 
any  time  of  his  life  a  "  brewer"  rests  on  no  foundation.  The  story 
probably  took  its  rise  in  the  circumstance  that  the  little  brook  of 
Kinchin,  flowing  throuc|h  the  court-yard  of  the  house  towards  the 
Ouse,  offered  every  convenience  for  malting  and  brewing ;  and 
there  is  a  tradition  to  the  effect  that  brewing  was  here  carried  on 
before  the  place  came  into  the  possession  of  the  Cromwells. 

Oliver  Cromwell  died  on  "  his  beloved  and  victorious  third  of 
September,"  1658,  at  Whitehall,  leaving  four  sons,  Robert,  who  died 
unmarried ;  Oliver,  killed  in  battle  ;  Richard,  his  successor  in  the 
Protectorate  ;  and  Henry,  Lord  Deputy  of  Ireland. 

Richard  Cromwell  succeeded  to  the  sovereign  power  on  the 
death  of  his  father,  but  neither  by  tastes  nor  by  talents  was  he 
suited  to  reign.  After  remaining  only  eight  months  at  the  head  of 
affairs  he  abdicated,  and  after  a  life  spent  for  the  most  part  in 
strict  privacy  and  retirement,  he  died  in  17 12.  Pennant  mentions 
that  his  father  had  told  him,  that  he  used  often  to  see,  at  the 
Don  Saltero  Coffee-house,  at  Chelsea,  poor  Richard  Cromwell, 
*'  a  httle  and  very  neat  old  man,  with  a  most  placid  countenance, 
the  effect  of  his  innocent  and  unambitious  life."  He  left  no  male 
descendants. 

We  now  revert  to  Henry  Cromwell,  youngest  son  of  the  Protector. 
At  his  father's  death  he  resigned  his  office  as  Lord  Deputy  of  Ire- 
land, and,  returning  to  England,  established  himself  as  a  private 
gentleman,  at  Spinney  Abbey,  in  Cambridgeshire.  He  troubled 
himself  no  longer  with  political  changes.  Of  his  five  sons  all  died 
without  issue  save  Henry  Cromwell.  He  died  in  171 1.  The  only 
one  of  his  sons  whose  descendants  still  exist,  was  a  grocer  on 
Snow  Hill,  and  died  in  1748.    His  son,  Oliver  Cromwell,  was  a 


2/0  Hinchinhrook  House. 

solicitor.  He  died  in  1821,  and  with  him  the  male  line  of  the  great 
Oliver  Cromwell's  family  became  extinct.  The  destiny  of  the 
female  descendants  of  the  line  was  almost  as  sad.  Many  of  them 
had  to  bear  the  pinch  of  poverty,  and  were  obliged  to  maintain 
themselves  by  labour  in  the  humblest  employments. 

The  present  possessors  of  Hinchinhrook,  the  Montagus,  Earls  of 
Sandwich,  are  descended  from  a  common  ancestor  with  the  ducal 
house  of  Manchester,  with  the  extinct  Earls  of  Halifax,  and  with 
the  late  Duke  of  Montagu.  Their  immediate  progenitor  was  Sir 
Sidney  Montagu,  Master  of  the  Court  of  Requests  to  Charles  I. 
His  son  was  a  distinguished  commander  in  the  Parliamentary  army 
during  the  civil  war,  and  he  was  subsequently  joint  High-Admiral 
ci"  England,  in  which  capacity  he  exerted  his  influence  to  induce 
the  whole  fleet  to  acknowledge  the  restored  monarchy.  He  was 
raised  to  the  peerage  by  Charles  II.,  as  Baron  Montagu  and  Earl 
of  Sandwich.  John  William  Montagu,  seventh  Earl  of  Sandwich, 
is  the  present  possessor  of  Hinchinhrook. 


271 


BEDFORDSHIRE. 

Woburn  Abbey  and  the  Russell  Family. 

Near  the  town  of  Woburn,  on  the  Buckinghamshire  border  of  the 
county  of  Bedford,  there  was  founded,  towards  the  middle  of  the  twelfth 
century,  an  Abbey  for  monks  of  the  Cistercian  order,  by  Hugh  de 
Bolebec,  a.d.  1145.  ^^  ^^^  valued  at  the  Dissolution  at  430/.  14J.  iid. 
gross  income,  or  391/.  iSj.  8d.  clear  yearly  value.  The  last  Abbot^ 
Robert  Hobs,  was  executed  for  denying  the  King's  supremacy;  the 
tree  on  which  he  was  hung  is  still  standing,  and  is  carefully  preserved. 
The  Monastery  was  granted  to  John  Russell,  first  Earl  of  Bedford, 
under  veiy  remarkable  circumstances  in  the  tide  of  fortune.  From  the 
Du  Rozels  of  Normandy  descended  John  Russell,  Constable  of  Corfe 
Castle  in  1221,  from  whom  descended  James  Russell,  of  Berwick,  a 
manor-place  in  the  county  of  Dorset,  about  a  mile  from  the  sea-coast. 
His  eldest  or  only  son,  John  Russell,  was  born  at  Kingston-Russell,  in 
the  same  county,  where  the  elder  branch  of  the  family  had  resided 
from  the  time  of  the  Conquest.  At  an  early  age  he  was  sent  abroad  to 
travel;  he  returned  in  1506,  an  accomplished  gentleman  and  a  good 
linguist,  and  took  up  his  residence  with  his  father  at  Berwick.  Shortly 
after  his  arrival,  a  violent  tempest  arose,  and  on  the  next  morning,  nth 
of  January,  1506,  three  foreign  vessels  appeared  on  the  Dorset  coast, 
making  their  way  for  the  port  of  Weymouth.  They  proved  to  be  part 
of  a  convoy  under  the  command  of  Philip,  Archduke  of  Austria,  who 
had  just  married  Joanna,  daughter  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  King  and 
Queen  of  Castile  and  Aragon,  and  was  on  his  way  to  Spain,  when,  over- 
taken by  the  storm  which  had  separated  the  vessel  in  which  he  was 
sailing,  and  two  others,  from  the  rest  of  the  convoy,  they  were  forced 
to  take  shelter  in  Weymouth  Harbour.  Sir  Thomas  Trenchard,  the 
Governor,  immediately  conducted  the  Archduke  to  his  own  Castle,  and 
sent  messengers  to  apprise  Henry  VH.  of  his  arrival.  While  waiting 
for  the  King's  reply,  Sir  Thomas  invited  his  cousin  and  neighbour, 
young  Mr.  Russell,  of  Berwick,  to  act  as  an  interpreter,  and  converse 
with  the  Archduke  on  topics  connected  with  his  own  country,  through 
which  Mr.  Russell  had  lately  travelled.  "It  is  an  ill  wind,"  says 
Fuller,  referring  to  this  incident,  "  that  blows  nobody  profit :"  so  the 
accident  (of  the  storm)  proved  the  foundation  of  Mr.  Russell's  prefer- 


2/2  Woburn  Abbey, 

ment.  For  the  Archduke  was  so  delighted  with  his  "  learned  discourse 
and  generous  deportment,"  that  on  deciding  to  proceed  at  once  to 
Windsor,  by  invitation  of  the  King,  the  Archduke  desired  that  Mr. 
Russell  should  accompany  him,  and  on  his  arrival,  he  strongly  recom- 
mended him  to  the  King,  who  granted  him  an  immediate  interview. 
Henry  was  struck  with  Mr.  Russell's  address  and  conversation ;  for, 
says  Lloyd,  "  he  had  a  moving  beauty  that  waited  on  his  whole  body, 
a  comportment  unaffected,  and  such  a  comeliness  in  his  mien,  as 
excited  a  liking,  if  not  a  love,  from  all  that  saw  him ;  the  whole  set 
off  with  a  person  of  a  middle  stature,  neither  tall  to  a  formidableness, 
nor  short  to  a  contempt,  straight  and  proportioned,  vigorous  and  active, 
with  pure  blood  and  spirits  flowing  in  his  youthful  veins."  Mr.  Russell 
was  in  consequence  appointed  a  gentleman  of  the  Privy  Chamber. 

Three  years  afterwards,  on  Henry  VHI.  ascending  the  throne,  he  at 
once  perceived  Mr.  Russell's  varied  accomplishments  and  talents,  and 
employed  him  in  diplomatic  missions,  as  well  as  in  trusts  of  great 
confidence.  He  likewise  became  a  favourite  of  Henry  VIII.,  and  a 
companion  of  that  monarch  in  his  French  wars ;  and  Mr.  Russell  was 
knighted,  was  installed  into  the  Order  of  the  Garter,  and  was  raised 
to  the  Peerage,  9th  March,  1538-9,  as  Baron  Russell  of  Chenies.  In 
the  next  year,  1540,  "  when  the  great  monasteries  were  dissolved,  his 
Lordship  obtained  a  grant  to  himself  and  his  wife,  and  their  heirs,  of 
the  site  of  the  Abbey  of  Tavistock,  and  of  extensive  possessions  belong- 
ing thereto." — (Burke's  Peerage^  He  was  likewise  made  Marshal  of 
Marshalsea;  Controller  of  the  King's  Household  ;  a  Privy  Councillor; 
Lord  Warden  of  the  Stannaries,  in  the  counties  of  Devon  and  Corn- 
wall ;  President  of  those  counties,  and  those  of  Dorset  and  Somerset ; 
Lord  Privy  Seal ;  Lord  Admiral  of  England  and  Ireland  ;  and  Captain- 
General  of  the  Vanguard  of  the  Army.  Lastly,  Henry  VIII.,  on  his 
death-bed,  appointed  Lord  Russell  to  be  one  of  the  counsellors  to  his  son, 
Prince  Edward.  On  this  King's  accession  to  the  throne.  Lord  Russell 
still  retained  his  influence  at  the  Court  of  Edward  VI.;  and  at  his 
coronation  he  was  Lord  High  Steward  for  the  occasion.  Next  he  was 
employed  in  promoting  the  objects  of  the  Reformation :  for  his  signal 
services  he  was  created  Earl  of  Bedford,  and  endowed  with  the  rich 
Abbey  of  Woburn  ;  and  on  the  accession  of  the  Catholic  Queen  Mary, 
he  continued  his  services  to  the  Reformation,  and  continued  to  share 
largely  in  the  possessions  of  the  suppressed  monasteries.  Next  he  was 
one  of  the  noblemen  appointed  to  escort  Philip  from  Spain  to  become 
the  Queen's  husband,  and  to  give  away  her  Majesty  at  the  solemniza- 
tion of  her  maiTiage.   This  was  his  last  public  act.   It  is  i-emarkable  that 


Wohirn  Abbey.  273 

through  all  these  services  to  four  successive  sovereigns,  each  widely  differ- 
ing from  the  other,  he  preserved  his  integrity  of  character,  and  gave  satis- 
faction to  all  in  times  fraught  vf\\h  danger.  Nor  is  there  anything  in  his 
correspondence  or  private  history  that  bespeaks  the  servility  of  the  courtier. 

He  died  on  the  14th  of  March,  1555,  and  was  buried  at  Chenies,  the 
manor  of  which  he  had  acquired  by  his  marriage.  "In  the  little  parish 
church  of  this  place,"  says  a  recent  visitor,  *'  is  the  magnificent  and 
stately  burying  chapel  of  the  Russell  family,  where  lie  enshrined  in 
splendid  and  costly  tombs,  the  chiefs  and  children  of  that  house,  from 
the  time  of  the  Earl  of  Bedford,  who  died  in  the  second  year  of  Queen 
Mary,  down  to  a  very  recent  period.  The  old  Earl,  indeed,  sleeps  there 
like  one  of  the  patriarchs,  with  his  children  and  his  children's  children 
gathered  round  him.  There  was  a  time  when  the  family  lived  at 
Chenies,  but  the  mansion  they  occupied  is  for  the  most  part  gone,  and 
a  comparatively  modern  building  stands  in  its  place.  But  their  house 
of  death  is  studiously  protected  from  stain  and  ruin  and  decay.  The 
very  temperature  of  the  little  chapel  is  artificially  regulated,  so  that  all 
the  tombs  and  monuments  are  fresh,  and  in  perfect  preservation.  On 
all  sides  the  eye  of  the  visitor  rests  upon  the  philosophic  motto  of  the 
family,  *  Che  sara  sara — *  What  will  be,  will  be.'  On  all  sides  he  sees 
the  name  of  Russell,  and  that  name  alone.  On  some  gorgeous  and 
tasteless  tomb — rank  with  the  finery  of  a  barbarous  age— it  is  associated 
perhaps  with  the  deeds  of  some  active  politician,  whose  life  is  part  of 
the  history  of  his  country.  In  a  more  secluded  corner  a  simple  white 
tablet  seeks  to  memorialize  the  fleeting  existence  of  some  infant  of  the 
house  who  passed  without  a  pause  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave ;  or  of 
some  gentle  girl  who  died  whilst  she  was  yet  very  young.  Near  the 
church  stands  the  manor-house,  of  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.,  remarkable 
as  preserving  even  to  this  day,  in  some  not  inconsiderable  details,  por- 
tions of  the  original  structure.  The  principal  antiquarian  features  of 
interest  are  some  blocks  of  chimneys,  all  varying  in  design,  supported, 
and  perhaps  protected,  by  gables  that  reached  to  within  a  few  feet 
of  the  top  of  the  chimneys.  But  the  most  noticeable  point  was 
a  spiral  staircase  with  a  carved  handrail,  and  literally  forming  part 
of  the  wall,  after  a  fashion  which  is  believed  to  be  quite  unprecedented 
in  England.  There  was  also  at  the  top  of  the  house  a  long,  narrow, 
arched  loft,  extending  from  one  end  of  the  building  to  the  other,  and 
which  was  said  to  have  been  formerly  used  as  an  armoury."  The 
sepulchral  chapel  and  the  vaults  beneath  contain  between  fifty  and 
sixty  members  of  the  Russell  family  or  their  alliances. 

To  return  to  Wobum  Abbev.    In  1573,  Queen  Elizabeth  visited 


274  Woburn  Abbey, 

here  Francis,  the  second  Earl  of  Bedford.  In  1642  the  town  of 
Woburn  was  partly  burnt  by  the  Royalists,  and  in  1645  Charles  I. 
stayed  for  one  night  at  the  Abbey ;  in  November  there  was  a  skirmish 
between  the  Royalists  and  the  townspeople,  which  destroyed  by  fire 
many  houses  in  Woburn;  \yhen  the  Parliamentarians  occupied  the 
town  for  two  months. 

Part  of  the  ancient  Abbey  remains,  and  has  been  converted  into 
the  Duke  of  Bedford's  magnificent  mansion  which  still  retains  the 
name.  It  was  partly  put  into  its  present  form  during  the  second 
half  of  the  last  century,  and  is  a  quadrangle,  presenting  four  fronts 
of  above  200  feet  each.  The  west  or  principal  front  is  of  the  Ionic 
order,  with  a  rustic  basement.  The  Abbey  is  adorned  with  some  fine 
historical  portraits,  including  those  of  Queens  Mary  and  Elizabeth ;  a 
picture  of  Mary  and  her  husband,  Philip  of  Spain  ;  Lady  Jane  Seymour, 
wife  of  Henry  VIII.  and  mother  of  Edward  VI.;  Anne  of  Denmark, 
wife  of  James  I. ;  Sir  Philip  Sidney ;  General  Monk ;  Cecil  Lord 
Burghley ;  William  Lord  Russell,  beheaded  in  1683 ;  and  Rachel 
Wriothesley,  his  admirable  wife ;  and  at  the  Abbey  is  preserved,  in  gold 
letters,  the  speech  of  Lord  Russell  to  the  Sheriffs,  together  with  the 
paper  delivered  by  his  Lordship  to  them  at  the  place  of  execution,  the 
middle  of  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields.  In  the  dining-room  at  Woburn  is  a 
fine  collection  of  portraits  by  Vandyke ;  in  the  breakfast-room,  a  series 
of  views  in  Venice,  by  Canaletti,  painted  originally  for  Bedford  House, 
in  London.  In  the  sculpture  gallery  is  the  antique  Lanti  vase,  brought  to 
England  by  Lord  Cawdor ;  and  here  is  a  very  large  ancient  marble  sarco- 
phagus (brought  from  Ephesus),  on  the  four  sides  of  which  are  sculp- 
tured the  sad  story  of  Achilles  dragging  Hector's  body,  Priam's  ran- 
soming it  at  its  weight  in  gold,  and  other  post-Homeric  traditions  of 
the  woes  of  Andromache  and  Astyanax. 

The  mansion  is  situated  in  an  extensive  park,  and  is  a  grand  and 
capacious  pile,  worthy  of  being  rendered  a  ducal  residence.  In  the  sur- 
rounding domain  is  the  Park  Farm,  dedicated  to  agricultural  improve- 
ment :  it  originated  with  Francis,  Duke  of  Bedford,  famous  for  his 
encouragement  of  the  science  and  practice  of  agriculture,  as  commemo- 
rated in  Westmacott's  picturesque  statue  in  Russell-square. 

Drayton,  in  his  Poly-Olbion,  speaks  of  a  brook  at  Aspley  Guise,  near 
Woburn,  the  earth  on  the  banks  of  which  had  a  petrifying  quality ;  but 
this  account  is  incorrect.    Drayton's  lines  are  as  follows : 

"  The  brook  which  on  her  bank  doth  boast  that  earth  alone 
Which,  noted  of  this  isle,  convcrteth  wood  to  stone, 
That  little  Aspley 's  earth  we  antiently  instilc 
'Mongst  sundry  other  things,  a  wonder  of  the  isle." 


A  mpthill  Castle,  275 

A  Correspondent  has  "made  a  note  of"  a  curious  etymological  state- 
ment respecting  Woburn — that  at  the  end  oS.  A  Guide  to  Woburn  Abbey , 
published  in  1850,  is  a  table  of  "  the  various  ways  of  spelling  Woburn, 
collected  from  letters  and  parcels  by  the  Postmaster."  It  seems  also 
incredible  (says  the  Correspondent),  but  yet  it  is  the  fact,  that  no  less 
than  tiuo  hundred  and  forty -four  different  modes  of  spelling  or  rather 
mis-spelling  the  simple  word  Woburn  are  there  recorded.  It  is  worth 
noting  that  the  place  is  always  called  Wooburn,  The  following  are  a 
few  of  the  ingenious  struggles  of  the  unlearned  in  their  endeavour  to 
commit  to  paper  the  name  of  this  delightful  spot :— 


•'  Houboun. 

Hourbon. 

Houbone. 

Hawburn. 

Houlboum. 

Hooben. 

Nobum. 

Owburn. 

Ooboun. 

Uborn. 

Wurboum. 

Woubon. 

Woabbern. 

Wubaorn. 

Wobarn. 

Woswrin. 

WBun. 

Whoobowen. 

Wouboarene. 

Wwoo  Burn. 

"  Sixty-one  examples  have  H  as  the  initial  letter,  and  twenty-two 
Qave  O." — W,  Sparrow  Simpson,  B,A, 


Ampthill  Castle. 

The  county  of  Bedford  had  anciently  several  baronial  Castles ;  but 
it  does  not  appear  that  there  are  any  remains  of  them  except  the  earth- 
works which  mark  their  sites,  and  which  may  be  observed  at  Bedford, 
Eaton  Socon,  and  other  places.  It  is  supposed  that  all  the  Castles, 
except  those  of  Bedford  and  Ampthill,  had  been  destroyed  in  the  reign 
of  King  John  ;  and  it  is  perhaps  owing  to  this  that  we  read  of  so  few 
occurrences  in  Bedfordshire  during  the  Civil  War  of  the  Roses.  The 
county  was  the  scene  of  few  conspicuous  events  during  the  Civil  War 
between  Charles  I.  and  his  Parliament. 

At  Ampthill,  eight  miles  from  Bedford,  in  the  Park,  wherein  is  now 
Ampthill  House,  stood  Ampthill  Castle,  where  Queen  Katherine  re- 
sided during  the  proceedings  which  terminated  in  her  divorce  from 
Henry  VIII.,  to  be  hereafter  mentioned  in  the  account  of  Dunstable 
Priory.  James  I.  visited  Ampthill  Castle  in  1605  and  1621.  It  has  long 
disappeared.  Behind  the  present  mansion,  near  the  entrance  of  the  Park 
from  the  turnpike  road,  are  some  ponds,  similar  in  appearance  to  those 
frequently  seen  adjoining  ancient  houses;  above  these,  at  the  edge  of  a 
precipice,  was  the  front  of  the  Castle.  This  building  was  erected  by 
Lord  Fanhope  at  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century.  It  was  used  as 


2^6  Ampthill  Castle. 

a  royal  resort  by  Henry  VIII.,  who  was  often  here.  Two  ground  plans 
of  it  are  in  existence,  taken  about  the  year  1626,  at  which  time  it  is 
supposed  the  Castle  was  demolished.  In  front  was  a  large  court; 
behind  it  were  two  very  small  ones ;  and  between  these  was  an  oblong 
courtyard.  Between  the  front  and  back  courts  were  two  projections, 
like  the  transepts  of  a  church.  In  front  were  two  square  projecting 
towers  ;  and  round  the  building,  at  irregular  distances,  were  nine  other 
turrets.  Lord  Ossory  planted  a  grove  of  firs  at  the  back  of  this  spot, 
and  erected  in  1 7  73,  in  the  centre,  a  monument,  consisting  of  an  octa- 
gonal shaft,  raised  on  four  steps,  and  surmounted  by  a  cross,  bearing  a 
shield,  with  Queen  Katherine's  arms,  of  Castile  and  Aragon.  On  a 
tablet  inserted  in  the  base  of  the  cross  is  the  following  inscription,  from 
the  pen  of  Horace  Walpole,  Earl  of  Orford : — 

••  In  days  of  yore,  here  Ampthill's  towers  were  seen, 
The  mournful  refuge  of  an  injured  queen  ; 
Here  flowed  her  pure,  but  unavailing  tears, 
Here  blinded  zeal  sustained  her  sinking  years. 
Yet  Freedom  hence  her  radiant  banner  wav'd, 
And  Love  avenged  a  realm  by  priests  enslav'd  ; 
From  Catherine's  wrongs  a  nation's  bliss  was  spread, 
And  Luther's  light  from  lawless  Henry's  bed." 

The  possessors  of  Ampthill  are  thus  traced  by  the  Rev.  J.  D. 
Parry,  M.A,,  author  of  the  History  of  Wbburn:  —  The  survey  of 
Ampthill  Park,  made  by  order  of  Parliament,  1649,  speaks  of  the 
Castle  as  *  long  ago  totally  demolished.'  The  salaries  paid  in  Queen 
Elizabeth's  time  were:  Keeper  of  the  Manor-house,  2/.  13J.  4^/., 
Great  Park,  4/.,  with  herbage  and  pannage,  15/.;  P<7/^r  of  the  Park, 
4/.  1 1  J.  4^.,  herbage  and  pannage,  15/."  There  was,  however,  what 
was  called  the  Great  Lodge,  or  Capital  Mansion.  King  James  I.  gave 
the  Honour  of  Ampthill  to  the  Earl  of  Kelly.  It  soon  reverted  to  the 
Crown.  In  161 2,  Thomas,  Lord  Fenton,  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife,  re- 
signed the  office  of  High  Steward  of  the  Honour  of  Ampthill  to  the 
King.  The  following  year  the  custody  of  the  Great  Park  was  granted 
to  Lord  Bruce,  whose  family  became  lessees  of  the  Honour,  which 
they  kept  till  1738.  In  the  seventeenth  century,  the  Nicholls  family 
became  lessees  of  the  Great  Park  under  the  Bruccs,  who  reserved  the 
office  of  Master  of  the  Game.  After  the  Restoration,  Ampthill  Great 
Park  was  granted  by  Charles  II.  to  Mr.  John  Ashburnham,  as  some 
reward  for  his  distinguished  services  to  his  father  and  himself. 

Ampthill  House  was  erected  by  the  first  Lord  Ashburnham,  in  1694  ; 
it  is  a  plain  but  very  neat  edifice,  built  of  good  stone.  It  is  situated 
rathe**  Mow  the  simimit  of  a  hill,  much  less  elevated  than  the  site  of 


Dunstable  and  its  Priory,  277 

the  old  Castle ;  but  it  is  sufficiently  elevated  to  possess  a  great  share  of 
the  fine  view  over  the  vale  of  Bedfoixl.  It  is  also  vi^ell  sheltered  by- 
trees,  though  the  passing  traveller  would  have  no  idea  of  the  magni- 
ficent lime  alley,  which  is  in  the  rear  of  the  mansion.  The  house  has 
a  long  front,  with  nearly  forty  windows,  exclusive  of  the  dormers,  and 
two  projecting  wings.  In  the  centre  is  an  angular  pediment  bearing 
Lord  Ossory's  arms  ;  and  over  the  door  is  a  small  circular  pediment, 
with  an  antique  bust,  and  supported  by  two  Ionic  columns.  In  the 
house  is  x  small  collection  of  pictures,  principally  portraits.  At  the 
foot  of  the  staircase  is  a  large  painting,  formerly  tn  fresco  at  Houghton 
House,  which  was  removed  from  the  wall,  and  placed  on  canvas  by  an 
ingenious  process  of  Mr.  Salmon.  It  represents  a  gamekeeper,  or 
woodman,  taking  aim  with  a  cross-bow,  and  some  curious  perspective 
scenery.  There  is  a  tradition  that  the  figure  is  some  person  of  high 
rank  in  disguise ;  some  say,  King  James  I.,  who  visited  Houghton. 

The  pleasure-grounds  in  the  rear  of  the  mansion  command  a  fine 
view ;  here  is  the  lime-walk,  one  of  the  finest  in  England ;  it  is  upwards 
of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  length,  the  trees  finely  arching  ;  and  it  has 
been  pronounced  finer  than  any  walk  in  Oxford  or  Cambridge.  The 
Park  is  very  picturesque,  and  studded  with  beautiful  groups  of  trees. 
The  oaks  are  many  centuries  old,  with  a  girth  of  ten  yards  each.  They 
were  very  numerous,  for  in  a  Survey  in  1653,  287  of  the  oaks  were 
hollow,  and  too  much  decayed  for  the  use  of  the  Navy. 

The  estate  was  purchased  of  the  Ashburnham  family  by  Viscount 
Fitzwilliam,  who  sold  it,  in  1 736,  to  Lady  Grosvenor,  grandmother  of 
Lord  Ossory,  who  in  1800  became  possessed  of  the  lease  of  the 
Honour,  by  exchange  with  the  Duke  of  Bedford.  Lord  Ossory  died 
in  18 1 8,  and  was  succeeded  by  Lord  Holland,  in  whose  family  the 
property  remains.  Many  years  since  there  appeared  a  small  volume  of 
Lines  ^written  at  Ampthill  Park,  by  Mr,  Luttrell,  who  appears  to  have 
taken  his  muse  by  the  arm,  and  "  wandered  up  and  down"  describing 
the  natural  glories  and  olden  celebrity  of  the  place,  and  in  graceful 
poetry  hanging  "  a  thought  on  every  thorn." 


Dunstable  and  its  Priory. 

Dunstable  lies  eighteen  miles  south-west  from  Bedford,  at  the  point 
of  contact  of  the  ancient  Iknield  and  Watling-streets ;  and  it  was  in 
early  times  a  place  of  considerable  importance.  Its  modern  name  is 
supposed  by  many  etymologists  to  be  derived  from  Dun,  or  Dunning, 


2y8  Dunstable  and  its  Priory. 

a  famous  robber  in  the  time  of  Henry  I.,  who,  with  his  band,  became 
so  formidable  in  the  neighbourhood,  that  Henry  cut  down  a  large 
forest  in  order  to  destroy  the  haunt,  and  built  a  royal  mansion  called 
Kingsbury  on  part  of  the  site.  The  town  was  also  called  in  olden 
times,  "  Market-on-the-Downs,"  from  its  being  situated  on  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  Dunstable  chalk  downs. 

The  royal  visits  to  Dunstable  were  very  numerous.  In  1133, 
Henry  I.  kept  his  Christmas  here  with  much  splendour,  and  also  in 
1 132  and  1 137.  In  1154,  after  the  termination  of  the  war,  an 
amicable  meeting  took  place  at  Dunstable  between  King  Stephen  and 
Henry,  Duke  of  Normandy,  afterwards  Henry  II.  In  11 83  was  seen 
in  the  heavens  "the  form  of  Our  Lord's  Banner,  with  the  Crucifixion 
upon  it."  In  12 15,  King  John  lay  at  Dunstable,  on  his  journey 
towards  the  North.  In  1217,  Louis  the  Dauphin,  with  the  Barons 
in  arms  against  the  King,  halted  for  a  night,  and  did  much  damage 
to  the  Church  at  Dunstable.  In  1228  Henry  III.  kept  his  Christmas 
here.  In  the  following  year,  the  dispute  ran  so  high  between  the 
townsmen  and  scholars  at  Dunstable  that  many  were  wounded  on 
both  sides,  and  some  mortally.  In  1244,  a  number  of  the  discontented 
Bai'ons,  under  the  pretence  of  holding  a  tournament,  assembled  a 
council  at  Dunstable.  The  tournament  was  forbidden  to  be  held  by 
the  King ;  but  the  Barons  met,  as  agreed  upon,  and  issued  an  order, 
commanding  the  Pope's  Nuncio  to  leave  the  kingdom.  In  1265,  the 
King  and  Queen,  with  Cardinal  Ottoboni,  the  Pope's  Legate,  and 
Simon  de  Montfort,  Earl  of  Leicester,  made  some  stay  at  Dunstable. 
In  1279  and  the  following  year,  a  tournament  was  held  at  Dunstable. 
In  1341,  Edward  III.,  on  his  triumphal  return  from  Scotland,  was 
met  at  Dunstable  by  230  knights,  and  entertained  by  a  grand  exhibition 
of  martial  exercises.  In  1457  '^^^  i459>  Henry  VI.  was  at  Dun- 
stable. Here,  in  1572,  was  Queen  Elizabeth,  in  her  progress  towards 
the  north;  in  1605,  James  I.  visited  the  town;  and  in  1644,  *^  ^^ 
much  damaged  by  a  party  sent  by  Charles  I. 

Here  we  may  mention  that  in  mo  was  perfonned  at  Dunstable  the 
first  attempt  at  theatrical  representations ;  it  was  called  the  "  Miracles  of 
Catherine,"  and  was  the  production  of  Geofl^rey,  a  Norman,  afterwards 
Abbot  of  St.  Albans.    This  would  appear  to  have  been  a  miracle  play. 

But  the  main  celebrity  of  Dunstable  dates  from  the  Priory  (dedicated 
to  St.  Peter)  of  Augustinian,  or  Black  Canons,  a  royal  foundation  of 
Henry  I.,  who  bestowed  on  it  the  town  of  Dunstable,  and  all  its  pri- 
vileges, in  1 1 3 1.  The  Priors  had  a  gaol,  possessed  power  of  life  and 
death,  and  sat  as  judges  with  the  King's  justices  in  Eyre;  they  had 


Dimstahle  and  its  Priory,  279 

also  their  gallows,  tumbril,  and  pillory.  The  ecclesiastics  wei-e  com- 
paratively few  in  number,  but  were  endowed  with  well-tilled  broad 
acres,  and  were  persons  of  no  little  importance  in  their  own  immediate 
vicinity.  At  the  Priory  a  great  synod  was  held  in  12 14  ;  in  1290,  the 
body  of  Queen  Eleanor  was  deposited  here  for  one  night ;  and  a  Gross 
was  erected  in  the  town  upon  the  spot  whereon  the  body  was  first  set 
down;  but  this  memorial  was  pulled  down  in  the  reign  of  Charles  I. 
as  a  relic  of  Popery. 

At  Dunstable  Priory,  in  1533,  the  Commissioners  for  the  divorce  of 
Queen  Katherine  met,  and  here  the  sentence  was  pronounced  by  Cran- 
mer,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  May  23.  These  proceedings  were,  a 
few  days  afterwards,  communicated  to  Katherine,  who  was  then  resi- 
ding at  Ampthill,  a  few  miles  distant ;  she  solemnly  protested  against 
them,  and  refused  the  title  of  Princess  Dowager,  and  the  offer  of  being 
treated  as  the  King's  sister ;  she  was  soon  after  removed,  almost  by 
force,  from  Ampthill,  and  at  length  was  settled  at  Kimbolton,  where 
she  died. 

"The  Annals  of  Dunstable,"  has  a  curious  history.  "  Of  the  great- 
ness of  the  Black  Canons  of  Dunstable,"  says  a  reviewer,  in  the 
Athenaiim,  "  we  have  absolutely  no  memorials  to  testify  to  their  former 
existence  even,  beyond  some  occasional  notices  of  their  manifold  writs, 
and  suits,  and  plaints,  in  other  chronicles  and  the  legal  records  of  the 
Plantagenet  days  ;  the  crumbling,  and  daily  diminishing,  walls  of  their 
once  stately  dwelling-place ;  and  the  carefully-entered  annals  of  their 
house  between  a.d.  1131  and  1297,  still  preserved — and  only  just 
presei-ved — in  the  diminutive,  shrivelled,  half-burnt  parchment  volume 
belonging  to  the  Cottonian  collection. 

"  This  manuscript  meets  us  in  such  sad  guise,  from  the  fact  that, 
after  having  tided  safely  over  the  great  break-up  of  the  Reformation, 
and  passed  through  Puritan  times  uncondemned  to  the  flames,  it 
suffered  very  severely  from  that  most  careless  of  accidents,  the  fire  in 
the  Cotton  Library,  at  Westminster,  in  1731.  Fortunately,  however, 
previous  to  that  date,  a  careful  transcript  of  it  had  been  made  by  the 
pen  of  Humphrey  Wanley ;  and  from  this  Thomas  Hearne  printed 
his  edition  of  the  Dunstable  Annals,  in  1733.  The  original  manuscript 
was  then  supposed  to  be  hopelessly  injured  by  the  fire,  and  Heame 
made  no  attempt  to  examine  it.  Since  then,  however,  at  a  compara- 
tively recent  date,  by  dint  of  pains  and  ingenuity,  it  has  been  stretched 
and  mended  ;  and  from  it,  thus  revived,  aided  by  Wanley's  transcript 
(MS.  Harl.  4886)  in  the  case  of  some  few  words  and  passages  which 
the  fire  has  rendered  illegible,  Mr.  Luard  has  produced  an  elaborate 


280  Bedford  Castle, 

edition  of  the  work.  It  will  never,  of  course,  equal  Heame*8  edition 
(limited  to  200  copies)  in  rarity ;  but  in  reference  to  accuracy  and 
editorial  painstaking,  in  the  way  of  elucidation  of  difficulties,  omissions, 
or  obscurities  in  the  text,  Mr.  Luard's  edition  entirely  distances  its  pre- 
decessor, and  leaves  no  reasonable  desire  of  its  readers  unsatisfied. 

"  Hearne,  though  replete  with  much  learning  of  various  kinds,  was 
possessed  of  but  little  ingenious  research,  or  power,  by  way  of  infe- 
rence, of  turning  his  acquirements  to  account ;  so  we  are  not  surprised 
that  he  failed  to  discover  what  Mr.  Luard  has  very  skilfully  proved 
from  internal  evidence,  that  these  Annals,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end 
of  A.D.  1 24 1,  were  compiled  by  Richard  de  Morins,  formerly  Canon 
of  Merton,  in  Surrey,  and  fourth  Prior  of  Dunstable,  between  a.d. 
1 2 10  and  the  year  above  mentioned.  The  portion  between  1242  and 
1297  is  by  various  hands,  now  unknown ;  and  upon  the  remaining 
blank  leaves  of  tlie  volume  some  miscellaneous  entries  are  made,  con- 
temporary with  the  events  there  described,  between  a.d.   1302  and 

1459." 

Of  the  celebrated  Priory  little  remains,  except  a  part  appropriated  to 
the  parish  church,  and  some  fragments  in  an  adjoining  wall.  These 
relics  afford  specimens  of  early  ecclesiastical  architecture,  very  interest- 
ing to  the  students  of  that  branch  of  art ;  particularly  the  great  west 
front,  which  has  a  singular  intermixture  of  circular  and  pointed  arches. 


Bedford  Castle. 

Bedford,  seated  in  the  midst  of  a  very  rich  tract  of  land  called  the 
Vale  of  Bedford,  is  of  high  antiquity,  but  not  of  Roman  origin,  as 
some  affirm.  Nevertheless,  the  plough  turns  up  Roman  coins  in  various 
parts  of  the  county,  and  the  vicinity  of  Shefford,  in  particular,  has  been 
remarkably  productive  in  Roman  pottery,  glass,  and  bronze.  Camden 
considers  the  place  to  have  been  British,  and  the  original  name  Lettuy, 
in  British  signifying  public  inns,  and  Lettidur,  inns  on  a  river,  as  Bed- 
ford in  English,  beds  and  inns  at  a  ford,  a  speculation  not  very  satis- 
factory. It  is  generally  supposed,  however,  that  the  town  is  the  Bedi- 
canford  of  ^he  Saxon  Chronicle:  "  A.D.  571.  This  year  Cuthulf  fought 
against  the  Britons  at  Bedcanford  [Bedford],  and  took  four  towns,** 
&c.  This  name  signifies  "a  fortress  on  a  river,"  a  designation  of 
which  the  present  name  seems  a  corruption.  It  afterwards  suffered 
greatly  in  the  wars  between  the  Saxons  and  the  Danes,  and  was  ultimately 
'lestroyed  in  1010,  by  the  latter,  "ever  burning  as  they  went."    Men- 


Bedford  Castle,  281 

tion  is  made  of  a  fortress  or  citadel  built  on  the  south  side  of  the  river 
Ou£.e,  by  Edward  the  Elder,  who,  in  919,  received  the  submission  of 
all  the  neighbouring  country. 

In  921,  the  Danes  fortified  Tempsford,  and  attacked  Bedford,  but 
were  repulsed  with  great  slaughter.  Edward  besieged  the  Danes  at 
Tempsford,  destroyed  the  fortress,  and  put  their  King  and  many  of  the 
nobles  to  death.  But  the  fortress  which  Edward  had  built  would  seem 
to  have  been  destroyed  by  the  Danes,  or  was  found  an  inadequate 
defence,  for  Paine  de  Beauchamp,  to  whom  the  barony  was  given  by 
William  Rufus,  considered  it  necessary  to  build,  adjoining  to  the  town, 
a  very  strong  Castle,  which  was  surrounded  by  a  vast  entrenchment  of 
earth,  as  well  as  a  lofty  and  thick  wall.  *'  While  this  Castle  stood," 
says  Camden,  "  there  was  no  storm  of  civil  war  that  did  not  burst 
upon  it."  In  1137  it  sustained  a  long  siege;  but  accounts  vary 
exceedingly  as  to  who  were  the  defenders  and  what  was  their  fate. 
Camden,  without  entering  into  the  particulars,  says,  that  Stephen  took 
the  fort  with  great  slaughter ;  but  Dugdale,  who  gives  details,  and 
quotes  ancient  authorities,  says  that  the  King  obtained  it  by  surrender, 
and  granted  honourable  terms  to  the  garrison.  In  12 16,  William  de 
Beauchamp,  being  possessed  of  the  Barony  of  Bradford,  took  part 
with  the  rebellious  barons,  and  received  them  into  the  Castle,  which 
they  were  advancing  to  besiege.  When,  however,  King  John  sent  his 
favourite,  Faukes  de  Brent,  to  summon  the  Castle,  it  was  surrendered  to 
him  in  a  few  days,  and  the  King  gave  it  to  him,  with  the  barony,  for  his 
services.  Faukes,  having  greatly  repaired  and  strengthened  his  Castle, 
for  which  purpose  he  is  said  to  have  pulled  down  the  collegiate  church 
of  St.  Paul,  presumed  so  far  upon  its  impregnable  character  as  to  set 
all  law  and  authority  at  defiance.  His  outrages  and  depredations  on 
his  less  powerful  neighbour  were  such,  that  in  the  year  1224,  the  King's 
justices,  then  sitting  at  Dunstable,  felt  it  their  duty  to  take  cognizance 
of  his  proceedings,  and  fined  him  in  the  sum  of  three  thousand  pounds. 
Faukes,  being  greatly  provoked  at  this,  sent  his  brother  at  the  head  of 
a  party  of  soldiers  to  seize  the  judges  and  bring  them  prisoners  to 
Bedford.  They  were  forewarned  of  his  intention,  and  two  of  them 
escaped ;  but  one  of  them,  Henry  Braybrook,  was  taken  and  carried 
to  the  Castle,  where  he  was  most  unmercifully  treated.  The  King 
(Henry  III.)  being  incensed  at  this  and  the  other  outrageous  conduct  of 
De  Brent,  determined  to  bring  him  to  punishment.  He  therefore  marched 
to  Bedford  in  person,  attended  by  Stephen  Langton,  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  and  the  principal  peers  of  the  realm.  On  this  occasion, 
the  Church  was  so  provoked  by  Faukes's  sacrilege,  that  the  prelates  and 


282  Bedford  Castle. 

abbot li  granted  a  voluntary  aid  to  the  King,  and  for  every  hide  of  their 
lands  furnished  two  labourers  to  work  the  engines  employed  in  the 
siege  of  the  Castle.  Camden  quotes  fi'om  the  Chronicle  of  Dunstable 
a  curious  account  of  this  siege,  written  by  an  eye-witness,  from  which 
it  appears  that  the  engines  employed  in  that  age  for  the  destruction  of 
men  were  little  less  ingenious  and  efTective  than  those  now  in  use. 
Faukes  de  Brent  felt  great  confidence  in  the  strength  of  the  Castle, 
and  disputed  the  ground  by  inches  ;  but  after  a  vigorous  resistance  of 
sixty  days,  no  alternative  remained  but  to  surrender  at  discretion.  The 
success  of  the  besiegers  is  attributed  chiefly  to  the  use  of  a  lofty 
wooden  castle  higher  than  the  walls,  which  gave  an  opportunity  of 
seeing  all  that  passed  therein.  Faukes  himself  was  not  in  the  Castle 
when  it  surrendered  ;  he  took  sanctuary  in  a  church  at  Coventry,  and 
through  the  mediation  of  the  Bishop  of  Coventry,  obtained  the  King's 
pardon,  on  condition  of  abjuring  the  realm.  His  brother  William,  the 
acting  Governor  of  the  Castle,  with  twenty-four  Knights  and  eighty 
soldiers,  were  hanged  ;  but  Culmo,  another  brother,  received  the 
King's  pardon. 

Henry  HI.,  acting  on  the  determination  to  uproot  this  "nursery  of 
sedition,"  as  Camden  terms  it,  ordered  the  Castle  to  be  dismantled,  and 
the  ditches  to  be  filled  up.  The  barony  was  restored  to  William  de 
Beauchamp,  with  permission  to  erect  a  mansion-house  on  the  site  of 
the  Castle ;  but  with  careful  stipulations  to  prevent  him  from  constru- 
ing this  into  leave  to  build  a  fortress.  The  King's  intentions  as  to  the 
demolition  of  the  Castle  do  not  seem  to  have  been  executed  to  the  letter; 
for  the  "ruinous  Castle  of  Bedford"  is  mentioned  about  250  years 
later ;  and  Camden  speaks  of  its  ruins  as  still  existing  in  his  time,  over- 
hanging the  river,  on  the  east  side  of  the  town.  At  present  not  one 
stone  of  the  fabric  remains ;  but  about  1820  its  site  might  be  very  dis- 
tinctly traced  at  the  back  of  the  Swan  Inn,  close  to  the  old  bridge  :  it 
foi-ms  a  parallelogram,  divided  by  a  lane ;  and  the  site  of  the  keep  now 
makes  an  excellent  bowling-green.  The  domain  first  became  a  duke- 
dom when  given  to  John,  the  third  son  of  Henry  IV.  We  have 
abridged  most  of  these  details  from  an  excellent  account  of  the  Castle 
in  the  Penny  Cyclop  a  dm. 

The  town  of  Bedford  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  places  in  Eng- 
land ;  and  there  is  perhaps  no  English  town  of  similar  extent  equal  to 
Bedford  in  the  variety  and  magnitude  of  its  charitable  and  educational 
establishments.  It  has  been  greatly  improved  since  a  great  fire,  in  1724, 
consumed  100  houses,  and  in  1802,  72  houses.  The  communication 
between  the  parts  of  the  town  separated  by  the  O  use  is  a  handsome 


Luton-HoOy  its  Gothic  Chapel,  2S3 

stone  bridge  of  five  arches,  which  was  commenced  in  181 1,  on  the  site 
of  the  old  bridge  of  seven  arches,  which  was  popularly  considered  to 
have  been  built  with  the  materials  of  the  Castle  demolished  by 
Henry  III. ;  bat  which  Grose,  the  antiquary,  understood  to  have  been 
erected  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Mary,  out  of  the  ruins  of  St.  Dunstan's 
Church,  which  stood  on  the  south  side  of  the  bridge.  The  old  Gaol 
was  built  on  the  bridge;  here  John  Bunyan  suffered  one-and-fifty 
months'  imprisonment  in  the  reign  of  Charles  II.;  and  held  for  many 
years  the  appointment  of  pastor  to  the  Independent  congregation  at 
Bedford.  His  memory  is  still  greatly  revered,  and  the  chair  in  which 
he  used  to  sit  is  preserved  in  the  vestry,  as  a  sort  of  relic,  with  his  vestry 
jug,  the  syllabub  cup  which  was  carried  to  and  from  his  prison,  his 
cabinet  and  case  of  weights,  pocket-knife,  &c.  The  cottage  in  which 
Bunyan  was  bom,  at  Elstow,  a  short  distance  from  Bedford,  was  de- 
molished several  years  since;  but  in  1827  the  interior  remained  as  it 
was  in  Bunyan's  time,  with  the  remains  of  the  closet  in  which  in  early 
life  he  worked  as  a  tinker ;  there  is  also  the  old  bathing-place  at  Bed- 
ford ;  and,  although  the  site  only  of  the  house  in  which  Bunyan  died  at 
Holbom  Bridge  is  identified,  his  tomb  in  Bunhill-fields  burial-ground 
has  been  restored. 


Luton- Hoo,  its  Gothic  Chapel. 

Luton-Hoo,  or  High  Luton,  situate  between  St.  Albans  and  Bed- 
ford, was  the  magnificent  seat  of  the  Marquis  of  Bute,  which  was 
destroyed  by  an  accidental  fire  in  November,  1843.  ^^  ^^^  originally 
the  seat  of  the  Napier  family,  but  was  nearly  all  rebuilt  by  John,  third 
Earl  of  Bute,  the  first  Minister  of  George  III.,  who,  in  1762,  employed 
Adam  as  his  architect,  who  took  for  his  model  the  palace  of  Dioclesian, 
at  Spalatro.  It  was  completed  in  1767,  when  Dr.  Johnson,  after  visit- 
ing Luton-Hoo  with  Boswell,  said :  "  This  is  one  of  the  places  I  do 
not  regret  having  come  to  see.  It  is  a  very  stately  palace  indeed.  In  the 
house  magnificence  is  not  sacrificed  to  convenience.  The  library  is  very 
splendid.  The  dignity  of  the  rooms  is  very  great,  and  the  quantity  of 
pictures  is  beyond  expectation — beyond  hope."  In  the  wing  coiTe- 
sponding  with  that  containing  the  library  was  the  chapel,  which  was 
rebuilt  by  Smirke,  and  in  which  was  preserved  some  exceedingly  fine 
Gothic  wainscot,  enriched  with  carving  and  Latin  sentences  of  Scripture 
in  ancient  characters ;  this  was  first  put  up  at  Tyttenhanger,  in  Hert- 
fordshire, by  Sir  Thomas  Pope,  and  was  removed  to  Luton  by  the 


284  Ltiton-HoOy  its  Gothic  Chapel, 

Napier  family.  The  mansion  was  destroyed  in  the  above  fire,  except 
the  outer  walls ;  but  the  chapel  was  entirely  consumed,  save  a  portion 
of  a  richly-carved  oak  door,  and  the  altar.  As  the  chapel  was  a  superb 
specimen  of  ecclesiastical  architecture,  it  is  fortunate  that  it  has  been 
ably  illustrated  by  Mr.  Henry  Shaw,  in  a  splendidly  executed  work. 

The  Luton  chapel  was  of  the  latest  and  most  florid  period  of  Gothic 
architecture,  displaying  in  the  forms  of  some  of  its  arches  and  mould- 
ings a  mixture  of  the  Roman,  which  was  coming  into  fashion  at  the 
period  of  its  construction ;  but  which  afterwards  degenerated  into  the 
grotesque  style  prevalent  during  the  reigns  of  Elizabeth  and  James. 
The  whole  of  the  interior  presented  a  rich  display  of  panel-work, 
beautifully  carved  in  oak,  and  ornamented  by  an  assemblage  of  elegant 
cornices,  embattlements,  niches,  canopies,  crockets,  and  finials,  having 
the  several  accompaniments  of  stalls,  seats,  pulpit,  and  desk  of  taber- 
nacle-work, surmounted  by  a  gorgeous  canopy,  which  was  carried  by 
several  gradually  diminishing  stages  to  the  height  of  more  than  eighteen 
feet  from  the  floor.  At  the  upper  end  was  an  altar-screen,  consisting  of 
two  tiers  of  solid  arch-work,  charged  with  oak-leaves,  vine-leaves, 
roses,  lilies,  and  thistles ;  each  containing  ten  niches  for  statues,  and 
having  their  recesses  finished  with  the  most  florid  and  fanciful  tracery, 
of  which  a  similar  example  will  not  easily  be  found  in  this  country. 
There  was  also  an  altar  in  the  highest  state  of  preservation,  which,  Mr. 
Shaw  tells  us,  was  the  most  complete,  if  not  the  only  specimen  remaining 
of  those  numerous  altars  in  our  churches  and  monasteries,  which  were  so 
indignantly  destroyed  in  general  either  by  the  Reformers  of  the  sixteenth, 
or  the  Puritans  of  the  seventeenth  century.  From  the  inscriptions  it  ap- 
peared to  have  been  the  principal  altar,  framed  after  the  model  of  the  Ark 
of  the  Covenant,  under  the  Jewish  theocracy :  the  little  loops  or  rings  of 
wire  still  remained,  on  which  were  suspended  the  curtains  of  silk  which 
veiled  from  vulgar  gaze  the  emblem  of  the  great  mystery  of  Holiness. 
Like  its  sacred  prototype,  it  was  portable  in  size,  being  about  three  feet 
high  from  its  base,  hollow,  and  pierced  with  open-work  at  the  sides,  to 
m.ake  it  light  and  more  elegant ;  and  when  the  curtain  was  drawn 
aside,  admitting  a  partial  view  of  the  relics  and  sacred  treasures  in- 
closed. Such  altars  were  actually  carried  in  solemn  procession  on 
solemn  occasions.  They  were  also  made  hollow  and  of  a  square  form, 
in  accordance  with  the  express  direction  contained  in  the  twenty- 
seventh  chapter  of  the  book  of  Exodus. 

Amongst  the  arrangements  in  this  Chapel  was  one  which  was  ex- 
traordinary, and  perhaps  unique,  except  in  our  modern  vestry-rooms— 
that  of  a  chimney-piece  and  fire-place.    On  each  side  of  it,  and  above 


Luton-HoOy  its  Gothic  Chapel.  2S5 

it,  were  thirty-three  vacant  niches,  with  triple  canopies,  elaborately- 
carved,  and  interspersed  with  crockets  and  finials,  over  which  was  a 
double  cornice  of  ornamental  work.  On  the  horizontal  ledge  above 
the  chimney-piece  was  a  singular  inscription  from  the  Vulgate.  (Ge- 
nesis xxii.  7.) 

Mr.  Shaw  describes  the  several  inscriptions  and  embellishments  ot 
this  truly  interesting  relic  of  antiquity,  because,  though  the  work  must 
have  evidently  been  executed  before  the  Reformation,  there  was  a 
total  absence  of  the  greater  part  of  those  corruptions  of  pure 
Christianity,  which  had  been  carried  to  the  utmost  point  of  endurance 
at  the  period  immediately  preceding  that  great  event. 

To  form  a  just  and  adequate  conception  of  the  beauty,  interest,  and 
splendour  of  this  Chapel,  however,  Mr.  Shaw  examined  it  on  the  spot.' 
Considered  as  a  work  of  art,  it  exhibited  altogether  a  complete  study 
of  architecture  and  sculpture.  Here  was  almost  every  form  of  arch, 
bidding  defiance  to  all  modern  classifications.  We  had  the  semi- 
circular and  the  lancet-shaped  ;  the  obtuse-angled  and  the  acute  ;  the 
Roman  segment  and  the  Gothic  ogee,  with  dressings  and  mouldings 
of  every  description — round,  hollow,  square,  and  undulating.  There 
was  also  a  profusion  of  embellishments  in  the  cornices  and  embattle- 
ments,  the  niches,  the  pinnacles,  the  canopies,  and  the  cupolas ;  ex- 
hausting all  the  varieties  of  fruits,  and  flowers,  and  foliages ;  of  vines, 
and  pomegranates,  and  lilies,  and  roses,  which  are  generally  found  to 
be  accompaniments  of  ecclesiastical  architecture.  Viewed  as  a  religious 
structure,  the  appearance  of  this  chapel  was  calculated  to  produce  an 
impression  of  awe  and  admiration.  The  inscriptions  were  solemn, 
'  appropriate,  and  Scriptural.  Every  sentence,  from  the  porch  to  the 
altar,  was  conducive  to  a  feeling  of  sublimity  and  devotion. 

Mr.  Shaw  concludes  in  these  words,  which  have,  indeed,  a  melan- 
choly interest  in  connexion  with  the  entire  destruction  of  this  chapel  by 
fire : — "  May  the  contemplation  of  such  a  work  render  us  grateful  to 
that  Providence  which  has  preserved  it,  and  inspire  us  with  that  noble 
sentiment — *  Lord,  I  have  loved  the  habitation  of  thy  House,  and  the 
place  wherein  the  honour  dwelleth.'  " 


286 


NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 

The  Castle  of  Northampton. 

Northampton,  situated  upon  the  north  bank  of  the  River  Nene,  is 
considered  to  have  been,  in  the  peace  between  Alfred  and  the  Danes, 
included  in  the  Danish  territory,  and  to  have  submitted  in  918  to 
Edward  the  Elder.  In  the  reign  of  Ethelred  II.  Northampton  was 
nearly  ruined  by  the  Danes,  and  about  the  close  of  the  reign  of  Edward 
the  Confessor  it  suffered  from  the  Northumbrian  army  under  Morcar, 
or  from  the  King's  troops  under  Harold,  which,  in  consequence  of 
civil  dissensions,  met  here.  After  the  Conquest,  Simon  de  St.  Liz,  the 
first  Earl  of  Northampton  of  that  name,  built  a  castle  here,  and  in  the 
following  reigns  several  ecclesiastical  councils  and  parliaments  were 
held  in  the  town.  In  1144,  King  Stephen  held  his  Court  here,  when 
Ranulf,  Earl  of  Chester,  was  detained  in  prison  until  he  had  delivered 
up  the  Castle  of  Lincoln  to  the  King.  In  1 179  was  held  at  Northampton 
a  parliament,  to  which  Knights  and  Burgesses  were  summoned,  as  well 
as  nobles  and  prelates,  the  first  important  approximation  to  our  present 
Constitution.  At  this  parliament  Justices  Itinerant  v^rere  appointed  to 
the  six  circuits  in  England.  In  12 15  the  Barons,  with  their  army, 
rendezvoused  at  Brackley  the  week  after  Easter,  and  there  received 
the  nobles  from  the  King,  to  whom  they  delivered  their  demands  ;  on 
the  denial  of  which  they  elected  Robert  Fitzwalter  their  general,  styling 
him  the  Marshal  of  the  Army  of  God  and  of  Holy  Church,  and  then 
marched  to  the  siege  of  Northampton  Castle,  which  was  successfully 
defended  by  the  King's  forces  during  fifteen  days.  In  the  year  1 264, 
a  treaty  made  at  Brackley  to  settle  the  differences  between  the  King 
and  his  Barons  entirely  failed.  The  King  and  Prince  Edward  then 
marched  to  Northampton  Castle,  which,  after  a  desperate  resistance, 
was  taken ;  Simon  de  Montfort,  William  de  Ferrers,  with  eleven 
other  Barons  and  sixty  Knights,  were  made  prisoners.  Towards  the 
close  of  this  King's  reign  the  Castle  was  given  to  Fulke  de  Brent,  and 
in  a  conflict  between  his  soldiers  and  the  townsmen,  a  considerable 
part  of  the  town  was  burnt.  In  1277,  at  Northampton,  where  was  a 
Royal  Mint,  thirty  Jews  were  hanged  for  clipping  the  King's  coin ;  and 
in  the  following  year  50  were  hanged  for  having,  it  was  pretended, 


TIte  Castle  of  Northampton.  287 

ciuclfied  a  child  on  Good  Friday.  In  13 16  a  Parliament  was  held 
here  by  Edward  II.,  at  which  John  Poydras,  the  son  of  a  tanner  at 
Exeter,  who  pretended  to  be  the  real  son  of  Edward  I.,  and  that  the 
reigning  monarch  had  been  substituted  at  nurse  in  his  stead,  was  tried 
and  executed.  In  1380,  at  a  Parliament  held  here,  3  Richard  II.,  was 
enacted  the  Poll  Tax,  the  levying  of  which  caused  the  insurrection 
under  Wat  Tyler. 

In  the  commencement  of  the  War  of  the  Roses,  a  great  battle  was 
fought  in  Hardingstone  Fields,  near  Northampton,  1459,  July  9,  in 
which  the  Lancastrians  were  defeated  by  the  Earl  of  March,  (afterwards 
Edward  IV.,)  and  the  "  King-making"  Earl  of  Warwick.  The  King, 
Henry  VI,,  was  taken  prisoner,  the  Queen  and  the  young  Prince  of 
Wales  escaped  with  difficulty;  and  Humphrey  Stafford,  Duke  of 
Buckingham,  John  Talbot,  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  John  Beaumont,  the 
first  English  Viscount,  Thomas  Lord  Egremont,  Sir  Christopher  Talbot, 
and  10,000  men,  were  slain  by  the  Earl  of  Warwick.  The  King  was 
conducted  in  honourable  captivity  to  London. 

In  the  Civil  War  of  Charles  I.,  Northampton  was  taken  by  Lord 
Brook,  and  fortified  for  the  Parliament.  Of  the  Castle,  which  was 
near  the  West  Bridge,  there  are  only  the  eai'th works ;  and  of  the  town 
walls  there  are  no  traces. 

There  is  an  episode  of  the  Civil  War  in  this  county  which  presents 
a  noble  example  of  attachment  to  the  Royal  Crown.  This  occuired 
at  Woodcroft  House,  at  Elton,  about  four  miles  from  Peterborough. 
The  building  is  an  early  and  perfect  specimen  of  English  domestic 
architecture.  The  date  of  its  erection  is  of  the  time  of  the  first  two 
Edwards.  Originally,  this  must  have  been  a  place  of  some  strength  :  it 
was  surrounded  by  water,  except  at  the  western  approach,  and  the 
walls  are  four  feet  in  thickness.  Though  nothing  remains  of  an  em- 
battled parapet,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  it  possessed  such  provision 
for  defence.  The  round  bastion  at  the  moat  end  was  the  scene  of  the 
historical  incident  we  are  about  to  relate. 

Mr.  Michael  Hudson,  "  an  understanding  and  sober  person  of  great 
fidelity,"  was,  from  his  sincerity,  called  by  King  Charles  I.,  "his 
plain-dealing  chaplain."  When  the  troubles  of  the  War  commenced, 
Hudson,  like  some  others  of  his  profession,  left  his  benefice,  under  an 
impression  that  his  monarch  demanded  his  personal  aid;  and  King 
Charles  having,  as  we  are  told,  "  an  especial  respect  for  his  signal  loyalty 
and  courage,"  entrusted  him  with  some  impoitant  secrets  as  regarded  his 
own  proceedings.  Hudson  proved  himself  a  courageous  soldier,  but 
Deing  apprehended  by  the  Parliamentary  forces,  he  suffered  a  tedious 


2SS  The  Castle  of  Northampton, 

confinement.  Escaping  from  his  prison  in  London,  he  joined  a  body  of 
Royalists  who  had  fled  to  Woodcroft  House.  When  attacked  there 
by  the  Parliamentary  forces,  Hudson,  with  some  of  his  bravest  soldiers, 
went  up  to  the  battlements,  where  they  defended  themselves  for  some 
time.  At  length  they  yielded  upon  being  promised  quarter ;  but  when 
the  rebels  were  admitted  they  broke  their  engagement.  Hudson  was 
forced  over  the  battlements,  and  clung  to  one  of  the  stone  spouts.  His 
hands  being  either  cut  off  or  severely  hacked  and  bruised  by  the  swords 
of  the  soldiers,  he  quitted  his  hold  and  fell  into  the  moat  underneath  ; 
desiring  only  to  reach  the  land  and  die  there,  this  miserable  boon 
was  denied  him,  as,  in  attempting  to  reach  the  bank,  he  was  knocked 
on  the  head  with  the  butt-end  of  a  musket  and  drowned. 

In  a  Note  in  the  Builder  journal,  the  Editor  recapitulates,  in  a  very 
interesting  manner,  the  attractions  of  the  town  of  Northampton,  which 
is  "  about  two  hours  from  London  by  the  express  train,  and  a  centre 
whence  numerous  excursions  may  be  made,  instructive,  fruitful,  and 
delightful.  The  county,  as  every  one  probably  knows,  is  full  of  histo- 
rical associations,  dating  from  the  time  when  the  Romans  constructed  a 
chain  of  forts  along  the  banks  of  the  River  Nen  to  the  Warwickshire 
Avon  and  further,  up  to  the  year  1675,  when  a  large  part  of 
Northampton  was  burnt  down.  Hamtune,  in  Saxon  times,  or  North 
Hamptune,  as  it  was  called  soon  after  the  Normans  came,  witnessed 
many  important  events.  The  Danes  burnt  it.  Great  councils  were 
held  here  by  Henry  L,  Stephen,  Henry  H.,  and  others.  Here  the 
Barons  swore  allegiance  to  John  in  the  year  11 99;  and  afterwards, 
when  they  had  made  the  King  sign  Magna  Charta,  Northampton 
Castle,  amongst  other  castles,  was  given  up  to  them  as  security  for  the 
fulfilment  of  the  engagement.  The  last  Parliament  assembled  in 
Northampton  ordered  the  poll-tax  which  led  to  Wat  Tyler's  rebellion. 
One  of  the  great  battles  between  the  Roses  was  fought  in  tlie  fields 
close  to  the  town,  when  the  King,  Henry  VL,  was  taken  prisoner. 
Burghley  reminds  us  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  Fotheringhay  of  Mary  Queen 
of  Scots,  Tresham's  triangular  Lodge  at  Rushton,  of  the  Gunpowder 
Plot ;  and  Naseby,  of  the  irretrievable  defeat  of  Charles  L  by  Fairfax 
and  Cromwell.  Earthworks  are  not  wanting,  and  architectural  remains 
from  the  time  of  the  Anglo-Saxons  to  that  of  the  Tudors  are  plentiful. 
The  works  left  by  the  former  in  England,  indeed,  cannot  be  fully 
studied  without  taking  into  consideration  those  to  be  found  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Northampton.  The  churches  of  Brixworth,  Barton, 
Barnack,  and  Brigstock,— all  beginning  with  B,  by  the  way, — are  most 
important  items  in  the  group  of  works  which  remain  to  us,  unquestioo* 


Queen  Eleanor's  Cross,  Northampton,  289 

ably  dating  fi'om  before  the  Norman  Conquest.  Northampton  itself 
has  one  of  the  only  four  Round  Churches  in  England,  resulting 
from  the  Crusades,  St.  Sepulchre's ;  also  a  very  beautiful  specimen  of 
Anglo-Noraian  work,  St.  Peter's  Church,  and  the  best  remaining 
Eleanor  Cross. 

"  The  Round  Church,  St.  Sepulchre's,  was  built  by  Simon  de  St.  Liz, 
the  second  Earl  of  Northampton,  when  he  returned  from  the  firy\: 
Crusade,  and  is  very  rude  and  ugly.  Round  lofty  columns  form  the 
annular  aisle  within,  and  are  connected  by  pointed  arches,  which  may 
or  may  not  be  original.  At  present  the  building  is  in  a  miserable  con- 
dition, without  interest  of  any  sort  except  its  age  and  origin.  The  later 
church,  added  to  the  Round  in  the  thirteenth  century,  as  at  the  Temple 
Church,  London,  has  been  lately  restored,  and,  we  believe,  added  to. 
Stones  of  two  colours,  call  them  white  and  brown,  were  originally  used 
here  somewhat  indiscriminately.  In  the  restoration  and  rebuilding,  the 
colours  have  been  varied  with  more  regularity,  and  the  result  is  a 
specimen  of  what  has  been  wickedly  termed  the  Holy  Zebra  style,  at 
present  somewhat  wanting  in  repose.  Time,  however,  the  great  har- 
monizer,  will  gradually  lessen  its  garishness.  The  new  work  includes 
a  considerable  amount  of  carving,  some  of  it  very  well  executed.  The 
angular  buttresses  of  the  later  tower  here  project  so  considerably  at  the 
bottom,  and  decrease  so  regularly,  as  to  continue  the  lines  of  the  spire 
down  to  the  ground  with  agreeable  effect. 

"  It  is  worth  noting  that  the  calculations  of  the  probable  duration  of 
life  at  certain  ages  known  as  the  Northampton  Table,  and  on  which, 
though  it  is  now  thought  of  little  value,  the  present  system  of  Life 
Assurance  was  almost  founded,  were  made  by  Dr.  Price  fi-om  tb^* 
account  of  burials  in  this  town  during  a  period  of  forty-five  yearc,— 
1735  to  1780." 


Queen  Eleanor's  Cross,  at  Northampton. 

The  origin  of  the  memorials,  popularly  known  as  the  Eleanor  Crosses, 
is  now  well  known.  Eleanor  was  the  half-sister  of  Alphonso,  King  of 
Castile,  and  the  sole  child  of  Ferdinand  the  Third  and  Joanna  of 
Ponthieu,  and  was  married  m  1254,  when  ten  years  of  age,  to  Prince 
Edward  of  England,  he  being  in  his  fifteenth  year.  She  accompanied 
her  husband  to  the  Holy  Land,  where  she  is  said  to  have  saved  his  life  by- 
sucking  the  wound  made  by  a  poisoned  weapon.  The  truth  of  thia 
incident  has  been  questioned,  but,  whether  true  or  not,  the  belitf  in  it 
bespeaks  the  character  of  Eleanor  for  affection  and  womanly  devotion- 


^9^  Quern  Eleanor^ s  CrosSj  Northampton. 

**  It  is  probable,"  says  a  writer  in  the  Athenaum,  "  that  the  legend  of 
her  sucking  the  wound  is  an  invention  of  the  romantic  affection  of 
a  later  day  than  hers ;  but  if  so,  it  serves  to  show  what  was  the  popular 
impression  concerning  the  Princess.  She  was  with  her  husband  at 
Acre  on  that  day  when  an  assassin,  sent  by  the  Emir  of  Joppa  on  a 
pretence  to  treat,  got  access  to  the  tent  of  the  Prince,  and  while  he  was 
lying  without  his  annour  on  a  couch.  The  Prince  threw  out  his  arm 
to  ward  off  the  blow,  and  kicked  out  with  his  foot,  throwing  the  fellow 
down  on  the  floor ;  the  latter,  however,  rose  again,  and  wounded  Edward 
in  the  forehead.  The  wound  festered,  the  Master  of  the  Temple 
recommended  incision ;  Edward  bade  him  cut,  and,  meanwhile,  ordered 
Edmund  his  brother  and  John  de  Vesci  to  remove  the  Princess  from 
the  tent.  This  they  did,  she  screaming  all  the  while,  and  sti'uggling* 
hard.  Edmund,  with  characteristic  acerbity,  remarked  that  it  was 
better  she  should  scream  than  England  should  mourn.  It  is  certain  she 
nursed  her  husband,  but  the  more  romantic  legend  does  not  appear 
until  long  after  the  event. 

"  Edward,  in  1291,  was  bent  on  going  to  Scotland :  the  Queen  had 
followed  him,  and  was  resting  at  the  house  of  Robert  de  Weston,  at 
Hardby,  in  Nottinghamshire,  which  is  on  the  Lincolnshire  side  of  the 
Trent,  and  but  five  miles  from  Lincoln.  It  was  deep  in  autumn,  some 
time  about  the  second  week  in  November,  when  those  about  the  Queen 
found  they  must  send  for  the  King,  and  the  news  reached  him  that  the 
soldier's  wife  would  follow  him  no  more.  He  came  back  and  was  with 
the  Queen  from  the  20th  of  that  month  until  the  dark  and  mournful 
evening  of  the  28th  of  the  same  month  set  her  free  from  suffering." 

Crosses  were  erected  to  her  memory,  as  Walsingham  says,  in  "  every 
^lace  and  town  where  the  corpse  rested  (on  its  way  from  Hardby  to 
Westminster.)  The  King  commanded  a  cross  of  admirable  workman- 
ship to  be  erected  to  the  Queen's  memory,  that  prayers  might  be  offered 
for  her  soul  by  all  passengers,  in  which  Cross  he  caused  the  Queen's 
image  to  be  depicted."  Although  the  chronicler  so  distinctly  states  the 
crosses  to  have  been  erected  by  the  King's  command,  it  is  the  well- 
grounded  belief  of  recent  writers  that  the  Eleanor  Crosses  were  erected 
at  her  own  cost,  and  not  as  monuments  of  Edward's  conjugal  affection. 
The  fact  that  all  the  accounts  and  charges  for  their  erection  were 
rendered  to  Eleanor's  executors  seems  conclusive  on  this  point ;  and  we 
have  no  evidence  in  favour  of  the  opinion  that  the  works  were  executed 
by  command  of  the  King.  Some  Expense  Rolls  which  have  been  pre- 
served mention  one  cross  at  Lincoln,  at  Northampton,  Stoney  Stratford, 
Wobum,  Dunstable,  and  St.  Albans,  all  mainly  the  work  of  John  de 


Queen  Eleanor's  Cross ^  Northampton.  291 

Bello,  or  of  Battle.  There  were  othei*s  at  Hardby,  Geddington, 
Waltham,  Cheapside,  and  Charing. 

The  Editor  of  the  Builder,  in  his  appreciative  account  of  a  recent  visit 
to  Northampton,  states :  "  Of  the  fifteen  crosses  believed  to  have  been 
originally  erected,  only  three — those  at  Northampton,  Geddington,  and 
Waltham, — remain.  The  statues  of  Eleanor  for  the  Northampton 
Cross,  as  well  as  for  others,  were  by  William  de  Hibemia,  or  Ireland, 
but  seem  to  have  been  copied  from  the  statue  executed  by  Master 
William  Torell,  goldsmith,  for  the  tomb  in  Westminster  Abbey.  The 
four  statues  still  remaining  in  the  Northampton  Cross  (all  of  the  Queen) 
are  graceful  and  dignified. 

"  The  Northampton  Cross,  about  a  mile  from  the  town,  placed  on  a 
flight  of  steps  that  give  it  admirable  firmness  of  aspect,  is  beautifully 
situated  on  rising  ground  at  the  side  of  the  road,  backed  with  trees,  and 
with  a  charming  view  of  the  town  in  the  distance  on  one  side,  it  forms 
a  picture  that  remains  on  the  memory.  The  structure  is  in  a  fair  state 
of  repair,  with  the  exception  of  the  terminal,  or  fourth  stage,  but  having 
been  restored  on  various  occasions,  once  at  a  period  when  less  care  was 
paid  to  the  retention  of  old  forms  than  is  now  the  case,  doubt  is  felt  as 
to  the  con-ectness  of  some  of  the  portions.  We  are  disposed  to  think, 
however,  that  no  considerable  departure  from  the  original  was  made. 

"  It  is  noticeable  that  under  each  statue,  on  four  of  the  eight  faces  of 
the  first  stage,  is  sculptured  a  small  projecting  desk  with  an  open  book 
on  it,  for  the  most  part  defaced,  but  still  obvious. 

"  It  is  sometimes  said  that  these  large  Crosses  form  a  class  of  structures 
wholly  peculiar  to  England ;  but  this  is  not  correct.  The  Schone 
Brunnen  in  the  market-place  of  Nuremberg  is  a  remarkably  fine  work 
of  the  same  kind,  larger  and  more  elaborate  than  those  dedicated  to  the 
Chhe  2?^;«^,— the  beloved  of  all  England,  as  Walsingham  calls  her. 
If  we  remember  rightly,  however,  this  particular  example  is  of  somewhat 
later  date." 

Supplementary  to  these  details  we  quote  portions  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Hartshorne's  very  interesting  account  of  the  Northampton  Cross: 
although,  to  presei-ve  continuity  of  the  naiTative,  a  few  repetitions  of 
facts  and  circumstances  may  be  unavoidable : — 

"  During  the  reign  of  Henry  III.  the  English  possessions  in  Gascony 
were  much  disturbed,  and  the  king  found  it  necessary  to  support  him- 
self both  against  Simon  de  Montfort,  who  had  treacherously  given  up 
some  of  the  principal  fortresses,  and  also  against  Gaston  de  Beam,  the 
chief  person   who  opposed  him.     This  prince  had  indeed  gone  to 


^92  Queen  Eleanor^ s  Cross,  Northampton. 

implore  the  assistance  of  Alphonso,  King  of  Castile.  The  royal  debts 
were  heavy ;  there  were  difficulties  in  raising  supplies  for  a  war ;  and 
with  the  prospect  of  the  King  of  Castile  also  being  in  arms  against  the 
English,  Henry  thought  it  would  be  more  prudent  to  attempt  negotia- 
tion with  him,  to  propose  a  league,  and  to  secure  his  friendship  by  the 
marriage  of  Prince  Edward,  his  eldest  son,  with  Eleanor,  the  half-sister 
of  the  King  of  Castile.  He  accordingly  sent  ambassadors  lo  the 
Spanish  court  to  request  her  in  marriage  for  his  son  Edward,  upon 
whom  he  had  already  settled  the  sovereignty  of  Guicnne.  Alphonso 
complied  with  this  request  on  condition  that  the  prince  should  be  sent 
into  Spain  to  complete  it.  To  this  Henry,  after  some  hesitation, 
assented,  and  in  1254  Edward  proceeded  to  Burgos,  where  he  was 
graciously  received  by  Alphonso,  who  knighted  him,  and  celebrated  the 
marriage  with  great  pomp.  The  prince  and  his  bride  returned  to 
Bordeaux,  bringing  with  them  a  charter  bearing  a  golden  seal,  by 
which  the  Spanish  sovereign  relinquished,  in  favour  of  them  and  their 
heirs,  all  claims  upon  the  province  of  Guienne. 

"The  English  did  not  regard  this  alliance  with  any  favour.  They 
said  the  King  knew  the  habits  and  religion  of  the  Spaniards,  who  were 
the  very  refuse  of  mankind,  hideous  in  their  persons,  contemptible  in 
their  dress,  and  detestable  in  their  manners.  According  to  the  state- 
ments of  Matthew  Paris  it  was  a  most  unpopular  match,  though  there 
can  be  no  doubt  it  was  a  source  of  the  greatest  domestic  happiness  to 
the  prince.  Henry  left  Guienne  in  1254.  The  prince  and  his  wife 
remained  till  the  following  year.  The  apprehensions  of  the  English 
with  regard  to  this  marriage  were  shortly  verified.  For  soon  after 
Eleanor's  brother  and  a  Spanish  nobleman  came  over  as  ambassiidors, 
as  it  was  currently  supposed,  under  the  expectation  of  receiving  valuable 
presents  from  the  King.  It  does  not,  however,  appear  that  they  were 
personally  any  great  gainers  by  their  mission. 

"Eleanor  landed  at  Dover  in  October  (39  Henry  HI.),  and  on  the 
17th  reiched  London,  where  she  was  welcomed  by  Henry  with  much 
kindness.  He  presenterl  her  with  a  silver  alms-dish,  beside  pieces 
of  arras  and  gold  cloth,  the  latter  being  sent  to  her  on  her  arrival  at 
Dover.  These,  with  golden  fermails  and  brooches,  were  intended  for 
the  princess  to  present  at  the  shrincG  of  St.  Thomas  at  Canterbury  and 
St.  Edward  at  Westminster,  on  her  way  to  the  metropolis.  The 
preparations  that  had  been  made  for  her  reception  were  very  unpopular 
with  the  citizens,  who,  as  the  chronicler  says,  were  deeply  grieved  on 
a  careful  consideration  of  the  pleasure  manifested  by  the  King  at  tlie 
presence  of  any  foreigners. 


Queen  Eleanor^ s  Cross ,  Northampton.  ^93 

"  From  the  year  1256  to  the  time  when  Eleanor  accompanied  Prince 
Edward  to  the  Holy  Land  but  little  is  known  of  her.  She  probably 
resided  at  Guildford,  or  one  of  the  royal  castles, — most  likely  at  Guild- 
ford, as  apartments  were  ordered  to  be  constructed  here  for  her  use  in 
1268.  In  1 27 1  she  sailed  with  her  husband  for  the  Holy  Land.  It  is 
almost  superfluous  to  mention  the  affectionate  care  she  evinced  over 
her  husband  whilst  he  was  occupied  in  this  great  Crusade,  for  the  story 
of  her  endeavour  to  extract  the  poison  from  the  wound  he  had  received 
from  an  assassin  is  too  well  known  to  require  repetition.  It  may  how- 
ever be  stated,  as  this  circumstance  has  been  disputed  on  slight  grounds, 
that  its  truth  seems  fully  established  by  the  narratives  of  Vikes  and 
Heminford,  two  contemporary  historians.  It  was  in  consequence  of 
the  Crusade  preached  at  Northampton  by  Ottoboni  in  1268,  that 
Edward  took  up  the  cross  and  passed  over  to  the  Holy  Land,  with  one 
hundred  and  four  knights,  besides  eighteen  nobles,  who  assumed  it 
from  the  legate  at  the  same  time.  Edward  returned  to  England  on 
August  I,  1274,  and  a  fortnight  afterwards  was  crowned  in  West- 
minster. In  1286  the  affairs  of  Guienne  required  his  presence  in  that 
province.  He  remained  absent  three  years,  two  months,  and  fifteen 
days.  The  Chronicle  of  Lanercost  states,  that  whilst  he  was  abroad 
on  this  occasion,  he  and  his  queen  sitting  on  the  bedside  together,  and 
conversing,  they  narrowly  escaped  being  killed  by  lightning.  The 
electric  fluid,  passing  through  a  window,  struck  two  females  behind 
them,  and  caused  their  death. 

"  We  hear  very  little  of  Queen  Eleanor  from  this  time  until  her  death ; 
—a  circumstance  that  shows  how  entirely  she  devoted  herself  to  her 
husband  and  her  domestic  duties.  No  doubt  she  accompanied  him  in 
his  various  movements  during  the  protracted  wars  with  the  Welsh  and 
the  Scotch.  Edward  had  arrived  in  England  in  August  1289.  In  the 
same  month,  in  I2qo,  we  find  him  in  Northamptonshire.  I  will  not  trace, 
from  the  Itinerary  of  his  reign  that  I  have  drawn  up,  his  residence  day 
by  day  at  Silveston,  Ellsworth,  Yardley,  Northampton,  Geddington,  and 
Rockingham.  I  will  merely  state  that  he  was  at  Northampton,  no 
doubt  resident  in  the  Castle,  from  August  17th  to  August  29th,  when 
he  passed  northwards  to  Kings  Clipston,  Notts.  On  the  20th  Novem- 
ber we  find  him  at  Hardby,  where  he  remained  until  the  28th,  Queen 
Eleanor  died  on  the  evening  of  the  28th,  of  a  low  and  lingering  fever. 
The  latest  date  on  which  we  find  any  mention  of  the  king  and  queen 
as  being  together  is  when  they  were  here  in  the  month  of  August,  on 
which  occasion  a  messenger  was  paid  for  carrying  their  joint  letters  to 
Glare  Earl  of  Gloucester.     On  the  28th  of  October  there  is  a  payment 


294  Queen  Eleanot^s  Cross,  Northampton, 

of  one  mark  to  Henry  Montpellier  for  syrup  and  other  medicine, 
purchased  at  Lincoln  for  the  queen's  use.  During  her  illness  she  was 
attended  by  her  household  physician,  Master  Leopard,  to  whom  she 
bequeathed  a  legacy  of  twenty  marks.  For  three  days  after  her 
decease  no  public  business  was  transacted.  Her  body  was  immediately 
opened  and  embalmed.  I  well  remember  reading  in  her  Wardrobe 
Account,  sold  a  few  years  since  by  auction  in  London,  the  entries 
relating  to  this  process,  the  cost  of  the  myrrh  and  frankincense,  and, 
what  struck  me  as  more  remarkable,  a  charge  for  barley  for  filling  the 
body.  The  viscera  were  deposited  in  the  cathedral  of  Lincoln.  Her 
heart  was  conveyed  by  her  own  desire  for  sacred  interment  in  the 
church  of  the  Black  Friars  in  London.  The  Expense  Rolls  of  the 
executors  give  full  particulars  of  the  cost  of  executing  the  monuments 
erected  at  each  of  these  places. 

"  The  King  himself  was  at  Lincoln  on  the  2nd  and  3rd  of  December, 
at  Northampton  on  the  9th,  at  St.  Albans  on  the  13th,  at  London  the 
following  day.  The  account  left  us  by  the  annalist  of  Dunstable,  of 
the  circumstances  attending  the  arrival  of  the  funeral  train  at  this 
monastery,  represents  generally  what  occurred  at  every  place  where  the 
funeral  procession  halted.  After  noting  the  death  of  the  queen,  he  says 
*her  body  passed  through  our  town,  and  rested  one  night.  Two 
precious  cloths,  baudekyns,  were  given  unto  us.  Of  wax  we  had  eight 
pounds  and  more.  And  when  the  body  of  the  said  queen  was  departing 
from  Dunstable,  the  bier  rested  in  the  centre  of  the  Market-place  until 
the  king's  chancellor  and  the  great  men  then  and  there  present  had 
marked  a  fitting  place  where  they  might  afterwards  erect  a  cross  of 
wonderful  size ;  our  prior  being  present,  and  sprinkling  holy  water.' 

"The  Queen  was  buried  with  great  magnificence,  at  the  feet  of  her 
husband's  father,  in  Westminster  Abbey,  on  the  17th  of  December; 
and  on  the  15th  her  heart  was  deposited  in  the  church  of  the  Black 
Friars,  where  a  chapel  was  afterwards  built  for  its  reception.  The  King 
remained  at  Westminster  for  a  week  afterwards,  and  then  went  to  Ash- 
ridge,  where  he  dwelt  in  melancholy  seclusion  for  a  month. 

"  According  to  the  usage  of  the  time,  splendid  and  perpetual  comme- 
morations of  her  death  was  enjoined  in  several  places.  Her  anniver- 
sary was  celebrated  also  at  Peterborough  and  other  abbeys  with  great 
libel  ality. 

*'  It  has  been  stated  by  Walsingham  that  Crosses  were  erected  at  the 
spots  where  her  body  rested  on  its  way  from  Hardby  to  London.  Thus 
we  have  mention  made,  in  the  Expense  Rolls,  of  a  cross  at  Lmcoln,  at 
Northampton,  Stoney  Stratford,  Woburn,  Dunstable,  and  St.  Albans; 


Qtieen  Eleanors  Cross,  Northampton.  295 

all  of  them  the  work  of  John  de  Bello.  These  were  all  erected  between 
129 1  and  1294.  As  the  entries  of  payment  for  these  works  mingle 
them  together,  it  is  difficult  to  ascertain  what  was  the  cost  of  any  one ; 
but,  proceeding  by  way  of  equal  distribution,  John  de  Battle  would 
receive  134/.  for  the  cross  at  Northampton,  exclusive  of  the  payments 
for  statues,  which  were  the  work  of  William  de  Ireland,  who  received 
five  marks  for  each  of  them.  Robert,  the  son  of  Henry,  a  burgess  of 
Northampton,  received  40/.  and  sixty  marks,  for  laying  down  a  cause- 
way from  Northampton  to  the  cross, — as  it  is  said,  '  pro  anima  reginoe,' 
the  construction  of  such  a  work  being  deemed  an  act  of  devotion.  There 
are  also  payments  of  25/.  and  seven  marks  made  to  Robert  de  Corfe 
and  to  William  de  Ireland  for  a  '  virga,'  a  head,  and  ring  ('  pro  virgis, 
capitibus,  et  anulis'), — architectural  terms,  which  involve  some  difficulty 
in  explanation. 

"  The  exquisite  representations  of  the  queen  were  sculptured  in  Lon- 
don by  William  de  Ireland,  *  imaginator,'  or  the  sculptor.  William  de 
Bemak,  mason,  received  73s.  4d.  for  their  carriage,  and  that  of  the  head 
and  lance  of  the  cross,  from  London. 

"  Doubts  have  often  been  raised  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  cross 
was  terminated ;  but  an  entry  on  the  accounts  leads  me  to  suppose  it 
was  finished  by  a  figure, — most  likely  that  of  the  Virgin,  as  William  de 
Ireland  was  paid  6/.  3s.  4d.  on  one  occasion,  for  making  five  images  for 
the  cross  at  Northampton.  Therefore  it  is  evident  that  a  figure  of  some 
kind  was  imposed  above  the  four  of  the  queen  now  remaining.  A  desire 
has  been  often  expressed  to  see  the  summit  completed ;  but  as  long  as 
it  is  highly  uncertain  what  was  the  original  termination,  it  would  be  in- 
judicious to  attempt  what  must  necessarily  be  a  fanciful  and  unsanctioned 
restoration. 

"  In  conclusion,  it  may  be  desirable  to  make  a  few  remarks  on  the 
effigies  of  Queen  Eleanor  herself,  that  are  so  graceful  in  their  di-aperies, 
and  so  replete  with  dignity  and  classical  beauty.  Flaxman  said  that 
the  statues  of  Henry  III.  and  Eleanor,  in  Westminster  Abbey,  partook 
of  the  character  and  grace  particularly  cultivated  in  the  school  of 
Pisano :  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  these  statues  may  have  been  done 
by  some  of  his  numerous  scholars.  The  Executorial  Rolls  printed  by 
Mr.  Botfield  bear  out  this  conjecture,  as  they  state  that  the  designer  ol 
the  effigies  of  Eleanor  at  Westminster  and  Lincoln  was  William  Torell, 
a  goldsmith.  Her  statue  was  modelled  in  wax ;  and  there  is  an  entry 
or  bringing  seven  hundred  and  twenty-six  pounds  from  the  house  oZ 
Torell.  This  enables  us  to  account  for  the  resemblance  that  exists 
betwixt  the  queen's  effigy  in  Westminster  Abbey  and  the  countenance 


296      Burghley  House  and  the  Lord  of  Burghley, 

as  exhibited  in  this  cross  and  that  of  Northampton.  The  features  of 
all  these  figures  are  precisely  the  same.  They  bear  indisputable  marks 
of  coming  from  the  same  chisel.  Thi?  remarkable  resemblance  was 
evidently  the  result  of  all  of  them  being  sculptured  by  the  same  artist. 

"  Three  of  these  crosses  still  remain.  Those  at  Northampton  and 
Waltham  are  included  in  the  Expense  Rolls.  The  one  at  Geddington 
is  not  mentioned ;  this  is  still  in  excellent  presei*vation.  As  a  work  of 
ait  it  is,  however,  unequal  to  the  two  others,  though  in  itself  admi- 
rable in  design  and  workmanship.  It  was  evidently  the  work  of  a  diffe- 
rent artist.  The  diapered  pattern  running  up  the  shaft  is  singularly 
elegant.  We  must  accept  all  of  them,  however,  as  the  most  faithful 
copies  of  the  copper-gilt  effigies  at  Westminster  that  could  be  executed. 
The  placid  expression  that  is  stamped  on  the  queen's  countenance  could 
have  been  no  imaginary  creation  ;  and  in  looking  upon  it  we  may  believe 
we  have  before  us  as  faithful  a  resemblance  of  this  illustrious  lady  as  it 
was  possible  to  produce  at  the  period.  These  monuments  must  always 
be  regarded  as  the  most  beautiful  specimens  of  British  sculpture  we 
possess.  For  refinement  and  serenity,  for  the  feeling  of  majesty  and 
repose  they  exhibit,  they  can  scarcely  be  surpassed.  Unquestionably, 
they  are  the  faithful  reflections  of  Eleanor  herself. 

"  It  would  be  difficult  to  conceive  more  suitable  memorials  than  these 
to  testify  the  feeling  of  regret  that  has  pei-vaded  all  England  under  the 
recent  loss  it  has  sustained  in  the  death  of  its  most  illustrious  Prince. 
Those  who  come  after  us  would  gaze  upon  them  as  we  do,  but  with 
still  higher  associations  and  deeper  sentiments  of  admiration  ;  because, 
whilst  the  Crosses  of  Eleanor  call  merely  to  remembrance  her  domestic 
graces,  a  monument  to  Prince  Albert  would  be  a  memorial  to  declare 
to  posterity  how  cherished  has  he  ever  been  in  his  adopted  country,  and 
how  sincerdy  beloved  for  his  spotless  character  and  his  public  virtue." 


Burghley  House  and  the  Lord  of  Burghley. 

The  precise  locality  of  this  fine  old  manorial  domain  is  upon  the 
northern  or  Lincolnshire  border  of  the  county  of  Northampton,  at 
about  a  mile  and  a-half  south-east  of  the  river  Welland,  which  here 
forms  the  boundary  between  the  two  counties. 

Northamptonshire  contains  nearly  1^,0  scats,  many  of  them  in  pic- 
tures<]ue  parks  or  grounds,  and  interesting  for  their  architectural  beauty 
and  historical  associations.    But  the  most  impoitant  "proper  house 


Bicrghley  House  and  the  Lord  of  Btlrghley,      ^97 

and  home"  in  the  county,  either  as  regards  extent  or  architectural 
character,  is  Burghley  House,  either  built  or  greatly  improved  by  the 
Lord  High  Treasurer  Burghley,  the  manor  having  been  purchased  by 
his  father,  Richard  Cecil,  into  whose  possession,  however,  by  another 
statement,  it  came  through  his  wife,  Jane  Heckington ;  and  the  Lord 
Treasurer  writes  in  1585 :  "  My  house  of  Burghley  is  of  my  mother's 
inheritance,  who  liveth,  and  is  the  owner  thereof,  and  I  but  a  farmer." 
A  vulgar  error  was  prevalent  at  one  time,  that  the  manor-house  was  erected 
wholly  or  in  part,  at  the  expense  of  Queen  Elizabeth.  On  the  death  of 
the  Lord  Treasurer,  in  1598,  the  manor  devolved  upon  his  eldest  son, 
Thomas,  the  second  Lord  Burghley,  who  was  made  a  Knight  of  the 
Garter  by  Elizabeth,  and  elevated  two  steps  in  the  peerage  by  James  L, 
with  the  title  of  Earl  of  Exeter.  James  L,  on  his  journey  from 
Scotland,  in  1603,  to  ascend  the  throne  of  England,  came  to  Burghley 
on  the  23rd  of  April,  and  passed  Easter  Sunday  there.  The 
youngest  son  of  the  Treasurer,  the  celebrated  Minister,  Sir  Robert 
Cecil,  was  created  Earl  of  Salisbury  by  James  the  same  day  that  his 
eldest  brother  was  made  Earl  of  Exeter ;  but  he  being  created  in  the 
morning,  and  so  before  Lord  Exeter,  the  descendants  of  the  younger 
branch  of  the  family  had  right  of  precedence  over  the  elder. 

The  entrance-lodge  and  screen  to  this  noble  domain  were  built  in 
1801,  at  an  expense  of  5000/.  Thorpe  was  the  architect  of  Burghley. 
Cecil  took  upon  himself  to  obtain  some  of  the  materials  from  Flanders, 
in  which  he  was  assisted  by  Sir  Thomas  Gresham.  The  dates  on  the 
building  show  Cecil's  share.  Shortly  after  his  promotion  to  the  peer- 
age, he  wrote  to  a  friend:  "  My  stile  is  Lord  oi Burghley,  if  you  mean 
to  know  it  for  wrytyng,  and  if  you  list  to  wryte  truly :  the  poorest  lord 
in  England !"  Burghley  is  a  magnificent  exemplar  of  the  architecture  of 
the  reign  of  Elizabeth  and  James  I.  It  is  built  of  freestone,  in  the 
form  of  a  parallelogram  ;  the  chimneys  are  Doric  pillars,  connected  al 
top  by  a  frieze  and  cornice ;  surrounded  by  ugly  piles  of  buildings, 
from  which  on  the  east  side,  the  Doric,  the  Ionic,  and  the  Corinthian 
orders  rise  one  above  another,  with  large  niches  on  each  side.  Above 
the  Corinthian  order,  the  uppermost  of  the  three,  are  two  large  stone 
lions  rampant,  supporting  the  family  arms.  The  spire  of  the  Chapel 
rises  from  hence.  The  pillars  on  the  opposite,  or  western  end,  are 
plain  Doric ;  the  windows  on  the  north  and  south,  pure  modem  Gothic. 
On  each  side  is  a  gateway  with  an  elliptical  arch.  The  turrets,  cupolas, 
and  spires,  at  a  distance,  give  the  mansion  the  appearance  of  a  town 
Another  beautiful  feature  is  the  fine  architectural  gardens.  We  de- 
light in  its  wide  and  level  terraces,  decorated  with  rich  stone  l>alu»- 


29^      Btirghley  House  and  the  Lord  of  Burghley, 

trades,  and  these  again  with  vases  and  statues,  and  connected  by  broad 
flights  of  stone  steps — its  clipped  evergreen  hedges — its  embowered 
alleys — its  formal,  yet  intricate  parterres,  full  of  curious  knots  of 
flowers — its  lively  and  musical  fountains — its  steep  slopes  of  velvet  turf 
—its  trim  bowling-green — and  the  labyrinth  and  wilderness,  which' 
form  an  appropriate  termination,  and  connect  it  with  the  ruder  scenery 
without. 

Burghley  has  a  magnificent  interior,  containing  145  rooms.    The 
lofty  Hall  has  an  open  oak  roof  and  carved  pendants.     At  the  south 
end,  beneath  a  very  fine  armorial  window,  is  a  buffet  of  gold  plate,  some 
of  which  was  presented  to  the  family  by  King  James,  Queen  Anne, 
and   George  I.     At   the    north  end   is  the  Music   Gallery,  for  50 
performers.     The  Chapel  has  some  splendid  carving  by  Gibbons,  and  a 
fretwork  ceiling ;  arranged  on  each   side   are  ten  antique  life-sized 
figures  in  bronze.     It  is  related  that  Queen  Elizabeth,  when  a  visitor  at 
Burghley,  regularly  attended  divine  service  in  this  chapel,  and  it  was  her 
custom  to  place  herself  on  the  left  side,  nearest  the  altar,  which  has  ever 
since  been  distinguished  as  "  Queen  Elizabeth's  Seat."     Queen  Victoria 
and  the  Prince  Consort,  when  they  visited  the  Marquis  of  Exeter,  in 
the  autumn  of  1844,  also  performed  their  morning  devotions  in  the 
Chapel.    The  Grand  Staircase,  with  its  vaulted   roof  and  decorated 
archways,  is  very  curious.     Burghley  is  sumptuously  furnished  with 
State  Beds :    one  of  the  most  superb  is  Queen  Elizabeth's,  which  has 
hangings  of  green  velvet  on  a  ground  of  gold  tissue,  and  a  set  of  chairs 
to  correspond.    The  room  is  hung  with  tapestry  of  Actaeon  and  Diana, 
Bacchus,  Ariadne,  and  Acis  and  Galataea.     In  the  Black  Chamber  is 
an  old  bed  of  black  satin,  superbly  embroidered  with  flowers,  and  lined 
with  gold-colour.    The  room  is  hung  with  fine  old  tapestry,  has  a 
carved  chimney-piece  by  Gibbons,  and  a  window  of  armorial  glass. 
The  State  Dressing-room  has  a  coved  ceiling,  decorated  by  Verrio, 
and   is  hung  with  tapestry.      The   New  State  Bedchamber    has    a 
state  bed,  said  to  be  the  most  superb  in  Europe,  with  hangings  of 
250  yards  of  velvet  and  900  yards  of  satin ;  and  a  mythological  ceiling 
by  Verrio.    The  Jewel  Chamber  is  of  cedar,  oak,  and  walnut.      In  the 
Dining-room  are  two  silver  cisterns,  one  weighing  3400,  and  the  other 
656  ounces,  besides  some  superb  coronation  plate.     The  Kitchen  is  one 
of  the  curiosities  of  the  mansion :  it  is  very  lofty,  and  has  a  groined 
ceiling,  of  earlier  style  even  than  the  mansion  built  by  the  great  Lord 
Burghley ;  at  one  end  is  a  large  painting  of  a  carcase  of  beef,  as  the  true 
ensign  armorial  of  English  hospitality.    Burghley  has  a  very  fine  collec« 
tion  of  paintings  by  old   masters.    Among  the  family  pictures  is  a 


Burghley  House  and  the  Lord  of  Burghlcy.       2c^(^ 

large  work  by  Lawrence,  and  known  in  the  collection  as  "  The 
Cottager's  Daughter,"  containing  three  portraits — the  Earl  of  Exeter,  the 
Countess  Sarah,  and  Lady  Sophia.  When  the  Earl  was  a  minor,  Mr. 
Henry  Cecil,  he  married  the  beautiful  Emma  Vernon ;  he  lost  his 
money  by  gambling  ;  and  he  got  rid  of  his  wife,  after  fifteen  years  of 
wedlock,  by  a  divorce,  in  1791.  After  the  separation,  the  Earl,  his 
uncle,  advised  him  to  retire  into  the  country  for  some  time,  and  pass  as 
a  private  gentleman.  Mr.  Cecil  accordingly  fixed  his  residence  at 
Bolas,  in  a  remote  part  of  Shropshire,  at  a  small  inn,  where  for  some 
months  he  assumed  the  name  of  Jones.  He  took  a  dislike  to  the  situa- 
tion, and  sought  out  a  farmhouse,  where  he  might  board  and  lodge. 
Some  families  refused  to  receive  him ;  but  at  length,  by  the  liberality  of 
his  offers,  and  the  knowledge  of  his  possessing  money,  a  farmer  had 
rooms  fitted  up  for  his  accommodation.  Here  he  continued  to  reside 
for  two  years;  but  time  hanging  heavy  on  his  hands,  he  purchased 
some  land,  on  which  he  built  himself  a  house.  The  farmer  (Mr. 
Hoggins,)  at  whose  house  Mr.  Cecil  resided,  had  a  daughter,  about 
seventeen  years  of  age,  whose  rustic  beauty  threw  into  the  shade  all  that 
he  had  ever  beheld  in  the  circle  of  fashion.  Although  placed  in  a 
humble  sphere,  Mr.  Cecil  perceived  that  her  beauty  would  adorn  and 
her  virtue  shed  a  lustre  on  the  most  elevated  station.  He  thei-efore 
frankly  told  the  farmer  and  his  wife  that  he  was  desirous  of  marrying 
their  daughter ;  and  the  celebration  of  their  nuptials  was  accordingly 
consummated  in  October,  1791.  Already  two  children  were  bom,  it  is 
reported,  of  this  marriage  (but,  if  so,  they  must  have  died  early,)  when 
in  1793,  a  search  after  the  hidden  heir  of  the  then  dying  Earl  of  Exeter, 
resulted  in  the  discovery  at  Bolas.  The  Earl  died,  his  nephew  suc- 
ceeded, and  his  wife  accompanied  him  to  Burghley,  unconscious  of  her 
being  a  Countess.  Mr.  Cecil  (now  Earl  of  Exeter),  taking  his  wife 
with  him,  set  out  on  his  journey,  and  called  at  the  seats  of  several 
noblemen,  at  which  places,  to  the  great  astonishment  of  his  wife  (now, 
of  course,  a  Countess),  they  were  welcomed  in  the  most  friendly 
manner.  At  length  they  airived  at  Burghley,  where  they  were  received 
with  acclamations.  As  soon  as  he  had  settled  his  affairs,  the  Earl  of 
Exeter  returned  into  Shropshire,  discovered  his  rank  to  his  wife's 
father  and  mother,  placed  them  in  the  house  he  had  built  there,  and 
settled  on  them  an  income  of  700/.  per  annum.  He  afterwards  took 
his  Countess  with  him  to  London,  and  introduced  her  to  his  family 
connexions,  by  whom  she  was  respected,  admired,  adored,  until  it 
pleased  the  great  Disposer  of  Events  to  call  the  spiritto  a  life  of  more 
lasting  happiness. 


30O      Bitrghley  House  and  the  Lord  of  Burghley, 

Upon  the  above  most  interesMng  subject  Mr.  Alfred  Tennyson, 
Poet-Laureate  (a  son  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Tennyson,  rector  of  Somersby, 
i^incolnshire),  has  produced  the  following  beautiful  ballad-form  com- 
position:— 

THE  LORD  OF  BURGHLEY. 

"  In  her  ear  he  whispers  gaily 

'  If  my  heart  by  signs  can  tell, 
Maiden,  I  have  watched  thee  daily, 

And  I  think  thou  know'st  me  welL* 
She  replies  in  accents  fainter, 

'  There  is  none  I  love  like  thee.' 
He  is  but  a  landscape  painter,* 

And  a  village  maiden  she  : 
He  to  lips  that  fondly  falter, 

Presses  his  without  reproof ; 
Leads  her  to  the  village  altar, 

And  they  leave  their  father's  roof, 

•  I  can  make  no  marriage  present, 

Little  can  I  givo  my  wife, 
Love  will  make  our  cottage  pleasant. 

And  I  love  thee  more  than  life.' 
Then  by  park  and  lodges  going, 

See  the  lordly  castles  stand  ; 
Summer  woods  about  them  blowing, 

Made  a  murmur  in  the  land. 
From  deep  thought  himself  he  rouses, 

Says  to  her  that  loves  hint  well, 

•  Let  us  see  these  handsome  houses. 

Where  the  wealthy  nobles  dwell.' 
So  she  goes  by  him  attended, 

Hears  him  lovingly  converse. 
Sees  whatever  fair  and  splendid 

Lay  betwixt  his  home  and  hers  ; 
Parks  with  oak  and  chestnut  shady. 

Parks  and  order'd  gardens  great. 
Ancient  homes  of  lord  and  lady, 

Built  for  pleasure  and  for  state. 
All  he  shows  her  makes  him  dearer, 

Evermore  she  seems  to  gaze 
On  that  cottage  growing  nearer, 

Where  the  twain  will  spend  their  days. 
O  but  she  will  love  him  truly  ! 

He  shall  have  a  cheerful  home  ; 
She  will  order  all  things  duly, 

When  beneath  his  roof  they  come." 

They  came  to  a  majestic  mansion,  where  the  domestics  bowed  before 
the  young  lover,  whose  wife  then,  for  the  first  time,  discovered  his  rank, 

"  All  at  once  the  colour  flushes 

Her  sweet  face  from  brow  to  chin  ; 
As  it  were  with  shame  she  blushes. 

And  her  spirit  changed  within. 


This  is  poetical  license. 


Burghky  House  and  the  Lord  of  Biirghky,       301 

Then  her  countenance  all  over 

Pale  again  as  death  did  prove ; 
But  he  clasped  her  like  a  lover, 

And  he  cheered  her  soul  with  love. 
So  she  strove  against  her  weakness, 

Though  at  times  her  spirit  sank, 
Shaped  her  heart  with  woman's  meekness 

To  all  duties  of  her  rank. 
And  a  gentle  consort  made  he, 

AnJ  her  gentle  mind  was  such, 
That  she  grew  a  noble  lady, 

And  the  people  loved  her  much. 
But  a  trouble  weighed  upon  her, 

And  perplexed  her  night  and  morn. 
With  the  burden  of  an  honour 

Unto  which  she  was  not  born. 
Faint  she  grew  and  ever  fainter, 

As  she  murmured,  '  Oh  that  he 
Were  once  more  that  landscape-painter, 

Which  did  win  my  heart  from  me  !' 
So  she  drooped,  and  drooped  before  him. 

Fading  slowly  from  his  side, 
Three  fair  children  first  she  bore  him, 

Then  before  her  time  she  died. 

Weeping,  weeping,  late  and  early, 

Walking  up  and  pacing  down, 
Deeply  mourned  the  Lord  of  Burghley, 

Burghley  House  by  Stamford  town. 
And  he  came  to  look  upon  her. 

And  he  look'd  at  her  and  said, 
•  Bring  the  dress  and  put  it  on  her, 

That  she  wore  when  she  was  wed.* 
Then  her  people,  softly  treading, 

Bore  to  earth  her  body,  drest 
In  the  dress  that  she  was  wed  in, 

That  her  spirit  might  have  rest." 

The  Countess  sui*vived  for  four  years,  and  was  the  mother  of  three 
sons  and  a  daughter,  when  she  died  in  1797,  at  the  age  of  about  twenty- 
four,  and  of  something  hke  ennui,  and  a  consciousness,  it  is  said,  of  want 
of  quahfication  for  the  station  which  she  occupied.  Her  lord  was  not 
an  inconsolable  widower.  He  married,  for  the  third  time,  with  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Peter  Burrell,  sister  of  the  first  Lord  Gwydyr,  and 
relict  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton.  The  Shropshire  farmer's  daughter  was 
a  most  estimable  lady.  Through  her  daughter,  who  married  the  Hon. 
Mr.  Pierrepont,  whose  only  daughter  became  the  wife  of  the  late  Lord 
Charles  Wellesley,  the  Shropshire  blood  of  the  stout  yeoman.  Hoggins, 
flows  in  the  veins  of  the  future  Duke  of  Wellington.  Reality,  after  all, 
is  as  wonderful  as  romance.— .^/^^«^kw,  No.  2 181. 


302 


The  Castle  of  Fotherlnghay. 

This  celebrated  seat  of  the  House  of  York,  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
river  Nen,  in  Northamptonshire,  was  formerly  built  by  Simon  de  St.  Liz, 
or  by  the  second  Earl  of  Northampton,  early  in  the  twelfth  century. 
Here  was  born  Richard,  Duke  of  Gloucester,  Oct.  2,  1452. 

Edmund  of  Langley,  on  taking  possession,  found  Fotheringhay  so  much 
dilapidated  as  to  induce  him  to  rebuild  the  greater  part  of  it,  in  grounds 
plan  the  form  of  a  fetterlock.  The  fetterlock,  inclosing  a  falcon,  was 
afterwards  the  favourite  device  of  the  family.  Whilst  they  were  con- 
tending for  the  crown,  the  falcon  was  represented  as  endeavouring  to 
expand  its  wings,  and  force  open  the  lock.  When  the  family  had 
actually  ascended  the  throne,  the  falcon  was  represented  SiSfree,  and  the 
lock  open. 

The  Castle  is  most  memorable  as  the  last  of  the  prison-houses  of  Mary 
Queen  of  Scots ;  and  here  she  closed  her  life  of  bitter  suffering  and 
sorrow,  February  8,  1587.  We  quote  the  sad  scene  from  Mignet's 
touching  History.  The  unfortunate  Queen  having  been  informed 
by  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  that  she  was  to  die  "  about  eight  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  the  mon'ow,"  on  the  Earl  retiring,  she  devoted  her  last 
hours  to  consoling  her  servant,  and  making  her  withdraw  at  nearly  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning  when  she  had  finished  writing.  Feeling  some- 
what fatigued,  and  wishing  to  preserve  or  restore  her  strength  for  the 
final  moment,  she  went  to  bed.  Her  women  continued  praying  ;  and, 
during  the  last  repose  of  her  body,  though  her  eyes  were  closed  it  was 
nvident,  from  the  slight  motion  of  her  lips,  and  a  sort  of  rapture  spread 
over  her  countenance,  that  she  was  addressing  herself  to  Him  on  whom 
alone  her  hopes  now  rested.  At  daybreak,  she  arose,  saying  she  had 
only  two  hours  to  live.  She  picked  out  one  of  her  handkerchiefs  with  a 
fringe  of  gold,  as  a  bandage  for  her  eyes  on  the  scaffold,  and  dressed  her- 
self with  a  stern  magnificence.  Having  assembled  her  servants,  slie 
made  Bourgoin,  her  physician,  read  over  to  them  her  will,  which  she 
then  signed  ;  and  afterwards  gave  them  the  letters,  papers,  and  presents, 
of  which  they  were  to  be  the  bearers  to  the  princes  of  her  family  and 
her  friends  on  the  Continent.  She  had  already  distributed  to  them,  on 
the  previous  evening,  her  rings,  jewels,  furniture  and  dresses ;  and  she 
now  gave  them  the  purses  which  she  had  prepared  for  them,  and  in 
which  she  had  enclosed,  in  small  sums,  the  five  thousand  crowns  which 
Beraained  over  to  her.     With  finished  grace,  and  w^th  affecting  kind- 


The  Castle  of  Fotheringhay.  303 

ncss,  she  mingled  her  consolations  with  her  gifts,  and  strengthened  them 
for  the  affliction  into  which  her  death  would  soon  throw  them.  "  You 
could  not  see,"  says  an  eye-witness,  "  any  change,  neither  in  her  face, 
nor  in  her  speech,  nor  in  her  general  appearance ;  she  seemed  to  be 
giving  orders  about  her  affairs  just  as  if  she  were  merely  going  to  change 
her  residence  from  one  house  to  another." 

She  now  retired  to  her  oratory,  where  she  was  for  some  time  engaged 
in  reading  the  prayers  for  the  dead.  A  loud  knocking  at  the  door 
inten-upted  these  funeral  orisons;  she  bade  the  intruders  wait  a  few 
minutes. 

"  Shortly  afterwards,  eight  o'clock  having  struck,  there  was  a  fi-esh 
knocking  at  the  door,  which  this  time  was  opened.  The  sheriff 
entered,  with  a  white  wand  in  his  hand,  advanced  close  to  Mary,  who 
had  not  yet  moved  her  head,  and  pronounced  these  few  words: 
*  Madam,  the  lords  await  you,  and  have  sent  me  to  you.*  '  Yes,*  re- 
plied Mary,  rising  from  her  knees,  '  let  us  go.'  Just  as  she  was  moving 
away,  Bourgoin  handed  to  her  the  ivory  crucifix  which  stood  on  the 
altar ;  she  kissed  it,  and  ordered  it  to  be  carried  before  her.  Not  being 
able  to  support  herself  alone,  on  account  of  the  weakness  of  her  limbs, 
she  walked,  leaning  on  two  of  her  own  servants,  to  the  extremity  of  her 
apartments.  Having  arrived  at  that  point,  they,  with  peculiar  delicacy, 
which  she  felt  and  approved,  desired  not  to  lead  her  themselves  to 
execution,  but  entrusted  her  to  the  support  of  two  of  Paulet's  servants, 
and  followed  her  in  tears.  On  reaching  the  staircase,  where  the  Earls 
of  Shrewsbury  and  Kent  awaited  Mary  Stuart,  and  by  which  she  had 
to  descend  into  the  lower  hall,  at  the  end  of  which  the  scaffold  had  been 
raised,  they  were  refused  the  consolation  of  accompanying  her  further. 
In  spite  of  their  supplications  and  lamentations  they  were  separated  from 
ner  ;  not  without  difficulty,  for  they  threw  themselves  at  her  feet,  kissed 
her  hands,  clung  to  her  dress,  and  would  not  quit  her.  When  they  had 
succeeded  in  removing  them,  she  resumed  her  course  with  a  mild  and 
noble  air,  the  crucifix  in  one  hand  and  a  prayer-book  in  the  other, 
dressed  in  the  widow's  garb,  which  she  used  to  wear  on  days  of  great 
solemnity.  She  evinced  the  dignity  of  a  queen,  along  with  the  calm 
composure  of  a  Christian.  At  the  foot  of  the  staircase  she  met  her 
maitre-d' hotel,  Andrew  Melvil,  who  had  been  peraiitted  to  take  leave 
of  her,  and  who,  seeing  her  thus  walking  to  her  execution,  fell  on  his 
knees,  and,  with  his  countenance  bathed  in  tears,  expressed  his  bitter 
affliction.  Mary  embraced  him,  thanked  him  for  his  constant  fidelityj 
and  enjoined  him  to  report  exactly  to  her  son  all  that  he  knew,  and  all 
that  he  was  about  to  witness     *  It  \yill  be,*  said  Melvil,  *  the  most  soi- 


304  The  Castle  of  Foihcringhay, 

rowflil  message  I  ever  carried,  to  announce  that  the  queen,  my  sovereig 
and  dear  mistress,  is  dead.'  *  Thou  shouldst  rather  rejoice,  good 
Melvil,'  she  replied,  employing  for  the  first  time  this  familiar  mode  of 
address,  *  that  Mary  Stuart  has  arrived  at  the  close  of  her  misfortunes. 
Thou  knowest  that  this  world  is  only  vanity,  and  full  of  troubles  and 
misery.  Bear  these  tidings,  that  I  die  firm  in  my  religion,  a  true  Ca- 
tholic, a  true  Scotchwoman,  a  true  Frenchwoman.  May  God  forgive 
those  who  have  sought  my  death.  The  Judge  of  the  secret  thoughts  and 
actions  of  men  knows  that  I  have  always  desired  the  union  of  Scot- 
land and  England.  Commend  me  to  my  son,  and  tell  him  that  I  have 
never  done  anythiiig  that  could  prejudice  the  welfare  of  the  kingdom,  or 
his  quality  as  king,  nor  derogated  in  any  respect  from  our  sovereign  pre- 
rogative.' " 

The  sentence  was  then  read  to  her.  She  made  a  short  speech,  in 
which  she  repeated  the  words  so  frequently  in  her  mouth,  "  I  am  queen 
born,  not  subject  to  the  laws,"  and  declared  that  she  had  never  sought 
the  life  of  her  cousin  Elizabeth.  She  then  began  to  recite  in  Latin  the 
Psalms  of  penitence  and  mercy,  a  pious  exercise  rudely  interrupted  by 
the  Dean  of  Peterborough  and  the  Earl  of  Kent. 

"  Her  prayer  ended,  she  arose.  The  terrible  moment  had  airived, 
and  the  executioner  approached  to  assist  her  in  removing  a  portion  of 
her  dress,  but  she  motioned  him  away,  saying,  with  a  smile,  that  she  had 
never  had  such  valets-de-chambre.  She  then  called  Jean  Kennedy  and 
Elizabeth  Curll,  who  had  remained  all  the  time  on  their  knees  at  the 
foot  of  the  scaffold,  and  she  began  to  undress  herself  with  their  assis- 
tance, remarking  that  she  was  not  accustomed  to  do  so  before  so  many 
people.  The  afflicted  girls  performed  this  last  sad  office  in  tears.  To 
prevent  the  utterance  of  their  grief,  she  placed  her  finger  on  their  lips, 
and  reminded  them  that  she  had  promised  in  their  name  that  they  would 
show  more  firmness.  *  Instead  of  weeping,  rejoice,*  she  said ;  *  I  am 
very  happy  to  leave  this  world,  and  in  so  good  a  cause.'  She  then  laid 
down  her  cloak,  and  took  off  her  veil,  retaining  only  a  petticoat  of  red 
taftety,  flowered  with  velvet.  Then  seating  herself  on  the  chair,  she  gave 
her  blessing  to  her  weeping  servants.  The  executioner  having  asked  hei 
pardon  on  his  knees,  she  told  him  that  she  pardoned  everybody.  She 
embraced  Elizabeth  Curll  and  Jean  Kennedy,  and  gave  them  her  bless- 
ing, making  the  sign  of  the  cross  over  them  :  and  after  Jean  Kennedy 
nad  bandaged  her  eyes,  she  desired  them  to  withdraw,  which  they  dij 
weeping.  At  the  same  time  she  knelt  down  with  great  courage,  an< 
itill  holding  the  crucifix  in  her  hands,  stretched  out  her  neck  to  thi 
executioner.    She  then  said  aloud,  and  with  the  most  ardent  filling  of 


The  Castle  of  Fotheringhay.  305 

confidence,  *  My  GoJ,  I  have  hoped  in  you  ;  I  commit  myself  to  your 
hands.'  She  imagined  that  she  would  have  been  struck  in  the  mode 
usual  in  France,  in  an  upright  posture,  and  with  the  sword.  The  two 
masters  of  the  works  perceiving  her  mistake,  informed  her  of  it,  and 
assisted  her  to  lay  her  head  on  the  block,  which  she  did  without  ceasing 
to  pray.  There  was  a  universal  feeling  of  compassion  at  the  sight  of  this 
lamentable  misfortune,  this  heroic  courage,  this  admirable  sweetness. 
The  executioner  himself  was  moved,  and  aimed  with  an  unsteady  hand: 
the  axe,  instead  of  falling  on  the  neck,  struck  the  back  of  the  head,  and 
wounded  her,  yet  she  made  no  movement,  nor  uttered  a  complaint.  It 
was  only  on  repeating  the  blow  that  the  executioner  struck  off  her  head, 
which  he  held  up,  saying,  *  God  save  Queen  Elizabeth.'  '  Thus,' 
added  Dr.  Fletcher,  *  may  all  her  enemies  perish.' "  It  is  added,  that 
when  the  fatal  blow  was  struck,  "  her  face  was,  for  a  moment,  so  much 
altered  that  few  could  remember  her  by  her  dead  face,  and  her  lips 
stirred  up  and  down  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  her  head  was  cut  off."-^ 
(Ellis's  Letters,  vol.  iii.  p.  117.) 

During  her  imprisonment  here.  Queen  Maiy  wrote  on  a  sheet  of 
paper,  in  a  large  rambling  hand,  some  verses  in  French,  of  which  the 
following  is  a  literal  translation : 

"  Alas  !  what  am  I,  and  in  v^^hat  estate? 

A  wretched  corse,  bereaved  of  its  heart, 
An  empty  shadow,  lost,  unfortunate  ; 

To  die  is  now  in  life  my  only  part. 
For,  to  my  greatness,  let  your  envy  rest, 

In  use  no  taste  for  grandeur  now  is  found  ; 
Consum'd  by  grief  with  heavy  ills  oppressed. 

Your  wishes  anOi  desires  will  soon  be  crown'd. 
And  you,  my  friend,  who  still  have  held  me  dear, 

Bethink  you  that  when  health  and  heart  are  fled, 

And  every  hope  of  future  good  is  dead, 
Tis  time  to  wish  our  sorrows  ended  here  ; 

And  that  this  punishment  on  earth  is  given. 
That  my  pure  soul  may  rise  to  endless  bliss  in  heaven," 

Immediately  before  her  execution.  Queen  Mary  repeated  a  Latin 
prayer,  composed  by  herself,  and  which  has  been  set  to  a  beautiful 
plaintive  air,  by  Dr.  Harington,  of  Bath :  it  may  be  thus  paraphrased ; 

*•  In  this  last  solemn  and  tremendous  hour, 
My  Lord,  my  Saviour,  I  invoke  Thy  power ! 
In  these  sad  pangs  of  anguish  and  of  death, 
Receive,  O  Lord,  Thy  suppliant's  parting  breath  1 
Before  Thy  hallowed  cross,  she  prostrate  lies, 
O  hear  her  prayers,  commiserate  her  sighs  ! 
Extend  Thy  arms  of  mercy  and  of  love, 
And  bear  her  to  Thy  peaceful  realms  above." 


3o6  The  Battle-field  of  Nasehy. 

The  relics  of  the  ill-fated  Queen,  her  prison-houses,  and  memorials  of 
her  captivity,  are  very  numerous.  The  Lauder  family,  of  Grange  and 
Fountain  Hall,  possess  her  Memento  Mori  watch,  they  having  inherited 
it  from  their  ancestors,  the  Setoun  family.  It  was  given  by  Queen 
Mary  to  Mary  Setoun,  of  the  house  of  Wintoun,  one  of  the  four  Marys, 
maids  of  honour  to  the  Scottish  Queen.  This  very  curious  relic  must 
have  been  intended  to  be  placed  on  a  prie-dieu,  or  small  altar  in  a 
private  oratory ;  for  it  is  too  heavy  to  have  been  carried  in  any  way 
attached  to  the  person.  The  watch  is  of  the  form  of  a  skull :  on  the 
forehead  is  the  figure  of  Death,  standing  between  a  palace  and  a  cottage ; 
around  is  this  legend  from  Horace :  "  Pallida  mors  aquo  pulsat  pede 
pauperum  tahernas  Regumque  turres,"  On  the  hind  part  of  the  skull  is 
a  figure  of  Time,  with  another  legend  from  Horace :  "  Tempus  edax 
rerum  tuque  invidiosa  'vetustas"  The  upper  part  of  the  skull  bears 
representations  ot  Adam  and  Eve  in  the  garden  of  Eden,  and  of  the 
Crucifixion,  each  with  Latin  legends ;  and  between  these  scenes  is  open- 
work, to  let  out  the  sound  when  the  watch  strikes  the  hours  upon  a 
small  silver  bell,  which  fills  the  hollow  of  the  skull,  and  receives  the 
works  within  it  when  the  watch  is  shut. 

The  Athol  family  possesses  another  interesting  memorial  of  the  un-' 
fortunate  Queen  in  the  Royal  Harp,  presented  by  her  to  the  daughter 
of  George  Gardyn,  after  a  magnificent  hunt  and  banquet  given  to  her 
Majesty  by  the  Earl  of  Athol,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Balmoral,  now 
also  honoured  as  the  abode  of  royalty.  This  harp  had  in  front  of  the 
upper  arm  the  Queen's  portrait,  and  the  anns  of  Scotland,  both  in  gold. 
On  the  right  side,  in  the  circular  space,  near  the  upper  end  of  the  tore- 
arm,  was  placed  a  jewel  of  considerable  value ;  and  on  the  opposite  side, 
in  a  similar  circular  space,  was  fixed  another  precious  stone ;  of  all 
which  it  was  despoiled  in  the  Rebellion,  1745. 


The  Battle-field  of  Naseby. 

The  village  of  Naseby,  in  the  north-western  portion  of  Northampton- 
shire, stands  upon  an  eminence,  supposed  to  be  the  highest  ground  in 
England ;  and  a  field  about  a  mile  northward  is  celebrated  in  history  as 
the  site  of  the  battle  which  determined  the  fate  of  the  Royal  cause,  on 
the  14th  of  June,  1645. 

King  Charles  L  had,  a  fortnight  before,  taken  Leicester  by  storm, 
and  marching  southward  by  Harborough  to  Daventry,  compelled 
Fairfax  to  raise  the  siege  of  Oxford,  in  order  to  oppose  him.    On  the 


The  Battle-field  of  Nasehy.  30/ 

approach  of  the  Parliamentarian  forces,  under  Fairfax  and  Cromwell,  to 
Northampton,  Charles  retreated  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Harborough, 
but  finding  his  enemies  close  in  pursuit,  he  determined  to  turn  upon 
them.  The  battle  was  fought  at  Naseby,  and  each  side  mustered  about 
8000  or  9000  men.  The  right  wing  of  each  army,  the  Royalists  under 
Rupert,  and  the  Parliamentarians  under  Cromwell,  was  victorious ;  but 
while  Rupert  wasted  his  advantage  by  an  inconsiderate  pursuit,  Crom- 
well decided  the  day  by  charging  the  Royalist  centre  in  the  flank  and 
rear.  The  victory  was  decisive :  the  Royalists  had  800  killed  and 
wounded,  the  Parliamentarians  rather  more;  but  they  took  4000 
prisoners  and  all  the  artillery,  besides  other  spoils  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance. 

Such  is  the  outline  of  this  decisive  and  memorable  conflict.  In  the 
autumn  of  1827,  Sir  Richard  V)\^\^%  talked  o'ver  the  battle-field,  ^^xi'di 
his  observations  supplement  the  historical  details,  and  add  considerably 
to  their  interest.  "  The  Parliament  forces,"  says  Sir  Richard,  "  v/ere  in 
possession  of  Naseby,  and  the  Royal  army  advanced  up  the  rising 
ground  to  attack  and  dislodge  them.  The  heat  of  the  battle  was  in 
the  ascent  towards  the  trees.  Cromwell  practised  among  these  hills 
as  Wellington  did  at  Waterloo — he  concealed  his  masses  behind  the 
acclivities ;  and  the  assailants  were  surprised,  and  easily  repulsed  with 
great  loss.  Charles  fled,  and  was  pursued  through  Harborough  even 
to  Leicester,  a  distance  of  twenty-five  miles.  The  women  and  baggage 
of  his  army  were  captured  about  six  miles  from  the  field  ;  and  in  re- 
taliation for  a  similar  slaughter  of  parliament  women  in  Cornwall,  these 
women  (the  oflScers'  wives,  and  even  some  ladies  of  rank),  were  in  a 
merciless  and  atrocious  manner  put  at  once  to  the  sword.  I  was  shown 
the  place  on  my  way  to  Harborough — and  we  may  hope  that  the  crime 
was  committed  without  the  knowledge  of  superiors  in  the  fury  of  the 
pursuit,  perhaps  by  men  who  had  lost  their  wives  in  the  Cornish  affair. 
It  was,  however,  a  cowardly  and  cruel  retaliation,  and  disgraceful  to 
the  great  cause  for  which  at  the  time  the  Parliament  forces  were  con- 
tending. 

"  At  Naseby,  they  still  show  the  table  at  which  the  council  of  the 
Parliament  officers  deliberated  before  the  battle ;  and  close  to  which 
rises  the  spring  that  originates  the  Welland.  On  the  same  hill  rises 
also  the  famous  Avon,  the  Nen,  and  the  Swift,  all  following  in  different 
directions,  and  thereby  proving  that  Naseby  is  the  highest  land  in  several 
adjoining  counties.  I  distinguished  from  it  Mount  Son-el  at  thirty 
miles  distance,  and  all  the  high  lands  within  forty  or  fifty  miles.  I 
collected  but  one  bullet  on  the  field  j  but  I  was  told  that  tourists  and 


3o8  Hohnhy  House:  Seizure  of  Charles  /. 

antiquaries  have  made  every  relic  scarce.  The  lordship  had  recently 
been  divided  and  inclosed,  so  that  in  the  next  generation  hedges  and 
trees  will  disguise  the  site  of  the  lately  open  field  where  the  battle  was 
fought.  An  elegant  pillar  has  been  erected  on  the  field  with  the  follow- 
ing appropriate  inscription : — 

"To  COMMEMORATE  THE  GREAT  AND  DECISIVE  BATTLE  FOUGHT  ON  TINS 
FIELD,  ON  THE  14  JUNE,  1645,  BETWEEN  THE  ROYALIST  ARMY,  COMMANDED 
BY  HIS  MAJESTY  KiNG  CHARLES  I.,  AND  THE  PARLIAMENT  FORCE,  HEADED 

BY  THE    Generals    Fairfax    and    Cromwell  ;    which    terminated 

FATALLY  FOR  THE  ROYAL  CAUSE,  AND  LED  TO  THE  SUBVERSION  OF  THE 
throne,  the  altar,  and  THE  CONSTITUTION,  AND  FOR  YEARS  PLUNGED 
THIS  NATION  INTO  THE  HORRORS  OF  ANARCHY  AND  CIVIL  WAR— LEAVING 
A  USEFUL  LESSON  TO  BRITISH  KiNGS,  NEVER  TO  EXCEED  THE  BOUNDS  OP 
THEIR  JUST  PREROGATIVE — AND  TO  BRITISH  SUBJECTS,  NEVER  TO  SWERVE 
FROM  THE  ALLEGIANCE  DUE  TO  THEIR  LEGITIMATE  MONARCH.  " 

After  King  Charles  had  surrendered  himself  to  the  Scots,  at  Newark, 
and  been  delivered  into  the  hands  of  the  Parliamentary  Commissioners, 
he  was  brought  to  Holmby,  about  six  miles  north-west  of  Northamp- 
ton, as  described  in  the  next  page. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  the  bones  of  those  who  fell  at  Nascby  wcie 
collected  some  years  after  the  battle,  and  transferred  to  the  church  of 
Roth  well,  probably  soon  after  the  Revolution.  The  flower  of  England 
fell  at  Naseby ;  and  it  is  thought  that  the  bones  were  gathered  from  the 
trenches  in  which  the  bodies  were  probably  laid,  and  carried  to  the 
crypt,  where  they  were  piled  in  regular  order,  layers  of  skulls  alternating 
with  layers  of  bones.  All  are  the  bones  of  male  adults,  and  belong  to 
one  generation,  and  there  are  said  to  have  been  originally  30,000  skulls. 
In  addition  to  Naseby,  Bosworth  field,  in  the  adjoining  county,  might 
have  contributed  its  thousands.  The  suggestion  has  its  probabilities, 
but  the  identity  is  involved  in  much  doubt. 


Holmby  House  :  Seizure  of  Charles  I. 

Of  Holdenby,  or  Holmby  House,  on  a  rising  ground  about  six  miles 
north-west  of  Northampton,  there  exist  but  the  gates  and  some  out- 
buildings. Still  the  site  will  ever  be  memorable  as  almost  the  closing 
scene  in  the  unkingship  of  the  ill-fated  Charles  I.  The  mansion  was 
built  by  Sir  Christopher  Hatton,  in  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth, 
with  much  magnificence,  in  contrast  with  which  the  eventful  scene  we 
are  about  to  describe  presents  a  saddening  effect. 

After  the  King  had  surrendered  himself  to  the  Scots  at  Newark, 


Holmhy  House :  Seizure  of  Charles  I.         3^9 

through  the  arrangement  made  by  the  Scottish  Army  with  the  English 
Parliament,  he  was  conducted  to  Holmby  House,  where  he  assumed, 
though  always  under  the  surveillance  of  the  Commissioners  of  the 
Parliament,  something  of  the  sovereign  state.  He  gave  receptions  to 
the  country  gentlemen  of  the  neighbourhood,  and  accepted  the  homage 
rendered  him  by  the  common  people ;  but  his  chief  time  appears  to 
have  been  divided  between  the  bowling-green  of  Althorpe,  the  corre- 
spondence or  conversation  with  his  adherents,  and  his  favourite  chess- 
b<3ard.  It  was  not  long,  however,  that  he  was  permitted  to  enjoy  this 
calm.  Ere  a  few  months  had  passed,  his  confidential  friends  were 
dismissed,  and  his  chaplains  denied  admittance.  The  struggle  pending 
between  the  Army  and  the  Parliament  to  decide  whose  captive  he  was 
to  be,  soon  approached  a  crisis.  The  Army,  conscious  of  its  increasing 
power,  determined  to  assert  its  authority.  By  means  of  a  petition 
conveyed  to  the  King,  in  which  the  army-leaders  hinted  at  restoring 
him  "  to  his  honour,  crown,  and  dignity,"  they  had  contrived  to  inspire 
his  Majesty  with  some  confidence  in  their  intentions,  and  he  fell  with 
facility  into  the  plot  they  had  arranged  for  getting  him  into  their 
hands. 

It  happened  then,  one  afternoon,  when  the  King  was  playing  bowls 
on  the  green  at  Althorpe,  that  the  attention  of  the  Commissioners  who 
accompanied  him  was  directed  to  a  strange  soldier  in  the  uniform  of 
Fairfax's  regiment,  who  mingled  in  the  throng  of  spectators  and  evinced 
no  little  curiosity  as  to  what  was  passing.  At  length.  Colonel  Greaves, 
who  commanded  the  slender  garrison  of  Holmby,  accosted  the  man, 
and  inquired  what  was  going  on  in  the  Army  ?  and,  to  encourage  him, 
bade  him  not  be  afraid.  The  soldier  confidently  answered  that  he  was 
'*  not  afi-aid  of  him  or  of  any  man  in  the  kingdom,"  and  then  proceeded 
in  a  tone  of  authority  to  inveigh  against  the  Parliament.  There  had 
run  a  rumour  that  a  large  body  of  cavalry  was  in  the  neighbourhood, 
and  the  Colonel  asked  the  stranger  whether  he  had  heard  of  them. 
*'  I  have  done  more  than  hear  of  them,"  said  the  man,  "  for  I  saw  them 
yesterday  within  thirty  miles  of  Holmby."  At  this  a  whisper  circu- 
lated ;  the  mysterious  visitor  was  regarded  with  apprehension  ;  the 
King  left  his  recreation  ;  the  guards  at  Holmby  House  were  doubled; 
and  the  Earl  of  Dumfermling,  who  was  present,  started  off  to  London  to 
apprise  the  Parliament  that  his  Majesty  was  carried  away  against  his  will. 

A  few  hours  later  a  squadron  of  fifty  hoi-se,  led  by  the  suspicious 
stranger  just  spoken  of,  drew  up  before  the  house.  Upon  being  asked 
who  commanded  them,  they  answered  "  All  command  !"  Their  leader, 
who  proved  to  be  one  Joyce,  a  comet,  reque&lcJ  to  speak  with  the 


3^0  Holmhy  House:  Seizure  of  Charles  I. 

Commissioners,  to  whom  he  pretended  that,  hearing  there  was  an 
intention  to  steal  the  King  away,  the  Army  had  sent  this  body  of 
cavahy  to  protect  him.  He  was  permitted  to  place  his  guards,  and 
the  Commissioners  promised  that  he  should  shortly  receive  their  com- 
mands. 

Late  at  night  Joyce  and  the  cavalry  again  appeared.  This  time  the 
Cornet  demanded  to  speak  with  the  King.  The  Commissioners  appear 
to  have  held  him  for  some  time  in  parley,  as  he  afterwards  complained 
that  they  kept  him  in  discourse  till  the  King  was  asleep.  All  this  while 
the  soldiers  within  were  fraternizing  with  the  new-comei-s,  and  instead  ot 
opposing  them,  flung  open  the  gates  for  their  admittance.  Joyce  then 
set  sentinels  at  the  chamber-doors  of  the  Commissionei-s,  and  made  his 
way  with  two  or  three  more  to  the  King's  sleeping-room,  knocked  at 
the  door,  and  demanded  admittance.  The  grooms  of  the  chamber 
inquired  if  the  Commissioners  approved  of  this  intrusion.  Joyce  rudely 
answered,  "  No,"  and  went  on  to  say  that  he  had  ordered  a  guard  to  be 
stationed  at  their  bedroom  doors,  and  that  his  instructions  were  from 
those  who  feared  them  not.  The  noise  of  this  conversation  awoke  the 
King,  who  rose  out  of  his  bed  and  caused  the  door  to  be  opened ; 
whereupon  Joyce  and  two  or  three  of  his  companions  came  into  the 
chamber  with  their  hats  off  and  pistols  in  their  hands.  The  Cornet 
commenced  his  business  by  an  apology  for  disturbing  his  Majesty's 
sleep,  but  said  he  had  imperative  commands  to  remove  him  to  the  Army 
without  delay.  The  King  demanded  that  the  Commissioners  should  be 
sent  for.  The  soldier  told  him  that  the  Commissioners  had  nothing 
now  to  do  but  to  return  back  to  the  Parliament.  The  King  then  asked 
for  a  sight  of  the  instructions  the  Cornet  held  for  securing  his  person, 
Joyce  said  his  commission  came  from  "  the  soldiery  of  the  Army." 
The  King  objected,  "  that  is  no  lawful  authority,"  and  added,  "  I  pray, 
Mr.  Joyce,  deal  ingenuously  with  me,  and  tell  me  whence  are  your 
instructions."  The  Cornet,  turning  round  and  pointing  to  his  trooper^ 
who  were  drawn  up  in  the  courtyard,  said,  "  There,  Sir,  there  are  my 
instructions."  Upon  which  the  King  observed,  with  a  smile,  "  Well,  I 
must  confess  they  are  written  in  very  fair  characters,  legible  enough 
without  spelling.  But  what  if  I  refuse  to  go  along  with  you  ?  I  trust 
you  would  not  compel  your  King.  You  must  satisfy  me  that  I  shall  be 
treated  with  honour  and  respect,  and  that  I  shall  not  be  forced  in  any- 
tiiing  against  my  conscience  and  dignity,  though  I  hope  that  my 
resolution  is  so  constant  that  no  force  can  cause  me  to  do  a  base  thing.** 
The  Cornet  again  pressed  his  Majesty  to  accompany  him,  declaring 
that  no  prejudice  was  intended,  but,  on  the  contrary,  much  good. 


Holnihy  House :  Seizure  of  Charles  I.  3^1 

The  officers  of  Holmby  and  the  Commissioners  now  protested  loudly 
against  the  removal  of  the  King,  and  called  upon  the  troopers  to  main- 
tain the  authority  of  Parliament,  putting  it  to  them  whether  they  agreed 
with  what  Cornet  Joyce  had  said  and  done.  They  replied  with  one 
voice,  "  All !  All !"  Hearing  this,  Major- General  Brown,  who  was  in 
command  of  the  ganison  at  Holmby  with  Colonel  Greaves,  remarked 
that  he  did  not  think  there  were  two  of  the  company  who  knew  what 
had  passed.  .  "Let  all,"  he  continued,  "who  are  willing  the  King 
should  stay  with  the  Commissioners  of  Parliament  now  speak."  The 
whole  band  exclaimed  "  None !  none !"  Then  said  the  Major-General, 
"I  have  done!"  and  the  men  replied,  "We  know  well  enough  what 
we  do." 

The  King,  after  breakfast,  got  into  his  coach,  and,  attended  by  a 
few  servants,  was  conducted  by  Cornet  Joyce  to  Hinchinbrook,  near 
Huntingdon,  the  house  of  Colonel  Edward  Montague,  where  he  was 
entertained  with  great  respect  and  satisfaction.  Immediately  upon  this 
astounding  abduction  of  the  sovereign  being  known,  Fairfax  despatched 
Colonel  Whalley  with  two  regiments  of  horse  to  escort  his  Majesty 
back  to  Holmby ;  but  the  King,  who  evidently  was  not  without  hopes 
of  better  treatment  from  the  Amiy  than  he  had  of  late  experienced  fi-om 
the  Commissioners,  positively  refused  to  go  back.  Whalley  assured 
him  that  he  had  an  express  command  to  see  all  things  well  settled  again 
about  his  Majesty,  which  could  not  be  effected  but  by  his  returning  to 
Holmby.  The  King  was  obdurate,  and  the  Colonel  desisted  from 
pressing  further.  On  the  following  day  Cromwell,  Fairfax,  Ireton,  and 
other  officers  had  an  interview  with  him  in  the  garden  of  Sir  John  Cutts, 
at  Childerly.  His  Majesty  put  the  question  to  Cromwell  and  Fairfax 
whether  it  was  by  their  conjoint  or  single  authority  that  he  was  brought 
fi*om  Holmby,  and  they  both  disowning  it,  he  remarked — "  Unless  you 
hang  up  Joyce,  I  will  not  believe  what  you  say."  It  was  soon  apparent 
<^hat  Cornet  Joyce  was  safe  fi'om  a  court  martial.  He  offered,  indeed, 
to  appeal  to  a  general  rendezvous  of  the  Army,  adding,  "  And,  if  three 
or  even  four  parts  of  the  Army  do  not  approve  of  my  proceedings,  I 
will  be  content  to  be  hanged  at  the  head  of  my  regiment."  "  Ay,"  ob- 
served the  King,  "  you  must  have  had  the  countenance  of  some  persons 
in  authority,  for  you  would  never  of  yourself  have  ventured  on  such  a 
treason." 

And  thus  ended  the  seizure  of  the  King  at  Holmby,  an  act  which 
was  a  mystery  to  his  contemporaries,  but  which  in  all  probability  was 
the  bold  invention  of  Cromwell  and  Ireton,  that  the  Army  might  become 
masters  of  the  Sovereign  j  and  which  they  had  cleverly  paved  the  way 


312  Catesby  Hall  and  the  Gunpowder  Plot. 

for  by  leading  the  King  to  believe  the  Army  leaders  were  willing  to 
unite  with  him  against  the  Presbyterian  party.  Cornet  Joyce  got  the 
whole  credit  of  the  daring  enterprise,  Cromwell  denying  it  was  with 
his  concurrence,  and  using  such  caution  that  the  King's  friends  ascribed 
to  him  the  sending  of  the  two  regiments  of  cavalry  under  Whalley  for 
the  immediate  protection  of  the  Monarch's  person,  and  to  lead  him  back 
to  Holmby. 

These  very  interesting  details  of  the  circumstances,  evidently  drawn 
from  the  conflicting  statements  of  Clarendon,  Herbert,  "The  True 
and  Impartial  Narrative,"  Holmes,  Whitelock,  and  the  Parliamentary 
History,  are  appended  to  a  clever  picture  of  the  sei'/^ire  at  Holmby, 
painted  by  John  Gilbert,  and  engraved  in  the  Illustrated  London  Nenjos^ 
June  15,  1861.  The  scene  is  the  royal  bedchamber:  the  King  having 
raised  himself  up  in  the  bed,  is  holding  the  colloquy  with  Joyce. 


Catesby  Hall  and  the  Gunpowder  Plot. 

At  Ashby  St.  Leger,  near  Daventry,  remains  to  this  day  the  gate- 
house of  the  ancient  manor  of  the  Catesby  family,  of  whom  Robert 
Catesby  was  the  contriver  of  the  Gunpowder  Plot,  and  is  stated  to  have 
inveigled,  by  his  persuasive  eloquence,  several  of  the  other  twelve  con- 
spirators. They  are  believed  to  have  met  in  the  room  over  the  gateway, 
and  the  apartment  is  by  the  villagers  of  the  neighbourhood  called  the 
**  Plot  Room."  Of  the  thirteen  conspirators  five  only  were  engaged  in 
the  plot  at  its  commencement ;  four  (probably  six)  had  at  one  time 
been  Protestants ;  some  took  no  active  part,  but  furnished  part  of  the 
money ;  and  three  Jesuits,  who  were  privy  to  the  design,  counselled 
and  encouraged  the  conspirators.  Catesby  was  shot  with  Thomas  Percy, 
by  the  sheriffs'  officers,  in  attempting  to  escape  at  Holbeach,  shortly 
after  the  discovery  of  the  treason. 

Guido  or  Guy  Fawkes  was  a  soldier  of  fortune  in  the  Spanish  service; 
he  was  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  and  a  schoolfellow  of  Bishop  Morton  at 
York.  In  the  Ashmolean  Museum,  at  Oxford,  are  preserved  the  rusty 
and  shattered  remains  of  the  lantern  which  Fawkes  carried  when  he 
was  seized.  It  is  of  iron,  and  a  dark  lantern ;  the  movement  for  inclos- 
ing the  light  being  precisely  the  same  as  in  those  in  use  at  the  present 
<lay:  the  top,  squeezed  up  and  broken,  is  preserved  with  it,  as  is 
also  tlie  socket  for  the  candle.  The  horn  or  glass  which  once  filled  the 
door  is  quite  gone.  On  a  brass  plate  affixed  to  one  side  of  the  lantern, 
the  following  Latin  inscription  is  engraved  in  script  hand : — 


Cateshy  Hall  afid  the  Gtmpoivder  Plot*  3  ^  3 

"  Lateina  ilia  ipsa  quae  usus  est  et  cum  qua  deprehensus  Guido  Faux 
in  Crypta  subterranea  ubi  domo  Parliamenti  difflanda  operam  debet. 
Ex  dono  Rob.  Hey  wood,  nuper  Academiae  procuratoris,  Apr.  4'',  1641." 
And  the  following  is  written  on  a  piece  of  paper,  and  deposited  in  the 
glass  case  with  the  lantern,  along  with  two  or  three  prints  and  papers 
relating  to  the  Powder  Plot : 

"  The  very  lantern  that  was  taken  from  Guy  Fawkes  when  he  was 
about  to  blow  up  the  Parliament  House.  It  was  given  to  the  Univer- 
sity in  1 64 1,  according  to  the  inscription  on  it,  by  Robert  Hey  wood. 
Proctor  of  the  University  " 

It  is  constantly  asserted  by  Roman  Catholic  writei'8  that  the  priests 
arad  others  who  were  executed  in  the  reigns  of  James  I.  and  Elizabeth 
were  martyrs  to  the  faith ;  and  the  inference  they  would  draw  is,  that 
the  Church  of  England  is  as  open  to  the  charge  of  persecution  as  the 
Church  of  Rome.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  Elizabeth's  advisers  did 
not  consider  that  they  were  putting  men  to  death  for  religion  ;  whilst,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  martyrs  under  Queen  Mary  were  committed  to  the 
flames  as  heretics,  not  as  traitors  or  offenders  against  the  laws  of  the 
land.  They  were  put  to  death  according  to  the  mode  prescribed  in 
cases  of  heresy ;  whereas  the  Papists  were  both  tried  and  executed  for 
treason,  which  is  an  offence  against  the  State.  The  only  way  in  which 
it  can  be  said  that  such  persons  suffered  for  religion  is  this,  viz.  that 
their  religron  led  them  into  treason.  From  the  year  1570  to  i6oO^ 
Queen  Elizabeth  and  the  Protestant  religion  were  constantly  exposed  to 
the  machinations  of  the  active  partisans  of  the  Roman  See,  who  were 
encouraged  by  the  Pope  himself.  Every  Pontiff  pursued  the  same 
course.  There  was  a  settled  purpose  at  Rome,  and  indeed  throughout 
the  whole  Romish  confederacy,  to  dethrone  Elizabeth  and  overturn  the 
Anglican  Church.  Nor  is  it  a  libel  on  the  Church  of  Rome  to  say, 
that  in  all  these  proceedings  she  acted  on  recognised  principles— prin- 
ciples which  had  received  the  solemn  sanction  of  her  councils.  To  root 
out  heresy  by  any  means  within  their  reach  was  deemed,  or,  at  all  events, 
was  asserted  to  be,  a  sacred  duty  incumbent  on  all  the  members  of  the 
Church  of  Rome.  The  doctrine  may  be  denied  in  the  present  day, 
when  circumstances,  we  hope,  do  not  admit  of  its  being  carried  into 
practice;  but,  unquestionably,  it  was  not  merely  believed  as  an  article 
of  faith  in  the  days  of  Elizabeth,  for  attempts  were  constantly  made  to 
enforce  the  infamous  bull  of  excommunication  of  Pius  V.,  from  which 
the  treasons  in  the  reigns  of  Elizabeth  and  James  naturally  flowed. 
James  I.  succeeded  to  the  throne  at  a  period  when  the  eyes  of  Romanists 
were  fastened  on  England  as  their  prey.     A  consn'racy  was  in  agitation 


3^4  Caiesby  Hall  and  the  Gunpowder  Plot, 

before  the  death  of  Elizabeth ;  and  the  confessions  and  examinations  of 
the  gunpowder  conspirators  show  that  a  plot  was  partly  contnved  before 
James's  accession. 

Catesby  Hall  is  otherwise  noted  than  for  its  association  with  the 
Gunpowder  Plot.  The  house  fonnerly  belonged  to  Sir  Richard  Catesby, 
one  of  the  three  favourites  who  ruled  the  kingdom  under  Richard  III., 
the  others  being  Sir  Richard  Ratcliffe  and  Viscount  Lovell,  on  whom 
the  following  humorous  distich  was  made  :— 

"  The  Rat,  the  Cat,  and  Lovell  our  Dog, 
Rule  all  England  under  the  Hog;" 

alluding  to  the  King's  adoption  of  a  boar  as  one  of  the  supporters  of  the 
Royal  arms.  After  the  Battle  of  Bosworth,  this  Sir  William  Catesby 
was  ^beheaded  at  Leicester,  and  his  lands  escheated ;  but  Henry  VH. 
(1496)  restored  them  to  Gatesby's  son  George,  from  whom  they  de- 
scended, in  course  of  time,  to  Sir  William  Catesby,  who  was  convicted, 
during  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  (1581),  of  harbouring  Jesuits  here,  and 
celebrating  mass.  His  son  and  successor  was  the  above  conspirator, 
Robert  Catesby,  who  had  severely  suffered  in  the  last  reign  for  recusancy, 
and  in  revenge  had  been  long  engaged  in  endeavouring  to  bring  about 
an  invasion  of  England  by  the  Spaniards.  Several  of  the  conspirators 
were  recent  converts  to  Romanism.  Such  was  Catesby ;  he  had  been 
engaged  in  Essex's  insurrection,  as  had  some  of  the  others.  Fawkes  had 
but  recently  returned  from  abroad,  and  he  appears  to  have  been  a  mere 
soldier  of  fortune,  the  hired  servant  of  the  rest,  who  were  all  gentlemen 
of  property. 

This  plot  is  usually  spoken  of  as  unprecedented  in  its  nature,  but 
such  is  not  the  case:  Swedish  history  furnishes  two  instances  of  gun- 
powder plots,  real  or  pretended.  Christian  H.  made  such  a  plot  the 
pretext  for  his  barbarous  executions  at  Stockholm  in  1520 ;  and  in 
1533  the  regency  of  Lubeck  engaged  some  Germans  to  blow  up 
Gustavus  Vasa,  while  holding  the  diet,  but  the  plan  was  discovered  on 
the  very  eve  of  its  execution," — Annals  ofEn^land^  vol.  ii.  p.  341. 


315 


Grafton  Manor. — The  Widvilles  or  Woodvilles.— 
Elizabeth,  Queen  of  Edward  IV. 

Grafton  Manor,  in  Northamptonshire,  about  five  miles  south-east 
of  Tovvcester,  near  the  river  Tove  and  close  to  the  border  of 
Buckinghamshire,  is  one  of  the  most  historically  famous  of  the 
ancient  halls  of  England.  It  was  the  seat  of  Sir  Richard  de  Wid- 
ville  or  Woodville,  father  of  Elizabeth,  Queen  of  Edward  IV., 
and  ancestress  of  the  present  Royal  Family  of  England ;  and  grand- 
father, through  this  royal  lady,  of  that  Elizabeth  who  became  the 
wife  of  Henry  VII.  The  lordship  subsequently  created  in  honour 
of  the  king,  and  therefore  usually  called  Grafton  Regis,  is  named 
Grastone  in  Domesday  book.  The  name  is  derived  from  Gresteiit 
Abbey,  situated  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Seine,  in  Normandy, 
and  founded  in  1040  by  Harlewin  de  Conteville,  father  of  Robert, 
Earl  of  Moreton  and  step-father  of  William  the  Conqueror.  William, 
Earl  of  Moreton,  grandson  of  the  preceding,  conferred  upon  the 
Abbey  of  Grestein  those  possessions  which  through  the  bounty  of 
the  Conqueror  he  had  inherited  in  Northamptonshire.  In  the 
hydarium  of  Henry  II.  Grestein  was  certified  to  hold  in  Grafton, 
which  is  returned  under  Towcester  hundred,  four  hides  of  land  ; 
and  in  the  book  of  Knights'  Fees,  24  Edward  I.,  the  Abbot  of 
Grestein  was  returned  to  hold  the  town  of  Grafton  of  the  Earl  of 
Moreton,  and  in  the  ninth  year  of  Edward  II.  (131 5)  he  is  certified 
as  Lord  of  Grafton. 

In  the  28th  of  Edward  III.  (1354)  Sir  Michael  de  la  Pole  ob- 
tained a  right  of  free  warren  in  Gresthorp  in  Nottinghamshire,  and 
in  Grafton,  in  Northamptonshire.  Thomas  de  la  Pole  dying  without 
issue  in  1430,  the  Manor  of  Grafton  passed  to  William  de  la  Pole, 
afterwards  Duke  of  Suffolk,  by  whom  it  was  alienated  to  Thomas 
Widville,  Esq.,  who  was  in  possession  in  the  thirteenth  year  of  the 
reign  of  Henry. 

Although  lords  of  the  manor  only  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VI.,  the 
family  of  Widville  may  be  traced  back  to  the  twelfth  century.  In  the 
reign  of  Henry  II.,  WiUiam  de  Widville  held  lands  in  Grafton  and 
left  them  to  a  line  of  successors.  And  the  family  continued  gradually 
to  rise  in  the  scale  of  local  importance.  John  de  Wydeville  was 
returned  from  the  county  of  Northamptonshire  as  holding  land^ 
and  summoned  to  perform  military  service  in  person,  with  horse  and 


31^  Graf  ton  Manor, 

arms,  in  parts  beyond  the  seas,  in  the  twenty-fifth  year  of  Edward  I. 
His  grandson  Richard,  one  of  the  most  influential  men  in  the 
county,  filled  the  office  of  high  sheriff  of  the  county  no  less  than 
eight  times  in  the  reign  of  Edward  III.,  and  was  one  of  its  repre- 
sentatives in  seven  parliaments.  The  same  county  honours  were 
almost  as  frequently  conferred  on  his  son,  John  Widvill,  and  grand- 
son, Thomas  Widville,  who  became  lord  of  Grafton,  where  his 
ancestors  had  been  seated  as  tenants  nearly  three  centuries.  He 
was  succeeded  by  his  brother  Richard,  and  he,  in  turn,  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son,  who  also  bore  the  name  of  Richard. 

This  Richard  de  Widevill  (for  the  name  is  spelled  in  almost 
every  conceivable  fashion)  was  retained  in  the  seventh  year  of 
Henry  VI.  to  serve  the  king,  in  his  wars  of  P>ance  and  Normandy, 
with  one  hundred  men-at-arms  and  three  hundred  archers.  He 
was  appointed  Governor  of  the  Tower,  and  knighted  at  Leicester, 
and  he  figures  in  the  first  part  of  Shakspeare's  Henry  VI.  as 
'*•  Woodville,  Lieutenant  of  the  Tower."  He  afterwards  went  again 
to  France,  and  fought  gallantly  under  Talbot  and  Bedford.  John, 
Duke  of  Bedfordshire,  uncle  of  the  king,  died,  and  Wideville  pro- 
posed for  his  widow,  Jacqueline  of  Luxemburg,  daughter  of  Pierre, 
Count  de  St.  Pol  and  Brienne,  and  wedded  her  with  so  much 
promptitude  that  he  could  not  wait  for  the  necessary  permission  of 
his  sovereign.  For  this  precipitation  he  was  mulcted  in  the  fine 
of  I  coo/. ;  but  he  received  the  livery  of  his  lady's  castles,  manors, 
and  lands,  and  was  soon  restored  to  the  favour  of  his  king.  In 
1448  Henry  VI.  created  him  Baron  Rivers  "  for  his  valour,  integrity, 
and  great  services."  He  was  further  rewarded  by  territorial  grants 
from  the  crown,  was  created  a  Knight  of  the  Garter  and  made 
Seneschal  of  Aquitaine.  Shortly  afterwards,  however,  his  politics 
underwent  a  sudden  change.  When  his  daughter  Elizabeth  was 
married  to  King  Edward  IV.,  in  1464 — of  which  more  presently — 
the  earl  abjured  his  Lancastrian  predilections,  became  a  zealous 
Yorkist,  and  soon  achieved  the  highest  honours  and  the  most  re- 
munerative offices  which  it  was  in  the  power  of  the  House  of  York, 
as  represented  by  his  son-in-law  Edward  IV.,  to  confer.  In  1466  he 
was  appointed  Treasurer  of  the  Exchequer  and  created  Earl  Rivers. 
In  the  following  year  he  was  constituted  Constable  of  England  for  life, 
with  reversion  to  his  son  Anthony,  Lord  Scales,  and  was  also  made 
Treasurer  of  England.  In  1469,  the  northern  insurrection,  under 
Neville  and  Conyers,  broke  out,  which  led  to  the  battle  of  Edgcote. 
No  sooner  had  victory  been  declared  for  the  Lancastrians,  than  a 


Grafton  Manor,  317 

party  was  despatdicd  to  secure  Earl  Rivers.  Whether  he  was 
taken  in  the  Forest  of  Dean  or  suddenly  seized  at  Grafton,  is  un- 
certain ;  but  it  is  ascertained  that  both  he  and  his  son,  Sir  John 
Widevill,  were  brought  to  Northampton  and  there  beheaded  with- 
out trial,  by  order  of  Sir  John  Conyers. 

Richard,  Lord  Rivers,  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Anthony  Wid- 
ville.  Lord  Scales  and  second  Earl  Rivers,  who  in  the  beginning  of 
the  reign  of  Edward  IV.  marched  into  the  north  with  the  king,  against 
the  Lancastrians,  and  was  one  of  the  commanders  at  the  siege  of  Aln- 
wick Castle.  He  derived  his  title,  Lord  Scales  of  Newselles,  in  right 
of  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  daughter  and  heiress  of  Thomas  Lord  Scales. 

The  history  of  this  Lord  Scales  is  one  of  romantic  interest.  A 
short  time  before  the  coronation  of  his  sister,  as  Queen  of  Edward 
IV.,  while  returning  from  high  mass  in  the  chapel  of  the  Palace  of 
Richmond,  he  was  surrounded  by  the  ladies  of  the  court,  "  who 
placed  a  gold  collar  above  his  right  knee,  with  a  flower  of  souvenance, 
composed  of  jewels,  which  he  understood  to  be  intended  as  the 
prize  of  some  chivalrous  exploit.  In  consequence,  he  challenged 
the  Count  de  la  Roche,  commonly  called  the  Bastard  of  Burgundy." 
But  this  encounter,  as  well  as  the  previous  career  of  Sir  Anthony, 
are  so  well  told  by  Horace  Walpole,  in  his  "  Royal  and  Noble 
Authors,"  that  we  are  constrained  to  take  advantage  of  his  account: — 

"  There  flourished,"  says  Walpole,  "  at  the  same  time  as  the  Earl 
of  Worcester,  a  noble  gentleman,  by  no  means  inferior  to  him  in 
learning  and  politeness ;  in  birth  his  equal ;  by  alliance  his 
superior ;  greater  in  feats  of  arms,  and  in  pilgrimages  more  abun- 
dant. This  was  Anthony  Widevill,  Earl  Rivers,  Lord  Scales,  and 
Newsells,  Lord  of  the  Isle  of  Wight ;  Defenseur  and  Directeur  of 
the  Causes  Apostolique  for  our  Holy  Father,  the  Pope,  in  thir 
realm  of  England,  and  uncle  and  governor  to  my  lord,  Prince  of 
Wales. 

"  He  was  son  of  Sir  Richard  Widville,  by  Jacqueline  of  Luxem- 
burg .  .  .  and  brother  of  the  fair  Lady  Gray,  who  captivated 
that  monarch  of  pleasure,  Edward  IV.  .  .  .  The  credit  of  his 
sister,  the  countenance  and  example  of  his  prince,  the  boister- 
ousness  of  the  times,  nothing  softened,  nothing  roughened  the 
mind  of  this  amiable  lord,  who  was  as  gallant  as  his  luxurious 
brother-in-law,  without  his  weaknesses  ;  as  brave  as  the  heroes  o^ 
either  Rose,  without  their  savageness  ;  studious  in  the  intervals  of 
business  ...  In  short.  Lord  Anthony  was  as  Sir  Thomas  More 
says,  *  Vir^  hand  facile  discernas^  mamive  aut  consilio  prompt ior,^ 


3 1 8  Grafton  Manor. 

...  He  attended  the  king  into  Holland  on  the  change  of  the 
scene,  returned  with  him  and  had  a  great  share  in  his  victories, 
and  was  constituted  Governor  of  Calais  and  Captain-General  of  all 
the  king's  forces,  sea  and  land.  ...  On  Prince  Edward  being 
created  Prince  of  Wales,  he  was  appointed  his  governor,  and  had 
a  grant  of  the  office  of  Chief  Butler  of  England  ;  and  was  even 
on  the  point  of  attaining  the  high  honour  of  espousing  the 
Scottish  princess,  sister  of  King  James  the  Third.     .     .    . 

"  A  remarkable  event  of  this  earl's  life  was  a  personal  victory  he 
gained  in  a  tournament,  over  Anthony  Count  de  la  Roche,  called 
the  Bastard  of  Burgundy,  natural  son  of  Duke  Philip  the  Good. 
This  illustrious  encounter  was  performed  in  a  solemn  and  most 
magnificent  tilt,  held  for  that  purpose  at  Smithfield.  Our  earl 
was  the  challenger  ...  At  these  jousts  the  Earl  of  Worcester 
presided  as  Lord  High  Constable,  and  attested  the  queen's  giving 
the  Flower  of  Souvenatice  to  the  Lord  Scales,  as  a  charge  to 
undertake  the  enterprise,  and  his  delivery  of  it,  that  he  might  carry 
it  over  to  be  touched  by  the  Bastard,  in  token  of  his  accepting  the 
challenge.  ...  On  the  Wednesday  after  the  feast  of  the  Re- 
surrection, the  Bastard,  attended  by  400  knights,  squires,  and 
heralds,  landed  at  Gravesend,  and  at  Blackwall  he  was  met  by 
the  Lord  High  Constable,  with  seven  barges  and  a  galley  full  of 
attendants,  richly  covered  with  cloth  of  gold  and  arras.  The  king 
proceeded  to  London ;  in  Fleet  Street  the  champions  solemnly 
met  in  his  presence  ;  and  the  palaces  of  the  Bishops  of  Salisbury 
and  Ely  were  appointed  to  lodge  these  brave  sons  of  Holy  Church, 
as  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  was  for  holding  a  chapter  for  the  solution 
of  certain  doubts  upon  the  articles  of  combat.  The  timber  and 
workmanship  of  the  lists  cost  above  200  marks.  The  pavilions, 
trappings,  &c.,  were  sumptuous  in  proportion.  Yet,  however 
weighty  the  expense,  the  queen  could  not  but  think  it  well 
bestowed,  when  she  had  the  satisfaction  of  beholding  her  brother 
victorious  in  so  sturdy  an  encounter ;  the  spike  in  the  front  of  the 
Lord  Scales's  horse,  having  run  into  the  nostril  of  the  Bastard's 
horse,  so  that  he  reared  on  end  and  threw  his  rider  to  the  ground. 
The  generous  conqueror  disdained  the  advantage,  and  would  have 
renewed  the  combat,  but  the  Bastard  refused  to  fight  any  more  on 
horseback.  The  next  day  they  fought  on  foot,  when  Widville 
again  prevailing,  and  the  sport  waxing  warm,  the  king  gave  th« 
signal  to  part  them." 

On  the  9th  April,  1483,  King  Edward  IV,  died,  and  this  melan- 


Grafton  Manor,  3 1 9 

choly  event  was  the  first  of  a  series  of  fatal  calamities  that  befel  the 
Widvilles.  When  the  death  occurred  the  young  Prince  of  Wales 
was  at  Ludlow  Castle,  in  Shropshire  ;  and  the  queen-mother  being 
anxious  for  his  immediate  coronation,  directed  her  brother,  Earl 
Rivers,  to  repair  to  him  without  loss  of  time,  to  escort  him  to 
London.  On  the  30th  April,  Earl  Rivers,  in  the  execution  of  this 
command,  arrived  with  his  royal  charge,  the  young  prince,  at 
Northampton,  where  he  was  met  by  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  (after- 
wards Richard  III.),  whom  the  late  king,  unsuspicious  of  his  hypo- 
critical and  ambitious  designs,  had  recommended  to  the  regency. 
Before  taking  up  his  quarters  in  Northampton,  Rivers  sent  the 
young  king  forward,  under  the  charge  of  his  half-brother,  Lord 
Richard  Grey,  to  Stony  Stratford,  for  the  night,  intending  to  be 
with  them  in  the  morning  before  they  started.  The  following  inci- 
dent is  narrated  with  such  admirable  spirit  by  Miss  Strickland, 
that  pleasing  and  laborious  historical  writer,  that  we  need  not 
apologise  for  incorporating  it  in  our  sketch  : — 

"  Lord  Rivers  entered  Northampton,  and  found  it  swarming  with 
the  Duke  of  Gloucester's  northern  cavalry,  besides  nine  hundred 
retainers  of  Buckingham,  each  wearing  the  well-known  badge  of 
the  Stafford  Knot.  There  were  three  inns  in  Northampton  market- 
place. Joining  each  other,  Gloucester  and  Buckingham  had  just 
taken  up  their  quarters  at  two — the  inns  situated  at  each  extremity 
— leaving  the  middle  one  vacant,  like  an  empty  trap,  set  for  the 
nonce,  in  which  Rivers  secured  his  lodging  for  that  night.  Imme- 
diately afterwards  his  brother-in-law,  Buckingham,  visited  him  in 
his  quarters,  entering  with  open  arms,  and  exclaiming, '  Well  met, 
good  brother  Scales  !'    And,  moreover,  he  wept  I 

"  The  fraternal  embracings  between  Rivers  and  the  husband  of 
his  sister  Katherine  were  scarcely  over,  when  Gloucester  entered 
from  the  other  inn.  His  greeting  was  as  hearty  :  *  Welcome,  good 
cousin,  out  of  Wales  !'  and  then  followed  some  moralising  congra- 
tulations, in  Gloucester's  peculiar  style,  on  the  happiness  he  felt  at 
the  peace  and  goodwill  which  pervaded  the  times  and  people  in 
general.  Rivers  was  utterly  deceived  by  the  apparent  frankness 
and  condescension  of  these  great  princes  of  the  blood,  whom  he 
expected  to  find  rudely  repulsive. 

"  Gloucester  invited  Rivers  to  supper  at  his  quarters.  After  the 
revel  the  cups  passed  quickly  and  merrily,  and  assumed  the  sem- 
blance of  a  revel  in  the  old  military  times  of  Edward  IV.  Ever  as 
the  cup  was  pushed  to  Gloucester,  he  pledged  Rivers,  saying,  / 1 


3  2d  Grafton  Manor, 

drink  to  you,  good  cox."  The  two  dukes  kept  their  wits  in  working 
order ;  but  Rivers  was  so  overcome  that  at  the  end  of  the  revel  he 
was  led  to  his  inn  between  both  his  boon  companions.  The  dukes 
left  him  in  his  bedroom,  wishing  him  many  and  affectionate  good- 
nights.  There  is  no  doubt  but  they  had  extracted  information 
from  him  sufficient  to  guide  their  manoeuvres  for  the  morrow- 
Certainly,  the  conduct  of  Rivers,  considering  the  charge  he  had, 
was  inexcusable.  The  moment  Rivers  was  asleep,  the  two  dukes 
called  for  the  keys  of  his  inn,  locked  the  gates,  and  appointing 
sentinels,  forbade  any  one  to  enter  or  depart.  The  rest  of  the  night 
was  spent  by  them  in  arrangements  of  military  strategy.  They 
stationed  at  certain  intervals  men-at-arms,  forming  a  lane.  Many 
country  people  remembered,  for  many  years,  how  the  troopers 
blocked  up  the  highway  to  Northampton,  and  turned  them  back 
from  market.  The  two  dukes  were  early  as  any  one  on  the  road 
to  Stony  Stratford.  They  were  there  joined  by  a  third  person, 
who,  notorious  carouser  as  he  was,  had  certainly  kept  back  from 
the  orgie  of  the  preceding  night.  This  third,  making  up  their  tri- 
umvirate, had  hitherto  worked  successfully  for  their  plans.  He 
and  Rivers  were  most  deadly  enemies.  He  came  to  enjoy  the  over- 
throw of  the  man  he  hated,  and  to  take  official  charge  of  his  young 
royal  master.  The  third  person  in  the  plot  was  Lord  Hastings,  the 
King's  Lord  Chamberlain.  While  the  cavalcade  was  approaching 
Northampton,  the  servants  of  Lord  Rivers  began  to  stir  for  the 
morning,  and  found  that  the  inn  was  locked,  and  all  within  were 
prisoners  closely  guarded.  They  woke  their  master — whose  sleep 
was  heavy  after  his  revel — by  coming  to  his  bedside  with  exclama- 
tions of  alarm,  telling  him  *  the  dukes  had  gone  their  way,  and, 
taking  the  keys  of  the  inn,  had  left  him  prisoner.'  So  completely 
was  Rivers  deceived  that  he  supposed  his  princely  boon  com- 
panions were  playing  out  a  jest,  and  had  taken  this  method  of 
ensuring  their  earlier  arrival  at  Stony  Stratford. 

"  By  the  time  he  was  dressed,  Gloucester  and  Buckingham  re- 
turned. They  were  desirous  of  acting  out  their  parts  as  speedily 
as  possible,  and  therefore  admitted  Rivers  to  their  presence. 
*  Brother,'  exclaimed  he,  merrily,  to  Buckingham,  *  is  this  how  you 
serve  me  ?'  The  reply  was  in  a  different  tone.  Indeed,  according 
to  the  simple  rhyming  chronicle,  Buckingham, 

••  Stem  In  evil  sadness. 
Cried,  •  I  arrest  thee,  traitor,  for  thy  badness.'  •• 


Grafton  Manor,  321 

"  *  Arrest  !*  said  Rivers.  *  Why  !  Where  is  your  commission  ? 
Buckingham  instantly  flashed  out  his  sword,  and  all  his  party  did 
the  same.  Oppressed  by  numbers,  Rivers  surrendered  himself 
without  further  resistance,  and  was  forthwith  put  under  guard  in  a 
separate  chamber  from  the  prisoners  previously  seized  at  Stony 
Stratford. 

"  In  their  early  excursion  to  this  town  on  the  same  morning, 
Gloucester  and  Buckingham  had  arrived  just  as  the  boy-king  and 
his  company  were  ^  ready  to  leape  on  horsebacke.' " 

Approaching  their  young  sovereign  on  their  knees,  and  with 
every  external  mark  of  respect,  they  charged  the  Marquis  of  Dorset 
and  Lord  Richard  Grey,  the  king's  half-brothers,  with  compassing  to 
rule  the  nation,  and  setting  up  variances  against  the  nobility.  They 
arrested  Grey  and  Vaughan  in  the  king's  presence,  and  replaced 
the  royal  servants  with  their  own  dependants  ;  "  at  which  dealing 
the  king  wept,  and  was  nothing  content,  but  it  booted  not." 

Gloucester  afterwards  marched  his  prisoners  into  Yorkshire  to 
Pontefract.  Here,  on  the  24th  of  June,  two  days  only  after  he  had 
thrown  off  the  mask  and  usurped  the  throne,  Gloucester  commanded 
Sir  Richard  Radcliffe  to  bring  "  Rivers,  Grey,  and  Vaughan  out  of 
the  castle,  to  a  scaffold,  proclaiming  them  traitors,  and  not  per- 
mitting them  to  speak,  lest  they  should  excite  the  pity  of  the 
spectators,  ordered  them  to  be  decapitated  without  process  or 

judgment " — 

"  Rivers,  Vaughan,  and  Grey, 
Ere  this  lie  shorter  by  the  head  at  Pomfret." 

Rivers  was  succeeded  by  his  youngest  brother,  Richard.  This 
nobleman,  the  last  of  the  male  line,  died  unmarried  in  1491.  Upon 
his  decease  the  barony  and  earldom  of  Rivers  became  extinct. 

We  have  now  to  return  to  Ehzabeth  Widville,  or  Woodville, 
daughter  of  Richard,  the  first  Earl  Rivers,  and  to  sketch  the  main 
incidents  of  her  most  melancholy  and  tragic  life. 

This  lady,  who  became  Queen  of  England,  and  was  the  first 
British  female,  subsequent  to  the  Norman  Conquest,  who  shared 
the  throne  of  her  sovereign,  was  eldest  daughter  of  Richard,  Earl 
Rivers,  and  was  most  probably  born  at  Grafton.  About  the  latter 
statement  there  is  a  slight  haze  of  uncertainty.  Fuller  says — "  Sure 
I  am  if  this  Grafton  saw  her  not  first  as  a  child,  it  beheld  her  first 
a  queen,  when  married  to  King  Edward  IV."  Her  first  husband 
was  Sir  John  Grey,  of  Groby,  and  at  this  mansion,  in  Leicester- 
shire, she  passed  the  few  and  only  happy  years  of  her  wretched  and 


322  Grafton  Manor. 

unsettled  life.  But  Sir  John  having  been  slain  in  the  second  battle 
of  St.  Albans,  fighting  on  the  side  of  the  House  "of  Lancaster,  his 
estate  was  confiscated  by  the  dominant  party,  represented  by 
Edward  IV.,  and  Lady  Grey  and  her  children  went  to  live  with  her 
father,  Sir  Richard  Woodville,  at  his  seat  of  Grafton  in  North- 
amptonshire. And  it  was  here  the  romantic  incident  occurred 
which  made  her  Queen  of  England. 

"The  King,"  says  Hume,  "came  accidentally  to  the  house  after 
a  hunting  party,  in  order  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Duchess  of  Bedford  ; 
and  as  the  occasion  seemed  favourable  for  obtaining  some  grace 
from  this  gallant  monarch,  the  young  widow  flung  herself  at  his 
feet,  and  with  many  tears  entreated  him  to  take  pity  on  her  im- 
poverished and  distressed  children.  The  sight  of  so  much  beauty 
in  affliction  strongly  affected  the  amorous  Edward  ;  love  stole 
insensibly  into  his  heart  under  the  guise  of  compassion,  and  her 
sorrow,  so  becoming  a  virtuous  matron,  made  his  esteem  and  regard 
quickly  correspond  to  his  affection.  He  raised  her  from  the  ground 
with  assurances  of  favour,  he  found  his  passion  increase  every 
moment  by  the  conversation  of  the  amiable  object,  and  he  was  soon 
reduced  in  his  turn  to  the  posture  and  style  of  a  suppliant  at  the 
feet  of  Elizabeth.  But  the  lady,  either  averse  to  dishonourable  love 
from  a  sense  of  duty,  or  perceiving  that  the  impression  which  she 
had  made  was  so  deep  as  to  give  her  hopes  of  obtaining  the  high- 
est elevation,  obstinately  refused  to  gratify  his  passion  ;  and  all  the 
endearments,  caresses,  and  importunities  of  the  young  lovable 
Edward,  proved  fruitless  against  her  rigid  and  inflexible  virtue.  His 
passion,  irritated  by  opposition,  and  increased  by  his  veneration 
for  such  honourable  sentiments,  carried  him  at  last  beyond  all 
bounds  of  reason,  and  he  offered  to  share  his  throne,  as  well  as  his 
heart,  with  the  woman  whose  beauty  of  person  and  dignity  of 
character  seemed  so  well  to  entitle  her  to  both.  The  marriage  was 
privately  celebrated  at  Grafton,  in  1464.  The  secret  was  carefully 
kept  for  some  time ;  no  one  suspected  that  so  libertine  a  prince 
could  sacrifice  so  much  to  a  romantic  passion  ;  and  there  were  in 
particular  strong  reasons  which  at  that  time  rendered  the  step  in 
the  highest  degree  dangerous  and  imprudent." 

Local  tradition,  however,  seems  to  prove  that  in  a  number  of  minor 
details  of  this  romantic  transaction  Hume's  account  is  inexact 
According  to  Holinshcd  and  other  chroniclers  the  first  interview  of 
this  noble  pair  took  place  at  Grafton  House,  where  Edward  repaired 
after  the  chase  to  visit  tlie  Duchess  of  Bedford  and  Lord  Rivers. 


Grafton  Manor,  323 

But  this  is  scarcely  consistent  with  probability,  as  the  family  of  the 
king  and  that  of  Rivers  belonged  respectively  to  the  rival  houses 
of  York  and  Lancaster,  and  the  king  was  unlikely  either  to  ask  01 
confer  a  favour  on  one  who  in  many  a  battle-field  had  proved  him- 
self a  formidable  enemy.  The  popular  tradition  of  the  neighbour- 
hood is  that  the  young  and  lovely  widow  sought  the  young  monarch 
in  the  forest  for  the  purpose  of  petitioning  for  the  restoration  of  her 
husband's  lands  to  her  and  her  impoverished  children,  and  met 
him  under  the  tree  still  known  by  the  name  of  the  Queen's  Oak, 
which  stands  in  the  direct  line  of  communication  from  Grafton  to 
the  forest,  and  even  at  the  present  day  rears  its  hollow  trunk  and 
branching  arms  in  a  hedgerow  between  Pury  and  Grafton  Parks. 
Ignorant  of  the  king's  person  she  inquired  of  the  young  stranger  if 
he  could  direct  her  to  him,  when  he  told  her  he  himself  was  the 
object  of  her  search.  She  threw  herself  at  his  feet,  and  implored 
his  compassion.  He  raised  her  from  the  ground  with  assurances 
of  favour,  and,  captivated  with  her  appearance  and  manner,  accom- 
panied her  home,  and  in  his  turn  became  a  suitor  for  favours  she 
refused  to  grant  at  the  price  of  her  honour.  Finding  her  virtue 
,  inflexible,  he  yielded  to  the  force  of  passion,  and  came  from  Stony 
Stratford  to  Grafton  early  in  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  May,  1464, 
and  was  privately  married  there  by  a  priest,  no  one  being  present 
except  the  boy  who  served  at  mass,  the  Duchess  of  Bedford — the 
bride's  mother-in-law— and  two  of  her  gentlewomen.  In  a  few  hours 
he  returned  to  Stratford,  and  retired  to  his  chamber,  as  if  he  had 
been  hunting,  and  fatigued  with  the  exercise.  A  short  time  after- 
wards he  invited  himself  to  spend  a  few  days  with  Lord  Rivers  at 
Grafton,  and  was  splendidly  entertained  there  for  four  days ;  but 
the  marriage  was  kept  a  profound  secret. 

Edward  was  only  twenty-two  years  of  age  when  he  formed  this 
impolitic  and  imprudent  connexion,  and  at  first  had  not  the  resolu- 
tion to  brave  the  burst  of  dissatisfaction  to  which,  he  foresaw,  it 
would  give  rise  among  all  classes  of  his  subjects  ;  but  weary  of  con- 
straint, he  publicly  avowed  his  marriage  on  Michaelmas  following, 
when  Elizabeth,  being  led  by  the  Duke  of  Clarence  in  solemn  pomp 
to  the  chapel  of  the  Abbey  of  Reading,  in  Berkshire,  was  declared 
queen,  and  received  the  congratulations  of  the  nobility.  In  Decem- 
ber the  king  held  a  great  council  at  Westminster,  and  with  the 
assent  of  the  Lords,  assigned  to  the  queen  lands  and  lordships  to 
the  value  of  4000  marks  (2666/.),  and  directed  that  she  should  live 
with  her  family  at  the  king's  expense. 

Y  2 


324  Grafton  Manor. 

Preparatory  to  the  coronation  of  the  queen,  the  king,  holding  his 
court  in  the  Tower,  on  Ascension  Day,  1465,  created  thirty-eight 
knights,  amongst  whom  were  six  noblemen  and  Richard  and  John 
Widville,  two  of  the  queen's  brothers.  On  the  morrow  the  mayor, 
aldermen,  and  citizens  of  London  went  to  meet  the  queen  at 
Shooter's  Hill,  and  conducted  her  through  Southwark  and  Gras- 
churche  (now  Gracechurch  Street),  to  the  king  at  the  Tower,  where 
the  coronation  took  place  with  all  due  pomp  and  ceremony. 

Meantime  Edward's  marriage  with  Lady  Elizabeth  Grey,  the 
sudden  elevation  of  the  Woodville  family,  and  the  royal  honours  which 
the  king  sowed  broadcast  among  the  members  of  that  family,  excited 
the  envy  and  aroused  the  alarm  and  distrust  of  the  old  English 
nobility.  Before  Edward  had  seen  Lady  Elizabeth  he  had  been 
looking  with  an  eye  of  favour  on  Bona  of  Savoy— sister  of  the  queen 
of  France— who  he  hoped  would,  by  her  marriage,  ensure  him  the 
favour  of  that  power.  To  further  his  views  in  this  direction  he  had 
despatched  the  great  Earl  of  Warwick  to  Paris,  where  the  Princess 
Bona  then  resided.  The  English  earl  asked  Bona  in  marriage  for 
the  king  ;  the  offer  was  accepted.  A  treaty  or  contract  was  drawn 
up,  and  nothing  was  wanting  but  the  ratification  of  the  terms  agreed 
on  and  the  bringing  over  of  the  princess  to  England.  The  secret 
of  Edward's  marriage  to  Lady  Grey  then  became  known  :  Warwick 
felt  chagrined.  It  seemed  as  if  he  had  been  sent  to  France  on  a 
fool's  errand.  He  returned  to  England  inflamed  with  rage  and  in- 
dignation. The  fiery  earl  might  have  been  soothed  and  conciliated 
had  King  Edward  explained,  excused  himself,  or  apologised  for  his 
conduct.    The  king  did  not  condescend  to  do  so. 

The  influence  of  the  queen  with  Edward  does  not  seem  to  have 
in  any  degree  waned  after  she  was  established  on  the  throne,  and 
began  to  share  with  her  royal  lord  the  administration  of  afi"airs. 
She  does  not  appear  to  have  used  her  influence  very  wisely.  She 
was  solicitous  to  gain  from  the  king  every  grace  and  favour,  every 
office  of  profit  and  post  of  honour  for  her  own  friends  and  kindred, 
to  the  exclusion  of  the  nobility,  and  especially  of  the  Earl  of 
Warwick — whom  she  regarded  as  her  mortal  enemy — and  his  clients. 
Under  these  conditions  the  Woodvilles  arrived  at  the  summit  of 
wealth,  rank,  and  honour  in  this  country — but  at  the  same  time, 
the  pit  into  which  they  were  eventually  to  fall  was  being  dug  wide 
and  deep. 

The  disaffection  of  the  barons  at  length  assumed  the  form  of 
insurrection,  and  amonjj  their  ^st  victims  were  the  father  and  the 


Grafton  Manor.  32$ 

brother  of  the  queen,  who,  as  we  have  shown,  were  executed,  or 
rather  murdered,  at  Northampton,  in  1469.  Troubles,  sorrows,  and 
agonising  bereavements  now  came  in  an  overwhelming  tide  upon 
the  unhappy  queen  of  Edward.  After  a  disturbed  reign,  during 
which  he  had  to  seek  refuge  in  a  foreign  country,  to  struggle  back 
to  the  throne  again  only  through  the  blood  of  his  people,  king 
Edward  died  in  1483.  And  now  the  queen  had  to  suffer  the  cruel- 
lest afflictions  which,  as  a  sister  and  a  mother,  it  was  possible  for 
her  to  undergo.  Her  brother.  Earl  Rivers,  while  conveying  the 
young  king  to  London,  was,  as  has  been  shown,  arrested  and  be- 
headed, together  with  Sir  Richard  Grey,  the  queen's  son  by  her 
former  husband.  Edward  V.,  the  son  in  whom  her  hopes  were 
centered,  was  now  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  her  mortal  enemy,  the 
Duke  of  Gloucester.  But  it  was  indispensable  to  his  plans  that 
Gloucester  should  have  the  Duke  of  York,  the  queen's  younger 
son,  in  his  keeping,  as  well  as  the  heir  to  the  throne.  Measures 
were  accordingly  taken  to  prevail  on  the  queen  to  part  with  her 
younger  boy.  The  queen  fled  into  the  sanctuary  of  Westminster, 
with  the  five  princesses  and  the  Duke  of  York ;  but  even  here  force 
was  brought  to  bear  upon  her  to  compel  her  to  part  with  her  son. 
Cardinal  Bourchier  and  the  Archbishop  of  York,  instigated  by  the 
bloodthirsty  and  hypocritical  Gloucester — in  whose  ^;^f?<7^^ intentions, 
however,  they  are  said  to  have  firmly  believed — brought  all  their 
persuasive  powers  to  bear  upon  the  queen  to  induce  her  to  give  up 
the  young  prince.  She  long  continued  obstinate,  but,  finding  that 
she  had  no  supporters,  and  that  her  enemies  were  prepared  to  em- 
ploy force  should  persuasion  fail,  she  at  last  yielded.  She  brought 
forward  her  boy  to  the  churchmen,  but  it  was  with  the  gloomiest 
forebodings  as  to  his  fate.  Turning  to  the  priests  she  said  : — 
"  One  thing  I  beseech  you,  for  the  trust  that  his  father  put  you  in 
ever,  and  for  the  trust  that  I  put  you  in  now,  that  as  far  as  you 
think  that  I  fear  too  much,  ye  be  well  aware  that  ye  fear  not  as  far 
too  little."  Then  with  a  pathos  that  is  not  surpassed  in  any  inci- 
dent of  our  history,  and  which  has  been  reproduced  by  Chaucer  in 
the  most  tender  of  the  Canterbury  tales,  she  took  leave  of  her  little 
one.  "  Farewell,  my  own  sweet  son,"  she  said,  "  God  send  you 
good  keeping  !  Let  me  once  kiss  you  ere  you  go,  for  God  knoweth 
when  we  shall  kiss  together  again."  Then  she  kissed  him  and 
blessed  him,  and  turned  her  back  and  wept,  going  her  way,  leaving 
the  poor  young  child  weeping  as  fast  as  she  herself. 


326  Grafton  Manor. 

She  never  saw  her  children  again.  The  two  boys  were  placed  in 
the  Tower,  where,  as  the  pitiful  old  story  tells,  they  were  murdered 
in  their  sleep  at  the  instigation  of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester. 

Widowed  and  deprived  by  the  blood-stained  hands  of  her 
enemies,  of  her  father,  her  two  brothers,  and  her  three  sons,  the 
wretched  Lady  EHzabeth,  upon  whom  early  life  dawned  so  glori- 
ously, continued  to  live  for  a  few  years,  stripped  of  all  the  glory  of 
womanhood.  Soon  and  bitterly  had  she  felt  that  unhappiness 
which  haunts  the  hearts  of  those  that  wear  a  crown,  and  which 
was  to  accompany  her  in  ever  accumulating  grief  until  her  fate 
becoming  merciful  in  its  last  decree,  hid  her  and  her  burden  of 
sorrows  in  the  grave. 

Richard,  the  third  and  last  Earl  Rivers,  dying  in  1491,  appointed 
Lord  Thomas,  Marquis  of  Dorset,  to  be  his  heir.  This  Marquis  of 
Dorset  died  in  1501,  and  his  son  Thomas,  the  second  marquis,  died 
in  the  nineteenth  year  of  Henry  VIIL  (1527^,  and  conveyed  the 
estates  of  Grafton  and  Hartwell,  in  exchange  for  the  Manors  of 
Loughborough  and  Sheepshed,  in  Leicestershire,  to  King  Henry. 
The  "  Bluff  King"  erected  the  Manor  of  Grafton  into  an  honour,  in 
1541.  Honour  and  barony  were  in  early  times  synonymous,  and 
mdicated  a  seignory  to  which  certain  inferior  lordships  or  manors 
owed  the  performance  of  customs  and  services. 

Grafton  continued  a  royal  demesne  till  the  reign  of  King  Charles 
IL,  who  in  1665  settled  the  honour,  lordship,  and  manor  of  Graf- 
ton, with  many  other  estates,  "  in  trust  for  Queen  Catherine  for  her 
life,  as  part  of  her  jointure  ;  and  in  1673  granted  the  reversion  of 
the  whole  of  this  extensive  estate  to  Henry,  Earl  of  Arlington,  for 
life,  remainder  *  in  consideration  of  natural  love  and  affection  to 
his  natural  son,'  Henry,  Earl  of  Euston,  in  tail  male,  remainder  to 
his  natural  sons  Charles,  Earl  of  Southampton  (afterwards  Duke 
of  Cleveland  and  Southampton),  and  Lord  George  Fitzroy,  alias 
Lord  George  Palmer  (afterwards  Duke  of  Northumberland),  suc- 
cessively in  tail  male.  Two  years  after  this  reversionary  grant, 
Grafton  was  selected  for  the  title  of  the  dukedom  conferred  on  the 
Earl  of  Euston,  second  illegitimate  son  of  Charles  IL,  by  Barbara, 
Duchess  of  Cleveland.  Charles,  second  Duke  of  Grafton,  only 
child  of  the  preceding,  came  into  possession  in  1673,  and  his  grand- 
son, Augustus  Henry,  third  duke  of  Grafton,  who  has  been  ren- 
dered immortal  by  the  splendid  invectives  of  Junius,  succeeded, 
and  after  an  eventful  and  distinguished  career,  died   in    181 1. 


Grafton  Manor.  327 

George  Henry,  the  fourth  duke,  died  in  1844,  and  Henry,  the  fifth 
duke,  died  in  1863,  and  was  succeeded  by  William  Henry,  the 
sixth  and  present  Duke  of  Grafton. 

Grafton  Park,  an  ancient  appendage  of  the  manor  house  or 
palace,  embraced  995  acres.  It  was  stocked  with  deer  and  inter- 
sected by  rectilinear  avenues  of  noble  oaks.  These,  however,  have 
long  ago  been  sacrificed  to  agricultural  improvements,  and  the 
whole  converted  into  farms. 

Grafton  House  was  situated  on  the  brow  of  the  hill  on  which  the 
village  stands,  and  must  have  formed  a  very  conspicuous  and  impos- 
ing object  in  the  approach  from  Northampton.  King  Henry  VH  I., 
in  his  .negotiations  for  a  divorce  from  Queen  Catherine,  held  here 
his  final  interview  with  Cardinal  Campeggio,  on  that  subject.  The 
same  king  came  on  several  occasions  to  hunt  at  Grafton,  and  en- 
tertained "  Ambassadors  from  Hungarie"  there  in  1531.  Queen 
EHzabeth  visited  the  old  mansion  in  one  of  her  progresses  (1568). 
During  the  Civil  War  Grafton,  then  styled  a  place  of  "  great  value 
and  of  great  strength  and  consequence,"  was  held  by  the  Royahsts, 
under  Sir  John  Digby,  and  stormed  and  taken  by  the  Parliamentary 
troops.  It  was  at  the  same  time  burned,  as  we  infer  from  the  fol- 
lowing remark  in  the  "  Parliament  Scout"  : — "  If  any  ask  why  Sir 
John  Digby  yielded  Grafton  House  so  soon ;  it  is  answered  the 
women  and  children  cried,  and  the  soldiers  within  would  not  fight ; 
if  it  be  asked,  why  the  house  was  burned  ;  it  is  not  known  why,  nor 
who  did  it."  Its  ruined  walls  were  never  rebuilt,  and  what  re- 
mained of  this  old  noble  mansion  was  henceforth  occupied  by  the 
tenant  of  the  manor  farm.  "  It  has  recently  been  partially  modern- 
ised, and  fitted  up  for  the  residence  of  Captain  George  Fitzroy, 
second  son  of  the  late  Lord  Charles  Fitzroy." 


3^8 


RUTLANDSHIRE. 

Burleigh-on-the-Hill,  and  Jeffrey  Hudson  the  Dwarf. 

This  celebrated  little  personage  was  bom  at  Oakham,  in  the  year 
1619.  John  Hudson,  his  father,  who  "kept  and  ordered  the  baiting 
bulls  for  George,  Duke  of  Buckingham,"  the  then  possessor  of  Burleigh- 
on-the-Hill,  in  Rutlandshire,  "  was  a  proper  man,"  says  Fuller,  "  broad- 
shouldered  and  chested,  though  his  son  arrived  at  a  full  ell  in  stature." 
His  father  was  a  person  of  lusty  stature,  as  well  as  all  his  children,  except 
Jeffrey,  who,  when  seven  years  of  age,  was  scarcely  eighteen  inches  in 
height,  yet  without  any  deformity,  and  wholly  proportionable.  Between' 
the  age  of  seven  and  nine  years,  he  was  taken  into  the  service  of  the 
Duchess  of  Buckingham,  at  Burleigh,  where,  says  Fuller,  "  he  was  in- 
stantly heightened  (not  in  stature,  but)  in  condition,  from  one  degree 
above  rags  into  silks  and  satins,  and  had  two  men  to  attend  him." 
Shortly  afterwards  he  was  served  up  in  a  cold  pye,  at  an  entertainment 
given  to  Charles  I.  and  his  consort  Henrietta  Maria,  in  their  progress 
through  Rutlandshire  ;  and  was  then,  most  probably,  presented  to  the 
Queen,  in  whose  service  he  continued  many  years.  At  a  masque,  given 
at  Court,  the  King's  gigantic  porter  drew  him  out  of  his  pocket,  to  the 
surprise  of  all  the  spectators.  Thus  favoured  by  royalty,  the  humility 
incident  to  his  birth  forsook  him  ;  "  which  made  him  that  he  did  not 
knonv  himself,  and  would  not  kno<w  his  father;  and  which,  by  tiie  King's 
command,  caused  justly,  his  second  correction." 

In  1630,  Jeffrey  was  sent  into  France  to  fetch  a  midwife  for  the 
Queen ;  but  on  his  return  he  had  the  misfortune  to  be  taken  by  a 
Flemish  pirate,  who  carried  him  a  prisoner  to  Dunkirk :  on  this  occa- 
sion he  lost  property  to  the  value  of  2500/.  which  he  had  received  in 
presents  from  the  French  Court.  This  event  furnished  a  subject  for  a 
short  poem,  in  two  cantos,  to  Sir  William  D'Avenant,  who  entitled  it 
Jeffereidos,  and  has  described  our  diminutive  hero  as  engaged  in  a  battle 
with  a  turkey-cock,  from  whose  inflated  rage  he  was  preserved  by  the 
midwife !  In  this  whimsical  production  the  poet  has  described  our 
dwarf  as  close  hidden,  at  the  time  of  the  capture — 

"Beneath  a  spick- 
And-almost-span-ncw  pewter  candlestick." 

At  Dunkirk  he  is  threatened  with  the  rack,  and  accused  of  being  a 


Btirleigh-on-the-Hill  and  Jeffrey  Hudson.       3-9 

spy.  He  is  next  despatched  to  Brussels,  mounted  upon  an  "  Iceland 
Shock,"  which,  falling  by  the  way,  leaves  him  exposed  to  the  attacks  of 
the  turkey-cock.  Jeffrey  drew  his  sword,  and  bravely  repelled  his 
antagonist,  who 

"  In  his  look 
Express'd  how  much  he  it  unkindly  took, 
That  wanting  food,  our  Jeffrey  would  not  let  him, 
Enjoy  awhile  the  privilege  to  eat  him." 

At  length  Jeffrey  is  thrown,  and  whilst  lying  prostrate, 

"Faint  and  weak, 
The  cruel  foe  assaults  him  with  his  beak  ;" 

but  in  this  extremity  the  midwife  interposes,  and  "  delivers  "  him — the 
pun  is  the  poet's  own — from  further  danger. 

After  the  commencement  of  the  Civil  War,  Jeffrey  became  a  Captain 
of  Horse  in  the  Royal  Army,  and  in  that  capacity  he  accompanied  the 
Queen  to  France.  Whilst  in  that  country  he  had  the  misfortune  to  fall 
into  a  dispute  with  a  brother  of  Lord  Crofts,  who  accounting  him  an 
object  "  not  of  his  anger  but  contempt,"  accepted  his  challenge  to  fight 
a  duel ;  "  yet  coming,"  says  Walpole,  "  to  the  rendezvous  armed  only 
with  a  squirt,  the  little  creature  was  so  enraged  that  a  real  duel  ensued, 
and  the  appointment  being  on  horseback  with  pistols,  to  put  them  on  a 
level,  Jeffrey,  with  the  first  fire,  shot  his  antagonist  dead."  For  this 
Jeffrey  was  first  imprisoned,  and  afterwards  expelled  the  Court.  He 
v>'c«;s  then  only  thirty  years  old,  and,  according  to  his  own  affirmation, 
had  never  increased  anything  considerable  in  height  since  he  was  seven 
years  old.  New  misfortunes,  however,  awaited  him,  and  accelerated  his 
growth,  though  at  such  a  mature  age.  He  was  a  second  time  made 
captive  at  sea  by  a  Turkish  Rover ;  and,  having  been  conveyed  to  Bar- 
bary,  was  there  sold  as  a  slave,  in  which  condition  he  passed  many  years, 
exposed  to  numerous  hardships,  much  labour,  and  frequent  beating.  He 
now  shot  up  in  a  Uttle  time  to  that  height  of  stature  which  he  remained 
at  in  his  old  age,  about  three  feet  and  nine  inches ;  the  cause  of  which 
he  ascribed  to  the  severity  he  experienced  during  his  captivity.  After  he 
had  been  redeemed  he  returned  to  England,  and  lived  for  some  time  in 
his  native  county  on  some  small  pension  allowed  him  by  the  Duke  of 
Buckingham,  and  other  persons  of  rank.  He  afterwards  removed  to 
London,  where,  during  the  excitement  occasioned  by  the  examination 
into  the  Popish  Plot,  discovered  or  invented  by  Titus  Oates,  he  was 
taken  up  as  a  Papist,  and  committed  to  the  Gatehouse  at  Westminster, 
where  he  lay  a  considerable  time.  He  died  in  1682,  shortly  after  his 
release,  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his  age. 


330  Oakham  Castle, 

Sir  Walter  Scott  has  introduced  this  irascible  little  hero  into  his 
Pe'verll  of  tie  Peak,  the  denouement  of  which  romance  is  much  for- 
warded by  his  aid.  There  is  an  original  portrait  of  Jeffrey  in  the  col- 
lection of  Sir  Ralph  Woodford.  Over  the  entrance  of  Bull-head- 
court,  Newgate-street,  is  a  small  stone  exhibiting,  in  low  relief,  sculp- 
tures of  William  Evans,  the  gigantic  porter  of  Charles  I. ;  and  Jeffrey 
Hudson,  his  diminutive  fellow-servant.  On  the  stone  are  cut  these 
words:  "The  King's  Porter  and  the  Dwarf,"  with  the  date  1660.  It 
appears  from  Fuller,  that  Evans  was  full  six  feet  and  a  half  in  height  j 
though  knock-kneed,  splay-footed,  and  halting,  "  yet  made  he  a  shift 
to  dance  in  an  anti-mask  at  Court,  where  he  drew  little  Jeffrey,  the 
Dwarf,  out  of  his  pocket,  first  to  the  wonder,  then  to  the  laughter,  of 
the  beholders." 

In  the  Ashmolean  Museum,  at  Oxford,  are  preserved  the  waistcoat, 
breeches,  and  stockings  (the  two  latter  in  one  piece),  of  Jeffrey  Hudson. 
They  are  of  blue  satin,  but  the  waistcoat  is  striped  and  purfled  with 
figured  white  silk.  There  is  a  rare  tract  extant,  entitled  "  The  New 
Yeres  Gift,  presented  at  Court  from  the  Lady  Parvula  to  the  Lord 
Minimus,  commonly  called  Little  Jefferie:  1686."  This  contains  a 
portrait  of  Hudson,  and  a  copy, "  bound  in  a  piece  of  Charles  the  First's 
waistcoat,"  was  formerly  in  the  Townley  Collection,  and  was  sold  for 
sight  guineas  at  the  sale  of  Mr.  Peny's  library. 


Oakham  Castle. 

Oakham,  the  county  town  of  Rutland,  m  the  vale  of  Catmoss,  bears 
evidence  of  its  occupation  by  the  Romans.  Its  name  is  Saxon,  and  it 
had  a  Royal  Hall  when  King  Edward  the  Confessor  made  his  Sui-vey. 
Upon  the  site  of  this  Hall  was  built  a  Castle,  probably  by  Walcheline 
de  Ferreris,  a  younger  branch  of  the  family  of  De  Ferrars,  to  whom 
Heniy  II.  had  granted  the  manor,  and  created  him  Bai'on  of  Oakham. 
He  joined  King  Richard  I.  in  his  crusade  to  the  Holy  Land,  and  vfdA 
last  heard  of  at  the  siege  of  Acre,  where  he  died.  The  manor  and 
Castle  repeatedly  reverted  to  the  Crown,  and  were  again  as  often 
granted.  Among  the  possessors  of  them  were  Richard,  King  of  the 
Romans,  brother  of  Henry  III. ;  De  Vere,  Earl  of  Oxford  and  Duke 
of  Ireland,  favourite  of  Richard  II. ;  Thomas  of  Woodstock,  uncle  to 
the  same  King.  Of  the  Castle  the  Hall  alone  remains  ;  it  is  regarded 
as  the  finest  domestic  room  in  England,  and  in  all  probability  it  was 
the  best  portion  of  the  Castle,  which  was  not  fortified  with  a  keep  or 


Oakham  Castle,  ZZ^ 

bastions,  as  in  the  neighbouring  Castle  of  Rockingham  ;  Oakham  Castle 
never  had  any  defensive  works,  except  the  outer  wall.  At  the  end  of 
the  Hall  was  probably  the  King's  chamber.  In  the  time  of  Walcheline 
De  Fen-eris  a  sort  of  rough  justice  was  administered  in  the  Hall  by 
the  Baron ;  and  here  also  the  revelry  and  feasting  took  place ;  there 
were  oaken  benches  for  seats,  boards  placed  upon  tressels  for  tables,  and 
tapestry  hung  at  the  west  end,  where  the  lord  sat.  The  windows  were 
unglazed ;  the  fire  was  placed  on  a  raised  platform  in  the  centre  of  the 
room,  and  the  smoke  found  its  way  through  the  windows  ;  at  night 
wooden  shutters  were  put  to  the  windows.  The  hounds  crouched  by 
their  masters'  side,  the  hawks  perched  above  their  heads.  The  guests 
quaffed  wines  from  Greece  and  Cyprus,  and  feasted  upon  lamprey  and 
herring  pies.  It  was  the  height  of  refinement  for  two  guests  to  eat  off 
the  same  plate.  The  only  knife  used  was  the  clasp-knife,  which  the 
male  guest  took  unsheathed  from  his  girdle ;  table-napkins  were  used, 
and  the  company  were  divided  by  the  salt-cellar. 

The  architecture  of  the  Hall  is  late  Norman,  or  very  Early  English. 
The  interior  wall  and  the  gate  of  the  Castle-yard  are  covered  with 
horseshoes,  the  lord  of  the  manor  being  authorized  by  ancient  grant  or 
custom  to  demand  of  every  Peer  on  first  passing  through  the  lordship 
a  shoe  from  one  of  his  horses,  or  a  sum  of  money  to  purchase  one  in 
lieu  of  it.  Some  of  these  shoes  are  gilt,  and  stamped  with  the  donor's 
name.  Amongst  them  are  shoes  given  by  Queen  Elizabeth,  by  tiWrlate 
Duke  of  York,  and  by  George  IV.  when  Prince  Regent ;  Queen  Vic- 
toria and  the  Duchess  of  Kent.  The  horseshoe  custom  is  traceable 
to  a  toll  payment,  but  the  evidence  is  confused. 

Four  possessors  of  Oakham  were  executed  for  high  treason.  These 
were  Edmund,  Earl  of  Kent,  brother  of  Edward  II. ;  Henry  Stafford, 
Duke  of  Buckingham,  the  supporter  and  victim  of  Richard  III.; 
Edward  Stafford,  Duke  of  Buckingham,  beheaded  1521 ;  and  Thomas 
Cromwell,  Earl  of  Essex,  1540.  Another  fatality  remains  to  be 
mentioned.  Early  in  the  reign  of  Richard  II.,  Edward  Plantagenet, 
second  Duke  of  York,  on  being  created  Earl  of  Rutland,  had  granted 
to  him  the  Castle,  town,  and  lordship  of  Oakham,  and  the  whole  forest 
of  Rutland  ;  his  memory  is  deeply  stained  with  crime ;  he  was  tram- 
pled to  death  at  the  battle  of  Agincourt,  and  his  remains  were  brought 
to  England,  he  having  by  his  will  made  at  Harfleur  during  the  expedi- 
tion, directed  their  interment  in  the  College  of  Fotheringhay,  which  he 
had  caused  to  be  built. 


332 


Normanton  Park. 

The  spacious,  elegant  and  chaste  mansion  of  Nomianton,  in  the 
middle  of  Rutlandshire,  occupies  a  gentle  elevation,  in  a  lordly 
park  of  900  acres,  midway  between  the  towns  of  Okeham  and 
Stamford.  The  extensive  and  level  lawns  of  rich  turf  around 
the  house  are  interspersed  with  plantations  of  noble  trees,  in  which 
the  majestic  oak  and  beech,  the  graceful  ash  and  lime  are  conspi- 
cuous. The  masses  of  variously  tinted  foliage  have  the  finest 
effect,  and  bring  out  by  contrast,  the  harmonious  proportions  of  the 
house  itself,  which  is  built  of  fine  white  stone.  The  open  glades 
consisting  of  broken  ground,  which  occur  here  and  there  through- 
out the  park,  give  to  it  an  appearance  of  natural  wildness  which 
adds  an  additional  charm  to  the  scene,  and  harmonises  well 
with  the  forms  of  the  deer  that  browse  in  herds  under  the  shade  of 
the  woods,  or  pass  like  a  cloud-shadow  over  the  open  ground. 

The  house  itself  consists  of  a  centre  of  chaste  elevation,  flanked 
by  two  wings  in  excellent  proportion,  and  presenting  fronts  of 
majestic  simplicity  united  with  great  architectural  beauty  to  the 
north  and  south.  The  principal  entrance  is  by  the  north  front. 
Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  liberal  scale  upon  which  the 
mansion  was  erected,  when  it  is  stated  that  the  stone  alone  used  in 
the  structure  cost  10,000/.  It  was  built  on  the  site  of  the  ancient 
mansion  of  the  Mackv/orths,  by  Sir  Gilbert  Heathcote,  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Bank  of  England,  and  some  of  the  old  walks  of 
the  former  seat  (built  by  Sir  Henry  Mackworth,  Bart.,  in  the  reign 
pf  Charles  I.),  still  remain.  The  interior,  however,  now  presents  a 
rich  scene  of  modern  elegance  and  taste.  The  hall  or  vestibule, 
is  both  light  and  airy,  opening  to  the  staircase,  which  is  particularly 
handsome.  The  dining-room  is  a  most  superb  apartment,  with  a 
vaulted  ceiling  in  ornamented  compartments ;  and  the  drawing- 
rooms  are  brilliantly  decorated  in  a  style  of  simple  magnificence. 
The  gardens  are  modern,  and  very  fine  views  are  obtained  from 
different  positions.  The  river  Gwash  forms  a  part  of  the  north- 
western boundary  of  the  park,  and  the  district  in  which  the  man- 
sion stands  is  said  to  be  the  most  fertile  in  England.  Little  wonder 
then  that  Dyer,  having  occasion  to  mention  the  house  in  his  poem, 
"The  Fleece,"  should  speak  of  it  with  praise. 


Normanton  Park,  333 

"    .     .     .     .    The  coloured  lawns 
And  sunny  mounts  of  beauteous  Normanton, 
Health's  cheerful  haunt,  and  the  selected  walk 
Of  Heathcote's  leisure." 

After  the  Conquest  the  Normanvilies,  a  family  of  great  account 
in  the  early  days,  became  lords  of  Normanton.  Through  the  four-' 
teenth  in  descent  from  Thomas  de  Normanville,  the  estate  became 
the  patrimony  of  a  Rutlandshire  heiress,  Alice  Barings,  who  marry- 
ing Thomas  Mackworth  of  Mackworth,  a  Derbyshire  gentleman  of 
position  and  lineage,  conveyed  it  into  that  family.  A  few  years  after- 
wards the  young  couple  forsook  the  castellated  Manor  House,  at 
Mackworth,  for  the  more  sunny  and  pleasant  Normanton,  which 
from  this  time  became  the  seat  of  the  Mackworths  of  this  branch. 

The  successive  lords  of  Normanton  seem  to  have  been  a  fortu- 
nate, liberal,  and  even  magnificent  race  of  men.  Indeed,  so  liberal 
were  they,  that  they  expended  their  income  without  taking  heed  for 
the  morrow  or  troubling  themselves  whether  their  successors  in  the 
estate  would  be  able  to  bear  themselves  as  bravely  as  they.  One 
expedient  for  keeping  up  the  family  prestige  was  not  neglected  by 
them.  They  did  not  fail,  from  time  to  time,  to  marry  rich  heiresses, 
and  thus  strengthen  the  old  house  with  a  new  buttress.  Sir  Thomas 
Mackworth,  High  Sheriff  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  married  the 
sister  of  the  gallant  royalist,  Ralph,  Lord  Hopton  ;  and  the  wife  of 
Sir  Thomas's  son  (Sir  Henry),  came  opportunely  to  reimburse 
the  family  chest  and  to  enable  her  husband  to  rebuild  the  Manor 
House  of  Normanton. 

Down  to  this  point  of  the  history  of  this  family,  expenditure  had 
not  yet  run  into  extravagance.  Ample  means  still  flowed  from  the 
broad  lands  of  the  family.  But  the  Mackworths  were  cavaliers 
and  gentlemen — willing  to  aid  their  king  with  sword  and  with 
purse,  and  to  stand  by  him  to  the  last.  Their  fidelity  was  rewarded 
as  might  have  been  expected,  the  estates  were  sequestered — their 
means  became  straitened — decay  had  set  in  upon  the  family. 
Seventy  years  after  occurred  the  memorable  contest  for  the  repre- 
sentation of  Rutlandshire,  between  Mackworth,  Finch,  and  Sher- 
rard.  Mackworth  won  the  seat ;  but  at  so  fearful  a  pecuniary  loss 
that  the  ruin  of  the  family  was  now  completed.  Normanton  was 
sold,  and  its  former  lord  retired  to  an  obscure  district  in  London 
(Kentish  Town),  where  he,  the  last  Mackworth  that  held  Nor- 
manton, died,  in  1745. 
The  title,  however,  did  not  die  ;  it  was  inherited  by  a  Hunting- 


334  Normanton  Park. 

don  apothecary,  and  finally  passed  to  his  cousin,  Sir  Henry  Mack- 
worth,  whose  case  is  a  sad  example  of  the  misery  which  arises 
when  a  title  is  unsupported  by  land.  Not  a  rood  of  the  ancestral 
estates  descended  to  him,  and  the  poor  old  man,  the  representative 
of  a  famous  county  family,  and  the  successor  to  their  hereditary 
honours,  was  fain,  in  his  helpless  and  penniless  old  age,  to  accept 
the  cold  refuge  for  his  age  and  broken  health  which  was  aiiforded 
him  by  the  Charity  for  Poor  Brethren,  in  the  Charter  House. 

The  present  proprietors  of  Normanton  are  descended,  hke  the 
Heathcotes  of  Hursley  Park,  from  Gilbert  Heathcote,  Alderman  of 
Chesterfield.  Gilbert,  eldest  son  of  the  preceding,  was  brought  up 
to  commercial  pursuits,  in  which  he  proved  himself  as  deserving 
in  every  point  of  the  honourable  character  generally  attached  to  a 
British  merchant,  that  not  only  the  usual  concomitants  of  industry 
and  integrity  were  the  results  of  his  exertions,  but  he  acquired  the 
esteem  of  his  contemporaries  as  well  as  much  individual  influence. 
He  was  appointed  one  of  the  Directors  of  the  Bank  of  England. 
He  was  Alderman  of  London,  and  Lord  Mayor  in  171 1.  In  1702, 
1705,  and  1708  he  represented  the  city  in  Parliament,  and  received 
the  honour  of  knighthood  from  Queen  Anne,  and  in  1733  he  was 
created  a  baronet.  A  few  days  afterwards  he  died,  and  was  buried 
at  NoiTnanton,  where  a  handsome  monument  by  Rysbrack  is 
erected  to  his  memory.  Sir  Gilbert  John  Heathcote,  the  fifth 
baronet,  was  created  Baron  Aveland  of  Aveland,  in  Lincolnshire. 
He  married  the  eldest  daughter  of  Peter  Robert,  the  nineteenth 
Lord  Willoughby  d'Eresby,  and  died  in  1867.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Sir  H.  Gilbert-Henry  Heathcote,  second  Baron  Aveland.  In  1863, 
he  married  Evelyn-Elizabeth,  second  daughter  of  Charles,  tenth 
Marquis  of  Huntly,  and  by  her  has  issue. 


335 


LEICESTERSHIRE. 

Staunton  Harold,  and  the  Story  of  Earl  Ferrers. 

The  mansion  of  Staunton  Harold,  the  principal  seat  of  Earl 
Ferrers,  is  the  largest  and  most  elegant  structure  of  modern  archi- 
tecture in  the  county  of  Leicester.  In  style  it  is  Palladian,  and 
though  very  extensive  is  remarkable  for  its  lightness  and  grace. 
Its  site  is  flat,  close  to  the  borders  of  Derbyshire,  and  about  three 
miles  north  of  Ashby-de-la-Zouch.  The  house  itself  is  backed  by 
a  fine  wood  ;  there  is  a  considerable  tract  of  heath  in  the  vicinity, 
and  the  scenery  of  the  neighbourhood  is  charming. 

Of  the  centre  of  the  south-east  or  grand  front,  the  pediment  is 
supported  by  Ionic  pillars,  and  these  again  upheld  by  columns  of 
the  Doric  order.  This  centre  is  of  stone,  the  remainder  of  the 
mansion  is  of  brick  with  stone  dressings.  The  pediment  is  sur- 
mounted by  three  figures  from  the  antique,  and  other  portions  of 
this  hall  are  adorned  with  good  casts  from  the  antique,  comprising 
a  colossal  lion  over  the  south-west  front.  This  front  is  of  great 
extent  and  is  built  in  the  form  of  the  Roman  H.  The  north-east 
is  the  library  front,  originally  designed  by  Inigo  Jones  and  pre- 
served nearly  unchanged  in  the  present  structure. 

The  first  apartment  entered  in  the  south-front  is  the  hall,  which 
is  40  feet  by  38  feet  and  16  feet  high.  On  the  left  is  the  principal 
dining-room,  45  feet  by  30  feet.  From  the  right  of  the  hall,  on 
entering  the  vestibule,  the  grand  staircase  appears.  The  common 
dining-parlour  is  30  feet  by  20  feet ;  and  there  are  over  fifty  more 
apartments,  spacious  and  handsomely  fitted,  including  a  drawing- 
room  38  feet  long,  and  described  by  a  writer  at  the  beginning  of 
the  present  century,  to  be  hung  with  a  rich  paper,  representing  blue 
damask,  edged  with  a  gold  carved  border.  The  library,  72  feet 
long,  18  feet  wide,  and  16  feet  high,  abounds  in  choice  and  valuable 
works,  both  literary  and  artistic,  among  which  are  a  number  of 
family  portraits.  Here  is  kept  the  family  pedigree,  which,  when 
unrolled,  covers  more  than  half  the  entire  length  of  this  long  room. 
It  is  a  most  elaborate  work,  richly  enblazoned  with  the  arms,  the 
monuments,  and  the  portraits  of  the  family,  with  abstracts  of  their 
willS;  deeds,  &c.     A  curiosity  in  the  library  is  the  set  of  16  small 


33^  Staunton  Harold,  and  the  Story  of  Earl  Ferrers, 

quarto  volumes  forming  "  The  Complete  Works  of  Confucius."  Here 
also  is  an  old  bugle  horn,  in  ivory,  elaborately  carved  with  subjects 
of  the  chase  and  supposed  to  be  the  work  of  Benvenuto  Cellini. 

The  chief  pictures  at  Staunton  Harold  are,  in  the  hall  a  Cruci- 
fixion, supposed  to  be  by  Michael  Angelo  ;  portrait  of  Sir  Robert 
Shirley,  by  Vandyke,  and  of  his  lady,  by  Lely,  &c.  In  the  dining- 
parlour,  Wright's  "  Lecture  on  the  Orrery,"  a  picture  of  historic 
fame,  all  the  figures  in  which  are  portraits ;  portraits  by  Lely,  &c.  In 
the  old  dining-parlour,  a  Crucifixion,  by  Carracci,  and  portraits  of 
ladies,  by  Lely.  In  the  hbrar)',  the  Last  Judgment,  by  Rubens,  a 
masterpiece  ;  and  a  portrait  of  Shakspeare,  painter  unknown.  In 
the  great  drawing-room,  a  Venus  with  Cupids,  by  Correggio.  Six 
Ladies  of  the  Court  of  Charles  II.,  by  Lely  (these,  together  with  a 
portrait  of  himself,  were  presented  by  Charles  to  Robert,  Earl 
Ferrers;)  landscapes  by  Berghem,  &c. 

The  park  consists  of  about  150  acres  of  land,  and  contains  from 
80  to  100  head  of  deer.  A  fine  sheet  of  water,  or  lake,  of  consider- 
able length,  extends  through  the  greater  part  of  the  park,  with  a 
pond  of  seven  acres  at  the  end  nearest  the  house,  and  which  is 
called  the  Church  Pool.  This  lake,  half  a  mile  long  and  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  wide,  abounds  in  fish  of  various  kinds.  At  the 
marriage  of  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon,  here,  in  1728,  a  carp  was 
dressed  which  weighed  24  pounds.  Game  abounds  in  the  park 
and  in  the  neighbouring  moors,  and  wild  fowl  frequent  the  pools. 

The  Shirleys,  Earls  of  Ferrers,  are  fortunate  in  having  had  their 
ancient  lineage  and  history  compiled  by  one  of  themselves.  Sir 
Thomas  Shirley,  of  Botolph's  Bridge,  wrote  three  distinct  MS. 
histories  of  the  Shirleys.  From  these  records  it  appears  that  the 
Shirleys  derive  descent  from  Sasuallo  or  Scwallis  de  Etingdone, 
whose  name,  says  Dugdale,  in  his  "  Antiquities  of  Warwickshire," 
argues  him  to  be  of  the  old  English  stock.  He  resided  at  Nethcr- 
Etingdon  in  Warwickshire,  during  the  reign  of  Edward  the  Con- 
fessor, and  this  place,  there  is  reason  to  believe,  had  been  the  seat 
of  his  ancestors  for  many  years.  After  the  conquest,  the  lordship 
of  Etingdon  was  given  to  Henry,  Earl  of  Ferrers  in  Normandy ; 
but  it  continued  to  be  held  under  him,  by  SewalHs,  with  whose 
posterity,  in  the  male  line,  it  has  continued  to  the  present  reiga 
Sir  James  de  Shirley,  Knt.,  had  free  warren  granted  to  him  in  all 
his  demesnes  at  Shirley  in  1247,  and  at  Etingdon  in  1255.  Sir 
Ralph,  his  successor,  was  elected  to  Parliament,  for  Warwickshire, 
in  the  fifth  year  of  Edward  II.  His  great-grandson,  Sir  Ralph, 
distinguished  himcclf  on  the  field  of  A'^incourt  and  in  the  subse- 


Staunton  Harold^  and  the  Story  of  Earl  Ferrers.  337 

quent  French  wars  ;  and  his  son,  Ralph  Shirley,  married  Margaret, 
daughter  and  sole  heir  of  John  de  Staunton  of  Staunton  Harold, 
and  thus  brought  the  estate  of  that  name  into  his  own  family.  Sir 
Robert  Shirley  succeeded  to  the  ancient  baronies  of  Ferrers  of 
Chartley,  &c.,  and  was  created  by  Queen  Anne  Viscount  Tamworth 
and  Earl  Ferrers.  Lawrence,  fourth  earl,  although  not  desti<;ute  of 
reason,  showed  on  several  occasions  an  irrational  degree  of  passion^ 
In  one  of  these  fits  he  killed  his  land-steward,  and  for  this  oftence 
he  was  brought  to  trial,  with  the  result  chronicled  below. 

The  present  lord  of  Staunton  Harold  is  Sir  SewaUis-Edward 
Shirley,  tenth  Earl  of  Ferrers  and  Viscount  Tamworth. 

The  trial  of  Lawrence  Shirley,  fourth  Earl  Ferrers,  excited  more 
public  interest  than  almost  any  other  on  record.  His  lineage  was 
splendid,  both  on  the  maternal  and  on  the  paternal  side.  His  father's 
race  we  have  already  sketched — his  grandmother  was  Elizabeth, 
daughter  and  heir  of  Lawrence  Washington,  from  whom  was  de- 
scended George  Washington,  the  hero  of  American  Independence. 
By  female  descent  of  an  earlier  generation,  he  was  the  representa- 
tive of  Robert  Devereux,  Earl  of  Essex,  the  harshly-used  favourite 
of  Queen  Elizabeth.  The  heir  of  honours,  wealth,  and  splendid 
rank,  and  possessed  of  abilities  of  no  mean  order,  the  world  seemed 
to  open  brightly  before  him.  In  one  thing  only  was  he  unfortunate. 
His  temper  was  naturally  violent  and  by  it  he  was  often,  while  the 
fit  of  passion  was  upon  him,  rendered  perfectly  regardless  of  the 
consequences  of  his  actions.  No  wise  attempts  seem  to  have  been 
made  by  the  guardians  of  his  youth  to  curb  his  wild  disposition,  by 
the  influences  of  religion  or  of  philosophy,  and  when  he  arrived  at 
man's  estate  he  had  made  himself  the  slave  of  intoxicating  liquors, 
and  thus  had  hugged  his  disease  with  embraces  that  were  only 
to  tighten  with  time. 

In  1752  he  married  the  sister  of  Sir  Wilham  Meredith,  of  Hen- 
bury,  Cheshire,  a  lady  of  great  beauty  and  accomplishments  ;  but 
the  conduct  of  the  wild  earl  towards  his  wife  was  so  ciiiel  and  in- 
tolerable that  she  was  compelled  to  make  application  to  Parhament 
for  protection.  The  result  was  that  Parliament  passed  an  act 
granting  her  a  separate  maintenance  out  of  her  husband's  estates. 

In  1756  Earl  Ferrers  ran  his  mare  against  a  friend's  horse  at  the 
Derby,  for  50/.,  and  won  the  race.  After  the  race  Ferrers  passed 
the  evening  in  the  company  of  his  friends.  A  fooHsh  remark, 
ventured  by  the  friend  who  had  been  defeated,  so  stung  the  earl, 
that  passing  over  the  trivial  character  of  the  incident  he  persuaded 


538  Staunton  Harold^  and  the  Story  of  Earl  Ferrers, 

himself  that  he  was  being  made  the  victim  of  a  deliberate  insult. 
The  insult  seemed  to  point  at  a  breach  of  confidence  on  the  part  of 
nis  grooms  or  stablemen,  with  respect  to  the  secrets  of  his  stables. 
The  earl,  infuriated  by  brooding  over  the  supposed  treachery  of  his 
servants,  started  from  Derby  in  the  middle  of  the  night  and  went 
straight  to  Staunton  Harold,  in  Leicestershire.  The  following  is  an 
abstract  of  the  case  from  this  point,  as  it  was  unfolded  in  the  trial 
that  eventually  took  place  at  Newgate  : — 

Awaking  on  the  morning  of  his  arrival  at  home,  he  rang  the  bell 
and  asked  the  servant  if  he  had  been  talking  to  any  one  about  what 
was  the  condition  of  the  Staunton  Harold  stud.  The  servant  declared 
that  he  was  ignorant  of  the  matter ;  but  the  groom  might  have 
been  speaking  of  such  affairs.  The  groom  being  called  denied 
having  given  any  information  whatever  respecting  the  matter. 
From  this  point  the  earl's  rage  seems  to  have  been  unbounded. 
He  kicked  and  horse-whipped  his  servants,  and  threw  at  them  such 
articles  as  came  first  to  hand,  in  the  mere  excess  of  his  passion. 
A  quantity  of  oysters  had  been  sent  to  him  from  London,  and  these 
not  proving  good,  his  lordship  directed  one  of  the  servants  to  swear 
that  the  carrier  had  changed  them.  But  the  servant  declining  to 
take  such  an  oath,  the  earl  flew  at  him  in  a  rage  ;  stabbed  him  in 
the  breast  with  a  knife,  cut  his  head  open  with  a  candlestick,  and 
kicked  him  so  violently  in  the  groin,  that  he  was  under  the  surgeon's 
care  for  many  years  afterwards. 

Other  instances  might  be  cited  in  which  the  passion  of  this  un- 
fortunate man  hurried  him  to  such  extremities  that,  in  several  cases, 
he  was  only  prevented  by  some  trivial  but  fortunate  accident  from 
iJaking  human  life. 

Of  such  instances  the  following  may  be  taken  as  exemplifying 
the  uncontrolled  and  uncontrollable  passion  of  this  man,  and  also 
throwing  some  light  on  the  sad  relations  existing  between  him  and 
his  countess. 

On  one  occasion  Earl  Ferrers's  brother  and  his  wife  were  paying 
a  visit  at  Staunton  Harold.  It  was  late  at  night,  and  the  two 
ladies  had  retired  to  their  respective  rooms.  Between  the  two 
brothers  a  casual  dispute  arose.  What  the  quarrel  was  about  docs 
not  seem  to  be  known,  but  in  the  heat  of  it  the  carl,  starting  up 
and  brandishing  a  knife  in  his  hand,  ran  upstairs,  asking  for  his 
wife.  A  servant  told  him  the  lady  was  in  her  own  room.  The 
earl  bade  the  servant  follow  him  thither,  and  to  bring  a  brace  of 
pistols,  loaded  with  bullets,  with  him.  llie  menial  did  as  he  was 
desired,  and  brought  up  the  pistols,  but,  fearing  mischief,  inclined 


Staunton  Harold,  and  the  Story  of  Earl  Ferrers.  339 

to  prime  them.  The  earl  swore  at  him,  demanded  powder,  and 
primed  the  weapons  himself.  Then,  presenting  a  pistol  at  the 
servant's  head,  Ferrers  threatened  that  if  he  did  not  go  downstairs 
immediately  and  shoot  his  brother  in  the  room  below,  he  would  blow 
his  brains  out.  The  man  hesitated — Ferrers  pulled  the  trigger,  and 
would  have  stretched  a  fellow  creature  dead  at  his  feet,  if  the  pistol 
had  not  providentially  missed  fire.  At  this  awful  moment  the 
countess  fell  on  her  knees  before  the  infuriated  man,  and  begged 
him  to  restrain  his  passion — he  only  cursed  her  and  threatened  her 
with  destruction  if  she  interfered  with  him.  At  this  moment  the 
servant  escaped  and  told  the  brother  of  the  danger  he  was  in.  The 
terrified  brother  immediately  called  up  his  wife,  who  had  gone  to 
bed,  and  the  two  then  left  the  house,  though  it  was  now  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning. 

The  last  victim  of  the  earl's  violence  was  Mr.  Johnson,  who  had 
been  brought  up  in  the  service  of  the  family,  and  was  at  last  acting 
as  land-steward,  and  giving  perfect  satisfaction  for  ability  and 
fidelity.  After  the  law  had  decreed  a  separate  maintenance  for  the 
Countess  Ferrers,  Mr.  Johnson  was  proposed  as  receiver  of  the 
rents  to  be  appropriated  to  her  use.  But  fearing  that  in  performing 
the  duties  of  this  office,  he  might  come  into  colhsion  with  the  earl, 
he  at  first  declined,  but  afterwards,  at  the  solicitation  of  Ferrers 
himself,  accepted  the  office.  At  the  time  of  his  appointment  to 
this  extra  duty  Johnson  stood  high  in  the  estimation  of  Ferrers, 
and  all  for  a  time  went  well.  But  a  great  cloud  now  began  to  show 
above  this  serene  horizon.  The  earl  conceived  the  idea  that  John- 
son had  combined  with  a  number  of  trustees  concerned,  to  disap- 
point him  of  a  contract.  He  first  ordered  his  steward  to  give  up  a 
valuable  farm  which  he  held  under  him  ;  but  Johnson  produced  3 
lease  granted  by  the  earl's  trustees,  entitling  him  to  continued 
occupation.  This  was  final,  and  no  further  steps  were  taken  in  this 
direction.  After  this  the  earl,  in  his  intercourse  with  his  steward, 
was  so  exceedingly  affable  that  the  latter  imagined  all  evil  feehngs 
had  vanished.  In  January,  1760,  his  lordship  called  on  Johnson 
and  asked  him  to  come  to  Staunton  Harold  at  a  certain  hour  of 
the  following  day. 

Meantime  the  earl  prepared  for  the  expected  visit,  by  sending  all 
his  men  servants,  as  well  as  a  number  of  the  females  and  children 
of  his  household,  to  some  distance  for  the  day. 

When  Johnson  arrived,  a  maid  admitted  him,  and  he  was  ushered 
into  his  lordship's  room.    All  was  quiet  for  about  an  hour ;  then 

Z  2 


340  Siannion  Harold^  and  the  Story  of  Earl  Ferrers, 

voices  were  heard  in  high  altercation,  and  the  earl  was  heard  to 
exclaim,  "  Down  upon  your  knees — your  time  has  come — you  must 
die  !"  And  presently  the  report  of  a  pistol  was  heard.  Ferrers 
then  opened  the  door  and  called  for  aid,  and  the  servants  approach- 
ing, beheld  the  steward  weltering  in  his  blood.  A  surgeon  was 
then  sent  for  to  Ashby-de-la-Zouch,  and  poor  Johnson  asked  that 
his  children  might  be  sent  for. 

When  the  surgeon  arrived,  Ferrers  said  to  him,  "  I  intended  to 
have  shot  him  dead,  but,  since  he  is  still  alive,  you  must  do  what 
you  can  for  him."  He  then  drank  himself  drunk  and  got  to  bed. 
Meantime  Johnson  was  conveyed  home,  but  his  wound  was  mortal, 
and  he  died  at  nine  in  the  morning  after  having  been  shot.  The 
surgeon,  who  perceived  that  this  was  a  case  of  deliberate  murder, 
obtained  the  assistance  of  a  number  of  persons  to  secure  the  mur- 
derer. The  force  arrived  at  Staunton,  The  earl  had  just  risen, 
and  on  going  out  to  the  stables  he  noticed  the  people,  and  suspect- 
ing their  mission,  retired  within  his  house,  and  eluded  pursuit  for 
some  little  time.  At  length  he  was  apprehended,  conveyed  to  Ashby- 
de-la-Zouch,  where  he  was  confined  till  the  coroner's  jury,after  exa- 
mining the  body,  returned  a  verdict  of"  Wilful  murder"  against  him. 
He  was  afterwards  removed  to  London,  and  confined  in  the  Tower. 

The  trial  of  Earl  Ferrers,  for  the  murder  of  his  land-steward, 
came  on  before  the  House  of  Peers,  in  Westminster  Hall,  on  the 
i6th  of  April,  1760.  His  lordship  was  found  guilty,  and  sentence 
of  death  was  passed  upon  him.  Ferrers  petitioned  that  he  might 
be  beheaded  in  the  Tower  ;  but  as  the  crime  was  so  atrocious,  the 
king  refused  to  mitigate  the  sentence.  A  scaffold  was  erected 
under  the  gallows  at  Tyburn,  and  covered  with  black  baize,  with  a 
raised  platform  for  the  murderer  to  stand  upon. 

On  the  morning  of  his  execution  he  was  dressed  in  a  white  suit, 
richly  embroidered  with  silver.  When  he  put  it  on  he  said,  "  This 
is  the  suit  in  which  I  was  married,  and  in  which  I  shall  die."  He 
walked  up  the  steps  of  the  scaffold  with  composure,  and  after  re- 
peating the  Lord's  Pra>  er,  which  he  called  a  fine  composition,  he 
invoked  the  pardon  of  Heaven,  and  in  a  moment  more  was  launched 
into  eternity. 

It  is  pleasant,  after  this  notice  of  a  worthless  life,  which  society 
felt  itself  obliged  to  put  an  end  to,  as  a  measure  of  self-preservation, 
to  be  able  to  add  that  the  widow  of  Earl  Ferrers  married  Lord 
Frederick  Campbell,  son  of  John,  Duke  of  Argyle,  and  lived  to  an 
advanced  age,  highly  resp«cted  and  beloved. 


341 


Ashby-de-la-Zouch  Castle. 

The  town  of  Ashby,  situated  in  a  fertile  vale  of  Leicestershire,  le- 
ceived  its  additional  appellation  from  Alan  de  la  Zouch,  who  possessed 
the  manor  in  the  reign  of  Henry  III. 

It  is  said  by  Leland  that  Sir  William,  afterwards  Lord,  Hastings, 
when  the  male  line  of  the  Zouches  was  extinct,  obtained  the  grant  of  the 
manor,  partly  by  title  and  partly  by  money ;  and  James  Butler,  Earl  of 
Ormond,  escheated  the  estate  to  Edward  IV.  by  forfeiture,  on  adherence 
to  his  real  liege  lord,  the  deposed  Henry  VI.  The  same  lord,  for  the 
1  epair  of  this  fortress,  took  off  the  lead  from  Belvoir  Castle,  which  had 
been  forfeited  by  Lord  Ros  to  the  tyrant,  for  the  same  imputed  crime  as 
that  of  the  Earl  of  Ormond.  Certainly,  when  two  Kings  were  pro- 
claimed, and  one  had  first  reigned  for  a  succession  of  years,  whoever 
/lad  the  claim  de  jure^  it  was  equally  absurd  as  it  was  wicked  to  punish 
those  who  had  conscientiously  adhered  to  their  oaths,  pledged  to  the 
governing  power ;  but  those  were  not  the  days  of  argument,  or  cool 
and  candid  investigation.  Hastings,  however,  who  had  hkewise  plun- 
dered another  castle  of  Lord  Ros,  to  complete  his  own,  at  length  re- 
signed all  his  estates,  together  with  his  life,  on  an  accusation  of  high 
treason,  got  up  by  his  former  friend,  Richard,  Duke  of  Gloucester,  by 
whose  order  he  was  seized  at  the  council-board,  and  soon  after  be- 
headed. The  attainder  being  subsequently  taken  ofFby  King  Henry  VII., 
the  estates  were  restored  to  the  heirs,  and  have  since  descended  to  the 
Huntingdon  family. 

In  1474,  Lord  Hastings  built  the  Castle  of  Ashby  de  la  Zouch,  the 
ruins  of  which  now  form  a  principal  object  of  attraction  on  the  south 
side  of  Ashby,  having  been  remarkable  as  a  temporary  prison  of  Mary 
Queen  of  Scots. 

The  Castle  was  originally  environed  by  three  extensive  Parks,  all 
beautifully  wooded : — the  Great  Park,  which  was  ten  miles  in  circum- 
ference ;  Brostep  Park,  for  fallow  deer ;  and  the  Little  Park,  for  red 
deer.  The  magnificent  structure  continued  to  be,  for  two  hundred 
years,  the  residence  of  the  Hastings  family ;  it  was  partly  of  brick  and 
partly  of  stone,  and  contained  many  spacious  apartments,  and  a  chapel 
adjoining.  The  stately  towers  formed  the  grandest  ornaments:  one 
contained  the  hall,  chambers,  &c. ;  the  other  was  the  Kitchen  Tower. 
The  Queen  of  Scots  was  entrusted  to  the  custody  of  Henry,  third  Earl 
of  Huntingdon,  at  Ashby  Castle,  and  a  room  now  remaining  is  distin- 
guished as  "  Mary  Queen  of   Scots'  Room."      Anne,  the  Queen  of 


342  Belvoir  Castle. 

James  I.,  and  Henry,  Prince  of  Wales,  visited  the  Castle,  as  did  the 
King,  with  his  whole  Court :  they  were  entertained  here  for  several 
days  together,  when  thirty  Poor  Knights,  all  wearing  gold  chains  and 
velvet  gowns,  served  up  the  dinner.  The  castle  was  garrisoned  and 
ably  defended  for  King  Charles  I.,  but  was  at  last  evacuated  and  dis- 
mantled by  capitulation.    The  ruins  are  highly  interesting 


Belvoir  Castle. 

Belvoir  (or  Bever)  Castle  in  situation  and  aspect  partly  resembles 
"  majestic  Windsor."  It  has  a  similar  "  princely  brow,"  being  placed 
upon  an  abrupt  elevation  of  red  gritstone,  now  covered  with  vege- 
table mould,  and  varied  into  terraces.  It  has  been  the  seat  of  the  noble 
family  of  Manners  for  several  generations,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
elegant  castellated  structures  in  the  kingdom.  The  fortress  is  described 
in  some  topographical  works  as  being  in  Lincolnshire.  Camden  says : 
"  in  the  west  part  of  Kesteven,  on  the  edge  of  Lincolnshire  and  Leices- 
tershire, there  stands  Belvoir  Castle,  so  called  (whatever  was  its  ancient 
name)  from  the  fine  prospect  on  a  steep  hill,  which  seems  the  work  of 
art."  But  Mr.  Nichols,  an  excellent  authority  on  Leicestershire,  states : 
**  the  Castle  is  at  present  in  every  respect  considered  as  being  within  this 
county,  with  all  the  lands  of  the  extra-parochial  part  of  Belvoir  thereto 
belonging  (including  the  site  of  the  Priory),  consisting  in  the  whole  of 
600  acres  of  wood,  meadow,  and  pasture-land ;  upon  which  are  now  no 
buildings  but  the  Castle  with  its  offices,  and  the  inn." 

At  Belvoir  was  formerly  a  Priory  of  four  black  monks,  subordinate 
to  the  Abbey  of  St.  Alban  in  Hertfordshire,  to  which  it  was  annexed  by 
its  founder,  Robert  de  Todeni.  Dr.Stukeley,  in  the  year  1726,  saw  the 
coffin  and  bones  of  the  founder,  who  died  in  1088,  dug  up  in  the  Priory 
Chapel,  then  a  stable ;  and  on  a  stone  was  inscribed  in  large  letters,  with 
lead  cast  in  them,  Robert  de  todene  le  fudere.  Another  coffin 
and  lid  near  it  was  likewise  discovered,  with  the  following  inscription : 
"  The  Vale  of  Bever,  barren  of  wood,  is  large  and  very  plentiful  of  good 
com  and  grass,  and  lieth  in  three  shires,  Leicester,  Lincoln,  and  much 
of  Nottinghamshire." 

That  Belvoir  has  been  the  site  of  a  Castle  since  the  Norman  Conquest 
appears  well  established.     Leland  thinks  "  no  rather  than  ye  Todenciu 
was  the  first  inhabitei-  after  the  Conquest.    Then  it  came  to  Albeneius,* 
and  from  Albcny  to  Ros."     By  a  general  survey,  taken  at  the  death  of 
Robert,  the  founder,  he  was  in  the  possession  of  fourscore  lordships; 


Belvoir  Castle,  343 

many  of  which,  by  uninterrupted  succession,  continue  still  to  be  the 
property  of  the  Duke  of  Rutland.  In  Lincolnshire  his  domains  were 
still  more  numerous.  In  Northamptonshire  he  had  nine  lordships ;  one 
of  which.  Stoke,  acquired  the  additional  name  of  Albini  when  it  came 
into  the  possession  of  his  son,  who  succeeded  to  these  lordships,  and, 
like  his  father,  was  a  celebrated  warrior.  According  to  Matthew  Paris, 
he  valorously  distinguished  himself  at  the  battle  of  Tinchebrai,  in  Nor- 
mandy, where  Henry  I.  encountered  Robert  Curthose,  his  brother. 
This  lord  obtained  from  Henry  the  grant  of  an  annual  fair  at  Belvoir,  to 
be  continued  for  eight  days. 

During  the  turbulent  reigns  of  Stephen  and  Henry  II.,  the  Castle  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  Grown,  and  was  granted  to  Ranulph,  Earl  of 
Chester;  but  repossession  was  obtained  by  de  Albini,  who  died  herfe 
about  1 155.  William  de  Albini,  the  third  of  that  name,  accompanied 
Richard  I.,  during  his  crusading  reign,  into  Normandy;  he  was  also  one 
of  the  sureties  for  King  John  in  his  treaty  of  peace  with  Philip  of 
France.  He  was  also  engaged  in  the  Barons'  wars  in  the  latter  reign, 
and  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  King's  party  at  Rochester  Castle ;  when 
his  own  Castle  at  Belvoir  fell  into  the  royal  hands.  He  was  likewise 
one  of  the  twenty-five  Barons  whose  signatures  are  attached  to  Magna 
Charta,  and  the  Charter  of  Forests,  at  Runnemede.  This  lord  richly 
endowed  the  Priory  at  Belvoir,  and  founded  and  endowed  a  Hospital 
at  Wassebridge,  between  Stamford  and  Lincoln,  where  he  was  buried 
in  1236.  Isabel,  of  the  house  of  Albini,  now  married  Robert  de  Ros, 
Baron  of  Hamlake,  and  thus  carried  the  estates  into  another  family.  He 
died  in  1285,  and  his  body  was  buried  at  Kirkham,  his  bowels  before 
the  high  altar  at  Belvoir,  and  his  heart  at  Croxton  Abbey ;  it  being  the 
practice  of  that  age  for  the  corporeal  remains  of  eminent  persons  to  be 
thus  distributed  after  death.  The  next  owner,  William  de  Ros,  was, 
in  1304,  allowed  to  impark  100  acres  under  the  name  of  Bever  Park, 
which  was  appropriated  solely  to  the  preservation  of  game. 

Sir  William  Ros,  Knight,  was  Lord  High  Treasurer  to  Henry  IV. 
he  died  at  the  Castle  in  1414,  and  bequeathed  400/.  "for  finding  ten 
honest  chaplains  to  pray  for  his  soul,  and  the  souls  of  his  father,  mother, 
brethren,  sisters,  &c.,"  for  eight  years  within  his  Chapel  at  Belvoir 
Castle.  John  and  William  Ros,  the  next  owners,  were  distinguished  in 
the  wars  of  France :  the  former  was  slain  at  Anjou  ;  the  latter  died  in 
1431,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Edmund,  an  infant,  who  on  coming 
of  age,  engaged  in  the  Wars  of  York  and  Lancaster:  he  was  attainted, 
and  his  nobk  possessions  parcelled  out  by  Edward  IV. ;  the  honour. 
Castle,  and  lordship  of  Belvoir,  with  the  park,  and  all  its  members,  and 


344  Belvoir  Castle, 

the  rent  called  Castle  Guard  (then  an  appurtenince  to  Belvoir),  being 
granted,  in  1467,  to  Hastings,  the  Court  corruptionist.  Leland  thus 
describes  the  transaction:  "  The  Lord  Ros  took  Henry  the  VI. 's  part 
against  King  Edward,  whereupon  his  lands  were  confiscated,  and 
Belever  Castle  given  in  keeping  to  Lord  Hastings,  who  coming  thither 
on  a  time  to  peruse  the  ground,  and  to  lie  in  the  Castle,  was  suddenly- 
repelled  by  Mr.  Harrington,  a  man  of  power  thereabouts,  and  friend  to  the 
Lord  Ros.  Whereupon  the  Lord  Hastings  came  thither  another  time 
with  a  strong  power,  and  upon  a  raging  will  spoiled  the  Castle,  defacing 
the  rooft,  and  taking  the  leads  off  them.  Then  fell  all  the  Castle  to 
ruins,  and  the  timber  of  the  roofs  uncovered,  rotted  away,  and  the  soil 
between  the  walls  of  the  last  grew  full  of  elders,  and  no  habitation  was 
there  till  that,  of  late  days,  the  Earl  of  Rutland  hath  made  it  fairer  than 
ever  it  was." 

The  above  attainder  was,  however,  repealed,  and  Edmund,  Lord  Ros, 
obtained  repossession  of  all  his  estates  in  1483 :  he  died  at  the  manor- 
house  of  Elsinges,  Enfield,  Middlesex,  without  issue  in  1508 :  his  sisters 
became  heiresses  to  the  estates,  and  Belvoir  being  part  of  the  moiety  of 
Eleanor,  by  her  marriage  with  Sir  Robert  Manners,  of  Etall,  in  Nor- 
thumberland, the  Castle  passed  into  the  Manners  family,  who  have 
continued  to  possess  it  until  the  present  time.  George,  eldest  son  of 
the  above-named  Robert  Manners,  succeeded  to  his  father's  estates,  in- 
cluding Belvoir.  His  son  Thomas,  Lord  Ros,  succeeded  him,  and  was 
created  by  Henry  VI H.  a  Knight,  and  afterwards  Earl  of  Rutland, 
a  title  which  had  nevei*  before  been  conferred  upon  any  person  but 
of  the  blood-royal;  and  to  him  is  attributed  the  restoration  of  the 
Castle,  which  had  been  partly  demolished  by  Hastings,  as  Leland  has 
described  it.  He  says  further :  "  it  is  a  strange  sighte  to  se  be  how 
many  steppes  of  stone  the  way  goith  up  from  the  village  to  the  castel. 
In  the  castel  be  two  faire  gates;  and  the  dungeon  is  a  faire  round 
tower,  now  turned  to  pleasure,  as  a  place  to  walk  yn,  and  to  se  al  the 
counterye  aboute,  and  raylid  about  the  round  (wall),  and  a  garden 
(plotte)  in  the  middle.  There  is  also  a  welle  of  grete  depth  in  the 
castelle,  and  the  spring  thereof  is  veiy  good." 

Henry,  the  second  Earl  of  Rutland,  made  great  additions  to  the 
Castle,  and  it  became  a  noble  and  princely  residence.  In  1556,  he  was 
appointed  Captain-General  of  all  the  forces  then  going  to  France,  and 
Commander  of  the  Fleet,  by  Philip  and  Mary.  Edmund,  the  third 
Earl,  Camden  calls  "  a  profound  lawyer,  and  a  man  accomplished  with 
all  polite  learning."  The  sixth  Earl  manied  two  wives ;  by  the  second 
he  had  two  sons,  who,  according  to  the  monument,  were  murdered  by 


Belvoir  Castle.  345 

;wricked  practice  and  sorcery,  as  follows:  Joan  Flower,  and  her  two 
daughters,  who  were  servants  at  Belvoir  Castle,  having  been  dismissed 
the  family,  in  revenge  made  use  of  all  the  enchantments,  spells,  and 
charms  that  were  then  supposed  to  answer  their  malicious  purposes. 
Henry,  the  eldest  son,  died  soon  after  their  dismissal ;  but  no  suspicion 
of  witchcraft  arose  till  five  years  after,  when  the  three  women,  who 
were  said  to  have  entered  into  a  foitnal  contract  with  the  devil,  were 
accused  of  "  murdering  Henry  Lord  Ros  by  witchcraft,  and  torturing 
the  Lord  Francis,  his  brother,  and  Lady  Catherine,  his  sister."  After 
various  examinations  before  Francis,  Lord  Willoughby  of  Eresby, 
and  other  magistrates,  they  were  committed  to  Lincoln  gaol.  Joan 
died  at  Ancaster,  on  her  way  thither,  wishing  the  bread-and-butter 
she  ate  might  choke  her,  if  guilty.  The  two  daughtei-s  were  tried, 
confessed  their  guilt,  and  were  executed  at  Lincoln,  March  ii, 
1618-19. 

George,  seventh  Earl,  was  honoured  with  a  visit  from  Charles  L  at 
Belvoir  Castle,  in  1634.  The  eighth  Earl  was  John  Manners,  who 
attaching  himself  to  the  Parliamentarians,  the  Castle  was  attacked  by 
the  Royal  army,  and  lost  and  won  again  and  again  by  each  party,  till 
the  Earl  being  "  put  to  great  straights  for  the  maintenance  of  his  family,'* 
petitioned  the  House  of  Peers  for  relief ;  and  Lord  Viscount  Campden 
having  been  the  principal  instrument  in  the  ruin  of  the  *'  Castle,  lands, 
and  woods  about  Belvoyre,"  Parliament  agreed  that  1500/.  a  year  be 
paid  out  of  Lord  Campden's  estate,  until  5000/.  be  levied  to  the  Earl 
of  Rutland. 

In  the  Civil  Wars,  the  Castle  w^as  defended  for  the  King  by  the 
rector  of  Ashwell,  co.  Rutland.  In  1643,  ^bout  140  men  of  Belvoir 
were  defeated  by  Colonel  Wayte,  with  60  men,  taking  46  prisoners 
and  60  horses;  and  in  the  following  year  Colonel  Wayte  attacked 
another  party  at  Belvoir,  where  he  made  many  prisoners.  In  1644  the 
King  slept  two  nights  at  Belvoir.  In  1649  the  Parliament  ordered  the 
Castle  to  be  demolished  ;  satisfaction  was,  however,  made  to  the  Earl, 
whose  son  rebuilt  the  Castle  after  the  Restoration.  John,  the  ninth 
Earl,  preferred  the  Baronial  retirement  and  rural  quiet  of  Belvoir,  to  the 
busy  Court,  though  he  was  created  Marquis  of  Granby  and  Duke  of 
Rutland.  He  resided  almost  entirely  at  Belvoir,  where  he  kept  up 
old  English  hospitality;  and  for  many  years  before  his  death  never 
went  to  London,  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son  John,  whose  son  was 
"  the  Great  Marquis  of  Granby,"  who,  during  the  Rebellion,  raised  a 
regiment  of  foot,  became  Lieutenant- General,  and  eminently  (iis- 
tinguished  himself  in  Germany ;    yet  a  few  years  since  there  was  no 


34^  Belvoir  Castle. 

monumental  record  of  his  name.  The  third  Duke  was  the  list  of  the 
family  who  resided  at  Haddon. 

Belvoir  Castle  was  greatly  altered,  and  the  interior  newly  arranged 
by  the  taste  of  the  Duchess  of  Rutland,  and  executed  under  the  direc- 
tion of  James  AVyatt,  architect.  It  consists  of  a  quadrangular  court, 
occupying  nearly  the  summit  of  the  hill,  and  with  its  towers  and  walls 
is  of  regal  stateliness.  The  view  comprehends  the  whole  vale  of  Belvoir, 
and  the  adjoining  country  as  far  as  Lincoln,  including  twenty-two  of  the 
Duke  of  Rutland's  manors.  The  interior  is  sumptuously  furnished,  and 
contains  a  valuable  collection  of  paintings.  Here  is  a  massive  golden 
salver,  entirely  composed  of  tributary  tokens  of  royal  and  public  respect 
for  services  performed  by  the  noble  family  of  Manners,  and  inscribed 
with  the  causes  and  dates  of  these  honourable  services.  The  last  general 
repairs  cost  60,000/.  By  an  accidental  fire  in  181 6,  a  large  portion  of 
the  ancient  part  of  the  Castle  was  destroyed. 

There  have  been  in  our  time  two  memorable  royal  visits  to  Belvoir 
Castle:  George  IV.,  then  Prince  Regent,  in  18 14;  and  Queen  Victoria 
and  the  Prince  Consort  in  1843.  Upon  each  of  these  occasions  was 
observed  the  ceremony  of  presenting  the  Key  of  the  Staunton  Tower  to 
the  Sovereign.  The  Staunton  Tower  is  the  stronghold  of  the  Castle.  It 
fvas  successfully  defended  by  Sir  Mauger  Staunton,  Lord  of  Staunton, 
against  William  the  Norman,  who,  when  firmly  seated  on  the  throne 
he  had  won,  allowed  the  Lord  of  Staunton  to  keep  possession  of  the 
lands  he  had  so  nobly  defended ;  and  he  afterwards  held  the  lordship 
of  Staunton  by  tenure  of  Castle  Guard.  This  lordship  is  situated  seven 
miles  from  Newark,  and  five  fi-om  Belvoir,  and  is  stated  to  have  been 
in  the  possession  of  a  family  of  the  name  of  Staunton  for  more  than 
1300  years.  Upon  each  royal  visit  the  key  was  presented  to  the 
Sovereign  upon  a  velvet  cushion  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Stanton,  to  whom  it 
was  most  graciously  returned. 

Of  the  scale  of  living  at  Belvoir,  we  extract  from  a  published 
account  the  following  particulars  of  the  consumption  of  wine  and  ale, 
wax-lights,  &c.,  at  Belvoir  Castle,  from  December,  1839,  to  April, 
1840,  or  about  thirteen  weeks  : — Wine,  200  dozen  ;  ale,  70  hogsheads; 
wax-lights,  2330 ;  sperm  oil,  630  gallons.  Dined  at  his  Grace's  table, 
1997  persons;  in  the  steward's  room,  2421;  in  the  servants*  hall, 
nursery,  and  kitchen  department,  including  comers  and  goers,  11,313 
persons.  Of  loaves  of  bread  there  were  consumed  8333  ;  of  meat, 
22,963  lbs.  exclusive  of  game.  The  money  value  of  the  meat,  poultry, 
eggs,  and  every  kind  of  provision,  except  stores,  consumed  during  this 
period,  amounted  to   1323/.  7J.  ii|<^.    The  quantity  of  game  killed 


Leicester  Castle.  347 

during  the  season  overall  his  Grace's  manors,  is  thus  stated: — 1733 
hares,  987  pheasants,  2101  partridges,  28  wild  ducks,  108  woodcocks, 
138  snipes,  947  rabbits,  776  grouse,  23  black  game,  and  6  teal. 


Leicester  Castle. 

Leicester,  placed  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river  Soar,  was  known  to 
the  Romahs  by  the  name  of  Ratae,  and  was  then  a  place  of  importance. 
It  is  of  British  origin,  and  was  taken  possession  of  and  fortified  by  the 
Romans.  The  line  of  the  wall  has  been  traced  upon  the  norths  south, 
and  east  sides,  the  western  defence  being  formed  by  the  river.  If,  as  is 
supposed,  the  fragment  of  Roman  masonry  known  as  the  Jewry  wall 
was  really  a  part  of  the  town  wall,  it  follows  that  the  wall  was  present 
on  the  west  side,  and  there  was  a  space  between  that  defence  and  the 
river ;  and  that  the  Castle,  which  occupies  the  south-west  angle,  was 
outside  the  town. 

Geoffrey  of  Monmouth  ascribes  its  name  and  foundation  to  the  fabu- 
lous Leir,  the  son  of  Bladud,  the  Lear  of  Shakspeare.  It  was  also  a  town 
of  great  importance  among  the  Saxons,  and  was  nearly  central  in  the  king- 
dom of  Mercia.  It  is  mentioned  in  a  Saxon  charter  of  819,  and  is  said 
to  have  given  the  title  of  Earl  to  Leofric,  a.d.  716.  It  was  taken  and 
many  of  the  inhabitants  massacred  by  Ethelfrith,  King  of  Northumber- 
land. The  town,  during  the  Danish  interregnum,  was  one  of  the  five 
hurghs;  and  the  Castle,  like  those  of  Tamworth  and  Tutbury,  is  said 
to  have  been  either  founded  or  restored  by  Ethelfreda,  daughter  of 
Alfred  the  Great,  in  913-14,  though  for  this  solid  evidence  is  wanting. 
Nevertheless,  that  Saxon  Leicester  was  the  seat  of  a  very  important 
earldom  is  very  certain,  and  the  residence  of  the  lords  was  most  pro- 
bably the  Castle. 

After  the  Conquest,  the  property  was  added  to  the  Royal  demesne, 
and  the  Castle  was  erected,  or  rather  an  old  fortress  was  enlarged  and 
strengthened,  to  keep  the  townsmen  in  check.  On  the  Conqueror's 
death  this  Castle  was  seized  by  the  Grentmaisnells,  and  held  by  them 
for  Robert  Duke  ©f  Normandie ;  it  was,  therefore,  attacked  and  re- 
duced to  a  heap  of  ruins  by  "William  Rufus.  The  actual  property  of 
the  Grentmaisnells  in  Leicester,  was  one-fouith  of  the  town ;  but  it  does 
not  appear  how  this  and  much  of  the  other  parts  were  acquired  by 
Robert,  Earl  of  Mellent,  who  became  Earl  of  Leicester,  and  died  in 
1 1 18,  in  possession  of  the  Castle  and  honour.  Outside,  but  just  beneath 
the  fortress  wall,  was  a  collegiate  church,  of  Saxon  foundation,  dedicated 


34^  Leicester  Castle. 

to  St,  Mary.    This  Robert  Bellomont  rebuilt  and  enriched  very  consi- 
derably in  1 103,  and  he  is  thought  also  to  have  completed  the  Castle. 

Robert  Bossu,  the  second  Earl,  took  the  part  of  Henry  I.  He  also 
strengthened  and  enlarged  the  Castle.  He  w^as  the  founder  of  the 
Abbey  of  St.  Mary  de  Pratis,  outside  the  town  ;  and,  to  endow  this,  he 
diminished  the  ecclesiastical  staff,  and  diverted  some  of  the  lands  fi-om 
his  fether's  foundation  by  the  Castle.     He  died  1 1 67. 

Robert  Blanchmains,  his  son,  is  reputed  to  have  enlarged  and 
strengthened  the  Castle,  and  his  constable,  Anketel  Mallory,  held  it 
against  Henry  H.  in  1175,  unsuccessfully.  Both  Castle  and  town 
were  taken,  the  town  wall  was  demolished,  and,  it  is  said,  between  the 
north  and  east  gates  was  never  rebuilt. 

Robert  Fitzparnell,  the  fourth  Earl,  died  childless  ifi  1204,  when  Lei- 
cester Castle,  and  in  1206  the  earldom,  came  to  Simon  de  Montfort, 
who  had  married  Amicia,  his  sister  and  coheir.  Upon  the  death  at 
Evesham  of  their  son  Simon,  in  1265,  and  his  attainder,  the  earldom  and 
Castle  were  granted  to  Edmond,  second  son  of  Henry  HI.,  Earl  of 
Leicester  and  Lancaster,  and  the  Castle  has  since  descended  with  the 
Lancaster  property,  and  is  still  a  part  of  the  duchy  of  that  name. 

Henry,  Earl  of  Lancaster  and  Leicester,  founded  the  Hospital  of  the 
Newark  contiguous  to  the  Castle  in  1322,  and  the  works  were  com- 
pleted by  Henry,  his  son,  Duke  of  Lancaster,  in  1354.  The  hospital 
contained  four  acres.  It  reached  the  iriver,  and  covered  the  Castle  on 
the  south  side,  and  at  this  time  one  approach  to  the  Castle  is  across  the 
Newark,  through  its  larger  and  smaller  gates. 

The  Earls  and  Dukes  of  Lancaster  must  have  restored  the  Castle,  as 
they  resided  here  very  frequently,  and  with  their  usual  display.  When 
John  of  Gaunt  granted  certain  privileges  to  the  city  in  1376,  he  reserved 
the  Castle  and  its  mill,  and  the  rents  and  services  of  the  Castle  court 
and  its  office  of  porter.  In  the  Castle  he  entertained  Richard  II.  and 
his  Queen  with  great  splendour  in  1390. 

In  1 414,  when  Henry  V,  held  a  Parliament  in  the  Hall  of  the  Grey 
Friars,  he  resided  at  the  Castle,  and  it  was  in  the  great  hall  of  the 
Castle  that  was  held  the  Parliament  of  1425-6,  the  Commons  meeting 
in  an  apartment  below  it ;  this,  however,  could  scarcely  be  the  case  as 
regards  the  existing  hall,  which  is  on  the  ground  level, 

Henry  VI.  was  here  in  J426,  and  in  1444  the  Castle  and  honour  were 
included  in  his  marriage  settlement.  In  1450  a  third  Parliament  was 
held  at  Leicester.  Edward  IV,  was  here  in  1463  and  1464,  but  from 
this  period  the  Castle  seems  to  have  been  neglected,  and  to  have  fallen 
into  great  decay. 


Leicester  Abbey  and  Cardinal  Wolsey.  349 

Leland,  who  visited  Leicester  about  151 2, says:  "The  castelle  stond- 
ing  nere  the  west  bridge  is  at  this  tyme  a  thing  of  small  estimation,  and 
there  is  no  apparaunce  other  [either]  of  high  waulles  or  dykes.  So  that 
I  think  that  the  lodgiriges  that  now  be  there  were  made  sins  the  tyme  of 
the  Barons'  war  in  Henry  III.  tyme,  and  great  likelyhood  there  is  that 
the  castelle  was  much  defaced  in  Henry  II.  tyme,  when  the  waulles  of 
Liercester  were  defacid." — {Abridged  from  a  communicatiGn  to  the 
Buildre.) 

In  the  time  of  Charles  I.  the  materials  of  the  Castle  were  sold,  and 
there  are  now  few  remains  of  it,  except  the  mound,  or  earthwork  of  the 
keep,  which,  though  broad,  is  less  lofty  than  usual  in  the  more  impor- 
tant Saxon  castles.  It  is  about  thirty  feet  high,  and  100  feet  diameter 
upon  its  circular  top,  which  is  quite  flat. 


Leicester  Abbey  and  Cardinal  Wolsey. 

Leicester  Abbey  was  founded  in  the  year  1143,  '^^  ^^^  rei^n  of  King 
Stephen,  by  Robert  Bossu,  Earl  of  Leicester,  for  black  canons  of  the 
Order  of  St.  Augustine,  and  was  dedicated  to  the  Virgin  Mary.  It  is 
situated  in  a  pleasant  meadow  to  the  north  of  the  town,  watered  by  the 
river  Soar,  whence  it  acquired  the  name  of  St.  Mary  de  Pratis,  or  de  la 
Pre.  This  monastery  was  richly  endowed  with  lands  in  thirty-six  of  the 
neighbouring  parishes,  besides  various  possessions  in  other  counties,  and 
enjoyed  considerable  privileges  and  immunities.  Bossu,  with  the  con- 
sent of  the  Lady  Amicia,  his  wife,  became  a  canon  regular  in  his  own 
foundation,  in  expiation  of  his  rebellious  conduct  towards  his  sovereign, 
and  particularly  for  the  injuries  which  he  had  thereby  brought  upon 
the  "  goodly  town  of  Leycestre."  The  monastery  had  liberty  of  pro- 
curing fuel  and  keeping  cattle  in  divers  other  manors.  Amicia,  the  wife 
of  the  founder,  gave  two  bucks  annually.  Margaret  de  Quincey  also 
gave  a  buck  annually  out  of  Charnwood  Forest,  and  land  at  Sheepshead. 
Robert  de  Quincey,  her  husband,  confirmed  these  grants,  and  added  the 
tenth  of  all  hay  sold  in  Ade  and  Wyffeley,  and  the  right  shoulder  of  all 
the  deer  killed  in  the  park  of  Acle. 

Leicester  Abbey  was  rendered  famous  as  being  the  last  residence  of 
the  unhappy  Wolsey :  within  its  walls  was  once  witnessed  a  scene  more 
humiliating  to  human  ambition,  and  more  instructive  to  human  gran- 
deur, than  almost  any  which  history  has  produced.  Here  the  fallen 
pride  of  Wolsey  retreated  from  the  insults  of  the  world,  all  his  visions 
of  ambition  were  now  gone;  his  pomp  and  pageantry  and  crowded 
levees.    On  this  spot  he  told  the  listening  monks,  the  sole  attendants  of 


35^  Leicester  Abbey  and  Cardinal  Wolsey. 

his  dying  hour,  as  tiiey  stood  around  his  pallet,  that  he  was  come  to  lay 
his  bones  among  them,  and  gave  them  a  pathetic  testimony  to  the  truth 
and  joys  of  religion. 

On  his  road  to  London,  whither  he  had  been  summoned  from  his 
Castle  at  Cawood,  by  Henry,  to  take  his  trial  for  high  treason,  he  was 
seized  with  a  disorder,  which  so  increased  as  to  oblige  his  resting  at 
Leicester,  where  he  was  met  at  the  Abbey-gate  by  the  Abbot  and  his 
whole  convent.  The  first  ejaculation  of  Wolsey  on  meeting  these  holy 
persons,  plainly  shows  that  he  was  aware  of  his  approaching  end: 
••  Father  Abbot,"  said  he,  "  I  am  come  hither  to  lay  my  bones  among 
you ;"  and  with  much  difficulty  he  was  carried  upstairs,  which  it  was 
feted  he  was  never  again  to  descend  alive.  The  very  next  day  the 
Abbot  was  summoned  to  administer  the  fifth  sacrament  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  called  extreme  unction,  and  the  guard  were  desired  to 
witness  his  last  moments.  He  expired  as  the  clock  struck  eight, 
saying,  "  If  I  had  served  God  as  diligently  as  I  have  done  the  King,  he 
would  not  have  given  me  over  in  my  grey  hairs." 

The  remains  of  the  Cardinal  were  interred  in  the  Abbey  church  at 
Leicester,  after  having  been  viewed  by  the  mayor  and  corporation  (for 
the  prevention  of  false  rumours),  and  were  attended  to  the  grave  by  the 
Abbot  and  all  his  brethren.  This  last  ceremony  was  performed  by 
torchlight,  the  canons  singing  dirges,  and  offering  orisons,  at  between 
four  and  five  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  St.  Andrew's  Day,  Novem- 
ber 30,  1530. 

At  the  Dissolution,  the  site  of  the  Abbey  was  granted  to  William, 
Marquis  of  Northampton.  In  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  the  Earl  of 
Huntingdon  was  in  possession  of  it ;  but  in  the  succeeding  reign  it 
belonged  to  the  Cavendish  family,  and  was  the  seat  of  the  Countess  of 
Devonshire,  till  the  period  of  the  Civil  War,  during  which  a  party  of 
Royalists  from  Ashby-de-la-Zouch,  under  the  command  of  Henry 
Hastings,  afterwards  Lord  Loughborough,  came  and  burnt  the  Abbey, 
leaving  only  the  walls  standing.  In  16415,  the  town  of  Leicester,  under 
Colonel  Thomas  Grey,  on  the  31st  of  May,  was  stormed  by  Charles  I. 
and  Prince  Rupert,  with  great  slaughter,  but  it  was  recovered  on  the 
i8th  of  June,  in  the  same  year,  by  the  Parliamentarians  under  Fairfex. 

There  is  a  traditional  story  that  the  stone  coffin  in  which  Wolsey 's 
remains  were  placed,  was,  after  its  disinterment,  used  as  a  horse-trough 
at  an  inn  in  or  near  Leicester. 


351 


Groby  Castle  and  Bradgate  Hall — Elizabeth  Woodville 
and  Lady  Jane  Grey. 

Groby. — The  manor  of  Groby,  in  Leicestershire,  and  the  ad- 
acent  one  of  Bradgate,  were  given  by  the  Conqueror  to  a  favourite 
Norman  follower,  named  Hugh  Grandmeisnell,  who  was  after- 
wards created  Baron  of  Hinkley  and  High  Steward  of  England  by 
William  Rufus.  Parnel,  or  Petronella,  the  daughter  and  co-heir  of 
this  Sir  Hugh,  brought  this  manor  in  marriage  to  Robert  Blanch- 
maines.  Earl  of  Leicester,  from  whom,  by  the  marriage  of  another 
co-heir,  it  passed  to  Saher  de  Quincey,  created  Earl  of  Winchester 
in  the  eighth  year  of  King  John,  and  whose  son  and  heir,  Roger, 
Earl  of  Winchester,  died  in  the  forty-eighth  year  of  Henry  IIL, 
leaving  issue  three  co-heiresses,  one  of  whom,  Margaret,  wife  of 
William  de  Ferrers,  Earl  of  Derby,  gave  it  to  her  second  son, 
William  de  Ferrers,  who  was  afterwards  created  Baron  of  Groby. 
In  the  reign  of  Edward  IV.,  the  manor  was  possessed  by  Sir  Edward 
Grey,  in  right  of  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Woodville,  heir-general  of  the 
Ferrers,  and  afterwards  queen  of  Edward  IV.,  and  whose  grandson, 
Thomas,  was  created  Marquis  of  Dorset.  His  grandson,  Henry 
Grey,  Duke  of  Suffolk  (father  of  Lady  Jane  Grey),  was  beheaded  in 
1554,  and  his  estates  were  transferred  to  his  nephew,  who  was 
created  Baron  Grey  of  Groby  by  James  I.  In  1628,  his  grandson, 
Henry,  was  created  Earl  of  Stamford,  from  whom  the  present  Earls 
of  Stamford  and  Warrington  are  descended. 

Bradgate,  where  still  stand  the  remains  of  a  venerable  old 
mansion,  is  situated  on  the  skirts  of  Charnwood  Forest,  about  two 
miles  from  Groby  Castle,  and  four  miles  from  Leicester.  In  the 
ecclesiastical  division  of  the  county  it  is  a  member  of  the  noble 
owner's  manor  and  peculiar  of  Groby.  As  parcel  of  that  manor, 
Bradgate  belonged  anciently  to  Hugh  Grandmeisnell,  passed  with 
Groby  manor  to  Robert  Blanchmaines,  Earl  of  Leicester,  and  after- 
wards by  marrage  to  Saher  de  Quincey,  Earl  of  Winton.  Bradgate 
Park,  as  parcel  of  the  manor  of  Groby,  became  the  property  of 
William  de  Ferrers,  whose  son  and  heir,  William,  was  summoned 
to  Parliament  in  1293,  as  Baron  Ferrers,  of  Groby.  In  1444,  on 
the  death  of  the  last  William,  Lord  Ferrers,  of  Groby,  Bradgate 
descended  to  Sir  Edward  Grey,  who  married  Elizabeth,  sole 
daughter  of  Henry,  son  to  William,  Lord  Ferrers,  of  Groby.    Sir 


352  "t^rohy  Cast ic  and  Bradmie  HalL 

John  Grey,  son  of  Sir  Edward,  married  Elizabeth  Wideville,  whose 
beauty  so  impressed  King  Edward  IV.,  that  he  married  her  ard 
made  her  Queen  of  England  and  the  mother  of  queens. — {See 
Grafton  House,  Northamptonshire.) 

Sir  Thomas  Grey,  son  of  Sir  John  Grey  and  EHzabeth  Wideville, 
succeeded  as  Lord  Ferrers  of  Groby,  and  in  1475  was  advanced  to 
the  dignity  of  Marquis  of  Dorset.  He  died  in  1501,  having  pre- 
viously commenced  the  erection  of  several  new  buildings  both  at 
Groby  and  Bradgate.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  third  son,  Thomas, 
second  Marquis  of  Dorset,  who,  early  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VHI., 
built  at  Bradgate  a  very  fair,  large,  and  beautiful  house,  from 
materials  brought  principally  from  the  manor-house  of  the  Earl  of 
Warwick,  at  Sutton  Coldfield.  In  151 1  he  was  sent  into  Spain  with 
an  army  of  10,000  men,  of  whom  5000  were  archers,  who,  besides 
their  bows  and  arrows,  carried  halberds,  "  which  they  pitched  in 
the  ground  till  their  arrows  were  shot,  and  then  took  up  again  to 
do  execution  on  the  enemy."  Two  years  later,  this  Thomas,  with 
four  of  his  brothers,  together  with  the  Duke  of  Suffolk  and  some 
other  gallant  gentlemen,  attended  a  tournament  at  St.  Denis,  in 
France,  and  "behaved  themselves  so  bravely  therein  that  they 
returned  home  with  singular  honour."  In  1520,  at  the  famous 
meeting  of  King  Henry  and  Francis  the  First  of  France,  between 
Ardres  and  Guisnes,  in  Picardy,  "  he  carried  the  sword  of  state 
before  the  King  of  England  naked,  as  the  Duke  of  Bourbon  did 
before  the  King  of  France,  and  after  that  was  one  of  the  aiders  in 
those  renowned  jousts  and  tournaments  which  were  held  at  that 
time  there,  between  the  English  and  French."  In  1529  he  was  a 
witness  in  the  cause  of  divorce  between  King  Henry  and  Queen 
Catherine,  his  first  wife,  as  to  the  age  of  Prince  Arthur,  &c.  He 
died  in  1530. 

The  next  owner  of  Bradgate  was  Henry,  eldest  son  of  the  pre- 
ceding and  third  Marquis  of  Dorset.  About  this  time  Bradgate  was 
visited  by  Leland,  who  says  : — "  From  Leicester  to  Bradegate,  by 
ground  welle  woddid,  three  miles.  At  Bradegate  is  a  fair  parke,  and 
a  lodge  lately  buildid  there  by  the  Lord  Thomas  Gray,  Marquise  of 

Dorsete,  father  to  Henry,  that  is  now  marquise This  parke 

was  parte  of  the  old  erles  of  Leicester's  lands,  and  sins,  by  heirs 
generales,  it  came  to  the  lord  Ferrars  of  Groby,  and  so  to  the  Grays. 
From  Bradegate  to  Groby  a  mile  and  a  half,  much  by  woddenland. 
There  remaine  few  tokens  of  the  old  castelle,  more  than  that  the 
hill  that  the  kepe  of  the  castelle  stoode  on  is  yet  very  notable,  but 
there  is  now  no  stone  upon  it Newere  workes  and  buildinges 


Grohy  Castle  and  Bradgate  HalL  353 

there  at  Bradegate  were  erected  by  the  Lord  Thomas,  first  marquise 
5f  Dorset,  among  the  which  workes  he  began  and  erectid  the  foun- 
dation and  waules  ot  a  great  gatehouse  of  brick,  and  a  tour,  but  thac 

is  left  half  onfinished  of  him  and  so  it  standeth  yet There  is 

a  faire  large  parke  by  the  place  a  vi.  miles  in  compasse.  There  is 
also  a  poore  village  by  the  place  and  a  litil  broke  by  it.'' 

In  1546-7,  Henry,  Marquis  of  Dorset,  was  appointed  Lord  High 
Constable  of  England,  for  three  days  only,  on  the  solemnity  of  the 
King's  coronation  ;  in  155 1  he  was  made  Warden  of  the  West  and 
Middle  Marches  towards  Scotland,  and  in  the  same  year  he  was 
created  Duke  of  Suffolk,  in  compliment  to  his  second  wife,  who 
was  Frances,  daughter  and  co-heir  of  Charles  Brandon,  the  gay 
Duke  of  Suffolk,  by  his  third  wife  Mary,  daughter  of  King  Henry 
VII.,  and  widow  of  Louis  XII.,  King  of  France.  The  family  of 
Suffolk  were  now  enjoying  a  large  share  of  prosperity  and  of  royal 
favour.  The  king  was  their  near  kinsman,  and  among  their  rela- 
tives were  the  most  powerful  famihes  in  England.  It  seems  unac- 
countable then,  except  on  the  theory  that  prosperity  unsettles  men's 
minds,  when  adversity  could  not,  that  only  during  the  summer  after 
his  latest  honours  had  been  conferred  upon  him,  the  Duke  of 
Suffolk  was  unfortunately  allured  to  countenance  a  project  which 
involved  himself  and  his  family  in  ruin. 

But  before  we  can  detail  this  fatal  step  it  will  be  necessary  to 
refer  to  the  beautiful  and  accomplished  daughter  of  the  Duke  of 
Suffolk— the  incomparable  Lady  Jane  Grey.  "  It  is  impossible," 
says  the  historian  of  Leicestershire,  "  to  think  upon  the  sweet  dis- 
position  and  wonderful  accomplishments  of  this  excellent  lady, 
without  having  the  heart  elated  by  the  sublimest,  as  well  as  melted 
by  the  tenderest  feelings.  How  interested  must  we  feel  about 
Bradgate,  when  we  recollect  it  was  not  only  the  birthplace,  but  the 
scene  of  the  happy  childhood  and  the  early  studies  of  this  incom- 
parable heroine,  Here,  to  use  the  quaint  but  emphatic  language 
of  Dr.  Fuller,  '  she  was  bred  by  her  parents,  according  to  her  high 
birth,  in  religion  and  learning.  They  were  no  whit  indulgent  to 
her  in  childhood,  but  extremely  severe,  more  than  needed  to  so 
sweet  a  temper;  for  what  need  iron  instruments  to  bow  wax? 
But,  as  the  sharpest  winters  (correcting  the  rankness  of  the  earth) 
cause  the  more  healthful  and  fruitful  summers,  so  the  harshness  of 
her  breeding  compacted  her  soul  to  the  greater  patience  and  piety, 
so  that  afterwards  she  proved  the  mirror  of  her  age,  and  attained  to 
be  an  excellent  scholar,' 

**  AA 


354  Groby  Castle  and  Bradgate  HalL 

"  Of  her  strong  affection  to  learning,  there  is  a  remarkable  test!* 
niony  given  by  Mr.  Ascham,  which,  as  it  does  honour  to  herself  and 
her  learned  preceptor,  we  cannot  pass  by  in  silence.  One  example," 
saith  he,  "  whether  love  or  fear  doth  more  in  a  child,  for  virtue  and 
learning,  I  will  gladly  report ;  which  may  be  heard  with  some  plea- 
sure and  followed  with  more  profit.  Before  I  went  into  Guernsey 
I  came  to  Brodegate,  in  Leicestershire,  to  take  my  leave  of  that 
noble  lady,  Jane  Grey,  to  whom  I  was  exceeding  much  beholden. 
Her  parents,  the  Duke  and  Duchess,  with  all  the  household,  gen- 
tlemen and  gentlewomen,  were  hunting  in  the  park.  I  found  her  in 
the  chamber  reading  Phcedon  Platonis^  in  Greek,  and  that  with  as 
much  delight  as  some  gentlemen  would  read  a  merry  tale  in 
Boccace.  After  salutation  and  duty  done,  with  some  other  talk,  I 
asked  her,  why  she  would  lose  such  pastime  in  the  park.  Smiling, 
she  answered'  me,  *  I  wiste  all  their  sport  in  the  parke  is  but  a 
shadow  to  that  pleasure  that  I  find  in  Plato.  Alas,  good  folk  !  they 
never  felt  what  true  pleasure  meant.'  *And  how  came  you, 
madam,'  quoth  I,  *  to  this  deep  knowledge  of  pleasure,  and  what 
did  chiefly  allure  you  unto  it,  seeing  not  many  women  but  very  few 
men  have  attained  thereto  P  *  I  will  tell  you,'  saith  she,  '  and  tell 
you  a  troth  which  perchance  you  will  marvel  at.  One  of  the  greatest 
benefits  that  ever  God  gave  me,  is  that  he  sent  me  so  sharp  and 
severe  parents,  and  so  gentle  a  schoolmaster.  For  when  I  am  in 
presence  either  of  father  or  mother,  whether  I  speak,  keep  silence, 
sit,  stand,  or  go,  eat,  drink,  be  merry  or  sad,  be  sewing,  dancing,  or 
doing  anything  else,  I  must  do  it,  as  it  were,  in  such  weight, 
measure,  and  number,  even  so  perfectly  as  God  made  the  world ;  or 
else  I  am  so  sharply  taunted,  so  cruelly  threatened — yea,  presently 
sometimes  with  pinches,  nips,  and  bobs,  and  other  ways  (which  I 
will  not  name  for  the  honour  I  bear  them),  without  measure  mis- 
ordered,  till  the  time  come  that  I  must  go  to  Mr.  Elmer ;  who 
teacheth  me  so  gently,  so  pleasantly,  with  such  fair  allurements  to 
learning,  that  I  think  all  the  time  nothing,  whiles  I  am  with  him. 
And  when  I  am  called  from  him,  I  fall  on  weeping,  because  what- 
ever I  do  else,  but  learning,  is  full  of  grief,  trouble,  fear,  and  whole 
misliking  unto  me.  And  thus  my  book  hath  been  so  much  my 
pleasure,  and  bringeth  daily  to  me  more  pleasures  and  more,  that 
in  respect  of  it,  all  other  pleasures  in  very  deed,  be  but  trifles  and 
very  troubles  unto  me.'  I  remember  this  talk  very  gladly  (saith 
Mr.  A.),  both  because  it  is  so  worthy  of  memory,  and  because 
ii  was  the  last  that  I  ever  had,  and  the  last  time  that  I  ever  ziyt 
that  noble  and  worthy  lady." 


Grohy  Castle  and  Bradgate  Hall,  355 

"  She  had,"  continues  Dr.  Fuller,  "  the  innocency  of  childhood, 
the  beauty  of  youth,  the  solidity  pf  middle,  the  gravity  of  old  age, 
and  all  at  eighteen  ;  the  birth  of  a  princess,  the  learning  of  a  clerk, 
the  life  of  a  saint,  yet  the  death  of  a  malefactor,  for  her  parents* 
offences.  .  .  .  No  lady  which  led  so  many  pious,  lived  so  few 
pleasant  days,  whose  soul  was  never  out  of  the  nonage  of  afflictions, 
till  death  made  her  of  full  years  to  inherit  happiness.  So  severe 
her  education  !  Whilst  a  child  her  father's  was  to  her  an  house  of 
correction  ;  nor  did  she  write  woman  sooner  than  she  did  subscribe 
wife  ;  and,  in  obedience  to  her  parents,  was  unfortunately  matched 
to  the  Lord  Guildford  Dudley.  Yet  he  was  a  goodly,  and  (for  aught 
i  find  to  the  contrary)  a  godly  gentleman,  whose  worst  fault  was 
*jiat  he  was  son  to  an  ambitious  father.  She  was  proclaimed  but 
never  crowned  queen  ;  living  in  the  Tower,  which  place,  though  it 
hath  a  double  capacity  of  a  palace  and  a  prison,  yet  appeared  to 
her  chiefly  in  the  latter  relation.  For  she  was  longer  a  captive  than 
a  queen  therein  ;  taking  no  contentment  all  the  time,  save  what  she 
found  in  God  and  a  clear  conscience.  Her  family,  by  snatching  at 
a  crown  which  was  not,  lost  a  coronet  which  was  their  own,  much 
degraded  in  degree,  and  more  in  estate.  I  would  give  in  an  inven- 
tory of  the  vast  wealth  they  then  possessed,  but  am  loathe  to  grieve 
her  surviving  relations  with  a  list  of  the  lands  lost  by  her  father's 
attainture." 

Of  the  ample  buildings  and  sumptuous  offices  of  the  Bradgate 
Hall  of  the  sixteenth  century,  the  remains  now  to  be  seen  are  few  and 
fragmentary.  The  building  was  of  brick  with  stone  quoins,  and  of 
these  the  principal  remains  are  the  broken  shells  of  two  towers,  with 
portions  of  enclosing  walls,  partly  covered  with  ivy.  Of  the  moat, 
the  pleasaunces,  and  fish-ponds,  the  traces  are  still  to  be  seen,  and 
close  to  the  house  is  a  beautiful  avenue  of  chestnuts— a  probable 
haunt  of  Lady  Jane  Grey.  The  park  still  abounds  in  picturesque 
views,  and  is  still  well  stocked  with  deer,  though  it  is  no  longer 
what  it  was,  "  when  a  squirrel  might  hop  six  miles  from  tree  to  tree 
without  touching  the  ground,  and  a  traveller  might  travel  from 
Beaumanoir  to  Bardon  on  a  summer  day  without  seeing  once  the 
sun."  Sad  rifts  have  been  broken  in  upon  the  ancient  "  wodden- 
lands"  of  the  park,  as  Leland  calls  them  ;  and  the  rabbit  and  hare 
now  roam  over  what  were  formerly  the  courtyards  and  gardens  of 
the  manor.  Thoresby  states  that  "  it  is  said  of  the  wife  of  the  Earl 
of  Suffolk,  who  last  inhabited  Bradgate  Hall,  that  she  set  it  on  fire 
or  caused  it  to  be  set  on  fire,  at  the  instigation  of  her  sister,  who 

A  A  2 


3S6  Donington  Park  ana  Langley  Priory. 

then  lived  in  London.  The  story  is  thus  told :  Some  time  after  the 
Earl  had  married,  he  brought  his  lady  to  his  seat  at  Bradgate.  Her 
sister  wrote  to  her,  desiring  to  know  how  she  liked  her  habitation 
and  the  country  she  was  in.  The  Countess  of  Suffolk  wrote  for 
answer,  that  'the  house  was  tolerable,  that  the  country  was  a 
forest,  and  the  inhabitants  all  brutes.'  The  sister  in  reply 
advised  her  'to  set  fire  to  the  house,  and  run  away  by  the 
light  oi  it.'  The  former  part  of  the  request,  it  is  said,  she  imme- 
diately put  into  practice.  Some  say  that  this  immaculate  lady  had 
an  intrigue  with  her  husband's  chaplain. 

In  later  as  in  earlier  times,  the  demesne  of  Bradgate  has  followed 
the  fortunes  of  the  manor  of  Groby.  Both  are  now,  as  mentioned 
above,  among  the  possessions  of  the  Earls  of  Stamford  and 
Warrington, 


Donington  Park  and  Langley  Priory. — The  Cheslyns 
and  the  Shakespears. 

Donington  Hall,  a  magnificent  edifice,  the  seat  of  the  Marquis 
of  Hastings,  resembling  a  palace  rather  than  the  typical  ancestral 
hall  of  England,  is  situated  nine  and  a  half  miles  north-east  of 
Ashby-de-la-Zouch,  on  the  north-west  border  of  the  county  of 
Leicester,  and  is  separated  from  Derbyshire  on  the  west  by 
the  river  Trent.  It  was  formerly  in  the  possession  of  Thomas 
Plantagenet,  Earl  of  Lancaster,  Leicester,  and  Derby.  In  1594  it 
was  purchased  by  George,  Earl  of  Huntingdon,  who  soon  after 
uestroyed  the  castle  at  this  place,  and  erected  a  handsome  mansion, 
which  continued  the  principal  residence  of  the  Earls  of  Hunting- 
don. In  1789  it  was  bequeathed  by  Francis  Hastings,  Earl  of 
Huntingdon,  to  the  Earl  of  Moira,  who  erected  the  present  mansion 
o{  stone,  from  the  designs  of  W.  Wilkins,  of  Cambridge.  It  stands 
in  a  plain  formed  by  the  union  of  three  delightful  valleys,  which 
radiate  from  the  spot  m  the  direction  of  east,  south,  and  south- 
west. The  situation  is,  notwithstanding,  considerably  above  the 
general  level  of  the  country.  The  style  of  the  exterior  and  entrance 
hall  is  castellated  architecture,  adopted  from  a  plan  suggested  by 
his  lordship  as  best  suited  to  the  scenery  around.  It  is  a  quad- 
rangular edifice  surrounding  a  courtyard ;  the  principal  front  is  to 
the  south,  extending  to  about  130  feet.  In  the  centre  is  a  lofty 
pointed  arch  of  entrance,  springing  from  turrets ;  the  space  over  tliQ 


Donington  Park  and  Lang  ley  Priory.  357 

arcli  is  divided  into  five  compartments  by  small  buttresses  ternii- 
nating  in  pinnacles  between  which  are  lancet  windows,  and  is 
surmounted  by  a  battlement.  Over  the  door  is  the  following 
inscription  : — "  To  the  memory  of  his  uncle,  Francis^  Earl  of 
Huntingdon,  from  whose  affection  he  received  the  estate,  this 
edifice  is  gratefully  dedicated  by  Francis  Rawdon  Hastings."  On 
each  side  of  this  noble  porch,  which  is  highly  ornamental, 
the  main  building  extends  about  fifty  feet,  two  stories  in  height, 
terminated  at  the  angles  by  embattled  tun'ets.  And  between  each 
of  the  five  windows  on  either  side  rises  a  buttress,  turreted ;  over 
the  windows  are  scroll  labels  and  an  ornamented  open  parapet. 
The  porch  opens  to  the  great  hall,  24  feet  square  ;  on  one  side  is 
the  dining-room,  48  feet  by  24  feet ;  and  on  the  other  an  ante- 
chamber and  drawing-room,  40  feet  by  24  feet.  At  the  west  end  is 
the  library,  72  feet  long  by  26  feet  wide,  in  which  is  preserved  a 
collection  of  royal  and  noble  letters,  arranged  with  great  care  by 
Mr.  Edward  Dawson,  the  steward ;  on  the  east  side  is  the  great 
breakfast-parlour  ;  and  extending  beyond  the  mansion  is  the  family 
chapel,  58  feet  long  by  20  feet  wide,  having  a  high  pointed  roof  and 
mullioned  windows  ;  its  walls,  supported  by  buttresses,  terminating 
in  pinnacles,  produce  a  beautiful  effect,  while  it  serves  to  conceal 
the  offices.  The  principal  apartments  contain  a  collection  of  ancient 
portraits,  chiefly  of  the  Hastings  family  and  their  relatives.  There 
are  also  numerous  specimens  of  Holbein,  Vandyke,  Sir  P.  Lely,  Sir 
G.  Kneller,  Jansen,  Teniers,Titian,  &c.  The  scenery  of  Donington 
Park  is  remarkable  for  picturesque  beauty,  abounding  in  undulations, 
clothed  with  the  richest  verdure,  and  adorned  with  a  profusion  of 
noble  trees.  At  the  northern  extremity  of  the  park  is  seen  Doning- 
ton Cliff,  verging  on  the  river  Trent.  This  eminence  is  luxuriantly 
clothed  with  a  fine  hanging  wood,  and  the  river  beneath  winds  in  a 
silver  stream,  through  meadows  many  miles  in  length. 

Donington  Hall,  as  will  presently  be  seen,  is  connected  with 
Langley  Priory ,  a  very  ancient  foundation  of  Leicestershire,  three 
miles  south  of  Donington  Hall.  Here  William  Pantulf,  in  the 
reign  of  King  Canute  the  Dane,  founded  a  small  nunnery,  dedicated 
to  the  Virgin.  At  the  dissolution  the  site  and  demesne  lands  were 
demised  to  Thomas  Gray.  This  gentleman  died  at  Castle  Doning- 
ton, seized,  among  other  estates,  of  the  site  and  lands  of  Langley 
Priory,  in  1564.  In  1686  the  whole  estate  was  purchased  by  Richard 
Cheslyn,  Esq.,  an  eminent  founder  in  London,  and  the  projector 
of  the  Whitechapel  Waterworks.     His  grandson,  Mr.  Cheslyn,  in 


35^  Doningion  Park  and  Langley  Priory, 

1770,  expended  nearly  5000/.  in  plantations,  gardens,  and  pleasure* 
grounds,  and  made  considerable  additions  to  his  estates  by  pur* 
chasing  lands  in  Diseworth,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  priory,  and  in 
Castle  Donington.  Dying  in  1787,  Mr.  Cheslyn  bequeathed  Langley 
to  his  nephew,  Richard  Cheslyn,  and  to  his-  elder  son  (under  strict 
settlement). 

On  entering  this  lordship  from  Tonge,  the  eye  is  attracted  by 
numerous  fine  old  oaks — the  whole  grounds,  indeed,  seeming  to 
have  been  at  one  time  laid  out  as  a  park.  The  only  house  on  the 
whole  estate  is  Langley  Hall,  which  occupies  a  low  situation  in  a 
rich  but  sequestered  vicinity,  and  has  in  front  of  it  a  fine  sheet  of 
water  with  extensive  pleasure-grounds. 

In  the  year  1820  the  annual  income  of  this  estate  was  little  short 
of  8000/.  Mr.  Cheslyn,  then  its  proprietor,  filled  the  office  of  High 
Sheriff,  was  an  active  magistrate,  and  supported  the  character  of 
the  rich  English  squire  in  the  traditional  style  of  splendour.  He 
had  one  son  and  three  daughters  by  his  wife,  the  sister  of  the  bishop 
of  Killala.  "  The  son,"  says  Sir  Bernard  Burke,  "  was  the  pride  of 
all  circles  and  the  idol  of  his  own  ;  the  daughters  were  the  belles  of 
the  county,  two  of  them  lovely  as  Hebe,  and  one  gifted  with  great 
mental  powers.  At  Donington,  at  Belvoir,  at  Coleorton,  at  all  the 
great  county  seats,  they  were  always  welcome  guests,  and  the  priory 
was  a  rendezvous  for  the  choicest  spirits  of  the  three  counties. 
Moore  was  a  frequent  visitor,  and  warbled  some  of  his  favourite 
Irish  melodies  at  Langley  Priory  before  they  were  in  the  possession 
of  the  general  public.  Bacchanalian  and  Anacreontic  were  the 
evenings  at  Langley  in  those  days." 

The  decline  of  the  family  of  the  Cheslyns  was  perhaps  as  rapid 
and  as  complete  as  that  of  any  ancient  stock  whose  vicissitudes 
throw  a  glow  of  romance  over  the  pages  of  our  county  histories. 
Mr.  Cheslyn  became  involved  in  a  ruinous  lawsuit,  and  some  mining 
speculations  into  which  he  had  entered  turning  out  utterly  profitless 
at  about  the  same  time,  he  found  himself  a  beggared  man.  His 
son,  who  had  been  brought  up  with  an  expectancy  of  7000/.  a  year, 
and  was  on  the  point  of  forming  a  high  matrimonial  alliance,  found 
himself  at  once  reduced  from  affluence  to  indigence.  Only  a  year 
or  two  ago  he  might  have  mated  with  a  countess,  now  we  find  him 
marrying  a  peasant's  daughter,  by  whom  he  left  an  only  son,  the 
last  of  the  Cheslyns,  and  now,  or  lately,  an  inmate  of  the  Herrick 
Charity,  or,  at  least,  a  recipient  of  its  bounty. 

♦*  An  overwhelming  vicissitude,"  adds  the  author  already  quoted, 


Donington  Park  and  Laiigley  Priory,  359 

"  was  never  borne  with  a  better  grace  than  by  Dick  Cheslyn.  To  the 
last  he  kept  up  *  the  feast  of  reason  and  the  flow  of  soul/  was  always 
well  received  as  a  guest  at  the  many  noble  houses  at  which  he  had 
visited  on  terms  of  equality,  and  at  those  dinner  parties  at  which 
every  portion  of  his  dress  was  the  cast-off  clothes  of  his  grander 
friends,  always  looked  and  was  the  gentleman.  He  made  no  secret 
of  his  poverty  or  of  the  generous  hand  that  had  *  rigged  him  out/ 
*This  coat,*  he  has  been  heard  to  say,  Svas  Radcliffe's ;  these 
pants,  Granby's ;  this  waistcoat,  Scarborough's  ;  the  et  ceteras, 
Bruce  Campbell's/  His  cheerfulness  and  bonhommie  under  all  the 
painful  circumstances  never  forsook  him.  He  was  the  victim  of 
others'  mismanagement  and  profusion,  not  of  his  own." 

Towards  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  when  the  Cheslyn? 
were  still  keeping  lordly  state  at  Langley  Priory,  and  when  Francis, 
Lord  Moira,the  gallant  soldier,  eloquent  senator,  and  able  Governor- 
General  of  India,  was  the  master  of  Donington  Hall,  a  peasant  lad, 
named  John  Shakespear,  whose  chief  employment  was  tending 
cows  in  the  lanes,  but  who  was  occasionally  employed  in  the  gardens 
of  the  priory,  was  living  in  a  humble  cottage,  in  the  adjoining  village 
of  Tonge. 

One  day  a  sudden  thunder-storm  overtook  Lord  Moira,  who  was 
walking  in  the  vicinity  of  his  mansion,  and  drove  him  to  take  shelter 
under  a  tree.  Here  he  found  young  Shakespear,  the  cowherd,  who 
had  come  here  with  the  same  object  as  his  lordship.  Entering  into 
conversation  with  the  boy,  and  being  struck  with  his  seeming  intel- 
ligence, Lord  Moira  commanded  the  boy  to  call  at  Donington  Hall 
on  the  following  morning.  The  lad,  acting  under  the  impression 
that  the  gentleman  who  had  been  speaking  to  him  was  one  of  the 
upper  servants  at  the  hall,  did  as  he  had  been  requested  ;  but  was 
filled  with  confusion  when,  on  being  ushered  into  a  room  of  the 
mansion,  he  discovered  that  it  was  Lord  Moira  himself  who  had 
been  talking  with  him  under  the  tree. 

Further  conversation  with  the  lad  strengthened  his  lordship's 
estimate  of  his  talents,  and  he  resolved  that  the  peasant  boy  should 
have  the  advantage  of  education.  Young  Shakespear  was  placed 
at  school,  and  made  rapid  progress,  especially  in  the  acquisition  of 
languages. 

When  young  he  was  connected,  as  a  teacher  of  languages,  with 
an  educational  establishment  at  Marlow ;  afterwards  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Addiscomb  College,  and  for  a  number  of  years  filled  the 
office  of  Professor  of  Oriental  Languages  in  that  institution,  till 


360  Doniiigton  Park  and  Langley  Priory, 

1852,  when  he  vacated  his  position.  During  his  connexion  with 
Addiscomb  College,  he  published  several  oriental  works,  through 
the  Messrs.  Allen,  of  Leadenhall  Street,  and  from  these  works 
reaped  a  much  larger  reward  than  ordinarily  falls  to  the  lot  even  of 
the  most  gifted  authors.  Mr.  Shakespear's  principal  publications 
consist  of  an  "  English  and  Hindustani  Dictionary,"  a  "  Grammar 
of  the  Hindustani  Language,"  an  "  Introduction  to,"  and  "  Selections 
from  the  Hindustani  Language."  These  works  may  be  ranked  only 
among  the  class  of  compiled  publications,  but  they  evidence  much 
labour  and  research,  and  their  great  popularity  remains  the  true 
proof  of  their  usefulness  and  merit. 

Some  curious  stories  are  told  as  to  Mr.  Shakespear's  care- 
fulness, if  not  penuriousness,  in  money  matters ;  and  this  passion 
for  the  accumulation  of  wealth,  with  the  successful  issue  of  his 
works,  enabled  him  to  leave  behind  him  at  his  death  upwards 
of  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  money.  His  death  took  place  on 
the  loth  June,  1858,  in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  at  Langley 
Priory,  which  he  had  purchased  some  years  previously,  for 
7o,ocx)/.  His  famous  library  he  bequeathed  to  Professor  Bowles, 
of  Addiscomb.  Mr.  Shakespear's  connexion  with  the  Shakspeare 
House,  at  Stratford-on-Avon,  may  be  told  in  a  few  words.  That 
national  property  was  bought  in  1847,  by  pubHc  auction,  for  3000/., 
by  the  Shakspearian  Club,  out  of  a  fund  obtained  by  public  sub- 
scription, and  was  conveyed  to  Viscount  Morpeth  (Earl  of  Carlisle) 
and  others.  Desirous  of  doing  honour  to  the  memory  of  his  illus- 
trious namesake,  John  Shakespear  bequeathed  2500/.  to  the 
trustees  of  the  house,  for  the  purpose  of  clearing  away  old  obstruc- 
tions, in  the  shape  of  the  walls  of  other  buildings,  etc.  Mr.  Shake- 
spear never  professed  to  be  related  to  the  great  bard,  but  thought  it 
probable  that  he  was  descended  from  a  branch  of  the  family.  He 
was  very  particular  in  spelling  his  own  name  in  the  way  we  have 
given  it,  without  the  final  <r,  whilst  he  always  wrote  the  name  of  the 
poet  thus— Shakspeare. 

Thus  the  cow-boy,  who  had  worked  hopelessly  enough,  no  doubt, 
on  the  estates  of  the  priory,  lived  to  purchase  them  with  money 
earned  by  his  own  talent  and  perseverance,  and  died  in  affluence, 
comfort,  and  honour,  while  the  last  of  the  Cheslyns,  after  experi- 
encing the  luxuries  which  a  princely  fortune  can  command,  was 
compelled  to  accept  the  eleemosynary  assistance  offered  by 
public  charity. 

Before  the  time  of  his  death  Mr.  Shakespear  had  purchased 


Donington  Park  and  Langley  Priory.  361 

the  whole  of  the  Priory  estates,  for  140,000/.  This  splendid  inheri- 
tance he  bequeathed  to  Charles  Bowles,  Esq.,  who  assumed, 
by  sign  manual,  the  name  of  Shakespear,  and  is  now  a  respected 
county  gentleman  and  magistrate  of  Leicestershire. 

Donington   is  at  present  held  by  Lady  Edith    Maud   Abney- 
Hastings,  Countess  of  Loudon. 


—  ^ 


3^2 


WARWICKSHIRE. 

Warwick  Castle  and  Guy's  Cliff. 

The  town  of  Warwick  is  delightfully  situated  on  the  banka 
of  the  river  Avon,  nearly  in  the  centre  of  the  county  to  which 
it  gives  name,  and  of  which  it  is  the  capital.  Its  foundation  is  con- 
sidered as  remote  as  the  earliest  period  of  the  Christian  era,  Dugdale 
attributes  its  erection  to  Gutheline  or  Kimbeline,  a  British  king,  whose 
son,  Guiderius,  greatly  extended  it ;  but  being  aftei-wards  almost  totally 
destroyed  by  the  Picts  and  Scots,  it  lay  in  a  ruinous  condition  until  it 
was  rebuilt  by  the  renowned  Caractacus.  It  greatly  suffered  fiom  the 
Danish  invaders,  but  was  repaired  by  the  Lady  Ethelfleda,  the  daughter 
of  King  Alfred.  Warwick  Castle  is  one  of  the  very  few  baronial 
residences  now  remaining  which  are  connected  with  our  early  history; 
and  rears  its  round  and  lofty  turrets  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
town.  It  stands  on  a  rocky  eminence,  40  feet  perpendicular  height, 
and  overhanging  the  river  which  washes  its  rocky  base.  The  first 
fortified  building  on  this  spot  was  erected  by  the  Lady  Ethelfleda,  who 
built  the  donjon  upon  an  artificial  mound  of  earth,  which  can  still  be 
traced  in  the  grounds.  The  most  ancient  part  of  the  present  Castle, 
according  to  Domesday  Book,  was  erected  in  the  reign  of  Edward  the 
Confessor  ;  which  document  informs  us  that  it  was  "  a  special  strong- 
hold for  the  midland  part  of  the  kingdom."  In  the  reign  of  William 
the  Norman  it  received  considerable  additions ;  when  Turchill,  then 
vicecomes  of  Warwickshire,  was  ordered  to  enlarge  and  repair  it.  The 
Conqueror,  however,  being  distrustful  of  Turchill,  committed  the 
custody  of  it  to  one  of  his  own  followers,  Henry  de  Newburgh,  whom 
he  created  Earl  of  Warwick,  the  first  of  that  title  of  the  Norman  line. 
The  second  earl  garrisoned  the  Castle  for  King  Stephen.  In  the 
reign  of  Henry  III.  this  fortress  was  considered  of  such  importance 
that  security  was  required  from  Margery,  the  sister  and  heiress  of 
Thomas  de  Newburgh,  the  sixth  earl  of  the  Norman  line,  that  she  would 
not  many  with  any  person  in  whom  the  King  could  not  place  the 
greatest  confidence.  During  the  same  reign,  in  the  year  1265,  William 
Mauduit,  who  had  garrisoned  the  Castle  for  the  King  against  the  re- 
bellious barons,  was  surprised  by  the  governor  of  Kenilworth  Castle^ 


p.  362 


WARWICK   CASTLE. 

1.  The  Inner  Court,  from  the  Keep. 

2.  The  Castle,  from  the  Island. 


Warwick  Castle  and  Gtifs  Cliff,  363 

whojiiaving  destroyed  a  part  of  the  walls,  took  him,  with  the  Countess, 
bis  wife,  prisoners ;  and  a  ransom  of  1900  marks  was  paid  before  their 
release  could  be  obtained. 

To  the  Newburghs  succeeded  the  Beauchamps;  Anne,  daughter 
and  heiress  of  Richard  Beauchamp,  Earl  of  Warwick,  in  the  reign  of 
Henry  VI.,  married  Richard  Neville,  who  assumed  the  title  of  Earl  of 
Warwick  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VI.,  by  right  of  his  wife,  and  was 
called  the  King'tnaker. 

After  his  death,  at  the  battle  of  Barnet,  the  Duke  of  Clarence,  who 
had  married  his  daughter,  was  created  Earl  of  Warwick  by  King 
Edward  IV.,  and  put  in  possession  of  the  Castle;  to  which  he  made 
great  additions.  Upon  the  forfeiture  of  the  Duke's  estates,  a  grant  ot 
the  Castle  was  made  to  the  family  of  Dudley ;  and  that  line  failing, 
the  title  of  Earl  of  Warwick  was  given  by  James  I.  to  Robert  Rich, 
whose  property  it  continued  till  1759.  The  Castle  was  granted  by  the 
same  King  to  Sir  Fulke  Greville,  Lord  Brook,  after  having  passed 
through  the  successive  lines  of  Beauchamp,  Neville,  Plantagenet,  and 
Dudley.  Sir  Fulke  Greville  found  the  Castle  in  a  ruinous  condition,  and 
expended  large  sums  in  its  restoration.  Under  his  successor  the  fortress 
was  gan-isoned  for  the  Parliament ;  and  in  1642  it  was  besieged  by  the 
King's  forces.  Francis  Lord  Brook  was  created  Earl  Brook  of  War- 
wick Castle  in  1746  ;  and  in  1759  Earl  of  Warwick.  The  gatehouse 
tower  of  the  Castle  is  flanked  by  embattled  walls,  covered  with  ivy, 
having  at  the  extremity  Caesar's  Tower  and  Guy's  Tower.  The  gate, 
between  machicolated  towers,  leads  to  the  great  court,  bounded  by  ram- 
parts and  turrets ;  on  one  side  of  the  area  is  an  artificial  mound,  skirted 
l3y  trees  and  shrubs,  and  surmounted  by  an  ancient  tower.  The  *'  liv- 
ing rooms  "  of  the  Castle  extend  en  suite  330  feet  in  length ;  eveiy 
window  in  which  commands  extensive  and  diversified  views.  The  hall 
has  been  most  carefully  restored ;  and  all  the  armorial  decorations  have 
been  painted  by  Willement.  They  refer  entirely  to  the  genealogical 
connexions  of  the  present  noble  possessor  with  the  ancient  Earls  of 
Warwick.  Many  of  the  rooms  of  the  Castle  are  hung  with  tapestry, 
and  ancestral  portraits,  and  a  collection  of  ancient  and  modem 
armour. 

The  stately  building  at  the  north-west  angle,  called  Guy's  House, 
was  erected  in  1394  ;  it  is  128  feet  high,  and  the  walls,  of  solid  masonry, 
are  10  feet  in  thickness.  Caesar's  Tower,  which  is  supposed  to  be  the 
most  ancient  part  of  the  Castle,  is  174  feet  high.  The  grounds  are  very 
extensive.  In  a  greenhouse,  built  for  its  reception,  is  the  celebrated 
and  magnificent  marble  vase,  found  in  the  ruins  of  Hadrian's  villa  at 


364  Wanvick  Castle  and  Guy's  Cliff. 

Tivoli,  and  brought  to  England  by  Sir  William  Hamilton,  who  pre- 
sented it  to  the  Earl  cf  Warwick;  it  holds  163  gallons.  In  a  room 
attached  to  Csesar's  Tower  are  shown  the  sword,  shield,  and  helmet, 
which,  according  to  fabulous  tradition,  belonged  to  Guy  Earl  of  War- 
wick ;  but  it  is  of  a  medley  of  dates.  The  custody  of  this  sword  was, 
80  late  as  the  year  1542,  granted  to  Edward  Cresswell,  with  a  salary  of 
2d.  per  diem,  out  of  the  rents  and  profits  of  the  Castle ;  his  kettle,  of 
bellmetal,  26  feet  wide,  to  contain  120  gallons,  is  also  preserved;  for 
which  purpose  a  pension  was  granted  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VOL  The 
Dun  Cow  is  not  mentioned  till,  in  a  seventeenth  century  play,  in  1636, 
a  rib  of  the  cow  was  exhibited  at  Warwick. 

>•  A  curious  interest  attaches  to  the  story  of  the  Dun  Cow,  mythic 
though  it  be :  the  origin  is  thus  explained  by  the  Rev.  C.  H.  Harts- 
home.  On  the  north-western  edge  of  Shropshire  is  the  Staple  Hill,  a 
collection  of  upright  stones,  disposed  in  a  circle  90  feet  in  diameter, 
and  bearing  the  name  of  *'  Michell's  Fold,"  a  title  signifying  the 
Middle  Fold,  or  inclosure;  forming,  as  it  docs,  the  central  one  between 
two  others.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  scene  of  burial  as  well  as 
sacrifice,  by  the  Druids  ;  and  the  following  legend  still  lingers  among 
these  stones.  Here  the  voice  of  hction  declares  there  formerly  dwelt 
a  giant,  who  guarded  his  cow  within  this  inclosure,  like  another  Apis 
among  the  ancient  Egyptians,  a  cow  who  yielded  her  milk  as 
miraculously  as  the  bear  CEdumla,  «\'hom  we  read  of  in  Icelandic 
mythology,  filling  every  vessel  that  could  be  brought  to  her,  until  at 
length  an  old  crone  attempted  to  catch  her  milk  in  a  sieve,  when,  furious 
at  the  insult,  she  broke  out  of  the  magical  inclosure  at  Michell's  Fold 
and  wandered  into  Warwickshire,  where  her  subsequent  histoiy  and 
fate  are  well  known  under  that  of  the  Dun  Cow,  whose  death  added 
another  wreath  of  laurel  to  the  immortal  Guy,  Earl  of  Warwick. 

The  learned  Dr.  Caius,  of  Cambridge,  says  of  the  Cow :  "  I  met 
with  the  head  of  a  certain  huge  animal,  of  which  the  naked  bone,  with 
the  bones  supporting  the  horns,  were  of  enormous  weight,  and  as  much 
as  a  man  could  well  lift.  The  curvature  of  the  bones  of  the  horns  is 
of  such  a  projection  as  to  point  not  straight  downwards,  but  obliquely 
forwards.  ...  Of  this  kind  I  saw  another  head  at  Warwick 
Castle,  A.D.  1552,  in  the  place  where  the  arms  of  the  great  and  strong 

Guy,  formerly  Earl  of  Warwick,  are  kept There  is  also  a 

vertebra  of  the  neck  of  the  same  animal,  of  such  great  size,  that  it» 
circumference  is  not  less  than  three  Roman  feet,  seven  inches  and  a 
half.  I  think  also  that  the  blade-bone,  which  is  to  be  seen  hung  up  by 
chains  from  the  north  gate  of  Coventry,  belongs  to  the  same  animal 


■Wanvick  Castle  and  Gtiy's  Cliff.  365 

The  circumference  of  the  whole  bone  is  not  less  than  eleven  feet  four 
inches  and  a  half. 

"  In  the  chapel  of  the  great  Guy,  Earl  of  Warwick,  which  issituatea 
rather  more  than  a  mile  from  the  town  of  Warwick  (Guy's  Cliff), 
there  is  hung  up  a  rib  of  the  same  animal,  as  I  suppose,  the  girth  or 
which  in  the  smallest  part  is  nine  inches,  the  length  six  feet  and  a  half. 
It  weighs  nine  pounds  and  a  half.  Some  of  the  common  people  fancy 
it  to  be  a  rib  of  a  wild  boar,  killed  by  Guy ;  some  a  rib  of  a  cow  which 
haunted  a  ditch  (  ?  ravine)  near  Coventry,  and  injured  many  persons. 
This  last  opinion  I  judge  to  come  nearer  to  the  truth,  since  it  may 
perhaps  be  the  bone  of  a  bonasus  or  urus.  It  is  probable  that  many 
animals  of  this  kind  formerly  lived  in  our  England,  being  of  old  an 
island  full  of  woods  and  forests ;  because,  even  in  our  boyhood,  the 
horns  of  those  animals  were  in  common  use  at  the  table,  on  more 
solemn  feasts,  in  lieu  of  cups ;  as  those  of  the  urus  were  in  Gennany 
in  ancient  times,  according  to  Caesar.  They  were  supported  on 
three  silver  feet,  and  had,  as  in  Germany,  a  border  of  silver  round 
the  rim." 

To  the  reign  of  Athelstan,  a.d.  926,  some  of  our  early  chroniclers 
assign  the  existence  of  the  fabulous  Guy,  Earl  of  Warwick.  Accord- 
ing to  the  legend,  Athelstan  was  at  war  with  the  Danes,  who  had 
penetrated  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Winchester  ;  and  it  was  to  depend 
on  the  issue  of  a  single  combat  between  an  English  champion  to  be 
appointed,  and  Colbran,  who,  though  acting  as  champion  of  the  Danes, 
is  described  as  being  an  African  or  Saracen,  of  gigantic  size — whether 
the  crown  of  England  should  be  retained  by  Athelstan,  or  be  trans- 
ferred to  Anlaf,  King  of  Denmark,  and  Govelaph,  King  of  Norway. 
Earl  Guy,  whose  valour  had  obtained  for  him  great  renown,  had  at 
the  very  time  just  landed  at  Portsmouth  in  the  garb  of  a  palmer,  having 
returned  fi'om  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land  ;  and  being  engaged  as  a 
champion  by  the  King,  who,  without  knowing  him,  had  been  directed 
by  a  vision  to  apply  to  him  to  undertake  the  matter,  he  succeeded  in 
killing  the  Danish  champion.  He  then  privately  discovered  himself  to 
the  King,  on  whom  he  enjoined  secrecy,  retired  unknown  to  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  his  own  Castle  at  Warwick,  and  lived  the  life  of  a  hermit 
till  his  death. 

What  is  the  origin  of  this  tradition,  which  cannot  be  traced  higher 
than  the  early  part  of  the  twelfth  century,  it  is  difficult  to  determine. 
The  story,  as  given  by  our  early  historians,  and  in  Dugdale,  who,  with 
Leland,  Camden,  and  some  others,  has  received  it  as  a  true  history,  is 
inconsistent  with  the  known  circumstances  of  the  times.    And  it  may 


366  Warwick  Castle  and  Guy's  Clijf. 

Je  obsei-ved,  that  the  name  of  the  champion,  Guy,  the  pilgrimage  to 
the  Holy  Land,  and  the  African  or  Saracenic  origin  of  Colbrand,  point 
to  a  period  subsequent  to  the  Norman  Conquest  as  that  in  which  the 
legend  received  its  present  form. 

Mr.  Thomas  Wright,  who  has  investigated  the  history  of  the 
romance  of  Guy  of  Warwick,  shows  how  the  original  myth  in  his- 
tories of  nations  has  been  gradually  transformed  in  each  tribe  into  a 
fabulous  history  of  individuals  (thus  constituting  what  we  call  the 
heroic  history  of  nations),  and  laid  the  groundwork  of  mediaeval 
romances ;  and  many  of  these  have  been  at  last  taken  for  authentic 
history,  and  then  found  their  way  into  old  chronicles.  He  shows  how 
this  was  the  case  in  ancient  Greece,  as  well  as  in  mediaeval  Europe.  He 
then  traces  in  our  country  the  change  of  the  national  and  primaeval 
myths  of  the  Saxon  race  into  a  class  of  romances,  which  are  known  as 
Anglo-Danish,  because  the  new  plot  is  generally  laid  in  the  events 
connected  with  the  invasion  of  this  country  by  the  Danes.  The 
romance  of  "  Guy  of  Warwick"  belongs  to  this  class ;  it  is  found  in 
its  earliest  form  in  the  Anglo-Norman  poem  of  the  thirteenth  century, 
and  to  some  degree  it  illustrates  the  locality. 

Guy's  Cliff  is  charmingly  picturesque,  with  its  rock,  wood,  and 
water.  It  is  supposed  that  here  was  an  oratory  and  a  cell  for  the  hermit 
in  Saxon  times ;  and  it  is  certain  that  a  hermit  dwelt  here  in  the  reigns 
of  Edward  HI.  and  Henry  IV.  Henry  V.  visited  the  Cliff;  and  here 
a  chantry  was  founded  by  Richard  Beauchamp,  Earl  of  Warwick.  In 
this  delightful  retreat  lived  John  Rous,  the  antiquary,  as  a  chantry 
priest  Subsequently,  a  private  gentleman  built  a  handsome  mansion 
here.  The  founder  of  the  chapel  caused  a  rude  statue  of  the  famous 
Earl  Guy  to  be  carved  from  the  solid  rock  ;  it  is  about  eight  feet  in 
height,  and  was  well  preserved  in  the  seventeenth  century. 

Warwick  is  a  brave  old  place,  redolent  of  the  fame  of  the  Earls  of 
Warwick  at  every  turn ;  which  is  shown  in  St.  Mary's  Cross  Church 
and  the  Beauchamp  Chapel,  and  from  the  renowned 

*•  Sir  Guy  of  Warwicke,  as  was  wreten 
In  palmer  wyse,  as  Colman  hath  it  wryten  ; 
The  battaill  toke  on  hym  for  England's  right,  f 

With  the  Colbrond  in  armes  for  to  fight," — 

to  the  accomplished  Sir  Fulke  Greville. 

Lord  Lytton,  in  his  picturesque  romance,  the  Last  of  the  Barons, 
gives  the  following  elaborate  portrait  of  the  King-maker  in  his  regal 
state,  at  Warwick  House,  in  Newgate-street,  where  six  oxen  were 
eaten  at  a  breakfast,  and  any  acquaintance  might  have  as  much  roast 


Warwick  Castle  and  Guy's  Cliff,  3^7 

meat  as  he  could  prick  and  carry  on  a  long  dagger.  This  portrait  is 
evidently  a  word-painting  from  the  period : — "  Tne  Earl  ot  Warwick 
was  seated  near  a  large  window  that  opened  upon  an  inner  court,  which 
gave  communication  to  the  river.  The  chamber  was  painted  in  the 
style  of  Henry  III.,  with  huge  figures  representing  the  Battle  of  Hast- 
ings, or  rather,  for  there  were  many  separate  pieces,  the  Conquest  of 
Saxon  England ;  the  ceiling  was  groined,  vaulted,  and  emblazoned  with 
the  richest  gilding  and  colours ;  the  chimney-piece  (a  modern  ornament) 
rose  to  the  roof,  and  represented  in  bold  reliefs,  gilt  and  decorated,  the 
signing  of  Magna  Charta ;  the  floor  was  strewed  thick  with  dried 
rushes  and  odorous  herbs ;  the  furniture  was  scanty  but  rich,  the  low- 
backed  chaii-s,  of  which  there  were  but  four,  carved  in  ebony,  had 
cushions  of  velvet,  with  fringes  of  massive  gold  ;  a  small  cupboard,  or 
beaufet,  covered  with  carpet%  de  cuir  (carpets  of  gilt  and  painted 
leather)  of  great  price,  held  various  quaint  and  curious  ornaments  of 
plate,  inwrought  with  precious  stones;  and  beside  this — a  singular 
contrast — on  a  plain  Gothic  table  lay  the  helmet,  the  gauntlets,  and  the 
battle-axe  of  the  master.  The  Earl  was  in  the  lusty  vigour  of  his  age ; 
his  hair,  of  deepest  black,  was  worn  short,  as  in  disdain  of  the  effemi- 
nate fashions  of  the  day ;  and  fretted  bare  from  the  temples  by  the 
constant  and  early  friction  of  his  helmet,  gave  to  a  forehead  naturally 
lofty  a  yet  more  majestic  appearance  of  expanse  and  height ;  his  com- 
plexion, though  dark  and  sunburnt,  glowed  with  rich  health  ;  the  beard 
was  closely  shaven,  and  left,  in  all  its  remarkable  beauty,  the  contour  ot 
the  oval  face  and  strong  jaw — strong  as  if  clasped  in  iron  ;  the  features 
were  marked  and  aquiline,  as  was  common  to  those  of  Norman 
blood ;  the  form  spare,  but  of  prodigious  width  and  depth  of  chest, 
the  more  apparent  from  the  fashion  of  the  short  surcoat,  which  was 
thrown  back,  and  left  in  broad  expanse  a  placard,  not  of  holiday  velvet 
and  satins,  but  of  steel,  polished  as  a  mirror,  and  inlaid  with  gold. 
The  Earl's  great  stature,  from  the  length  of  his  limbs,  was  not  so  obser- 
vable when  he  sat,  with  his  high,  majestic,  smooth,  unwrinkled  forehead, 
like  some  paladin  of  the  rhyme  of  poet  or  romancer,  and  rare  and 
harmonious  combination  of  colossal  strength  with  lithe  and  graceful 
lightness.  The  faded  portrait  of  Richard  Neville,  Earl  of  Warwick, 
in  the  Rous  Roll,  preserved  at  the  Heralds'  College,  does  justice  at 
least  to  the  height  and  majesty  of  his  stature.  The  portrait  of  Edward 
IV.  is  the  only  one  in  that  long  r«erie8  which  at  all  rivals  the  stately 
proportions  of  the  king-maker." 


368 


Blacklow  Hill. — The  Fate  of  Gaveston. 

Blacklow,  or  probably  Black-laiv,  Hill,  so  called  from  its  being  a 
place  of  execution,  is  situated  in  the  parish  of  Wotton,  within  a  mile 
and  a  half  of  Warwick.  Thither  Piers  Gaveston,  the  coiTupt  favourite 
of  a  weak  and  infatuated  King,  was  dragged  to  ignominious  execution, 
"  without  judgment  of  his  peers  or  any  course  of  law,  by  the  Earls  of 
Lancaster  and  Warwick,  who  had  taken  him  by  surprise  at  Deddington, 
in  Oxfordshire."  This  disgraceful  minion,  whom  Edward  I.  had  caused 
to  be  educated  together  with  his  son,  afterwards  Edward  II.,  in 
consideration  of  the  great  service  his  father  had  done  the  Crown, 
is  described  by  an  old  historian,  as  "  filling  the  Court  with  buffoons, 
parasites,  minstrels,  players,  and  alle  kinde  of  dissolute  persons,  to 
entertaine  and  dissolve  the  King  with  delights  and  pleasures." 

There  are  in  existence  two  letters  of  Edward,  First  Prince  of  Wales, 
dated  1304,  in  one  of  which  he  entreats  the  Queen,  and  in  the  other 
the  Countess  of  Holland,  his  sister,  to  intercede  with  the  King  for  the 
admission  of  Perot  de  Gaveston  among  his  attendants.  Prince  Edward 
Avas  twenty  years  old  at  the  time,  and  this  is  perhaps  the  earliest  men- 
tion of  that  unhappy  intimacy  which  dishonoured  his  reign,  and  had 
such  fatal  consequences  to  himself  and  his  favourite.  There  is  also 
another  letter  of  the  same  year  from  the  Prince  to  Sir  Hugh 
Despencer,  acknowledging  a  present  of  grapes  which  reached  him  just 
as  he  was  going  to  breakfast,  and  assuring  the  sender  that  the  fruit 
could  not  have  arrived  at  a  more  opportune  moment. 

Among  the  many  enemies  which  Gaveston  made  by  his  arrogance 
and  wantonness,  the  most  inveterate  appear  to  have  been  Thomas,  Earl 
of  Lancaster;  Aymer  de  Valence,  Earl  of  Pembroke;  and  Guy,  Earl 
of  Warwick ;  whom  he  severally  stigmatized  with  such  contemptuous 
nicknames  as  "  the  Stage  Player,"  *'  Joseph  the  Jew,"  and  "the  Black 
Dogge  of  Ardern."  The  Player  may  be  said  to  have  been  too  cun- 
ning for  him  when  he  wiled  him  into  Warwickshire  ;  and  right  deadly 
was  the  gnp  of  the  Black  Dogge,  wlien  the  miserable  parasite,  aftel 
being  hunted  like  a  fox  from  one  lurking-place  to  another,  succumbed 
at  length  to  his  unrelenting  fangs  on  Blacklow  Hill.  But  the  story  of 
the  sad  end  of  the  royal  favourite  is  worth  telling  more  fully : — "  Gave- 
stone  had,"  says  Speed,  "  a  sharp  wit  in  a  comely  shape,  and  briefly  was 
such  an  one  as  we  use  to  call  -very  fine  f  he  possessed  also  great 
courage  and  skill  in  arms,  as  he  liad  proved  in  the  Scottish  war  and  is 


Blackloiv  Hill. — The  Fate  of  Gaveston.  3^9 

the  tournaments,  where  he  had  overthrown  the  most  distinguished  of 
our  baronial  chivalry.  On  the  other  hand  he  was  luxurious  to  the  last 
degree,  proud  as  regards  himself,  insolent  to  others,  and  oppressive  and 
capricious  to  those  in  any  way  subjected  to  his  control.  Those  whom 
he  nicknamed  were  dangerous  men  to  jest  with,  even  if  there  had  been 
nothing  in  the  favourite's  public  conduct  to  lay  hold  of.  But  while 
they  thus  saw  themselves  treated  with  contempt,  they  also  saw  all  the 
great  enterprises  neglected.  They  saw  the  King's  court  given  \ip  to 
sensuality  and  riot ;  they  knew,  also,  that  the  riches  of  the  kingdom 
were  being  converted  to  Gavestone's  private  use ;  that  Edward,  besides 
conferring  on  him  the  earldom  of  Cornwall,  a  dignity  hitherto  reserved 
for  princes  of  the  blood,  and  maiTying  him  to  his  sister's  daughter,  gave 
him  the  funds  collected  for  the  Scottish  war,  and  for  the  crusades 
(32,000/.  sterling  of  which,  by  his  father's  dying  command,  ought  to 
have  been  applied  to  the  restoration  and  maintenance  of  the  holy 
sepulchre),  as  well  as  his  ancestor's  jewels  and  treasures,  even  to  the 
very  crown  worn  by  his  father,  which  the  barons  not  unnaturally  looked 
upon  as  a  symbol  of  the  result  that  Edward  possibly  dreamed  of,  the 
declaration  of  Piers  Gavestone  for  his  successor. 

The  young  Queen  added  her  voice  to  the  general  complaint ;  for 
through  Gavestone  the  King  had  been  dravni  on  to  injure  her.  Her 
appeal  to  her  father,  the  French  King,  was  followed  by  the  Gascon 
knight's  third  banishment,  in  June,  1309,  which,  however,  was  merely 
to  Ireland,  and  as  governor.  But  he  would  not  take  warning;  in 
October  he  returned  in  defiance  of  a  known  decree  "  that  if  at  any 
time  afterwards  he  were  taken  in  England,  he  should  suffer  death.'* 
Edward  evidently  would  rather  lose  crown,  kingdom,  queen,  and  all, 
than  Piers  Gavestone.  The  lords,  with  the  "  great  hog,"  Thomas,  Earl 
of  Lancaster,  at  their  head,  looking  upon  the  return  with  different  eyes, 
met,  and  agreed  to  send  respectfully  to  Edward,  to  desire  that  Gave- 
stone should  be  delivered  into  their  hands,  or  driven  out  of  England. 
The  King  vacillated,  knowing  peace  must  be  kept  with  the  lords,  yet 
unwilling  to  sacrifice  his  favourite.  Gavestone  endeavoured  to  defend 
himself  in  Scarborough  Castle,  while  the  King  went  to  York  to  seek  an 
army  for  his  relief.  But  before  any  force  could  be  collected  for  such  a 
purpose.  Piers  Gavestone,  on  the  19th  May,  13 12,  capitulated  to  the 
Earls  Pembroke  and  Percy,  who  pledged  their  faith,  it  is  said,  that  he 
should  be  kept  unharmed  in  the  Castle  of  Wallingford.  At  Dedding- 
ton,  a  village  between  Oxford  and  Wanvick,  the  Earl  of  Pembroke, 
who  escorted  him,  left  him  for  a  night,  under  the  pretext  of  visiting  the 
Countess  of  Pembroke,  who  was  in  the  neighbourhood,    Gavestont 

*  *  B   B 


370         Blacldoiv  Hill — The  Fate  of  Gaveston, 

seems  to  have  remained  full  of  confidence,  as  usual,  until  he  was  roused 
from  his  sleep  by  the  startling  order  to  "  dress  himself  speedily."  He 
obeyed,  descended  to  the  court-yard,  and  found  himself  in  the  presence 
of  the  "  black  dog  of  Ardern."  He  must  then  have  repented  his 
wretched  wit,  for  he  knew  the  stern  Warwick  had  sworn  a  terrible  vow 
that  he  would  make  the  minion  feel  the  "  black  dog's  teeth."  A  deeper 
darkness  than  that  of  night  must  have  overshadowed  the  wretched 
Gavestone.  No  help  was  at  hand.  Amid  the  triumphant  shouts  or 
the  large  armed  force  that  attended  Warwick,  he  was  set  on  a  mule, 
and  humcd  thirty  miles  through  the  night  to  Wai'wick  Castle,  where 
his  entrance  was  announced  by  a  crash  of  martial  music.  He  stood 
trembling  and  dismayed  before  the  dais,  whereon  sate,  in  terrible  an-ay, 
his  self-constituted  judges,  the  chief  barons.  During  their  hurried  con- 
sultation, a  proposal  was  made,  or  a  hint  offered,  that  no  blood  should 
be  shed ;  but  a  voice  rang  through  the  hall,  "  you  have  caught  the  fox ; 
if  you  let  him  go,  you  will  have  to  hunt  him  again."  Let  Gavestone's 
deserts  be  what  they  might,  the  faith  pledged  at  the  capitulation  at 
Scarborough  ought  to  have  been  adhered  to, — but  it  was  otherwise  deter- 
mined by  the  barons.  He  had  been  taken  once  more  on  English 
ground,  and  he  must  die.  The  unhappy  man  kneeled  and  prayed  for 
mercy,  but  found  none.  The  head  of  the  wretched  victim  is  said 
to  have  been  struck  off  where  a  hollow  in  the  crag  at  Blacklow  (now 
Gaversike),  about  two  miles  from  Warwick  Castle,  appeared  to  supply 
a  natural  block  for  such  a  purpose,  just  over  an  ancient  inscription, 
which  records  the  event  as  follows :— • 

"  13"- 
P.  Gaveston, 
Earl  of  Cornwall, 
beheaded  here." 

A  cross  of  recent  date  is  erected  on  the  brow  of  the  hill  imme- 
diately adjacent,  with  a  tablet  thus  inscribed : — 

••  In  the  hollow  of  this  Rock 

Was  Beheaded, 

On  the  ist  day  of  July,  1313, 

By  Barons  lawless  as  himself, 

Piers  Gaveston,  Earl  of  Cornwall, 

The  Minion  of  a  hateful  King  ; 

In  Life  and  Death 

A  memorable  Instance  of  Misrule." 

Of  the  Norman  Castle  of  Sutton  Valence,  in  Kent,  only  a  few  ruined 
walls  now  exist.  Ancient  records,  however,  show  that  in  the  reign  of 
Edward  II.  his  favourite,  Piers  Gaveston,  was  confined  in  Sutton  keep 


Coventry  Castle^  and  Lady  Go  diva,  37* 

by  the  barons ;  and  thus  it  remained  to  remind  them  of  the  resistance 
which  Englishmen  made  against  those  foreign  and  worthless  favourites 
with  which  some  of  our  earlier  sovereigns  surrounded  themselves. 


Coventry  Castle,  and  Lady  Godiva. 

Coventry,  a  city  locally  in  Wai-wickshire,  but  made  a  separate  county, 
is  nearly  in  the  centre  of  England,  and  about  300  feet  above  the  sea- 
level.  It  is  a  place  of  great  antiquity,  by  some  stated  to  be  named  (as 
Covent  Garden  from  Convent  Garden),  from  a  spacious  convent  which 
was  founded,  says  Leland,  by  King  Canute,  and  was  destroyed  by  the 
traitor  Edric,  in  10 16.  However  this  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  in  the 
reign  of  Edward  the  Confessor,  in  1044,  Earl  Leofric,  a  powerful  lord 
of  Mercia,  with  his  wife,  the  Lady  Godiva,  founded  at  Coventry  a 
magnificent  Benedictine  monastery,  and  richly  endowed  it.  The  capa- 
cious cellar  of  the  monks  still  exists,  measuring  seventy-five  yards  in 
length  by  five  in  breadth.  From  the  date  of  this  religious  establishment 
the  prosperity  of  the  town  took  its  rise. 

After  the  Conquest,  the  lordship  of  Coventiy  came  to  the  Earls  of 
Chester,  to  one  of  whom,  Ranulph,  the  fortress  belonged.  In  the  Civil 
War  of  Stephen  and  the  Empress  Maud,  Ranulph  was  one  of  her  sup- 
porters when  the  Castle  was  taken  by  the  King's  troops.  In  the  reign 
of  Richard  II.  the  city  was  surrounded  with  walls  and  towers  for  de- 
fence during  the  wars,  though  it  did  not  experience  the  miseries  of 
siege  to  which  so  many  other  large  towns  were  subjected.  Leland, 
writing  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.,  says  that  the  city  was  begun  to  be 
walled-in  in  the  time  of  Edward  II.,  and  that  it  had  six  gates,  many 
fair  towers,  and  streets  well  built  with  timber.  Other  writers  speak  of 
thirty-two  towers  and  twelve  gates.  The  walls  were  demolished  by 
Charles  II.,  in  consequence  of  the  active  part  taken  by  the  citizens  in 
favour  of  the  Parliamentary  army.  During  the  monastic  ages,  Coventry 
had  a  large  and  beautiful  cathedral,  which  at  the  Reformation  was 
levelled  to  the  ground,  and  only  a  fragment  or  two  now  remain.  There 
are  three  ancient  churches,  of  which  St.  Michael's  was  originally  built  in 
1 133,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  I.,  and  was  given  to  the  monks  of  Coventry 
by  Earl  Ranulph  in  the  reign  of  Stephen. 

One  of  the  richest  and  most  interesting  vestiges  of  the  domestic 
architecture  of  the  fifteenth  century  in  Coventry,  and  perhaps  in  Eng- 
land, is  St.  Mary's  Hall,  erected  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VI.  It  has  a 
grotesquely  carved  roof  of  oak,  a  gallery  for  minstrels,  an  armoury,  and 


372  Coventry  Castle,  and  Lady  Godiva. 

chair  of  state,  which,  with  the  gi*eat  painted  window  furnish  a  vivid  idea 
of  the  manners  of  the  age  in  which  Coventry  was  the  favourite  resort  of 
princes.  A  tapestry,  made  in  1450,  measuring  30  feet  by  10,  and  con- 
taining 80  figures,  is  a  curious  and  beautiful  specimen  of  the  drawing, 
dyeing,  and  embroidery  of  that  period.  In  the  market-place  was  for- 
merly a  richly  ornamented  Gothic  cross,  one  of  the  finest  in  the  country, 
erected  in  the  i6th  century:  it  was  hexagonal,  57  feet  high,  with  18 
niches  of  Saints  and  Kings :  it  was  built  by  a  Lord  Mayor  of  London, 
but  was  taken  down  in  1 771,  to  gratify  the  bad  taste  of  the  inhabitants. 
When  the  Cathedral  was  standing,  Coventry  possessed  a  matchless  group 
of  churches,  all  within  one  cemetery. 

Coventry  has  always  been  renowned  for  its  exhibition  of  pageants  and 
processions ;  and  in  the  monastic  ages  it  was  remarkable  for  the  magni- 
ficent and  costly  performance  of  the  religious  dramas  called  Mysteries. 
Of  these  solemn  shows  accounts  are  extant  as  early  as  14 16.  They  were 
performed  on  moveable  street  stages,  chiefly  by  the  Grey  Friars,  on  the  day 
of  Corpus  Christi.  The  subjects  were  the  Nativity,  Crucifixion,  Dooms- 
day, &c.,  and  the  splendour  of  the  exhibitions  was  such  that  the  King 
and  the  royal  family,  with  the  highest  dignitaries  of  the  Church,  were 
usually  present  as  spectators. 

Of  the  performance  of  a  Coventry  play,  the  following  is  a  lively  pic- 
ture:— "The  morning  of  Corpus  Christi  comes,  and  soon  after  sunrise 
there  is  stir  in  the  streets  of  Coventry.  The  old  ordinances  for  this 
solemnity  require  that  the  Guilds  should  be  at  their  posts  at  five  o'clock 
There  is  to  be  a  solemn  procession — formerly,  indeed,  after  the  per- 
formance of  the  pageant — and  then,  with  hundreds  of  torches  burning 
around  the  figures  of  our  Lady  and  St.  John,  candlesticks  and  chalices 
of  silver,  banners  of  velvet  and  canopies  of  silk,  and  the  members  of  the 
Trinity  Guild  and  the  Corpus  Christi  Guild  bearing  their  crucifixes 
and  candlesticks,  with  personations  of  the  angel  Gabriel  lifting  up  the 
lily,  the  twelve  apostles,  and  renowned  virgins,  especially  St.  Catherine 
and  St.  Margaret.  The  Reformation  has,  of  course,  destroyed  much  of 
this  ceremonial ;  and,  indeed,  the  spirit  of  it  has  in  great  part  evapo- 
rated. But  now,  issuing  from  the  many  ways  that  lead  to  the  Cross, 
thei-e  is  heard  the  melody  of  harpers  and  the  voice  of  minstrelsy  ;  trum- 
pets sound,  banners  wave,  riding  men  come  thick  from  their  several 
halls  ;  the  mayor  and  aldermen  in  their  robes,  the  city  servants  in  proper 
liveries,  St.  George  and  the  Dragon,  and  Herod  on  horseback.  The 
bells  ring,  boughs  are  strewed  in  the  streets,  tapestry  is  hung  out  of  the 
windows,  officers  in  scarlet  coats  struggle  in  the  crowd  while  the  pro- 
cession is  mars'.ialiing.    The  crafts  are  getting  into  their  ancient  order. 


Coventry  Castle,  and  Lady  Godiva,  373 

each  craft  with  its  streamer  and  its  men  in  harness.     There  are  Fys- 

shers  and  Cokes, — Baxters  and  Milners, — Bochers, — Whittawers  and 
Glovers, — Pynners,  Tylers,  and  Wrightes, — Skynners, — Barkers, — 
Corvysers,  —  Smythes,  — Wevers,  — Wirdrawers,  —  Cardemakers,  Sa- 
delers,  Peyntours,  and  Masons, — Gurdelers, — ^Taylours,  Walkers,  and 
Sherman, — Deysters, — Drapers, — Mercers.  At  length  the  procession 
is  arranged.  It  parades  through  the  principal  lines  of  the  city,  from 
Bishopgate  on  the  north  to  the  Grey  Friars'  Gate  on  the  south,  and 
from  Broadgate  on  the  west  to  Gosford  Gate  on  the  east.  The  crowd 
is  thronging  to  the  wide  area  on  the  north  of  Trinity  Church  and  St. 
Michael's,  for  there  is  the  pageant  to  be  first  performed.  There  was  a 
high  house  or  carriage  which  stood  upon  six  wheels ;  it  was  divided 
into  two  rooms,  one  above  the  other.  In  the  lower  room  were  the 
performers;  the  upper  was  the  stage.  This  ponderous  vehicle  was 
painted  and  gilt,  surmounted  with  burnished  vanes  and  streamers,  and 
decorated  with  imagery;  it  was  hung  round  with  curtains,  and  a 
painted  cloth  presented  a  picture  of  the  subject  that  was  to  be  per- 
formed. This  simple  stage  had  its  machinery,  too ;  it  was  fitted  for 
the  representation  of  an  earthquake  or  a  storm ;  and  the  pageant  in 
most  cases  was  concluded  in  the  noise  and  flame  of  fireworks.  It  is  the 
pageant  of  the  company  of  Shearmen  and  Tailors  which  is  now  to  be 
perfonned, — the  subject  the  Birth  of  Christ  and  Offering  of  the  Magi, 
with  the  Flight  into  Egypt  and  Murder  of  the  Innocents.  The  eagei 
multitudes  are  permitted  to  crowd  within  a  reasonable  distance  of  the 
car.  There  is  a  moveable  scaffold  erected  for  the  more  distinguished 
spectators.  The  men  of  the  Guilds  sit  firm  on  their  horses.  Amidst  the 
sound  of  harp  and  trumpet  the  curtains  are  withdrawn,  and  Isaiah  ap- 
pears prophesying  the  blessing  which  is  to  come  upon  the  earth.  Gabriel 
announces  to  Mary  the  embassage  upon  which  he  is  sent  from  Heaven. 
Then  a  dialogue  between  Mary  and  Joseph,  and  the  scene  changes  to 
the  field  where  shepherds  are  abiding  in  the  darkness  of  the  night — a 
night  so  dark  that  they  know  not  where  their  sheep  may  be ;  they  are 
cold  and  in  great  heaviness.  Then  the  star  shines,  and  they  hear  the 
song  of '  Gloria  in  excelsis  Deo.'  A  soft  melody  of  concealed  music 
hushes  even  the  whispers  of  the  Coventry  audience ;  and  three  songs  are 
sung,  such  as  may  abide  in  the  remembrance  of  the  people,  and  be 
repeated  by  them  at  their  Christmas  festivals." 

Coventry  was  the  favourite  residence  of  Edward  the  Black  Pnnce. 
Here  also  Queen  Elizabeth  delighted  to  see  the  game  of  Hock  Tues- 
day, which  represented  the  massacre  of  the  Danes  by  the  English  in 
1002  }  and  it  was  for  her  especial  amusement  that,  in  addition  tp  a  ring 


374  Coventry  Castle,  and  Lady  Go  diva, 

for  baiting  bulls,  another  was  put  down  for  badger  baiting,  both  which 
were  her  favourite  sports. 

To  this  day  the  people  of  Coventry  have  a  celebrated  processional 
show  at  the  great  Fair  on  the  Friday  in  Trinity  week,  though  this  is 
shorn  of  its  ancient  gorgeousness.  Such  is  the  legend  of  the  fair 
Godiva,  who  is  said  to  have  ridden  on  horseback  naked  through  the 
city  of  Coventry.  Many  circumstances  of  the  legend  are  obviously 
fabricated,  but  Leofric  and  Godiva  are  historical  not  fabulous  persons, 
and  belong  to  the  reign  of  Canute;  and  an  ancient  inscription  accom- 
panying a  picture  of  the  pair  on  a  window  in  Trinity  church,  Coventry, 
set  up  in  the  time  of  Richard  II.,  may  be  taken  as  evidence  that  the  city 
owed  some  immunities  to  the  lady's  intercession.    The  inscription  was : 

*•  I  Luriche,  for  the  love  of  thee. 
Doe  make  Coventre  tol-free." 

The  legendary  origin  of  this  extraordinary  exhibition  is  as  follows : — 
Leofric,  Earl  of  Mercia  (in  the  time  of  Edward  the  Confessor),  wedded 
Godiva,  a  most  beautiful  and  devout  lady,  sister  to  oneThorold,  Sheriflf 
of  Lincolnshire  in  those  days,  and  founder  of  Spalding  Abbey ;  as  also 
of  the  stock  and  lineage  of  Thorold,  Sheriff  of  that  county,  in  the  time 
of  Kenulph,  King  of  Mercia.  Earl  Leofric  had  subjected  the  citizens 
of  Coventry  to  a  very  oppressive  taxation,  and  remaining  inflexible 
against  the  entreaties  of  his  lady  for  the  people's  relief,  he  declared  that 
her  request  should  be  granted  only  on  the  condition  that  she  should 
ride  perfectly  naked  through  the  streets  of  the  city ;  a  condition  which 
he  supposed  to  be  quite  impossible.  But  the  lady's  modesty  being 
overpowered  by  her  generosity,  and  the  inhabitants  having  been  en- 
joined to  close  all  their  shutters,  she  partially  veiled  herself  with  her 
flowing  hair,  made  the  circuit  of  the  city  on  her  palfiey,  and  thus 
obtained  for  it  the  exoneration  and  frecuom  which  it  henceforth  en- 
joyed. The  story  is  embellished  v/ith  the  incident  of  Peeping  Tom,  a 
prying,  inquisitive  tailor,  who  was  struck  blind  for  popping  out  his  head 
as  the  lady  passed  !  His  effigy  was  long  to  be  seen  protruded  from  an 
upper  window  in  High-street,  adjoining  the  King's  Head  Tavern.  The 
Coventry  procession,  as  exhibited  in  our  days,  began  only  in  the  rcign 
of  Charles  II.,  in  1677:  it  consists  principally  of  Saint  George  of  Eng- 
land on  his  charger ;  Lady  Godiva,  a  female  who  rides  in  a  dress  of  flesh- 
coloured  silk,  with  flowing  hair,  on  a  grey  horse;  then  followed  the 
Mayor  and  Corporation,  the  whole  of  the  city  Companies,  the  wool- 
combers,  Knights  in  armour,  Jason,  Bishop  Blaise,  &c.,  all  in  splendid 
dresses,  with  a  great  profusion  of  brilliant  ribbons,  plumes  of  feathers, 


Comb  Abbey.  3;s 

and  numerous  bands  of  music.    There  is  in  St.  Mary's  Hall  a  very 

curious  picture,  showing  the  Lady  Godiva  on  horseback,  enveloped  ui 

her  luxuriant  tresses ;  and  O'Keefe  has  dramatized  the  incident  in  his 

farce  of  Peeping  Tom. 

From  Noakes's  Monastery  and  Cathedral  of  Worcester,  we  learn  that 

Lady  Godiva  of  Coventry  left  the  Worcester  monks  the  Bibliotheca, 

A.D.  1057  ;  and  the  great  value  set  upon  the  bequest,  as  well  as  upon 

books  generally,  at  that  period,  is  shown  by  its  being  usual  to  draw  up 

a  deed  when  a  book  was  borrowed,  and  sometimes  a  deposit  of  money 

or  plate  was  made  as  surety  for  the  return  of  the  book.     Among  the 

lines  often  written  in  a  book  to  remind  borrowers  to  return  it,  are  the 

following : — 

"  Thys  boke  is  one  and  GODES  kors  ys  anoder : 
They  that  take  the  on,  GOD  gefe  them  the  toder." 

Matthew  of  Westminster,  who  wrote  in  1307,  that  is,  250  years  after 
the  time  of  Leofric,  is  the  first  who  mentions  the  Coventry  legend.  Many 
preceding  writers,  who  speak  of  Leofric  and  Godiva,  do  not  mention  it. 
A  similar  legend  is  said  to  be  related  of  Briavel's  Castle. 


Comb  Abbey. 

About  four  miles  east  of  Coventry  stands  Comb  Abbey,  the  seat  of 
the  Earl  of  Craven,  on  the  site  of  a  religious  house  founded  here  by 
Richard  de  Camville  in  the  year  1150,  for  monks  of  the  Cistercian 
order,  and  dedicated  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary.  Here  were  thirteen 
or  fourteen  religious,  who  were  endowed  in  1 534  with  343/.  os.  ^d. ; 
the  site  was  granted  in  1547  to  John,  Earl  of  Warwick.  The  present 
mansion  was  chiefly  erected  by  Lord  Harrington  in  the  reign  of 
James  L,  and  possesses  some  historical  interest,  through  its  having  been 
the  scene  of  some  of  the  earliest  and  latest  fortunes  of  the  Princess 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  James  L,  and  Queen  of  Bohemia. 

It  was  here  that  the  conspirators  of  the  Gunpowder  Plot  endeavoured 
to  seize  and  carry  her  off  when  a  mere  girl ;  and  it  was  hither  that  she 
returned  after  all  the  troubles  of  her  disastrous  reign,  and  enjoyed  the 
only  peaceful  days  of  her  existence.  Elizabeth  was  a  Stuart,  and  like 
the  rest  of  her  family,  was  doomed  to  drink  deeply  of  misfortune ;  but 
strictly  virtuous  and  highly  amiable.  Providence  seemed  to  concede  to 
her  what  so  few  of  her  family  were  permitted,  or  indeed  deserved, — a 
quiet  termination  to  a  stormy  life.  If  ever  the  finger  of  an  ill  fate,  laid 
on  evil  deeds,  was,  however,  manifest,  it  was  not  merely  in  her  family, 


3y6  Stratford-oH'Avon ; 

but  in  the  families  of  those  who  were  concemed  in  the  attempt  to  carry 
her  off  from  this  place.  Such  were  the  singular  fortunes  connecteil 
with  that  circumstance,  and  its  cause,  the  Gunpowder  Plot,  that  perhaps 
no  other  spot  of  the  strangely  eventful  soil  of  England  can  show  more 
remarkable  ones.     Mr.  W.  Howitt,  the  writer  of  these  remarks,  adds : 

**  Perhaps  so  many  portraits  of  the  Stuart  family  are  not  to  be  met 
with  in  any  one  place,  as  those  which  were  chiefly  collected  by  the 
affection  of  Elizabeth,  There  is  none,  indeed,  like  the  grand  equestrian 
Vandykes  of  Charles  I.  at  Warwick  Castle,  Windsor,  and  Hampton 
Court ;  but  there  are  many  of  a  high  character,  and  some  nowhere 
else  to  be  found.  These  render  a  visit  to  Comb  well  worth  making  ; 
but  besides  these,  the  Abbey  contains  many  admirable  subjects  by  first- 
rate  masters:  Vandyke,  Rubens,  Caravaggio,  Lely,  Kneller,  Brughel, 
Teniers,  Mirevelt,  Paul  Veronese,  Rembrandt,  Holbein,  and  Albert 
Diirer.  Among  them  are  fine  and  characteristic  portraits  of  Sir 
Kenelm  Digby,  Sir  Thomas  More,  General  Monk,  Lord  Strafford, 
Vandyke  by  himself,  Honthorst  by  himself;  and  heads  of  the  Saxony  Re- 
formers, by  a  Saxon  artist.  There  is  also  a  very  curious  old  picture  of 
a  lady  with  a  gold  drinking-horn  in  her  hand,  and  a  Latin  legend  of 
Count  Otto,  who  hunting  in  the  forest  and  seeing  this  lady,  asked  to 
drink  out  of  her  horn,  for  he  was  dreadfully  athirst ;  but  on  looking 
into  it  he  was  suspicious  of  the  liquor,  and  pouring  it  behind  him,  part 
of  it  fell  on  his  horse,  and  took  off  his  hair  like  fire. 

"  The  gallery  is  a  fine  old  wainscoted  room ;  the  cloisters  aie  now 
adorned  with  projecting  antlers  of  stags,  and  black-jacks ;  there  are  old 
tapestry  and  old  cabinets,  one  made  of  ebony,  tortoiseshell,  and  gold ; 
and  the  house  altogether  has  the  air  and  vestiges  of  old  times,  which 
must,  independent  of  the  Queen  of  Bohemia,  give  it  an  interest  in  the 
eyes  of  the  lovers  of  old  English  houses,  and  of  the  traces  of  past 
generations.  The  paintings  which  were  brought  from  Germany, 
wei'e  bequeathed  by  the  Queen  of  Bohemia  to  William,  Lord 
Craven," 

Stratford-on-Avon. — The  Birthplace  of  Shakspeare. 

Stratford,  eijiht  miles  south-west  of  Warwick,  although  it  ix)ssessc3 
neither  Castle  nor  Abbey  to  detain  us,  contains  an  historic  house  of 
sui-passing  interest,  and  is  illustrious  in  British  topography  as  the  biith- 
place  of  Shakspeare : 

"  Here  his  first  infant  lays  sweet  Shakspeare  sung, 
Here  the  last  accents  faltered  on  his  tongue." 


the  Birthplace  of  Shakspeare,  377 

The  place  is  hallowed  ground  to  all  who  take  a  special  interest  in  the 
circumstances  of  the  birth  and  death  of  our  national  poet.  The  several 
Shakspearean  localities  are  too  well  known  to  need  description  here, 
especially  the  natal  house  in  Henley-street.  The  Free  Grammar 
School,  founded  by  a  native  of  the  town  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VI.,  is 
celebrated  as  the  School  of  Shakspeare.  Immediately  over  the  Guild- 
hall is  the  school-room,  now  divided  into  two  chambers,  and  having  a 
low  flat  plaster  ceiling  in  place  of  the  arched  roof.  Thither,  it  is  held, 
Shakspeare,  born  at  Stratford  in  1564,  went  about  the  year  157 1,  his 
schoolmaster  being  the  curate  of  the  neighbouring  village  of  Ludding- 
ton,  Thomas  Hunt.  "As  his  '  shining  morning  face'  first  passed  out 
of  the  main  street  into  that  old  court  through  which  the  upper  room 
of  learning  was  to  be  reached,  a  new  life  would  be  opening  upon  him. 
The  humble  minister  of  religion  who  was  his  first  instructor,  has  left 
no  memorial  of  his  talents  or  acquirements ;  and  in  a  few  years  another 
master  came  after  him,  Thomas  Jenkins,  also  unknown  to  fame.  All 
praise  and  honour  be  to  them  ;  for  it  is  impossible  to  imagine  that  the 
teachersof  William  Shakspeare  were  evil  instructors,  giving  the  boy  husky 
instead  of  wholesome  aliment." — (Mr.  Charles  Knight's  iW>wo/>.)  At 
Stratford,  then,  at  the  free  grammar-school  of  his  own  town,  Shakspeare 
is  assumed  to  have  received,  in  every  just  sense  of  the  word,  the  educa^ 
tion  of  a  scholar.  This,  it  is  true,  is  described  by  Ben  Jonson  as  "  small 
Latin  and  less  Greek;"  Fuller  states  that  "his  learning  was  very  little;" 
and  Aubrey  that  "  he  understood  Latin  pretty  well."  But  the  ques- 
tion, Mr.  Knight  argues,  is  set  at  rest  by  "  the  indisputable  fact  that  the 
very  earliest  writings  of  Shakspeare  are  imbued  with  a  spirit  of  classical 
antiquity ;  and  that  the  allwise  nature  of  the  learning  that  manifests 
itself  in  them,  whilst  it  offers  the  best  proof  of  his  familiarity  with  the 
ancient  writers,  is  a  circumstance  which  has  misled  those  who  never 
attempted  to  dispute  the  existence  of  the  learning  which  was  displayed 
in  the  direct  pedantry  of  his  contemporaries." 

Of  Shakspeare's  life,  immediately  after  his  quitting  Stratford,  little 
is  positively  known.  He  is  thought  to  have  been  employed  in  the  office 
of  an  attorney,  and  proofs  of  something  like  a  legal  education  are  to  be 
found  in  many  of  his  plays  containing  law  phrases,  such  as  do  not 
occur  anything  like  so  frequently  in  the  dramatic  productions  of  any  of 
his  contemporaries. 

"In  those  days,  the  education  of  the  universities  commenced  much 
earlier  than  at  present.  Boys  intended  for  the  leanied  professions,  and 
more  especially  for  the  church,  commonly  went  to  Oxford  and  Gam- 
bridge  at  eleven  or  twelve  years  of  age.    If  they  were  not  intended  lor 


378  Siratford'On-Avon ; 

those  professions,  they  probably  remained  at  the  grammar-school 
till  they  were  thirteen  or  fourteen ;  and  then  they  were  fitted  for 
being  apprenticed  to  tradesmen,  or  articled  to  attorneys,  a  numerous 
and  thriving  body  in  those  days  of  cheap  litigation.  Many  also 
went  early  to  the  Inns  of  Court,  which  were  the  universities  of  the 
law,  and  where  there  was  real  study  and  discipline  in  direct  con- 
nexion with  the  several  societies." — (Mr.  Charles  Knight's  Memoir^ 

The  name  "  William  Shakspeare"  occurs  in  a  certificate  of  the 
names  and  arms  of  trained  soldiers— trained  militia  we  should  now 
call  them — in  the  hundred  of  Barlichway,  in  the  county  of  Warwick, 
under  the  hand  of  Sir  Fulke  Greville  ("  Friend  to  Sir  Philip 
Sidney"),  Sir  Edward  Greville,  and  Thomas  Spencer.  Was  our 
William  Shakspeare  a  soldier  ?  Why  not  ?  Jonson  was  a  soldier, 
and  had  slain  his  man.  Donne  had  served  in  the  Low  Countries. 
Why  not  Shakspeare  in  arms  ?  At  all  events,  here  is  a  field  for 
inquiry  and  speculation.  The  date  is  September  23,  1605,  the  year 
of  the  Gunpowder  Plot ;  and  the  lists  were  possibly  prepared 
through  instructions  issued  by  Cecil  in  consequence  of  secret  infor- 
mation as  to  the  working  of  the  plot  in  Warwickshire — the  proposed 
head-quarters  of  the  insurrection.— 6"/^/^  Papers^  edited  by  Mary 
Anne  Everett  Green.) 

The  "  deer-stealing"  incident  of  Shakspeare's  early  life  (familiar 
to  every  reader  of  his  works),  is  thus  explained  by  one  of  the  learned 
editors  of  his  works,  the  Rev.  Alexander  Dyce  : — Having  fallen, 
we  are  told,  into  the  company  of  some  wild  and  disorderly  young 
men,  he  was  induced  to  assist  them,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  in 
steahng  deer  from  the  park  of  Sir  Thomas  Lucy,  of  Charlecote,  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Stratford.  For  this  offence  (which  certainly, 
in  those  days,  used  to  be  regarded  as  a  venial  frolic)  he  was  treated, 
he  thought,  too  harshly ;  and  he  repaid  the  severity  by  ridiculing 
Sir  Thomas  in  a  ballad.  So  bitter  was  its  satire,  that  the  prosecu- 
tion against  the  writer  was  redoubled ;  and,  forsaking  his  family 
and  occupation,  he  took  shelter  in  the  metropolis  from  his  powerful 
enemy.  Such  is  the  story  which  tradition  has  handed  down  ;  and 
that  it  has  some  foundation  in  truth,  cannot  surely  be  doubted,  not- 
withstanding what  has  been  argued  to  the  contrary  by  Malone, 
whose  chief  object  in  writing  the  life  of  our  poet  was,  to  shake  the 
credibility  of  the  facts  brought  forward  by  Rowe. 

According  to  Oldys,  an  antiquary  who  died  in  1761,  and  who  letl 
behind  him  some  MS.  collections  for  a  Life  of  Shakspeare,  the  first 
stanza  of  Shakspearc's  ballad  on  Sir  Thomas  Lucy,  taken  down 


the  Birthplace  of  Shalispeare,  379 

from  the  memory  of  one  who  had  frequently  heard  it  repeated  in 
the  town,  was  as  follows  : — 

*•  A  parliamente  member,  a  justice  of  peace, 
At  home  a  poor  scare-crow,  at  London  an  asse ; 
If  lowsie  is  Lucy,  as  some  volke  miscall  it, 
Then  Lucy  is  lowsie  whatever  befall  it : 

He  thinks  himself  greate, 

Yet  an  asse  in  his  state. 
We  allowe  by  his  ears  but  with  asses  to  mate. 
If  Lucy  is  lowsie,  as  some  volke  miscall  it, 
Sing,  lowsie  Lucy,  whatever  befall  it." 

The  Tercentenary  Festival  at  Stratford-upon-Avon,  in  1864,  has 
not  been  without  its  fruits.  In  the  way  of  permanent  Shaksperean 
monuments,  there  is  much  more  to  be  seen  at  Stratford  than  for- 
merly. The  site  of  New  Place,  the  house  which  was  purchased  by 
Shakspeare  when  he  returned  to  his  native  town  with  the  wealth 
acquired  in  London,  and  in  which  he  breathed  his  last,  has  been 
converted  into  a  sort  of  pleasure-ground,  for  the  use  of  such  ol  the 
public  as  are  willing  to  pay  6d.  for  the  right  of  treading  on  hallowed 
soil.  The  foundations,  which  are  all  that  remain  of  the  house  so 
ruthlessly  demolished  by  Mr.  Gastrell,  are  carefully  preserved  be- 
neath an  iron  grating,  and  a  scion  of  the  mulberry-tree,  destroyed 
by  the  same  hand,  stands  on  a  conspicuous  spot.  The  ground-plan 
of  the  house  and  the  two  gardens  attached  to  it  may  thus  be  easily 
traced.  A  board  is  raised  on  the  lawn,  inscribed  with  a  list  of 
donors,  headed  by  the  late  Prince  Consort,  by  whom  the  amount 
(upwards  of  3000/.)  for  purchasing  the  property  was  subscribed. 
The  land,  it  should  be  observed,  was  transferred  to  trustees  by 
Mr.  Halliwell,  who  bought  it  in  the  first  instance,  and  who  is  the 
presiding  genius  over  all  that  concerns  Shakspeare  in  Stratford. 
As  for  the  board,  it  is  but  a  temporary  record,  which  is  to  give  place 
in  time  to  a  more  substantial  memorial.  In  the  house  adjoining 
New  Place,  and  occupied  by  a  very  intelligent  gentleman,  to  whom 
the  care  of  the  grounds  is  confided,  are  several  engraved  portraits 
of  Shakspeare  ;  and  likewise  a  curious  painting  of  a  lady,  supposed 
to  be  one  of  that  Clopton  family  from  whom  Shakspeare  pur- 
chased the  estate.  In  this  house,  too,  are  several  curiosities  dug 
up  when  the  foundations  of  New  Place  were  discovered.  These 
were  for  some  time  kept  in  the  house  in  Henley-street,  which  is  not 
only  visited  as  the  poet's  birthplace,  but  a  portion  of  which  is  used 
as  a  Shaksperean  Museum.  Persons  who  visit  Stratford  should 
be  aware  that  when  the  "Museum"  is  mentioned  reference  is 
made  to  the  rooms  in  Henley-street.  The  removal  was  effected 
on  the  ground  that  the  curiosities  in  question  belonged  rat-^ier 


380  The  Birthplace  of  Shakspeare, 

to  the  place  of  Shakspeare's  death  than  to  that  of  his  birth ;  and  if,  on 
the  one  hand,  the  Museum  has  been  deprived  of  a  part  of  its  treasures, 
it  has,  on  the  other,  received  several  important  additions.  Among  these 
is  the  collection  bequeathed  to  Stratford  by  the  late  Mr.  Fairholt,  who 
died  in  1866,  comprising  a  curious  set  of  "  Longbeard  jugs"  used  in  the 
time  of  Shakspeare.  These  jugs  vindicate  their  name  by  the  semblance  of 
a  huge  beard  that  flows  from  a  face  forming  the  beak.  In  the  same  cabi- 
net with  these  is  a  singularly  beautiful  goblet  carved  from  Shakspeare's 
mulbeiTy-tree,  and  presented  by  the  Corporation,  who  have  also  given 
two  ancient  maces  of  curious  workmanship.  This  goblet  may  be  re- 
garded as  a  companion  to  Mr.  Hunt's  gift,  the  drinking-jug,  which  is 
said  to  have  belonged  to  Shakspeare,  and  from  which  Gamck  sipped 
at  the  festival  of  1769.  The  friendly  international  greeting  which  was 
sent  from  Germany  by  the  "  Deutsche  Hochstift "  in  1864,  and  read  at 
the  banquet  by  which  the  birthday  was  celebrated,  is  now  hung  up  in  a 
frame  made  of  wood  taken  from  a  scion  of  the  fan  ous  mulberry-tree, 
and  with  the  two  miniature  views  of  the  respectivebirthplaces  of  Shak- 
speare and  Gbthe,  is  a  very  remarkable  object.  A  set  of  fac-similes  of 
the  title-pages  to  the  first  edition  of  Shakspeare's  separate  plays  is  a 
comparatively  recent  contribution  by  Mr.  Halliw  .11.  The  library  of 
the  Museum  is  small  but  choice,  comprising  nc  irly  all  the  known 
editions,  old  and  new,  of  the  entire  works  of  the  p  )et.  All  the  faces 
too  that  have  been  supposed  to  belong  to  Shakspeart  are  to  be  found 
among  the  engravings,  to  say  nothing  of  the  original  portrait,  once  in 
the  possession  of  the  Clopton  family.  The  services  of  Mr.  Fairholt 
to  the  cause  of  Shakspeare  are  acknowledged  by  a  brass  tablet,  which 
has  been  set  up  in  the  church. — (^Abridged from  the  Times.) 

During  a  short  sojourn  at  Stratford,  some  twenty  years  ago,  we  were 
strongly  impressed  with  the  genius  loci,  such  is  the  paramount  in- 
fluence upon  all  thoughtful  visitors.  "  Hundreds  of  accounts  of  pil- 
grimages to  Stratford — the  home  of  Shakspeare — have  been  written  ; 
but  the  only  way  fully  to  appreciate  the  interest  of  the  place  is  to  visit 
it  yourself .  The  town  has  parted  with  most  of  its  ancient  appearance : 
few  old  houses  remain,  and  the  modern  buildings  are  mostly  poor  and 
unpicturesquc.  Still,  as  you  walk  through  the  streets,  and  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, Shakspeare  entirely  occupies  your  thoughts — whether  you 
visit  the  lowly  house  in  Henley-street,  wherein  he  is  reputed  to  have 
been  born ;  or  the  school-room,  whither,  to  use  his  own  imperishable 
words,  he  went — 

••  '  The  whining  schoolboy,  with  his  satchel. 
And  shining  morning  face  ;' 


»'  p  381 


KENILWORTH    CASTLE. 

1.  Plan,  as  it  appeared  in  1575. 

2.  The  Great  Gateway. 


Kcnihvortli  Castle.  3^^ 

or  whether  you  stray  among  the  woods  and  glades  of  Charlccote,  the 
scenes  of  his  wild  youth ;  or  seek  the  humble  cottage  at  Shottery, 
where  he  first  told  his  love ;  or  the  retreat  of  New  Place,  where  the 
Poet  retired  to  enjoy  the  firuits  of  his  intellectual  toil ;  or,  last  of  all, 
under  the  lime-tree  walk  to  the  fine  cruciform  church  of  the  Holy 
Trinity,  through  its  noble  aisles,  to  the  chancel  beneath  which  rests  the 
Bard's  hallowed  dust ;  or  to  pay  homage  to  his  sculptured  portrait  upon 
the  chancel-wall.  These  several  sites  are  so  many  tangible  memorials 
of  our  great  Poet's  life ;  but  there  is  an  ideal  enjoyment  of  it  in  the 
very  atmosphere  of  the  place ;  and  by  a  sort  of  poetical  licence, 
you  look  upon  the  very  ground  as  that  which  Shakspeare  trod,  and 
the  majestic  trees,  the  soft-flowing  river,  and  the  smiling  landscapes, — 
the  face  of  nature — the  very  scenes  which  he  so  loved  to  look  upon, — 
he  has  left,  reflected  in  the  natural  mirror  of  his  works,  an  immortal 
legacy  to  all  time  I" 


Kenilworth  Castle. 

*•  Thy  walls  transferred  to  Leicester's  favourite  Earl, 
He  long,  beneath  thy  roof,  the  Maiden  Queen 
And  all  her  courtly  guests  with  rare  device 
Of  mask  and  emblematic  scenery, 
Tritons  and  sea-nymphs,  and  the  floating  isle, 
Detain'd.     Nor  feats  of  prowess,  joust  or  tilt 
Of  harness'd  knights,  or  rustic  revelry, 
Were  wanting ;  nor  the  dance,  and  sprightly  mirth 
Beneath  the  festive  walls,  with  regal  state, 
And  choicest  luxury,  served.     But  regal  state 
And  sprightly  mirth,  beneath  the  festive  roof, 
Are  now  no  more." 

Kenilworth  lies  about  five  miles  from  Warwick,  and  the  same  distance 
from  Coventry.  The  manor  was  an  ancient  demesne  of  the  Crown,  and 
had  originally  a  Castle,  which  was  demolished  in  the  war  of  Edmund 
Ironside  and  Canute  the  Dane,  early  in  the  eleventh  century. 

In  the  reign  of  Henry  I.,  the  manor  was  bestowed  by  the  King  on 
Geoffrey  de  Clinton,  who  built  a  strong  Castle,  and  founded  a  Monastery 
here.  On  the  death  of  Geoffrey,  the  fortress  descended  to  his  son,  from 
whom  it  was  transferred  to  the  Crown ;  and  was  garrisoned  by  Henry  IJ^ 
during  the  rebellion  of  his  son.  In  the  reign  of  Heniy  III.  it  was 
used  as  a  prison  ;  and  in  1254  the  King  gave  to  Simon  de  Montfort, 
who  had  married  Eleanor,  the  King's  sister,  the  Castle  in  trust  for  life. 
De  Montfort,  now  "  in  all  but  name  a  king,"  kept  his  Christmas  in 


3^2  Kenilworth  Castle, 

regal  state  at  Kenilworth.  Simon  soon  after  joined  the  rebellion  against 
the  King,  and  together  with  his  eldest  son,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Evesham,  in  1265.  His  youngest  son,  Simon,  escaped,  and  with  other 
fugitives,  took  shelter  in  Kenilworth  Castle,  and  continued  to  defy  the 
power  of  both  the  King  and  the  legate.  Next  year,  1266,  the  Castle 
was  besieged  by  the  King  for  several  months.  Simon  fled,  and  escaped 
to  France ;  but  the  place  held  out  for  six  months.  Meanwhile,  an 
assembly  of  clergy  and  laity  was  held  at  Coventry,  which  drew  up  the 
terms  of  accommodation,  known  as  Dictum  de  Kenilworth.  It  provides 
that  the  liberties  of  the  Church  shall  be  preserved,  and  also  the  Great 
Charters,  "  which  the  king  is  bound  expressly  by  his  oath  to  keep."  It 
also  declares  that  there  shall  be  no  disherison,  but  instead,  fines  from 
seven  years  to  half  a  year's  rent ;  the  family  of  De  Montfort  is  ex- 
cluded fiom  this  benefit,  and  all  persons  are  forbidden,  under  both  civil 
and  spiritual  penalties,  to  circulate  "  vain  and  foolish  miracles"  regard- 
ing Simon  de  Montfort,  who  was  currently  spoken  of  by  his  adherents 
as  a  saint  and  martyr.  At  length,  provisions  failed  at  Kenilworth,  a 
pestilence  broke  out,  and  the  governor  suiTendered  the  Castle  to  the 
King,  who  bestowed  it  upon  his  youngest  son,  Edward,  Earl  of  Lan- 
caster, afterwards  created  Earl  of  Leicester. 

In  1286,  a  grand  chivalric  meeting  of  one  hundred  knights  of  high 
distinction,  English  and  foreign,  and  the  same  number  of  ladies,  was  held 
at  Kenilworth  ;  and  at  this  festival,  it  is  said,  silks  were  worn  for  the  first 
time  in  England.  The  Earl  of  March  was  the  promoter  of  the  festival, 
and  was  the  principal  challenger  of  the  tilt-yard. 

In  the  reign  of  Edward  II,,  the  Castle  again  came  into  the  hands  of 
the  Crown,  and  the  King  intended  to  make  it  a  place  of  retirement  for 
himself;  but  in  the  rebellion  which  soon  followed,  he  was  taken  pri- 
soner in  Wales,  and  brought  to  Kenilworth  ;  here  he  was  compelled  to 
sign  his  abdication,  and  was  soon  after  privately  removed  to  Berkeley 
Castle,  where  he  was  inhumanly  murdered  in  1327. 

Edward  III.  restored  the  Castle  to  the  Earl  of  Lancaster,  whose 
granddaughter  brought  it  in  marriage  to  the  celebrated  John  of  Gaunt, 
afterwards  Duke  of  Lancaster,  who  made  to  the  Castle  many  addi- 
tions which  still  retain  the  name  of  Lancaster  s  Buildings,  On  his  death, 
it  descended  to  his  son,  afterwards  Henry  IV. 

During  the  Civil  Wars  between  the  houses  of  York  and  Lancaster, 
the  Castle  was  alternately  taken  by  the  partisans  of  the  White  and 
Red  Roses.  In  1436,  King  Henry  VI.  kept  his  Christmas  here.  Very 
long  after  the  termination  of  the  Civil  Wars,  Queen  Elizabeth  be- 
stowed Kenilworth  upon  her  ambitious  favourite,   Dudley,   Earl   oi 


Kenilworth  Castle.  3^3 

Leicester.  That  wealthy  nobleman  spared  no  expense  in  beautifying 
the  Castle,  and  in  making  ma;ny  splendid  additions,  called  after  him, 
Leicester's  Buildings. 

The  most  memorable  event  in  the  history  of  Kenilworth  Castle, 
is  the  Royal  State  entertainment  given  by  Leicester  to  Queen  Elizabeth, 
who  came  attended  by  thirty-one  barons,  besides  her  ladies  of  the 
Court,  who,  with  four  hundred  servants,  were  all  lodged  in  the  fortress. 
The  festival  continued  for  seventeen  days,  at  an  expense  estimated  at 
one  thousand  pounds  a  day — a  very  large  sum  in  those  times.  The 
waiters  upon  the  Court,  as  well  as  the  gentlemen  of  the  Barons,  were 
all  clothed  in  velvet.  Ten  oxen  were  slaughtered  every  morning  ;  and 
the  consumption  of  wine  is  said  to  have  been  sixteen  hogsheads,  and  of 
beer  forty  hogsheads  daily.  An  account  of  this  singular  and  romantic 
entertainment,  published  at  the  time  by  an  eye-witness,  presents  a  cu- 
rious picture  of  the  luxury,  plenty,  and  gallantry  of  Elizabeth's  reign. 

After  her  journey  from  London,  which  the  Queen  performed  entirely 
on  horseback,  she  stopped  at  Long  Itchington,  where  she  dined,  and, 
hunting  on  the  way,  arrived  at  Kenilworth  Castle  on  Saturday,  July  9* 
1575.  Here,  says  the  above  account,  "she  was  received  by  a  person 
representing  one  of  the  ten  Sibylls,  comely  clad  in  a  pall  of  white  sylk, 
who  pronounced  a  proper  poezie  in  English  rime  and  meeter,"  on  the 
happiness  her  presence  produced,  wherever  it  appeared ;  concluding 
with  a  prediction  of  her  future  eminence  and  success. 

"  On  her  entrance  to  the  tilt-yard,"  continues  the  eye-witness,  "  a 
porter,  tall  of  person  and  stern  of  countenance,  wrapt  also  in  sylk,  with  a 
club  and  keiz  of  quantitee  according,  in  a  rough  speech,  full  of  passions, 
in  meter  aptly  made  to  the  purpose,"  demanded  the  cause  of  all  this  "  dio 
and  noise,  and  riding  about,  within  the  charge  of  his  office !"  but  upon 
seeing  the  Queen,  as  if  he  had  been  instantaneously  stricken,  he  falls 
down  upon  his  knees,  humbly  begs  pardon  for  his  ignorance,  yields  up 
his  club  and  keys,  and  proclaims  open  gates  and  free  passage  to  all. 

After  this  pretty  device,  six  trumpeters,  "  clad  in  long  garments  of 
sylk,  who  stood  upon  the  wall  of  the  gate,  with  their  silvery  trumpets 
►  of  five  foot  long,  sounded  a  tune  of  welcome."  Here  "harmonious 
blasters,  walking  upon  the  walls,  maintained  their  delectable  music, 
while  her  highness  all  along  the  tilt-yard  rode,  into  the  inner  gate," 
where  she  was  surprised  "  with  the  sight  of  a  floating  island  on  the 
large  pool,  on  which  was  a  beautiful  female  figure  representing  the 
Lady  of  the  Lake,  supported  by  two  nymphs,  surrounded  by  blazing 
torches,  and  many  ladies  clad  in  rich  silks  as  attendants ;  whilst  the 
genii  of  the  lake  greeted  her  Majesty  with  "  a  well-penned  meeter"  oq 


384  Kcnilworth  Castle, 

"the  auncientce  of  the  Castle,"  and  the  hereditary  dignity  of  the  Earls 
of  Leicester.  This  pageant  was  closed  with  a  burst  of  comets  and 
other  music,  and  a  new  scene  was  presented  to  view.  Within  the  base 
court,  and  over  a  dry  valley  leading  to  the  castle  gates,  "  waz  thear 
framed  a  fayr  bridge,  twenty  feet  wide,  and  seventy  feet  long,  with 
seven  posts  that  stood  twelve  feet  asunder ;  and  thickened  between  with 
well-proportioned  turned  pillars  ;"  over  which,  as  her  Majesty  passed, 
she  was  presented,  by  persons  representing  several  of  the  heathen  gods 
and  goddesses,  with  various  appropriate  offerings,  which  were  piled  up, 
or  hung  in  excellent  order,  on  both  sides  the  entrance  and  upon  dif- 
ferent posts ;  from  Sylvanus,  god  of  the  woods,  "  live  bitterns,  curlews, 
godwitz,  and  such-like  dainty  byrds;"  from  Pomona,  "applez,  pearz, 
lemmons,"  &c. ;  fiom  Ceres,  "  sheaves  of  various  kinds  of  com  (all  in 
earz  green  and  gold)  ;  from  Bacchus,  grapes,  "  in  clusters  whyte  and 
red;"  various  specimens  of  fish  from  Neptune;  arms  from  Mars;  and 
musical  instmments  from  Apollo.  | 

A  Latin  inscription  over  the  Castle  explained  the  whole :  this  was 
read  to  her  by  a  poet,  "  in  a  long  ceruleous  garment,  with  a  bay  garland 
on  his  head  and  a  skroU  in  his  hand.  So  passing  into  the  inner  court, 
her  Majesty  (that  never  rides  but  alone)  thear  set  down  from  her  pal- 
frey, was  conveyed  up  to  a  chamber,  when  after  did  folio  a  great  peal  of 
gunz  and  lightning  by  fyr-works."  Besides  these,  every  diversion  the 
romantic  and  gallant  imagination  of  that  period  could  devise,  was  pre- 
sented for  the  amusement  of  her  Majesty  and  the  court — tilts,  tourna- 
ments, deer-hunting  in  the  park,  savage  men,  satyrs,  bear  and  bull 
baitings,  Italian  tumblers  and  rope-dancers,  a  country  bridal  ceremony, 
prize-fighting,  running  at  the  quintain,  moms  dancing,  and  brilliant  fire- 
works in  the  grandest  style  and  perfection ;  during  all  this  time  the 
tables  were  loaded  with  the  most  sumptuous  cheer.  On  the  pool  was 
a  Triton  riding  on  a  mermaid  eighteen  feet  long,  and  an  Arion  on  a 
dolphin,  who  entertained  the  royal  visitor  with  an  excellent  piece  of 
music. 

The  old  Coventry  play  of  llock  Tuesday,  founded  on  the  massacre  ot 
the  Danes  in  1002,  was  also  performed  here,  "  by  certain  good-hearted 
men  of  Coventry."  In  this  was  represented  •*  the  outrage  and  importable 
insolency  of  the  Danes,  the  grievous  complaint  of  Hunna,  King  Ethel- 
red's  chieftain  in  wars,  his  counselling  and  contriving  the  plot  to  dispatch 
them ;  the  violent  encounters  of  the  Danish  and  English  knights  on 
horseback,  armed  with  spear  and  shield ;  and  afterwards  between  hosts 
of  footmen,  which  at  length  ended  in  the  Danes  being  beaten  down, 
overcome,  and  led  captive  by  our  English  women;  whereat  her  Majesty 


Kenilworth  Castle.  3S5 

laught,  and  rewarded  the  performers  with  two  bucks  and  five  marks  in 
money.  "  For  the  greater  honour  of  this  splendid  entertainment,  Sir 
Thomas  Cecil,  son  and  heir  to  Lord  Burghley,  and  four  other  gentlemen 
of  note,  were  knighted ;  and  in  compliment  to  the  Queen,  and  to  evince 
the  Earl's  hospitable  disposition,  the  historian  observes  "  that  the  clok 
bell  sank  not  a  note  all  the  while  her  highness  waz  thear :  the  clok  stood 
also  withal,  the  hands  of  both  the  tablz  stood  firm  and  fast,  always 
pointing  at  two  o'clock,  the  hour  of  banquet." 

We  gather  from  other  accounts  of  these  Revels,  that  the  beai- 
baits  were  much  enjoyed  by  the  Queen.  Laneham,  in  his  celebrated 
letter,  reprinted  in  Nichols's  Progresses  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  describing 
this  courtly  pastime  : — "  It  was  a  sport  very  pleasant  of  those  beasts; 
to  see  the  bear,  with  his  pink  eyes  leering  after  his  enemies  approach, 
the  nimbleness  and  wait  of  the  dog  to  take  his  advantage,  and  the 
force  and  experience  of  the  bear  again  to  avoid  the  assault ;  if  he 
was  bitten  in  one  place  how  he  would  pinch  in  another  to  get  free ; 
that  if  he  was  taken  once,  then  what  shift  with  biting,  clawing,  with 
roaring,  tossing,  and  tumbling,  he  would  work  to  wind  himself  from 
them ;  and  when  he  was  loose,  to  shake  his  ears  twice  or  thrice,  with 
the  blood  and  the  slaver  about  his  visnomy,  was  a  matter  of  goodly 
relief." 

The  exhibition  of  a  Country  Bridal  is  chronicled  more  in  detail  by 
Laneham :  "  There  were  sixteen  wights,  riding  men,  and  well  beseen  ; 
the  bridegroom  in  his  father's  tawny  worsted  jacket,  a  straw  hat,  with 
a  capital  crown,  steeplewise  on  his  head,  a  pair  of  harvest  gloves  on  his 
hands,  as  a  sign  of  good  husbandry,  a  pen  and  inkhorn  at  his  back,  for 
he  would  be  known  to  be  bookish,  lame  of  a  leg,  that  in  his  youth  was 
broken  at  foot-ball,  well  beloved  of  his  mother,  who  lent  him  a  muffler 
for  a  napkin,  that  was  tied  to  his  girdle  for  fear  of  losing  it.  It  was  no 
small  sport  to  mark  this  minion  in  his  full  appointment,  that,  through 
good  tuition,  became  as  formal  in  his  action  as  had  he  been  a  bridegroom 
indeed.  The  morris  dancers  followed,  with  Maid  Marian,  and  the  fool ; 
bridesmaids  as  bright  as  a  breast  of  bacon,  of  thirty  years  old  apiece ;  a 
freckled-faced  red-headed  lubber,  with  the  bride  cup ;  the  worshipful 
bride,  thirty- five  years  old,  of  colour  brown  bay,  not  very  beautiful  in- 
deed, but  ugly,  foul,  and  ill-favoured ;  and  lastly,  many  other  damsels 
for  bridesmaids,  that  for  favour,  attire,  for  fashion  and  cleanliness,  were 
as  meet  for  such  a  bride  as  a  tureen  ladle  for  a  porridge  pot." 

The  Festival  at  Kenilworth  Castle,  given  by  Leicester  to  Queen 
Elizabeth,  doubtless  gathered  all  the  country  round  to  see  its  page- 
antry :  and  one  of  our  editors  of  Shakspeare  has  asked,  why  not  the  boy 
**  c  c 


386  Kenikvorih  Castle, 

Shakspeare  with  the  rest  ?  "  Many  a  bridal  procession  had  gone  forth 
fi-om  the  happy  cottages  of  Kenilworth  to  the  porch  of  the  old  parish 
church,  amidst  song  and  music,  with  garlands  of  rosemary  and  whcatears, 
parents  blessing,  sisters  smiling  in  tears ;  and  then  the  great  lord — the 
heartless  lord,  as  the  peasants  might  whisper,  whose  innocent  wile 
perished  untimely — is  to  make  sport  of  their  homely  joys  beforc  the 
Queen.  There  was,  perhaps,  one  in  the  crowd  on  that  Sunday  after- 
noon who  was  to  see  the  very  heaven  of  poetry  in  such  simple  rites — 
who  was  to  picture  the  shepherd  thus  addressing  his  mistress  in  the 
solemnity  of  the  troth-plight :  — 

'  I  take  thy  hand  ;  this  hand 
As  soft  as  dove's  down,  and  as  white  as  it ; 
Or  Ethiopian's  tooth,  or  the  fann'd  snow 
That's  bolted  by  the  northern  blasts  twice  o'er.' 

**  He  would  agree  not  with  Master  Laneham — *  By  my  troth  'twas  a 
lively  pastime :  I  believe  it  would  have  moved  a  man  to  a  right  meny 
mood,  though  it  had  been  told  him  that  his  wife  lay  dying.'  Leicester, 
as  we  have  seen,  had  procured  abundance  of  the  occasional  rhymes  of 
flattery  to  propitiate  Elizabeth.  This  was  enough.  Poor  Gascoigne 
had  prepared  an  elaborate  masque,  in  two  acts,  of  Diana  and  her 
Nymphs,  which  for  the  time  is  a  remarkable  production.  *  This  show,' 
says  the  account,  *  was  devised  and  penned  by  Master  Gascoigne,  and 
being  prepared  and  ready  (every  actor  in  his  garment)  two  or  three  days 
together,  yet  never  came  to  execution.  The  cause  whereof  I  cannot 
attribute  to  any  other  thing  than  to  lack  of  opportunity  and  seasonable 
weather.'  It  is  easy  to  understand  that  there  was  some  other  cause  of 
Gascoigne's  disappointment.  Leicester,  perhaps,  scarcely  dared  to  set 
the  puppets  moving  who  were  to  conclude  the  masque  with  these 

lines : — 

*  A  world  of  wealth  at  will 

You  henceforth  shall  enjoy 
In  wedded  state,  and  therewithal 

Hold  up  from  great  annoy 
The  staff  of  your  estate  : 

O  Queen,  O  worthy  Queen, 
Yet  never  wight  felt  perfect  bliss 

But  such  as  wedded  been.' 

"  But  when  the  Queen  laughed  at  the  word  marriage,  the  wily  courtier 
had  his  impromptu  device  of  the  mock  bridal.  The  marriages  ot  the 
poor  were  the  marriages  to  be  made  fun  of.  But  there  was  a  device  of 
marriage  at  which  Diana  would  weep,  and  all  the  other  gods  rejoice, 
when  her  Majesty  should  give  the  word.  Alas!  for  that  crowning 
ihow  there  was  •  lack  of  opportunity  and  seasonable  weatl>«'X '  ** 


Keuilivorth  Castle.  3 8/ 

Upon  this  celebrated  place,  taking  these  courtly  entertainments  and 
the  tragic  fate  of  Amy  Robsart  as  the  groundwork  of  the  narrative,  Sir 
Walter  Scott  founded  his  picturesque  romance  of  Kenihuorth,  in  which 
he  gives  the  following  animated  account  of  the  Castle: — 

"  The  outer  wall  of  this  splendid  and  gigantic  structure,  upon  im- 
proving which,  and  the  domains  around,  the  Earl  of  Leicester  had,  it 
is  said,  expended  60,000  pounds  sterling,  a  sum  equal  to  half  a  million 
of  our  present  money,  including  seven  acres,  a  part  of  which  was 
occupied  by  extensive  stables,  and  by  a  pleasure  garden,  with  its  fine 
arbours  and  parterres,  and  the  rest  formed  the  large  base-court,  or  out^'r 
yard,  of  the  noble  Castle.  The  lordly  structure  itself,  which  rose  near 
the  centre  of  this  spacious  enclosement,  was  composed  of  a  huge  pile  of 
magnificent  castellated  buildings,  evidently  of  different  ages,  sun-ound- 
ing  the  inner  court,  and  bearing  in  the  names  attached  to  each  portion 
of  the  magnificent  mass,  and  in  the  armorial  bearings  which  were  there 
emblazoned,  the  emblems  of  mighty  chiefs  who  had  long  passed  away, 
and  whose  history,  could  ambition  have  lent  ear  to  it,  might  have  read 
a  lesson  to  the  haughty  favourite,  who  had  now  acquired  and  was  aug- 
menting the  fair  domain.  A  large  and  massive  keep,  which  formed  the 
citadel  of  the  Castle,  was  of  uncertain  though  great  antiqiu'ty  —  [of 
this  tower  three  sides  remain,  with  walls  in  some  parts  sixteen  feet 
thick.] — It  bore  the  name  of  Gsesar,  perhaps  from  its  resemblance  to 
that  in  the  Tower  of  London  so  called.  Some  antiquaries  ascribe 
its  foundation  to  the  time  of  Kenelph,  from  whom  the  Castle  had  its 
name,  a  Saxon  king  of  Mercia,  and  others  to  an  early  aera  after  the 
Norman  conquest.  On  the  exterior  walls  frowned  the  scutcheon  of  the 
Clintons,  by  whom  they  were  founded  in  the  reign  of  Henry  L,  and 
the  yet  more  redoubted  Simon  de  Montfort,  by  whom,  during  the 
Barons'  Wars,  Kenilworth  was  long  held  out  against  Henry  IH. 
Here  Mortimer,  Earl  of  March,  famous  alike  for  his  rise  and  fall,  had 
once  gaily  revelled,  while  his  dethroned  sovereign,  Edward  H.,  languished 
in  its  dungeons.  Old  John  of  Gaunt,  "  time-honoured  Lancaster," 
had  widely  extended  the  Castle,  erecting  that  noble  and  massive  pile, 
which  yet  bears  the  name  of  Lancaster  Buildings ;  and  Leicester  him- 
self had  outdone  thefonner  possessors,  princely  and  powerful  as  they  were, 
by  erecting  another  immense  structure,  which  now  lies  crushed  under  its 
own  ruins,  the  monument  of  its  owner's  ambition.  The  external  wall 
of  this  royal  Castle  was,  on  the  south  and  west  sides,  adorned  and  de- 
luded by  a  lake  partly  artificial,  across  which  Leicester  had  constructed 
a  stately  bridge,  that  Elizabeth  might  enter  the  Castle  by  a  path  hitherto 
untrodden,  instead  of  the  usual  entrance. 


388  Kenilworth  Castle, 

"  Beyond  the  lake  lay  an  extensive  chase,  full  of  red  deer,  fallow 
deer,  roes,  and  every  species  of  game,  and  abounding  with  lofty  trees, 
from  amongst  which  the  extended  front  and  massive  towers  of  the 
Castle  were  seen  to  rise  in  majesty  and  beauty.  Of  this  lordly  palace, 
where  princes  feasted,  and  heroes  fought,  now  in  the  bloody  earnest  of 
storm  and  siege,  and  now  in  the  games  of  chivalry,  where  beauty  dealt 
the  prize  which  valour  won,  all  is  now  desolate.  The  bed  of  the  lake  is 
but  a  rushy  swamp  ;  and  the  massive  ruins  of  the  Castle  only  show  what 
their  splendour  once  was,  and  impress  on  the  musing  visitor  the  tran- 
sitory value  of  human  possessions,  and  the  happiness  of  those  who  enjoy 
a  humble  lot  in  virtuous  contentment." 

On  the  departure  of  Elizabeth,  the  Earl  of  Leicester  made  Kenil- 
worth his  occasional  residence,  till  his  death  in  1588,  when  he  be- 
queathed it  to  his  brother,  Ambrose,  Earl  of  Warwick,  and  after  his 
death  to  his  own  son,  Sir  Robert  Dudley ;  but  his  legitimacy  being 
questioned.  Sir  Robert  quitted  the  kingdom  in  disgust ;  his  castles  and 
estates  were  seized  by  a  decree  of  the  Court  of  Star-Chamber,  and 
given  to  Henry,  son  of  James  I. 

The  fortress  is  thus  described  in  the  account  of  "  a  Topographical 
Excursion  in  the  year  1634":  "  We  were  detayn'd  one  hour  at  that 
famous  Castle  of  Killingworth  [Kenilworth,]  where  we  were  vsher'd 
vp  a  fayre  ascent,  into  a  large  and  stately  Hall,  of  twenty  Paces  in 
length,  the  Roofe  whereof  is  all  of  Irish  wood,  neatly  and  handsomely 
fram'd ;  In  it  is  [are]  five  spacious  Chimneys,  answerable  to  soe  great 
a  Roome  r  we  next  view'd  the  Great  Chamber  for  the  Guard,  the 
Chamber  of  Presence,  the  Privy  Chamber,  fretted  above  richly  with 
Coats  of  Armes,  and  all  adorn'd  with  fayre  and  rich  Chimney  Peeces 
of  Alablaster,  blacke  Marble,  and  of  Joyners  worke  in  curious  carued 
wood  :  and  all  those  fayre  and  rich  Roomes,  and  Lodgings  in  that  spa- 
cious Tower  not  long  since  built ;  and  repayr'd  at  a  great  cost  by  that 
great  fFauourite  of  late  dayes,  [Robert  Dudley  Earle  of  Leicester] :  the 
private,  plaine  retiring  Chamber  wherein  our  renowned  Queene  of 
ever  famous  memory,  alwayes  made  choise  to  repose  her  Selfe.  Also, 
the  famous  strong  old  Tower,  called  Julius  Caesars,  on  top  whereof 
wee  view'd  the  pleasant  large  Poole,  continually  sporting  and  playing  on 
the  Castle :  the  Parke,  and  the  fforrest  contigious  thereunto.  But  one 
thing  more  remarkable  than  any  we  had  yet  scene,  was,  the  sight  of  the 
massy,  heauy  Armour  of  that  famous  and  redoubted  warriour  [Guy, 
Earl  of  Warwick] ,  whom  we  next  hastened  to."  There  is  a  well-known 
print  of  the  fortress  at  this  period,  engraved  from  an  original  drawing. 

The  Castle  on  Henry's  death,  went  inl^  the  possession  of  his  brotbor, 


Priory  of  Kenilworth.  389 

Charles  I.,  who  granted  it  to  Gary,  Earl  of  Monmouth ;  but  the  down- 
fall of  this  gigantic  structure  was  fast  approaching.  During  the  wars 
it  was  seized  by  Cromwell,  and  by  him  given  to  some  of  his  officers. 
The  rapacious  plunderers,  who  had  no  sort  of  feeling  for  the  beau- 
teous and  majestic,  soon  reduced  it  to  what  it  now  is,  a  pile  of  ruins. 
They  drained  the  lakes  which  once  flowed  over  so  many  hundred 
acres,  ravaged  the  woods,  beat  down  the  walls,  dismantled  the  towers, 
choked  up  the  fair  walks,  and  rooted  out  the  pleasant  gardens  j  de- 
stroyed the  park,  and  divided  and  appropriated  the  lands. 

On  the  Restoration  of  Charles  II.,  the  estate  and  ruins  of  the  Castle 
were  granted  to  Lawrence,  Viscount  Hyde,  of  Kenilworth,  second  son 
of  the  celebrated  Lord  High  Chancellor,  created  Baron  of  Kenilworth 
and  Earl  of  Rochester ;  and  by  the  mamage  of  a  female  heiress  de». 
scended  fi-om  him,  passed  in  1752,  into  the  possession  of  Thomas 
Villiers,  Baron  Hyde,  son  of  the  Earl  of  Jersey,  who  was  advanced,  in 
1776,  to  the  dignity  of  Earl  of  Clarendon,  in  the  possession  of  whose 
family  it  still  remains. 

I  A  considerable  portion  of  the  ruins  of  this  once  magnificent  pile 
having  shown  signs  of  falling,  the  noble  owner,  Lord  Clarendon,  who 
has  the  good  taste  to  appreciate  the  interest  of  such  memorials  of  the 
country's  history,  has  caused  to  be  repaired  and  strengthened  the  great 
hall  of  the  Castle,  Leicester's  Buildings,  and  parts  of  the  external  walls 
on  either  side;  some  of  the  doorways,  windows,  and  fireplaces.  In  the 
course  of  the  repairs  excavations  have  been  made,  and  underground 
apartments,  cells,  and  passages  revealed,  which  had  been  hid  for  centu- 
ries. The  great  hall,  90  ft.  by  45  ft.,  still  retains  several  of  its  Gothic 
windows,  and  some  of  the  towers  yet  rise  70  ft.  high. 

The  ruins  are  in  many  parts  mantled  with  ivy,  which  adds  to  their 
picturesque  character ;  and  are  on  an  elevated,  rocky  site,  commanding 
an  extensive  view  of  the  country  round.  Kenilworth  is  a  favourite 
resort  for  pic-nic  parties,  who,  by  permission  of  the  noble  owner  of  the 
estate,  are  enabled  to  appreciate  the  interest  of  this  famous  historic  site. 


Priory  of  Kenilworth, 

The  visitor  to  Kenilworth,  and  its  romantic  Castle  full  in  view, 
might  readily  overlook  the  ancient  edifice  lying  a  little  to  the  left  as  he 
issues  from  the  village,  some  time  occupied  as  an  ox-stall ;  this,  together 
with  its  ruined  gatehouse,  is  all  that  remains  of  the  monastery  founded 
in  the  reign  of  King  Henry  I.,  by  Geoffrey  de  Clinton,  for  canons 


390  Maxstoke  Castle, 

regular  of  the  Augustine  order.  Judging  by  extensive  traces  of  founda- 
tions, the  buildings  composing  the  Monastery  must  have  covered  a 
wide  space,  and  must  have  been  a  magnificent  appurtenance  to  the 
Castle,  the  feudal  and  the  ecclesiastical  edifices  being  both  beholden  to 
the  same  founder.  An  interesting  portion  of  the  Monastery  was 
brought  to  light  by  the  sexton  while  digging  a  grave ;  and,  being  wholly 
cleared,  it  was  found  to  be  the  base  of  the  Chapter  House,  its  form 
octagonal,  with  buttresses.  The  burialplace  of  the  Priors  was  dis- 
covered at  the  same  time,  containing  some  slabs,  which  exhibit  a  curious 
variety  of  sculptured  crosses  in  low  relief.  The  gatehouse  is  chiefly 
n  the  Early  Pointed  style,  with  additions  of  two  centuries  later. 
Within  is  a  very  primitive  arch,  leading  to  a  chamber  adjoining  the 
chapel:  it  is  pointed,  and,  without  a  keystone,  most  unscientifically 
composed.  The  chapel  itself  has  a  Norman  basement,  probably  of  the 
original  foundation.  In  the  upper  part  are  two  windows,  of  a  rare 
structure.  Windows  of  a  similar  kind  were  visible  in  the  Monastery 
of  Black  Friars,  a  venerable  edifice  in  Newcastle-on-Tyne,  which  is 
said  to  have  witnessed  the  homage  rendered  by  Baliol  of  Scotland  to 
King  Edward  I. 

The  interior  of  the  chapel  was  utterly  ruined  by  its  desecration,  the 
walls  being  encumbered  by  rough  timber.  The  roof  is  richly  decorated 
with  bosses  and  sculptured  heads,  but  it  is  partly  demolished. 

The  Parish  Church,  adjacent  to  the  Priory,  contains  a  sweet  chime 
of  bells,  one  of  which  originally  belonged  to  the  Monastery.  The 
ancient  custom  of  duly  chiming  the  matins  and  curfew  is  still  observed 
here.    The  Church  has  lately  been  restored. 


Maxstoke  Castle. 

On  a  plain,  in  a  sequestered  spot  surrounded  by  trees,  above  a  mile 
north  of  the  village  of  Maxstoke,  and  three  miles  from  Coleshill,  stands 
this  Castle,  which  has  its  history,  chequered  with  tlic  fortunes  of  its 
owners.  This  ancient  structure  was  built  by  Sir  William  Clinton, 
eldest  son  of  John  Lord  Clinton,  in  1356,  and  is  one  of  the  very  few 
remaining  buildings  of  that  interesting  period.  The  Castle  came  into 
the  possession  of  Humphrey  Stafford,  Earl  of  Buckingham,  by  exchange 
with  John,  fifth  Lord  Clioton,  for  Whiston,  in  Northamptonshire,  and 
became  the  favourite  residence  of  the  Earl ;  but  upon  the  decapitation 
of  his  son,  Henry,  Duke  of  Buckingham,  for  his  attempt  to  dethrone 
Richard  HL,  in  1483,  the  Castle  was  seized  by  the  King,  who  visited 
it  on  his  progress  to  Nottingham  Castle,  previously  to  the  battle  of 


Maxstoke  Castle.  391 

Bosworth,  when  he  ordered  all  the  inner  buildings  of  Kenihvorth 
Castle  to  be  removed  here.  After  the  death  of  King  Richard  III., 
Edward,  the  son  of  the  last  Puke  of  Buckingham,  was  restored  to  his 
father's  honours  and  estates.  He  fell  a  sacrifice  to  Cardinal  Wolsey, 
and  was  beheaded  in  152 1  ;  upon  which  event  the  Emperor  Charles  V 
exclaimed,  "  A  butcher's  dog  has  worried  to  death  the  finest  buck  in 
England."  Then  sunk  for  ever  all  the  splendour  and  princely  honours 
of  the  renowned  family  of  Stafford. 

A  frightful  succession  of  calamities  befel  both  the  ancestors  and  de- 
scendants of  Humphrey,  Earl  of  Buckingham,  as  well  as  himself.  His 
grandfather  was  murdered  at  Calais,  his  father  killed  at  Shrewsbury, 
his  sen  at  St.  Albans,  and  himself  at  Northampton ;  his  grandson,  and 
great-grandson  were  both  executed  as  traitors,  and  he  had  to  relinquish 
the  rank  of  Lord  Stafford,  to  which  he  had  become  entitled,  and  his 
sister  was  at  that  time  the  wife  of  a  carpenter. 

To  return  to  M<'\xstoke.  The  year  after  the  beheading  of  the  son  of 
the  last  Duke  of  Buckingham  in  152 1,  the  estate,  again  forfeited,  was 
granted  to  Sir  William  Compton,  ancestor  of  AVilliam,  Lord  Compton, 
who,  in  1526,  disposed  of  it  to  the  Lord  Keeper  Egerton,  who,  two 
years  afterwards,  sold  it  to  Thomas  Dilke,  Esq.,  in  whose  family  the  pro- 
perty still  remains.  The  plan  of  the  Castle  is  a  parallelogram,  with  a 
hexagonal  tower  at  each  angle,  inclosing  an  area  containing  the  dwelling, 
which  was  partly  destroyed  by  an  accidental  fire  ;  but  a  great  portion 
of  the  ancient  edifice  yet  remains,  and  is  a  fine  example  of  the  archi- 
tectural style  of  the  age  in  which  it  was  erected.  The  gatehouse  in 
the  centre  of  the  front  is  approached  by  a  stone  bridge  over  a  moat, 
which  encompasses  the  Castle  walls ;  above  the  entrance  are  sculptured 
the  arms  of  Humphrey  Stafford,  Earl  of  Buckingham,  impaling  those 
of  his  Countess,  Anne  Neville,  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Westmoreland, 
which  are  supported  by  two  antelopes,  assumed  in  allusion  to  the 
Earl's  descent  from  royal  blood,  his  mother  being  the  daughter  of 
Thomas  of  Woodstock,  Duke  of  Gloucester.  The  badges  of  the  burn- 
ing nave  and  the  Stafford  knot  are  also  sculptured  on  the  gatehouse, 
which  was  built  by  the  Earl  of  Buckingham  previously  to  his  being 
created  a  Duke  in  1446.  The  great  gates  put  up  by  this  nobleman 
are  still  in  their  original  state,  and  are  covered  with  plates  of  iron  ;  the 
groove  for  the  massive  portcullis  is  also  to  be  seen. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Castle  are  the  remains  of  a  Priory, 
founded  by  William  Clinton,  Earl  of  Huntingdon,  in  1331,  for  canons 
regular  of  the  order  of  St.  Austin ;  it  was  dedicated  to  the  Holy 
Trinity,  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  St.  Michael,  and  All  Saints.     The 


39^  Maxstohe  Castle, 

endowment  of  this  Priory  was  ample,  for  it  was  valued  in  1534  at 
129/.  118.  8d.  per  annum :  it  was  granted  in  1538  to  Charles,  Duke  of 
Suffolk.  The  ruins  are  rendered  mournfully  picturesque  by  the  varieties 
of  evergreen  foliage  that  environ  them  in  every  direction. 

In  the  same  division  of  the  county,  on  the  bordei-s  of  Leicestershire,  is 
Caldecote,  the  church  of  which  contains  a  monument  of  Mr.  Abbot,  who 
defended  Caldecote  Hall,  and  who  died  there  in  1648.  On  the  28th  of 
August,  1642,  this  seat,  the  noble  mansion  of  the  Puretbys,  was  attacked 
by  Prince  Rupert  and  Prince  Maurice,  at  the  head  of  eighteen  troops  of 
horse,  when  Mr.  Abbot,  assisted  only  by  eight  men  besides  his  mother 
and  her  maids,  successfully  defended  Caldecote  Hall  against  the  assai- 
lants ;  and  it  is  not  known  that  any  of  the  family  were  hurt. 

Nuneaton,  also  in  this  division,  is  named  from  a  Nunnery  founded  here 
in  the  reign  of  Henry  H.,  by  Robert  Bossu,  Earl  of  Leicester.  Here,  in 
1792,  as  some  labourers  were  digging  in  the  ruins  of  the  Nunnery,  they 
discovered  a  tessellated  pavement  arranged  in  circles,  containing  the 
signs  of  the  Zodiac,  and  about  two  feet  below  the  floor  were  several 
stone  coffins. 

At  Duddeston,  a  hamlet  adjoining  Birmingham,  was  the  ancient 
family  residence  of  the  Holts,  one  of  whom,  according  to  tradition, 
"  murdered  his  cook,  and  was  afterwards  compelled  to  adopt  the  red 
hand  in  his  arms."  This,  by  the  illiterate  termed  the  "  bloody  hand," 
and  by  them  reputed  as  an  abatement  of  honour,  is  nothing  more  than 
the  Ulster  badge  of  dignity.  The  tradition  adds  that  Sir  Thomas  Holt 
murdered  the  cook  in  a  cellar  at  the  old  family  mansion,  by  running 
him  through  with  a  "  spit,"  and  afterwards  buried  him  beneath  the 
spot  where  the  tragedy  was  enacted.  In  the  year  1850,  the  house  where 
the  murder  is  said  to  have  been  committed  was  levelled  with  the  ground  ; 
and  amongst  persons  who,  from  their  position  in  society  might  be  sup- 
posed to  be  better  informed,  considerable  anxiety  was  expressed  to 
ascertain  whether  any  portion  of  the  skeleton  of  the  murdered  cook  had 
been  discovered  beneath  the  flooring  of  the  cellar  which  tradition 
po.ntcd  out  as  the  place  of  his  interment ! — Notei  and  Queries^  No.  61, 


393 


Charlecote  House,  Warwickshire. — Shakspeare*s 
Deer-stealing  Adventure. 

Charlecote  House,  the  seat  of  the  Lucy's,  in  Warwickshire,  is  de- 
lightfully situated  on  a  gentle  acclivity  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
Avon,  at  the  angle  where  the  stream,  after  flowing  southward  from 
Wanvick,  curves  toward  the  west  and  south-west  on  its  way  to  join 
the  Severn.  It  is  situated  about  five  and  a  half  miles  south-south- 
west of  Warwick,  and  about  four  miles  east  of  Stratford.  From  the 
latter  town  the  road  to  Charlecote,  now  known  to  so  many  pilgrims, 
lies  along  the  left  bank  of  the  Avon,  with  a  tract  of  meadow-land 
intervening,  and  discloses  at  every  turn  charming  views  of  the 
windings  of  the  stream  and  of  the  rich  landscape  around. 

The  present  mansion  was  erected  by  Sir  Thomas  Lucy  on  the 
site  of  a  former  edifice,  in  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  Queen 
Elizabeth  ;  and  though  a  few  alterations  have  since  been  effected, 
the  house,  as  it  at  present  stands,  is  practically  the  original  structure. 
It  is  a  noble  specimen  of  the  domestic  style  which  prevailed  in  the 
sixteenth  century.  Built  of  reddish  brick,  with  white  stone  coigns, 
and  enriched  with  judiciously  distributed  ornament,  it  pleases  the 
eye  with  its  mellow  colour  and  with  its  contrasts  of  light  and  shade; 
while  the  harmony  of  its  proportions,  its  elaborately  ornamented 
stone  porch,  airy  bay  windows,  and  the  graceful  octagonal  turrets 
with  cupolas  and  gilt  vanes,  which  round  off  and  surmount  its  four 
principal  corners,  please  the  sense  of  symmetry  and  the  love  of  the 
beauty  of  form.  The  plan  of  the  building  is  that  of  a  spacious 
front  with  two  wings  projecting  from  it  at  right  angles.  Large  bay 
windows  have  lately  been  thrown  out  at  the  extremities  of  the  wings, 
and  these,  in  their  lightness  and  elegance,  form  a  pleasing  contrast 
with  the  bold  turrets  which  rise  by  their  side.  The  grand  outer 
gate-house,  with  its  richly  ornamented  balustrade,  and  its  corner 
towers  and  cupolas  harmonising  with  those  of  the  main  building, 
stands  at  some  distance  in  jfront  of  the  mansion,  with  ornamental 
gardens  between.  The  whole  forms  a  perfect  specimen  of  the  style 
of  Elizabethan  architecture. 

From  the  windows  of  the  house  magnificent  views  are  obtained 
of  the  luxuriant  and  extensive  park — one  of  those  fine  old  en- 
closures, so  thoroughly  characteristic  of  the  English  county  gentry. 
Its  surface  is  diversified  by  acclivity  and  dell,  glade  and  plantation. 


394  Charlecote  House, 

Towering  and  majestic  forest  trees,  with  their  rich  masses  of 
foliage,  rise  on  every  side.  The  oak,  the  lime,  the  sycamore,  and 
even  the  Scottish  fir,  with  its  dark  branches  spreading  out  like  the 
fingers  of  an  outstretched  hand,  give  variety  to  the  undulating 
ground ;  while  the  one  other  charm  that  is  wanted  to  give  com- 
pleteness to  the  landscape  is  supplied  by  the  peacefully  flowing- 
waters  of  the  Avon.  Lawns  and  shrubberies  occupy  the  space  be- 
tween the  stream  and  the  hall.  Herds  of  cattle  and  of  deer,  among 
which  may  be  seen  the  famous  red  monarchs  of  the  forest  with 
which  the  sportsman  of  the  Scottish  Highlands  is  familiar,  ramble 
in  the  park  and  shelter  in  the  hollows,  imparting  an  additional  grace 
to  the  scene,  and  the  charm  of  wild  nature  existing  side  by  side 
with  art  and  the  highest  culture. 

"You  have  a  goodly  house  here  and  a  rich,"  quoth  Falstaff, 
speaking  of  Charlecote  :  and  the  fat  knight  was  right. 

At  Charlecote,  the  Avon  receives  the  river  Heile,  and  about  a  mile 
lower  down  it  is  joined  by  a  small  stream,  where  the  parish  of 
Alveston  begins,  and  in  the  southern  portion  of  which  the  air  is 
considered  so  pure  and  salubrious,  that  Dr.  Perry  styled  it  the 
Montpelier  of  England.  The  southern  bank  of  the  Avon  continues 
here  to  present  a  beautiful  verdant  slope  of  meadow  to  the  very 
edge  of  the  water,  while  that  on  the  opposite  side  is  in  many  places 
abruptly  steep,  and  crowned  with  wood. 

The  apartments  in  the  interior  of  the  house  are  numerous,  but  for 
the  most  part  neither  large  nor  grand.  The  great  hall,  however,  is 
a  noble  room,  furnished  with  a  spacious  gallery,  enriched  with 
painted  glass,  and  adorned  by  portraits  chiefly  of  the  Lucy  family. 
Probably  no  other  country  mansion  in  England  has  been  visited 
by  so  many  tourists  and  pilgrims  as  Charlecote.  Within  four  miles 
of  its  gates  Shakspeare  was  born.  And  it  is  only  reasonable  to 
conjecture  that  he  who  created  the  "  forest  of  Ardcn,"  who  sang  so 
blithely  of  life  "under  the  greenwood  tree,"  who  found  "sermons 
in  stones,"  and  "  books  in  the  ruiming  brooks,"  and  who  moralised 
so  generously  over  the  stricken  deer,  must  have  made  the  woods  of 
Charlecote  a  favourite  haunt,  and  thus  consecrated  them  for  pos- 
terity. But  his  connexion  with  the  mansion  docs  not  end  here. 
An  oft  repeated  incident  unites  him  to  it  by  an  association  partly 
painful,  partly  ludicrous.  He  is  believed  to  have  joined  in  a  mid- 
night poaching  expedition  for  the  purpose  of  capturing  some  of  the 
deer  on  Charlecote  Manor,  to  have  been  caught  in  the  act,  confined 
all  night,  and  brought  to  the  hall  for  examination  and  reproof,  if 


Charlecote  House,  395 

not  punishment,  on  the  following  day.  Smarting  with  indignation 
he  is  said  to  have  written  a  satirical  ballad  on  Sir  Thomas  Lucy, 
then  the  lord  of  Charlecote,  and  to  have  affixed  it  to  his  park-gates. 
According  to  the  old  story.  Sir  Thomas  Lucy  was  more  deeply 
annoyed  at  the  poet's  satire — though  that  seems  to  us  feeble 
enough — than  he  was  at  the  loss  of  his  game,  and  resolved  to  bring 
the  satirist  to  account  for  his  scurrilities.  It  was  to  escape  the 
threatened  punishment,  it  is  supposed,  that  Shakspeare  fled  from 
his  native  town,  threw  himself  into  the  vortex  of  London  life,  and 
selected  the  profession  of  actor  and  playwright,  for  which  his  taste 
inchned  him,  and  by  which  his  genius  enabled  him  in  the  readiest 
manner  to  command  a  competency. 

The  whole  story  of  Shakspeare's  deer-stealing  adventure  is 
discredited  by  Malone,  who  shows  that  Sir  Thomas  Lucy  had  no 
park  at  Charlecote,  and  no  deer,  and  De  Ouincey,  in  his  admirable 
article  on  "  Shakspeare,"  contributed  to  the  Encyclopcedia  Britan- 
nica,  plainly  states  that  "  the  tale  is  fabulous,  and  rotten  to  its 
core,"  and  defends  his  position  by  arguments  conspicuous  for  their 
ingenuity  and  research,  as  well  as  for  their  general  air  of  proba- 
bility. The  opening  stanza  of  the  ballad,  purporting  to  have  been 
written  by  Shakspeare  on  Sir  Thomas  Lucy,  Dr.  Quincey  believes 
to  have  been  written  in  the  reign  of  Charles  IL — the  phrase  "par- 
liament member"  which  occurs  in  it  (see  page  379),  being,  so  far  as 
he  can  learn,  "  quite  unknown  in  the  colloquial  use  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth's reign." 

Leaving  the  details  of  the  story,  however,  to  be  settled  by  the 
historical  critics  of  the  future,  it  seems  probable  enough  that  Shak- 
speare, who,  at  the  time  referred  to,  had  not  yet  reached  his  majority, 
had  joined,  in  a  sportive  spirit,  in  some  deer-shooting  expedition, 
had  been  caught  by  Sir  Thomas  Lucy's  keepers,  and  had  been 
solemnly  reproved  by  the  offended  knight  and  magistrate.  Without 
admitting  the  probability  of  the  story  so  far,  it  is  difficult  to  account 
for  the  legend  at  all,  and  especially  difficult  to  account  for  the 
vitality  of  that  legend  in  the  House  of  Charlecote  itself.  William 
Howitt,  the  genial  and  talented  author  of  "Visits  to  Remarkable 
Places,"  states  that  he  had  an  interview  with  Mrs.  Lucy,  the  wife 
of  the  late  proprietor,  and  that  the  conversation  turned  upon  the 
very  topic  under  consideration.  "  The  park,"  says  Howitt,  "  is 
finely  wooded  with  the  natural  growth  of  this  part  of  the  country, 
and  is  nobly  stocked  with  fallow  deer.  Mrs.  Lucy  told  me  that  it 
was  a  very  common  and  perpetually  repeated  m" stake,  that  it  was 


396  Charlecote  House, 

from  this  park  that  Shakspeare  stole  the  deer,  but  that  it  was 
actually  from  the  old  park  of  Fiilb7'Ook,  on  the  Warwick  road^ 
where  Fulbrook  Castle  formerly  stood,  which  ground  is  now  dis- 
parked.  This  accords  with  Mr.  Ireland's  statement.  //  was,  how- 
ever, in  this  hall  that  he  was  tried." 

Fulbrook  Park  was  situated  about  two  miles  from  Charlecote,  and 
Malone's  supposed  demolition  of  the  deer-stealing  story,  on  the 
ground  that  at  that  time  Lucy  "had  no  park  at  Charlecote"  is 
valueless,  and  affects  in  no  degree  the  amount  of  truth,  greater  or 
less,  which  has  kept  this  tradition  alive,  atnong  the  Lucys,  as  well 
as  in  the  neighbourhood. 

The  following  extract  from  Howitt's  "Visit  to  Stratford-on-Avon" 
is  valuable,  for  the  reason  that  as  the  house  is  not  usually  shown 
to  visitors,  it  had  not  been  minutely  described  by  earlier  writers. 
"  The  entrance-hall,  the  scene  of  Shakpeare's  examination,  is  a  fine 
room,  with  a  grained  oak  roof,  having  been  restored  with  admirable 
taste  ;  and  contains  objects  which  cannot  be  looked  upon  without 
interest.  The  family  paintings  are  collected  and  well-disposed 
around  it,  and  others  connected  with  the  history  of  the  family." 

**  On  the  ample  mantelpiece  are  the  la-ge  old-fashioned  initials 
of  Sir  Thomas  Lucy,  raised  and  gilt,  and  the  date  of  the  building 
of  the  hall — 1558.  Upon  this  mantelpiece  also  stands  a  cast  of 
the  bust  of  Sir  Thomas,  taken  from  his  monument  in  the  church. 
There  is  also  a  painting  of  him  sitting  at  a  table  with  his  lady,  in 
a  black  velvet  dress,  with  slashed  sleeves,  large  bunches  at  the 
knees,  of  a  zigzag  pattern,  in  black  and  white  stripes  ;  light  coloured 
roses  in  his  shoes,  and  with  a  ruff  and  cuffs  of  point  lace.  The 
portrait  and  bust  bear  a  striking  resemblance  to  each  other ;  and 
though  they  do  not  give  us  any  reason  to  suppose  him  such  an 
imbecile  as  Shakspeare,  in  his  witty  revenge,  has  represented  Jus- 
tice Shallow,  they  have  an  air  of  formal  conceit  and  self-sufficiency 
that  accord  wonderfully  with  our  idea  of  the  country  knight  who 
could  look  on  the  assault  of  his  deer  as  a  most  heinous  offence,  and 
would  be  very  likely  to  hold  his  dignity  sorely  insulted  by  the 
saucy  son  of  a  Stratford  woolcomber,  who  had  dared  to  affix  a 
scandalous  satire  on  his  park  gate,  and  to  make  him  ridiculous  to 

all  the  country It  was  a  high  and  sincere  pleasure  to  me  to 

find  the  present  descendants  of  Sir  Thomas  Lucy  the  very  reverse 
of  all  that  Shakspeare  would  persuade  us  that  he  was.  On  all  sides 
and  from  all  classes  of  people  I  heard  the  most  excellent  opinion 
cf  them I  had  not  the  pleasure  to  find  Mr.   Lucy  at  home  ; 


Charlecote  House,  397 

but  the  house  bore  everywhere  the  most  unequivocal  testimonies  of 
his  taste  ;  and  I  have  rarely  met  with  a  lady  that  interested  me 
more  by  her  agreeable  manners,  intelligence,  and  tone  of  mind,  than 
Mrs.  Lucy,  a  sister  of  Lady  Willoughby  de  Broke,  of  Compton- 
Verney,  in  the  same  neighbourhood." 

Mr.  Lucy  has  enriched  Charlecote  House  with  a  select  collection 
of  paintings. 

In  the  hall  are  portraits  of  Sir  Thomas,  grandson  of  old  Sir 
Thomas,  his  lady,  and  six  children,  by  Cornelius  Jansen.  There 
are  also  Captain  Thomas  Lucy  and  his  lady,  by  Lely.  In  the 
library  portraits  of  Charles  I.  and  II.,  of  Archbishop  Laud,  and 
Lord  Strafford,  by  Henry  Stone.  Here  are  also  eight  ebony  chairs, 
inlaid  with  ivory,  two  cabinets  and  a  couch  of  the  same,  said  to  have 
been  brought  from  Kenilworth,  and  to  have  been  a  present  of 
Queen  Elizabeth  to  Leicester.  In  the  drawing-room  are  Teniers' 
Wedding  ;  Cassandra,  by  Guercino  ;  Marketing  Parties,  by  Wou- 
vermann  ;  landscape,  by  Cuyp  ;  St.  Cecilia,  by  Domenichino  ; 
Madonna  and  Child,  by  Vandyke,  as  also  specimens  of  Hobbima* 
Berghem,  and  Peter  de  Hogh.  But  the  most  beautiful  picture  of 
all  is  one  of  which  the  subject  and  the  artist  alike  are  unknown. 
It  is  a  female  figure  holding  a  cup.  The  hair  is  golden,  the  face 
infused  with  melancholy  sentiment — "  The  beauty  of  the  whole 
countenance,  the  fine  large  eyes  full  of  thought  and  sorrow,  the 
high,  rich  forehead,  the  glorious  head,  and  the  pure  and  deep  sen- 
timent of  the  whole,  mark  the  hand  of  the  master,  and  are  worthy 
of  Raffaelle  himself." 

Many  distinguished  visitors  from  distant  lands  have  visited 
Charlecote,  and  recorded  their  impressions  respecting  it.  Of  these 
the  most  genial  is  the  ever-delightful  Washington  Irving.  He  came 
to  see  Charlecote,  and  to  enjoy  it,  and  thus  he  has  much  that  is 
pleasant,  but  little  that  is  strictly  novel,  to  say  about  it.  His  re- 
flections after  his  visit  do  equal  credit  to  his  head  and  heart — "  I 
now  bade  a  reluctant  farewell  to  the  old  hall.  My  mind  had  be- 
come so  completely  possessed  by  the  imaginary  scenes  and  charac- 
ters connected  with  it,  that  I  seemed  to  be  actually  living  among 
them.  Everything  brought  them,  as  it  were,  before  my  eyes  ;  and 
as  the  door  of  the  dining-room  opened,  I  almost  expected  to  hear 
the  feeble  voice  of  Master  Silence  quavering  forth  his  favourite 
ditty  :— 

«•  'Tis  merry  in  the  hall,  when  beards  wag  all, 
And  welcome  merry  Shrove-tide." 


398  Charlecote  House. 

"  On  returning  to  my  inn,  I  could  not  but  reflect  on  the  singular 
gifts  of  the  poet ;  to  be  able  thus  to  spread  the  magic  of  his  mind 
over  the  very  face  of  nature  ;  to  give  to  things  and  places  a  charm 
and  character  not  their  own,  and  to  turn  this  '  working  day  world' 
into  a  perfect  fairy  land.  He  is,  indeed,  the  true  enchanter  whose 
spell  operates  not  upon  the  senses,  but  upon  the  imagination  of  the 
heart.  Under  the  wizard  influence  of  Shakspeare,  I  had  been 
walking  all  day  in  a  complete  delusion.  I  had  surveyed  the  land- 
scape through  the  prism  of  poetry,  which  tinged  every  object  with 
the  hues  of  the  rainbow.  I  had  been  surrounded  with  fancied 
beings  ;  with  mere  airy  nothings  conjured  up  by  poetic  power,  yet 
which  to  me  had  all  the  charm  of  reality.  I  heard  Jaques  solilo- 
quize beneath  his  oak  ;  had  beheld  the  fair  Rosalind  and  her  com- 
panion adventuring  through  the  woodlands ;  and,  above  all,  had  been 
once  more  present  in  spirit  with  fat  Jack  Falstaff  and  his  contem- 
poraries, from  the  august  Justice  Shallow,  down  to  the  gentle 
Master  Slender  and  the  sweet  Anne  Page.  Ten  thousand  honours 
and  blessings  on  the  bard  who  has  thus  gilded  the  dull  realities  of 
life  with  innocent  illusions  ;  who  has  spread  exquisite  and  unbought 
pleasures  in  my  chequered  path,  and  beguiled  my  spirit  in  many  a 
lonely  hour  with  all  the  cordial  and  cheerful  sympathies  of  social 
life." 

The  lineage  of  the  house  of  Lucy  is  both  ancient  and  distin- 
guished. William,  the  son  of  Walter  de  Charlecote,  assumed  the 
name  of  Lucy  about  the  close  of  the  twelfth  century.  His  grand- 
father was  Thurstane  of  Charlecote,  supposed  to  have  been  a 
younger  son  of  Thurstane  de  Montfort,  and  his  father  was  Sir 
Walter  de  Charlecote,  to  whom  Henry  de  Montfort  conveyed 
the  village  of  Charlecote — an  act  confirmed  by  Richard  L  It  is 
surmised  that  the  first  Sir  William  Lucy,  of  Charlecote,  assumed 
his  surname  because  his  mother  might  have  been  the  heir  of  some 
branch  of  the  great  baronial  family  of  Lucy,  so  named  from  a  place 
in  Normandy.  This  head  of  the  family  founded  the  Priory  of 
Thelesford  in  the  reign  of  Henry  HL  Of  the  monastery  there  arc 
no  remains. 

Edmund  Lucy,  of  Charlecote,  born  in  1464,  and  great  grandson 
of  Sir  Thomas  Lucy,  of  Charlecote,  M.P.  for  Warwickshire,  and 
one  of  the  retinue  of  John  of  Gaunt,  was  a  soldier  of  high  repute  in 
the  reign  of  Henry  VH.,  and  led  a  division  of  the  royal  army  at  the 
battle  of  Stoke.  His  great  grandson.  Sir  Thomas  Lucy,  was  the 
builder  of  the  modern  mansion  of  Charlecote.  and  the  prosecutor 


The  Battle  of  Edge-Jiill  399 

of  Shakspeare  for  deer-stealing.  The  poet  has  satirized  the  knight 
under  the  character  of  Justice  Shallow,  in  "The  Merry  Wives  of 
Windsor."  His  grandson,  Sir  Thomas  Lucy,  of  whom  it  is  said 
that  "  his  tables  were  ever  open  to  the  learned,  and  his  gates  never 
fast  to  the  poor,"  died  in  1640. 

Henry  Spencer  Lucy,  born  in  1830,  and  High  Sheriff  of  War- 
wickshire in  1857,  is  the  present  owner  of  the  historic  lands  of 
Charlecote. 


The  Battle  of  Edge-hill.— The  Shuckburghs  of 
Shuckburgh  Hall. 

The  battle  of  Edge-hill,  fought  near  Kineton,  Warwickshire,  on 
the  23rd  of  October,  1642,  between  the  Royalists  under  Charles  L, 
and  the  Parliamentary  troops  under  their  general.  Lord  Essex,  is 
remarkable  as  being  the  first  pitched  battle  of  the  Civil  War,  and 
as  being  a  contest  at  once  sanguinary  and  undecided. 

From  Stratford-on-Avon  the  traveller  to  the  site  of  the  conflict 
will  move  in  a  south-eastern  direction,  until  the  ridge  known  as 
Edge -hill  has  gradually  risen  until  it  forms  the  whole  rim  of  the 
horizon  on  that  side.  From  Stratford  to  the  hill,  or  rather  to  the 
edge^  is  a  distance  of  ten  miles,  and  the  road  gradually  ascends 
nearly  all  the  way  from  the  banks  of  the  Avon  to  the  high  land  in 
the  south-east  of  the  county.  The  ascent,  however,  is  little  more 
than  appreciable  until  the  foot  of  Edge-hill  is  reached.  There  is 
then  an  abrupt,  almost  a  precipitous  elevation,  resembling  a  cliff ; 
for  Edge-hill  is  really  an  edge  or  step  where  the  country  takes  an 
abrupt  rise.  Having  ascended  this  steep  acclivity,  the  traveller  will 
find  himself  not  so  much  on  a  hill  as  on  a  plateau — a  tract  of  country 
with  a  higher  level. 

The  summit  of  the  hill  affords  one  of  the  finest  and  most  ex- 
tensive prospects  in  the  kingdom.  Northward,  westward,  and 
south-westward  the  eye  ranges  from  Coventry  in  Warwick  to  the 
Severn  basin  in  the  counties  of  Worcester  and  Gloucester.  The 
extent  of  the  view  is  accounted  for  by  the  comparatively  low  level 
of  the  country  upon  which  the  observer  gazes.  Eastward  from 
Edge-hill  the  views  are  very  pleasing,  but  not  so  extensive,  as  on 
this  side  the  edge  the  level  is  high. 

Approaching  the  hill  from  the  west,  a  town  near  a  mill,  on  its 
highest  summit,  is  pointed  out  as   a  conspicuous  landmark— it 


400  The  Battle  of  Edge-hill 

stands  exactly  above  the  battle-field  on  which  the  great  national 
contest  between  Royalists  and  Roundheads  commenced — a  contest 
which  was  not  brought  to  a  close  till  the  leaders  and  central  figures 
on  the  respective  sides  were  laid  in  the  tomb.  Looking  down  from 
the  summit  of  the  ridge  of  Edge-hill,  the  villages  of  Kineton  and 
Radway  are  seen  on  the  campaign  below  :  midway  between  these 
the  battle  took  place. 

On  mustering  his  army,  the  king  found  that  it  consisted  of  two 
thousand  men.  The  Earl  of  Lindsey,  who  in  his  youth  had  served 
in  the  Low  Countries,  was  general.  The  command  of  the  infantry 
was  entrusted  to  Sir  Jacob  Astley,  whose  prayer  and  last  words 
before  he  joined  the  battle  have  often  been  quoted.  "  O  Lord  !" 
exclaimed  the  brave  man  and  prompt  leader,  "  Thou  knowest  how 
busy  I  must  be  this  day.  If  I  forget  thee,  do  not  thou  forget  me. 
March  on,  boys  !"  Sir  Arthur  Aston  led  the  dragoons  ;  Sir  John 
Heyden,  the  artillery,  and  Lord  Bernard  Stuart  was  at  the  head  of  a 
troop  of  guards.  The  estates  and  revenue  of  this  single  troop, 
according  to  Lord  Clarendon's  computation,  were  at  least  equal  to 
those  of  all  the  members  who,  at  the  commencement  of  the  war, 
voted  in  both  Houses.  Their  servants,  commanded  by  Sir  William 
Killigrew,  composed  another  troop,  and  always  marched  beside 
their  masters. 

The  king  marched  from  Shrewsbury,  and  two  days  after,  Essex, 
at  the  head  of  the  Parliamentary  troops,  set  out  from  Worcester, 
Although  in  civil  war  it  is  usually  easy  to  obtain  intelligence  of  an 
enemy's  movements,  the  hostile  enemies  were  within  six  miles  of 
each  other  before  either  of  the  generals  was  aware  of  the  vicinity 
of  his  enemy.  The  distance  between  Shrewsbury  and  Worcester 
is  no  more  than  twenty  miles,  yet  for  ten  days  the  two  armies  con- 
tinued on  the  march  on  gradually  converging  lines  without  being 
apprised  of  each  other's  movements. 

The  following  is  Hume's  concise  account  of  the  battle  :  "  The 
royal  army  lay  at  Banbury ;  that  of  the  parhament  at  Kineton,  in 
the  county  of  Warwick.  Prince  Rupert  sent  intelligence  of  the 
enemy's  approach.  Though  the  day  was  far  advanced,  the  king 
resolved  upon  the  attack.  Essex  drew  up  his  men  to  receive  him. 
Sir  Faithful  Fortescue,  who  had  levied  a  troop  for  the  Irish  wars, 
had  been  obliged  to  serve  in  the  ranks  of  the  parliamentary  army, 
and  was  now  posted  on  the  left  wing,  commanded  by  Ramsay,  a 
Scotchman.  No  sooner  did  the  king's  army  approach  than  For- 
tescue, ordering  his  troops  to  fire  their  pistols  into  the  ground,  put 


TJie  Battle  of  Edge- hill.  40 1 

himself  under  the  command  of  Prince  Rupert.  Partly  from  this 
incident,  partly  from  the  furious  shock  made  upon  them  by  the 
Prince,  the  whole  wing  of  cavalry  immediately  fled  and  were  pur- 
sued for  two  miles.  The  right  wing  of  the  parliament's  army  had 
no  better  success.  Chased  from  their  ground  by  Wilmot  and  Sir 
Arthur  Aston,  they  also  took  to  flight.  The  king's  body  of  reserve, 
commanded  by  Sir  John  Biron,  judging,  like  raw  soldiers  that  all 
was  over,  and  impatient  to  have  some  share  in  the  action,  heed- 
lessly followed  the  chase  which  their  left  wing  had  precipitately 
led  them.  Sir  WiUiam  Balfour,  who  commanded  Essex's  reserve, 
perceived  the  advantage.  He  wheeled  about  upon  the  king's  in- 
fantry, now  quite  unfurnished  of  horse,  and  made  great  havoc 
amongst  them.  Lindsey,  the  general,  was  mortally  wounded,  and 
taken  prisoner  :  his  son  endeavouring  his  rescue,  fell  likewise  into 
the  enemy's  hands.  Sir  Edmund  Verney,  who  carried  the  king's 
standard,  was  killed,  and  the  standard  taken,  but  it  was  afterv/arHs 
recovered.  In  this  situation  Prince  Rupert,  on  his  return,  found 
affairs.  Everything  bore  the  appearance  of  a  defeat  instead  of  a 
victory,  with  which  he  had  hastily  flattered  himself.  Some  advised 
the  king  to  leave  the  field  ;  but  that  prince  rejected  such  pusil- 
lanimous counsel.  The  two  armies  faced  each  other  for  some  time, 
and  neither  of  them  retained  courage  for  a  new  attack.  All  night 
they  lay  under  arms  ;  and  next  morning  found  themselves  in  sight 
of  each  other.  General  as  well  as  soldier  on  both  sides  seemed 
averse  to  renew  the  battle.  Essex  first  drew  off  and  retired  to 
Warwick.  The  king  returned  to  his  former  quarters.  Five  thou- 
sand men  are  said  to  have  been  found  dead  on  the  field  of  battle  ; 
and  the  loss  of  the  two  armies,  as  far  as  we  can  judge  by  the  oppo- 
site accounts,  was  nearly  equal.  Such  was  the  event  of  this  first 
battle,  fought  at  Kineton  or  Edge-hill. 

"  Some  of  Essex's  horse,  who  had  been  driven  off  the  field  in  the 
beginning  of  the  action,  flying  to  a  great  distance,  carried  news  of  .1 
total  defeat,  and  struck  a  mighty  terror  into  the  city  and  parlia-. 
ment.  After  a  few  days,  a  more  just  account  arrived,  and  then  th^ 
parliament  pretended  to  a  complete  victory.  The  king  also,  on  his 
part,  was  not  wanting  to  display  his  advantages,  though,  excepting 
the  taking  of  Banbury,  a .  few  days  after,  he  had  few  marks  of 
victory  to  boast  of.  He  continued  his  march,  and  took  possession 
of  Oxford,  the  only  town  in  his  dominions  which  was  altogether 
at  his  devotion." 

But  Hume  neither  by  native  taste  nor  by  political  training  is 


402  The  Battle  of  Edge-hill. 

the  writer  to  give  us  a  complete  picture  of  the  battle  of  Edge-hill. 
Let  us  contrast  his  brief  outline  of  the  effect  with  the  more  ela- 
borate notice  of  it  in  the  "pictured  page"  of  Clarendon's  "  History 
of  the  Rebellion." 

"  The  battle  did  not  commence  till  near  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, which,  at  that  time  of  the  year,  was  so  late  that  some  were 
of  opinion,  that  the  business  should  be  deferred  till  the  next  day. 
But  against  that  there  were  many  objections  :  the  king's  numbers 
could  not  increase,  the  enemies'  might,  for  they  had  not  only  their 
garrisons,  Warwick,  Coventry,  and  Banbury,  within  short  distances, 
but  all  the  country  so  devoted  to  them,  that  they  had  all  provisions 
brought  to  them  without  the  least  trouble  :  whereas,  on  the  other 
side,  the  people  were  so  disaffected  to  the  king's  party,  that  they 
had  carried  away  or  hid  all  their  provisions,  insomuch  that  there 
was  neither  meat  for  man  nor  horse  ;  and  the  very  smiths  hid  them- 
selves, that  they  might  not  be  compelled  to  shoe  horses,  of  which 
in  those  stony  ways,  there  was  great  need.  So  that  their  wants 
were  so  great  at  the  time  when  they  came  to  Edge-hill,  that  there 
were  very  many  companies  of  the  common  soldiers  who  had 
scarce  eaten  bread  in  forty-eight  hours  before.  The  only  way  to 
cure  this  was  a  victory,  and  therefore  the  king  gave  the  word, 
though  it  was  late,  the  enemy  keeping  their  ground  to  receive  him 
without  advancing. 

"  The  first  movement  was  made  by  Prince  Rupert ;  and  when  he, 
with  the  right  wing  of  the  king's  horse,  advanced  to  charge  the  left 
wing,  which  was  the  gross  of  the  enemies'  horse.  Sir  Faithful  For- 
tescue,  with  his  whole  troop  advanced  from  the  gross  of  their  horse, 
and,  discharging  all  their  pistols  on  the  ground,  within  little  more 
than  carbine-shot  of  his  own  body,  presented  himself,  with  his 
troop,  to  Prince  Rupert,  and  immediately  with  his  highness 
charged  the  enemy.  This  charge  was  decidedly  successful ;  for 
that  whole  wing  of  the  enemy,  having  unskilfully  discharged  their 
carbines  and  pistols  in  the  air,  wheeled  about,  the  king's  horse 
charging  them  in  the  flank  and  rear,  and  having  thus  absolutely 
routed  them,  pursued  them  flying,  and  had  the  execution  of  them 
above  two  miles.  The  left  wing,  commanded  by  Mr.  Wilmot,  was 
equally  successful ;  for  the  right  wing  of  the  enemy's  horse  was  as 
easily  routed  and  dispersed  as  their  left,  and  was  as  eagerly  and 
furiously  pursued  as  the  other.  The  advantage,  however,  thus 
obtained  was  in  a  great  measure  sacrificed  by  the  impetuosity,  not 
only  of  the  cavalry  that  had  charged,  but  of  the  reserve  also,  who, 


The  Battle  of  Edge-hill,  403 

seeing  none  of  the  enemy's  horse  left,  thought  there  was  nothing 
niore  to  be  done  but  to  pursue  those  that  fled,  and  could  not  be 
contained  by  their  commanders,  but  with  spurs  and  loose  reins 
followed  the  chase  which  their  left  wing  had  led  them.  For,  all 
the  king's  horse  having  thus  left  the  field,  the  enemy's  reserve, 
commanded  by  Sir  William  Balfour,  broke  in  upon  the  king's  in- 
fantry and  did  great  execution,  and  might  with  little  difficulty 
have  destroyed  or  taken  prisoner  the  king  himself  and  his  two  sons, 
the  Prince  of  Wales  and  the  Duke  of  York,  being  with  fewer  than  a 
hundred  horse.  So  that  when  Prince  Rupert  returned  from  the 
chase,  he  found  this  great  alteration  in  the  field,  and  his  Majesty 
himself  with  few  noblemen,  and  a  small  retinue  about  him,  and  the 
hope  of  so  glorious  a  day  quite  vanished.  Things  had  now  so  ill 
an  aspect,  that  many  were  of  opinion  that  the  king  should  leave 
the  field,  but  he  was  positive  against  this  advice,  well  knowing  that 
as  that  army  was  raised  by  his  person  and  presence  only,  so  it 
could  by  no  other  means  be  kept  together  ;  and  he  thought  it  un- 
princely  to  forsake  them  who  had  forsaken  all  they  had  to  serve 
him.  And  as  the  reserve  of  the  enemy,  which  had  done  so  much 
mischief  before,  since  the  return  of  the  horse,  betook  themselves  to 
a  fixed  station  between  their  foot,  he  therefore  tried  all  possible 
ways  to  get  the  horse  to  charge  again  ;  but  when  he  found  it  was 
not  to  be  done,  he  was  content  with  their  only  standing  still. 
During  the  night  both  armies  kept  the  field.  But  the  next  day, 
though  the  Earl  of  Essex  had  received  a  reinforcement  of  two  thou- 
sand men,  he  not  only  did  not  venture  to  advance,  but  suffered  a 
small  party  of  the  king's  troops  to  capture  some  pieces  of  cannon 

that  were  near  them On  Wednesday  morning,  when  the 

king  drew  his  army  to  rendezvous,  he  found  his  numbers  greater 
than  he  expected ;  for  in  the  night  after  the  battle,  many  of  the 
common  soldiers,  out  of  cold  and  hunger,  had  found  their  old 
quarters.  So  that  it  was  really  believed,  upon  this  view,  that  there 
were  not,  in  that  battle,  lost  above  three  hundred  men  at  most." 

Allowing  then  for  some  extenuation  in  the  account  here  given, 
still  the  slaughter  among  the  parliamentarians  must  have  been 
dreadful,  and  will  fully  account  for  their  making  no  advance  on  the 
following  day,  though  reinforced  with  two  thousand  men  in  the 
course  of  the  night. 

On  Edge-hill  stands  the  church  of  Burton-Dasset,  from  which 
Cromwell  is  reported  to  have  witnessed  the  battle.  Hooper,  the 
historian,  states  that  he  was  not  in  the  battle,  but  that  he  after- 

D  D  2 


404  The  Battle  of  Edge-hill. 

wards  excused  himself  to  the  Earl  of  Essex,  by  alleging  that  he 
could  not  come  up  in  time.  He  was  then  but  a  lieutenant  or  cap- 
tain, and,  watching  the  action  from  a  church  tower  near,  and  seeing 
the  flight  of  the  parliament  cavalry,  he  had  slid  down  the  bell-rope 
and  rode  off ;  showing,  as  the  historian  remarks,  "  what  great  end- 
ings may  grow  out  of  very  indifferent  beginnings." 

The  story,  bell-rope  included,  is  entirely  without  foundation.  For 
many  months  before  the  battle  of  Edge-hill  Cromwell  had  worn  a 
sword  for  the  parliament,  and  had  shown  also  that  he  could  use  it 
well  and  bravely.  Moreover,  as  Mr.  Carlyle  shows,  within  a  month 
before  the  battle,  not  only  is  the  great  Oliver  known  to  have  been 
in  active  service  as  the  captain  of  the  sixty-seventh  troop  of  Lord 
Essex's  cavaliy ;  but  his  eldest  son,  Oliver,  now  a  young  man  of 
twenty,  was  serving  at  the  same  time  as  "  cornet,"  in  troop  eight  of 
the  cavalry.     In  this  battle,  asserts  Carlyle,  "  Captain  Cromwell 

was  present,  and  did  his  duty The  fight  was  indecisive  ; 

victory  claimed  by  both  sides.  Captain  Cromwell  told  Cousin 
Hampden  they  never  would  get  on  with  a  set  of  poor  tapsters  and 
town  apprentice  people  fighting  against  men  of  honour.  To  cope 
with  men  of  honour  they  must  have  men  of  religion.  *  Mr.  Hamp- 
den answered  me.  It  was  a  good,  notion,  if  it  could  be  executed.' 
Oliver  himself  set  about  executing  a  bit  of  it,  his  share  of  it,  by  and 
by." 

A  striking  circumstance  in  connexion  with  this  battle-field  is 
narrated  by  Dr.  Thomas,  in  his  additions  to  Dugdale. 

"  As  King  Charles  I.  marched  to  Edgcot,  near  Banbury,  on  the 
22nd  of  October,  1642  (the  day  previous  to  the  battle),  he  saw  a 
gentleman  hunting  in  the  fields,  not  far  from  Shuckburgh,  with  a 
very  good  pack  of  hounds  ;  upon  which,  fetching  a  deep  sigh,  he 
asked  who  that  gentleman  was,  that  hunted  so  merrily  that  morn- 
ing, when  he  was  going  to  fight  for  his  crown  and  dignity.  And 
being  told  that  it  was  Richard  Shuckburgh,  of  Upper  Shuckburgh, 
he  was  ordered  to  be  called  to  him,  and  was  by  him  very  graciously 
received.  Upon  which  he  immediately  went  home,  roused  all  his 
tenants,  and  the  next  day  attended  on  him  in  the  field,  where  he 
was  knighted,  and  was  present  at  the  battle.  After  the  taking  of 
Banbury,  and  his  majesty's  retreat  from  these  parts,  he  went  to  his 
own  seat,  and  fortified  himself  on  the  top  of  Shuckburgh-hill. 
Here  he  was  soon  attacked  by  some  of  the  parliamentary  forces, 
and  defended  himself  till  he  fell,  with  most  of  his  tenants  about 
him  ;  but  being  taken  up,  and  life  perceived  in  him,  he  was  carried 


The  Battle  of  Edge-hill  40S 

away  prisoner  to  Kenilworth  Castle,  where  he  lay  a  considerable 
time,  and  was  forced  to  purchase  his  liberty  at  a  dear  rate." 

And  the  disastrous  fortunes  of  the  Stuarts  that  involved  this 
gentleman  in  their  gloom,  from  the  day  on  which  he  allied  himself 
with  them,  clung  to  him  through  life,  and  seem  also  to  have  entailed 
a  heritage  of  sorrow  upon  his  descendants.  Better  for  him  and  his 
descendants  had  he  gone  on  "  hunting  so  merrily  in  the  morning," 
than  to  have  thrown  his  life  into  the  scale  with  the  cause  of  a  king 
whom  probably,  up  to  this  time,  he  had  no  great  cause  to  admire. 
But  it  was  a  Stuart  that  fascinated,  and  it  was  a  true  heart  that  was 
lured  onward  to  sacrifice  itself  for  a  royal  smile.  The  same  thing 
had  happened  a  thousand  times  before  ;  and  the  gay  gentleman 
cast  off  his  hounds,  unsheathed  his  sword,  threw  away  the  scabbard, 
and  threw  his  life  at  the  king's  feet,  as  cheerily  as  he  would  have 
thrown  a  nosegay. 

Charles  II.  created  John  de  Shuckburgh,  the  son  of  Richard,  a 
baronet  in  1660.  Another  of  the  old  knight's  sons  distinguished 
himself  in  three  successive  parliaments,  and  contributed  many 
valuable  papers  on  philosophical  and  astronomical  subjects  to  the 
"  Philosophical  Transactions"  of  the  Royal  Society  ;  but  so  recently 
as  1809,  a  catastrophe  befel  this  family,  of  a  nature  so  tragic  as  to 
leave  its  memory  for  ages  on  the  scene  of  its  occurrence. 

A  short  time  before  the  date  mentioned,  the  Bedfordshire  Militia 
were  stationed  near  Upper  Shuckburgh,  and  the  officers  were  in  the 
habit  of  visiting  the  Hall.  Its  hospitable  owner.  Sir  Stewkley  Shuck- 
burgh, received  them  with  the  cordiality  of  a  warm-hearted  and  loyal 
English  gentleman.  He  himself  had  a  son  in  the  army,  and  it  was 
natural  for  him,  in  this  relation,  to  regard  every  branch  of  the 
service  with  consideration.  The  social  intercourse  which  thus 
sprung  up  between  the  officers  and  the  inmates  of  the  Hall  was  pro- 
ductive of  mutual  satisfaction.  But  this  pleasant  state  of  affairs 
was  tempered  by  an  element  which,  in  its  operation,  might  result  in 
great  happiness  or  in  overwhelming  woe.  Sir  Stewkley's  daughter, 
then  about  twenty  years  of  age,  was  a  young  lady  whose  attractions 
both  of  mind  and  person  could  not  have  been  seen  with  indifference 
in  the  brightest  scenes  of  fashionable  life,  and  amid  the  concourse 
of  the  most  beautiful  of  her  sex.  But  here  in  the  solitude  of  an  old 
English  country  house,  where  every  morning  the  meetings  were  gay 
and  every  evening  tuned  the  heart  to  make  the  partings  tender- 
where  there  were  rambles  through  the  p?.rk,  affording  moments 
when  at  least  one  earnest  word  might  be  said — where  there  was 


4o6  The  Battle  of  Edge-hill, 

strolling  among  the  shrubberies  and  loitering  in  the  garden  walks- - 
the  fascinations  of  Miss  Shuckburgh  produced  their  natural  effect 
on  one  of  the  officers,  and  at  the  same  time  gave  him  an  opportu- 
nity of  ascertaining  that  his  affection  was  not  likely  to  be  frowned 
upon,  at  least  by  the  young  lady.  Lieutenant  Sharp  became  deeply 
attached  to  the  young  lady.  Sir  Stewkley  had  received  the  young 
gentleman  with  the  utmost  cordiality  as  a  guest ;  but  as  soon  as  he 
became  aware  of  the  attachment  that  had  sprung  up,  he  gave  it  his 
decided  disapproval.  Miss  Shuckburgh  was  constrained  to  listen  to 
the  reasons  of  her  father,  and  resolved  to  smother  her  love  in  de- 
ference to  his  maturer  judgment.  Lieutenant  Sharp  was  forbidden 
the  house,  and  the  lady  communicated  her  intention  of  submitting  to 
her  father's  wishes  in  the  matter ;  and  it  appears  to  have  been  agreed 
between  the  young  people  that  the  intercourse  should  cease,  and 
that  the  letters  which  had  passed  between  them  should  be  returned. 
An  arrangement  was  made  that  the  lady  should  leave  the  packet  for 
him  in  a  summer-house  in  the  garden  on  a  specified  evening,  and  that 
on  the  following  morning  she  should  find  the  packet  intended  for  her 
in  the  same  place.  The  sad  engagement  was  kept.  Having  left  her 
packet  on  a  special  evening.  Miss  Shuckburgh  set  out  very  early 
on  the  following  morning  to  find  her  own.  A  servant,  who  saw  her 
depart,  was  curious  to  know  what  matter  could  be  in  hand  to  bring 
his  young  mistress  out  at  such  an  early  hour.  He  followed 
stealthily,  and  as  he  drew  near  the  summer-house  he  heard  the 
voices  of  the  lieutenant  and  of  the  lady  in  earnest  dispute.  The 
officer  was  loud  and  impassioned,  the  lady  firm,  but  unconsenting. 
Immediately  was  heard  the  report  of  a  pistol  and  the  fall  of  a  body 
— another  report  and  fall :  and  the  servant,  guessing  the  awful 
truth,  flew  to  the  house  and  raised  the  alarm.  When  the  searchers 
came  the  young  people  were  found  lying  dead  in  their  own  blood. 

Tradition  seems,  however,  to  favour  the  idea  that  this  dreadful 
act  of  self-destruction  was  the  result  of  mutual  agreement  between 
the  lovers,  born  of  their  passion  and  despair.  The  lieutenant  was 
only  the  son  of  a  gentleman  farmer,  and  as  such  was  deemed  an 
unsuitable  match  for  the  heiress  of  Shuckburgh.  And  so  the  dread 
alternative  of  separation  or  death  with  each  other  was  present  to 
them,  with  the  result  we  have  recorded. 

**  Since  then,"  says  Howitt,  "  every  object  about  the  place  which 
could  suggest  to  the  memory  this  fatal  event,  has  been  changed 
or  removed.  The  summer-house  has  been  razed  to  the  ground  ; 
the  disposition  of  the  garden  itself  altered  j  much  of  the  timber 


The  Battle  of  Edge-hill.  407 

felled,  the  surrounding  scenery  remodelled,  the  house  itself  reno- 
vated. In  the  opinion  of  those  who  knew  the  place  before,  the 
whole  has  been  much  improved.  The  house  is  large  and  handsome. 
The  park  is  pleasant,  and  well  stocked  with  deer.  It  is  probable 
that  these  efforts  to  obliterate  the  remembrance  of  so  fearful  a 
catastrophe  from  the  minds  of  the  family  may  not  have  been  with- 
out their  salutary  effect ;  but  such  tragic  passages  in  human  life 
become  part  and  parcel  of  the  scene  where  they  occur  : — they  be- 
come the  topic  of  the  winter  fireside.  They  last  while  passions  and 
affections,  youth  and  beauty  last.  They  fix  themselves  into  the 
soil,  and  the  very  rock  on  which  it  lies.  They  are  breathed  from 
the  woods  and  fields  around  on  the  passer-by,  like  the  dim  whispers 
of  Pan,  or  his  watching  fauns  ;  and  though  the  house  were  razed 
from  the  spot,  and  its  park  and  pleasaunces  turned  into  ploughed 
fields,  it  would  still  be  said  for  ages — Here  stood  Shuckburgh  Hall, 
and  here  fell  the  young  and  lovely  Miss  Shuckburgh  by  the  hand 
of  her  despairing  lover,** 


4o8 


OXFORDSHIRE. 

Oxford  Castle. 

Of  Oxford,  the  great  glory  of  England,  and  second  only  in  objects 
of  interest  to  its  metropolis,  the  origin  is  unknown.  The  name  is  pro- 
bably derived  from  there  having  been  ^ford,  or  passage  for  oxen  across 
the  Thames  here;  and  it  is  written  in  Domesday  Oxeneford.  Early  in  the 
eighth  century  a  monastery  was  founded  here.  Alfred  is  said  to  have 
coined  at  this  town  money  which  bore  the  inscription  Ocsnafordia.  In 
the  Danish  ravages  Oxford  was  repeatedly  injured  or  destroyed. 
Canute  frequently  resided  at  Oxford ;  and  his  son  and  successor, 
Harold  Harefoot,  was  crowned  and  died  at  Oxford.  Hearne  has 
identified,  in  the  original  arms  of  Oxford  a  castle,  with  a  large  ditch 
and  bridge.  Upon  the  same  authority,  we  learn  that  Offa  "built  walls 
at  Oxford,"  and  by  him,  therefore,  a  Saxon  castle  was  originally  built 
here.  On  the  invasion  of  Enghind  by  William  I.  the  townsmen  of 
Oxford  refused  to  admit  the  Normans ;  and  in  the  year  1067,  the  town 
was  stormed  by  these  intruders,  when  it  suffered  so  much  that  one-third 
of  its  houses  were  wasted  and  decayed ;  yet  the  unhappy  townsmen 
were  compelled  to  pay  three  times  as  much  tax  as  in  the  time  of 
Edward  the  Confescor.  Further,  to  bridle  any  attempt  at  revolt,  a 
Castle  was  built  on  the  west  side  of  the  city  of  Oxford,  by  Robert  de 
Oilli,  or  Oilgi,  who  came  into  England  with  the  Conqueror ;  and  the 
Chronicles  of  Oseney  Abbey,  founded  by  the  nephew  of  the  builder  of 
the  Castle,  give  the  precise  date  of  this  great  Baron's  undertaking — viz., 
A.D.  1071,  upon  the  site  of  Offa's  Castle.  About  the  year  1791, 
several  Saxon  remains  were  discovered  here ;  and  there  exists  a  fac- 
simile of  a  plan  by  Ralph  Agas,  in  1538,  which,  allowing  for  unskilful 
drawing,  may  be  taken  as  the  Norman  Castle,  with  D'Oiley's  magni- 
ficent additions.  The  single  tower  which  remains  was  certainly  built 
as  early  as  the  reign  of  William  Rufus.  There  is  also  a  very  curious 
ancient  well-room  of  the  time  of  Henry  H.;  and  an  ancient  crypt,  or 
chapel,  the  roof  of  which  was  necessarily  disturbed  in  building  the 
foundations  of  the  gaol  upon  part  of  the  castle  site,  the  short  Norman 
columns  being  only  slightly  removed  from  their  original  position. 


Oxford  Castle,  409 

Robert  d'Oiley  was  the  first  Constable  of  the  Castle ;  and  on  his 
death  in  1091,  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Robert,  who,  in  114T,  gave 
up  the  fortress  to  the  Empress  Maud,  who  was  besieged  here  by 
Stephen,  but  escaped  in  the  night,  with  three  attendants,  and  the 
Castle  sun-endered  next  morning.  The  ground  was  covered  with 
snow,  and  the  Empress,  clothed  in  white,  with  her  attendants  similarly 
clothed,  passed  unnoticed  through  the  posts  of  the  besiegers,  and  crossed 
the  Thames,  which  was  frozen  over,  on  foot ;  travelled  on  foot  to 
Abingdon,  and  thence  proceeded  to  Wallingford  on  horseback,  where 
she  was  soon  after  joined  by  her  brother,  the  Earl  of  Gloucester,  who 
was  marching  with  a  powerful  army  to  her  relief.  Maud  had  just 
previously  escaped  fi*om  the  Castle  of  the  Devizes  as  a  dead  corpse,  in  a 
funeral  hearse,  or  bier.  Stephen,  during  the  above  time,  occupied 
Beaumont-palace  (whence  Beaumont-street)  and  the  mounds  raised  by 
the  defenders  of  the  Castle,  or  the  besiegers,  or  both,  are  still  com- 
memorated in  the  name  of  Broken  Hayes,  at  the  south  side  of  the 
bottom  of  George-lane,  then  the  precincts  of  the  Castle  premises. 
The  accommodation  between  Stephen  and  Henry  II.,  by  which  the 
Civil  War  between  those  princes  was  terminated,  took  place  at  a  Council 
held  at  Oxford.  Several  Councils  of  State,  or  Parliaments,  were  held 
nere  in  the  following  reign.  The  prison  of  the  Castle  was  given 
by  Henry  III.  to  the  peculiar  jurisdiction  of  the  Chancellor  of  the 
University,  as  a  place  of  confinement  for  rebellious  clerks ;  and  by 
statute  of  the  third  year  of  the  same  King's  reign,  it  was  appointed  the 
common  gaol  of  the  county. 

From  the  manuscript  of  Anthony  Wood,  in  the  Bodleian  Library, 
we  learn  that  at  one  of  the  entrances  was  "  a  large  bridge,  which  led 
into  a  long  and  broad  entry,  and  so  to  the  chief  gate  of  the  Castle,  the 
entry  itself  being  fortified  on  each  side  with  a  large  embattled  wall, 
showing  several  passages  above,  from  one  side  to  the  other,  with  open 
spaces  between  them,  through  which,  in  times  of  storms,  whenever 
any  enemy  had  broken  through  the  first  gates  of  the  bridge,  and  was 
gotten  into  the  entry,  scalding  water  or  stones  might  be  cast  down  to 
annoy  them.'  On  passing  through  the  gate,  at  the  end  of  this  long 
entry,  the  fortification  stretched  itself,  on  the  left  hand,  to  a  round 
tower,  that  was  rebuilt  in  the  nineteenth  year  of  Henry  II.  And  from 
thence  went  an  embattled  wall,  guarded  for  the  most  part  with  the 
mill-stream  underneath,  till  it  came  to  the  high  tower  joining  to  St. 
George's  Church.  From  hence  the  wall  went  to  another  gate,  leading 
toOseney,  over  another  bridge,  close  to  which  joined  the  mount,  some, 
time  crowned  with  an  embattled  tower. 


4-10  Magdalen  College ^  Oxford. 

The  Castle  was  in  a  dilapidated  state  in  the  reign  of  Edward  III. 
In  1649,  some  ruinous  towers  were  pulled  down,  and  new  bulwarks 
erected  for  the  Parliamentary  garrison.  In  1788,  little  remained 
except  the  tower,  which  was  for  some  time  used  as  the  county  prison ;  and 
part  of  the  old  wall  could  then  be  traced,  ten  feet  in  thickness.  In  1794, 
wells  were  cleared  out,  and  among  the  rubbish  were  found  horse's 
bones,  dog's  bones,  horseshoes,  and  human  skeletons ;  the  appearance 
of  the  latter  is  accounted  for  by  the  bodies  of  malefactors,  who  had 
been  executed  on  the  gallows  placed  near  the  Castle  in  later  ages,  that 
might  have  been  flung  in  here,  instead  of  being  buried  under  the  gibbet. 
In  the  Castle-yard  were  the  remains  of  the  ancient  sessions-house,  in 
which,  at  the  Black  Assize  in  1577,  the  lieutenant  of  the  county,  two 
knights,  eighty  squires  and  justices,  and  almost  all  the  grand  jury,  died 
of  a  distemper,  brought  thither  and  communicated  by  the  prisoners ; 
and  nearly  one  hundred  scholars  and  townsmen  fell  victims  to  the  same. 

The  Castle  has  long  been  the  property  of  Christchurch,  and  is  held 
by  the  County  of  the  Chapter  of  Christchurch  as  a  prison;  and  after 
thedemoliton  of  the  city  gaol,  called  the  Bocardo, — whence  the  martyrs 
Ridley,  Latimer,  and  Cranmer,  went  to  the  triumph  of  the  stake — the 
city  prisoners  were  confined  within  the  Castle  walls,  and  the  tower 
now  remaining  was  long  used  as  the  prison.  Its  grey  walls,  in  com- 
bination with  the  old  mill,  viewed  from  the  mill-stream,  are  very 
effective. 


Oxford. — Magdalen,  All  Souls,  and  Brasenose,  Colleges. 
— Friar  Bacon's  Brazen  Head. — Great  Tom. 

Magdalen  College  Tower,  on  May  Morning,  is  the  scene  of  an 
ancient  and  picturesque  custom  of  ushering  in  the  dawn  of  May  with 
music  on  the  summit  of  the  elegant  tower.  Here  a  portion  is  railed 
off  for  singers,  men  and  choristers  in  surplices  ;  and  the  remaining  space 
is  for  members  of  the  University  and  others,  with  tickets. 

As  the  last  stroke  of  five  dies  upon  the  breeze,  all  heads  ai-e  reverently 
uncovered,  and  the  singei-s,  amid  deep  silence,  pour  forth  the  solemn  old 
Latin  Hymn,  in  honour  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  *'  Te  Dcum  patrem  coli- 
mus."  At  its  close,  a  series  of  discordant  blasts,  from  the  tin  May- 
horns  below,  contrast  with  the  delightful  harmony  which  had  just 
ceased ;  but  the  joyous  welcome  to  spring  rung  out  fi-om  the  tower, 
which,  as  Anthony  a  Wood  says,  "  containeth  the  most  tuneable  and 


Magdalen  College ^  Oxford,  4^^ 

melodious  ving  of  bells  in  all  these  parts  and  beyond,"  completely 
drowns  the  (anything  but)  "concord  of  sweet  sounds"  beneath.  Dr. 
Rimbault  gives  the  following  account  of  this  interesting  custom: — "  In 
the  year  of  our  Lord  God,  1 501,  the  '  most  Christian'  King,  Henry  VII., 
gave  to  St.  Mary  Magdalen  College  the  advowsons  of  the  Churches  of 
Slymbridge,  county  Gloucester,  and  Fyndon,  county  Sussex,  together 
with  one  acre  ot  land  in  each  parish.  In  gratitude  for  this  benefaction, 
the  College  was  accustomed,  during  the  lifetime  of  their  Royal  bene- 
factor, to  celebrate  a  Service  in  honour  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  with  the 
Collect  still  used  on  Trinity  Sunday,  and  the  prayer  '  Almighty  and 
everlasting  God,  we  are  taught  by  Thy  word  that  the  hearts  of  Kings,' 
&c. ;  and  after  the  death  of  the  King  to  commemorate  him  in  the  usual 
manner.  The  Commemoration  Sei-vice  ordered  in  the  time  of  Queen 
Elizabeth  is  still  performed  on  the  ist  of  May;  and  the  Latin  Hymn 
in  Honour  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  which  continues  to  be  sung  on  the 
tower  at  sunrising,  has  evidently  reference  to  the  original  Sei*vice.  The 
produce  of  the  two  acres  above-mentioned  used  to  be  distributed  on 
the  same  day  between  the  President  and  Fellows  ;  it  has,  however,  for 
many  years  been  given  up  to  supply  the  choristers  with  a  festal  enter- 
tainment in  the  College  hall." 

Other  writers,  however — Mr.  Chalmers,  in  his  History  of  the  Un^ 
versity,  among  them — refer  the  origin  of  the  custom  to  a  mass  of 
requiem,  which  before  the  Reformation  was  annually  performed  on  the 
tower  for  the  soul  of  Henry  VII.,  and  in  commemoration  of  his  visit  to 
the  College  in  1488.  After  the  Reformation,  glees  and  madrigals  were 
substituted,  referring  to  which  old  Anthony  a  Wood  very  quaintly 
says — "  The  choral  Ministers  of  this  House  do,  according  to  an  ancient 
custom,  salute  Flora  every  year  on  the  First  of  May,  at  four  in  the 
morning,  with  vocal  music  of  several  parts.  Which  having  been  some- 
times well  performed,  hath  given  great  content  to  the  neighbourhood, 
and  auditors  underneath."  A  work  on  Oxford,  published  about  a  cen- 
tury ago,  speaking  of  the  custom  having  originated  in  a  requiem, 
«ays — "  But  now  it  is  a  merry  Concert  of  both  Vocal  and  Instmmental 
Music,  consisting  of  several  merry  Ketches,  and  lasting  two  hours,  and 
is  concluded  with  Ringing  the  Bells.  The  Clerks  and  Choristers,  with 
the  rest  of  the  performers,  are  for  their  pains  allowed  a  side  of  lamb, 
&c.,  for  their  breakfast."  At  the  present  time  the  Rector  of  Slym- 
bridge pays  the  annuail  sum  of  ic/.,  for  a  breakfast  and  dinner  to  the 
singers. 

Dr.  Rimbault,  whilst  making  some  researches  in  the  Library  of  Christ 
Church,  found  what  appeared  to  him  to  be  the  first  draft  of  the  Hymn 


412  All  Souls'  College,  Oxford, 

now  sung,  which  some  years  ago  was  substituted  for  the  glees  and 
madrigals.  It  has  the  following  note: — "This  hymn  is  sung  every 
day  in  Magdalen  College  Hall,  Oxon,  at  dinner  and  supper  throughout 
the  year,  for  the  after  grace,  by  the  chaplains,  clerks,  and  choristers 
there,  composed  by  Benjamin  Rogers,  Doctor  of  Musicke,  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Oxon,  1685." 

These  are  the  few  particulars  concerning  the  origin  of  this  interesting 
ceremony ;  and  in  this  unromantic  age,  when  so  many  old  customs  are 
fast  dying  out,  it  is  gratifying  to  find  this  one  still  kept  up,  and  pos- 
sessing sufficient  interest  and  attraction  to  induce  many  people  of  all 
classes  to  forsake  their  resting-places  at  an  unusually  early  hour  to  wit- 
ness its  celebration. 

The  practice  indulged  in  by  schoolboys  on  May- day,  and  some  time 
previous  to  it,  of  going  about  blowing  horns  seems  to  have  been  for- 
merly (if  it  is  not  at  present)  almost  peculiar  to  Oxford.  Aubrey,  in  his 
Remains  of  Gentilisme  and  Judaisme,  MS.  Lansd.  266,  f.  5,  says: — 
"  Memorandum — At  Oxford,  the  boys  do  blow  cows'  horns  and  hollow 
canes  all  night ;  and  on  May-day  the  young  maids  of  every  parish  carry 
about  garlands  of  flowers,  which  afterwards  they  hang  up  in  their 
Churches."  And  Hearne,  in  his  Preface  to  Robert  of  Gloucester  s  Chro- 
nicle, writes  : — "  'Tis  no  wonder,  therefore,  that  upon  the  jollities  on 
the  first  of  May  formerly,  the  custom  of  blowing  with,  and  drinking  in, 
horns  so  much  prevailed,  which,  though  it  be  now  generally  disused, 
yet  the  custom  of  blowing  them  prevails  at  this  season,  even  to  this  day, 
at  Oxford,  to  remind  people  of  the  pleasantness  of  that  part  of  the 
year." — (Communicated  to  the  Guardian.^ 

All  Souls'  College  has  this  celebration  of  its  foundation.  We  leam 
from  Walsingham,  that  when,  in  1437,  Archbishop  Chicheley  had 
minded  to  found  a  College  in  Oxford,  for  the  "  hele  of  his  soul,"  and 
the  souls  of  all  those  who  perished  in  the  French  wars  of  Henry  V., 
much  was  he  distraught  for  a  site  for  this  holy  purpose.  He  thought 
to  place  the  College  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city ;  then  he  thought  of 
another  site ;  and,  while  he  was  thus  in  doubt,  he  dreamed  that  there 
appeared  unto  him  a  right  godly  personage,  advising  him  how  he  might 
place  his  College  in  the  High-street,  near  St.  Mary's  church,  and  wished 
him  to  lay  the  first  stone  of  the  building  at  the  corner  which  turneth 
towards  "Catty's  Strete,"  where  in  digging,  he  would  be  sure  to  find  a 
"  schwoppinge  mallard,  imprisoned,  but  well  fattened,  in  the  sewer — 
to  be  taken  as  •  sure  token  of  the  rivaunce  of  his  future  college,' " 
Chicheley,  however,  when  he  awoke,  hesitated  to  give  heed  to  the 
vision.    He  consulted  many  doctors  and  learned  clerks,  all  of  whom 


All  Souls  College,  Oxford,  4^3 

said,  he  ought  to  make  the  trial.  Then  came  he  to  Oxford,  and  on  a 
fixed  day,  after  mass,  proceeded,  with  due  solemnity,  with  spade  and 
pickaxes,  for  the  nonce  provided,  to  the  site.  Here  they  had  not  digged 
long  ere  they  heard  amid  the  earth,  horrid  strugglings  and  flutterings, 
and  violent  quackings,  of  the  distressed  mallard.  Then  Chicheley  lifted 
up  his  hands,  and  said  Benedicite,  &c.  Now,  when  they  brought  forth 
the  bird,  the  size  of  his  bodie  was  that  of  a  "  bustarde  or  an  ostridge. 
And  much  wonder  was  thereat ;  for  the  lycke  had  not  been  seene  in  this 
londe,  nor  in  onie  odir."  In  commemoration  of  this  occurrence,  the 
Festival  of  the  Mallard  was  formerly  held  yearly,  on  the  14th  of 
January,  and  there  was  long  sung  "The  Merry  Old  Song  of  the  All 
Souls'  Mallard ;" 

"  Griffin,  bustard,  turkey,  capon, 

Let  other  hungry  mortals  gape  on ; 

And  on  the  bones  their  stomach  fill  hard  ; 

But  let  All  Souls'  men  have  their  Mallard. 
Oh  !  by  the  blood  of  King  Edward, 
Oh  !  by  the  blood  of  King  Edward, 
It  was  a  wopping,  wopping  Mallard. 

•*  The  Romans  once  admired  a  gander, 
More  than  they  did  their  chief  commander  I 
Because  he  saved,  if  some  don't  fool  us, 
The  place  that's  called  the  '  head  of  Tolus.' 
Oh  !  by  the  blood,  &c. 

"  The  poets  feign  Jove  turned  a  swan, 
But  let  them  prove  it  if  they  can  ; 
As  for  our  proof,  'tis  not  at  all  hard, 
For  it  was  a  wopping,  wopping  Mallard. 
Oh !  by  the  blood,  &c. 

"  Therefore,  let  us  sing,  and  dance  a  galliard, 
To  the  remembrance  of  the  Mallard  : 
And  as  the  Mallard  dives  in  pool. 
Let  us  dabble,  dive,  and  duck  in  bowl. 

Oh  !  by  the  blood  of  King  Edward,"  &c. 

The  allusion  to  King  Edward  is  surely  an  anachronism,  as  King 
Henry  VI.  was  reigning  at  the  time  of  the  foundation  of  All  Souls' 
College.  The  celebration  is  no  longer  strictly  observed,  but  the  song 
is  sung  at  one  of  the  Gaudy  Days,  yet  retained. 

The  story  of  the  Mallard  was  productive  of  much  amusement.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Pointer  having,  in  his  History  of  Oxford,  rashly  hazarded  a 
doubt  as  to  the  true  species  of  the  bird,  and  even  insinuated  that  it  was 
not  a  huge  drake,  but  a  middle-sized  goose,  was  replied  to  by  Dr. 
Buckler,  in  his  Complete  Vindication  of  the  Mallard  with  much  humour 
and  delicate  irony:  this  drew  forth  a  reply,  in  Proposals  for  Republish^ 


414  Brascnosc, — Friar  Bacon's  Study, 

'ing  a  Complete  History  of  the  Mallardians  ;  The  "  Buckler"  of  the  MaU 
lardians,  &c. 

Brasenose  is  explained  as  follows :  There  is  a  spot  in  the  centre  of 
the  city  of  Oxford,  where  Alfred  is  said  to  have  lived,  and  which  may 
be  called  the  native  place,  or  river-head  of  three  separate  societies  still 
existing,  University,  Oriel,  and  Brasenose.  Brasenose  claims  his  palace, 
Oriel  his  church,  and  University  his  school  or  academy.  Of  these, 
Brasenose  College  is  still  called  in  its  formal  style,  "  the  King's  Hall," 
which  is  the  name  by  which  Alfred  himself,  in  his  laws,  calls  his  palace; 
and  it  has  its  present  singular  name  from  the  corruption  of  brasinium  or 
brasinhuse,  as  having  been  originally  located  in  that  part  of  the  royal 
mansion  which  was  devoted  to  the  then  important  accommodation  of  a 
brewhouse.  The  origin  of  the  word  has  also  been  explained  as  fol- 
lows :  Brazen  Nose  Hall  may  be  traced  back  as  far  as  the  time  of 
Henry  HI.,  about  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century;  and  early  in 
the  succeeding  reign,  6th  Edward  I.,  1278,  it  was  known  as  Brazen  Nose 
Hall,  which  was,  undoubtedly,  owing  to  the  circumstance  of  a  nose  of 
brass  affixed  to  the  gate.  It  is  presumed,  however,  this  conspicuous 
appendage  of  the  portal  was  not  formed  of  the  mixed  metal  which  the 
word  brass  now  denotes,  but  the  genuine  produce  of  the  mine ;  as 
is  the  nose,  or  rather  face,  of  a  lion  or  leopard  still  remaining  at 
Stamford,  which  also  gave  name  to  the  edifice  it  adorned.  And  hence, 
when  Henry  VIII.  debased  the  coin,  by  an  alloy  of  copper^  it  was  a 
common  remark  or  proverb,  that  "  Testons  were  gone  to  Oxford,  to 
study  in  Brazen  Nose,"  {Notes  and  Queries,  No.  201.)  The  society 
still  display  on  the  face  of  their  College  and  boats  a  fully  developed  nose 
of  the  above-named  material.  The  original  centre  fire-place,  with  the 
lantern,  or  louvre  above,  were  not  removed  from  this  Hall  until  the 
year  1760. 

Friar  Bacon's  Brazen  Head. — This  widely-known  legend  has  little 
to  do  with  the  veritable  history  of  Roger  or  Friar  Bacon,  the  greatest 
of  English  philosophers  before  the  time  of  his  celebrated  namesake ; 
though  he,  Roger  Bacon,  is  more  popularly  known  by  this  fictitious 
name  than  by  his  real  merit.  In  a  rare  tract,  entitled  T>&(?  i^f7wowJ 
Historie  of  Friar  Bacon,  4to.,  London,  1652,  it  is  pretended  he  dis- 
covered, "  after  great  study,"  that  if  he  could  succeed  in  making  a  head 
of  brass,  which  should  speak,  and  hear  it  when  it  spoke,  he  might  be 
able  to  surround  all  England  with  a  wall  of  brass.  By  the  assistance  of 
Friar  Bungay,  and  a  devil  likewise  called  into  consultation.  Bacon  ac- 
complished his  object,  but  with  this  drawback — the  nead,  when  finished, 
was  warranted  to  speak  in  the  course  of  one  month ;  but  it  was  quite 


Friar  Bacon's  Study.  4^5 

uncertain  when  ;  and  if  they  heard  it  not  before  it  had  done  speaking, 
all  their  labour  would  be  lost.  Attei  watching  for  three  weeks,  fatigue 
got  the  mastery  over  them,  and  Bacon  set  his  man  Miles  to  watch,  with 
strict  injunctions  to  awake  them  if  the  head  should  speak.  The  fellow 
heard  the  head  at  the  end  of  one  half-hour  say,  "Time  is ;"  at  the  end 
of  another,  "  Time  was  ;"  and  at  the  end  of  another  half-hour,  "  Time's 
past ;"  when  down  it  fell  with  a  tremendous  crash,  but  the  blockhead 
of  a  servant  thought  that  his  master  would  be  angry  if  he  disturbed  him 
for  such  trifles !  "  And  hereof  came  it,"  says  the  excellent  Robert 
Recorde,  "  that  fi-yer  Bacon  was  accompted  so  greate  a  necromancier, 
whiche  never  used  that  arte  (by  any  conjecture  that  I  can  finde),  but 
was  in  geometric  and  other  mathematical!  sciences  so  experte  that  he 
coulde  doe  by  them  such  thynges  as  were  wonderful  in  the  sight  of 
most  people." 

Bacon  died  at  Oxford  in  1292,  where  existed  nearly  until  our  own 
times  a  traditional  memorial  of  *'  the  wonderful  doctor,"  as  he  was 
styled  by  some  of  his  contemporaries.  On  Grandpont,  or  the  Old 
Folly  Bridge,  at  the  southern  entrance  into  Oxford,  stood  a  tower  called 
*'  Friar  Bacon's  Study,"  from  a  belief  that  the  philosopher  was  accus- 
tomed to  ascend  this  building  in  the  night,  and  "study  the  stars."  It 
was  entirely  demolished  in  1778.  Of  the  bridge  Wood  says:  "No 
record  can  resolve  its  precise  beginning."     It  was  rebuilt  in  1825. 

As  you  stand  upon  the  present  bridge,  you  have  only  to  look  across 
Christ  Church  meadow,  to  the  pinnacled  tower  of  Merton  College,  to 
be  reminded  that  this  was  the  earliest  home  of  science  of  a  decidedly 
English  school ;  and  that  for  two  centuries  there  was  no  other  founda- 
tion, either  in  Oxford  or  Paris,  which  could  at  all  come  near  it  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  sciences.  Roger  Bacon  belonged  to  this  distinguished 
foundation,  although  there  is  a  doubt  whether  he  was  not  of  Brasenose 
College. 

We  rarely  walk  in  Christ  Church  meadow  without  being  forcibly 
reminded  of  the  eloquent  contrast  which  has  been  drawn  between 
London  and  Oxford :  "  From  noise,  glare,  and  brilliancy,  the  traveller 
comes  upon  a  very  different  scene — a  mass  of  towers,  pinnacles,  and 
spires,  rising  in  the  bosom  of  a  valley  from  groves  which  hide  all  build- 
ings but  such  as  are  consecrated  to  some  wise  and  holy  purpose.  The  same 
river  which  in  the  metropolis  is  covered  with  a  forest  of  masts  and  ships, 
here  gliding  quietly  through  meadows,  with  scarcely  a  sail  upon  it ; 
dark  and  ancient  edifices  clustered  together  in  forms  full  of  richness 
and  beauty,  yet  solid,  as  if  to  last  for  ever,  such  as  become  institutions 
raised,  not  for  the  vanity  of  the  builder,  but  for  the  benefit  of  coming 


41 6       Great  Tom, — Oxfordshire  Legend  in  Stone, 

ages  ;  streets,  almost  avenues  of  edifices,  which  elsewhere  would  pass 
for  palaces,  but  all  of  them  dedicated  to  God ;  thoughtfulness,  repose, 
and  gravity,  in  the  countenance,  and  even  dress  of  their  inhabitants;  and 
to  mark  the  stir  and  business  of  life,  instead  of  the  roar  of  caniages, 
the  sound  of  hourly  bells,  calling  men  together  for  prayer.  The  one  is  a 
city  in  which  wealth  is  created  for  man  ;  and  the  other  is  one  in  which  it 
has  been  lavished,  and  is  still  expended,  for  God." — {Quarterly  Reiuenv.) 
Great  Tom,  the  famous  Bell,  is  the  most  popular  notability  of  Christ 
Church.  The  great  gate  is  commonly  known  as  Tom-gate,  from  the 
cupola  over  it  containing  the  Great  Bell,  which  fonnerly  belonged 
to  Oseney  Abbey.  This  bell  was  recast  in  1680,  its  weight  being  about 
T  7,000  pounds ;  more  than  double  the  weight  of  the  Great  Bell  of  St. 
Paul's,  London.  The  dimensions  of  the  Oxford  Bell  are,  diameter,  7 
feet  I  inch ;  from  the  crown  to  the  brim,  5  feet  9  inches  ;  thickness  of 
the  striking-place,  6  inches ;  weight  of  the  clapper,  342  pounds.  When 
it  was  recast,  this  inscription  was  put  on  it :  "  Magnus  Thomas,  clusius 
Oxomensis,  renatus  Apr.  8,  1680,"  &c.  The  original  inscription  was, 
"  In  Thoma  laude  resono  Bim  Bom  sine  fraude,"  Every  night,  at  ten 
minutes  past  nine,  it  tolls  10 1  times  (the  number  of  the  members  called 
students),  when  the  gates  of  most  of  the  Colleges  and  Halls  are  shut. 
*'  This  Bell,"  says  Parker's  Handbook,  "  has  always  been  represented  as 
one  of  the  finest  in  England ;  but  even  at  the  risk  of  dispelling  an  illu- 
sion under  which  most  Oxford  men  have  laboured,  and  which  every 
member  of  Christ  Church  has  indulged  in  from  1680  to  the  present 
time,  touching  the  fancied  superiority  of  mighty  Tom,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed that  it  is  neithei*  an  accurate  nor  a  musical  Bell.  The  note,  as  we 
are  assured  by  the  learned  in  these  matters,  ought  to  be  B  flat,  but  is 
not  so.  On  the  contrary,  the  Bell  is  imperfect  and  inhaiTnonious,  and 
requires,  in  the  opinion  of  those  best  informed  and  of  most  experience,  to 
be  recast.  It  is,  however,  a  great  curiosity,  and  may  be  seen  by  applying 
to  the  porter  at  the  Tom-gate  lodge." 


An  Oxfordshire  Legend  in  Stone. 

A  few  miles  from  Chipping  Norton,  by  the  side  of  a  road  which 
divides  Oxfordshire  fiom  Warwickshire,  and  on  the  brow  of  a  hill 
overlooking  Long  Compton,  stand  tlie  remains  of  a  Druidical  temple, 
Leland  speaks  of  them  as  "  Rollright  Stones,"  from  their  being  in  the 
parish  of  Rollright.  The  temple  consists  of  a  simple  circle  of  stones, 
from  fifty  to  sixty  in  number,  of  various  sizes  and  in  different  positions, 


Oxfordshii^e  Legend  in  Stone.  4^7 

but  all  of  them  rough,  time-worn,  and  mutilated.  The  peasantry  say  that 
it  is  impossible  to  count  these  stones,  and  certainly  it  is  a  difficult  task, 
though  not  because  there  is  any  witchcraft  in  the  matter,  but  owing  to 
the  peculiar  position  of  some  of  them.  You  will  hear  of  a  certain 
baker  who  resolving  not  to  be  outwitted,  hied  he  to  the  spot  with  a 
basketful  of  small  loaves,  one  of  which  he  placed  on  every  stone.  In 
vain  he  tried :  either  his  loaves  were  not  sufficiently  numerous,  or  some 
sorcery  misplaced  them,  and  he  gave  up  in  despair.  Of  course,  no  one 
expects  to  succeed  now. 

In  a  field  adjoining  are  the  remains  of  a  cromlech,  the  altar  where,  at 
a  distance  from  the  people,  the  priests  performed  their  mystic  rites. 
Th«  superimposed  stone  has  slipped  off,  and  rests  against  the  others. 
These  are  the  "  Whispering  Knights,"  and  this  their  history: — In  days 
of  yore,  when  rival  princes  debated  their  claims  to  England's  crown  by 
dint  of  arms,  the  hostile  forces  were  encamped  hard  by.  Certain 
traitor-knights  went  forth  to  parley  with  others  from  the  foe.  While 
thus  plotting,  a  great  magician,  whose  power  they  unaccountably 
overlooked,  transformed  them  all  into  stone,  and  there  they  stand  to 
this  day. 

Not  far  from  the  temple,  but  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road,  is  a 
solitary  stone,  probably  the  last  of  two  rows  which  flanked  the  ap- 
proach to  the  sacred  circle.  This  stone  was  once  a  prince  who  claimed 
the  British  throne.  On  this  spot  he  inquired  of  the  magician  above- 
named  what  would  be  his  destiny : 

"  If  Long  Compton  you  can  see, 
King  of  England  you  shall  be," 

answered  the  wise  man.  But  he  could  not  see  it,  and  at  once  shared 
the  fate  of  the  "  Whispering  Knights."  This  is  called  "  The  King's 
Stone,"  and  so  stands  that,  while  you  cannot  see  Long  Compton  from 
it,  you  can  if  you  go  forward  a  very  little  way.  On  some  future  day 
an  armed  warrior  will  issue  from  this  very  stone  to  conquer  and  govern 
our  land ! 

It  is  said  that  a  farmer,  who  wished  to  bridge  over  a  small  stream  at 
the  foot  of  the  hill,  resolved  to  press  "the  Whispering  Knights"  into 
the  service ;  but  it  was  almost  too  much  for  all  the  horse-power  at  his 
command  to  bring  them  down.  At  length  they  were  placed,  but  all 
they  could  do  was  not  sufficient  to  keep  them  in  their  place.  It  was 
therefore  resolved  to  restore  them  to  their  original  post,  when  lo  !  they 
who  required  so  much  to  bring  them  down,  and  defied  all  attempts  to 
keep  them  quiet,  were  taken  back,  almost  without  an  effort,  by  a  single 
*  *  E  E 


4^8  Cornehiry  Hall.  * 

horse !  So.  there  they  stand,  till  they  and  the  rest  (for  it  is  believed  the 
large  circle  was  once  composed  of  living  men)  shall  return  to  their 
proper  manhood. — {Notes  and  Queries,  No.  i68.) 


Cornebury  Hall. — The  end  of  Robert  Dudley, 
Earl  of  Leicester. 

This  infamous  man,  a  younger  son  of  the  Duke  of  Northumberland, 
joined  in  the  attempt  to  set  Lady  Jane  Grey  on  the  throne,  for  which 
he  was  tried,  pleaded  guilty,  and  his  life  was  saved ;  he  then  went 
abroad,  and  served  at  the  battle  of  St.  Quentin.  By  Elizabeth  he  was 
created,  on  the  same  day,  first  Lord  Denbigh,  then  Earl  of  Leicester, 
received  many  important  posts,  and  was  treated  with  such  peculiar 
favour,  that  she  was  generally  supposed  to  entertain  a  design  of  marry- 
ing him.  In  1585,  he  was  sent,  with  almost  regal  powers,  into  the  Low 
Countries,  but  greatly  injured  the  cause  by  his  insolence  and  incapacity; 
yet,  in  1588,  he  was  made  generalissimo  of  the  army  raised  to  oppose 
the  Spaniards.  He  professed  adherence  to  the  rigid  doctrines  of  the 
Puritans,  but  was,  in  truth,  an  execrable  character.  He  was  three  times 
man'ied ;  he  was  suspected  of  murdering  his  first  wife.  Amy  Robsart. 
He  died  in  1588,  and  nearly  all  the  contemporaiy  writers  assert  that  he 
fell  a  victim  to  poison.  Naunton  declares  that  he,  by  mistake,  swal- 
lowed the  poison  he  had  prepared  for  another  person ;  and  as  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  the  Earl  was  a  poisoner  of  great  eminence,  the  story 
is  far  from  improbable.  The  Privy  Council  must  have  believed  that  his 
death  was  not  natural,  for  they  minutely  investigated  a  report  that  he 
had  been  poisoned  by  a  son  of  Sir  James  Crofts,  in  revenge  for  the  im- 
prisonment of  his  father ;  but  the  matter  was  suddenly  dropped.  Drum- 
mond  of  Hawthornden  left  this  curious  note : — '*  The  Earl  of  Leicester 
gave  a  bottle  of  liquor  to  his  lady,  which  he  wished  her  to  use  in  any 
faintness,  which  she,  after  his  return  from  Court,  not  knowing  it  was 
poison,  gave  him,  and  so  he  died."  This  seems  to  confirm  strongly  the 
statement  given  by  Sir  Robert  Naunton. 

Dr.  Rimbault,  in  a  communication  to  Notes  and  Queries,  No.  233, 
gives  the  following  contemporary  narrative  from  a  MS.  on  a  copy  of 
Leicester's  Ghost,  in  Dr.  Bliss's  Athenx  Oxonievses: — "The  end  of  the 
Earl  may  thus  and  truly  be  supplied.  The  Countesse  Lettie  fell  in  love 
with  Christopher  Blunt,  of  the  Earle's  horse  ;  and  they  had  many 
secret  meetings,  and  much  wanion  familiarity  ;  the  which  being  dis- 
covei-ed  by  the  Earle,  to  prevent  the  pursuit  tliereof,  when  General!  of 


Skirhourn  Castle.  419 

the  Low  Countries,  he  tooke  Blunt  with  him,  and  thcire  purposed  to 
have  him  made  away;  and  for  this  plot  there  was  a  ruffian  of  Bur- 
gundy suborned,  who,  watching  him  in  one  night  going  to  his  lodging 
at  the  Hage,  followed  him,  and  struck  at  his  head  with  a  halbert,  or 
battle-axe,  intending  to  cleave  his  head.  But  the  axe  glanced,  and 
pared  oif  a  great  piece  of  Blunt's  skull,  which  was  very  dangerous,  and 
long  in  healinge  ;  but  he  recovered,  and  after  married  the  Countesse ; 
who  took  this  soe  ill,  as  that  she,  with  Blunt,  deliberated,  and  resolved  to 
dispatch  the  Earle.  The  Earle,  not  patient  of  this  soe  greate  wrong  of 
his  wife,  purposed  to  carry  her  to  Kenilworth ;  and  to  leave  there 
until  her  death  by  naturall  or  by  violent  means,  but  rather  by  the 
last.  The  Countesse  also  having  a  suspicion,  or  some  secret  intelligence 
of  this  treachery  against  her,  provided  artificiall  meanes  to  prevent  the 
Earle's ;  which  was  by  a  cordiall,  the  which  she  had  no  fit  opportunity 
to  offer  him  till  he  came  to  Cornebury  Hall,  in  Oxfordshire ;  where  the 
Earle,  after  his  gluttonous  manner,  surfeiting  with  excessive  eating  and 
drinking,  fell  so  ill  that  he  was  forced  to  stay  there.  Then  the  deadly 
cordiall  was  propounded  unto  him  by  the  Countesse:  as  Mr.  William 
Haynes,  sometime  the  Earle's  page,  and  then  gentleman  of  the  bed- 
chamber, told  me,  who  protested  hee  saw  her  give  the  fatal  cup  to  the 
Earle,  which  was  his  last  draught,  and  an  end  of  his  plott  against  the 
Countesse,  and  of  his  journey,  and  of  himselfe." 


Shirbourn  Castle,  Oxon. 

In  the  southern  and  most  picturesque  part  of  Oxfordshire,  near  the 
base  of  the  Chiltern  Hills,  stands  Shirbourn  Castle,  the  ancient  strong- 
hold of  the  De  I'lsle  and  Quatremaine  families,  and  in  modern  times, 
the  seat  of  the  Earls  of  Macclesfield.  The  castle  was  founded  by  Sir 
AVariner  de  I'lsle,  the  son  of  the  first  holder  of  the  land  obtained  from, 
the  Crown  in  the  tenth  year  of  Edward  III.  The  property  sub- 
sequently passed  through  several  hands,  and  was  purchased,  together 
with  the  manor,  early  in  the  last  century,  by  Thomas  Parker,  the  first 
Earl  of  Macclesfield,  who  was  an  eminent  judge  at  that  period,  and 
elevated  to  the  dignity  of  Lord  Chancellor  by  George  L,  in  1718. 
Three  years  afterwards,  he  was  advanced  to  the  Earldom  of  Maccles- 
field. George  Parker,  his  son,  was  distinguished  for  his  literary  and 
scientific  attainments,  and  was  for  twelve  years  President  of  the  Royal 
Society  ;  and  in  1750,  he  took  a  prominent  part  relative  to  the  altera- 
tion of  the  Style. 


420  Shirhotirn  Castle, 

W  hen  viewed  externally,  there  are,  probably,  few  finer  existing  spe- 
cimens of  the  castellated  architecture  of  feudal  times  than  the  stern  and 
imposing  structure  of  Shirbourn.  The  design  is  nearly  that  of  a  paral- 
lelogram ;  each  angle  is  defended  by  a  strong  circular  tower,  the  inter- 
mediate spaces  severally  presenting  a  flat  stone  front,  along  the  summit 
of  which  an  embattled  parapet  is  carried.  The  whole  structure  is  sur» 
rounded  by  a  moat  of  great  breadth  and  depth,  and  is  entered  by 
means  of  three  drawbridges,  at  the  teraiination  of  which  is  the  principal 
gateway,  defended  by  a  portcullis.  Excepting  the  alterations  that  have 
been  made  in  the  approaches,  probably  in  no  essential  respect  does 
Shirbourn  Castle  differ  from  its  appearance  in  the  fourteenth  century. 
The  interior  is,  however,  fitted  up  with  modern  elegance  and  comfort. 
The  armoury,  a  long  and  spacious  room,  is  almost  the  only  part  of  the 
edifice  which  carries  the  mind  back  to  the  past.  The  "  chair  of 
baronial  dignity"  still  preserves  its  place  in  this  apartment,  on  the  walls 
of  which  are  suspended  many  interesting  pieces  of  armour,  shields, 
tilting-spears,  and  various  kinds  of  ancient  as  well  as  modem  defensive 
weapons.  There  are  two  extensive  libraries,  and  a  collection  of  paint- 
ings. Among  the  portraits  is  an  original  of  Catherine  Parr,  Queen  of 
Henry  VIII.  The  gentle  and  unfortunate  queen  is  represented  stand- 
ing behind  a  highly  embellished  vacant  chair,  with  her  hand  on  the 
back.  Her  dress  is  black,  richly  ornamented  with  precious  stones. 
The  fingers  are  loaded  with  rings,  and  in  one  hand  is  a  handkerchief, 
edged  with  deep  lace.  Inserted  in  the  lower  part  of  the  frame, 
and  carefully  covered  with  glass,  is  an  interesting  appendage  to  this 
portrait — a  piece  of  hair  cut  from  the  head  of  Catherine  Parr  in  1 799, 
when  her  cofTm  was  opened  at  Sudley  Castle.  The  hair  corresponds 
with  that  in  the  picture,  which  is  aubum. 

Lord  Macclesfield,  who  was  an  eminent  mathematician,  built  at 
ShirbouiTi  an  Observatory,  about  1739.  It  stood  one  hundred  yards 
south  from  the  Castle  gate,  and  consisted  of  a  bedchamber,  a  room  for 
the  transit,  and  the  third  for  a  mural  quadrant.  In  the  possession  of 
the  Royal  Astronomical  Society  is  a  curious  print,  representing  two  of 
Lord  Macclesfield's  servants  taking  observations  in  the  Shirbourn  ob- 
servatory: one  is  Thomas  Phelps,  aged  82,  who  from  being  a  stable- 
boy  to  Lord  Chancellor  Macclesfield,  rose  by  his  merit  and  genius  to 
be  appointed  observer.  His  companion  is  John  Bartlett,  originally  a 
shepherd,  in  which  station  he,  by  books  and  observation,  acquired  such 
a  knowledge  in  computation,  and  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  as  to  induce 
Lord  Macclesfield  to  appoint  him  assistant  obsei-ver  in  his  observatory. 
Phelps  was  the  person  who,  on  December  23rd,  1743,  discovered  the 
great  comet,  and  made  the  first  observation  of  iU 


Banbury  Castle,  Cross,  and  Cakes,  421 

On  one  of  the  bolder  eminences  of  the  range,  in  the  neighbourhood 
ot  the  Castle,  stands  Shirbourn  Lodge,  long  the  abode  of  the  Dowager 
Lady  Macclesfield,  who,  we  are  told,  "  resided  here  in  all  the  dignified 
simplicity  attributed  to  the  noble  dames  in  ancient  times." 

The  scenery  around  Shirbourn  is  rich,  diversified,  and  sometimes 
even  romantic  in  its  combinations,  abounding  with  most  of  the  con- 
stituents which  give  so  peculiar  an  interest  to  the  scenery  of  merry 
England.  The  Chiltern  Hills,  which  cross  the  district,  "  sometimes  in 
a  waving  line,  sometimes  clothed  with  thick  woods  of  beech,''  now 
protruding  their  lofty  white  sides  of  chalk  amidst  dark  and  glossy  foliage, 
now  swelling  into  wide  and  open  downs,  everywhere  give  life  to  the 
landscape,  which  is  an  alternation  of  hill  and  valley  presenting  much 
variety  of  scene.  It  still  abounds  with  beech,  as  in  the  time  of  Leland, 
three  centuries  ago,  when  it  formed  a  portion  of  the  immense  forest, 
stretching  from  the  county  of  Kent  in  this  direction,  for  a  distance  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles.  The  beech-woods  of  Oxfordshire  con- 
sist of  trees  growing  on  their  own  stems,  produced  by  the  falling  of  the 
beech-mast,  as  very  little  is  permitted  to  grow  on  the  old  stools,  which 
are  generally  grubbed  up.  In  former  times,  the  woods  of  Oxfordshire 
formed  one  of  the  chief  boasts  of  the  county ;  but  of  late  years  much 
of  the  land  has  been  converted  into  tillage,  which  was  formerly  occupied 
by  woods. 


Banbury  Castle,  Cross,  and  Cakes. 

There  are  few  places  in  England  which  have  witnessed  so  many  im- 
portant events  connected  with  our  annals  as  Banbury,  situated  near  the 
northern  extremity  of  Oxfordshire.  It  is  thought  to  have  been  a 
Roman  station  fi-om  coins  frequently  found  there,  with  a  Roman  altar. 
Its  Saxon  name  in  Domesday  is  BansbeiTie,  which  has  led  to  the  sup- 
position that  the  great  battle  between  the  West  Saxon  King  Cynric  and 
the  Britons,  a.d.  556,  was  fought  here,  though  Barbury,  in  Wiltshire, 
also  lays  claim  to  being  the  site  of  the  same  event. 

In  the  year  iT2rj,  or  soon  after,  Banbury  was  strengthened  with  a 
Castle,  erected  by  Alexander,  the  famous  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  to  whom 
the  manor  belonged.  In  1139,  this  prelate,  being  taken  prisoner  by 
King  Stephen  at  Oxford,  was  compelled  to  resign  Banbury  and  some 
other  fortresses ;  but  it  was  shortly  afterwards  restored  to  the  see,  and 
is  frequently  mentioned  as  the  occasional  residence  of  the  bishops.  In 
the  year  1469,  a  battle  was  fought  at  Danesmore,  near  Banbury,  be- 


422  Banbury  Castle^  Cross,  and  Cakes. 

tween  the  forces  of  Edward  IV.,  under  the  Earl  of  Pembroke,  and  a 
great  body  of  insurgents  from  the  north  of  England,  whose  rebellion 
had  been  fomented  by  the  King-making  Earl  of  Warwick.  After  the 
battle,  a  quarrel  took  place  at  Banbury,  between  the  Earl  of  Pembroke 
and  Lord  Stafford,  who  held  a  high  command  in  the  royal  army ;  in 
consequence  of  which  the  latter  lord  quitted  the  town  with  his  nume- 
rous archers,  and  the  Earl  of  Pembroke,  weakened  in  his  resources,  was 
defeated  the  next  day  with  immense  loss ;  and  he  and  his  brother,  with 
ten  other  gentlemen,  being  taken  prisoners,  were  beheaded  at  Banbury. 
In  the  first  year  of  Edward  VI.,  Bishop  Holbech  resigned  the  manor, 
&c.,  of  Banbury  to  the  Crown. 

Queen  Elizabeth  granted  the  Castle  to  the  Saye  and  Sele  family, 
who  resided  at  their  neighbouring  castellated  mansion  at  Broughton.*  In 
the  same  reign,  Banbury  Cross,  so  celebrated  in  nursery  rhymes,  was 
destroyed  by  the  Puritans,  who  then  formed  a  predominant  party  at 
Banbury.  The  legendary  history  of  the  Gross  we  shall  narrate  pre- 
sently. 

Of  the  zeal  of  the  people  of  Banbury  there  are  numerous  records. 
From  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  to  that  of  Charles  II.,  the  Banbury  folks 
were  so  reputed  for  their  religious  zeal  as  to  excite  the  satire  of  wits  and 
humorous  writers.  Sir  Thomas  Overbury,  in  his  description  of  a  Tinker, 
says :  "  if  he  scape  Tyburn  and  Banbury,  he  dies  a  beggar."  Again, 
"  his  tongue  is  very  voluble,  which,  with  canting,  proves  him  a  linguist." 
So  that  Banbury  may  be  equivalent  to  Puritan,  as  in  Ben  Jonson's 
Bartholomeiv  Fair.  The  Rev.  W.  Whately,  Vicar  of  Banbury  in  the 
reign  of  James  I.,  is  thought  to  have  originated  or  fostered  the  zeal  for 
which  his  parish  has  acquired  proverbial  note  :  he  is  supposed  to  have 
been  called  "the  Roaring  Boy  of  Banbury,"  with  reference  to  whom 
Fuller  says,  "  only  let  them  (the  Banbury  folk)  adde  knowledge  to 
their  zeal,  and  then  the  more  zeal,  the  better  their  condition ;"  as  a 
proof  that  the  inhabitants  were  then  worthy  of  their  pastor,  we  are  told 
by  his  monument : — 

"  It's  William  Whately  that  here  lies, 
Who  swam  to 's  tomb  in  people's  eyes.** 


•  Viscount  Saye  and  Sele  was  a  distinguished  leader  in  the  contest  between 
Charles  I.  and  the  Parhament.  At  his  lordship's  house  at  Broughton,  above- 
named,  took  place  the  secret  discussions  of  resistance  to  the  Court.  Clarendon 
reports  of  him  that  "he  had  the  deepest  hand  in  all  the  evils  that  bcfel  the 
unhappy  kingdom,"  while  Whitclocke,  a  writer  on  the  other  side,  praises  him 
<»s  "  a  statesman  of  great  parts,  wisdom,  and  integrity."  Thus  is  history  some- 
imes  wntten. 


Banbury  Castle,  Cross^  and  Cakes.  423 

Whately  wrote  several  pieces  ;  among  the  rest,  a  sermon  entitled  Sinne 
no  more,  being  an  interesting  discourse  upon  a  most  terrible  fire,  which 
occurred  at  Banbury  in  1628,  and  is  remarkably  characteristic  of  this 
zealous  preacher :  his  sermons  were  reprinted  in  1827. 

Still,  Banbury  %eal  has  been  traced  to  a  very  different  source. 
Camden,  in  his  MS.  supplement  to  the  Britannia,  notes:  "  Put  out  the 
word  %eale  in  Banbury,  where  some  think  it  a  disgrace,  when  as  %eale 
with  knowledge  is  the  greater  grace  among  good  Christians  ;  for  it  was 
first  foysted  in  by  some  compositor  or  pressman,  neither  is  it  in  my 
Latin  copie,  which  I  desire  the  reader  to  hold  as  authentic."  The  fol- 
lowing note  respecting  this  misprint  is  given  in  Gibson's  edition  of 
Camden,  1772  :  "  There  is  a  credible  story,  that  while  Philemon  Holland 
was  carrying  on  his  English  edition  of  the  Britannia,  Mr.  Camden 
came  accidentally  to  the  press,  when  this  sheet  was  working  off;  and, 
looking  on,  he  found  that  in  his  own  observation  of  Banbury  being 
famous  for  cheese,  the  translator  had  added  cakes  and  ale.  But 
Mr.  Camden  thinking  it  too  light  an  expression,  changed  the  word  ale 
into  %eal  \  and  so  it  passed,  to  the  great  indignation  of  the  Puritans, 
who  abounded  in  this  town."  This  explanation  is  reasonable  enough  ; 
but  Banbury  may  have  had  a  character  for  Puritanism  in  the  seven- 
teenth century,  as  well  as  in  the  eighteenth,  when  the  Tatler  referred 
to  it  and  Dr.  Fuller's  explanation.  It  has  also  been  referred  to  Dr. 
Sacheverel's  excitement,  just  at  this  date,  17 10,  when  arose  the  terms  of 
High  Church  and  Low  Church. 

To  return  to  the  Castle.  The  zeal  of  the  inhabitants  in  the  cause  of 
the  Commonwealth  has  often  beeen  mentioned ;  but  although  the  Castle 
was  defended  by  800  infantry  and  a  troop  of  horse,  it  surrendered  a  few 
days  after  the  battle  of  Edgehill,  in  1642.  Being  garrisoned  by  the 
King,  it  afterwards  stood  several  attacks,  including  two  desperate 
sieges  in  1644  and  1646.  On  the  former  occasion,  it  resisted  every 
attack  for  fourteen  weeks,  when  at  length  it  was  opportunely  relieved 
by  the  Earl  of  Northampton,  but  not  before  the  garrison  had  been  re- 
duced to  the  necessity  of  eating  their  horses,  of  which  only  two 
remained.  On  the  other  occasion,  the  Castle  was  besieged  by  the 
famous  Colonel  Whalley  for  ten  weeks,  and  only  capitulated  on 
honourable  conditions,  after  Charles  L  had  surrendered  himself  to  the 
Scottish  army.  For  this  service  Colonel  Whalley  was  rewarded  by  the 
Pai'liament.  Not  many  years  after  this,  the  Castle  was  taken  down  by 
the  Parliament,  to  prevent  its  again  becoming  a  stronghold  for  the 
Royalists  in  a  Puritan  district.  Nothing  now  remains  of  it  except  the 
name,  and  small  portions  of  the  moat,  and  one  of  the  walls,  upon  which 


424  Banbury  Castle,  Cross,  and  Cakes, 

last  a  cottage  has  been  erected.  The  rest  of  the  site  is  occupied  as 
garden-ground. 

Banbury  Cakes  were  long  thought  to  be  first  mentioned  in  Camden's 
Britannia,  t6o8  ;  but  we  find  "  Banberrie  cakes"  mentioned  in  a  Treatise 
on  Melancholic,  1586,  among  the  articles  that  carry  with  them  "  plentie 
of  melanchoJie."  This  we  suspect  to  be  a  Puritan  stigma.  Ben  Jonson, 
in  his  Bartholomew  Fair,  1614,  introduces  "  Zeal-of-the-Land  Busy" 
as  a  Banbury  man,  who  "  was  a  baker — but  he  does  dream  now, 
and  sees  visions :  he  has  given  over  his  trade,  out  of  a  scruple  he  took 
that  inspired  conscience,  those  cakes  he  made  were  served  in  bridales, 
maypoles,  morrises,  and  such  profane  feasts  and  meetings."  The  Cakes 
are  still  in  high  repute,  are  made  in  large  quantities,  and  shipped  to 
most  parts  of  the  world,  Banbury  Cheese,  which  is  mentioned  by 
Shakspeare,  is  no  longer  made.  The  town  has  to  this  day  nine  char- 
tered fairs  and  two  annual  markets:  their  statute  fair  for  hiring 
sei*vants  was  called  "  the  Mop." 

Several  of  the  inns  at  Banbury  are  of  great  antiquity,  and  of  quaint 
and  picturesque  appearance.  The  gateway  and  yard  of  the  Reindeer 
Inn  are  especially  to  be  noticed.  Here  is  a  large  dining-hall,  which 
seems  to  date  as  far  back  as  the  reign  of  Henry  VH.,  and  retains  most 
of  its  original  features.  In  a  field  adjacent  to  the  southern  entrance  to 
the  town  is  an  earthwork,  or  amphitheatre,  called  the  Bear-garden, 
where  the  ancient  English  sports  were  practised. 

Edgehill,  already  mentioned,  is  a  spot  of  great  interest  in  connexion 
with  the  Commonwealth  wars ;  but  nothing  more  wild,  rugged,  and 
solitary  can  be  imagined  than  this  far-famed  battle-field. 

The  legendary  history  of  the  Cross  is  subjoined  from  the  J3«/A^r; 
The  nursery  rhyme  is  known  to  every  little  boy  and  girl : — 

•*  Ride  a  cock  horse  to  Banbury  Cross, 
To  see  a  fine  lady  ride  on  a  white  horse  ; 
With  rings  on  her  fingers  and  bells  on  her  toes, 
She  shall  have  music  wherever  she  goes." 

Of  this  lady  we  get  more  complete  information  :— 

"  'Twas  in  the  second  Edward's  reign, 
A  knight  of  much  renown, 
Yclept  Lord  Herbert,  chanced  to  live 
Near  famous  Banbury  town." 

This  knight  had  one  son  left  to  his  lot :  fearless  and  brave  was  he; 

and 

"  It  raised  the  pride  in  the  father's  heart. 
His  gallant  son  to  see. 


Banbury  Castle^  Cross y  and  Cakes.  425 

And  so  this  poetic  legend  goes  on  to  tell  that,  near  Lord  Herbert's 
ancient  hall,  proud  Banbury  Castle  stood,  within  the  noble  walls  of 
which  there  dwelt  a  maiden,  young  and  good : — 

*'  As  fair  as  the  rosy  morning, 
As  fresh  as  the  sparkling  dew, 
And  her  face  as  bright  as  the  star-lit  night, 
With  its  smiles  and  blooming  hue." 

Young  Edward  gazed  on  this  lady,  and  dreamt  of  her  in  the  night ; 
and  then  heralds  sound  their  trumpets,  and  proclaim  a  festive  day.  To 
Broughton's  castle,  and  Wroxton's  pile,  and  Herbert's  stately  tower, 
**  that  looks  o'er  hill  and  dale,"  all  come.  There  is  a  rival  in  the  way, 
and  young  Edward  nearly  loses  his  life.  But  the  rival  turns  out  to  be 
her  brother. 

Days  passed  on.  Young  Edward  was  nursed  with  care,  and  Matilda 
never  left  his  side ;  but  the  young  man  had  the  stamp  of  death  upon 
his  face.  In  the  Castle,  at  that  time,  there  lived  a  holy  monk,  who  h.id 
noticed  the  sinking  of  the  young  lady's  cheeks,  and  offered  to  effect  a 
cure.    This  was  his  prescription  : — 

"  To-morrow,  at  the  midnight  hour, 
Go  to  the  Cross  alone  : 
For  Edward's  rash  and  hasty  deed 
Perchance,  thou  may'st  atone." 

The  lady  goes  to  the  cross  and  walks  round  it.  Edward  is  cured, 
and  a  goodly  festival  is  ordered.    And  now — 

*'  Upon  a  milk-white  steed 

A  lady  doth  appear  : 
By  all  she's  welcomed  lustily 

In  one  tremendous  cheer. 
With  rings  of  briUiant  lustre, 

Her  fingers  are  bedeck'd, 
And  bells  upon  her  palfrey  hung, 

To  give  the  whole  effect." 

And  by  the  side  of  the  noble  lady  there  rode  one  of  noble  mien  and  air. 

"  And  even  in  the  present  time, 

The  custom's  not  forgot. 
But  few  there  are  who  know  the  tala 

Connected  with  the  spot  ; 
Though  to  each  baby  in  the  land 

The  nursery  rhymes  are  told, 
About  the  lady  robed  in  white. 

And  Banbury  Cross  of  old." 


426 


Stanton  Harcourt  and  its  Kitchen. 

Stanton  Harcourt,  a  small  village  of  Oxfordshire,  has  near  it  three 
large  upright  stones,  vulgarly  called  "  the  Devil's  Coits ;"  they  are  of  the 
sandstone  of  the  district,  and  are  thought  to  be  monumental.  Thomas 
Warton  supposes  them  to  have  been  "  erected  to  commemorate  a  battle 
fought  near  Bampton,  in  614,  between  the  Saxons  and  the  Britons ; 
when  the  Saxons,  under  Cynegil,  slew  more  than  two  thousand 
Britons."  "  The  adjacent  barrow,"  he  adds,  "  has  been  destroyed." 
Stanton-Harcourt  was  among  the  vast  estates  which  fell  to  the  lot  of 
the  Bishop  of  Bayeux,  the  half-brother  of  the  Conqueror.  "  The  manor 
has  continued  in  the  Harcourt  family.  Queen  Adeliza,  daughter  of 
Godfrey,  first  Duke  of  Brabant,  and  second  wife  to  King  Henry  I., 
granted  the  manor  of  Stanton  to  her  kinswoman,  Milicent,  wife  of 
Richard  de  Camvill,  whose  daughter  Isabel  married  Robert  de  Harcourt; 
and  from  the  time  of  that  marriage  it  assumed  the  name  of  Stanton- 
Harcourt.  This  grant  was  afterwards  confii-med  to  her  and  her  heirs 
by  King  Stephen  and  King  Henry  II."  The  sei-vice  by  which  it  was 
held  of  the  Crown  is  curious:  "The  lord  of  Stanton-Harcourt  shall 
find  four  browsers  in  Woodstock  Park  in  winter-time,  when  the  snow 
shall  happen  to  fall,  and  tarry,  lie,  and  abide,  by  the  space  of  two  days; 
and  so  to  find  the  said  browsers  there  browsing,  so  long  as  the  snow 
doth  lie,  every  browser  to  have  to  his  lodging  every  night  one  billet  of 
wood,  the  length  of  his  axe-helve,  and  that  to  carry  to  his  lodgings 
upon  the  edge  of  his  axe.  And  the  King's  bailiff  of  the  demesnes,  or  of 
the  Hundred  of  VVooton,  coming  to  give  warning  for  the  said  browsers, 
shall  blow  his  horn  at  the  gate  of  the  manor  of  Stanton  Harcourt  afore- 
said, and  then  the  said  bailiff  to  have  a  cast  of  bread,  a  gallon  of  ale, 
and  a  piece  of  beef,  of  the  said  lord  of  Stanton  Harcourt  aforesaid ; 
and  the  said  lord,  or  other  for  the  time  being,  to  have  of  custom  yearly 
out  of  the  said  park,  one  buck  in  summer  and  one  doe  in  winter.  And 
also  the  said  lord  of  Stanton  Harcourt  must  fell,  make,  rear,  and  carry  all 
the  grass  growing  in  one  meadow  within  the  park  of  Woodstock,  called 
Stanton  and  Southley  mead ;  and  the  fellers  and  the  makers  thereof 
have  used  to  have  of  custom,  of  the  king's  Majesty's  charge,  sixpence  in 
money,  and  two  gallons  of  ale." 

Of  the  large  and  ancient  mansion,  little  remains.  Pope  passed  the 
greatest  part  of  two  summers  in  the  deserted  home,  in  a  tower  which  bears 
his  name,  from  his  having  written  in  the  uppermost  room  in  it  the  fifth 
volume  of  his  translation  of  Homer,  as  he  recorded  on  a  pane  of  glass 


Woodstock  Palace.  4^7 

m  the  window ;  hence  the  room  is  called  "  Pope's  Study.**  Gay  was  an 
inmate  at  the  time,  and  the  only  one  who  presumed  to  break  in  on 
Pope's  retirement.  The  lower  room  is  the  family  chapel ;  the  tower 
is  fifty-four  feet  high. 

But  the  most  curious  portion  of  the  old  mansion  remaining  is 
the  kitchen,  a  stone  building  of  earlier  date  than  the  mansion,  and 
which  Dr.  Plot,  in  his  History  of  Oxfordihire,  thus  describes: — "The 
kitchen  of  the  right  worshipful  Sir  Simon  Harcourt,  Knight,  is  so 
strangely  unusual,  that  by  way  of  riddle  one  may  truly  call  it  either  a 
kitchen  within  a  chimney  or  a  kitchen  without  one ;  for  below  it  is 
nothing  but  a  large  square,  and  octangular  above,  ascending  like  a 
tower,  the  fires  being  made  against  the  walls,  and  the  smoke  climbing 
up  them,  without  any  tunnels  or  disturbance  to  the  cooks;  which 
being  stopped  by  a  large  conical  roof  at  the  top,  goes  out  at  loopholes 
on  every  side  according  as  the  wind  sits ;  the  loopholes  at  the  side  next 
the  wind  being  shut  with  folding  doors,  and  the  adverse  side  opened."^ 
At  one  of  the  angles  there  is  a  turret  in  which  is  a  winding  staircase 
that  leads  to  a  passage  round  the  battlements,  in  order  to  open  and 
close  the  shutters  according  to  the  direction  of  the  wind. 

There  are  two  fireplaces  against  the  opposite  walls,  at  either  of  which 
an  ox  might  be  roasted  whole.  Only  one  is  used  now.  Besides  the 
fireplaces  there  are  two  large  ovens.  The  interior  is  a  room  about 
thirty  feet  square,  capped  by  a  conical  roof,  in  itself  twenty-five  feet 
high,  and  from  the  floor  to  its  apex  about  sixty  feet.  The  inside  of  the 
roof  is  thickly  coated  with  soot. 

The  main  portion  of  the  mansion  was  erected  in  the  reign  of 
Henry  VII.;  the  kitchen  is  supposed  to  be  of  the  time  of  Henry  IV. 
Pope,  in  a  letter  to  the  Duke  of  Buckingham,  described  the  house  as  it 
was  before  its  demolition;  but  according  to  the  Earl  of  Harcourt, 
"  Although  his  description  be  ludicrous  and  witty,  it  is  in  almost  every 
particular  incorrect ;  the  situation  of  the  several  buildings  being  exactly 
the  reverse  of  that  in  which  they  stood,  as  is  demonstrated  by  a  still 
existing  plan  " 


Woodstock  Palace — Fair  Rosamond,  and 
Godstow  Nunnery. 

In  the  middle  of  Oxfordshire  there  existed  fi'om  the  Saxon  times 
almost  to  our  own  age,  a  royal  Palace,  fi-aught  with  memories  grave 
and  gay,  and  chequered  with  light  and  shade  of  the  most  picturesque 


428  Woodstock  Palace. 

scenery.  Not  a  vestige  of  the  Palace  now  remains ;  but  its  site  is 
denoted  by  two  sycamore-trees,  whose  wide  and  spreading  limbs  point 
amid  the  solemn  silence  to  the  spot  where  Kings  in  days  of  yore  have 
dwelt. 

The  town  and  manor  of  Woodstock  (anciently  written  Vudestoc — 
U.,  woody  place)  constituted  part  of  the  royal  demesnes.  Here  King 
Ethelr^d,  in  866,  held  a  Wittenagemot ;  and  the  illustrious  Alfred 
translated  the  Consolations  of  Boethius.  To  the  grounds  was  an- 
nexed a  deer-fold;  and  Henry  I.  appended  an  inclosure  for  a  collection 
of  wild  beasts,  which  he  procured  from  foreign  princes.  Tenanted  by 
the  lion,  leopard,  lynx,  and  William  de  Montpellier's  gift,  "the  won- 
derful porcupine,"  then  first  seen  in  this  country,  and  gravely  asserted 
by  William  of  Malmesbury  to  be  "  covered  with  sharp-pointed  quills, 
which  it  naturally  shot  at  the  dogs  that  hunted  it,"  no  wonder  the  place 
attained  celebrity ;  though  this  menagerie  was  of  small  dimensions,  and 
the  dens  were  bounded  by  a  lofty  stone  wall.  In  1123,  King  Henry  I. 
removed  his  Court  from  Dunstable  to  Woodstock,  where,  on  the 
third  day  after  Epiphany,  riding  out  in  his  deer-fold,  in  conversation 
between  the  Bishops  of  London  and  Salisbury,  the  former  suddenly 
exclaiming,  "  Lord  King,  I  die,"  fell  fi"om  his  horse,  and  being  carried 
home  speechless,  died  on  the  following  day  (Saxon  Chronicles),  Here 
King  Henry  held  a  Council  at  Christmas;  and  in  1126  and  1130,  the 
King  kept  his  Christmas  here. 

In  1 140,  during  the  struggle  for  the  Crown  between  King  Stephen 
and  the  Empress  Maud,  Woodstock  was  gairisoned  for  the  latter. 
Her  son,  Henry  II.,  resided  much  at  Woodstock,  and  adjoining  built 
a  bower  for  "  his  adored  charmer,"  Rosamond,  the  second  daughter  of 
Walter,  Lord  Clifford :  this  bower  was  surrounded  with  a  labyrinth, 
whose  mazes  no  stranger  could  unthread.  This  lady  he  is  believed 
to  have  first  seen  in  one  of  his  visits  to  Godstow  Nunnery,  and  having 
triumphed  over  her  virtue,  to  have  here  secluded  her  from  the  jealous 
eye  of  his  Queen,  a  woman  of  tainted  reputation,  much  older  than 
himself,  whom  he  had  married  solely  from  motives  of  ambition.  In  this 
bower  the  King  passed  many  hours  in  wanton  dalliance,  and  by 
Rosamond  had  two  sons,  William  Longspe,  afterwards  Earl  of  Sarum; 
and  Geoffrey,  Archbishop  of  York.  To  this  amour  New  W^oodstock 
owes  its  origin,  it  being  founded  for  the  accommodation  of  the  Royal 
retinue. 

The  Bower,  or  Maze,  which  the  King  had  built  for  Rosamond, 
consisted  of  vaults  underground,  arched  and  walled  with  brick  and 
stone.    It  is  thought  to  have  existed  before  the  time  of  Rosamond,  and 


Fair  Rosamond,  429 

remained  after  her  death,  since  all  pleasaunces,  or  gardens,  in  the  Middle 
Ages,  had  this  adjunct.*  Nearly  a  century  after  Rosamond's  time, 
Rymer  describes,  in  his  Fcedera,  as  pertaining  to  Woodstock  Palace, 
"  Rosamond's  Chamber,"  which  was  then  restored,  and  crystal  plates, 
and  marble  and  lead  provided  for  the  workmen.  Edward  III.  passed 
the  first  years  of  his  marriage  principally  at  Woodstock ;  and  Rosa- 
mond's residence,  there  is  reason  to  conclude,  was  approached  by  a  tunnel 
under  the  park- wall.  How  the  Queen  discovered  her  is  variously 
told.  It  is  commonly  said  that  "  the  Queen  came  to  Rosamond  by  a 
clue  of  threidde  or  silke,  and  so  dealt  with  her  that  she  lived  not  long 
after."  None  of  the  old  writers  attribute  Rosamond's  death  to  poison 
(Stow  merely  conjectures)  ;  they  only  say  that  the  Queen  treated  her 
harshly ;  with  furious  menaces  and  sharp  expostulations,  we  may 
suppose,  but  used  neither  dagger  nor  bowl.  Brompton  says,  "she 
lived  with  Henry  a  long  time  after  he  had  imprisoned  Eleanor;"  and 
Carte,  in  his  History  of  England,  goes  far  to  prove  that  Rosamond 
was  not  poisoned  by  the  Queen  (which  popular  legend  was  based  on  no 
other  authority  than  an  old  ballad) ;  but  that,  through  grief  at  the 
defection  of  her  royal  admirer,  she  retired  from  the  world,  and  became 
a  nun  at  Godstow,  where  she  lived  twenty  years.  Holinshed  speaks  of 
it  as  the  common  report  of  the  people,  that  "  the  Queene  found  hir  out 
by  a  silken  thridde,  which  the  Kinge  had  drawne  after  him  out  of  hir 
chamber  with  his  foote,  and  dealt  with  her  in  such  sharpe  and  cruell 
wise  that  she  lived  not  long  after."  Brompton  says,  that  one  day 
Qiieen  Eleanor  saw  the  King  walking  in  the  pleasaunce  of  Woodstock, 
with  the  end  of  a  ball  of  floss-silk  attached  to  his  spur  ;  coming  near 
him  unperceived,  she  took  up  the  ball,  and  the  King  walking  on,  the 
silk  unwound,  and  thus  the  Queene  traced  him  to  a  thicket  in  the 
labyrinth  or  maze  of  the  park,  where  he  disappeared.  She  kept  the 
matter  a  secret,  often  revolving  in  her  own  mind  in  what  company  he 
could  meet  with  balls  of  silk.  Soon  after,  the  King  left  Woodstock 
for  a  distant  journey  ;  then  Queeen  Eleanor,  bearing  her  discovery  in 
mind,  searched  the  thicket  in  the  park,  and  discovered  a  low  door 
cunningly  concealed;  this  door  she  forced,  and  found  it  was  the 
entrance  to  a  winding  subteiTanean  path,  which  led  out  at  a  distance 
to  a  sylvan  lodge  in  the  most  retired  part  of  the  adjacent  forest." 
Speed,  on   the  other  hand,  tells  us  that  the  jealous  queen  found 


•  Maize  Hill,  Greenwich,  is  near  the  site  of  the  Maze  of  Greenwich  Palace  ; 
and  the  Maze  in  Southwark  was  once  part  of  the  garden  of  the  Princess  Mary 
ludor's  Palace. 


430  Fair  Rosamond, 

Rosamond  out  by  "  a  clewe  of  silke"  fallen  from  her  lap,  as  she  sat 
taking  air,  and  suddenly  fleeing  from  the  sight  of  the  searcher,  the  end 
of  the  clue  still  unwinding,  remained  behind,  which  the  Queen  fol- 
lowed till  she  found  what  she  sought,  and  upon  Rosamond  so  vented 
her  spleen  that  she  did  not  live  long  after.  Another  stoiy,  in  a  popular 
ballad,  is  that  the  clue  was  gained  by  surprise  from  the  knight  who  was 
left  to  guard  the  bower. 

Rosamond  was  buried  at  Godstow,  "  in  a  house  of  nunnes,  beside 
Oxford,"  with  these  verses  upon  her  tombe  :— 

"  Hie  jacet  in  tumba,  Rosa  mundi,  non  Rosa  munda; 
Non  redolet,  sed  olet,  quae  redolere  solet." 

Stems  Annals. 

"  This  tomb  doth  here  enclose  the  worlds  most  beauteous  rose, 
Rose  passing  sweet  erewhile — now  nought  but  odour  vile." 

Speed. 

Her  body  was  buried  in  the  middle  of  the  choir  in  the  chapel  of  the 
Nunnery  at  Godstow,  and  wax-lights  were  placed  around  her  tomb, 
and  continually  kept  burning ;  there  it  remained  fourteen  years,  or 
until  the  year  1191,  when  Hugh,  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  caused  it  to  be 
removed,  as  unfit  for  the  sight  of  the  chaste  sisters.  The  nuns,  how- 
ever, so  much  esteemed  their  late  benefactress  and  companion,  that  they 
reinterred  her  bones  in  their  chapter-house,  and  carefully  preserved  relics 
of  her  till  the  dissolution  of  their  society  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VHI. 
Her  portrait  was  long  preserved  in  the  manor-house  of  Kidington,  with 
that  of  Lord  Clifford. 

In  the  French  Chronicle  of  London,  translated  by  Riley,  in  1863,  we 
find  another  legend  of  Rosamond's  death.  It  is  there  told  that  the 
Queen  had  her  stripped  naked,  and  made  her  sit  between  two  fires ; 
then  had  her  put  into  a  bath,  and  beaten  with  a  staff  by  a  wicked  old 
hag  until  the  blood  gushed  forth,  when  another  hag  placed  two  toads 
upon  her  breasts,  and  while  they  were  sucking,  the  Queen  laughed  in 
revenge ;  and  when  Rosamond  was  dead,  the  Queen  had  her  body 
buried  in  a  filthy  ditch,  toads  and  all.  The  story  is  a  loathsome  one, 
and  we  have  abbreviated  it.  When  the  King  heard  how  the  Queen 
had  treated  Rosamond,  he  made  great  lamentation  ;  he  tlien  ascertained 
of  one  ot  the  sorceresses  that  the  body  had  been  taken  up  by  order  of 
the  Queen,  to  be  buried  at  Godstow ;  but  the  King  mc^'ting  it  on  the 
road,  had  the  chest  or  coffin  opened,  and  looking  on  the  body,  he 
fell  into  a  long  swoon  with  grief.  "When  he  recovered,  he  vowed  ven- 
geance for  the  "most  horrid  felony"  committed  upon  the  gentle  damsel. 
He  then  renewed  his  lamentations,  and  in  the  words  of  the  legend,  fcr- 


Godstow  Nunnery.    '  43^ 

vently  prayed,  "  May  the  sweet  God,  who  abides  in  Trinity,  on  the 
soul  of  sweet  Rosamond  have  mercy,  and  may  He  pardon  her  all  her 
misdeeds ;  very  God  Almighty,  Thou  who  art  the  end  and  the  begin- 
ning, suffer  not  now  that  this  soul  shall  in  horrible  torment  come  to  perish, 
and  grant  unto  her  true  remission  for  all  her  sins,  for  Thy  great  mercy's 
sake."  And  when  the  King  had  thus  prayed,  he  commanded  them  to 
ride  straight  on  with  the  body  of  the  lady,  there  have  her  burial  cele- 
brated in  that  religious  house  of  nuns,  and  there  did  he  appoint  thirteen 
chaplains  to  sing  for  the  soul  of  the  said  Rosamond  as  long  as  the  world 
shall  last.     And  this  was  accordingly  done. 

In  the  old  ballad  the  death  of  Rosamond  is  attributed  to  the  Queen : 

*•  But  nothing  could  this  furious  queen 
Therewith  appeased  bee  : 
The  cup  of  deadlye  poyson  strong© 
•    As  she  knelt  on  her  knee, 

••  She  gave  this  comelye  dame  to  drinke ; 
Who  took  it  in  her  hand, 
And  from  her  bended  knee  arose, 
And  on  her  feet  did  stand. 

"  And  casting  up  her  eyes  to  heaven, 
She  did  for  mercye  calle  ; 
And  drinking  up  the  poyson  stronge, 
Her  Ufe  she  lost  withalle."* 

On  the  banks  of  the  Isis,  about  two  miles  from  Oxford,  are  the  re- 
mains of  Godstow  Nunnery.  It  was  founded  towards  the  end  of  the 
reign  of  Henry  I.,  by  Editha,  a  lady  of  Winchester.  There  are  re- 
mains of  the  north,  south,  and  east  walls ;  and  of  a  small  building,  pro- 
bably the  Chapter-house  of  the  nuns,  where,  it  is  thought,  the  remains 
of  Rosamond  may  have  been  deposited.  After  their  second  burial,  they 
were  not  again  disturbed  till  the  suppression  of  monasteries,  in  the  reign 
of  Henry  VIII.,  when,  as  Leland  records,  her  tomb  was  opened  by  the 
royal  commissioners ;  in  it  was  found  the  leaden  case,  within  which 
were  the  bones  wrapped  in  leather:  "when  it  was  opened,"  he  adds, 
"  a  very  sweet  smell  came  out  of  it." 


*  Rosamond  was  a  great  favourite  with  our  older  poets.  A  beautiful  ballad 
was  written  by  Thomas  Delony  ;  there  is  a  still  more  beautiful  poem,  though 
not  so  well  known,  called  T/ie  Coviplaint  of  Kosavioiid,  by  Daniel.  And 
Drayton  has  two  or  three  of  his  Ejiglatid's  Hcroical  Epistles  dedicated  to 
her  memory  ;  and  frequent  allusion  is  made  to  her  by  Chaucer  and  others. 
Addison  wrote  an  opera  upon  the  story,  t.Xi\\\\^dL.  Rosamond ;  and  in  our  time 
another  opera.  Fair  Rosaviond,  the  music  by  John  Barnett,  was  produced  at 
Drury-lane  Theatre :  we  need  hardly  add  that  the  dagger  and  poison-bowj 
fiction  was  adopted. 


4^2  Woodstock  Palace. 

Notwithstanding  the  "bower"  had  lost  its  fair  tenant,  Woodstock 
was  not  deserted  by  the  King,  for  he  knighted  his  son  Geoffrey,  Duke 
of  Brittany,  in  the  palace  in  1178;  and  in  1186,  herein  entertained 
William,  King  of  Scotland,  and  gave  him  his  cousin,  the  Lady  Ermen- 
gai'd,  daughter  of  Lord  Beaumont,  in  maniage;  the  ceremony  was 
performed  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  in  the  royal  chapel,  and 
the  nuptials  celebrated  with  great  magnificence.  King  John  also  fre- 
|quently  resided  here,  and  built  a  chapel  for  the  use  of  the  inhabitants  of 
jNew  Woodstock,  a  part  of  which  still  remains  on  the  south  side  of  the 
'present  church. 

Woodstock  was  visited  by  King  Henry  IIL  in  1228  and  1235. 
Three  years  after,  in  1238,  he  was  again  at  the  palace,  and  narrowly 
escaped  assassination  by  a  priest  named  Ribband,  who  was  either  insane, 
or  feigned  himself  so,  and  got  into  the  palace,  and  in  the  hall  summoned 
'the  King  to  resign  his  kingdom ;  the  attendants  would  have  beaten  and 
driven  him  away,  but  Henry  forbade  them,  and  ordered  them  to  suffer 
the  man  to  enjoy  his  delusions.  In  the  night,  however,  the  same  indi- 
vidual contrived  to  enter  the  royal  bedchamber  through  a  window,  and 
made  towards  the  King's  bed  with  a  naked  dagger  in  his  hand ;  luckily 
the  King  was  in  another  part  of  the  house,  and  the  intruder  was  secured 
and  taken  to  Oxford,  where,  says  the  account,  "  he  was  torn  in  pieces 
by  wild  horses."  Henry  again  resided  here  in  1241,  and  entertained 
Alexander,  King  of  Scotland,  and  most  of  the  English  nobility,  with 
great  splendour.  Edward  L  called  two  Parliaments  at  Woodstock ; 
and  here  was  born  Edmund,  his  second  son,  by  Queen  Margaret,  called 
from  thence  Edmund  of  Woodstock.  In  1326,  Isabella,  Queen  of 
Edward  II.,  resided  here,  amidst  much  gaiety.  Edward  III.  was  strongly 
attached  to  Woodstock ;  and  his  son  Edward  the  Black  Prince,  and 
his  sixth  son,  were  born  here — ^the  latter  event  being  celebrated  by 
solemn  jousts  and  toumaments. 

Chaucer  resided  for  a  considerable  time  in  a  house  adjoining  the 
principal  park-gate,  which  dwelling  is  denominated  in  deeds  "  Chaucer's 
House-" 

' '  Here  he  dwelt 
For  many  a  cheerful  day ;  these  ancient  walls 
Have  often  heard  him,  while  his  legends  blithe 
Of  honwly  lif«,  through  each  estate  and  age, 
He  sang  of  love,  of  knighthood ;  or  the  wiles, 
The  fashion  and  the  follies  of  the  world. 
With  cunning  hand  portraying." 

Still.  Chaucer's  residence  at  Woodstock  is  disputed,  and  the  fiousc 
is  considered  by  Sir  Harris  Nicolas  to  have  been  the  house  of  Thomat 


Woodstock  Palace,  433 

Chaucer,  to  whom  the  Manor  of  Woodstock  was  granted  by  Henry  IV., 
ten  years  after  the  poet's  death.  This  is  the  earliest  evidence  extant 
of  any  connexion  of  the  name  of  Chaucer  with  Woodstock.  Never- 
theless, the  poet  might  some  time  have  resided  at  Woodstock,  in  the 
house  which  was  given  to  his  son. 

Richard  II.  was  frequently  at  Woodstock,  and  in  1389  kept  his 
Christmas  at  the  palace,  when  a  tournament  was  held  in  the  park,  at 
which  John  Hastings,  Earl  of  Pembroke,  only  seventeen  years  of  age 
was  unfortunately  slain  by  John  St.  John,  by  the  lance  slipping  and 
piercing  his  body.  Most  of  the  succeeding  Kings  of  England  visited 
Woodstock  occasionally.  Henry  VII.  added  considerably  to  the 
palace,  and  on  the  front  and  principal  gate  was  his  name,  and  an  English 
rhyme  recording  that  he  was  the  founder.  It  was  in  this  gatehouse, 
according  to  Warton,  that  the  Princess  Elizabeth  was  detained  a 
prisoner  by  command  of  her  sister  Mary  ;  and  here  she  is  said  to  have 
written  with  charcoal,  on  a  window- shutter  of  her  apartment,  the  fol- 
lowing lines: 

"Oh,  Fortune,  how  thy  restless  wavering  state 

Hath  fraught  with  cares  my  troubled  witt, 

Wittness  this  present  prysoner,  whither  Fate 

Could  bear  me  and  the  Joys  I  quitt ; 
Thou  causest  the  guiltie  to  be  loosed 
From  bands  wherein  an  innocent's  inclosed, 
Causing  the  guiltless  to  be  straite  reserved, 
And  freine  those  that  death  well  deserved. 
But  by  her  Malice  can  be  nothing  wroughte, 
So  God  send  to  my  foes  all  they  have  thoughte. 
"Anno  Dom.  1555."  "  Elizabeth,  Prisoner. 

Holinshed  tells  us  that  Elizabeth,  while  at  Woodstock,  "  hearing 
upon  a  time  out  of  her  garden  a  certain  milkmaid  singing  pleasantly, 
wislied  herself  to  be  a  milkmaid  as  she  was,  saying  that  her  case  was 
better,  and  her  life  merrier."  Elizabeth's  apartment  remained  until 
taken  down  by  Sarah,  Duchess  of  Marlborough.  Its  arched  roof  was 
formed  of  Irish  oak,  curiously  carved,  and  dight  with  blue  and  gold. 
The  visits  of  Queen  Elizabeth  and  King  James  I.  are  detailed  in  the 
Progresses  of  these  monarchs,  by  Nichols. 

Of  the  Palace,  in  1634,  we  find  a  curious  account  in  a  "Topogra- 
phical Excursion,"  made  in  that  year,  where  it  is  described  as  "that 
famous  Court  and  Princely  Castle  and  Pallace  [Woodstock]  which 
as  I  found  it  ancient,  strong,  large,  and  magnificent,  so  it  was  sweet, 
delightfull,  and  sumptuous,  and  scytuated  on  a  fayre  Hill."  Then,  we 
have  the  spacious  Court,  the  large,  strong,  and  fair  Gatehouse,  the 
spacious  church-like  Hall,  with  aisles  and  pillars,  and  rich  tapestry 


434  Woodstock  Palace, 

hangings  wrought  with  "the  Story  of  the  Wild  Bore;"  then  the 
stately  rich  Chapel,  with  seven  round  arches,  curious  font,  windows, 
and  admirably  wrought  roof.  The  visitor  passed  on  to  the  Guard- 
chamber,  the  Presence-chamber,  the  Privy-chamber,  that  looks  over  the 
Tennis-court  into  the  towne,  the  Withdrawing-chamber,  and  the  Bed- 
chamber, both  which  have  their  sweet  prospect  into  the  Privy-gardens. 
Next  is  the  Queen's  Bedchamber,  *  where  our  late  virtuous  and  re- 
nowned Queene  was  Kept  Prisoner  in  ;'  and  a  neat  chapel,  "  where  our 
Queene  (1634)  heard  Masse."  Then,  from  the  gateway  leads  the 
prospect  of  the  walled  parke,  and  its  handsome  lodges;  and  *the 
Labyrinth  wherc  the  fayre  Lady  and  great  Monarch's  concubine  was 
surpris'd  by  a  clew  of  silke.'  Her  obsequies  were  celebrated  in  a 
solemne  manner,  with  a  herse  for  her.  I  found  nothing  in  this  bower 
but  ruins,  but  many  strong  and  strange  winding  walls  and  turnings,  and 
a  dainty  clear  square  pan'd  well,  knee  deep,  wherein  this  beautifull 
creature  sometimes  did  wash  and  bathe  herselfe."  Drayton  had  already 
described  "  Rosamond's  Labyrinth,  whose  ruins,  together  with  her 
Well,  being  paved  with  square  stones  in  the  bottom,  and  also  her 
Bower,  from  which  the  Labyrinth  did  run,  are  yet  remaining,  being 
vaults  arched  and  walled  with  stone  and  brick,  almost  inextricably 
wound  within  one  another,  by  which  if  at  any  time  her  lodging  were 
laid  about  by  the  Queen,  she  might  easily  avoid  peril  imminent,  and,  if 
need  be,  by  secret  issues,  take  the  air  abroad,  many  furlongs  about 
Woodstock,  in  Oxfordshire."  It  was  here  that  the  beautiful  Alice 
met  Charles  IL  in  the  disguise  of  an  old  woman;  and  on  the  bank 
over  the  Well  is  the  spot  where,  tradition  relates,  Fair  Rosamond 
yielded  to  the  menaces  of  Eleanor.  The  present  Bower  consists  of 
trees  overhanging  the  Well,  which  is  in  a  large  stone  basin,  within  a 
stone  wall,  supporting  the  bank  ;  the  water  flows  from  hence  through  a 
hole  of  about  five  inches  in  diameter,  and  is  conveyed  by  a  channel 
under  the  pavement  into  another  basin  of  considerable  extent,  fenced 
with  an  iron  railing.  Hence  it  again  escapes  by  means  of  a  grating  into 
the  lake  of  Blenheim  Park. 

In  the  Civil  Wars  of  the  17th  century,  the  palace  was  resolutely  de- 
fended by  Captain  Samuel  Fawcet,  who  would  have  buried  himself 
beneath  its  ruins  had  it  not  been  surrendered  by  Commissioners  from 
the  King.  In  1649,  Parliamentary  Commissioners  surveyed  the  royal 
property,  when  the  principal  apartments  were  defaced  and  profaned; 
but  this  outrage  was  stayed  by  a  combination  of  strange  events,  which 
filled  that  credulous  age  with  wonder,  then  believed  to  be  caused  by 
»he  Devil,  but  afterwards  discovered  to  be  the  cunning  of  a  humorous 


Woodstock  Palace,  435 

Royalist,  who  had  procured  the  situation  of  Secretary  to  the  Com- 
missioners. The  details  by  the  resident  clergyman  will  be  found  in 
Dr.  Plot's  Natural  History  of  Oxfordshire,  Cromwell  allotted  the 
Palace  to  three  persons  :  two  of  them,  about  1652,  pulled  down  their 
portions  for  the  sake  of  the  stone ;  the  third  suffered  his  to  remain. 
After  the  Restoration,  Woodstock  reverted  to  the  Crown,  and  was 
inhabited  by  Lord  Lovelace  for  several  years.  The  profligate  Earl  of 
Rochester  obtained  from  Charles  H.  the  offices  of  gentleman  of  the  bed- 
chamber, and  comptroller  of  Woodstock  Park ;  and  probably  here  it 
was  that  he  scribbled  upon  the  door  of  the  King's  bedchamber  the 
well-known  mock  epitaph :— - 

•'  Here  lies  our  sovereign  lord  the  king, 
Whose  word  no  man  reUes  on  ; 
He  never  says  a  foohsh  thing, 
Nor  ever  does  a  wise  one." 

Rochester  was  educated  at  Oxford ;  he  died  at  Woodstock,  and  was 
buried  in  Spelsbury  Church,  Oxon. 

The  manor  and  park  remained  in  the  Crown  till  the  4th  of  Queen 
Anne  (170.^-6)  when  her  Majesty,  with  the  concurrence  of  Par- 
liament, granted  the  honour  and  manor  of  Woodstock  and  hundred  of 
Wotton,  to  John,  Duke  of  Marlborough,  and  his  heirs,  as  a  reward  for 
his  eminent  military  services,  on  condition  of  presenting  on  the  2nd  of 
August  in  every  year,  for  ever,  to  her  Majesty  and  her  successors,  at 
Windsor  Castle,  one  standard  of  colour,  with  three  fleurs-de-lis  painted 
thereon,  as  an  acquittance  for  all  manner  of  rents,  suits,  and  services 
due  to  the  Crown,  which  custom  is  still  scrupulously  performed ;  and 
the  estate  so  conveyed  was  named  Blenheim,  after  Marlborough's 
greatest  victory.  In  1714,  by  the  recommendation  of  Lord  Treasurer 
Godolphin,  the  ruins  of  the  old  palace  were  taken  down  by  Sarah, 
Duchess  of  Marlborough.  An  original  sketch  of  the  remains  at  this 
date  is  presei*ved  at  Blenheim. 

We  need  here  but  name  the  revivification  of  the  interest  of  Wood- 
stock by  the  publication  of  Sir  Walter  Scott's  novel  in  1826.  It  is 
hastily  written,  and  has  comparatively  tew  beauties ;  and  the  author- 
ship being  no  longer  a  secret,  may  have  had  something  to  do  with  his 
waning  popularity  * 


*  The  local  details  in  this  paper  are  mostly  from  Dunkin's  MS,  Colkctiont 
for  Oxfordshin, 


43^ 


Blenheim  Palace  and  Park. 

The  Park,  which  indudes  the  Royal  demesne  of  Woodstock, 
is  upwards  of  eleven  miles  in  circuit ;  it  is  entered  by  the  superb  gate 
erected  by  Sarah,  Duchess  of  Marlborough,  in  memory  of  her 
husband,  a  year  after  his  death.  It  is  of  the  Corinthian  order, 
and  bears  a  Latin  inscription  on  the  Woodstock  side,  and  a  trans- 
lation on  the  other  side.  At  some  distance,  in  fi-ont  of  the  palace, 
is  a  fine  piece  of  water,  partly  river,  partly  lake,  which  winds 
through  a  deep  valley;  it  is  crossed  by  a  very  stately  bridge  of 
stone — the  centre  arch  loi  feet  span.  The  effect  is  very  fine,  as  it 
unites  two  hills,  and  gives  consistency  and  uniformity  to  the  scene. 
Near  this  bridge  is  Rosamond's  Well,  already  described.  Beyond  this 
bridge,  in  the  middle  of  a  fine  lawn,  is  placed  a  fluted  Corinthian 
column,  130  feet  high,  surmounted  by  a  statue,  in  a  Roman  dress 
and  triumphal  attitude,  of  the  conqueror  whose  glory  all  things  here 
were  designed  to  commemorate.  The  face  of  the  pedestal  next  the 
house  is  covered  with  a  long  inscription,  describing  the  public  services 
of  the  Duke.  It  is  believed  to  have  been  written  by  Lord  Boling- 
broke.  The  other  three  sides  of  the  pedestal  are  inscribed  with  Acts 
of  Parliament,  declaratory  of  the  sense  which  the  public  entertained  of 
Marlborough's  merits,  together  with  an  abstract  of  the  entail  of  his 
estates  and  honours  on  the  descendants  of  his  daughters. 

The  Park  is  a  demesne  appendage  to  Blenheim  House,  which  was 
erected  at  the  public  expense  for  the  Duke  of  Marlborough,  in  the 
reign  of  Qiieen  Anne,  when  Parliament  voted  500,000/.  for  the  pur- 
pose. The  Queen  added  the  grant  of  the  honour  of  Woodstock  ;  and 
60,000/.  more  came  from  the  resources  of  the  Duke  and  Duchess. 
Seventeen  years  after  its  commencement  the  Duke  died,  leaving  it  un- 
finished. Although  apparently  intended  as  a  general  acknowledgment 
of  the  Duke's  services,  the  victory  over  the  French  and  Bavarians  near 
the  village  of  Blenheim,  on  the  Danube,  on  the  2nd  of  August,  1704, 
is  that  to  which  the  grants  had  more  especial  reference,  and  from  which 
the  place  takes  its  name.  Among  the  apocryphal  anecdotes  of  Blenheim 
is  the  story  of  the  trees  in  the  Park  being  planted  according  to  the 
position  of  the  troops  at  the  battle  of  Blenheim,  since  we  do  not  find 
the  statement  recognised  in  print.  The  architect  of  the  Palace  was  Sir 
John  Vanbrugh ;  and  most  persons  must  remember  the  satirical  and 

ridiculous  epitaph — 

••  Lie  heavy  on  him,  earth,  for  he 
Laid  mamr  a  heavy  load  on  thee" 


Blenheim  Palace  and  Park.  437 

Yet  nothing  can  be  more  unfair  than  its  application  to  Blenheim, 
although  it  is  quoted  generally  whenever  Vanbrugh's  name  is  men* 
tioned ;  so  unjust  is  popular  obloquy,  when  unaccompanied  by  discri- 
mination. The  palace  appears  to  be  august  rather  than  ponderous, 
and  the  structure  is  characteristic  and  expressive  of  its  destination.  Its 
massive  grandeur,  its  spacious  portals,  and  its^lofty  towers,  recal  the  ideas 
of  defence  and  security  ;  with  these  we  naturally  associate  the  hero  for 
whom  it  was  erected,  and  thus  find  it  emblematic  of  his  talents  and 
pursuits.  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  said  that  no  architect  understood  the 
picturesque  of  building  so  well  as  Vanbrugh,  and  this  opinion  has  been 
confirmed  by  other  critics  ;  and  Blenheim  is  allowed  to  exhibit  in  its 
design  consummate  skill  in  the  perspective  of  architecture.  The  prin- 
cipal or  northern  front  is  a  noble  work,  in  a  mixed  original  style,  ex- 
tending 348  feet  fi'om  wing  to  wing,  slightly  enriched,  particularly  in 
the  centre,  where  a  flight  of  steps  conducts  to  the  portico,  with  Co- 
rinthian columns  and  pilasters,  a  pediment  inclosing  armorial  bearings, 
and  above  this  an  attic,  surmounted  by  tiers  of  balls,  foliage,  &c. 

The  magnificent  interior  of  the  palace  has  painted  ceilings  by  Thorn- 
hill,  La  Guerre,  and  Hakewill ;  sculptures,  tapestry,  and  a  splendid 
collection  of  pictures,  containing  specimens  of  the  works  of  almost 
every  eminent  master  of  every  school.  Here  are  tapestries  of  the 
Battle  of  Blenheim,  and  the  Battles  of  Wynendael,  Dunnewert,  Lisle, 
and  Malplaquet.  In  the  Library  is  a  statue  of  Queen  Anne,  by 
Rysbraeck,  cost  5000  guineas.  Here  are  120  copies  by  Teniers,  from 
famous  pictures  of  his  time,  comprising  transcripts  from  Bellini, 
Giorgione,  Mantegna,  Gorreggio,  Caracci,  Titian,  Tintoret,  Veronese, 
Palma,  Giovane,  &c.  The  Duchess's  Sitting-room  contains  a  fine  col- 
lection of  enamels  by  Leonard  Limousin,  Pierre  Raymond,  Courteys, 
Laudin,  and  others,  comprising  plaques,  ewers,  salt-cellars,  dishes, 
bowls,  and  plates.  Also  a  charming  series  of  miniatures,  such  as 
almost  a  dozen  portraits  of  Mary  Qiieen  of  Scots  ;  others  of  Marie  de' 
Medici,  Gabrielle  D'Estrees,  Arabella  Stuart,  Gerard  Honthorst, 
Cardinal  Mazarin,  Lord  Lauderdale,  Dryden,  &c.  The  huge  wall- 
paintings  by  Sir  James  Thornhill,  represent  the  great  Duke  of 
Marlborough  in  a  blue  cuirass,  kneeling  before  a  figure  of  Britannia, 
clad  in  white,  holding  a  lance  and  a  wreath,  Hercules  and  Mars 
emblem-bearing  females,  and  the  usual  paraphernalia.  Thornhill  was 
paid  at  the  rate  of  25J.  per  square  yard  for  these  paintings ! 

There  is  a  clever  Catalogue  Raisonne,  by  George  Scharf,  where, 
says  the  Athenaum,  *'  we  find  named  a  portrait,  by  Pantoja  de  la 
Crux    of    the  redoubtable  lady  the  Infanta  Isabella  Clara  Eugenia, 


43^  Blenheim  Palace  and  Park. 

the  colour  of  whose  linen  gave  name  to  the  peculiar  tawny  tint  called 
habelle.  A  little  further  off  is  a  portrait,  by  Mark  Gerards,  of  the  in- 
famous Frances  Howard,  Countess  of  Essex  and  Somerset,  who  mar- 
ried foolish  Robert  Carr.  Her  linen,  too,  has  its  story,  being  dyed, 
as  the  picture  shows,  after  the  fashion  of  Mistress  Turner,  with  the 
famous  yellow  starch.  Here  is  the  Duchess  of  Marlborough  as 
Minerva,  *  in  a  yellow  classic  breastplate ;'  the  famous  portrait  by 
Rubens  of  his  second  wife,  Helena  Forman.  Here  are  a  host  of 
Reynolds's  portraits  of  the  great  and  the  little-great  of  his  day.  Plere 
are  all  sorts  of  stately  ladies  by  Vandyke,  Kneller,  and  Lely." 

The  Gardens  or  Pleasure-grounds  contain  more  than  300  acres. 
Among  the  Curiosities  of  the  China  Gallery  are  a  teapot  presented 
by  the  Duke  of  Richelieu  to  Louis  XIV. ;  two  bottles,  which  belonged 
to  Queen  Anne;  Oliver  Cromwell's  teapot;  Roman  earthenware; 
and  a  piece  brought  from  Athens.* 


*  It  may  be  interesting  here  to  notice  the  other  celebrations  of  the  victory  of 
Blenheim,  which  demanded  a  qualification  "  better  than  house  and  land,"  but 
which  it  did  not  receive ;  the  poems  which  appeared  on  the  occasion  being 
mostly  remarkable  for  their  exceeding  badness.  There  was  one  brilliant  excep)- 
tion — The  Campaign,  by  Addison,  who  then  occupied  a  garret  up  three  pair  of 
stairs  over  a  small  shop  in  the  Haymarket.  In  this  humble  lodging  he  was 
surprised  one  morning  by  a  visit  from  the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  who 
had  been  sent  by  the  Lord  Treasurer  as  ambassador  to  the  needy  poet.  Addison 
readily  undertook  the  proposed  task.  The  Campaigii  came  forth,  and  was  as 
much  admired  by  the  public  as  by  the  Minister.  Its  chief  merit  is  in  its  manly 
and  rational  rejection  of  fiction.  Addison,  with  excellent  sense  and  taste,  re- 
served his  praise  for  the  qualities  which  made  Marlborough  truly  great — energy, 
sagacity,  and  military  science.  But  above  all,  the  poet  extolled  the  firmness  of 
that  mind  which,  in  the  midst  of  confusion,  uproar,  and  slaughter,  examined 
and  disposed  everything  with  the  serene  wisdom  of  a  higher  intelligence.  Hero 
is  a  specimen  : — 

"  Behold,  in  awful  march  and  dread  array 

The  long  extended  squadrons  shape  their  way  I 

Death,  in  approaching,  terrible,  imparts 

An  anxious  horror  to  the  bravest  hearts ; 

Yet  do  their  beating  breasts  demand  the  strife. 

And  thirst  of  glory  quell  the  love  of  life. 

No  vulgar  fears  can  British  minds  control ; 

Heat  of  revenge  and  noble  pride  of  soul, 

O'erlook  the  foe,  advantag'd  by  his  post, 

Lessen  his  numbers,  and  contract  his  host : 

Though  fens  and  floods  possess'd  the  middle  space, 

That  unprovok'd  they  would  have  fear'd  to  pass : 

Nor  friends  nor  floods  can  stop  Britannia's  bands. 

When  her  proud  foe  rang'd  on  their  borders  stands. 

But  O,  my  Muse,  what  numbers  wilt  thou  find 
To  sing  the  furious  troops  in  battle  join'd  ! 
Methinks  I  hear  the  drum's  ambitious  sound 
The  victor's  shouts  and  dying  groans  confound; 


439 


The  Mystery  of  Minster  Lovel. 

Near  Witney,  in  Oxfordshire,  more  remembered  for  its  blankets 
than  for  its  Parliament  (which  came  in  the  reign  of  Edward  II.,  and 
went  out  in  the  next),  are  some  fragments  of  Minster  Lovel  House, 
which  has  a  strange  story  connected  with  it.  It  was  formerly  the  seat 
of  the  Viscounts  Lovel.  Francis,  the  last  lord  of  this  family,  and  Cham- 
berlain to  King  Richard  III.,  was  one  of  the  noblemen  who  raised  an 
army  early  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VII.,  under  the  command  of  the  Earl 
of  Lincoln,  to  support  the  intentions  of  the  impostor  Simnel,  against 
that  monarch.  The  decisive  battle,  which  gave  security  to  Henry's 
usurpation,  was  fought  near  the  village  of  Stoke,  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  Trent,  in  Nottinghamshire.  The  slaughter  of  the  insurgents  was 
immense.  The  Lord  Lovel,  however,  escaped  by  swimming  his  horse 
across  the  river,  and  retiring  by  unfrequented  roads  well  known  to  him 
into  Oxfordshire.*     As  the  story  proceeds, — he  took  care  to  arrive  at 


The  dreadful  burst  of  cannon  rend  the  skies, 

And  all  the  thunder  of  the  battle  rise. 

'Twas  then  great  Marlbro's  mighty  soul  was  prov'd, 

That  in  the  shock  of  charging  hosts  unmov'd, 

Amidst  confusion,  horror,  and  despair, 

Examin'd  all  the  dreadful  scenes  of  war ; 

In  peaceful  thought  the  field  of  death  survey 'd, 

To  fainting  squadrons  sent  the  timely  aid, 

Inspir'd  repuls'd  battalions  to  engage, 

And  taught  the  doubtful  battle  where  to  rage. 

So  when  an  angel,  by  divine  command, 

With  rising  tempests  shakes  a  guilty  land, 

Such  as  of  late  o'er  pale  Britannia  pass'd. 

Calm  and  serene  he  drives  the  furious  blast. 

And,  pleas'd  th'  Almighty's  orders  to  perform. 

Rides  in  the  whirlwind,  and  directs  the  storm." 

The  concluding  simile  of  the  angel  was  so  much  admired  by  the  Lord  Trea- 
surer, that  on  seeing  it,  without  waiting  for  the  completion  of  the  poem,  he 
rewarded  the  poet  with  an  appointment  worth  200/.  a  year.  Nevertheless,  the 
poem  was  much  criticised.  Lord  Macaulay  notices  one  circumstance  which 
appears  to  have  escaped  all  the  critics.  The  extraordinary  effect  which  the 
simile  produced  when  it  first  appeared,  and  which  to  the  following  generation 
seemed  inexplicable,  is  doubtless  to  be  chiefly  attributed  to  a  line  which  most 
readers  now  regard  as  a  feeble  parenthesis, 

"Such  as  of  late  o'er  pale  Britannia  pass'd." 
Addison  spoke  not  of  a  storm,  but  of  the  storm,  the  great  tempest  of  November, 
1703.     The  popularity  which  the  simile  of  the  Angel  enjoyed  always  seemed  to 
Macaulay  to  be  a  remarkable  instance  of  the  advantage  which,  in  rhetoric  and 
poetry,  the  particular  has  over  the  general. 

*  See  vol.  i.  p.  338  of  the  present  work,  where  the  battle  is  recorded  and 
briefly  described. 


440  The  Mystery  of  Minster  Lovel, 

his  mansion  in  the  dead  of  night :  and  so  disguised  as  to  be  known  to 
no  one  except  a  single  domestic  on  whose  fidelity  he  could  rely.  Before 
the  return  of  day  he  retired  to  a  subten-anean  recess,  of  which  the  faith- 
ful servant  retained  the  key,  and  here  he  remained  for  several  months 
in  safety  and  concealment ;  but  the  estates  being  seized  by  the  King's 
orders,  the  house  dismantled  and  the  tenants  dispersed  by  authority, 
some  in  confinement  and  others  to  great  distances,  the  unfortunate 
prisoner  was  left  to  perish  from  hunger  in  the  place  of  his  voluntary 
imprisonment.  So  late  as  in  the  last  century,  when  the  remains  of  this 
once  stately  residence  were  pulled  down,  the  vault  was  discovered,  with 
Lord  Lovel,  seated  in  a  chair  as  he  had  died.  So  completely  had  the 
external  air  been  excluded  by  rubbish,  that  his  dress,  which  was  very 
superb,  and  a  prayer-book  lying  before  him  on  the  table,  were  entire. 
On  the  admission  of  the  air,  it  was  said  the  whole  fell  into  dust,  but  this 
is  doubtful. 

The  truth  of  this  story  has  been  much  doubted.  Bacon,  in  his  Life 
of  Henry  VIL,  says:  "  Of  the  Lord  Lovel  there  went  a  report,  that  he 
fled  and  swam  over  the  Trent  on  horseback,  but  could  not  recover  the 
farther  side  by  reason  of  the  steepness  of  the  bank,  and  was  drowned  in 
the  river.  But  another  report  leaves  him  not  there,  but  that  he  lived 
long  after  it  in  a  cave  or  vault."  Andrews,  in  his  History  of  Great  Britain^ 
1794-5,  records  that  "  on  the  demolition  of  a  very  old  house  (formerly 
the  patrimony  of  the  Lovcls),  about  a  century  ago,  there  was  found  in 
a  small  chamber  (so  secret  that  the  farmer  who  inhabited  the  house 
knew  it  not),  the  remains  of  an  immured  being,  and  such  remnants  of 
barrels  and  jars  as  appeared  to  justify  the  idea  of  that  chamber  having 
been  used  as  a  place  of  refuge  for  the  lord  of  the  mansion  ;  and  that, 
after  consuming  the  stores  which  he  had  provided  in  case  of  a  disastrous 
event,  he  died,  unknown  even  to  his  servants  and  tenants."  Banks,  in  his 
Peerage,  says,  "the  account  rests  on  the  witness  and  authority  of  John 
Manners,  third  Duke  of  Rutland,  who  related  it  in  the  hearing  of  William 
Cowper,  Esq.,  Clerk  of  the  Parliament,  on  May  8,  1728,  by  whom  it 
is  presei-ved  in  a  letter,  dated  Hertingfordbury  Park,  August  9,  1737. 
In  the  Annals  of  England,  Oxford,  1857,  is  this  note:  '•  Lord  Lovel  is 
believed  to  have  escaped  from  the  field,  and  to  have  lived  for  a  while  in 
concealment  at  Minster  Lovel,  Oxfordshire,  but  at  length  to  have  been 
starved  to  death  through  the  neglect  or  treachery  of  an  attendant."  In 
the  Penny  Cyclopaedia,  the  story  is  affirmed  to  be  "  witliout  solid  founda- 
tion." But  the  story  is  not  a  whit  more  improbable  than  the  account* 
of  priests'  hiding-places. 


441 


"  The  Lady  of  Caversham." 

At  Caversham,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Thames,  was  formerly  a 
cell  of  regular  canons  of  St.  Austin,  belonging  to  Nootele  or  Nutley 
Abbey,  in  Buckinghamshire.  At  this  cell  at  Caversham  there  was 
only  one  monk ;  but  there  was  a  chapel  attached,  and  it  was  in  great 
repute  on  account  of  a  statue  of  the  Virgin,  to  whom  the  chapel  was 
dedicated,  which  was  reported  to  have  wrought  many  miracles.  It 
also  contained,  at  the  Suppression,  a  great  number  of  relics  of  consider- 
able celebrity.  Dr.  London,  in  his  letters  respecting  his  visit  to  this 
cell,  describes  the  chapel  as  a  place  "  whereunto  wasse  great  pilgri- 
mage" on  account  of  the  imag;:  and  he  mentions  in  another  letter,  as 
a  proof  of  the  numbers  who  resorted  to  the  *'  Lady  of  Caversham,"  as 
she  was  called,  that  "  even  at  my  being  ther  com  in  nott  so  few  as  a 
dosyn  with  imagies  of  waxe."  "The  image,"  he  says,  in  a  letter 
to  Cromwell,  "  ys  plated  over  with  sylver,  and  I  have  put  yt  in  a  cheste 
fast  lockyd  and  naylyd  uppe,  and  by  the  next  bardge  that  comythe  from 
Reding  to  London  yt  shall  be  brought  to  your  lordeschippe.  I  have 
also  pulled  down  the  place  sche  stode  in,  with  all  other  ceremonyes,  as 
lightes,  schrowdes,  crowchys,  and  imagies  of  wex,  hanging  abowt  the 
chapell,  and  have  defacyd  the  same  thorowly  in  exchuying  of  farthyr 
resort  thedyr.  Thys  chapell  dydde  belong  to  Notley  Abbey,  andi  there 
always  was  a  chanon  of  that  monastery  wich  wasK  callyd  the  warden 
of  Caversham,  and  he  songe  in  thys  chapell,  and  hadde  the  offerings  for 
his  living.  He  was  accustomyd  to  show  many  prety  relykes,  among 
the  wiche  wer  (as  he  made  report t)  the  holy  dagger  that  kylled  King 
Henry,  [H.  VL,  who  was  then  commonly  believed  to  have  been  mur- 
dered, and  popularly  regarded  as  a  sort  of  saint] ,  and  the  holy  knyfe 
that  kylled  sainte  Edward  [the  martyr].  All  thees,  with  many  other, 
with  the  cotes  of  thys  image,  hyr  capp  and  here  [hair] ,  my  servant  shall 
bring  unto  your  lordschip's  pleasure.  I  shall  see  yt  made  suer  to  the 
kings  graces  use.  And,  if  yt  be  nott  so  orderyd,  the  chapell  standith 
so  wildly  that  the  ledde  will  be  stolen  by  nyght,  as  I  wasse  servyd  at 
the  Fryars,"  at  Reading.  But  the  principal  relic,  though  not  mentioned 
in  the  above  account,  v^^as  the  "  spear-head  that  pearced  our  Saviour  his 
side,"  which  was  brought  to  Caversham  by  the  one-winged  angel  that 
was  itself  afterwards  deposited  at  Reading  Abbey.  Dr.  London  says,  that 
of  the  relics  belonging  to  Caversham  he  "  myssed  no  thing  butt  only  a 
piece  of  the  holy  halter  Judas  was  hangyd  withall ;"  from  which  we 
may  gather,  what  we  might  expect  without  it  from  the  estimation  in 


442  Dorchester  Priory, 

which  they  were  held,  that  it  was  not  an  uncommon  practice  to  secrete 
the  relics  when  the  Commissioners  were  expected.  I  will  end  these 
extracts  with  his  hint  to  Cromwell  about  the  disposal  of  the  place: 
"There  ys  a  proper  lodginge,  wher  the  chanon  lay,  with  a  fayer  garden 
and  an  orchard,  mete  to  be  bestowed  upon  som  frynde  of  your  lord- 
chipe  in  these  parties."  Caversham  House  was  built  by  Lord  Cadogan, 
in  the  reign  of  George  I.  In  the  former  mansion  Charles  I.  was  tor  a 
time  a  prisoner ;  and  here  he  had  interviews  with  his  children,  which 
Clarendon  has  recorded. 


Dorchester  Priory. 

Dorchester,  at  the  junction  of  the  Thames,  or  I  sis  and  Thames,  by 
the  termination  "  Chester,"  is  considered  to  have  been  a  Roman  station. 
Many  Roman  remains,  and  some  British,  have  been  found  here — a 
Roman  stone  altar  and  numerous  coins,  the  foundations  of  an  ancient 
town  wall,  of  a  Roman  amphitheatre,  and  a  military  earthwork.  But 
the  interest  of  Dorchester  commences  with  the  Saxons,  in  whose  times 
it  was  the  seat  of  the  largest  bishopric  in  England,  comprehending  the 
two  kingdoms  of  Mercia  and  Wessex.  Somewhat  more  than  twelve 
hundred  years  ago,  Birinus,  a  Benedictine  monk,  came  from  Rome  as  a 
missionary,  and  started,  his  biographers  say,  with  a  miracle.  For  find- 
ing, after  he  had  embarked,  that  he  had  left  certain  of  his  sacred  utensils 
behind,  and  knowing  that  it  would  be  useless,  as  the  wind  was  fair,  to 
ask  the  seamen  to  put  back,  he  boldly  stepped  forth  fi-om  the  vessel  and 
hastened  along  the  sea,  which  bore  him  as  though  it  had  been  solid 
ground.  He  landed  in  safety  (a.d.  634)  in  the  kingdom  of  the  West 
Saxons.  At  Dorchester  he  found  Cynegil,  the  King,  whom,  after  in- 
structing, he  baptized.  Upon  Birinus,  the  King  confeiTed  the  city  of 
Dorchester  as  his  see.  Birinus  built  a  church,  probably  of  wood.  He 
resided  here  fourteen  years,  and  by  his  good  works  gained  the  re- 
putation of  a  saint  and  the  title  of  an  apostle.  He  died  in  650,  and  was 
buried  in  his  own  church ;  but  in  677  one  of  his  successors  removed 
his  body  to  the  new  church  of  Winchester;  though,  according  to 
Robert  of  Gloucester,  •'  the  canons  of  Dorchester  say  Nay,  and  say  that 
it  was  another  body  than  St.  Birinus  that  was  so  translated."  How- 
ever, Birinus  was  canonized,  and  was  held  in  such  reputation  that  the 
people  raised  a  shrine  to  him,  at  which  the  preservation  and  cure  of 
their  cattle  from  disease,  and  many  miracles,  were  effected  before  it. 

Dorchester  declined  with  the  Saxon  dynasty,  and  was  several  times 
overrun  and  plundered  by  the  Danes.     In  622  Winchester  was  sepa- 


Oseney  Ahhey.  443 

rated  from  the  diocese,  and  formed  into  a  distinct  bishopric  ;  afterwards 
the  sees  of  Salisbury,  Exeter,  Bath  and  Wells,  Lichfield,  Worcester, 
and  Hereford  were  taken  from  it,  yet  it  is  said  to  have  been  even  then 
the  largest  in  the  kingdom  ;  while  the  town  maintained  a  distinguished 
rank  among  the  cities  of  England,  Heniy  of  Huntingdon  placing  it 
fourteenth  in  his  list  of  twenty-eight  British  cities.  Dorchester  received 
the  first  bishop  appointed  by  William  the  Conqueror,  Remigius,  a 
Norman.  At  this  time  the  town  was  decaying  ;  and  in  the  next  reign 
(1092)  the  see  was  removed  to  Lincoln.  Camden  says  there  were  once 
three  parish  churches  in  Dorchester.  The  town  was  originally  walled ; 
and  according  to  Camden,  a  Castle  once  stood  on  the  south  side  of  the 
present  church,  but  there  was  no  trace  of  it  in  his  time.  A  fragment  of 
the  ancient  Abbey  has  been  converted  into  a  cottage. 


Oseney  Abbey, 

Of  this  magnificent  Abbey,  built  in  the  Isle  of  Oseney,  near  Oxford, 
by  Robert  D'Oilli,  at  the  instigation  of  his  wife,  Editha,  and  originally 
a  Priory,  there  exist  some  remains  in  the  outhouses  of  a  saw-mill. 
Swaine,  in  his  Memoirs  of  Oseney,  1769,  considers  it  "not  a  little  sur- 
prising that  during  the  time  this  chm'ch  (/.£-.,  of  Oseney)  remained  in 
its  state  of  splendour  and  magnificence,  so  few  drafts  and  prospects 
should  be  taken  of  it.  We  have  been  told,  indeed,  by  some  authors, 
that  several  foreigners  came  over  into  England  foi  this  purpose.  But 
what  is  now  become  of  these  valuable  performajices  ?"  There  is  a 
curious  view  of  Oseney  Abbey  in  one  of  the  windows  of  Christ  Church 
Chapel,  [Oxford  Cathedral.]  The  seat  of  the  Bishopric  of  Oxford  was 
first  fixed  at  Oseney,  whence  it  was  shortly  afterwards  removed  to  the 
far  inferior  structure  in  which  it  is  now  fixed.  A  Council  was  held  at 
Oseney,  in  1222,  under  Archbishop  Langton.  In  1326,  the  brutal 
Queen  Isabel  having  invested  Oxford,  the  Mortimers  occupied  Oseney 
Abbey.  The  Oseney  Bells  were  of  great  celebrity.  Antony  Wood 
telh  us:  "at  the  west  end  of  the  church  was  situated  the  campanile  or 
tower,  which  stood  firm  and  whole  till  1644.  It  contained  a  large  and 
melodious  ring  of  bells,  thought  to  be  the  best  in  England.  At  the 
first  foundation  there  were  but  three  bells,  besides  the  Saint  and  Litany 
Veils;  but  by  Abbot  Leech,  [elected  19  Henry  III.,  1235,]  they  were 
increased  to  seven ;  all  which,  for  the  most  part  before  the  Suppression, 
were  broken  and  recast.  The  tower  of  Oxford  Cathedral  contains  tC 
bells,  which  fonnerly  belonged  to  Oseney  Abbey. 


444 


Broughton  Castle. — Lord  Saye  and  Sele. 

Broughton  Castle,  famous  alike  for  its  size,  its  architectural 
beauty,  and  its  historical  importance,  is  delightfully  situated  amid 
finely  diversified  landscape  scenery,  two  and  a  half  miles  south-west 
of  Banbury.  Its  situation  is  low,  and  it  is  surrounded  by  a  broad 
moat  filled  with  water.  The  only  approach  to  the  mansion  is  over 
the  stone  bridge  across  the  moat.  The  fine  bridge-tower,  with  its 
beautifully  symmetrical  archway  and  mullioned  window,  its  battle- 
mented  parapet,  and  its  massive  weather-stained  walls  clothed  v/ith 
ivy  and  the  foliage  of  other  creepers,  forms  an  object  on  which  the 
eye  of  the  visitor  will  delight  to  rest. 

A  reference  to  Buck's  view  of  the  castle  drawn  in  1729,  gives  the 
impression  that  considerable  alteration  has  been  made  upon  the 
outworks  ;  for  by  this  drawing  it  appears  that  the  castle  and  con- 
tiguous grounds  were  encompassed  with  embattled  walls  and 
towers.  These  have  been  for  the  most  part  removed,  and  nothing 
now  obstructs  the  view  of  the  picturesque  pile,  or  mars  its  harmo- 
nious effect. 

The  greater  part  of  the  present  mansion  at  Broughton  belongs 
to  the  Elizabethan  era,  but  some  portions  of  an  earlier  building 
remain  tolerably  perfect.  The  earliest  building  on  this  site  of 
which  we  have  any  definite  record  was  erected  by  John  de 
Broughton,  about  the  year  1301.  The  eastern  extremity  contains 
the  most  ancient  portion  of  the  building  ;  two  central  projections 
mark  the  extent  of  the  hall,  which  is  of  the  Elizabethan  era,  and 
in  the  western  termination  arc  the  elegant  dining-rooms  and 
drawing-rooms.  This  front  was  formerly  enriched  with  carved 
stonework,  which  was  placed  over  the  central  window,  and  over 
the  two  projections  from  the  hall.  Amongst  these  decorations, 
which  accorded  with  the  style  of  this  part  of  the  building,  the 
family  arms  were  introduced,  and  here  they  remained  until  a  recent 
gale  dislodged  them. 

The  south  front  exhibits  at  its  eastern  extremity,  some  portions 
of  the  former  edifice  ;  the  ancient  tower  with  its  loopholes,  and 
some  of  the  Gothic  windows  retain  nearly  their  original  character. 
Opposite  to  this  front  some  remains  of  domestic  offices  furnish 
additional  information  as  to  the  former  extent  of  the  building  in 
that  direction.    The  south  view  is  peculiarly  picturesque ;  for  here 


Brotighton  Castle,  4^15 

the  exuberant  ivy  in  broad  and  impervious  masses  embraces  the 
ancient  walls,  incorporating  with  them  so  as  seemingly  to  defy 
separation  ;  and  while  it  lends  its  sombre  hue  to  promote  the  har- 
monious effect  of  the  scene,  its  forms  here  and  there  disclose  many 
a  connected  lineament  of  the  building,  rendering  the  whole  avail- 
able as  a  good  subject  for  the  pencil. 

The  principal  entrance  to  the  interior  is  in  the  north  front, 
through  the  side  of  the  eastern  central  oriolum.  On  entering  the 
hall,  which  is  55  feet  long  by  26  feet  9  inches  wide,  it  is  hardly 
possible  not  to  be  struck  with  its  fine  effect,  which  is  greatly 
enhanced  by  the  numerous  pendants  enriching  the  ceiling.  Turning 
eastward  from  the  hall  the  oldest  part  of  the  building  is  approached  ; 
here  may  be  traced  in  its  ancient  passages,  staircase,  and  chambers, 
ample  materials  for  speculations  as  to  what  were  th^ir  original  pur- 
poses ;  but  more  improving  results  may  arise  from  the  study  of 
several  interesting  examples  of  Gothic  architecture. 

Returning  through  the  hall  to  the  western  part  of  the  castle,  the 
present  library  is  passed  on  the  way  to  the  dining-room,  which  is 
entered  beneath  an  elaborate  decorated  screen  covering  the  entrance 
like  a  porch,  and  surmounted  by  graceful  pinnacles.  The  dimen- 
sions of  this  room  (43  feet  by  23  feet  8  inches)  with  its  handsome 
decorations,  cause  regret  that  the  pictures  and  the  sumptuous 
furniture  which  once  adorned  it,  and  which  have  not  yet  been 
restored,  at  least  in  their  former  magnificence,  should  ever  have 
been  removed.  Above  the  dining-room  is  the  drawing-room  of  the 
same  dimensions,  and  contiguous  to  the  latter  is  a  gallery  extending 
along  the  north  front,  90  feet  in  length  and  12  feet  wide.  The  oriel 
windows  of  this  gallery  contain  a  considerable  quantity  of  stained 
glass  of  heraldic  character,  in  good  preservation,  and  of  great 
interest,  as  tending  to  elucidate  the  history  of  the  noble  proprietors 
of  the  castle,  and  their  connexions.  A  number  of  state  apartments, 
which  lead  into  the  gallery,  have  also  richly  ornamented  ceilings, 
chimney-pieces,  &c.,  and  some  few  more  specimens  of  painted  glass 
are  still  remaining. 

The  church  of  Broughton  is  situated  near  the  bridge  and  tower 
leading  to  the  castle.  Its  exterior  is  pleasing  in  form  and  effect. 
It  consists  of  a  chancel,  nave,  and  south  aisle.  Interior  length 
91  feet,  width  44  feet.  Looking  from  the  west  end  of  the  chancel, 
the  recumbent  effigies  of  two  members  of  the  Wickham  family 
(sometime  proprietors  of  Broughton)  are  seen  on  the  left.  The 
figures  are  richly  carved,  and  the  aides  and  back  of  the  recess  in 


44^  Broughtoh  CastU, 

which  the  tomb  is  situated  are  highly  decorated  with  gothic  tracery. 
There  are  also  numerous  arms  and  effigies  of  the  Saye  and  Sele 
family. 

The  early  history  of  Broughton  Castle  is  now  involved  in  great 
obscurity.  After  the  first  mention  of  Brohtune  in  Doomsday  Sur- 
vey, the  name  does  not  again  occur  till  the  reign  of  King  Edward  I., 
when  a  charter  of  free  warren  was  granted  to  the  family  of  de 
Broughton.  In  the  reign  of  King  Edward  II.  the  manor  was  held 
by  John  Manduit  in  capite,  by  the  sergeantry  of  mewing  one  of 
the  king's  goshawks,  and  carrying  that  hawk  to  the  king's  court. 
Sir  Wm.  Molins  was  at  the  time  of  his  death  (1425)  possessed  of 
the  manor,  which  subsequently  went  by  marriage  into  the  Hunger- 
ford  family,  Robert  Hungerford  having  married  Alienore,  the 
daughter  and  heiress  of  the  said  Sir  Wm.  Molins,  and  thus  obtain- 
ing Broughton  Manor  as  his  wife's  inheritence.  The  manor  passed 
into  the  possession  of  William  of  Wykeham;  probably  through  the 
marriage  of  one  of  his  family  with  an  heiress  of  the  Hungerfords. 

William  Fenys  (Fiennes)  Lord  Saye  and  Sele,  heir  to  Sir  James 
Fenys,  Knt.,  who  was  beheaded  by  the  rebels  in  the  reign  of 
King  Henry  VI.,  married  (1451)  the  daughter  and  heiress  of 
William  Wykeham,  by  which  alliance  the  family  of  Saye  and  Sele 
became  possessed  of  Broughton.  Since  that  date  the  manor  has 
remained  an  appanage  of  the  same  family. 

The  barony  of  Saye  and  Sele  is  of  considerable  antiquity,  having 
been  granted  to  Sir  James  Fenys,  Knt.,  by  King  Henry  I.  in  1125. 
In  1446  Sir  James  Fenys  had  the  constablewick  of  Dover.  It  was 
he  who,  as  already  mentioned,  was  beheaded  by  the  rebels  under 
the  command  of  Jack  Cade.  Banbury  Castle  was  granted  by 
Queen  Elizabeth  to  Mr.  William  Fenys.  Sir  William  Fenys, 
Baron  Saye  and  Sele,  was  created  Viscount  in  1625,  the  title 
to  descend  to  his  heirs  male  ;  and  in  1632  he  was  appointed  high 
steward  of  the  borough  of  Banbury.  He  was  made  master  of  the  Court 
of  Wards  by  Charles  I.,  and  appointed  one  of  his  majesty's  privy 
council ;  but  as  his  services  rendered  to  the  country  were  not,  as  he 
conceived,  sufficiently  well  rewarded,  he  took  the  side  of  the  dis- 
contented party,  and  was  active  in  fomenting  the  great  rebellion. 

Nathaniel  Fiennes,  second  son  of  William,  Viscount  Save 
and  Sele,  was  born  at  Broughton  Castle  in  1608,  was  chosen 
to  represent  Banbury  in  1640  in  the  "Long  Parliament,"  and 
showed,  by  his  bold,  yet  wary  counsel,  and  his  great  powers 
of  language,   that    he    was    well  fitted  to  be  a  leader  in  that 


Broughton  Castle,  447 

assembly.  Noble  says  of  him  that  he  had  so  great  a  dislike  to 
monarchy  and  episcopacy  that,  from  the  moment  of  his  entering 
Parliament,  he  was  classed  among  the  number  known  as  the  "  root- 
and-branch  men." 

The  first  Parliament  of  1640  having  been  precipitately  dissolved 
— the  retired  country  houses  of  the  English  malcontents  were  con- 
sidered to  be  the  safest  places  for  the  grave  and  dangerous  con- 
sultations which  were  carried  on  at  this  time  between  the  leaders 
of  that  party  and  the  Commissioners  from  Scotland ;  and  two 
places  were  selected,  which  were  eligible,  both  on  account  of  their 
privacy,  and  their  favourable  position,  at  no  great  distance  from 
tjie  northern  road.  These  places  were  Broughton  Castle  and 
Fawsley. 

Fawsley  is  in  Northamptonshire,  thirteen  miles  north-east  from 
Banbury,  and  was  at  this  period  the  seat  of  Sir  Richard  Knightley, 
whose  eldest  son,  Richard  Knightley,  had  married  Elizabeth, 
the  eldest  and  favourite  daughter  of  Hampden.  In  these  two  se- 
cluded houses  did  Hampden,  Pym,  St.  John,  Lord  Saye,  and  Lord 
Brook,  and  later  in  the  year  1640,  the  Earls  of  Bedford,  Warwick, 
and  Essex,  Lord  Holland,  Nathaniel  Fiennes,  and  the  younger 
Vane,  hold  their  sittings,  which  were  sometimes  attended  by  other 
persons  of  great  rank  and  property,  who  were  as  deeply  involved 
in  the  general  plan  of  resistance.  Anthony  k  Wood  thus  describes 
their  secret  meetings  : — "  For  so  it  was,"  he  says,  "  that  several 
years  before  the  civil  war  began,  he.  Lord  Saye,  being  looked  upon 
as  the  godfather  of  that  party,  had  meetings  of  them  in  his  house  at 
Broughton,  where  was  a  room  and  passage  thereunto,  which  his 
servants  were  prohibited  to  come  near  :  and  when  they  were  of  a 
complete  number,  there  would  be  great  noises  and  talkings  heard 
among  them,  to  the  admiration  of  those  that  lived  in  the  house,  yet 
could  they  never  discern  their  lord's  companions."  Adherents  of 
this  party  held  their  meetings  in  London  in  Gray's  Inn  Lane, 
whither  the  reports  from  the  council-tables  in  the  country  were 
addressed ;  and  whence  after  these  had  been  considered,  advices 
were  communicated  to  the  friends  of  the  countiy  party  in  the  city. 

At  Broughton  Castle,  says  Lord  Nugent  in  his  "  Memorials  of 
Hampden,"  "  there  is  a  room  so  contrived,  by  being  surrounded  by 
thick  stone  walls  and  casemated,  that  no  sound  from  within  can  be 
heard.  This  room  appears  to  have  been  built  about  the  time  of 
King  John,  and  is  reported  on  very  doubtful  grounds  of  tradition, 
to  have  been  the  room  used  for  the  sittings  of  the  Puritans.    It 


44^  Brotighton  Castle, 

seems  an  odd  fancy,  although  a  very  prevailing  one,  to  suppose 
that  wise  men,  employed  in  capital  matters  of  state,  must  needs 
choose  the  most  mysterious  and  suspicious  retirements  for  consul- 
tation, instead  of  the  safer  and  less  remarkable  expedient  of  a 
walk  in  the  open  fields."  The  story  of  the  use  made  by  the  Puritans 
of  the  stone  room  in  Broughton  Castle,  probably  rests  on  the  same 
sort  of  authority  which  lays  the  venue  of  the  Revolution  of  1688 
in  the  subterraneous  vaults  of  Lord  Lovelace's  house  at  Lady  Place 
in  Berkshire. 

The  dispute  between  the  King  and  the  Parliament  arrived  at  a 
crisis  in  the  beginning  of  1642.  The  House  of  Commons  proceeded 
to  nominate  persons  whom  they  desired  to  be  entrusted  with  the 
militia  of  the  kingdom  ;  Lord  Saye  being  named  for  Oxfordshire, 
Lord  Brook  for  Warwickshire,  and  Lord  Spencer  for  Northamp- 
tonshire. The  king  having  refused  to  limit  or  suspend  his  powers 
over  the  militia,  and  the  Parliament  having  published  their  cele- 
brated "  Ordinance,"  appointed  lieutenants  of  the  different  counties 
to  array  and  arm  the  militia,  war  was  thus  practically  declared. 

In  the  preparations,  which  were  now  actively  carried  on,  the 
family  of  Saye  took  an  active  part.  Lord  Saye,  and  each  of  his 
three  sons,  Nathaniel,  John,  and  Francis,  raised  troops  of  cavalry 
at  their  own  charge.  The  "Blue-coats"  01  the  Sayes,  played 
a  conspicuous  part  at  the  battle  of  Edge-hill.  This  first  battle 
between  the  royalists  and  the  parliamentary  troops  was  im- 
mediately succeeded  by  the  siege  of  Broughton  Castle  by  King 
Charles.  This  stronghold  was  then  garrisoned  by  only  one  troop 
of  horse,  yet  it  held  out  for  a  whole  day  against  the  royal  army. 
It  was  then  occupied  and  wantonly  and  cruelly  plundered.  As 
compensation  for  the  vengeance  thus  wreaked  upon  his  estates,  the 
House  of  Commons  subsequently  ordered  Lord  Saye  an  allowance 
of  2000/.  per  annum  out  of  the  Court  of  Wards.  In  September, 
1648,  this  nobleman  was  appointed  one  of  the  Commissioners  at 
the  treaty  of  the  Isle  of  Wight ;  when  the  king's  arguments,  upon 
several  matters,  had  their  weight  with  his  lordship,  and  on  his 
return  to  London  he  headed  that  party  in  the  House,  who  voted  that 
the  king's  answers  were  grounds  sufficient  to  proceed  on  for  a  peace. 
Nathaniel  Fiennes,  his  second  son,  supported  the  motion  of  Hollis 
to  the  same  effect  in  the  House  of  Commons.  Indeed,  from  this 
time  forth  the  political  views  of  the  family  seem  to  have  undergone 
a  change.  Nathaniel  Fiennes  was  never  employed  in  any  military 
matter  after  the  surrender  of  Bristol  by  him  in  1643.    He  was  one 


Broiighton  Castle,  449 

of  the  members  forcibly  seized  and  ejected  from  the  House  by 
Colonel  Pride,  in  December  1648.  Subsequently,  however,  he  be- 
came a  man  of  much  account  with  Oliver  Cromwell ;  was  one  of 
the  lords  commissioners  of  the  Great  Seal  and  a  member  of 
Cromwell's  privy  council ;  held  the  office  of  lord  privy-seal,  and 
was  a  member  and  the  speaker  of  the  "  Other  House  " — the  newly 
established  substitute  for  the  former  House  of  Lords.  In  Cromwell'? 
last  Parliament  (1656),  Fiennes  was  elected  for  the  University  of 
Oxford. 

After  the  execution  of  Charles  (1649),  William,  Lord  Saye,  sided 
with  the  Independents  ;  but  when  he  was  invited  by  Oliver  Crom- 
well to  partake  of  office  or  honour  under  him,  he  turned  liom 
his  leader  with  abhorrence,  and  retired  to  Lundy  Island,  where  it 
is  said  he  remained  during  the  Cromwellian  government,  rather  as 
an  independent  despot  than  as  a  subject. 

After  the  restoration.  Lord  Saye,  having  sued  out  a  pardon  from 
Charles  II.,  partly  on  account  of  the  friendly  vote  he  had  given  on 
the  treaty  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  was  restored  to  favour,  appointed 
lord  privy-seal,  and  lord  chamberlain  of  the  household.  Soon 
afterwards  (1662)  he  died  at  Broughton,  aged  eighty  years. 

His  eldest  son,  James  Fiennes,  succeeded  as  second  Viscount 
Saye  and  Sele.  On  the  death  of  Nathaniel,  fourth  Viscount,  with- 
out issue,  the  estates  devolved  upon  Laurence  Fiennes,  son  of  John 
Fiennes,  third  son  of  WiUiam,  first  Viscount,  and  who  succeeded 
as  fifth  Viscount.  He  also  died  without  issue,  and  was  succeeded 
by  his  cousin,  Richard  Fiennes,  as  sixth  Viscount,  at  whose  demise 
in  1 78 1,  the  viscountcy  expired;  but  the  ancient  barony,  which 
had  been  in  abeyance  since  1674,  was  now  claimed  by  Thomas 
Twisleton,  Esq.,  of  Broughton  Castle,  as  heir-general  of  James, 
second  Viscount.  This  claim  being  allowed,  the  said  Thomas  was 
summoned  (1781)  to  Parliament  as  Baron  Saye  and  Sele.  At  pre- 
sent the  barony  is  held  by  Frederick  Twisleton- Wykeham-Fiennes, 
thirteenth  baron,  born  1799, 


00 


GLOUCESTERSHIRE. 

Thornbury  Castle. 

The  town  of  Thornbury  lies  in  a  picturesque  portion  of  the  county 
ol  Gloucesfer,  on  the  banks  of  a  rivulet  two  miles  westward  of 
**  the  glittering,  red,  and  rapid  Severn,  embedded  in  its  emerald  vale, 
and  shining  up  in  splendid  contrast  to  the  shady  hills  of  the  Dean 
Forest."  In  this  beautiful  country  stands  the  Castle  of  Thornbury,  an 
edifice  of  great  beauty,  yet  with  a  history  saddening  to  read  in  contrast 
with  the  charming  scenery  by  which  it  is  environed,  and  reminding  us 
that— 

"God  made  the  country,  and  man  made  the  town." 

Mr.  Sharon  Turner,  in  the  first  edition  of  his  History  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxons,  supposes  Thornbury  to  have  been  a  British  city,  and  to  have 
constituted  the  residence  of  Gyndellan,  a  petty  King ;  probably,  the 
same  with  Condidan,  who  fell  in  577,  at  the  battle  of  Dyrham.  This 
place,  situated  close  to  an  ancient  passage  of  the  Severn,  was  fortified 
at  a  very  early  period. 

Thornbury  was  a  town  of  some  importance  in  the  time  of  the  Saxons. 
A  market  was  certainly  established  here  before  the  Conquest ;  and  the 
manor  formed  part  of  the  royal  domain  at  the  time  of  the  Great  Survey. 
In  that  record,  the  name  is  written  Turneberie,  from  lorn,  or  Turne, 
a  court ;  and,  within  the  limits  of  the  parish  is  a  hamlet  named 
Kington. 

The  manor  belonged,  before  the  entry  of  the  Normans,  to  Brictric,  a 
Saxon  thane,  who  had,  early  in  life,  refused  the  hand  of  Maud,  after- 
wards Queen  of  William  the  Conqueror.  A  peculiar  opportunity  of 
revenge  was  aflbrded  to  the  slighted  lady ;  as  her  husband,  on  ascend- 
ing the  throne  of  England,  bestowed  upon  her  the  estates  ot  the  man 
who  had  declined  her  love ;  and  she  had  the  barbarous  gratification  of 
effecting  his  utter  ruin.  Returning  to  the  Crown,  on  the  decease  of 
Queen  Maud,  the  manor  of  Thornbury  was  given  by  King  William 
Rufus  to  Robert  Fitz-Haymon ;  with  whose  daughter  it  passed,  in 
marriage,  to  the  family  of  the  Earls  of  Gloucester.  By  descent  from  the 
Clares,  Earls  of  Gloucester,  through  Margaret,  daughter  and  heir  of 


Thornhury  Castle.  4>i 

another  Margaret,  wife  of  Hugh  de  Audley,  sister  and  co-heir  of  the 
last  Gilbert  de  Clare,  the  manor  devolved  to  Ralph  Lord  Stafford, 
whose  descendant,  Humphrey  Stafford,  was  created  Duke  of  Buck- 
ingham, and  succeeded  to  the  High  Constableship  of  England. 

The  misfortunes  which  befel  the  dukes  of  this  lineage,  in  connexion 
with  Thornbury  Castle,  form  a  melancholy  chapter  in  the  history  of 
human  greatness.  The  fates  of  its  founder  and  his  father,  in  the  im- 
perishable language  of  Shakspeare,  dictated  these  natural  and  impressive 
reflections  on  the  perfidy  of  the  world: 

"  You  that  hear  me, 
This  from  a  dying  man  receive  as  certain : 
When  you  are  Uberal  of  your  loves  and  counsels, 
Be  sure  ye  be  not  loose ;  for  those  you  make  friends. 
And  give  your  hearts  to,  when  they  once  perceive 
The  least  rub  in  your  fortunes,  fall  away 
Like  water  from  ye,  never  found  again, 
But  where  they  mean  to  sink  ye." 

A  castle  at  Thornbury  is  noticed  in  the  earliest  records  of  this  place ; 
and  the  present  unfinished  building  occupies  the  site  of  that  structure. 
It  was  commenced  by  the  Duke  of  Buckingham,  in  the  second  year  of 
Henry  VHL;  at  which  time  he  was  high  in  office,  and  was  not  only 
the  most  affluent,  but  the  most  popular  nobleman  of  his  day.  The 
reason  for  his  not  completing  this  castle  is  by  no  means  evident,  unless 
we  can  suppose  there  not  to  have  been  sufficient  time  for  such  an 
undertaking  between  the  second  of  Henry  VIH.,  (1511,)  and  the 
attainder  of  the  duke,  (1521.)  It  is  known  that  he  occasionally  re- 
sided in  such  parts  as  were  habitable ;  and  it  has  been  said,  that  Henry 
passed  ten  days  here,  in  the  year  1539.  Stow,  after  noticing  the  build- 
ing, remarks  that  the  duke  "  made  a  faire  parke  hard  by  the  castle,  and 
tooke  much  ground  into  it,  very  fruitful  of  corne,  now  faire  land  for 
coursing." 

The  Castle  is  a  remarkable  specimen  of  architecture,  which,  adopting 
a  military  appearance,  displayed,  likewise,  the  magnificence  and  con- 
venience of  a  private  dwelling — palatial  castle.  It  is  scarcely  necessary 
to  add,  that  this  mode  of  design — the  castellated  mansion — succeeded 
to  the  regularly  fortified  dwellings  of  the  Middle  Ages  ;  no  example  of 
which  occurs  at  a  later  period  than  the  reign  of  Richard  II. 

The  plan  of  Thornbury  Castle,  as  far  as  completed,  may  be  thus  de- 
scribed. A  large  arched  gate  opens  into  a  spacious  quadrangle,  fur- 
nished with  cloisters  for  stables,  and,  as  some  examiners  have  thought, 
with  accommodations  for  troops  in  garrison.  This  court  is  commanded 
by  a  large  and  strong  tower  j  on  one  side  of  which  is  a  wall,  and  another 


4 $2  Tkornbjiry  Casile, 

gate  opening  into  a  smaller  court,  communicating  with  the  State  apart- 
ments, which  are  in  a  line  contiguous  to  the  tower,  and  are  distinguish- 
able by  enriched  projecting  windows.  The  chimney-shafts  are  of  brick, 
wrought  into  spiral  columns  ;  the  bases  of  which  are  charged  with  the 
cognizances  of  the  family,  and  the  Stafford  knot. 

On  the  principal  gatehouse  is  the  following  inscription : — "  This 
Gate  was  begun  in  the  yere  of  our  Lorde  Gode,  Mcccccxi., 
The  jj  yere  of  the  Reyne  of  Kynge  Henri  the  viii.  By  me, 
Edvv.  dug  of  Bukkingha,  Erlle  of  Harforde,  Stafforde, 
avde  Northamto."  To  this  inscription  is  appended  the  tword,  or 
motto,  of  the  duke—"  Dorsuevaumt,"  (henceforward.) 

From  a  Survey  of  the  Castle,  made  in  1582,  we  quote  a  few  details, 
which  are  interesting,  from  their  affording  a  portion  of  the  arrange- 
ment of  a  mansion  in  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century.  At  the 
entry  into  the  Castle  is  a  Porter's  Lodge,  containing  three  rooms,  with 
a  dungeon  underneath  for  a  place  of  imprisonment,  (for  misbehaving 
servants,  &c.)  The  Great  Hall  was  entered  by  a  Porch :  it  had  also 
a  passage  from  the  Great  Kitchen :  in  the  middle  of  the  Hall  was  a 
hearth,  to  hold  a  brazier.  At  the  upper  end  of  it  was  a  room  with  a 
chimney,  called  the  Old  Hall.  The  Great  Kitchen  had  two  large 
chimneys,  and  one  smaller :  within  it  was  a  privy  Kitchen,  and  over  it 
a  lodging-room  for  the  cook.  The  Chapel  is  entered  from  the  lower 
end  of  the  Great  Hall :  the  upper  part  of  the  Chapel  is  a  fair  room, 
for  people  to  stind  in  at  service-time ;  and  over  the  same  are  two 
rooms,  with  each  of  them  a  chimney,  where  the  Duke  and  Duchess 
used  to  sit,  and  hear  service  in  the  Chapel ;  its  body  having  twenty- 
two  settles  of  wainscot  about  the  same,  for  priests,  clerks,  and  quiristers. 
The  Garden  was  surrounded  with  a  cloister,  over  which  was  a  Gallery, 
out  of  which  a  passage  led  to  the  Parish  Church  of  Thornbury,  having, 
at  the  end,  a  room  with  a  chimney  and  window,  looking  into  the  church, 
where  the  Duke  used  sometimes  to  hear  service  in  the  same  church. 
There  were  thirteen  Lodging-rooms  near  the  last  mentioned  gallery, 
six  below,  three  of  which  had  chimneys,  and  seven  above,  four  of  which 
had  chimneys.    These  were  called  the  Earl  of  Bedford's  Lodgings* 

The  Tower  and  annexed  buildings,  were  the  immediate  places  of  rcsi  • 
dence  for  the  Duke  and  Duchess.  Connected  with  the  bedchamber  of  the 
Duke,  there  were,  for  greater  security,  the  Jewel-Room  and  the  Muni- 
ment-room. From  the  upper  end  of  the  Great  Hall  is  a  steyer,  ascend- 
ing up  towards  the  Great  Chamber.  Leading  from  the  steyer's  head  to 
the  Great  Chamber  is  a  fair  room,  paved  with  brick,  and  a  chimney  in 
the  same,  at  th*»  «»qd  whereof  doth  meet  a  fair  gallery,  leading  from  the 


Thornhiry  Castle,  453 

Great  Chamber  to  the  Earl  of  Bedford's  lodgings.  The  lower  part  of 
the  principal  building  of  the  Castle  is  called  the  New  Building.  At  the 
west  end  thereof  is  a  fair  tower.  In  this  lone  building  (the  new  building, 
or  that  adjoining  to  the  tower),  is  contained  one  great  chamber  with  a 
chimney  therein ;  and  within  that  is  another  room,  with  a  chimney, 
called  the  Duchess'  Lodging.  Between  the  two  last  rooms  was  a 
closet  (designed  for  her  Oratory).  Connected  with  these  two  last 
rooms  was  another,  which  formed  the  foundation  or  lowermost  part  ot 
the  Tower,  with  a  chimney.  From  the  lodging  of  the  Duchess,  a 
Gallery,  paved  with  brick,  led  to  a  staircase,  which  ascended  to  the 
Duke's  lodging  above,  and  was  used  as  a  privy  way.  All  these  rooms 
were  for  the  accommodation  of  the  Duchess  and  her  suite. 

We  are  struck  with  the  completeness  of  this  mansion,  but  especially 
with  the  number  of  chimneys  in  its  construction ;  for,  although  chim- 
neys were  introduced  as  early  as  the  year  1 2co,  and  did  not  become 
general  till  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  or  the  sixteenth  century,  they  were 
common  before  that  period  in  "  the  religious  houses,  and  manor-places 
of  the  lords,  and  peradventure,  some  great  personages." 

A  chamber  with  a  chimney  is  mentioned  by  a  writer  in  the  reign 
of  Richard  III.;  and  somewhat  later,  it  was  customary  to  provide 
rooms  for  ladies,  with  chimneys,  as  in  the  lodging-rooms  of  Thorn- 
bury  Castle. 

We  have  said  that  the  period  of  its  erection  was  that  of  transition 
from  the  fortress  to  the  dwelling-house  ;  and  the  removal  of  the  dun- 
geon to  the  Porter's  Lodge,  and  the  omission  of  the  Keep,  were  altera- 
tions which  followed  naturally  from  police  superseding  nuar.  There 
seems  to  have  been  but  a  reredos  in  the  Great  Hall,  which  was  opposite 
to  the  Gatehouse,  as  usual,  the  centre  of  communication.  The  ground- 
floors  were  purely  offices,  and  all  above  were  the  family  apartments. 
The  Hall-kitchen  was  for  the  whole  household ;  the  privy-kitchen, 
where  was  the  chief  cook,  for  the  lord.  The  Garden  was  for  exercise 
after  mass. 

It  appears  that  at  the  Survey  made  in  1582,  the  whole  of  the  south 
side,  consisting  of  several  chambers  of  fine  dimensions,  was  then  habi- 
table. In  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  the  principal  timbers  were  taken  away, 
and  time  subsequently  continued  the  work  of  ruin.  Within  the  circuit- 
wails  twelve  acres  were  enclosed  :  around  the  walls  were  attached  small 
rooms,  intended  as  barracks  for  soldiers.  This  circumstance,  it  is  said, 
roused  the  jealousy  of  the  King,  and  confirmed  him  in  his  suspicions  of 
the  Duke's  traitorous  intentions. 

The  present  possessor  of  Thornbury  Castle  is  Mr.  Henry  Howard, 


454  Thornbury  Castle, 

also  of  Greystoke  Castle,*  Cumberland,  who  having  determined  to  re- 
store such  parts  of  the  structure  as  may  be  capable  of  restoration, 
has  been  for  years  steadily  proceeding  in  his  work,  bringing  into  notice 
some  of  the  many  architectural  beauties  of  the  ancient  building; 
amongst  the  rest  the  noble  banqueting  rooms,  looking  out  upon  the 
private  gardens.  The  Castle  stands  immediately  adjacent  to  the  beau- 
tiful parish  church,  as  a  gigantic  sentinel  guarding  the  holy  pile,  in 
which  for  centuries  the  forefathers  of  the  present  generation  have 
worshipped,  and  in  the  adjoining  burial-ground  of  which  their  ashes 
peacefully  repose. 

The  office  of  Constable  of  England,  was  held  in  succession  for 
nearly  five  centuries  from  the  Conquest,  by  a  long  line  of  illustrious  in- 
dividuals, to  which  descent  in  blood  also  it  was  restricted  on  being  an 
office  in  fee.  He  was  "  Comes  Stabuli,"  Great  Master  of  the  Horse, 
which  being  then  the  principal  military  force,  was  an  office  of  the  highest 
dignity  in  early  times ;  the  holder  during  war  being  next  in  rank  to  the 
King.  He  was  the  King's  lieutenant,  and  commanded  in  his  absence. 
He  inspected  and  certified  the  military  contingents  furnished  by  the 
barons,  knights,  &c.,  such  being  the  only  national  force  in  those  days. 
He  was  in  close  attendance  on  the  King  in  time  of  peace,  also ;  he  and 
the  King's  "  justicier,"  alone  witnessing  the  King's  writ,  and  he  had  the 
power  of  arresting  the  sheriffs  of  counties  for  the  neglect  of  their 
duties,  &c.  Ralph  de  Mortimer,  a  principal  commander  in  the  army 
of  the  Conqueror,  and  a  King's  man,  was  first  appointed  Constable. 
Henry  I.  then  constituted  Walter  de  Gloucester  Constable  in  fee,  to 


♦This  Castle  was,  a  few  years  since,  almost  entirely  destroyed  by  fire,  of  which 
the  following  are  authentic  details  : — The  flames  extended  with  great  rapidity. 
The  oak-panelled  dining-room,  with  its  elaborate  oak  ceiling  and  antique  furni- 
ture, afforded  ready  fuel  to  the  flames.  On  the  left  of  the  entrance  was  the  hall, 
decorated  with  suits  of  armour  of  the  knights  of  old,  and  other  implements  of 
warfare  and  the  chase ;  and  upon  the  walls  were  hung  large  paintings  of  great 
value,  all  of  which  were  completely  destroyed.  The  staircase  was  next  in 
flames,  and  all  the  family  portraits  on  the  staircase  walls  and  in  the  picture- 
gallery  were  burnt.  The  portraits  of  the  Dukes  of  Norfolk,  from  the  first,  who 
fell  at  the  battle  of  Bosworth-field,  some  of  them  of  colossal  size,  were  all 
consumed.  From  the  library  and  drawing-room  many  valuable  art  treasures 
were  rescued.  Among  the  family  portraits  burnt  were  paintings  by  Sir  Antonio 
More,  Vandyke,  Mytens,  &c.  By  the  unremitting  attentions  of  the  fire  brigade 
and  the  villagers,  the  ancient  tower  and  the  muniment-rooms  were  saved,  and 
also  a  wing  in  which  the  kitchens  and  servants'  hall  were  situated.  The  Castle 
and  buildings  were  insured  for  9000/. ;  the  wines  and  spirits  (of  which  a  large 
quantity  was  destroyed)  and  the  furniture  for  2000/, ;  and  the  pictures  for  500/., 
an  amount  which  is  a  mere  trifle  compared  with  their  value.  There  is  now  littlo 
doubt  that  tlie  origin  of  the  fire  was  the  ignition  of  a  beam  in  a  flue  near  the 
entrance  of  the  Castle. 


Chavenage  Manor  House.  455 

him  and  his  heirs,  whose  son  Milo  succeeded,  was  confirmed  by  the 
Empress  Maud,  and  created  Earl  of  Hereford.  His  five  sons  suc- 
ceeded him  in  turn  as  Earls  of  Hereford  and  Constables  of  England, 
but  all  died  without  issue.  His  eldest  daughter,  and  eventual  co-heir^ 
Margery,  having  married  Humphrey  de  Bohun,  steward  and  "  sewer" 
to  Henry  I.,  and  a  kinsman  also,  he  became  Earl  of  Hereford,  and 
Constable  of  England,  as  in  fee,  in  right  of  his  wife.  (It  is  stated,  how- 
ever, that  the  earldom  is  properly  to  be  considered  as  re-created  in  the 
person  of  his  grandson  Henry.)  The  office  continued  in  this  illustrious 
Hne  to  Humphrey  de  Bohun,  Earl  of  Hereford,  eleventh  Constable  by 
descent,  who,  on  his  marriage  with  the  Princess  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Edward  I.,  surrendered  to  the  King  all  his  honours  and  estates.  They 
being  regranted  to  him  in  as  full  a  manner  as  he  had  held  them,  he  en- 
tailed them  upon  his  lawful  issue,  in  default  of  which  to  revert  to  the 
Crown.  His  descendant,  Humphrey  de  Bohun,  fourteenth  Constable, 
left  two  daughters  and  co-heirs,  the  eldest  of  whom,  Alianore,  married 
Thomas  of  Woodstock,  Duke  of  Gloucester,  son  of  Edward  HI.  He 
became  Constable  in  right  of  his  wife,  after  the  dignity  had  continued 
for  nearly  two  hundred  years  in  the  family  of  Bohun.  His  eldest 
daughter  and  heir,  Anne  Plantagenet,  mamed  Edmond,  fifth  Earl  of 
Stafford,  created  Duke  of  Buckingham.  His  grandson,  Henry,  second 
Duke  of  Buckingham,  claimed  and  was  allowed  the  High  Constable- 
ship,  as  heir  of  blood  of  Humphrey  de  Bohun,  temp.  Richard  HI.  His 
son  Edward,  third  and  last  Duke,  succeeded  him ;  but  being  attainted 
for  high  treason,  and  beheaded,  17  May,  1521,  the  High  Constableship, 
with  all  his  other  honours,  was  forfeited  to  and  merged  in  the  Crown, 
where  it  remains  to  be  regranted  at  its  pleasiu^e. — (Communicated  by 
Frecheville  L.  B.  Dykes,  to  Notes  and  Queries,  2nd  S.,  vii.,  p.  157.)  The 
power  of  the  High  Constable  tended  to  restrain  the  actions  of  the  King; 
80  that  the  jealous  tyrant,  Henry,  declared  that  the  office  was  too  great 
for  a  subject,  and  that  in  future  he  would  hold  it  himself.  The  baton 
of  the  Duke  has,  however,  been  carefully  preserved  by  his  descendants. 


Chavenage  Manor  House. 

Near  Tetbury  is  Chavenage,  the  old  manor-house  of  the  family  of 
Stephens  of  Eastington  and  Lypiat,  owners  of  many  other  manors  in  the 
county  of  Gloucester.  It  stands  upon  its  original  elevation,  with  its 
furniture  of  the  age  of  Queen  Elizabeth  ;  and  the  hall  of  which  con- 
tains a  considerable  collection  of  armour  and  weapons  which  saw  the 


45^  Chavenage  Manor  Hottse. 


fields  of  battle  that  raged  on  the  Coteswold   Hills,  in  the  time  . 
Charles  I. 

It  appears  that  Nathaniel  Stephens,  then  in  Parliament  for  Glouces- 
tershire, was  keeping  the  festival  of  Christmas,  1648,  at  Chavenage. 
He  had  shown  much  irresolution  in  deciding  upon  sacrificing  the  life  of 
the  monarch,  was  wavering  on  the  question,  when  Ireton,  who  had  been 
despatched  "  to  whet  his  almost  blunted  purpose,"  arrived  at  the  manor- 
house — and  sat  up,  it  is  «aid,  all  night  in  obtaining  his  reluctant  acqui- 
escence to  the  sentence  of  the  King  from  the  Lord  of  Chavenage.  It 
appears  that  in  May,  1649,  the  latter  was  seized  with  a  fatal  sickness, 
and  died  the  2nd  of  that  month,  expressing  his  regret  for  having  parti- 
cipated in  the  execution  of  the  Sovereign. 

So  far  circumstances  have  the  semblance  of  fact,  but  on  these  a 
legendary  tale  has  been  founded,  which  the  superstitious  and  the  believers 
in  supernatural  appearances,  are  now  only  beginning  to  disbelieve. 
When  all  the  relatives  had  assembled,  and  their  several  well-known 
equipages  were  crowding  the  courtyard  to  proceed  with  the  obsequies, 
the  household  were  surprised  to  observe  that  another  coach,  orna- 
mented with  even  more  than  the  gorgeous  embellishments  of  that 
splendid  period,  and  drawn  by  black  horses,  was  approaching  the  porch 
in  great  solemnity.  When  it  arrived,  the  door  of  the  vehicle  opened  in 
some  unseen  manner ;  and  clad  in  his  shroud,  the  shade  of  the  lord  of 
the  manor  glided  into  the  carriage,  and  the  door  instantly  closing  upon 
him,  the  coach  rapidly  withdrew  from  the  house  ;  not,  however,  with 
such  speed  but  there  was  time  to  perceive  that  the  driver  was  a  be- 
headed man,  that  he  was  arrayed  in  the  royal  vestments,  with  the  Garter 
moreover  on  his  leg,  and  the  star  of  that  illustrious  order  on  his  breast. 
No  sooner  had  the  coach  arrived  at  the  gateway  of  the  manor  court, 
than  the  whole  appearance  vanished  in  flames  of  fire.  The  story  fur- 
ther maintains  that,  to  this  day,  every  Lord  of  Chavenage  dying  in  the 
manor-house  takes  his  departure  in  this  awful  manner. 

At  Chavenage  manor-house  is  a  portrait  (said  to  be  an  original 
picture),  of  Jack  of  Newbury,  whose  patronymic  was  Winchcombe  :  he 
was  the  greatest  clothier  of  England  of  the  period  when  he  lived.  Some 
years  after  the  termination  of  his  apprenticeship,  and  he  had  got  a 
perfect  insight  into  the  business,  his  master  died,  leaving  the  entire 
concern,  with  some  property,  to  his  widow,  whom  Jack  eventually 
married,  and  he  became  prosperous  and  extremely  wealthy.  Joined  to 
his  great  opulence,  there  was  an  equal  stock  of  public  spirit  and  patrio- 
tism, which  he  displayed,  in  the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  Henry  VI IL, 
by  equipping,  at  his  sole  expense,  one  hundred  of  his  followers ;  and. 


Berkeley  Castle,  457 

.fiarching  with  them,  he  joined  the  Earl  of  Surrey,  and  bravely  distin- 
guished himself  at  the  battle  of  Flodden  Field,  in  1513.  He  kept  100 
looms  in  his  house,  each  managed  by  a  man  and  a  boy.  He  feasted 
King  Henry  VIII.  and  his  first  Queen  Katherine,  at  his  own  house  in 
Newbury,  now  divided  into  sixteen  clothiers'  houses.  He  built  the 
church  of  Newbury,  from  the  pulpit  westward  to  the  tower. — Notes 
wd  Queries,  Nos.  198  and  205,  Second  Series. 


Berkeley  Castle. 

On  the  south-east  side  of  the  town  of  Berkeley,  in  Gloucestershire, 
stands  this  perfect  specimen  of  Norman  castrametation,  noted  in  history 
as  the  scene  of  the  murder  of  one  of  our  Kings,  under  circumstances  of 
great  atrocity.  It  is  in  complete  repair,  and  not  ruinous  in  any  part. 
It  is  not  ascertained  at  what  date  this  building  was  commenced,  but 
about  the  year  1150,  it  was  granted  by  Henry  II.  to  Robert  Fitz- 
hardinge.  Governor  of  Bristol,  (who  was  descended  from  the  Kings  of 
Denmark,)  with  power  to  strengthen  and  enlarge  it.  Maurice,  the  son 
of  Robert,  was  the  first  of  the  Fitzhardinges  that  dwelt  at  Berkeley, 
of  which  place  he  assumed  the  name,  and  fortified  the  Castle,  which 
is  placed  on  an  eminence  close  to  the  town,  and  commands  an  extensive 
view  of  the  Severn  and  the  neighbouring  country.  The  fortress  is  an 
irregular  pile,  consisting  of  a  keep,  and  various  embattled  buildings, 
which  surround  a  court,  about  140  yards  in  circumference.  The  chief 
ornament  of  this  court  is  the  exterior  of  the  baronial  hall,  which 
is  a  noble  room  in  excellent  preservation  ;  adjoining  it  is  the  chapel. 
The  apartments  are  very  numerous,  but  except  where  modern  windows 
have  been  substituted,  they  are  mostly  of  a  gloomy  character.  In  one 
of  them  are  the  ebony  bedstead  and  chairs,  used  by  Sir  Francis  Drake  in 
his  voyage  round  the  world.  The  entrance  to  the  outer  court  is  under  a 
machicolated  gatehouse,  which  is  all  that  remains  of  the  buildings 
that  are  said  to  have  formerly  surrounded  the  outer  court.  The 
keep  is  nearly  circular,  having  one  square  tower  and  three  semicircular 
ones.  That  on  the  north,  which  is  the  highest  part  of  the  Castle,  was 
rebuilt  in  the  reign  of  Edward  II.,  and  is  called  Thorpe's  Tower,  a 
family  of  that  name  holding  their  manor  by  the  tenure  of  Cajtie  Guard, 
it  being  their  duty  to  guard  this  tower  when  required.  In  another  of 
the  towers  of  the  keep  is  a  dungeon  chamber,  twenty-eight  feet  deep, 
without  light  or  an  aperture  of  any  kind,  except  at  the  top  ;  in  shape  it 
resembles  the  letter  D,  and  the  entrance  to  it  is  through  a  trap-door  in 


45  S  Berkeley  Castle, 

the  floor  of  the  room  over  it ;  but  from  being  in  the  keep,  which  is  high 
above  the  natural  ground,  this  gloomy  abode  is  quite  free  from  damp. 
The  Roman  method  of  filling  the  inner  part  or  medium  of  the  walls  with 
fluid  mortar,  occurs  in  the  keep  of  this  Castle.  The  great  staircase 
leading  to  the  keep  is  composed  of  large  stones ;  and  on  the  right  of  it, 
approached  by  a  kind  of  gallery,  is  the  room  in  w  Aich,  from  its  great, 
strength,  and  its  isolated  situation,  there  is  every  reason  to  suppose  that 
Edward  II.  was  murdered,  on  the  21st  of  September,  1327.  It  is  a 
small  and  gloomy  apartment,  and  till  within  the  last  century  was  only 
lighted  by  fleches.  It  is  stated  by  Holinshed  that  the  shrieks  of  the 
King  were  heard  in  the  town  of  Berkeley ;  but  from  the  situation  of 
the  Castle,  and  the  great  thickness  of  its  walls,  that  is  impossible. 
After  his  decease  his  heart  was  inclosed  in  a  silver  vessel,  and  the 
Berkeley  family  formed  part  of  the  procession  which  attended  the  body 
to  Gloucester,  where  it  was  interred  in  the  Cathedral. 

The  then  Lord  Berkeley  was  acquitted  of  any  active  participation  in 
the  measures  which  caused  the  death  of  the  King ;  but  shortly  after- 
wards he  entertained  Queen  Isabella  and  her  paramour,  Mortimer,  at 
the  Castle.  This  Lord  Berkeley  kept  twelve  knights  to  wait  upon  his 
person,  each  of  whom  was  attended  by  two  servants  and  a  page.  He 
had  twenty-four  esquires,  each  having  an  under-servant  and  a  horse. 
His  entire  family  consisted  of  about  300  persons,  besides  husbandmen, 
who  fed  at  his  board. 

In  this  Castle  royal  visitors  have  been  several  times  entertained. 
After  its  having  been  a  place  of  rendezvous  for  the  rebellious  Barons, 
in  the  reign  of  John,  that  King  visited  it  in  the  last  year  of  his  reign. 
Henry  III.  was  there  twice.  The  other  royal  visitors  have  been 
Margaret,  queen  of  Henry  VI. ;  Henry  VII.;  Queen  Elizabeth,  whose 
name  one  of  the  rooms  still  bears ;  George  IV.,  when  Prince  of  Wales; 
and  William  IV.,  when  Duke  of  Clarence.  In  the  reign  of  Henry  V. 
a  lawsuit  was  commenced  between  Lord  Berkeley  and  his  cousin,  the 
heiress  of  the  family,  which  was  continued  192  years;  during  which 
contest  the  plaintiff's  party  several  times  laid  siege  to  the  Castle.  In 
the  Civil  Wars  of  Charles  I.,  the  Castle  was  garrisoned  on  the  side  ot 
the  King,  and  kept  all  the  suiTounding  country  in  awe ;  but  it  was 
afterwards  besieged  by  the  araiy  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  surren- 
dered after  a  defence  of  nine  days.  In  the  west  door  of  the  church  are 
several  bullet -holes,  which  are  supposed  to  have  been  made  by  the 
besieging  army.  On  the  north  of  the  Castle  is  a  very  perfect  portion 
of  the  ancient  fosse,  which  is  now  quite  dry,  and  some  very  fine  elms 
and  other  trees  are  growing  in  it.     A  tcirace  goes  nearly  round  the . 


Berkeley  Castle,  45^ 

Castle,  and  to  the  west  of  it  is  a  large  bowling-green,  bounded  by  a  line 
ot  very  old  yew-trees,  which  have  grown  together  into  a  continuous 
mass,  and  are  cut  into  grotesque  shapes. 

In  a  Topographical  Excursion,  in  1624,  Berkeley  Castle  is  described 
as  strong,  old,  spacious,  and  habitable,  with  a  fair  park  adjoining. 
Before  the  tourists  entered  the  inner  court,  they  passed  through  three 
large,  strong  gates,  with  portcullises.  "  Here,"  say  they,  "  was  the 
"dismall  place  where  that  unfortunate  Prince,  whom  we  left  inteiTed  at 
the  last  visited  Cathedral,  was  most  barbarouslie  and  cruelly  depriv'd 
of  his  life."  The  King,  during  his  captivity  here,  composed  a  dolorouj 
poem,  from  which  the  following  is  an  extract: 

•'  Moste  blessed  Jesu, 
Roote  of  all  vertue, 
Graunte  I  may  the  sue, 
In  all  humylyte. 
Sen  thou  for  our  good, 
Lyste  to  shede  thy  blood, 
An  stretche  the  upon  the  rood, 
For  our  iniquyte. 
I  the  beseche, 
Most  holsome  leche, 
That  thou  wylt  seche, 
For  me  suche  grace, 
That  when  my  body  vyle, 
My  soule  shall  exyle, 
Thou  brynge  in  short  whyle, 
It  in  reste  and  peace." 

When  Horace  Walpole,  in  1774,  visited  Gloucester  Cathedral,  on 
seeing  the  monument  of  Edward  H.  a  new  historic  doubt  started. 
'*  His  Majesty  has  a  longish  beard ;  and  such  were  certainly  worn  at  that 
time.  Who  is  the  first  historian  that  tells  the  story  of  his  being  shaven 
with  cold  water  from  a  ditch,  and  weeping  to  supply  warm,  as  he  was 
carried  to  Berkeley  Castle ?  Is  not  this  apocryphal?"  [The  incident 
is  narrated  by  Rapin.] 

Sir  Richard  Baker,  in  his  Chronicle,  thus  tells  the  story  in  his  odd, 
circumstantial  manner:  "When  Edward  II.  was  taken  by  order  of 
his  Queen,  and  carried  to  Berkeley  Castle,  to  the  end  that  he  should 
not  be  known,  they  shaved  his  head  and  beard,  and  that  in  a  most 
beastly  manner  ;  for  they  took  him  from  his  horse,  and  set  him  upon  a 
hillock,  and  then  taking  puddle-water  out  of  a  ditch  thereby,  they  went 
to  wash  him,  his  barber  telling  him  that  cold  water  must  serve  for  this 
time;  whereat  the  miserable  King  looking  sternly  upon  him,  said, 
that  whether  they  would  or  no,  he  would  have  warm  water  to  wash 
him,  and  therewithal,  to  make  good  his  word,  he  presently  shed  forth 


4^  Gloucester,  tts  Monastery  and  Castle. 

a  shower  of  tears.  Never  was  King  turned  out  of  a  kingdom  in  sucti 
a  manner." 

In  the  neighbourhood,  Walpole  found  in  a  wretched  cottage  a  child 
in  an  ancient  oaken  cradle,  exactly  in  the  form  of  that  lately  published 
from  the  cradle  of  Edward  II.  Walpole  purchased  it  for  five  shillings ; 
but  doubted  whether  he  should  have  fortitude  enough  to  transport  it  to 
Strawberry  Hill.  He  was  much  disappointed  with  Berkeley  Castle, 
though  very  entire :  he  notes :  "  The  room  shown  for  the  murder  of 
Edward  II.,  and  the  shrieks  of  an  agonizing  king,  I  verily  believe  to  be 
genuine.  It  is  a  dismal  chamber,  almost  at  the  top  of  the  house,  quite 
detached,  and  to  be  approached  only  by  a  kind  of  footbridge,  and  from 
that  descends  a  large  flight  of  steps,  that  terminates  on  strong  gates ;  ex- 
actly a  situation  for  a  corps  de  garde.  In  that  room  they  show  you  a 
cast  of  a  face,  in  plaster,  and  tell  you  it  was  taken  from  Edward's.  I 
was  not  quite  so  easy  of  faith  about  that ;  for  it  is  evidently  the  face  of 
Charles  I." 

Gray,  in  his  Pindaric  Ode — The  Bard, — has  this  memorable  passage : 

"Weave  the  warp,  and  weave  the  woof, 
The  winding-sheet  of  Edward's  race ; 
Give  ample  room  and  verge  enough, 

The  characters  of  hell  to  trace. 
Mark  the  year,  and  mark  the  night, 
When  Severn  shall  re-echo  with  affright 
The  shrieks  of  death  through  Berkeley's  roof  that  ring. 
Shrieks  of  an  agonizing  king." 


Gloucester,  its  Monastery  and  Castle. 

Gloucester  is  considered  to  have  had  the  Britons  for  its  founders,  by 
whom  it  was  called  Caer  Glocnu,  which,  according  to  Camden,  is  de- 
rived from  the  British  Caer  Glosgii  its,  or  "the  City  of  the  pure  waters," 
from  its  situation  upon  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Severn  ;  but  according 
to  others,  it  is  named  from  GIociv,  the  name  of  the  chief  or  original 
foufhlcr.  Shortly  after  a.d.  44,  it  became  subjected  to  the  Romans, 
and  numerous  Roman  antiquities,  burial-urns,  coins,  &c.,  have  been 
discovered  here.  After  the  Romans  left  the  island,  the  city  was  sur- 
rendered to  the  West  Saxons,  when  the  Britons  were  defeated,  and 
three  of  their  princes  slain :  by  the  Saxons  it  was  called  G/eau'Cester, 
whence  its  present  name  is  derived.  About  the  year  680  Wulpher,  son 
of  King  Penda,  founded  the  monastery  of  St.  Peter,  and  so  far  improved 
the  city,  that  at  the  commencement  of  the  eighth  century,  according  to 
Bede,  it  was  considered  "  one  of  the  noblest  of  the  kingdom."    The 


Gloucester f  its  Monastery  and  Castle.  461 

city  repeatedly  suffered  from  fire  and  the  ravages  of  the  Danes ;  and  in 
1087  it  was  almost  wholly  destroyed  during  the  contest  between 
William  Rufus  and  the  adherents  of  his  brother  Robert.  Its  Castle 
was  built  by  Earl  William,  in  the  time  of  the  Conqueror,  who  fre- 
quently kept  his  Christmas  here,  as  did  William  II.  in  1099;  and  in 
1 123  Henry  I.  held  his  Court  here.  In  11 72  Jorworth,  with  a  large 
body  of  Welshmen,  destroyed  all  the  country  with  fire  and  sword  to 
the  gates  of  Gloucester.  In  11 75  a  Great  Council  was  held  here  by 
Henry  II.  for  quelling  the  insurrections  of  the  Welsh.  In  12 16,  at 
Gloucester,  Henry  III.  was  crowned,  being  ten  years  old;  and  here  he 
kept  his  Christmas.  In  1263  Gloucester  was  the  scene  of  many  battles 
between  Henry  III.  and  the  Barons,  whom  he  had  offended  by  appointing 
a  foreigner  to  the  office  of  Constable  of  Gloucester  Castle.  In  1279  Qi?° 
Warranto  statutes  were  enacted  here  by  Parliament.  In  1319  Edward  II. 
came  to  Gloucester,  and  entertained  the  Abbot ;  and  in  1327  this  sovereign 
was,  "  with  consent  and  by  practise  of  his  cruell  Queene,"  most  cruelly 
and  foully  murdered  in  Berkeley  Castle;  and  buried  in  Gloucester 
Cathedral,  where  is  a  monument  to  his  memory,  "  his  body  in  alabaster 
in  his  kingly  roabs,  the  ffoundation  marble,  and  the  workemanship  over- 
head curiously  cut  in  ffreestone."  In  1378,  Richard  II.  held  a  Parlia- 
ment at  Gloucester;  and  Henry  V.  in  1420,  being  the  last  Parliament 
summoned  here  by  any  monarch.  In  1430,  at  the  Abbey  of  Gloucester, 
Henry  VI.  made  oblations  previous  to  setting  out  for  France.  In 
1483,  immediately  after  his  coronation,  Richard  III.  came  to  Gloucester ; 
and  in  1485  Henry  VII.;  and  in  1535  Henry  VIII.  in  progress.  In 
1 64 1-2  Gloucester  sided  with  the  Parliament,  and  bid  defiance  to  the 
King  with  an  army  of  30,000  men,  in  consequence  of  which  the  ancient 
walls  of  the  city,  two  miles  in  circuit,  were  destroyed  shortly  after  the 
Restoration.    The  site  of  the  Castle  is  occupied  by  the  County  Gaol. 

In  an  Account  of  an  Excursion  in  1634,  the  Severn  is  described  as 
gliding  close  to  the  town,  "by  that  little  Hand  [Alney]*  where  the 
first  Danish  King  got  the  best."  The  New  Inn  is  "  a  fayre  House,  and 
much  frequented  by  Gallants,  the  Hostesse  there  being  as  handsome 
and  gallant  as  any  other."  "  This  Citty  we  found  govern'd  by  a  Mayor, 
w'^  his  Sword  and  Cap  of  Maintenance,  4  Maces,  1 2  Aldermen,  and  a 
worthy  and  learned  Recorder,  and  4  Stewards.  It  is  wall'd  about, 
except  onely  that  part  of  the  Towne  that  is  securely  and  defensively 


•  In  1016,  on  the  Isle  of  Athelney,  the  proposed  single  combat  between 
Edmund  Ironside  and  Canute  terminated  by  an  offer  from  Canute  to  divide 

the  kingdom. 


4^2  Gloucester y  its  Monastery  and  Castle, 

guarded  by  the  River ;  in  the  wall  there  is  6  Gates,  for  the  Ingress  and 
Egresse  of  Strangers  and  Inhabitants.  In  the  midst  of  the  City  is  a 
fiayre  Crosse,  whereto  from  the  4  Cardinall  Windes,  the  4  great  and 
principall  Streets  thereof  doe  come.  In  her  is  12  Churches,  whereof 
the  Cathedral]  is  one,"  of  great  antiquity  and  beautiful  architecture ; 
with  a  fine  Gothic  pinnacled  tower ;  an  east  window,  said  to  be  the 
largest  in  the  kingdom  ;  great  elevation  and  traceried  walls  of  the 
choir.  Among  its  curious  monuments  is  one  of  a  Saxon  king,  bearing 
the  old  church  upon  his  breast ;  the  last  Abbot,  Parker,  in  alabaster ; 
and  a  Bishop  [Dux  Templi]  who  excommunicated  King  John.  Here 
lieth  that  "  vnfortunate  Prince  Robert,  D.  of  Normandy,  eldest  sonn^ 
of  Wm  ye  Conquerr,  whose  eyes  were  pluckt  out  in  Cardiff  Castle, 
after  he  had  endur'd  a  long  and  tedious  imprisonmt  there :  his  Portrai- 
ture lyeth  loose  vpon  the  Marble  Monumt,  and  is  of  Irish  wood  painted, 
w*»  neither  rotts  nor  worme-eats.  Here  lyeth  crosse-legg'd,  wh  his 
Sword,  and  Buckler,  and  soe  as  any  man  may  wth  ease  lift  vp  this  his 
wooden  Statue."  Our  olden  topographers  describe  as  a  thing  most  ad- 
mirable that  strange  and  unparalleled  whispering  place  of  24  yards 
circular  passage  above  the  high  altar,  a  miraculous  work  and  artificial 
device ;  *'  and  as  it  is  strange,  soe  we  heard  carry'd  confessions  there  made." 
The  sumptuous  tomb  of  King  Edward  II.  we  have  already  described. 

During  the  Marian  persecution,  John  Hooper,  second  Bishop  of 
Gloucester,  and  the  venerated  martyr  of  the  Reformation,  upon  his 
second  committal  to  the  Fleet  Prison  in  1553,  refusing  to  recant  his 
opinions,  was  condemned  to  be  burnt.  It  was  expected  that  he  would 
have  accompanied  Rogers,  a  prebendary  of  St.  Paul's,  to  the  stake;  but 
Hooper  was  led  back  to  his  cell,  to  be  carried  down  to  Gloucester,  to 
sufier  among  his  own  people.  Next  morning,  he  was  roused  at  four 
o'clock,  and  being  committed  to  the  care  of  six  of  Qiieen  Mary's  Guard, 
they  took  him,  before  it  was  light,  to  the  Angel  Inn,  St.  Clement's,  then 
standing  in  the  fields ;  thence  he  was  taken  to  Gloucester,  and  there 
burnt  with  dreadful  tomnents  on  the  9th  of  February,  1555.  A  memo- 
rial statue  of  Bishop  Hooper  has  been  set  up  by  public  subscription  at 
Gloucester  near  the  spot  whereon  he  suffered. 

Gloucester  has  long  been  famous  for  its  lampreys,  taken  in  the 
Severn  ;  and  by  ancient  custom  the  city  of  Gloucester,  in  token  of  their 
loyalty,  present  a  lamprey  pie  annually,  at  Christmas,  to  the  sovereign ; 
this  is  sometimes  a  costly  gift,  as  lampreys  at  that  season  can  scarcely 
be  procured  at  a  guinea  apiece.  A  well-stcwed  Gloucester  lamprey  is 
a  luxury,  such  as  almost  excused  the  royal  excess  which  carried  off 
Henry  I.  at  Rouen. 


4^3 


Sudeley  Castle  and  Queen  Katherine  Parr. 

Winchcomb,  tourteen  miles  north-east  of  Gloucester,  is  a  place  oi 
great  antiquity,  it  being  anciently  the  site  of  a  mitred  Abbey  sufficiently 
large  for  the  accommodation  of  300  Benedictine  monks.  It  was 
founded  in  798,  by  Kenulf  King  of  Mercia,  who,  with  his  son  and 
successor,  Kenelm  (murdered  by  his  Queen  Qiiendrida),  was  buried 
there.  The  church  was  partly  built  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VI.,  by 
the  Abbot,  William  Winchcomb.  Near  it  is  the  Castle  of  Sudeley — 
formerly  one  of  the  most  magnificent  in  England,  to  be  hereafter  described 
— whither,  in  1592,  Queen  Elizabeth  made  her  celebrated  Progress. 
In  the  Castle,  44  years  previously,  September  5,  1548,  died  in  childbed^ 
Katherine  Parr,  widow  of  Henry  VIII.,  and  wife  of  Lord  Seymour  of 
Sudeley,  brother  to  the  Protector  Somerset.  The  Queen  was  buried  in 
the  chapel  of  Sudeley  Castle.  Of  the  opening  of  her  tomb  there  is 
an  interesting  account  in  a  MS.  in  the  College  of  Arms,  London,  en- 
titled, ^  Boke  of  Bury  alls  oftreiv  and  noble  P'sons,  Here  is  recorded: 
"in  the  Summer  of  the  year  1782,  the  Earth  in  which  Qu.  K.  Par  lay 
inter'd  was  removed,  and  at  the  depth  of  about  two  feet,  (or  very  little 
more)  her  leaden  Coffin  or  Chest  was  found  quite  whole,  and  on  the 
Lid  of  it  when  well  cleaned  there  appeared  a  very  bad  though  legible 
inscription,  of  which  the  under- written  is  a  close  copy : 

"K.P. 

VlTH  AND   LAST  WIFE   OF  KiNG   HeN.   VIIITH, 
1548." 

"Mr.  John  Lucas,  (who  occupied  the  land  of  Lord  Rivers, 
whereon  the  ruins  of  the  chapel  stand,)  had  the  curiosity  to  rip  up 
the  top  of  the  Coffin,  expecting  to  discover  within  it  only  the  bones  of 
the  dead,  but  to  his  great  surprise  found  the  whole  body  wrap'd  in  6 
or  7  Seer  Cloths  of  Linnen  entire  and  uncorrupted,  although  it  had  been 
there  upwards  of  280  years.  His  unwarrantable  curiosity  led  him  also 
to  make  an  incision  through  the  seer  cloths  which  covered  one  of  the 
Arms  of  the  Corps,  the  flesh  of  which  at  that  time  was  white  and  moist. 
I  was  very  much  displeased  at  the  forwardness  of  Lucas,  who  of  his 
own  head  open'd  the  Coffin.  It  would  have  been  quite  sufficient  to 
have  found  it,  and  then  to  have  made  a  report  of  it,  to  Lord  Rivers  or 
myself. 

"  In  the  Summer  of  the  year  following,  1783,  his  Lordship's  business 


4^4       Sudeley  Castle  and  Queen  Katherine  Parr, 

made  it  necessary  for  me  and  my  son  to  be  at  Sudeley  Castle,  and  on 
being  told  what  had  been  done  the  year  before  by  Lucas,  I  directed  the 
earth  to  be  once  more  remov'd  to  satisfy  my  own  curiosity ;  and  found 
Lucas's  account  of  the  Coffin  and  Corps  to  be  just  as  he  had  represented 
them  ;  with  this  difference,  that  the  body  was  then  grown  quite  fetid, 
and  the  flesh  where  the  incision  had  been  made  was  brown  and  in  a 
state  of  putrefaction,  in  consequence  of  the  air  having  been  let  in  upon 
it ;  the  stench  of  the  Corps  made  my  son  quite  sick,  whilst  he  copied  the 
inscription  which  is  on  the  lid  of  the  Coffin ;  he  went  thro'  it,  however, 
with  great  exactness. 

"  I  afterwards  directed  that  a  stone  slab  should  be  placed  over  the 
grave,  to  prevent  any  future  and  improper  inspection,  &c." 

The  above  account  was  given  some  years  ago,  by  the  daughter  of  the 
late  Mr.  Brooks  of  Reading,  who  was  present  at  the  finding  of  the 
body ;  and  was  communicated  by  Julia  R.  Bockett,  from  Southcote 
Lodge,  near  Reading,  in  1857,  to  l^otes  and  Queries,  2nd  S.,  No.  96. 

The  following  curious  manuscript  note  was  found  written  on  the 
margin  of  a  copy  of  Joannes  Ball's  Catalogus  Scriptorum  Illujtnum:— 
"  Catherina  Latimera  vel  Parra, — Shee  was  told  by  an  astrologer  that 
did  calculate  her  nativitie  that  she  was  borne  to  sett  in  the  highest  state 
of  imp'iall  majestic ;  which  became  most  true.  Shee  had  all  the  eminent 
Starrs  and  planetts  in  her  house :  this  did  worke  such  a  loftie  conceite 
in  her  that  her  mother  cowld  never  make  her  sewe  or  doe  any  small 
worke,  sayinge  her  handes  were  ordayned  to  touch  crowne  and 
scepters,  not  needles  and  thymbles." 

The  ruins  of  Sudeley  Castle,  situated  about  a  mile  south-south-east  of 
Winchcomb,  are  grand  rather  than  strikingly  picturesque.  Leland 
celebrates  its  extent  and  lofty  towers,  its  magnificence  and  rich  archi- 
tecture ;  and  Fuller  calls  it  "  of  subjects'  castles,  the  most  handsome 
habitation ;  and  of  subjects'  habitations,  the  strongest  castle."  It  was 
built  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VI.,  by  Ralph  Lord  Boteler,  on  the  site  of  a 
more  ancient  castle,  to  the  manor  of  which  he  succeeded  in  right  of  his 
mother,  Joan  de  Sudeley.  During  the  Civil  Wars,  the  Castle  was 
taken  by  the  Republican  party,  dismantled  and  otherwise  destroyed. 
The  Chapel  attached  to  it,  which  was  a  light  elegant  erection,  was 
stripped  of  its  roof,  and  the  memorials  of  the  dead  shamefully  defaced. 
A  small  side-chapel  or  aisle  is  now  used  as  the  parish  chuich  of  Sudeley. 


ci65 


St.  Briavers  Castle. 

The  site  of  this  early  fortress  is  on  the  edge  of  Dean  Forest,  a  dis- 
trict of  great  historical  interest,  as  a  glance  will  show.  The  Forest 
of  Dean  is  situated  within  that  part  of  Gloucestershire  bounded  by  the 
Rivers  Severn  and  Wye.  Probably  the  earliest  trace  of  this  locality 
being  inhabited  exists  in  the  Druidical  rocks  which  are  found  on  the 
high  lands,  on  the  Gloucestershire  side  of  the  Wye.  Next  in  order  of 
time  to  the  above  remains  are  the  ancient  iron  mines,  called  Scowles 
(probably  a  corruption  of  the  British  word  crow II,  a  cave),  which  were 
doubtless  worked  by  the  Romans.  This  appears  certain  from  the  coins 
which  have  been  found  deeply  bedded  in  the  heaps  of  iron  cinders  de- 
rived from  the  working  of  these  mines.  Coins,  fibulas,  &c.,  used  by 
the  Romans  have  frequently  been  found ;  and  so  lately  as  August 
1839,  a  man  who  was  employed  to  raise  some  stone  in  Crabtree  Hill 
(which  is  situate  near  the  centre  of  the  forest),  of  which  several  heaps 
were  lying  on  the  surface,  in  turning  over  the  stone  found  about  twenty- 
five  Roman  coins.  The  next  day,  in  another  heap,  about  fifty  yards 
distant,  he  found  a  broken  jar  or  urn  of  baked  clay,  and  400  or  500 
coins  lying  by  it,  the  coins  being  for  the  most  part  those  of  Claudius  II., 
Gallienus,  and  Victorinus.  The  spot  is  rather  high  ground,  but  not  a 
hill  or  commanding  point,  and  there  does  not  appear  any  traces  of  a 
camp  near  it.  Some  of  the  stones  seemed  burnt,  as  if  the  building  had 
been  destroyed  by  fire.  There  was  no  appearance  of  mortar,  but  the 
stones  had  evidently  been  used  for  building,  and  part  of  the  foundation 
of  a  wall  remained  visible.  A  silver  coin  of  Aurelius  was  likewise 
picked  up.  Edward  the  Confessor  is  stated  in  Domesday  Book  to 
have  exempted  the  Forest  of  Dean  from  taxation,  with  the  object  ap- 
parently of  preserving  it  from  spoliation.  (See  Ati  Account  of  the 
Forest  of  Dean,  by  H.  G.  Nicholls,  M.A.)  The  town  is  now  become 
a  small  village,  and  the  privileges  are  obsolete ;  the  parochial  inhabi- 
tants have,  however,  still  the  right  of  common  in  a  wood  called 
Hudnells,  which  includes  a  tract  of  land  on  the  banks  of  the  Wye, 
about  six  miles  long,  and  one  mile  broad.  They  have  the  privilege  of 
cutting  wood,  but  not  timber,  in  other  parts  of  the  forest.  These 
claims  were  set  aside  by  Cromwell,  but  were  contested,  and  allowed 
after  the  Restoration. — {Mining  Journal.) 

The  Castle  of  St.  Briavel's  was  begun  by  William  II.,  or  by 
Milo  Fitzwalter,  Earl  of  Hereford,  in  the  time  of  Henry  I.,  to  curb 
the  incursions  of  the  Welsh :  it  was  afterwards  forfeited  to  the  Crown, 


X-  % 


H  H 


466  Cirencester y  its  Castle  and  A  bbey. 

The  site  of  the  Castle  is  surrounded  by  a  moat,  including  an  area  of  con- 
siderable extent.  The  north-west  fi-ont  is  nearly  all  that  remains  entire. 
It  is  composed  of  two  circular  towei-s,  three  storeys  high,  separated  by 
a  naiTow  elliptical  gateway ;  within  the  towers  are  several  hexagonal 
apartments,  the  walls  of  which  are  eight  feet  thick.  One  of  these 
towers  is  used  as  a  prison  for  the  hundred.  In  the  interior  there  are 
two  gateways  similar  to  the  former.  On  the  right  are  the  remains  of 
an  apartment,  4 1  feet  by  20,  with  large  Pointed  windows ;  and  on  the 
left  are  the  remains  of  a  large  hall.  In  the  centre  is  a  low  building, 
which  serves  as  an  antechamber  to  the  room  in  which  the  officers  of 
the  hundred  hold  their  court.  The  Constable  of  the  Castle  is  ap- 
pointed by  the  Crown,  and  is  also  the  Lord  Warden  of  the  forest.  In 
the  kitchen  of  the  Castle  may  be  seen  the  old  wheel-jack  and  turnspit- 
dog  ;  and  in  the  village,  the  stocks  and  whipping-post. 
I  St.  Briavel's  (says  Mr.  Samuel  Tymms)  is  reported  to  have  ob- 
tained an  exemption  from  tolls  in  the  same  manner  as  that  privilege 
was  procured  for  Coventry  by  the  Lady  Godiva.  St.  Briavel's,  how- 
ever, has  no  "  Peeping  Tom"  pageant. 


Cirencester,  its  Castle  and  Abbey. 

Cirencester,  colloquially  Ciceter,  in  the  south-eastern  part  of  the 
county  of  Gloucester,  was  the  Corinium  of  the  Romans,  and  prior  to 
their  invasion,  a  very  general  thoroughfare  ;  and  from  its  central  situa- 
tion, the  great  metropolis  of  the  district,  while  Gloucester  and  the 
hills  about  the  Severn,  were  great  military  positions.  It  was  a  place  of 
importance  in  the  time  of  Julius  Caesar ;  here  four  great  roads  met : 
I.  The  Fosse;  2.  The  Icknield-way;  3.  The  Ermin-street ;  4.  The 
Ackman-street.  Its  walls,  of  which  traces  exist,  were  two  miles  in 
circumference.  Among  the  Roman  antiquities  is  the  "  Bull  Ring,"  the 
remains  of  a  Roman  amphitheatre,  where,  a  few  years  ago,  rows  of 
seats  were  visible,  rising  twenty  feet  from  the  area.  There  was  also  a 
Roman  burial-place;  and  relics  of  pottery,  urns  containing  burnt 
bones  and  ashes,  sculptured  stones  and  monuments,  tessellated  pave- 
ments, and  coins,  have  been  found  in  and  near  the  town. 

Long  before  the  Saxons  came  into  England,  Cirencester  was  a  famous 
town  to  withstand  an  enemy.  But  one  Gormund,  an  African  prince 
(if  Polydorus  is  to  be  depended  on),  laid  siege  to  Cirencester.  Seven 
Icng  years  he  kept  his  army  before  it,  but  never  a  step  the  nearer  was 
Be  to  the  inside  of  it»  gates  j  when  as  houses  wTe  not  then  tiled. 


Cirencester i  its  Castle  and  Abbey.  467 

Gormund  judged  that  if  he  could  only  manage  to  set  fire  to  the 
thatched  roofs  of  those  in  the  town,  he  should  be  likely,  in  the  com- 
motion that  would  arise,  to  gain  an  easy  entrance.  To  put  the  strata- 
gem into  speedy  practice,  he  set  all  his  soldiers  to — catch  sparrows; 
and  when  many  were  caught,  he  had  certain  combustibles  fastened  to 
their  tails,  and  then  let  them  loose.  The  poor  birds  flew  straight  to 
their  nests  under  the  thatches,  which  of  course  were  quickly  in  a  blaze; 
and  while  the  unfortunate  housekeepers  were  busy  endeavouring  to 
quench  the  flames,  Gormund  succeeded  in  entering  the  town — in 
memory  whereof  (says  Giraldus  Cambrensis)  it  was  afterwards  called 
the  City  of  Sparrows.     This  was  a  droll  stratagem. 

Cirencester,  after  the  Norman  Conquest,  was  a  place  of  great  strength. 
Its  Castle  was  destroyed  by  Stephen,  but  it  was  rebuilt  and  garrisoned 
by  the  Earl  of  Leicester  for  Queen  Maud.  It  was  occupied  by  the 
royal  army  when  the  Barons  were  in  arms  against  John. 

In  the  reign  of  Henry  IV.,  Lords  Surrey  and  Salisbury  having  pro- 
moted an  insurrection  for  the  restoration  of  Richard  II.,  these  noble- 
men with  several  of  their  accomplices,  were  killed  at  a  public-house  in 
the  town  by  the  bailiff,  and  a  party  of  the  inhabitants.  The  heads  of 
Salisbury  and  Surrey  were  sent  to  London,  as  a  present  to  King  Henry, 
who,  out  of  gratitude  for  this  timely  service,  granted  to  the  men  of 
Cirencester  all  the  goods  and  chattels  left  in  the  town  by  the  rebels, 
**  except  such  as  were  of  gold,  or  silver,  or  gilded,  and  excepting  also  all 
money  and  jewels."  By  another  grant  was  given,  "  during  our  pleasure," 
"  to  the  men  iv  does  in  season,  to  be  delivered  unto  them  by  our 
chief  forester,  or  his  deputy,  out  of  our  forest  of  B  radon ;  and  also  one 
hogshead  of  wine,  to  be  received  out  of  the  port  of  our  town  of 
Bristol."  He  also  granted  "  unto  the  <u}omen  aforesaid,  vi  bucks  to  be 
delivered  them  in  right  season  .  .  ,  and  also,  one  hogshead  of  wine." 
In  the  Great  Civil  War,  the  town  was  garrisoned  for  the  Parliament, 
but  was  taken  by  Prince  Rupert,  and  changed  hands  more  than  once. 
Since  then,  the  only  noteworthy  occurrence  is,  that  the  first  blood 
spilt  in  the  Revolution  of  1688  was  shed  here.  In  the  seventeenth 
century,  the  town  held  its  position  as,  after  London,  the  centre  of 
trade,  wealth,  and  commercial  traffic,  and  Bristol  the  greatest  seaport 
in  the  realm.  Birmingham,  Manchester,  and  Liverpool,  were  then 
mere  villages. 

Cirencester  has  often  been  visited  by  royalty.  Edward  I.  and 
Edward  II.  rested  continually  here,  as  did  King  John,  as  did  Charles  I. 
after  the  second  battle  of  Newbury.  In  1663,  another  royal  personage 
named  Charles,  came  to  Cirencester,  and  repaired  to  the  little  Sun  inn, 


4^8  CirencesteVy  its  Castle  and  Abbey. 

and  there  passed  the  night  with  his  Queen.  In  1678,  James  II.  took  his 
rest  at  the  house  of  the  Earl  of  Newport,  in  this  town ;  and  in  1700, 
Queen  Anne  "  stayed  at  Thomas  Master's." 

"  Of  all  counties  in  England,"  says  Fuller,  "  Gloucestershire  was 
most  pestered  with  monks,  having  four  mitred  abbeys,"  whence,  he 
says,  grew  "  a  topical  wicked  proverb,"  "  As  sure  as  God's  in  Glou- 
cestershire."     Cirencester  possessed  one— a   magnificent    abbey  for 
Black  Canons,  built  in  1 117  by  Henry  I.,  on  the  foundation  of  a 
college  for  prebendaries,  which  was  established  by  the  Saxons,  long 
before  the  Conquest.    The  revenue  of  this  Abbey  at  the  Dissolution  was 
1 051/.  7J.  \d,,  and  its  mitred  Abbot  had  a  seat  in  Parliament.     The 
seventh  Abbot  was  the  famous  Alexander  Neckam,  who  died  here  in 
1 2 1 7.    Of  the  Abbey  a  noble  gateway  remains,  with  the  Abbey  Church, 
one  of  the  most  magnificent  parochial  churches  in  the  kingdom.     It  is 
of  different  styles,  between  the  thirteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries ;  the 
tower  is  134  feet  high.   The  windows  were  originally  filled  with  stained 
glass.    There  are  some  interesting  relics  left :  there  are  several  noble 
wooden  roofs  which  remain  uninjured;  a  few  brasses  and  some  very 
curious  sculpture  in  relief  of  a  "  Whitsun-ale."    The  lord  of  the  feas 
holds  in  his  hand  a  scroll  with  the  words  "  Be  Merrie,"  and  the  figures 
of  the  lady,  the  steward,  jester,  and  other  officers  of  the  ale  are  easily 
made  out.    The  chapel  of  St.  Catherine  is  very  beautiful ;  in  St.  Mary's 
are  some  fresco  paintings  of   purgatory,    which  were  discovered  a 
few  years  back  ;  Trinity  chapel  was  once  the  richest  of  these  chapels, 
it  containing  the  gifts  and  adomings  of  the  votaries  of  St.  Thomas  a 
Becket,  whose  altar  was  within  it,  and  of  whose  martyrdom  there  is  a 
representation  in  fresco  near  the  altar.     Under  the  painting  is  this  in- 
scription in  black  letter: — "What  manor  woman  worshippeth  this 
holy  Saint,  Bishop,  and  Martyr,  every  Sunday  that  beth  in  the  year, 
with  a  Paternoster  and  Ave,  or  giveth  any  alms  to  a  poor  man,  or 
bringeth  any  candle  to  light  [at  the  altar],  less  or  more,  he  shall  have 
v  gifts  of  God.    The  i  is,  he  shall  have  reasonable  good  to  his  life's 
end.    The  ii  is,  that  his  enemies  shall  have  no  power  to  do  him  no 
bodily  hann  nor  disease.     The  iij  is,  what  reasonable  thing  he  will  ask 
of  God  and  that  holy  saint,  it  shall  be  granted.    The  iv  is,  that  he  shall 
be  unburdened  of  all  his  tribulation  and  disease.     The  v  is,  that  in  his 
last  end  he  shall  have  shrift  and  housil,  great  repentance,  and  sacrament 
of  annointing,  and  then  he  may  come  to  that  bliss  that  never  hath  end. 
Amen." 

Some  of  the  brasses  are  exceedingly  beautiftil ;  the  earliest,  date  1438, 
exhibits  a  very  fine  example  of  the  complete  plate-armour.    There  are 


•^^  .-C.WMl. 


p.  469 


TEWKESBURY   ABBEY. 

[.  The  Ancient  Gate.  2.  The  Chapter- House. 


Tewkesbury  A  bbey,  4^ 

monuments  to  Allen,  first  Lord  Bathurst,  and  his  son,  Lord  ChariCellor 
Bathurst ;  here  also  is  the  metal  framework  of  the  hour-glass  belonging 
to  the  pulpit  from  which  the  celebrated  Bishop  Bull  used  to  preach. 


Tewkesbury  Abbey. 

Tewkesbury,  m  the  western  part  of  Gloucestershire,  and  close  to  the 
borders  of  Worcestershire,  is  said  to  be  of  Saxon  origin,  and  to  derive  its 
name  from  Theot,  a  Saxon,  who  founded  an  hermitage  here  in  the  seventh 
century.  Early  in  the  eighth  century,  two  brothers,  dukes  of  Mercia, 
founded  a  monastery,  which,  in  the  tenth  century,  became  a  cell  to 
Cranbourne  Abbey,  in  Dorsetshire.  In  the  twelfth  century,  Robert 
Fitzhamon  enlarged  the  buildings,  and  liberally  endowed  the  institu- 
tion, in  consequence  of  which  the  monks  of  Cranbourne  made  Tewkes- 
bury the  chief  seat  of  their  establishment.  At  the  Dissolution,  the 
Abbey  belonged  to  the  Benedictines,  and  its  annual  revenue  was  1598/. 

On  opening  the  tomb  of  the  founder  of  the  Abbey,  the  body  of  the 
Abbot  was  found  arrayed  in  full  canonicals,  the  crosier  was  perfect, 
while  the  body  showed  scarcely  any  symptoms  of  decay,  although  it 
had  been  entombed  considerably  above  six  hundred  years.  On  exposure 
to  the  air,  the  boots  alone  of  the  Abbot  were  seen  to  sink  ;  when  the 
tomb  was  ordered  to  be  sealed  up,  and  his  holiness  again  committed  to 
his  darkness. 

A  great  battle  was  fought  on  the  4th  of  May,  147 1,  within  half  a 
mile  of  Tewkesbury,  when  the  Lancastrians  sustained  a  most  disastrous 
defeat :  the  Earl  of  Devonshire,  Lord  Wenlock,  Lord  John  Beaufort, 
nine  knights,  and  upwards  of  3000  men  were  slain  ;  Queen  Margaret  of 
Anjou,  was  taken  prisoner  by  Edward  IV. ;  the  young  Prince  Edward 
is  stated,  in  a  contemporary  manuscript,  to  have  been  killed  while 
flying  from  the  field,  and  not  to  have  been  butchered  in  Edward's  pre- 
sence, as  commonly  reported ;  the  Duke  of  Somerset,  Lord  St.  John, 
and  about  a  dozen  knights  and  esquires,  were  dragged  from  the  church, 
where  they  had  taken  sanctuary,  and  beheaded  May  6. 

This  battle  was  fought  in  a  field,  long  after  known  as  the  Bloody 
Meadc-xv.  The  chief  glory  of  this  well-fought  field  belonged  to  Richard 
Duke  of  Gloucester.  At  Tewkesbury  he  commanded  the  van,  and 
was  confronted  with  the  Duke  of  Somerset,  who  had  taken  up 
so  formidable  a  position,  fenced  by  dykes  and  hedges,  that  to 
carry  it  seemed  hopeless.  After  a  feigned  attack  and  short  conflict, 
Gloucester  drew  back  as  if  to  retreat.    Somerset,  rash  and  impetuous. 


470  Tewkesbury  Abbey. 

was  deceived  by  this  manoeuvre,  and  left  his  'vantage  ground,  when 
Gloucester  faced  about,  and  fell  upon  the  Lancastrians  so  furiously  and 
unexpectedly  that  they  were  driven  back  in  confusion  to  their  intrench- 
ments,  which  the  pursuing  force  entered  along  with  them.  Lord 
Wenlock,  who,  by  coming  to  their  assistance  with  his  division,  might 
have  beaten  back  Gloucester,  never  stirred ;  and  Somerset  no  sooner 
regained  his  camp  than  riding  up  to  his  recreant  friend,  he  denounced 
him  as  a  traitor  and  coward,  and  stopped  recrimination  and  remon- 
strance by  dashing  out  his  brains  with  a  battle-axe. — {Edinburgh  Revieiv, 
No.  234.) 

In  the  stately  Abbey  church,  obtained  from  the  King,  for  the  use  ot 
the  parishioners,  at  the  time  of  the  Dissolution,  was  buried  Brietric, 
Kingof  Wessex;  Norman  Fitz-Hamon,  Earl  of  Gloucester;  Edward, 
son  of  Henry  VL  ;  George  Clarence,  brother  of  Edward  IV. ;  and  his 
wife,  Isabel,  daughter  of  the  king-making  Earl  of  Warwick.  The 
church  is  in  the  Early  Norman  style,  and  has  a  central  tower.  The 
roof  is  finely  groined  and  carved.  There  are  several  ancient  chantry 
chapels  in  the  east  end  of  the  choir,  which  is  hexagonal.  Some  of  the 
monuments  are  in  memory  of  persons  who  fell  at  the  battle  of 
Tewkesbury. 

Tewkesbury  retains  but  few  features  of  its  ancient  house-fronts. 
The  place  was  famous  very  early  for  its  mustard :  Shakspeare  speaks 
only  of  its  thickness,  but  others  have  celebrated  its  pungency. 

"  His  wit  is  as  thick  as  Tewkesbury  mustard." 

2  Jh/ny  IV. 

The  people  appear  of  the  downright  sort,  for  we  read  in  an  old  work, 
"  If  he  be  of  the  right  stamp,  and  a  true  Tewksbury  man,  he  is  a 
choleric  gentleman,  and  will  bear  no  coals." 


471 


MONMOUTHSHIRE. 

Monmouth  Castle. 

Monmouthshire  formed  a  portion  of  the  territories  of  the  Sihires,  a 
warlike  people,  who  were  the  last  to  yield  to  the  Roman  armies.  Sub- 
sequently, Monmouthshire  comprehended  part  of  Gwent,  whose  people 
inherited  the  courage  of  their  Silurian  ancestors,  and  kept  the  Anglo- 
Saxons  at  bay.  In  Norman  times  this  border  county  was  included  in 
the  Marches,  lands  holden  by  the  Barons,  with  full  power  to  administer 
justice ;  but  its  feudal  possessors  were  compelled  to  build  or  strengthen 
at  least  twenty-five  Castles  for  their  safety,  the  ruins  of  which  nearly 
all  remain ;  and  when  the  government  of  the  Lord  Marchers  was 
abolished  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.,  Monmouthshire  was  dis- 
severed from  Wales. 

Monmouth  was  successively  a  British  if  not  a  Roman  station ;  a 
Saxon  fortress,  to  restrain  the  inroads  of  the  Welsh ;  and  a  Norman 
walled  town  :  four  gates,  the  moat,  and  portions  of  the  walls  existed 
temp.  Henry  VIII.  Now  the  Welsh  gate,  on  Monnow  bridge,  most 
perfect  and  interesting,  is  nearly  the  sole  relic;  a  portion  of  the 
English  gate  exists.  The  ruins  of  the  Castle  stand  on  the  site  of  the 
British  fort.  The  fortress  is  said  by  Camden  to  have  been  built  by 
John  of  Monmouth,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  III. ;  although  in  Domes- 
day Book,  a  Castle  at  Monmouth  is  mentioned  to  have  been  then  held 
for  the  King  by  William  Fitz-Baderon.  It  was  the  favourite  resi- 
dence of  John  of  Gaunt,  and  of  his  son,  Henry  Bolingbroke,  after- 
wards Henry  IV.;  and  the  birthplace,  in  1387,  of  Henry  V.,  who  was 
thence  called  Harry  of  Monmouth.  Tradition  points  to  the  spot,  part 
of  an  upper  storey  in  ruins ;  a  wooden  oblong  chest,  swinging  by  links 
of  iron,  between  two  standards,  surmounted  by  two  ornamental 
birds,  is  commonly  said  to  have  been  the  cradle  of  Henry  V.,  whereas 
it  was  the  cradle  of  Edward  II.  It  is  shown  at  Troy  House,  half  a 
mile  from  Monmouth,  with  the  armour  which  Henry  wore  at  the 
battle  of  Agincourt. 

The  Castle  of  Monmouth,  as  parcel  of  the  Duchy  of  Lancaster,  was 
inherited  by  Henry  VI.    Edward  IV.,  in  the  fifth  year  of  his  reign. 


472-  Chepstow  Castle, 

granted  it  to  William,  Lord  Herbert,  who  afterwards  became  Eart 
of  Pembroke ;  but  it  again  reverted  to  the  Crown,  and  was  possessed 
by  Henry  VH.,  and  several  of  his  successors.  At  what  time  it  was 
alienated  fi-omthe  Duchy  of  Lancaster  and  became  private  property, 
has  not  been  precisely  ascertained.  The  Duke  of  Beaufort  is  the 
present  proprietor. 

St.  Mary's  Church,  Monmouth,  is  a  relic  of  a  Benedictine  Prioiy, 
founded  in  the  reign  of  Henry  L,  part  of  which,  known  by  the  name 
of  Geoffry  of  Monmouth's  House,  or  Study,  is  shown.  Geoffry,  who 
wrote  a  celebrated  History  of  Britain,  was  created  Archdeacon  of 
Monmouth,  a.d.  1251,  and  afterwards  became  Bishop  of  St.  Asaph. 


Chepstow  Castle. 

This  noble  fortress  rises  from  a  rock  overhanging  the  Wye ;  the 
other  parts  were  defended  by  a  moat,  and  consist  of  massive  walls, 
flanked  with  lofty  towers.  The  grand  entrance  is  a  circular  arch 
between  two  round  towers,  in  the  best  style  of  Norman  military  archi- 
tecture. The  first  court  contains  the  shells  of  the  great  hall,  kitchens, 
and  numerous  apartments  retaining  vestiges  of  baronial  splendour. 
Then,  passing  through  the  garden-court,  you  enter  that  which  con- 
tains the  chapel,  a  very  elegant  structure.  The  western  gateway  was 
formerly  strengthened  by  three  portcullises,  and  separated  by  a  draw- 
bridge from  the  main  structure. 

The  Castle  was  originally  founded  by  Fitz-Osbome,  Earl  of 
Hereford,  almost  immediately  after  the  Conquest,  as  that  nobleman 
was  killed  in  1070.  Soon  after,  his  third  son,  Roger  de  Britolio,  was 
deprived  of  his  estates,  and  sentenced  to  perpetual  imprisonment,  of 
which  Dugdale  relates :  "  Though  he  frequently  used  many  scornful 
expressions  towards  the  King,  yet  was  the  King  pleased  with  the  cele- 
bration of  the  Feast  of  Easter,  in  a  solemn  manner,  as  was  then  usual, 
to  send  to  this  Earl  Roger,  at  that  time  in  prison,  his  royal  robes, 
who  so  disdained  the  favour,  that  he  forthwith  caused  a  great  fire  to  be 
made,  and  the  mantle,  the  inner  surcoat  of  silk,  and  the  upper  garment, 
lined  with  precious  furs,  to  be  suddenly  burnt ;  which,  being  made 
known  to  the  King,  he  became  not  a  little  displeased,  and  sai^i: 
*  Certainly,  he  is  a  very  proud  man  who  hath  thus  abused  me ;  but 
(adding  an  oath)  by  the  brightness  of  God,  he  shall  never  come  out  o\ 
prison  ?.s  long  as  I  live  I'  This  Roger  died  in  prison,  and  his  estates  being 
forfeited,  Chepstow  Castle  was  transfened  to  the  powerful  family  of 


Chepstow  Castle.  473 

Clare,  one  of  whom,  Walter  de  Clare,  founded  the  neighbouring 
Abbey  of  Tintern.  Richard  de  Clare,  sumamed  Strongbow,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  possession  of  this  fortress  in  1148.  The  Castle  is  now 
in  the  possession  of  the  Duke  of  Beaufort,  whose  ancestor.  Sir  Charles 
Somerset,  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  and  heiress  of  William,  Earl  of 
Huntingdon,  whose  grandfather,  William  Herbert,  Earl  of  Pembroke, 
possessed  the  Castle  and  Manor  of  Chepstow  by  purchase. 

The  history  of  the  Castle  during  the  Civil  War  is  stimng.  Crom- 
well was  repulsed  here  by  a  gallant  Royalist  officer,  Sir  Nicholas 
Kemys,  who  had  a  garrison  of  only  100  men.  He  then  left  Colonel 
Ewer,  with  a  large  force,  to  prosecute  the  siege.  But  the  garrison 
defended  themselves  valiantly  until  their  provisions  were  exhausted,  and 
even  then  refused  to  surrender  under  promise  of  quarter,  hoping  to 
escape  by  means  of  a  boat,  which  they  had  provided  for  that  purpose. 
A  soldier  of  the  Parliamentary  army,  however,  swam  across  the  river 
with  a  knife  between  his  teeth,  cut  the  cable  of  the  boat,  and  brought 
it  away.  The  fortress  was  at  length  forced,  and  Sir  Nicholas  Kemys, 
with  40  men,  were  slain  in  the  assault. 

The  interest  of  this  border  fortress  centres  in  the  keep,  in  which 
Henry  Marten,  the  regicide,  was  confined  twenty  years,  and  where  he 
died  in  1680,  in  the  seventy-ninth  year  of  his  age.  He  wae  not 
immured  in  a  cell,  but  with  his  wife  had  comfortable  lodgings 
here,  and  made  excursions  and  visits  in  the  neighbourhood.  Marten 
rejected  Christianity,  and  added  insult  to  hatred  of  loyalty.  "  He 
forced  open  a  great  iron  chest  (says  Anthony  Wood)  within  the 
college  of  Westminster,  and  thence  took  out  the  crown,  robes,  sword, 
and  sceptre,  belonging  anciently  to  King  Edward  the  Confessor,  and 
used  by  all  our  Kings  at  their  inaugurations,  and  with  a  scorn  greater 
than  his  lusts,  and  the  rest  of  his  vices,  he  openly  declared  that  there 
should  be  no  longer  any  use  of  these  toys  and  trifles  ;  and  in  the  jollity 
of  that  humour  he  invested  George  Wither,  a  Puritan  satirist,  in  the 
royal  habiliments ;  who  being  crowned  and  royally  arrayed  (as  well 
right  became  him)  did  forthwith  march  about  the  room  in  a  stately 
garb,  and  afterwards  with  a  thousand  apish  and  ridiculous  actions, 
exposed  those  sacred  raiments  to  contempt  and  laughter.*' 

Marten  was  a  member  of  the  High  Court  of  Justice;  regularly  at- 
tended the  trial  of  Charles  I. ;  was  present  when  the  sentence  was 
pronounced,  and  signed  the  warrant  of  death.  At  the  Restoration 
he  surrendered,  and  was  tried  at  the  Old  Bailey,  as  one  of  the  Regicides. 
He  was  found  guilty,  but  was  respited,  and  ultimately  received  a  re- 
prieve, on  condition  of  perpetual  imprisonment.     He  was  first  confined 


474  •        Chepstow  Castle, 

in  the  Tower,  but  was  soon  removed  to  Chepstow;  in  both   which 
places  he  was  treated  with  great  lenity. 

He  was  buried  in  the  chancel  of  Chepstow  Church ;  but  one  of 
the  vicars  of  the  parish,  deeming  it  improper  that  the  remains  of  the 
Regicide  should  be  so  near  the  altar,  caused  them  to  be  removed  to  the 
south  aisle.  This  aisle  was  subsequently  destroyed,  and  the  stone  that 
covered  his  grave  is  now  to  be  seen,  on  entering  the  church,  in  the  first 
bay  eastward  of  the  tower,  which  is  separated  from  the  rest  of  the 
edifice,  and  used  as  a  vestry-room.    The  inscription  is:— • 

"  Here,  September  the  9th,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  i63ob 
Was  buried  a  true  Englishman, 
Who  in  Berkshire  was  well  known 
To  love  his  country's  freedom  'bove  his  own; 
But  living  immured  full  twenty  year, 
Had  time  to  write,  as  doth  appear, 

HIS   EPITAPH. 

H  ere  or  elsewhere  (all's  one  to  you,  to  me), 

E  arth,  air,  or  water,  gripes  my  ghostly  dust ; 

N  one  knows  how  soon  to  be  by  fire  set  free. 

R  eader,  if  you  an  oft-try'd  rule  will  trust, 

Y  ou'll  gladly  do  and  suffer  what  you  must. 

M  y  time  was  spent  in  serving  you,  and  you 

A  nd  death's  my  pay  (it  seems),  and  welcome,  too; 

R  evenge  destroying  but  itself,  while  I 

T  o  birds  of  prey  leave  my  old  cage,  and  fly. 

E  xamples  preach  to  the  eye ;  care,  then  (mine  says), 

N  ot  how  you  end,  but  how  you  spend  your  days. 

Aged  78  years. 

"  N.B, — ^The  stone  with  the  above  original  inscription  being  broken,  and  the 
letters  obliterated ;  in  order  to  perpetuate  to  posterity  the  event  of  the  burial  of 
the  above  Henry  Marten,  who  sat  as  one  of  the  Judges  on  King  Charles,  and 
died  in  his  imprisonment  in  the  castle  of  this  town,  a  new  stone  was  laid  down 
in  the  year  1812. 

"George  Smith,      li-K^^^v^ro^^o^^  •• 
-William  Morris. r^^'^^^^^'^^^^^* 

Southey  wrote  an  inscription  for  the  room  in  which  Marten  the 
Regicide  was  imprisoned:  it  was  admirably  parodied  in  the  Anti- 
Jacobin,  in  one  "  for  the  cell  of  Newgate,  in  which  Mrs.  Brownrigg,  the 
Prenticide  was  immured."  This  savours  of  the  humour  of  'the 
Doctor,*  for  Brownrigg  was  hung,  and  Martin  was  reprieved. 

South  of  Chepstow  is  Caldecote  Castle,  a  magnificent  strong- 
hold, chiefly  Norman,  but  with  some  Saxon  work.  Its  history  is 
obscure ;  but  it  was  long  in  the  hands  of  the  Bohuns,  Earls  of  Here- 
ford. Camden  terms  it  "a  shell  belonging  to  the  Constables  of 
England,"  by  whom  it  was  held  by  the  service  of  that  office.    It  now 


Tintern  Abbey,  475 

belongs  to  the  Duchy  of  Lancaster.  The  general  design  is  oblong ; 
round  towers  strengthen  the  angles ;  the  entrance  is  grand ;  the  baronial 
hall,  keep,  and  other  ruined  structures,  distinguish  the  interior.  (See 
Cliff's  excellent  Book  of  South  Wales), 


Tintern  Abbey, 

These  celebrated  ruins  are  situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Wye, 
about  nine  miles  below  Monmouth.  The  roof  and  tower  have  fallen, 
but  the  greater  part  of  the  rest  of  the  Abbey  is  in  tolerable  preservation. 
Its  style  is  a  transition  from  Early  English  to  Decorated,  so  that  in 
beauty  of  composition  and  delicacy  of  execution,  it  yields  to  few  edi- 
fices in  the  kingdom,  Tintern  was  built  on  the  spot  where  Theodoric, 
King  of  Glamorgan,  was  killed  whilst  fighting  under  the  banner  of  the 
Cross  against  the  Pagan  Saxons,  in  the  year  600.  The  Abbey  was 
founded  in  1131  for  Cistercian  monks,  by  Walter  de  Clare.  The  build- 
ing of  the  church  was  commenced  by  Roger  de  Bigod,  Earl  of  Norfolk, 
Earl  Marshal,  who  bestowed  great  wealth  on  the  foundation:  the 
Abbot  and  monks  first  celebrated  mass  within  it  in  1268.  The  site 
was  granted  in  the  28th  Henry  VIII.,  to  Henry,  the  second  Earl  of 
Worcester,  and  the  whole  is  now  the  property  of  the  Duke  of  Beaufort.' 
In  1847,  in  making  an  excavation  in  an  orchard  adjoining  the  Abbey, 
were  discovered  the  remains  of  the  Hospitium  or  smaller  convent,  in 
which  the  monks  were  wont  to  entertain  strangers  and  travellers  of  their 
order,  who,  passing  thence  through  the  cloisters,  entered  on  the  more 
solemn  duties  of  the  Abbey ;  its  extent  suggests  the  scale  of  liberality 
at  this  once  splendid  monastic  pile. 

Tintern  has  ever  been  a  favoured  locality  with  poets  and  visitors  of  a 
poetic  turn  of  mind.  Wordsworth's  lines,  viritten  a  few  miles  above 
Tintern  on  revisiting  the  banks  of  the  Wye,  are  a  fine  example  of  the 
poet's  rapt  imaginative  style,  blending  metaphysical  truth  with  diffuse 
gorgeous  description  and  metaphor,  and  exemplifying  the  author's  doc- 
trine that  the  intellect  should  be  nourished  by  the  feelings,  and  that  the 
state  of  mind  which  bestows  a  gift  of  genuine  insight,  is  one  of  profound 
emotion,  as  well  as  profound  composure  j  or,  as  Coleridge  has  expressed 
himself— 

"  Deep  self-possession,  an  intense  repose." 

In  Wordsworth's  "  Lines"  he  attributes  to  his  intermediate  recollections 
of  the  landscape  then  revisited  a  benign  influence  over  many  acts  of 


47^  Lianthony  Abbey, 

daily  life,  and  describes  the  particulars  in  which  he  is  indebted  to  them. 

"The  impassioned  love  of  nature  is  interfused  through  the 

whole  of  Mr.  Wordsworth's  system  of  thought,  filling  up  all  interstices, 
penetrating  all  recesses,  colouring  all  media,  supporting,  associating, 
and  giving  coherency  and  mutual  relevancy  to  it  in  all  its  parts." — 
{Quarterly  Re'viefiv,  1834.)    How  touchingly  beautiful  and  how  true  ai^ 

these  lines: 

"  Though  absent  lon^, 
These  forms  of  beauty  have  not  been  to  me 
As  is  a  landscape  to  a  blind  man's  eye  : 
But  oft,  in  lonely  rooms,  and  'mid  the  din 
Of  towns  and  cities,  I  have  oived  to  them, 
In  hours  of  weariness,  sensations  sweet. 
Felt  in  the  blood,  and  felt  along  the  heart, 
And  passing  even  into  my  purer  mind 
With  tranquil  restoration — feehngs,  too. 
Of  unremembered  pleasure  ;  such,  perhaps, 
As  may  have  had  no  trivial  influence 
On  that  best  portion  of  a  good  man's  life, 
His  little,  nameless,  unremembered  acts 
Of  kindness  and  of  love." 

This  digression  may  be  pardoned  in  a  work  like  the  present,  which 
seeks,  though  with  conscious  humility,  to  impart  the  holier  influence  ot 
the  beautiful  scenes  and  objects  which  it  describes. 


Lianthony  Abbey. 

At  the  foot  of  the  Black  Mountain,  in  the  vale  of  Ewias,  are  seen  the 
ruins  of  this  famous  religious  house,  of  which  a  Monk  early  in  the  thir- 
teenth century  wrote  as  follows :  "  There  stands  in  a  deep  valley  a 
conventual  church,  situated  to  promote  true  religion,  beyond  almost  all 
the  churches  in  England;  quiet  for  contemplation,  and  retired  for  con- 
versation with  the  Almighty ;  here  the  sorrowful  complaints  of  the 
oppressed  do  not  disquiet,  nor  the  mad  contentions  of  the  fioward  do 
not  disturb,  but  a  calm  peace  and  perfect  charity  invite  to  holy  religion 
and  bnnish  discord."  The  tradition  of  its  foundation  runs  thus :  St. 
David,  uncle  of  King  Arthur,  and  titular  Saint  of  Wales,  finding  a 
solitary  place  among  woods  and  rocks,  built  a  small  chapel  on  the  banks 
of  the  little  river  Honddy,  and  passed  many  years  in  this  hermitage, 

where^ 

"  He  did  only  drink  what  crystal  Honddney  yields, 
And  fed  upon  the  leeks  he  gather'd  in  the  fields, 
In  memory  of  whom  in  the  revolving  year, 
The  Welshmen  on  his  day  that  sacred  herb  do  wear." 

DraytoM, 


L  lantJtony  A  bhey,  47  7 

On  St.  David's  death  it  remained  for  centuries  unfrequented.  This  chapel 
was  called  Llan  Denvi  Nant  Honddu,  which  means  the  Church  of  David 
on  the  Honddy,  and  of  which  the  present  name  is  only  a  corruption. 
In  the  reign  of  William  Rufus,  Hugh  de  Laci,  a  great  Norman  baron, 
once  followed  the  deer  into  this  valley,  and  one  of  his  retainers,  named 
William,  wearied  with  the  chase,  threw  himself  down  on  the  grass  to 
rest.  Espying  the  remains  of  the  old  chapel,  and  suddenly  urged  by 
the  impulse  of  religious  feeling,  he  instantly  devoted  himself  to  the  ser- 
vice of  God.  He  laid  aside  his  belt,  and  girded  himself  with  a  rope ; 
instead  of  fine  linen,  he  put  on  hair-cloth,  and  instead  of  his  soldier's 
robe,  he  loaded  himself  with  weighty  irons.  The  suit  cHf  armour 
which  before  defended  him  from  the  darts  of  his  enemies,  he  still  wore, 
as  a  garment  to  harden  him  against  the  temptations  of  Satan  ;  and  he 
continued  to  wear  it,  till  it  was  worn  out  with  rust  and  age.  This 
man's  reputation  for  sanctity  led  to  the  foundation  of  a  priory ;  and 
large  donations  in  money  and  lands  were  repeatedly  offered,  but  were 
declined ;  the  hermits  choosing,  as  they  said,  to  live  poor  in  the  house 
of  God.  The  resolution  was  at  length  overcome,  if  we  may  believe  the 
tradition,  in  rather  a  whimsical  manner.  Maud,  Queen  of  Henry  I., 
once  desired  permission  to  put  her  hand  into  William's  bosom,  and 
when  he,  with  great  modesty,  peraiitted  her,  she  conveyed  a  large  purse 
of  gold  between  his  coarse  shirt  and  iron  boddice.  The  spell  of  poverty 
being  thus  once  broken,  riches  poured  in  from  every  side,  and  a  more 
magnificent  church  was  built. 

But  peace  and  contemplation  did  not  long  dwell  in  Llanthony.  A 
Welshman  sought  refuge  in  the  sacred  asylum,  and  was  followed  by  his 
enemies.  The  monastery  was  speedily  converted  into  a  rendezvous  of 
lawless  men  and  women.  "  In  this  distress,"  says  the  Monk,  "  what 
could  the  soldiers  of  Christ  do  ?  They  are  encompassed  without  by 
the  weapons  of  their  enemies,  and  frights  are  within  ;  they  cannot  pro- 
cure food,  nor  perform  their  religious  office  with  reverence."  In  this 
emergency  they  applied  to  Betun,  Bishop  of  Hereford,  who  was  their 
Prior.  He  invited  them  to  Hereford,  resigned  his  palace  to  them  for 
two  years,  and  maintained  all  who  quitted  the  convent.  His  good  offices 
then  procured  for  them  a  spot  of  ground  called  Hyde,  near  Gloucester, 
where  they  built  a  church,  and  establishing  themselves  on  the  spot  as  a 
temporary  residence,  called  it  Llanthony.  The  ruins  are  visible  there 
now. 

The  house  was  to  be  only  a  cell  to  the  Abbey  in  Monmouthshire, 
whither  the  monks  were  bound  to  return  on  the  restoration  of  peace ; 
but  by  many  la'-ge  endowments,  this  Llanthony  the  Second  rose  in 


47^  Llanthony  Abbey, 

opulence  and  splendour ;  the  monks,  courted  by  the  great,  and  living  in 
every  kind  of  ease  and  luxury,  forgot  their  original  tabernacle  in  the  wil- 
derness ;  they  not  only  refused  to  return,  but  claimed  for  the  daughter 
pre-eminence  over  the  mother-church.  The  few  who  continued  to  re- 
side in  this  valley  were  oppressed  and  pillaged.  The  Monk  thus  pours 
forth  his  doleful  complaints:  "  When  the  storm  subsided,  and  peace 
was  restored,  then  did  the  sons  of  Llanthony  tear  up  the  bonds  of  their 
mother-church,  and  refuse  to  serve  God,  as  their  duty  required ;  for 
they  used  to  say  there  was  much  difference  between  the  city  of  Glou- 
cester and  the  wild  rocks  of  Hartyvel  (a  range  of  mountains  near  the 
parent  monastery)  ;  between  the  rich  Severn  and  the  brook  Honddy ; 
between  the  wealthy  English  and  the  beggarly  Welsh.  There  fertile 
meadows,  here  barren  heaths.  I  have  heard  it  said,  and  I  partly  believe 
it  (I  hope  it  did  not  proceed  from  the  rancour  of  their  hearts),  they 
wished  every  stone  of  this  ancient  foundation  a  stout  hare.  They  have 
usurped,  and  lavished,  all  the  revenues  of  the  church  ;  there  they  have 
built  lofty  and  stately  offices,  here  they  have  suffered  our  venerable 
buildings  to  fall  to  ruin.  And  to  avoid  the  scandal  of  deserting  an 
ancient  monastery,  they  send  hither  their  old  and  useless  members. 
They  permitted  the  monastery  to  be  reduced  to  such  poverty,  that  the 
friars  were  without  surplices.  Sometimes  one  day's  bread  must  serve 
for  two,  while  the  monks  of  Gloucester  enjoyed  superfluities.  If  our 
remonstrances,  which  availed  nothing,  were  repeated,  they  replied, 
*  Who  would  go  and  sing  to  the  wolves  ?  Do  the  whelps  of  wolves 
delight  in  loud  music  ?'  They  even  made  sport,  and  when  any  person 
was  sent  hither,  would  ask,  *  What  fault  has  he  committed  ?  Why  is  he 
sent  to  prison  ?*  Thus  was  the  mistress  and  mother-house  called  a 
dungeon  and  a  place  of  banishment  for  criminals."  The  Monk  proceeds 
to  lament  that  the  library  was  despoiled  of  its  books ;  the  muniment- 
room  of  its  deeds  and  charters ;  the  silk  vestments  and  relics  embroi- 
dered with  silver  and  gold  were  taken  away ;  the  treasury  was  spoiled 
of  its  precious  goods.  Whatever  was  valuable  or  ornamental,  even  the 
bells,  notwithstanding  their  great  weight,  were  carried  off  without  the 
smallest  opposition  to  Gloucester. 

The  desolate  state  of  the  Abbey  induced  King  Edward  IV.  to  unite 
the  two  houses  by  charter,  making  the  church  of  Gloucester  the  prin- 
cipal, and  obliging  the  monks  to  maintain  a  Prior  and  four  canons  in 
the  original  monastery.  Whether  this  ever  was  carried  into  effect  is 
uncertain.  At  the  Dissolution  of  monasteries,  the  two  were  valued 
separately;  the  mother  church,  in  the  valley  of  Ewias,  being  only 
one-ninth  part  of  the  monastery  at  Gloucester, 


RAGLAN    CASTLE. 

I.  Royal  Apartments.  2.  The  Grand  Entrance. 


P-  479 


Ragland  Castle,  479 

The  form  of  the  Church  of  Llanthony  was  that  of  a  Roman  cross. 
At  the  Dissolution,  the  Church  and  manor  were  granted  to  Richard 
Arnold,  in  whose  family  they  remained  until  Queen  Anne's  reign,  when 
the  property  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Oxford  family,  who  retained 
it  until  Mr.  Walter  Savage  Landor  became  the  possessor.  Part  of  the 
old  Priory  is  converted  into  a  romantic  inn. 

In  addition  to  Tintern  and  Llanthony,  Tanner  mentions  the  follow- 
ing religious  houses  in  Monmouthshire  : 

Abergavenny. — A  Priory,  which  remained  until  the  general  Sup- 
pression. 

Bassaleg. — A  Benedictine  Priory. 

Caerleon. — A  Cistercian  Abbot  and  monks. 

GoldclifF. — A  Priory,  founded  in  1173,  and  afterwards  united  to 
Tewkesbury.  It  was  granted  to  Eton  College  in  the  29th 
of  Henry  VI.  The  college  was  deprived  of  it,  but  sub- 
sequently regained  possession. 

Gracedieu. — A  small  Cistercian  Abbey. 

St.  Kynemark,  or  Kinmercy. — A  Priory  in  existence  before  A.d.  1291. 

Lankywan,  or  Llangwin. — Near  Grosmont,  a  cell  of  Black  Monks, 
subordinate  to  the  Abbey  of  Lara,  in  Normandy. 

Llantumam. — A  Cistercian  Abbey. 

Malpas. — Near  Caerleon,  a  cell  of  Cluniac  Monks,  to  the  Priory  of 
Montacute,  in  Somersetshire. 

Monmouth. — A  Priory  of  Black  Monks,  who  came  from  Anjou  in 
the  reign  of  Henry  I. ;  also,  two  Hospitals,  one  dedicated  to 
St.  John,  the  other  to  the  Holy  Trinity. 

Newport. — Situated  "  by  the  key,  beneath  the  bridge,"  was  a  house, 
probably  of  Friar  Preachers,  for  such  was  granted  in  the 
35thof  Henry  VIII. 

Strigil. — An  alien  Priory  of  Benedictines  to  the  Abbey  of  Corneilles 
in  Normandy. 

Usk. — An  old  Hospital  and  a  Priory. 


Ragland  Castle. 

Ragland  Castle  is  situated  about  eight  miles  from  Monmouth,  near 
the  road  thence  to  Abergavenny :  it  gives  name  to  one  of  the  hundreds 
of  the  county,  and  the  dignity  of  a  baron  to  the  honours  of  his  Grace 
the  Duke  of  Beaufort,  he  being  styled  Baron  Herbert  of  Cardiff,  Lord 
of  Ragland,  Chepstow,  and  Gower. 


4^0  Ragland  Castle, 

This  edifice,  which,  when  in  its  splendour,  was  reckoned  one  of  the 
finest  in  England,  stands  on  a  hill  called,  before  the  Castle  was  built, 
Twyn-y-ciros,  which  in  Welsh  signifies  the  Cherry  Hill.  The  space 
of  ground  within  the  castle  walls  measured  four  acres  two  roods  and 
one  perch.  Grose  observes,  that  "  this  Castle  is  of  no  great  antiquity ; 
its  foundations  ai"e  said  to  have  been  laid  about  the  time  of  Henry  the 
Seventh  (1485-1509)."  Leland  thus  describes  it : — "  Ragland,  yn 
middle  Venseland,  ys  a  fair  and  pleasant  castel,  eight  miles  from 
Chepstow  and  seven  from  Bergavenny,  the  towne  by  ys  bare,  there  lye 
to  goodly  parkes  adjacent  to  the  castel."  And  in  another  place, 
"  Morgan  told  me  that  one  of  the  laste  Lord  Herbertes  builded  al  the 
beste  cofl^es  of  the  castel  of  Ragland."  Camden  calls  it  "  a  fair  house  of 
the  Earl  of  Worcester's,  built  castle  ways."  We  know  not  on  what 
authority  Grose  fixes  so  late  a  date  as  the  reign  of  Henry  VH.,  since 
Mr.  Collins  informs  us,  in  the  "  Pedigree  of  Herbert,"  that  Sir  John 
Morley,  Knt.  Lord  of  Ragland  Castle,  resided  here  in  the  reign  of 
Richard  H.  Mr.  Jones  says  it  was  built  by  Sir  William  Thomas,  and 
his  son  William  Earl  of  Pembroke,  who  was  beheaded  at  Banbury. 
Sir  W.  Thomas  lived  in  the  reign  of  Henry  V.,  and  was  present  with 
the  king  at  the  memorable  battle  of  Agincourt,  in  defending  whom,  in 
company  with  Sir  David  Gam,  he  lost  his  life,  his  Majesty  bestowing 
on  him  the  honour  of  knighthood  before  he  died.  The  Earl  of  Pem- 
broke was  beheaded  in  the  8th  of  Edward  IV.,  1469,  so  that  both  these 
testimonies  contradict  the  above  assertion. 

In  walking  round  this  Castle  every  part  of  it  may  be  distinctly  traced, 
and  its  purposes  immediately  applied.  In  a  direct  line  with  the  fortress 
were  three  gates :  the  first  of  brick,  fi-om  which,  at  the  distance  of 
1 80  feet,  by  the  ascent  of  many  steps,  was  the  White  gate,  built  ot 
tjquared  stones.  At  some  distance,  on  the  left  side,  stands  the  Tower 
Melin  y  Gvvent,  (the  Yellow  Tower  of  Gwent)  which,  for  height, 
ritrength  and  neatness,  surpassed  most,  if  not  eveiy  other  tower  in 
England  or  Wales.  It  was  six-sided ;  the  walls  were  ten  feet  thick,  of 
square  stones,  in  height  five  storeys,  commanding  a  delightful  view  of 
the  surrounding  country.  Its  battlements  being  but  eight  inches  thick, 
were  soon  broken  by  the  shot  of  eight  guns  ;  but  the  tower  itself  re- 
ceived little  or  no  damage  from  bullets  of  eighteen  and  twenty  pounds 
weight,  at  the  rate  of  sixty  shots  a  day. 

This  tower  was  joined  to  the  Castle  by  a  sumptuous  arched  bridge, 
encompassed  about  with  an  out-wall,  with  six  arched  tun-cts  with 
battlements,  all  of  square  stone,  adjoining  to  a  deep  moat  thirty  feet 
broad,  wherein  was  placed  an  artificial  waterwork,  which  spouted  up 


Ragland  Castle,  48 1 

ivater  to  the  height  of  the  Castle.  Next  to  it  was  a  pleasant  walk,  set 
Torth  with  several  figures  of  the  Roman  emperors,  in  shell-work.  The 
Castle  gate  has  a  square  tower  on  each  side,  with  battlements.  Within 
this  gate  was  the  pitched  stone  court,  on  the  right  hand  side  of  which 
was  the  Closet  Tower.  Straight-forward  was  the  way  to  the  kitchen 
tower  of  six  outsides.  About  the  middle  of  this  was  the  passage  into 
'he  stately  hall,  sixty-six  feet  long  and  twenty-eight  broad,  having  a  rare 
geometrical  roof,  built  of  Irish  oak,  with  a  large  cupola  on  the  top 
for  light.  The  parlour  was  noted  for  the  fair  inside  wainscots  and 
curiously  carved  figures.  There  was  a  gallery,  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  feet  long,  having  many  beautiful  windows. 

In  a  large  court  was  a  marble  fountain,  called  the  White  Horse,  con- 
tinually running  with  clear  water.  Thence  through  a  fine  gate,  under 
a  large  square  tower,  over  a  bridge,  is  the  way  to  the  bowling-green, 
•  much  admired  for  its  prospect  westward  by  King  Charles  I.,  who 
visited  this  Castle  several  times.  The  park  was  planted  thick  with  oaks 
and  large  beech  trees,  and  richly  stocked  with  deer. 

This  Castle  was  a  garrison  from  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War,  and 
kept  by  the  Earl  at  his  own  charge.  When  created  a  Marquis,  in  1642, 
he  raised  an  army  of  1500  foot  and  500  horse,  which  he  placed  unde. 
the  command  of  his  son,  the  second  Marquis,  the  discoverer  of  the 
steam-engine.  Charles  sought  a  refuge  here  in  July,  1645,  after  the 
disastrous  battle  of  Naseby,  and  remained  until  the  15th  of  September. 
The  Castle  being  strongly  besieged,  and  having  no  hopes  of  relief 
(being  one  of  the  last  garrisons),  it  was  surrendered  to  Sir  Thomas 
Fairfax  on  the  19th  day  of  August,  1646.  Fairfax's  lieutenant,  when 
he  summoned  the  garrison  to  sun-ender  in  June,  1646,  wrote  thus: — 
"  His  Excellency  Sir  Thomas  Fairfax,  having  now  finished  his  work 
over  the  Kingdom,  except  this  castle,  has  been  pleased  to  spare  his  forces 
for  this  work."  The  Marquis,  then  85,  in  reply  stoutly  said,  that  he 
"  made  choice  (if  it  soe  pleased  God)  rather  to  dye  nobly  than  to  live 
with  infamy."  The  siege  lasted  from  the  3rd  of  June  until  the  19th , 
of  August,  when  a  capitulation  was  effected  on  honourable  terms.  The 
Marquis  and  his  followers  marched  sorrowfully  out,  the  former  pro-  • 
ceeding  to  London,  where  contrary  to  the  articles  of  surrender,  he  was 
seized  and  imprisoned.  His  health  failed,  and  shortly  before  his  death, 
at  the  age  of  86,  when  informed  that  Parliament  would  permit  him  to 
be  buried  in  the  family  vault  in  Windsor  Chapel,  he  cried  out  cheer- 
fully, "Why,  God  bless  us  all,  why  then  I  shall  have  a  better  castle 
when  I  am  dead  than  they  took  from  me  whilst  I  was  alive."  After- 
wards, the  woods  in  the  three  parks  were  destroyed}  the  lead  and 
*  *  II 


4^2  Ragland  Castle, 

tirabcr  were  carried  to  Monmouth,  and  thence  by  water  to  Bristol,  to 
rebuild  the  bridge  there  after  the  great  fire.  The  lead  alone  that 
covered  the  Castle  is  stated  to  have  been  sold  for  6000/. ;  the  loss  to  the 
family  in  the  house  and  woods  was  estimated  at  100,000/. 

The  great  tower,  after  tedious  battering  the  top  thereof  with  pick- 
axes, was  undennined,  and  the  weight  of  it  propped  with  timber,  whilst 
two  sides  of  the  six  were  cut  through:  the  timber  being  burnt  it  fell 
down  in  a  lump,  and  remains  so  to  this  day. 

The  artificial  roof  of  the  hall,  as  it  could  not  well  be  taken  down, 
remained  whole  twenty  years  after  the  siege.  Above  thirty  vaults  of 
all  sorts  of  rooms  and  cellars,  and  three  arched  bridges,  besides  the 
tower  bridge,  are  yet  standing;  but  the  most  curious  arch  of  the  chapel 
and  rooms  above,  with  many  others,  are  totally  destroyed. 

Many  coins  of  the  reigns  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  King  James,  and 
Charles  I.,  &c.,  have  been  found,  but  not  one  deserving  preservation. 
Eveiy  reader  of  taste  must  regret  the  vandalism  that  destroyed  the  mag- 
nificent library  at  Ragland  Castle,  which  was  esteemed  one  of  the  finest 
in  Europe. 

In  this  Castle  the  second  Marquis  of  Worcester,  the  inventor  of  the 
"  Water-commanding  Engine,"  (in  which  steam  was  employed  as  in 
our  steam-engines,)  pursued  his  experimental  researches.  In  1640,  some 
rustics,  in  the  interest  of  the  Parliament,  came  to  search  the  Castle 
for  arms,  from  which,  however  they  desisted  ;  but  the  inventive  Lord 
Herbert,  afterwards  Marquis,  in  the  parley  which  ensued,  "  brought 
them  over  a  high  bridge  that  arched  over  the  moat  that  was  between 
the  Castle  and  the  great  tower,  wherein  the  Lord  Herbert  had  newly 
contrived  certain  water-works,  which,  when  the  several  engines  and 
wheels  were  to  be  set  a-going,  much  quantity  of  water  through  the 
hollow  conveyances  of  the  aqueducts  was  to  be  let  down  from  the  top 
of  the  high  tower."  These  engines  were  set  to  work,  and  their  noise 
and  roar  so  frightened  the  Parliamentary  searchers  that  they  ran  as  fast 
as  they  could  out  of  the  grounds  upon  being  told  that  "  the  lions  had 
got  loose."  The  position  of  these  water-works,  as  described  by  a  con- 
temporary chaplain,  exactly  coincides  with  some  remaining  vestiges  in 
the  stonework  of  the  Castle,  the  external  wall  of  the  keep,  whereon 
are  seen  •*  certain  strange  mysterious  grooves,"  on  that  side  of  the  wall 
facing  the  moat,  "  which  point  like  a  hieroglyphic  inscription  to  the 
precise  place  where  once  stood  in  active  operation  the  first  practical 
application  in  a  primitive  form  of  a  means  of  employing  steam  as  a 
mechanical  agent."    {Mr,  Dircks,  C.E.) 

The  Marquis  died  in  London  in  1667  :  his  remains  were  inteiTed  in 


Caerleon,  a  Roman  and  British  City.  4^3 

Ragland  Church,  and  he  had  expressed  an  intention  that  a  model  ot 
his  Water-commanding  Engine  should  be  buried  with  him ;  whether 
this  was  done  is  uncertain. 


Abergavenny  Castle. 

Abergavenny,  at  the  confluence  of  the  Gavenny  and  merry  Usk, 
(^Aber,  meaning  confluence)  is  of  Roman  origin,  and  was,  subsequently, 
a  sort  of  Warder  on  the  edge  of  the  hill  country.  Owen  Glendower 
burnt  Abergavenny  almost  to  ashes  in  1403.  In  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII, 
it  was  "  a  fair  waulled  town  ;"  the  last,  or  Tudor's  gate,  was  destroyed 
in  our  time.  Churchyard  the  poet  (1587)  sings  of  "the  most  goodly 
towers  "  of  the  Castle ;  but  as  a  ruin  it  is  now  uninteresting,  hidden  by 
ivy,  and  blended  with  a  modern  mansion,  upon  the  site  of  the  keep. 
It  was  long  an  important  fortress,  conferring  a  barony  on  its  possessor 
by  feudal  tenure.  It  has  been  the  scene  of  foul  deeds.  In  1172  Aberga- 
venny Castle,  under  William  de  Braos,  was  taken  by  Sytsylt  ap  Dyfer- 
wald,  a  Welsh  chieftain,  but  shortly  afterwards  restored  to  Braos,  who 
invited  Sytsylt  and  his  son  Geoffry  to  conclude  a  treaty  of  amity  at 
this  place,  when  they  were  both  treacherously  murdered.  A  similar 
act  of  sanguinary  treachery  had  been  before  perpetrated  within  the 
same  walls  by  William,  son  of  Milo,  Earl  of  Hereford.  In  1215,  the 
Castle  was  taken  from  the  forces  of  King  John  by  Llewellyn,  Prince 
of  Wales.  In  the  grounds  is  a  celebrated  avenue  of  Scotch  firs,  about 
a  mile  in  length,  but  not  more  than  35  feet  in  width,  and  in  some  places 
only  10  feet. 

Some  miles  east  of  Abergavenny,  are  situated  the  stately  ruins  of 
White  or  Llandillo  Castle,  a  strong  and  important  fortress  in  the  early 
ages  of  English  history.  Grosmont,  in  the  upper  part  of  the  romantic 
valley  of  the  Monnow,  exhibits  a  fine  view  of  this  ancient  fortress. 


Caerleon,  a  Roman  and  British  City. 

Caerleon,  now  an  inconsiderable  town,  is  stated  to  have  once  been 
the  capital  of  Wales.  It  stands  on  the  river  Usk,  in  Monmouthshire, 
and  was  the  Isca  Silurum,  one  of  the  oldest  Roman  stations  in  Britain. 
It  was  the  seat  of  an  archbishop  soon  after  the  introduction  of  Chris- 
tianity into  this  country.  The  remains  of  the  former  importance  of 
the  place  are  extremely  scanty,  and  the  chief  part  of  the  ancient  city  site 
is  now  occupied  as  fields  and  orchards.    The  site  is  impressive  when 


4^4  Caerleofi,  a  Roman  a7td  British  City, 

approached  near  sundown  on  a  summer  evening.  Here,  when  the  iron- 
hearted  Roman  became  elegant  and  luxurious,  he  was  wont  to  resort, 
and  disport  himself  in  the  fair  region  of  Britannia  Secunda.  It  was  a 
place  of  great  note — "  the  City  of  the  Legions."  Giraldus  Cam- 
brcnsis,  more  than  seven  centuries  after  the  Romans  had  left  our  island, 
gives  this  lively  picture  of  Caerleon : — "  Many  remains  of  its  foiTner 
magnificence  are  still  visible :  splendid  palaces,  which  once  emulated, 
with  their  gilded  roofs,  the  gi-andeur  of  Rome ;  for  it  was  originally 
built  by  the  Roman  princes,  and  adorned  with  stately  edifices ;  a 
gigantic  tower,  numerous  baths,  ruins  of  temples,  and  a  theatre,  the 
walls  of  which  are  partly  standing.  Here  we  still  see,  within  and  with- 
out the  walls,  subterranean  buildings,  aqueducts,  and  vaulted  caverns ; 
and,  what  appeared  to  me  most  remarkable,  stoves,  so  excellently  con- 
trived as  to  diffuse  their  heat  through  secret  and  imperceptible  pores." 

There  is  altogether  much  to  repay  curiosity  at  Caerleon.  There  is  the 
mound,  300  yards  round  at  the  base  and  90  at  the  summit,  on  which 
stood  "  the  gigantic  tower ;"  ruins  lie  about  it ;  the  garden  on  which  it 
stands  is  strewn  with  Roman  antiquities.  A  space  of  ground,  which 
it  is  believed  was  a  Roman  amphitheatre,  may  still  be  traced  in  the 
Round  Table  field.  Its  form  is  oval,  222  feet  by  192.  In  the  last 
century  stone  seats  were  discovered  on  opening  the  sides  of  the  con- 
cavity, but  they  are  now  covered  with  turf.  The  walls  near  the  amphi- 
theatre are  the  most  remarkable :  none  now  exceed  13  feet  high,  but 
their  thickness  extends  to  12  feet.  The  shape  of  the  fortress  is  oblong  ; 
three  of  the  sides  are  straight,  the  fourth  curvilinear;  they  inclose 
a  circumference  of  1800  yards,  with  comers  rounded,  like  most  of  the 
Roman  stations  in  Britain.  The  mound  is  supposed  to  have  been 
greatly  enlarged  by  the  Normans,  who  built  here  a  fortress,  the  ruins  of 
which  were  about  40  feet  high  in  the  middle  of  the  last  century. 

Amongst  the  other  features  of  Caerleon  are  the  remains  of  the  Castle, 
overhanging  the  Usk ;  ruins  near  the  bridge,  and  a  round  tower. 
Many  of  the  houses  in  the  village  are  partly  built  with  Roman  bricks; 
the  market-place  is  supported  by  four  Tuscan  columns — grim  memo- 
rials of  the  ancient  conqueror.  About  half  way  between  Caerleon  and 
Usk,  in  Tredonncc  church,  is  a  Roman  inscription  to  the  memory  of  a 
soldier  of  the  second  Augustan  legion. 

After  the  departure  of  the  Romans,  Caerleon  became  a  British  city 
— the  capital  of  Gwent  land — in  the  sixth  century,  one  of  the  abodes 
of  King  4>rthur. 


485 


Coldbrook  House. 

Coldbrook  House,  about  a  mile  south  of  the  town  of  Aberga- 
venny, in  Monmouthshire,  occupies  a  charming  situation,  in  the 
midst  of  grounds  beautifully  diversified  and  richly  clothed  with  oak, 
beech,  and  elm.  The  ancient  mansion  was  an  irregular  edifice, 
with  a  square  tower  at  each  angle.  Its  northern  front,  with  an 
elegant  Doric  portico,  was  constructed  by  its  last  famous  pro- 
prietor. Among  the  pictures  to  be  seen  here  are  a  portrait  of 
Henrietta,  Queen  of  Charles  I.,  by  Vandyke,  in  his  best  manner, 
and  portraits  of  Mrs.  Woffington,  Mrs.  Oldfield,  and  General 
Churchill.  But  this  ancestral  seat  is  chiefly  noticeable  for  the 
residence  in  it  of  two  persons  equally  memorable  in  their  time, 
though  for  different  qualifications — the  one.  Sir  Richard  Herbert, 
the  intrepid  soldier  and  flower  of  chivalry  ;  the  other.  Sir  Charles 
Hanbury  Williams,  "  the  polished  courtier  and  the  votary  of  wit 
and  pleasure." 

The  derivation  of  the  name  of  Herbert  has  given  rise  to  much 
controversy.  Investigation,  however,  shows  that  it  was  common  in 
the  different  provinces  of  France  prior  to  the  Conquest.  It  made 
its  appearance  in  England  with  the  Normans  under  the  Conqueror. 
Great  difference  of  opinion  prevails  respecting  the  original  English 
ancestor  of  the  Herberts,  and,  indeed,  inquiry  in  this  direction  seems 
hopeless.  An  anecdote  related  of  Mr.  Proger,  one  of  the  later 
owners  of  the  estate  of  Wernder,  or  Gwarynder,  the  seat  of  the 
ancestors  oi  the  Herberts,  at  once  illustrates  the  family  pride  of 
the  gentleman  and  throws  some  light  on  the  question  under  con- 
sideration. A  stranger  having  met  Mr.  Proger  near  his  own  house, 
inquired,  "  What  is  this  ancient  mansion  before  us  V  "  That,  sir, 
\s  Wernder,"  replied  Mr.  Proger,  "  a  very  ancient  house,  for  out  of 
it  cajne  the  Earls  of  Pembroke  of  the  first  line,  and  the  Earls  of 
Pembroke  of  the  second  line  ;  the  Lords  Herbert  of  Cherbury,  the 
Herberts  of  Coldbrook,  Rumney,  Cardiff,  and  York ;  the  Morgans 
oi  Acton,  the  Earl  of  Hunsdon,  the  Jones's  of  Treowen  and 
Lanarth,  and  all  the  Powells.   Out  of  this  house  also,  by  the  female 

line,  came  the  Dukes  of  Beaufort "     "And  pray,  sir,  who  lives 

there  now  ?"  "  I  do,  sir."  "  Then  come  out  of  it  yourself,  or  'twill 
tumble  and  crush  you." 

The  first  Herbert  of  Coldbrook  of  whom  we  read  is  Sir  Richard 
of  that  name,  whom  his  great  grandson.  Lord  Herbert  of  Cherburv 


486  Coldbrook  House, 

writes  of  as  "  that  incomparable  hero,  who  (in  the  history  of  Hall 
and  Grafton  as  it  appears)  twice  passed  through  a  great  army  of 
northern  men  alone,  with  his  poleaxe  in  his  hand,  and  returned 
without  any  mortal  hurt,  which  is  more  than  is  famed  of  Amadis 
de  Galle,  or  the  Knight  of  the  Sun."  The  earlier  pages  of  Herbert 
of  Cherbury's  Autobiography  are  taken  up  with  an  account  of  the 
writer's  ancestors.  In  this  account  occurs  the  following  tradition  : — 
Being  employed,  together  with  his  brother.  Earl  of  Pembroke,  to 
reduce  certain  rebels  in  North  Wales,  Sir  Richard  Herbert  besieged 
a  principal  portion  of  them  at  Harlech  Castle,  in  Monmouthshire. 
The  captain  of  this  place  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  wars  of  France, 
and  it  was  his  boast  that  he  had  kept  a  castle  in  France  that  had 
made  the  old  women  in  Wales  talk  of  him,  and  that  he  would  keep 
his  present  castle  in  Wales  so  long  that  he  would  now  make  the 
old  women  in  France  talk  of  him.  And,  indeed,  as  the  place  was 
almost  impregnable,  except  by  famine.  Sir  Richard  Herbert  was 
constrained  to  offer  conditions  to  the  keeper  of  the  castle,  in  the 
event  of  his  being  willing  to  surrender.  The  chief  condition  was, 
that  Sir  Richard  was  to  do  all  in  his  power,  by  intercession  with 
the  king,  to  protect  the  life  of  his  prisoner.  The  condition  was 
accepted,  the  besieged  surrendered,  and  was  brought  by  Sir  Richard 
before  King  Edward  IV.  The  Knight  begged  the  king  to  grant  the 
prisoner  a  pardon,  since  he  had  yielded  up  a  place  of  importance, 
which  he  might  have  held  much  longer.  But  the  king  replied  that 
he  had  no  power  by  his  commission  to  pardon  any.  Sir  Richard, 
remembering  his  promise  to  do  the  best  he  could  for  the  prisoner, 
humbly  besought  his  majesty  to  do  one  of  two  things — either  to  put 
the  prisoner  again  in  the  castle  in  which  he  had  surrendered,  and  let 
some  other  knight  have  the  duty  of  besieging,  or  to  take  his  own 
(Sir  Richard's)  life  for  the  captain's — that  being  the  last  proof  he 
could  give  that  he  used  his  utmost  endeavour  to  save  the  cap- 
tain's life.  The  king  was  now  obliged  to  yield,  he  could  not  take 
the  life  of  his  bravest  knight,  and  he  was  constrained  to  pardon  the 
captain. 

On  another  occasion.  Sir  Richard  Herbert,  with  his  brother,  the 
Earl  of  Pembroke,  was  in  Anglesea,  in  pursuit  of  a  robber  band, 
and  had  captured  seven  brothers,  who  had  done  many  mischiefs 
and  murders.  The  Earl  of  Pembroke,  thinking  it  fit  to  root  out  s< 
wretched  a  progeny,  commanded  them  all  to  be  hanged.  Upon 
this  the  mother  of  the  felons  coming  to  the  Earl  of  Pembroke, 
besought  him  upon  her  knees  to  pardon  two,  or  at  least  one,  of  her 


Coldbrook  House.  487 

sons,  affirming  that  the  rest  were  sufficient  to  satisfy  justice  or 
example.  This  request  was  seconded  by  the  earl's  brother,  Sir 
Richard.  The  earl,  however,  finding  the  condemned  mtin.all  equally 
guilty,  declared  he  could  make  no  distinction  between  them,  and 
therefore  commanded  them  to  be  executed  all  together.  Upon  this 
the  mother,  falling  upon  her  knees,  cursed  the  earl,  and  prayed  that 
God's  mischief  might  fall  upon  him  in  the  first  battle  he  should 
make.  After  this  the  earl,  on  the  eve  of  the  battle  of  Edgcot-field, 
having  marshalled  his  men  in  order  to  fight,  was  surprised  to  find 
his  brother,  Sir  Richard  Herbert,  standing  in  the  front  of  his  com- 
pany and  leaning  upon  his  pole-axe  with  a  most  sad  and  pensive 
air. 

"  What !"  cried  the  earl,  "  doth  thy  great  body  (Sir  Richard 
was  higher  by  the  head  than  any  one  in  the  army)  apprehend  any- 
thing, that  thou  art  so  melancholy ;  or  art  thou  weary  with  marching, 
that  thou  dost  lean  thus  upon  thy  pole-axe  ?" 

"  I  am  not  weary  with  marching,"  replied  Sir  Richard,  "  nor  do 
I  apprehend  anything  for  myself ;  but  I  cannot  but  apprehend  oa 
your  part  lest  the  curse  of  the  woman  fall  on  you.'"' 

And  the  curse  of  the  frantic  mother  of  the  seven  convicts  seemed 
to  have  gained  the  authority  of  Heaven,  for  both  the  earl  and  his 
brother.  Sir  Richard,  were  defeated  at  the  battle  of  Edgcot,  were 
both  taken  prisoners  and  put  to  death, 

The  son  of  Sir  Richard  Herbert  was  a  very  great  and  luxurious 
personage  in  his  day.  "  He  delighted  also  much  in  hospitality,  as 
having  a  very  long  table  twice  covered,  every  meal,  with  the  best 
that  could  be  gotten.  This  table,  so  richly  was  it  set  every  day, 
that  everything  that  flies  seems  to  have  been  brought  to  it,  and 
it  was  an  ordinary  saying  in  the  country  at  that  time,  when  any 
fowl  was  seen  to  rise — '  Fly  where  thou  wilt,  thou  wilt  light  at 
Blackball.'"  Blackball  was  the  residence  built  by  this  epicurean 
baron. 

Edward  Herbert,  first  Lord  Herbert  of  Cherbury,  great-grandson 
of  Sir  Richard  Herbert  of  Coldbrook,  is  the  author  of  an  "  Auto- 
biography" and  a  "  History  of  England  under  Henry  VHI."  He 
was  the  son  of  Richard  Herbert  and  Margaret  Newport,  of  Arkall, 
in  Shropshire,  and  was  born  in  1581.  During  his  early  years  he 
was  sickly  and  infirm,  and  was  not  taught  to  read  until  he  was 
seven.  But  this  tardiness  was  amply  repaid  by  the  extraordinary 
progress  he  made  in  his  studies ;  for  when  he  was  no  more  than 
twelve  he  attained  so  great  a  knowledge  of  learned  languages  and 


4S8  Coldbrook  House, 

logic  that  he  was  sent  to  University  College,  in  Oxford.  Here  he 
gained  great  applause  by  disputing  in  logic,  and  composing  his 
task  oftener  in  Greek  than  in  Latin. 

The  death  of  his  father  in  the  same  year  occasioned  his  tem- 
porary removal  from  the  university,  and  soon  afterwards  he  con- 
tracted a  marriage  with  the  heiress  of  St.  Julian's,  which  procured 
him  that  mansion  and  estate.  After  his  marriage  he  returned  to 
Oxford  and  continued  his  studies  with  increased  assiduity.  Without 
any  assistance,  he  acquired  French,  Italian,  and  Spanish.  ''  My 
intention,"  he  says,  "  in  learning  languages,  being  to  make  myself 
a  citizen  of  the  world,  as  far  as  it  was  possible,  and  my  learning  of 
music  was  for  this  end  that  I  might  entertain  myself  at  home,  and 
together  refresh  my  mind  after  my  studies,  to  which  I  was  exceed- 
ingly inclined,  and  that  I  might  not  need  the  company  of  young 
men,  in  whom  I  observed  in  those  times  much  ill-example  and 
debauchery." 

The  accomplishments  of  the  first  Lord  of  Cherbury  were  not 
limited  to  those  of  the  college.  He  was  remarkable  for  agiHty  in 
running,  leaping,  and  wrestling  ;  excelled  in  fencing,  riding  in  the 
manege,  shooting  with  the  long  bow,  and  fighting  duels  on  horse- 
back. In  this  last  qualification  his  expertness  saved  his  hfe  on  one 
occasion.  Being  suddenly  attacked  by  Sir  John  Ayres,  and  four 
armed  associates,  he  defended  himself  with  so  much  courage,  that, 
although  thrown  from  his  horse,  dragged  in  the  stirrup,  and  his 
sword  broken,  he  drove  away  the  assailants  and  wounded  Sir  John 
Ayres,  after  having  wrested  his  dagger  from  him,  and  struck  his 
sword  out  of  his  hand. 

On  the  occasion  of  his  being  created  Knight  of  the  Bath,  he  in- 
forms us  that  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury  put  on  his  spur,  and  that  "  a 
principal  lady  of  the  Court,  and  in  most  men's  opinion  the  hand- 
somest, took  off  the  tassel  of  silk  and  gold  from  his  sleeve,  answered 
that  he  would  prove  a  good  knight,  and  pledged  her  honour  lor 
his." 

In  taking  the  usual  oath  of  the  knights,  "  never  to  sit  in  place 
where  injustice  should  be  done,  except  to  right  it  to  the  uttermost 
of  their  power,  and  particularly  ladies  and  gentlewomen  that  shall 
be  wronged  in  their  honour,"  if  they  desired  assistance,  his  imagina- 
tion, already  filled  with  romantic  notions  and  barbarous  chivalry, 
was  fired  with  additional  enthusiasm,  and,  thinking  himself  bound 
by  the  literal  tenor  of  his  oath,  he  engaged  in  duels  on  the  most 
frivolous  pretences. 


Coldbrook  House,  489 

In  1608,  he  set  out  on  a  tour  on  the  continent,  and  traversed 
France,  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Italy,  performing  wherever  he 
went  acts  of  extraordinary  heroism.  Returning  to  England  he  was 
becoming  dissatisfied  with  the  inactivity  of  his  Hfe,  and  was  on  the 
point  of  raising  a  regiment  for  the  service  of  the  Venetians  against 
the  Turks,  but  was  prevented  by  an  accidental  meeting  with  Sir 
George  Villiers,  afterwards  Duke  of  Buckingham.  Through  this 
courtier's  influence  Lord  Herbert  was  appointed  ambassador  to 
France. 

In  163 1  he  was  raised  to  an  English  peerage  by  the  title  of  Lord 
Herbert  of  Cherbury,  in  Shropshire.  He  died  in  1648  at  his  house 
in  Queen  Street,  London.  Vanity  was  his  prevailing  foible  ;  hence 
he  represents  himself  as  a  most  extraordinary  being,  even  from  his 
infancy  to  the  last  stage  of  his  life.  In  his  gossiping  Autobio- 
graphy he  says  with  much  complacency,  that  his  figure  was  much 
commended  by  the  lords  and  ladies  of  the  Court ;  he  also  relates 
many  instances  of  the  effect  of  his  attractions,  and  gives  intimations 
oi  many  more  which  honour  and  delicacy  prevented  him  from 
divulging.  He  thus  describes  his  first  appearance  at  Court,  and 
his  interview  with  Queen  Elizabeth  : — "  As  it  was  the  manner  of 
those  times  for  all  men  to  kneel  down  before  the  great  Queen 
Elizabeth,  who  then  reigned,  I  was  likewise  upon  my  knees  in  the 
presence  chamber  when  she  passed  by  to  the  chappel  at  Whitehall. 
As  soon  as  she  saw  me  she  stopped,  and  swearing  her  usual  oath, 
demanded,  *  Who  is  this  ?'  Everybody  there  present  looked  upon 
me,  but  no  man  knew  me,  till  Sir  James  Croft  told  who  I  was,  and 
that  1  had  married  Sir  William  Herbert  of  St.  Julian's  daughter. 
The  queen  hereupon  looked  attentively  upon  me,  and  swearing 
again  her  ordinary  oath,  said,  '  It  is  pity  he  was  married  so  young/ 
and  thereupon  gave  me  her  hand  to  kiss  twice,  both  times  gently 
clapping  me  on  the  cheek."  It  may  be  as  well  to  inform  readers 
that  Elizabeth  was  at  this  time  seventy  years  okl. 

But  other  and  younger  queens  looked  upon  the  handsome  Lord 
of  Cherbury  with  favouring  eyes.  Anne  o\  Austria,  consort  of 
Louis  XIII.,  was  particularly  courteous  to  him;  and  the  marked 
attentions  of  Anne  of  Denmark,  queen  of  James  I.,  attracted  the 
notice  of  the  public  and  excited  the  jealousy  oi  the  King. 

The  greatest  and  most  beautiful  ladies  0.  the  Court  vied  who 
should  obtain  his  picture  ;  several,  he  informs  us,  procured  it 
surreptitiously,  and  wore  it  next  their  heart  :  a  circumstance  which 
more  than  once  exasperated  their  husbands  and  brought  Herbert 


49^  Coldbrook  House. 

in  danger  of  assassination.  Even  the  queen  placed  his  portrait  in 
her  innermost  chamber. 

The  estate  of  Coldbrook  continued  in  the  Herbert  family  down 
to  1709,  when  it  passed  through  Judith  (the  daughter  of  the  last 
Herbert)  to  Sir  Thomas  Powell,  of  Broadway,  Caermarthcn.  Shortly 
afterwards  the  estate  of  Coldbrook  was  purchased  by  Major  Han- 
bury,  of  Pont-y-pool,  and  settled  on  his  third  son  Charles,  who,  in 
consequence  of  the  will  of  his  godfather,  Charles  Williams,  Esq.,  of 
Caerleon,  assumed  the  name  of  WiUiams,  and  is  well  known  as  Sir 
Charles  Hanbury  Williams. 

He  was  born  in  1709,  and  was  educated  at  Eton.  He  married 
Lady  Frances  Coningsby,  youngest  daughter  of  Thomas,  Earl  of 
Coningsby.  He  entered  Parliament  for  Monmouth  in  1733,  and  was 
a  steady  supporter  of  Sir  Robert  Walpole.  Remarkable  for  his 
sprightliness  of  conversation,  vivacity,  and  agreeable  manners,  he 
was  soon  admitted  into  the  best  society,  and  remained  to  adorn  it. 
He  became  the  wit  of  a  coterie  of  wits,  and  the  intimate  companion 
of  such  men  as  Horace  Walpole  and  Lord  Holland. 

In  1746  he  was  created  Knight  of  the  Bath,  and  shortly  after- 
wards was  appointed  envoy  to  the  Court  of  Dresden.  As  a  foreign 
minister  his  savoir/aire,  pleasing  manners,  and  gay  wit  stood  him 
in  good  service.  He  subsequently  served  in  the  same  capacity  at 
the  Courts  of  Berlin  and  St.  Petersburgh.  He  is  the  author  of  a 
volume  of  odes,  satires,  political  ballads,  &c.,  which  are  remarkable 
for  their  gay  tone  and  elegant  versification.     He  died  in  1759. 

The  estate  of  Coldbrook  is  still  in  the  possession  of  the  family  of 
Hanbury- Williams. 


491 


HEREFORD  AND  WORCESTERSHIRE. 

The  Castle  of  Wigmore,  and  its  Lords. 

Of  this  famous  fortress,  a  place  of  great  historic  renown,  there  re- 
mains a  massive  ruin,  situated  on  a  rocky  eminence,  to  the  west  of  the 
town  of  Wigmore,  on  the  north  side  of  the  county  of  Hereford.  The 
Castle  was  surrounded  by  a  moat,  the  remains  of  which  are  now  visible, 
and  over  which  was  a  drawbridge.  The  fortress  was  built  by  Ethel- 
fleda,  or  Elfleda,  the  eldest  daughter  of  King  Alfred.  At  the  time  of 
the  Norman  Conquest,  Edric,  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  and  several  other 
nobles,  made  formal  submission  to  the  Conqueror,  but  afterwards  re- 
belled. They  were  all  slain,  or  taken  prisoners,  in  an  engagement  with 
the  King,  except  Edric,  who  fled  to  his  castle  at  Wigmore,  where  he 
sustained  a  long  siege  against  the  forces  under  the  command  of  Ranulf 
Mortimer  and  Roger  de  Montgomery.  Edric  was  at  length  compelled 
to  surrender,  and  sent  prisoner  to  the  King  ;  and  Mortimer  was  re- 
warded with  the  gift  of  Wigmore  Castle  and  its  appendages. 

Through  a  succession  of  ages  the  Mortimer  family  possessed  this 
fortress,  together  with  vast  estates,  and  became  great  and  powerful ; 
and  by  their  ambition  and  intrigues,  several  English  monarchs  were  made 
tremble  on  the  throne.  Roger,  the  sixth  Lord  of  Wigmore,  took  an 
active  part  in  favour  of  Henry  HI.  against  his  rebellious  barons.  After 
the  fatal  battle  of  Lewes,  seeing  his  sovereign  in  great  distress,  and 
nothing  but  ruin  and  misery  attending  himself  and  other  loyal  subjects 
of  the  King,  he  took  no  rest  till  he  had  contrived  some  way  for  their 
deliverance:  to  that  end  he  sent  a  swift  horse  to  the  Prince,  then 
prisoner  with  the  King  in  the  Castle  at  Hereford,  with  suggestion  that 
he  should  obtain  leave  to  ride  out  for  recreation  to  a  place  called  Wid- 
marsh  ;  and  that  upon  sight  of  a  person  mounted  upon  a  white  horse 
upon  the  foot  of  Tulington  Hill,  and  waving  his  bonnet,  he  should  hasten 
towards  him  with  all  possible  speed ;  which  being  accordingly  done 
(though  all  the  country  thereabout  were  hither  called  to  prevent  his 
escape),  setting  spurs  to  the  horse  they  escaped  through  them  all,  and 
arriving  at  the  Park  at  Tulington,  Roger  met  him  with  500  armed  men 
and  chased  them  back  to  the  gate  at  Hereford,  making  great  slaughter 
amongst  them.  Having  thus  brought  off  the  Prince  with  safety  to  his 
Castle  at  Wigmore,  he  was  the  chief  person  in  raising  a  powerful  array, 


492  The  Castle  of  Wigmore,  and  its  Lor  as. 

consisting  chiefly  of  the  Welsh,  by  which,  upon  August  4,  1265,  he  ob- 
tained a  glorious  victory  over  the  insolent  Montfort  and  his  party  near 
Evesham,  in  Worcestershire,  when  the  King  himself  was  happily  set  at 
liberty. 

By  others  this  story  is  related  with  a  difference,  viz., — that  Roger  sent 
the  Prince  a  swift  horse  for  the  purpose  before  mentioned,  and  that  the 
Prince  obtaining  leave  of  Montfoit  to  try  if  the  horse  were  of  use  for 
the  great  saddle,  first  tired  out  other  horses  and  then  got  on  this  (a  boy 
with  two  swords,  whom  Roger  had  sent,  being  near  with  another  hoi-se); 
and  so  turning  himself  to  Roger  de  Ros,  then  his  keeper,  and  other  by- 
standers, said,  "  I  have  been  in  your  custody  for  a  time,  but  now  I  bid 
you  farewell,"  rode  away ;  and  Roger,  with  his  banner  displayed,  re- 
ceived him  at  a  little  hill  called  Dun  more,  and  so  conveyed  him  safe  to 
his  Castle  at  Wigmore.  He  was  rewarded  for  his  faithful  services  with 
considerable  grants  from  the  Crown. 

In  the  seventh  year  when  all  was  quiet,  Roger  having  procured  knight- 
hood for  his  three  sons,  he  at  his  own  cost  held  a  Tournament  at  Kenil- 
worth,  where  he  sumptuously  entertained  one  hundred  knights  and  as 
many  ladies  for  three  days — "  the  like  thereof  was  never  before  in 
England."  There,  it  is  said,  originated  the  Round  Table  (so  called  be- 
cause the  place  wherein  they  practised  these  feats  was  encircled  with  a 
wall)  ;  and  upon  the  fourth  day  the  Golden  Lion  in  sign  of  triumph 
being  yielded  to  him,  he  carried  it  with  all  the  company  to  Warwick. 
His  fame  being  spread  into  foreign  countries,  the  Queen  of  Navarre 
sent  him  certain  wooden  bottles  bound  with  golden  bars  and  wax,  under 
the  pretence  of  wine,  but  which  were  filled  with  gold,  and  for  many 
ages  after  were  kept  in  the  Abbey  of  Wigmore.  For  the  love  of  the 
Queen  he  added  a  Carbuncle  to  his  Arms. 

Roger  de  Mortimer  was  created  Earl  of  March  in  the  reign  of 
Edward  H.  He  conducted  the  Queen  and  the  young  King,  Edward 
HI.,  to  the  Marches  of  Wales,  where  he  welcomed  them  with  magni- 
ficent festivities,  accompanied  with  tournaments  and  other  princely  re- 
creations at  his  Castles  of  Wigmore  and  Ludlow  ;  "  so  likewise  in  his 
forests  and  his  parks,  and  also  with  great  costs,  in  tilts  and  other 
pastimes;  which,  as  it  was  said,  the  King  did  not  duly  recompense." 
Roger  hereupon  grew  proud  beyond  measure.  His  own  son, 
GeulPrey,  called  him  "the  King  of  Folly;"  he  also  kept  the  Round 
Table  of  Knights,  in  Wales,  "  for  a  pride  in  imitation  of  King  Arthur." 
Roger  de  Mortimer  was  now  blmdcd  by  ambition,  and  set  no  bounds 
to  his  ostentation  ;  he  scarcely  took  pains  to  conceal  his  intimacy  with 
tlie  Queen ;  he  usurped  all  the  ofiices  of  Government,  and  offended 


7 he  Castle  of  Wigmore,  and  its  Lords,  493 

many  nobles  by  his  haughty  and  defiant  conduct.  He  was  at  last 
seized  in  Nottingham  Castle,  as  already  described  in  our  account  of 
that  fortress. 

Edward  de  Mortimer,  Roger's  eldest  son,  survived  his  father  a  few 
years,  and  left  a  son  named  Roger,  who  in  13:^4  obtained  a  reversal  oi 
the  attainder  of  his  grandfather ;  and  it  was  declared  in  full  parliament 
that  the  charges  on  which  Roger  had  been  condemned  were  false  and 
his  sentence  unjust.  He  died  in  Burgundy  in  1360  in  command  of  the 
English  forces  in  that  country,  and  left  a  son,  Edmund,  then  in  his 
minority,  who  early  in  the  reign  of  Richard  H.  was  made  Lord-Lieu- 
tenant of  Ireland.  He  married  the  Lady  Philippa  Planlagenet,  daughter 
and  heir  of  Lionel,  Duke  of  Clarence,  by  which  union  he  gave  to  his 
descendants  their  title  to  the  English  Crown,  the  cause  of  so  much 
bloodshed  in  the  following  century. 

In  the  Parliament  held  in  the  ninth  year  of  the  reign  of  Richard  H., 
1385,  his  eldest  son,  Robert  de  Mortimer,  fourth  Earl  of  March,  was 
declared  heir  apparent  to  the  Crown,  from  his  descent  from  Lionel, 
Duke  of  Clarence.  His  eldest  daughter,  •  Anne,  was  manied  to 
Richard  Plantagenet,  Duke  of  Cambridge,  younger  son  of  Edmund, 
Duke  of  York,  and  therefore  the  great-grandson  of  Edward  IIL 

Edmund,  son  and  heir,  fifth  and  last  Earl  of  March,  was  born  at 
the  New  Forest,  and  being  only  six  years  old  at  his  father's  death,  was 
committed  in  ward  to  Henry,  Prince  of  Wales,  son  of  Henry  IV. 
Out  of  his  custody  he  was  shoitly  afterwards  stolen  away  by  the  Lady 
Despencer,  but  being  found  in  Chiltham  Woods,  he  was  kept  after- 
wards under  stricter  guard,  since  he  was  rightful  heir  to  the  Crown  of 
England.  After  having  distinguished  himself  in  the  French  wars,  he 
died  childless  in  1424,  and  the  male  line  of  this  branch  of  the  Mortimer 
family  became  extinct. 

The  baronies  of  Mortimer  and  the  other  dignities  and  estates  were 
inherited  by  his  nephew,  Richard  Plantagenet,  Duke  of  York,  who  was 
put  to  death  after  the  battle  of  Wakefield  Edward  IV.,  when  Duke 
of  York,  resided  at  Wigmore  Castle.  During  the  Civil  Wars  it  was 
attacked  and  burnt  by  the  rebels,  and  has  remained  in  ruins  ever 
since. 

Gough,  in  his  additions  to  Camden,  has  this  touching  reflection  on 
Wigmore  and  its  Lords :  "  It  is  impossible  to  contemplate  the  massive 
ruin  of  Wigmore  Castle,  situate  on  a  hill  in  an  amphitheatre  of  moun- 
tains, whence  its  owner  could  survey  his  vast  estate  from  his  square 
palace,  with  four  corner  towers  on  a  keep,  at  the  south-east  comer  of 
bis  double-trenched  outworks,  without  reflecting  on  the  instability  of 


494  Worcester  Castle^  and  its  Sieges, 

the  grandeur  of  a  family  whose  ambition  and  intrigue  made  more  than 
one  English  monarch  uneasy  on  his  throne — yet  not  a  memorial  re- 
mains of  their  sepulture." 

Worcester  Castle,  and  its  Sieges. 

Lambarde,  the  antiquary,  remarks  that  he  never  met  with  a  place 
that  had  so  great  experience  in  the  calamities  of  the  intestine  broils  of 
the  kingdom,  and  other  casual  disasters,  as  the  city  of  Worcester.  An 
early  town  was  taken  by  Penda,  King  of  Mercia ;  was  destroyed  by  the 
Danes,  and  rebuilt  about  a.d.  894.  In  104 1  it  was  plundered  and 
burnt  to  the  ground  by  King  Hardicanute.  In  1088  it  M^as  unsuccess- 
fully besieged  by  Bernard  Neumarck ;  and  about  this  year  was  built  the 
Castle,  by  Urso  d'Abitot.  In  11 13  the  city,  not  excepting  the  Castle 
and  the  Cathedral,  was  consumed  by  fire,  caused,  as  suspected,  by  the 
Welsh.  In  11 13  the  city  was  again  partially  burnt.  In  1139  the 
forces  of  the  Empress  Maud  fired  and  plundered  it.  In  1149  King 
Stephen  burnt  the  city^  but  the  Castle,  which  had  been  strongly  forti- 
fied, resisted  his  attempts ;  the  remains  of  one  of  the  forts  then  reared, 
may  be  seen  on  Red  Hill,  near  Digley;  another  stood  on  Hen  wick's 
Hill.  Eustace,  Stephen's  son,  afterwards  vigorously  besieged  the  Castle, 
but  was  repulsed  by  the  Count  de  Meulant ;  in  revenge  he  fired  the 
town.  In  1 151  Stephen  made  another  assault  on  the  Castle,  but  was 
obliged  to  raise  the  siege :  the  King  "  built  castles  "  before  it,  and  filled 
them  with  garrisons,  but  they  were  overthrown  by  Robert  Earl  of 
Leicester.  In  1 157  Worcester  was  fortified  against  Henry  II.  by  Hugh 
Mortimer,  but  aftei-wards  submitted.  In  1189  the  city  again  suffered 
severely  fi-om  fire.  In  1216  Worcester  declared  for  Lewis  the  Dauphin, 
but  was  taken  by  Ranulph,  Earl  of  Chester.  In  1263  the  city  was  be- 
sieged and  taken  by  the  Barons;  and  in  the  following  year  Henry  III. 
was  conducted  here,  prisoner,  after  the  Battle  of  Lewes.  In  1265 
Prince  Edward,  afterwards  Edward  I.,  taken  prisoner  at  the  Battle  of 
Lewes,  escaped  to  Worcester,  where  he  assembled  an  anriy :  he  then 
defeated  young  De  Montfort,  at  Kenilvvorth,  and  next  on  the  heights 
above  Worcester,  defeated  Simon  de  Montfort  and  his  son,  being  both 
killed,  and  his  army  entirely  routed.  Worcester  was  visited  several 
times  by  Edwai-d  I.,  who  in  1282  held  a  Parliament  here.  In  1401 
the  city  was  burnt  and  plundered  by  Owen  Glendower's  troops.  In 
1485  Worcester  was  taken  possession  of  by  Henry  VII.,  after  the 
battle  of  Bosworth  Field ;  500  marks  being  paid  as  a  ransom  for  the 
city.    In  1534  it  suffered  by  an  earthquake  j  next  year  by  the  sweating 


Worcester  Castle^  and  its  Sieges.  495 

sickness;  and  in  1637  by  a  pestilence.  In  1642  Worcester  was  be- 
sieged and  taken  by  the  Parliamentary  forces.  In  1651  Charles  II., 
coming  from  Scotland,  possessed  himself  of  Worcester,  and  was  there 
first  proclaimed  King  in  England.  In  the  same  year,  Sept.  3,  Cromwell 
defeated  the  Royalists  at  Red  Hill,  about  a  mile  from  the  city,  when 
2000  were  killed,  and  8000  taken  prisoners :  most  of  the  latter  were  sold 
as  slaves  to  the  American  Colonies.  Of  this  "crowning  mercy"  of 
Cromwell,  a  curious  memorial  exists  at  Worcester,  in  a  half-timbered 
house  at  the  north  end  of  New- street,  where,  preceding  the  battle.  King 
Charles  II.  resided ;  and  whither,  after  the  unfortunate  issue,  the  King 
retreated  with  Lord  Wilmot.  He  was  closely  pursued  by  Colonel 
Corbet,  but  effected  his  escape  at  the  back  door  of  the  house  just  as 
his  pursuer  entered  it.  The  person  who  inhabited  the  house  at  the  time 
is  said  to  have  been  Mr.  R.  Durant.  The  room  in  which  the  King  slept 
was  in  the  front  of  the  house.  Over  the  entrance  the  following  inscrip- 
tion was  placed:— "  Love  God.  [W.  B.  1577.  R.  D.]  Honor  the 
King."  The  date  over  the  door  most  probably  marks  the  year  of  the 
erection,  at  which  time  it  is  said  to  have  belonged  to  William  Berkeley. 
Judge  Berkeley  was  born  in  it,  July  26,  1584.  R.  Durant  was  most 
probably  the  person  who  put  up  at  least  part  of  the  inscription,' 
"  Honour  the  King,"  in  allusion  to  the  entertainment  and  protection  he 
himself  had  afforded  to  his  Sovereign.  The  King  having  escaped  the 
dangers  of  the  field,  was  conducted  to  Boscobel,  and  soon  afler  escaped 
to  France.  In  1687,  James  II.  visited  Worcester,  when  the  Mayor 
attended  his  Majesty  to  a  Roman  Catholic  chapel ;  and,  upon  being 
asked  by  the  King  if  the  Corporation  would  not  enter  with  him,  the 
Mayor  nobly  replied,  "  I  fear,  your  Majesty,  we  have  gone  too  far 
already." 

The  site  of  the  Castle  which,  from  time  to  time,  sustained  so  many 
sieges,  and  so  frequently  changed  governors,  is  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Cathedral :  there  are  no  architectural  remains  whatever ;  the  last  was 
Edgar  Tower.  A  small  part  of  an  old  ecclesiastical  house,  the  Nunnery 
of  Whitstane,  now  called  "  The  White-ladies,"  still  remains ;  and  here 
were  long  preserved  the  bed  in  which  Queen  Elizabeth  slept,  the  cup 
she  drank  out  of,  &c.  at  her  visit  in  1585.  Friar-street  takes  its  name 
from  a  house  of  Franciscans  which  formerly  existed  here ;  the  Domi- 
nicans, Penitents,  Black  Friars,  and  Friars  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  had  like- 
wise their  establishments  here. 


49^ 


Boscobel,  and  Charles  II. 

Boscobel  18  celebrated  in  English  history  as  having  been  the  first 
place  of  refuge  in  which  King  Charles  II.  took  shelter  after  his  defeat 
at  the  Battle  of  Worcester,  as  described  in  the  preceding  page.  It  is 
situated  near  the  little  town  of  Madeley,  on  the  confines  of  Worces- 
tershire and  Shropshire,  and  was,  at  the  time  referred  to,  the  residence 
of  William  Penderell,  a  forester  or  sei'vant  in  husbandry  to  Mr. 
Giffard,  the  owner  of  the  surrounding  domain.  To  the  fidelity  of 
this  man,  his  wife,  his  mother,  and  his  four  brothers,  Richard,  Hum- 
phrey, John,  and  George  Penderell,  was  the  fugitive  king  indebted  for 
some  days  of  concealment  and  safety,  when  even  the  noble  and  gentle 
who  pai-ted  from  him  chose  to  remain  in  voluntary  ignorance  of  the 
exact  place  of  his  retreat ;  "  as  they  knew  not  what  they  might 
be  forced  to  confess."  The  King  fled  from  Worcester  field,  attended 
by  Lords  Derby  and  Wilmot  and  others,  and  arrived  early  next 
morning  at  White-ladies,  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  Boscobel 
House.  At  this  place  Charles  secreted  himself  in  a  wood,  and  in  a 
tree  (from  the  King's  own  account,  a  pollard  oak),  since  termed  "  the 
Royal  Oak ;"  at  night  Boscobel  was  his  place  of  refuge ;  and  that 
part  of  the  house  which  rendered  him  such  service  is  still  shown.  The 
account  states  that  the  King  remained  among  the  branches  of  the  oak 
concealed,  while  his  pursuers  actually  passed  round  and  under  it.  But 
it  must  be  remembered  that  the  day  of  his  flight  was  September  4, 
when  the  tree  could  scarcely  have  been  in  sufficient  leaf  to  conceal 
him.  The  custom  of  wearing  oak  on  the  29th  of  May  w^as  on 
account  of  his  preservation  in  the  oak  ;  this  was  the  King's  birthday, 
and  the  day  on  which  Charles  entered  London,  so  that  the  Royalists 
displayed  the  branch  of  oak,  from  the  tree  having  been  instrumental 
in  the  king's  restoration.  The  oak  at  Boscobel  was,  after  the 
Restoration,  speedily  destroyed  by  the  zeal  of  theRoyalists  to  possess  relics 
of  their  sovereign's  hiding-place:  but  another,  raised  from  one  of  its 
acorns,  is  still  flourishing.  Charles  is  related  to  have  planted  in  Hyde 
Park,  as  memorials  of  the  Restoration,  two  acorns  from  the  Boscobel 
oak,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Serpentine  j  one  tree  only  now  remains. 


*  When  Charles  was  on  his  flight,  in  disguise,  from  Brighthelmstone  to 
Dieppe  (says  Baker,  in  his  Chronicle),  "the  king,  sitting  on  the  deck,  and 
directing  the  course,  or  as  they  call  it,  coursing  the  ship,  one  of  the  mariners, 
blowing  tobacco  in  his  face,  the  master  bid  him  go  further  off  the  gentleman, 
who,  murmuring,  unwittingly  replied,  that  a  cat  might  look  upon  a  king." 


The  Abbey  of  Evesham,  497 

**  Few  palaces,"  says  a  sympathizing  writer,  "  awake  more  pleasing 
recollections  of  human  nature  in  our  minds  than  does  this  lowly 
cottage.  The  inhabitants  were  of  the  poorest  among  the  poor,  the 
humblest  among  the  humble;  death  on  the  one  hand  was  the  certain 
punishment  which  attended  their  fidelity,  if  discovered ;  while  on  the 
other  hand,  riches,  beyond  anything  they  could  have  contemplated, 
courted  their  acceptance,  and  might  have  been  secured  by  one  single 
treacherous  word  ;  yet  did  this  virtuous  band  of  brothers  retain  theii 
fidelity  untempted  and  their  loyalty  unshaken."  Boscobel  is,  however, 
a  half-timbered  house  of  two  storeys. 

In  the  year  1869,  at  Bridgnorth,  which  is  only  a  few  miles  from 
Boscobel,  a  gentleman  came  into  the  possession  of  an  interesting 
memorial  of  the  history  of  the  latter  place — namely,  a  life-size  portrait 
of  an  old  lady,  which,  after  having  been  sold  at  an  auction  for  a  few 
pence,  was  used  as  a  fire-screen.  The  cleaning  of  the  picture  dis- 
covered the  inscription — "  Dame  Penderel,  Anno  Dom.  1662."  From 
the  proximity  of  Bridgnorth  and  Boscobel,  there  can  be  no  reasonable 
doubt  the  picture  is  an  authentic  portrait  of  the  woman  who,  with  her 
five  faithful  and  loyal  sons,  aided  the  fugitive  Charles  II.,  and  found 
him  a  hiding-place  from  his  pursuers  in  the  branches  of  an  oak.  The 
picture  represents  her  in  the  ordinary  costume  of  the  period,  and 
holding  to  her  heart  a  red  rose. 

—  » 

The  Abbey  of  Evesham. 

Evesham,  fifteen  miles  south-east  from  Worcester,  was  formerly 
called  "Eovesham,"  or  "  Eovesho'me,"  an  appellation  derived  from 
Eoves,  a  swineherd  of  Egwin,  Bishop  of  Wiccii,  who  was  super- 
stitiously  supposed  to  have  had  an  interview  with  the  Virgin  Mary  on 
this  spot,  it  owes  its  importance  to  an  Abbey  that  was  founded  here 
in  709,  and  dedicated  to  the  Virgin.  William  of  Malmesbury  tells  us 
that  this  spot,  then  called  Hethome,  though  then  barren  and  overgrown 
with  brambles,  had  a  small  ancient  church,  probably  the  work  of  the 
Britons.  Egwin  procured  for  the  convent  several  royal  and  apostolical 
privileges,  with  a  grant  of  land,  large  donations,  and  twenty-two  towns 
for  its  support.  It  was  filled  with  Benedictine  monks.  It  was  a 
stately  monastery  as  well  as  a  mitred  Abbey.  The  Abbots  were  power- 
ful; for  in  1074  the  conspiracy  against  William  I.  was  frustrated;  the 
Abbot  of  Evesham,  Bishop  Wulstan,  and  Urso  d'Abito,  guarding  the 
passes  of  the  Severn,  stopped  the  Earl  of  Hereford,  and  thus  obtained 
*  *  K  K 


49^  The  A  bhey  of  Evesham, 

the  day.  One  of  the  Abbots,  13th  century,  was  styled  "the  Phcenix 
of  the  age."  In  the  British  Museum  is  a  charter  giving  manors  to  this 
Abbey  by  a  Norman  baron :  the  names  of  the  witnesses  are  written  by 
the  same  hand  as  the  body  of  the  charter,  their  signatures  being  crosses 
before  their  names.  The  Abbey  surrendered  in  1539  :  the  last  abbot 
but  one  was  Clement  Lichfield,  who  built  the  isolated  tower  now  almost 
the  only  relic  of  this  once  celebrated  edifice.  The  tower  called  the 
Abbot's  Tower,  is  a  beautiful  specimen  of  the  Pointed  architecture  of 
the  period  immediately  preceding  the  Reformation.  It  was  converted 
into  a  campanile  in  1745;  it  is  no  feet  high,  and  21  feet  square  at 
the  base.  It  contains  eight  fine  deep-toned  bells,  one  of  which  lias 
this  inscription  :— 

*•  I  sound  the  sound  that  doleful  is, 

To  them  that  Hve  amiss  ; 
But  sweet  my  sound  is  unto  such 

As  live  in  joy  and  bliss. 
I  sweetly  tolling,  men  do  call 
To  taste  on  food  that  feeds  the  soul." 

In  the  memorable  battle  of  Evesham,  11  August,   1265,  between 

Prince  Edward  (afterwards  Edward  I.)  and  Simon  Montfort,  Earl  of 

Leicester,  the  latter  placed  King    Henry  III.,  whom  he  had  made 

prisoner,  in  the  van  of  his  army,  hoping  that  he  might  be  killed  by  his 

son's  troops,  who  were  fighting  for  his  release.     However,  the  King 

was  recognised  nearly  at  the  first  onset  by  the  Prince,  who  nished 

through  the  thickest  of  the  battle  to  the  assistance  of  his  father,  and 

soon  placed  him  in  safety.     Leicester's  defeat  was  complete,  and  he 

himself,  as  well  as  his  son,  fell  on  the  field  of  battle. 

Among  the  several  persons  of  rank  buried  in  the  Abbey  church  by 
the  monks  before  the  high  altar  were  Simon  Montfort,  Henry  Montfort, 
and  Hugh  le  Despenser. 

The  monks  of  the  Abbey  were  twice  displaced,  but  recovered  their 
possessions  and  kept  their  ground  till  the  Dissolution.  Their  house  had 
no  less  than  three  successive  churches ;  and  the  third,  with  the  cloisters 
and  offices,  was  so  demolished  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  as  to  pre- 
vent any  judgment  being  formed  of  their  extent.  Ncai-  St.  Lawrence 
church  an  old  arch,  a  fragment  of  the  Abbey  buildings,  remained;  it 
was  the  principal  entrance ;  the  mouldings  have  sitting  figures  of 
abbots  or  bishops  decapitated.  At  Evesham  the  learned  Saxonist,  Mrs. 
Elstob,  kept  a  small  day-school,  her  weekly  st-ipend  with  each  scholar 
being  at  first  only  a  groat ! 

The  Church  of  All  Saints,  at  Evesham,  is  said  to  havt  fonued  part  of 
the  Abbey.   The  Church  of  St.  Lawrence  is  now  in  ruins ;   it  is  a 


The  Abbey  of  Evesham.  499 

beautiful  specimen  of  the  ornamented  Gothic.  In  the  south  aisle  Is  the 
chapel  of  Clement  Lichfield;  it  is  only  i8  feet  by  i6,  but  "of  such 
elegance  and  delicacy  of  construction  as  a  verbal  description  would 
but  very  imperfectly  convey  to  the  reader's  imagination."  In  the  parish 
of  Bengworth  was  a  Castle  belonging  to  the  Beauchamp  family,  but  in 
1 156  it  was  razed  to  the  foundation  by  the  Abbot  of  Evesham. 

The  Corporation  claim  prescriptive  rights  and  privileges,  but  they 
were  all  confirmed  by  charter  in  the  third  year  of  the  reign  of  James  I. 
They  had  the  power  of  trying  and  executing  for  all  capital  offences 
except  high  treason ;  and  so  late  as  1740  a  woman  was  burnt  here  tor 
petty  treason. 

There  is  in  the  British  Museum  an  unique  copy  of  a  rare  tract, 
printed  by  Machlinia  about  1491  a.d.  It  is  entitled  the  curious  Reve- 
lation to  the  Monk  of  Evesham  in  the  days  of  King  Richard  the  First, 
and  the  year  of  our  Lord  1 196,  describing  the  Monk's  visit  to  Purgatory 
and  Paradise,  under  the  guidance  of  St.  Nicholas,  showing  how  he  saw 
an  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  an  abbess,  and  other  people  in  Purga- 
tory, what  they  all  suffered,  and  what  sins  they  suffered  for,  how  sinners 
are  punished,  and  well  doers  rewarded,  and  intended  "  for  the  comfort 
and  profetyng  of  all  cristyn  pepuUe,"  and  supplying  evidence  as  to  the 
sins  of  English  people  and  the  condition  of  the  country  in  the  twelfth 
century.  This  curious  tract  is  one  of  Mr.  Arber's  series  of  English 
Reprints,  for  which  all  students  of  History  are  bound  to  be  grateful . 
"  We  have  in  the  above  Book,  a  Story  as  distinct  from  a  Revelation. 
The  Story  is  laid  in  the  monastic  circle  at  Evesfiam  Abbey.  The 
Revelation  tells  us  of  a  Journey  :  ?.t  is  the  pilgrimage  of  the  Soul  from 
Death  through  Purgatory  and  Paradise  to  Heaven.  It  is  such  a  Book 
as  John  Bunyan  might  have  written,  had  he  lived  five  centuries  earlier, 
and  been,  as  probably  he  would  have  become,  a  Monk.  Only  that  the 
Author  intended  no  such  pleasant  allegory,  setting  forth  the  progress  of 
Christian  life;  but  the  making  manifest  of  those  unfailing  realities,  of 
that  inevitable  doom  that  was  coming  upon  all,  except  the  inevitably 
lost."  We  quote  this  passage  from  Mr.  Arber's  admirable  Introduc- 
tion to  this  unique  printed  book  and  its  contents ;  in  which  it  is  set 
down  that  "  beneath  an  uncouth  text  there  is  a  direct  diction  and  power 
both  of  Mind  and  Soul ;  that  there  is  much  that  is  true,  but  simply 
distorted ;  with  much  that  is  ludicrous  and  purely  false ;  and  that  in  all, 
undeniably,  the  best  of  motives  and  aspirations."  The  masterly  intrOi 
duction  extends  through  twelve  closely  printed  pages. 


500 


Hendlip  Hall  and  the  Gunpowder  Plot. 

At  four  miles  from  Worcester  formerly  stood  a  spac'.ous  mansion  with 
this  name,  supposed  to  have  been  built  late  in  Elizabeth's  reign  by  John 
Abingdon,  the  Queen's  cofferer,  a  zealous  partisan  of  Maiy  Qiieen  of 
Scots.  It  is  believed  that  Thomas  Abingdon,  the  son  of  the  builder  of 
the  Hall,  was  the  person  who  took  the  chief  trouble  in  fitting  it  up. 
The  result  was  that  there  was  scarcely  an  apartment  which  had  not 
seci*ct  ways  of  going  in  and  out :  some  had  staircases  concealed  in 
the  walls,  others  had  places  of  retreat  in  the  walls,  and  the  chimneys 
double  flues,  and  some  had  trap-doors,  descending  into  hidden 
recesses. 

"  All,"  in  the  words  of  one  who  examined  the  house,  "  presented  a 
picture  of  gloom,  insecurity,  and  suspicion."  Standing  moreover  on 
elevated  ground,  the  house  afforded  a  means  of  keeping  a  watchful 
look-out  for  the  approach  of  the  emissaries  of  the  law,  or  searching 
after  evil-doers. 

Houses  provided  with  such  places  of  concealment  existed  at  this  period 
in  various  parts  of  England,  in  times  when  religion  and  politics  made  it 
pi-udent  for  meddling  persons  to  get  out  of  the  way.  But  Hendlip 
was  contrived  for  no  ordinary  purpose ;  and  in  some  of  its  secret  places, 
of  which  there  were  eleven,  were  discovered  several  of  the  Gunpowder 
conspirators.  Father  Garnet,  who  suffered  for  his  guilty  knowledge  of 
the  plot,  was  concealed  in  Hendlip,  under  the  care  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Abingdon,  for  several  weeks  in  the  winter  of  1 605-6.  A  hollow  in 
the  wall  of  Mrs.  Abingdon's  bedroom  was  covered  up,  and  there  was 
a  narrow  crevice  into  which  a  reed  was  laid,  so  that  soup  and  wine 
could  be  passed  by  her  into  the  recess,  without  the  fact  being  noticed 
from  any  other  room.  Suspicion  did  not  light  upon  Garnet's  name  at 
first,  but  the  confession  of  Catesby's  servant.  Bates,  at  length  made  the 
Government  aware  of  his  guilt.  He  was  by  this  time  living  at 
Hendlip  along  with  a  lady  named  Anne  Vaux,  who  devoted  herself  to 
him  through  a  purely  religious  feeling ;  and  with  him  was  another 
Jesuit,  named  Hall.  These  persons  spent  most  of  their  hours  in  the 
apartments  occupied  by  the  family,  only  resorting  to  places  of  strict 
concealment  when  strangers  visited  the  house.  W  hen  Father  Garnet  came 
to  be  inquired  after,  the  Government  suspecting  this  to  be  his  place  ot 
retreat,  and  the  proclamation  against  the  Jesuits  being  issued,  sent  Sir 
Henry  Bromley,  of  Holt  Castle,  an  active  justice  of  the  peace,  with 
the  most  minute  orders.  "In  the  search,"  says  the  document,  "first 
observe  the  parlour  where  they  lisc  to  dine  and  sup ;  in  the  east  part  of 


Hendlip  Hall  and  the  Gunpowder  Plot.  501 

that  parlour  it  is  conceived  there  is  some  vault,  which  to  discover  you 
must  take  care  to  draw  down  the  wainscot,  whereby  the  entry  into  the 
vault  may  be  discovered.  The  lower  parts  of  the  house  must  be  tried 
with  a  broach,  by  putting  the  same  into  the  ground  some  foot  or  two 
to  try  whether  there  may  be  perceived  some  timber,  which  if  there  be, 
there  must  be  some  vault  underneath  it.  For  the  upper  rooms  you 
must  observe  whether  they  be  more  in  breadth  than  the  lower  rooms, 
and  look  in  which  places  the  rooms  be  enlarged  ;  by  pulling  out  some 
boards  you  may  discover  some  vaults.  Also,  if  it  appear  that  there  be 
some  corners  to  the  chimneys,  and  the  same  boarded,  if  the  boards  be 
taken  away,  there  will  appear  some.  If  the  walls  seem  to  be  thick  and 
covered  with  wainscot,  being  tried  with  a  gimlet,  if  it  strike  not  the 
wall  but  go  through,  some  suspicion  is  to  be  had  thereof.  If  there  be 
any  double  loft,  some  two  or  three  feet,  one  above  another,  in  such 
places  any  may  be  harboured  privately.  Also,  if  there  be  a  loft  towards 
the  roof  of  the  house,  in  which  there  appears  no  entrance  out  of  any 
other  place  or  lodging,  it  must  of  necessity  be  opened  and  looked  into, 
for  these  be  ordinary  places  of  hovering  (hiding)."  Sir  Henry  was  to  sur- 
round the  Hall  with  his  men ;  to  set  a  guard  at  every  door  ;  to  suffer 
no  one  to  come  in,  no  one  to  go  out,  until  the  priests  were  found.  The 
servants  were  to  be  watched  by  day  and  night,  to  see  that  they  carried 
no  food  into  strange  places.  The  dining-room  was  to  be  carefully 
examined,  and  the  wainscot  pulled  down  to  see  if  any  passage  lay 
beyond.     Even  the  chimney  stacks  were  to  be  pierced  and  proved. 

Sir  Henry  searched  the  house  from  garret  to  cellar  without  discover- 
ing anything  suspicious  but  some  books,  such  as  scholarly  men  might 
have  been  supposed  to  use.  Soldiers  were  placed  on  guard  in  evei  y 
room  except  the  bedroom  of  Mrs.  Abingdon,  who  is  thought  to  have 
written  the  letter  to  Lord  Monteagle,  warning  him  of  the  plot.  She 
ffigned  to  be  angry  with  the  searchers,  and  shut  herself  up  there  day 
and  night,  eating  and  drinking  there,  by  which  means,  through  the 
secret  tube,  she  fed  the  two  Jesuit  fathers,  squatting  in  their  hollow  in 
the  wall  upon  a  pile  of  books.  But  the  two  other  fugitives  were  hidden 
in  a  hurry  in  a  cupboard,  where  no  provision  was  made  for  their  food. 
The  soldiers  beir.g  in  the  room,  nobody  could  go  to  this  cupboard,  and 
the  two  men  w.re  kept  without  food  for  four  days.  At  last  they  could 
endure  it  no  longer ;  a  panel  of  the  wainscot  slid  open,  and  the  famished 
persons  stepped  out  into  the  hall,  half  dead  with  hunger,  and  proved  to 
be  servants.  Mrs.  Abingdon  pretended  not  to  know  them ;  but  that 
would  not  do.  Sir  Henry  Bromley  continued  to  occupy  the  house  for 
several  days,  almost  in  despair  of  further  discoveries,  when  the  cc  nfes- 


502  Dudley  Castle. 

sion  of  a  conspirator,  condemned  at  Worcester,  put  him  on  the  scent 
for  Father  Hall,  as  for  certain  lying  at  Hendlip.  It  was  only  after  a 
seai'ch  protracted  for  ten  days  in  all,  that  he  was  gratified  by  the  volun- 
tary surrender  of  both  Hall  and  Garnet.  They  came  forth  pressed 
for  the  need  of  air  rather  than  food,  for  marmalade  and  other  sweet- 
meats were  found  in  their  den  i  and  they  had  wann  and  nutritive  drinks 
passed  to  them  by  the  reed  through  the  chimney,  as  already  described. 
They  had  suffered  extremely  by  the  smallness  of  their  hiding-place ; 
but  Garnet  expressed  his  belief  that  if  they  could  have  had  relief  from 
the  blockade  but  for  half  a  day,  so  as  to  allow  of  their  sending  away 
books  and  furniture  by  which  the  place  was  hampered,  they  might  have 
baffled  inquiry  for  a  quarter  of  a  year.  They  were  conducted  to 
Worcester,  and  thence  to  London, 

In  this  house  was  preserved  a  small  enamelled  casket,  given  to 
Wolsey  by  the  King  of  France,  and  afterwards  in  the  possession  ot 
Anne  Boleyn :  it  was  the  property  of  the  Abingdons.  The  old  Hall 
was  pulled  down  many  years  ago ;  it  has  been  handsomely  rebuilt  by- 
Lord  Southwell,  a  Catholic  peer. 


Dudley  Castle. 

Dudley  is  an  island  of  Worcestershire,  being  entirely  surrounded  by 
Staffordshire.  Here,  at  the  Conquest,  one  of  William's  Norman  fol- 
lowers built  a  Castle,  and  obtained  upwards  of  forty-foui"  of  the  sur- 
rounding manors.  The  foundation  is  attributed  to  an  earlier  date. 
Camden  tells  us  that  Doddo,  or  Dodo,  a  Mercian  duke,  erected  a  Castle 
here  about  the  year  700;  and  another  fixes  the  foundation  about 
300  years  later;  but  neither  tradition  is  supported  by  authority. 
In  Domesday  it  is  staled  Edwin,  Earl  of  Mcrcia,  held  this  lordship  ii 
Edward  the  Confessor's  reign.  He  was  allowed  to  retain  his  estates  and 
dignities  after  the  battle  of  Hastings ;  but  being  betrayed  and  slain, 
upon  an  unsuccessful  rising  against  the  Conqueror  in  1071,  his  estate? 
were  distributed  amongst  the  Norman  followers  of  William  j  and 
Dudley  was  bestowed  on  William  Fitz-Ansculf,  of  whom  Domes- 
day says,  "the  said  William  holds  Dudley,  and  there  is  his  Castle."  He 
possessed  44  manors  within  eight  miles  of  the  Castle,  and  47  elsewhere ; 
yet  Dugdale  could  never  discover  what  became  of  him.  Fulke  Pagancl 
possessed  some  of  his  lands,  and  with  part  of  them  founded  a  mon- 
astery near  Newport.  His  son  Ralph,  who  succeeded  him,  was  a  par- 
tisan of  the  Empress  Maud,  and  held  Dudley  Castle  for  her  j  when  m. 


Dudley  Castle.  5^3 

1 138,  in  July  or  August,  Stephen  marched  to  it,  burnt  and  plundered 
the  neighbourhood.  Ralph  lefc  six  sons,  the  eldest  of  whom,  Gervase, 
founded  a  Priory  at  Dudley,  in  pursuance  of  his  father's  intention, 
about  1 161.  In  the  rebellion  of  Prince  Henry  against  his  father, 
Henry  H.,  in  11 75,  he  supported  the  young  prince,  for  which  offence 
his  Castle  was  demolished,  and  all  his  lands  and  goods  forfeited  to  the 
Crown ;  but  next  year  the  King  received  500  marks,  as  a  peace-offering 
for  the  transgression. 

By  marriage  the  estate  came  into  the  hands  of  the  Somerys ;  but,  in 
the  time  ot  Roger  de  Someri,  on  his  refusal  to  appear,  when  summoned, 
to  receive  the  honour  of  knighthood,  the  Castle  and  manor  were  seized  by 
Henry  III.,  he  however  afterwards  obtained  leave  to  castellate  his  manor- 
house  at  Dudley.  One  of  his  family,  John  de  Someri,  who  was  knighted 
in  34  Edward  I.,  was  a  knight  ol  great  energy  and  consideration  in 
those  days,  having  been,  between  the  years  1300  and  1312,  seven  times 
in  the  Scottish  wars.  He  was,  too,  a  turbulent  neighbour  ;  as  it  waa 
reported  of  him  that  he  did  so  domineer  in  Staffordshire,  that  no  man 
could  enjoy  the  benefit  of  la'w  or  reason,  taking  upon  him  more  autho- 
rity than  a  King :  that  it  was  no  abiding  for  any  man  thereabouts  un- 
less they  did  bribe  him  in  contributing  largely  towards  the  building  of 
his  Castle  at  Dudley.  And  that  he  did  use  to  beset  men's  houses,  in 
that  country,  threatening  to  murther  them,  except  they  gave  him  what 
he  would  demand. 

' '  In  proud  state 
Each  robber  chief  upheld  his  armed  halls, 
Doing  his  evil  will,  nor  less  elate 
Than  mightier  heroes  of  a  longer  date." — Byron."* 

In  the  time  of  Edward  II.  the  Castle  and  manor  came  to  the  Suttons, 
one  of  whom  was  summoned  to  Parliament  as  Lord  Dudley  (on  account 
of  holding  this  Castle),  in  whose  line  it  continued  till  John  Lord  Dudley 
parted  with  it  to  John  Dudley,  Duke  of  Northumberland,  son  of  that 
Dudley  who  was  employed  with  Empson  in  acts  of  oppression  by  King 
Henry  VII.  The  Duke  wished  to  be  considered  as  a  descendant  of 
the  Suttons;  though  there  was  a  story  current  of  his  grandfather 
having  been  a  carpenter  born  at  Dudley.  It  was  said  this  carpenter 
was  employed  in  the  Abbey  of  Lewes,  in  Sussex,  and  his  son  Edmund 
was  educated  by  the  Abbot,  placed  at  one  of  the  inns  of  court,  and  at 
length  pitched  on  as  a  proper  assistant  in  his  law  proceedings. 


*  Twamley's  History  of  Dudley  Castle  atid  Priory.  1867.  From  this  work, 
admirably  executed,  and  remarkable  for  its  precision  and  condensed  details,  the 
materials  of  this  sketch  are  mainly  derived. 


504  Dudley  Castle. 

John  de  Sutton  and  his  wife  were  destined  to  enjoy  these  estates  tor 
a  short  time  only.  For  Hugh  le  Despenser,  son  of  the  Earl  of  Win- 
chester, and  the  rapacious  and  insolent  minion  of  Edward  II.,  casting  a 
wistful  eye  upon  their  fair  domain,  accused  John  de  Sutton  of  aiding 
the  Earl  of  Lancaster  in  his  late  rebellion,  threw  him  into  prison,  and 
threatened  him  with  death.  To  extricate  himself  from  the  snares  of 
this  wily  favourite,  he  passed  away  to  him  all  his  right  and  title  to  the 
Castle,  manor,  and  township  of  Dudley,  and  other  manors,  lands,  and 
tenements.  When  Despencer  was  taken  prisoner,  and  summarily  exe- 
cuted, or  rather  murdered  by  the  rebellious  Barons,  the  custody  of 
Dudley  Castle  was  committed  to  William  de  Birmingham,  he  having 
to  answer  for  the  profits  thence  arising  unto  the  King's  exchequer. 

After  the  celebrated  entertainment  of  Queen  Elizabeth  by  the  Earl 
of  Leicester,  at  Kenilworth,  in  1575,  she  visited  Dudley  Castle;  and  in 
the  year  1585,  when  for  some  reason  Elizabeth  wished  to  remove  Mary 
Queen  of  Scots  from  Tutbury,  Sir  Amyas  Pawlet,  in  whose  custody  she 
was,  inspected  the  Castle  to  ascertain  if  it  would  be  a  proper  place  for 
her  to  be  sent  to.  Sir  Amyas  writes  to  Sir  Francis  Walsingham,  "  find- 
hig  my  Lord  Dudley  absent,  I  was  forced  to  take  my  lodging  in  one  of 
the  poorest  towns  that  I  have  seen  in  my  life ;  and  the  next  day  took  a 
full  view  of  the  Castle,  with  the  assent  of  my  said  L.,  who  being  then 
at  Warwick,  sent  the  keys  with  all  expedition."  The  plan  was  aban- 
doned, and  Mary  was  taken  to  Chartley,  as  had  been  previously 
intended.  In  this  reign,  in  1592,  Oct.  12,  the  Lord  Dudley,  in  the  night- 
time, raised  above  T40  persons,  all  weaponed  with  bows  and  arrows,  forest 
bills,  or  long  staves,  and  went  to  Prestwood  and  Ashwood ;  and  from  the 
latter  took  341  sheep  of  the  executors  of  Sir  John  Lyttelton,  and  caused 
them  to  be  driven  towards  Dudley.  With  the  rest  of  the  company,  num- 
bering about  no,  he  entered  into  Mr.  Lyttelton's  enclosed  grounds  of 
Prestwood,  and  thence  with  great  violence  chased  14  kyne,  one  bull,  and 
eight  fat  oxen,  took  them  to  Dudley  Castle,  and  there  kept  them 
within  the  walls.  Mr.  Lyttelton  having  sued  replevyns,  three  or  four 
days  after,  his  lordship's  sci-vants  threatening  to  cut  the  bailiffs  to  pieces, 
would  not  suffer  them  to  make  delivery  of  the  cattle,  according  to  their 
warrant.  Afterwards  Lord  Dudley  killed  and  ate  part  of  the  cattle,  and 
some  of  them  he  sent  towards  Coventry,  with  60  men,  strongly  armed 
with  calyvers,  or  bows  and  arrows,  some  on  horseback  with  chasing 
staves,  and  others  on  foot  with  forest  bills,— there  to  be  sold.  After 
they  had  gone  about  eight  miles,  suddenly  in  the  night  time,  he  raised 
the  inhabitants  of  Dudley,  Scdgley,  Kingsswingford,  Rowley,  &c., 
to  the   number  of  Ceo  or  700,  and  all  weaponed,  went  ^fter  these 


Dudley  Castle.  5  OS 

cattle,  and  fetched  them  back  to  Dudley  Castle,  where  they  vvaated 
them  all. 

The  declining  fortunes  of  Edward,  Lord  Dudley,  obliged  his  wife  to 
sell  her  jewels,  and  his  affairs  at  last  became  so  involved,  and  he  so 
clogged  his  estates  with  debts,  that  he  married  his  grand-daughter  and 
heir,  Frances,  to  Humble  Ward,  the  only  son  of  William  Ward, 
jeweller  to  the  Queen  of  Charles  I.,  descended  from  an  ancient  family 
of  that  name  in  Norfolk ;  by  which  means  t^e  estates  came  into  the 
possession  of  the  present  noble  family. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  Civil  War,  Colonel  Leveson  held 
this  Castle  for  the  King,  who  wrote  to  the  Lord  Dudley,  and 
others,  and  upon  his  death,  to  Lady  Dudley,  desiring  them  to  assist  the 
Colon(.'l  in  defending  it ;  and  the  warrants  issued  show  the  oppression 
and  extortion  exercised  upon  the  inhabitants  of  a  country  during  a  civil 
war.  The  Castle  was  quietly  suiTendered  to  the  Parliament ;  and  in 
1646-7,  the  fortress  was  rendered  untenable,  and  reduced  to  the  de- 
fenceless state  in  which  Dr.  Plot  found  it  forty  years  afterwards. 

From  the  style  of  the  Castle  it  is  probable  that  all  the  most  ancient 
parts  were  built  by  John  de  Someri  early  in  the  fourteenth  century, 
except  the  vault  underneath  the  chapel.  They  consist  of  the  keep,  the 
south  gateway,  and  the  chapel  and  adjoining  rooms.  These,  with 
some  low  buildings  for  offices,  kitchens,  &c.,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
inner  baily,  or  court,  the  whole  surrounded  with  a  moat,  completed  the 
establishment.  The  Keep  is  oblong,  having  at  each  corner  a  semi-cir- 
cular tower,  with  winding  staircase,  all  of  limestone,  with  facings  of  a 
eddish  sandstone.  In  the  base  apartment  of  the  Keep,  instead  of 
fvindows  are  loopholes,  having  a  flight  of  steps  ascending  to  the  aper- 
tures, for  the  use  of  crossbow-men.  The  entrance  to  the  Keep  was 
through  a  low  pointed  gateway,  in  the  middle  of  the  curtain  con- 
necting the  two  towers  on  the  north  side.  It  was  defended  by  a  port- 
cullis from  above.  The  chapel  stood  over  a  vault,  commonly  but  eiTO- 
neously  called  the  dungeon.  The  hall  was  75  feet  in  length, 
lighted  by  two  rows  of  square  mullioned  windows,  one  on  each 
side.  The  kitchen  had  two  fireplaces,  each  9  feet  wide,  large 
enough  to  roast  an  ox  whole.  In  the  great  hall  was  a  table  17 
yards  long  and  nearly  i  broad,  cut  from  an  oak  that  grew  in 
the  new  park.  "  Certainly,"  says  Dr.  Plot,  "  it  must  be  a  tree  of  pro- 
digious height  and  magnitude,  out  of  which  a  table,  all  in  one  plank, 
could  be  cut,  25  yards  3  inches  long,  and  wanting  but  2  inches  of  a 
yard  in  breadth  for  the  whole  length ;  from  which  they  were  forced  (it 
being  much  too  long  for  the  hall  at  Dudley)  to  cut  off  7  yards  9  inches, 


5o6  The  Priory  of  Dudley, 

which  is  the  length  of  the  table  in  the  hall  at  Corbyns  hall,  hard  by,  the 
ancient  seat  of  the  Corbyns." 

Dudley  Castle  continued  habitable  until  the  year  1750,  when  a  fire 
occuiTcd  in  it,  July  24,  and  it  burnt  on  the  25th  and  26th.  The  people 
could  not  be  persuaded  to  go  near  the  fire  to  extinguish  it,  on  account 
of  gunpowder  said  to  be  in  the  place,  and  it  burnt  until  reduced  to  the 
present  state  of  desolation.  Tradition  ascribes  the  fire  to  a  set  of 
coiners,  to  whom  the  Castle  served  as  a  sort  of  retreat,  or  concealment. 

In  the  year  1799,  William,  the  third  Viscount  Dudley  and  Ward, 
employed  a  number  of  workmen  in  removing  the  vast  heap  of  limestone 
which  filled  up  the  area  of  the  old  Keep,  the  work  of  the  Parliamentary 
Commissioners,  and  exhibited  the  form  in  which  it  was  originally  built. 
At  the  same  time  he  raised  one  of  its  mutilated  towers  to  its  present 
height  and  appearance. 

The  Priory  of  Dudley. 

About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  west  of  the  Castle  of  Dudley 
(says  Mr.  Twamley,  in  his  History),  are  the  ruins  of  the  Clugniac  Priory, 
founded,  as  before  described,  by  Gervase  Paganel,  in  pursuance  of  the 
intention  of  his  father,  Ralph,  to  found  a  convent  here.  Accordingly, 
in  the  middle  of  the  twelfth  century,  he  gave  in  perpetual  alms  to  God, 
and  St.  JamcG,  at  Dudley,  the  land  on  which  the  church  of  St.  James 
was  built,  and  also  the  churches  of  St.  Edmund  and  St.  Thomas  at 
Dudley,  and  the  churches  of  Northfield,  Segesle,  and  Iggepenne,  and 
other  property.  He  confirmed  all  gifts  made  to  the  said  monks  of  St. 
James,  by  any  of  his  feudatory  tenants  (vassals).  He  also  granted  that 
their  cattle  should  feed  in  whatever  pastures  his  own  feed  in,  except  in 
his  parks ;  and  pannage  (fruit  growing  on  forest  trees,  proper  food  for 
pigs),  throughout  his  forests ;  also  a  tenth  of  his  bread,  venison,  and 
fish,  whilst  he  resided  at  Dudley  and  Hcrden.  The  Prior  of  Wenlock  waa 
likewise  empowered  to  settle  the  monks  in  a  convent  at  Dudley,  when 
it  could  support  one,  which  power  was  soon  after  exercised.  This 
gift  the  prior,  with  his  own  hand,  offered  upon  the  altar  of  St.  Mii- 
burga,  at  Wenlock,  before  the  convent;  and  upon  the  altar  of  St. 
James,  at  Dudley,  before  the  monks  of  that  place.  In  irj40  this 
Priory,  as  parcel  of  Wenlock,  was  granted  to  Sir  John  Dudley,  aflci- 
wards  Duke  of  Northumberland.  Upon  his  attainder  and  forfeiture, 
It  was  granted  by  Queen  Mary  to  Sir  Edward  Sutton,  Lord  Dudley. 

About  thirty  years  after  the  date  of  the  last  grant,  in  the  church  of 
the  Priory  there  were  several  monuments  of  tlie  Somerys  and  Suttons. 


Bransil  Castle  Tradition,  S^7 

and  especially  one,  being  cross-legged  and  a  very  old  one  oi  goodly  work- 
manship ;  it  was  strange  for  the  stature  of  the  person  buried,  for  the 
picture  which  was  laid  over  him  was  eight  feet  long,  and  the  person  of 
the  same  stature,  as  was  the  stone  coffin  wherein  the  charnel  was 
placed.  Under  the  arch  of  the  monument,  the  gold  was  fi-esh,  and  in  it 
were  portions  of  two  blue  lions,  so  that  it  was  a  Somery,  'and  it  is  pre- 
sumed the  first  founder  of  the  Priory.  Here  were  also  portions  oi 
other  monuments  defaced.  The  subsequent  owners  of  the  property 
abandoned  it  still  further  to  decay  and  ruin,  and  regardless  of  all  respect 
for  these  venerable  remains,  permitted  different  manufactures  to  be 
carried  on  in  the  midst  of  them.  Grose,  in  1776,  describes  the  chief 
remains  to  be  those  of  the  conventual  church.  South  of  the  cast 
window,  richly  ornamented,  was  a  niche  and  canopy  for  an  image.  The 
arches  all  appear  to  have  been  pointed.  East  and  west  of  the  niins 
were  large  pools  of  water,  seemingly  the  remains  of  a  moat  which  once 
encompassed  the  whole  monastery.  The  pools  were  drained  when  the 
present  house  and  offices  were  built.  The  ruins  were  cleared  of  rubbish, 
and  ivy  planted,  which  has  grown  so  luxuriantly,  that  little  of  the 
buildings  can  be  seen.  ^ 

Bransil  Castle  Tradition. 

About  two  miles  from  the  Herefordshire  Beacon,  in  a  romantic 
situation,  are  the  shattered  remains  of  Bransil  Castle,  a  stronghold  of 
great  antiquity.  There  is  a  tradition  that  the  ghost  of  Lord  Beauchamp, 
who  died  in  Italy,  could  never  rest  until  his  bones  were  delivered  to  the 
riglit  lieir  of  Bransil  Castle  ;  accordingly,  they  were  sent  fi-om  Italy 
enclosed  in  a  small  box,  and  were  long  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Sheldon, 
of  Abberton.  The  tradition  further  states,  that  the  old  Castle  ot 
Bransil  was  moated  rounds  and  in  that  moat  a  black  crow,  presumed  to 
be  an  infernal  spirit,  sat  to  guard  a  chest  of  money,  till  discovered  by 
the  right  owner.  This  chest  could  never  be  moved  without  the  mover 
being  in  possession  of  the  bones  of  Lord  Beauchamp. 

In  the  same  neighbourhood,  in  1650,  one  Thomas  Tailer,  a  peasant, 
found  a  coronet  of  gold,  set  with  diamond^,  as  he  was  digging  a  ditch 
round  his  cottage,  near  Burstner"s  Cross.  It  was  sold  to  Mr.  Hill,  a 
goldsmith  in  Gloucester,  for  37/.  Hill  sold  it  to  a  jeweller  in  Lom- 
bard-street, London,  for  250/.,  and  the  jeweller  sold  the  stones,  which 
were  deeply  inlaid,  for  1500/.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  diadem 
of  a  British  prince,  who  had,  perhaps,  fallen  in  a  battle  near  here,  as, 
from  the  description,  it  corresponded  with  the  ancient  coronets  worn  by 
the  princes  or  chiefs  of  Wales. 


5o8 


Clifford  Castle. 

Clifford  Castle,  the  castle  on  the  cliff  at  the  ford^  owes  its 
existence  as  a  fortress,  4s  well  as  its  name,  to  its  situation  on  a  bold 
eminence  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Wye,  and  commanding  a  reach 
of  the  stream  which  is  shallow  enough  to  be  forded.  Such  a  site, 
on  the  western  border  of  England,  was  too  obviously  suitable  for 
fortification,  during  the  long  wars  which  were  waged  between  the 
Welsh  and  the  Saxons,  to  be  overlooked.  We  have  no  specific 
knowledge  of  any  castle  erected  here  by  the  Saxons  ;  though  there 
is  little  dcubt  that  some  rude  stronghold,  built  by  them,  was  in 
existence  at  the  time  of  the  Conquest.  The  Normans,  however, 
with  their  quick  apprehension  and  military  instinct,  readily  per- 
ceived the  strategic  value  of  the  position,  and  made  the  most  of  it. 
The  barony  of  Clifford  v/as  conferred,  by  William  the  Conqueror, 
upon  William  Fitz  Osborne,  Earl  of  Hereford,  who  either  restored 
the  original  fortress  or  built  the  castle  from  the  foundations. 

The  first  Earl  of  Hereford  fell  in  Flanders  in  1070.  He  was 
succeeded  by  his  son,  Roger  de  Bretevil,  who,  engaging  in  a  con- 
spiracy against  the  Conqueror,  was  stripped  of  his  inheritance  and 
thrown  into  prison.  His  case  is  by  no  means  a  singular  one.  It 
might  naturally  be  imagined,  that  the  immediate  successor  to  the 
noble  who  had  received  a  rich  lordship  direct  from  the  hands  of 
his  monarch,  would  not  have  wavered,  under  any  temptation,  in  his 
loyally  to  the  bounteous  source  of  his  wealth,  to  whom,  moreover, 
he  was  bound  by  the  strongest  ties  then  recognised  in  the  most 
advanced  of  European  nations — the  obligations  of  Feudalism  and 
of  Chivalry.  Yet  it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  an  extraordinary 
number  of  the  families  enfeoffed  of  lordships  by  William  were  disin- 
herited in  the  second  generation  from  the  defection  of  the  second  lord 
from  the  royal  favourite.  The  fact  is  another  instance  of  the  truth 
that  ic  is  more  difficult  to  withstand  the  temptations  which  sudden 
good  fortune  brings  with  it,  than  to  bear  up  against  the  hardships 
of  a  comparatively  humble  station.  The  power  of  the  Conqueror 
had  not  yet  become  consolidated.  Rebellion  was  in  the  heart  of 
the  whole  Saxon  race,  who  revolted  against  the  rule  of  the  stranger, 
and  pined  for  the  lime  when  they  should  be  again  governed  by 
princes  of  their  own  blood.  And  the  sons  of  the  companions  of  the 
Conqueror,  intoxicated  with  the  good  fortune  their  fathers  had  won 
and  they  had  inherited,  prolably  imagined  that  under  a  new  state 


Clifford  Castle.  509 

of  things,  when  a  revolution  had  broken  William's  power,  they 
would  be  able  to  seize  a  still  greater  portion  of  spoil  than  had 
fallen  to  their  lot.  Seduced  by  this  visionary  idea,  they  dabbled  in 
the  conspiracies  of  the  Saxons,  with  the  result  already  stated. 
Their  treachery  and  ingratitude  w^re  discovered,  they  themselves 
cast  out  of  the  domains  which,  had  they  been  more  prudent,  they 
might  have  possessed  in  peace  and  handed  down  to  their  posterity. 
Ralph  de  Sodeni,  who  was  related  to  the  Fitz  Osbornes,  was  the 
next  possessor  of  Clifford  ;  and  his  daughter,  on  her  marriage  with 
Richard  Fitz  Pontz,  or  Des  Fonts,  carried  the  estate  with  her  into 
that  family. 

Walter,  the  son  by  this  union,  was  the  first  to  assume  the  name 
of  De  Clifford,  from  the  place  of  his  residence.  His  eldest  daughter 
was  the  ill-starred  favourite  of  Henry  II.— the  "Fair  Rosamond." 
(See  "  Woodstock  Palace,"  and  "  Canyngton  Priory.") 

Walter  de  Clifford,  the  son  and  successor  of  the  first  lord  of  that 
name  and  the  brother  of  the  Fair  Rosamond,  succeeded  in  1221. 
He  was  one  of  the  least  important  of  the  barons  of  the  Welsh 
borders,  either  in  power,  wealth,  or  liberties  ;  but,  nevertheless,  his 
temper  was  imperious.  The  king  on  one  occasion  sent  him  a 
messenger  bearing  royal  letters,  Clifford  made  the  messenger  eat 
the  letters,  seal  and  all.  Having  been  found  guilty  of  this  before 
the  king,  Walter  did  not  dare  to  stand  trial,  but  threw  himself  on 
the  king's  mercy,  whereby  he  escaped  death  or  disinheritance, 
*'  but  he  lost  his  liberty,"  says  Matthew  Paris,  "  and  all  the  money 
he  possessed  or  could  procure,  amounting  to  about  a  thousand 
.marks,  and  was  then  allowed  to  return  home  without  being  im- 
prisoned, on  the  bail  of  some  special  securities." 

In  those  times  it  was  customary  for  the  king  to  regulate  the 
•patrimonial  alliances  of  his  nobles,  and  in  1250  Walter  de  Clifford 
"^eceived  the  king's  command  to  effect  a  marriage  between  his  only 
:hild — a  girl  of  twelve  years  of  age — and  her  cousin,  William 
^ongspee,  great-grandson  of  Fair  Rosamond.  Six  years  afterwards 
he  young  husband  was  killed  at  a  tournament  at  Blythe,  and  his 
widow,  still  a  girl,  thus  became  heir  to  the  united  possessions  of 
the  De  Cliffords  and  the  Longspees.  Her  next  marriage  had  neither 
the  warrant  of  the  king,  of  her  father,  or  her  own.  She  was  forcibly 
carried  from  her  manor-house  by  a  bold  knight,  John  Giffard  of 
Brunsfield,  Gloucestershire.  The  lady  herself  is  stated  to  have 
made  a  complaint,  but  afterwards,  becoming  reconciled  to  her  bold 
wooer,  withdrew  it,  and  Giffard  was  allowed  to  marry  his  captive 


510  Brampton  Brian  Castle, 

bride,  afterpayment  to  the  king  of  the  sum  of  three  hundred  marks. 
Giffard  was  an  active  man  in  his  time.  He  was  conspicuous 
among  the  barons  of  the  Marches  in  opposing  Simon  de  Montfort, 
and  in  assisting  Prince  Edward  in  his  escape  from  Hereford,  in 
1265.  He  and  Edmund  Mortimer,  joining  their  forces  together  in 
1282,  defeated  Llewellyn,  the  Piince  of  Wales,  near  Builth.  In 
this  action  the  brave  Welsh  leader  met  an  ignoble  end,  being 
stabbed  in  the  back,  and  his  body  dragged  to  the  junction  of  two 
cross  roads,  and  there  buried.  Giffard  died  in  1299,  and  the 
estate  of  Clifford  was  afterwards  given  to  the  Mortimers.  W^hile 
under  their  keeping  the  castle  afforded  shelter  for  one  night  to  the 
ill-fated  Richard  II.  and  his  uncle,  John  of  Gaunt,  in  1381.  On 
the  accession  of  the  House  of  York,  in  which  the  Mortimer  family 
were  merged,  the  estates  of  Clifford  Castle  came  to  the  crown.  The 
unfortunate  Henry  Stafford,  Duke  of  Buckingham,  was  its  constable 
in  the  first  year  of  Edward  IV.,  but  from  about  this  time  it  ceased 
to  be  a  private  residence,  and  Powell,  who  sketched  it  at  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century,  states  that  at  that  time  there  were 
growing  upon  the  site  of  the  castle  oak-trees  that  must  have  been 
three  or  four  hundred  years  old. 

Of  the  picturesque  shell  of  the  old  pile,  still  sternly  dominating 
the  "  babbling  Wye,"  the  principal  portion  is  a  part  of  the  north 
wall.  The  building  when  entire  is  supposed  to  have  been  quadran- 
gular, environed  on  its  landward  sides  by  a  moat  communicating 
with  the  Wye.  The  old  walls  are  now  covered  with  ivy,  the  empty 
arches  support  nothing,  and  the  turrets,  broken  by  natural  decay, 
have  been  rounded  by  the  wear  of  the  weather,  and  the  coaling 
of  moss  and  ivy  with  which  they  are  clad. 

In  1547  the  manor,  including  the  remains  of  the  castle  of  Cliftbrd, 
was  granted  to  Lord  Clinton  as  a  reward  for  military  service 
against  the  Scots  at  Musselburgh,  The  present  owner  isTomkyns 
Dew,  Esq. 


Brampton  Brian  Castle. 

Brampton  Brian  Castle,  on  the  north-west  border  of  Here- 
fordshire, derives  its  chief  historical  interest  from  its  heroic  defence 
against  the  royalist  forces  during  the  Revolution,  by  Lady  Brilliana 
Harley.  The  castle  itself  was  built  during  the  later  years  of  Henry  I. 
Barnard  Unspec,  Lord  of  Kinlct  in  Shropshire,  was  the  first  of  his 


Brampton  Brian  Castle,  51 1 

family  to  adopt  the  name  of  "  De  Brampton,"  making  it  at  the  same 
time  the  place  of  his  residence.  The  De  Bramptons  held  the  manor 
for  a  number  of  generations,  but  in  the  reign  of  Edward  I.  the  line 
ended  in  two  co-heirs,  one  of  whom  carried  the  lordship  with  her 
by  marriage  into  the  family  of  Harley,  in  the  person  of  Robert  de 
Ilarley,  whom  Roger  de  Mortimer  calls  "  his  beloved  bachelor." 

Of  the  existing  remains  of  the  castle,  repeated  siege  and  confla- 
gration have  left  but  httle.  The  earliest  portion  of  the  present  ruins 
is  the  entrance  gateway,  built  probably  in  the  reign  of  Edward  III., 
and  defended  on  either  side  by  a  low  circular  tower,  pierced  with 
loopholes  on  the  ground  floor,  and  surmounted  by  a  crenellated 
parapet.  There  is  a  pointed  arch  of  good  proportions,  ornamented 
with  trefoil  ball-flowers,  and  admitting  to  a  vaulted  passage  guarded 
by  a  portcullis.  The  bay  windows  in  ashlar-work,  with  the  de- 
pressed archway  beneath  them,  arc  portions  of  the  ornamental 
additions  made  to  the  interior  when  this  Border  fortress  was  con- 
verted into  a  private  manor.  A  rose  which  appears  upon  one  of  the 
doorways  seems  to  point  out  that  this  part  of  the  building  was 
erected  during  the  sixteenth  century. 

Bryan,  the  second  son  of  Robert  de  Harley,  succeeded  to  his 
mother's  property  in  the  county  of  Hereford,  and  he  signalized 
himself  by  his  martial  spirit  and  enterprise.  He  was  selected  by 
the  Black  Prince,  as  a  reward  for  his  heroism,  for  the  order  of  the 
Garter. 

During  the  Wars  of  the  Roses  the  Harleys  took  the  field  with 
the  white  rose  in  their  caps — they  being  connected  wdth  the  house 
of  York  by  the  ties  of  blood  as  well  as  by  the  friendship  of  a 
number  of  generations.  The  feudal  relation  that  subsisted  between 
the  Harleys  and  the  great  house  of  York  had  been  nurtured  upon 
mutual  acts  of  accommodation — kindness  and  generosity  on  the 
one  side  and  faithful  service  on  the  other  ;  so  that  up  to  this  point, 
at  least,  feudal  fidelity  to  the  White  Rose  was  the  historic  creed  of 
the  Harleys.  Did  not  the  walls  of  the  old  hall  at  Brampton  still 
show  the  spurs  of  knighthood  which  John  Harley  had  won  at 
Tewkesbury  1  and  did  not  the  sword  which  his  grandson  wielded  at 
Flodden  Field  hang  there  also  ? 

But  England  was  now  entering  upon  a  new  era,  and  the  policy 
and  the  fortunes  of  many  of  the  best  families  were  now  to  undergo 
a  change.  The  ties  of  personal  obligation  which  had  hitherto 
bound  the  subject  to  the  sovereign  were  now  to  be  subjected  to 
suspicious  examination,  perhaps  to  be  se\ered  altogether — beliefs 


512  Brampton  Brian  Castle, 

that  had  grown  and  flourished  in  the  soil  of  tradition  and  prejudice, 
not,  in  all  cases,  without  the  shedding  of  tears  and  of  blood.  A 
new  standard  of  human  excellence  had  been  arrived  at,  and  by  this 
new  measure  the  worth  of  men  was  to  be  estimated.  The  great 
struggle  of  the  seventeenth  century  had  begun  in  England—  the 
struggle  between  the  Crown  and  the  Commons,  between  Royal 
caprice  and  established  Law. 

Sir  Robert  Harley,  who  succeeded  to  Brampton  at  the  death  of 
his  father  in  1 631,  was  one  of  the  few  leading  gentlemen  in  his 
county  who  took  the  side  of  the  Parliament  in  the  struggle  of  the 
Revolution.  A  person  of  his  rank  and  influence  was  not  to  be 
overlooked,  and  the  leaders  of  Parliament  demanded  so  much  01 
his  time  and  labour  that  he  was  obliged  to  reside  in  London,  and 
compelled  to  leave  the  custody  of  his  castle  of  Brampton  Brian  to 
the  keeping  of  Lady  Brilliana,  his  wife. 

Lady  Brilliana  Harley  was  the  second  daughter  of  Sir 
Edward  Conway  of  Ragley,  in  Warwickshire,  and  was  born  in 
Holland  whilst  her  father  was  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  Brill. 
She  was  married  in  1623,  while  in  her  twenty-third  year;  and  con- 
sequently, when  her  husband  declared  for  the  Parliament  in  1631, 
she  was  thirty-one  years  of  age. 

The  Civil  War  had  no  sooner  broken  out  than  Lady  Brilliana — 
unsupported  now  by  her  husband's  encouragement  and  counsel,  for 
Harley  was  closely  confined  to  London — became  an  object  of  sus- 
picion to  her  royalist  neighbours.  After  repeated  provocations  and 
thrcatenings,  such  as  plundering  the  park  of  deer  and  game,  with- 
holding rents  due,  &c.,  the  persecutions  which  the  residents  at 
Brampton  Brian  had  to  submit  to  took  the  form  of  actual  siege  and 
assault ;  for  royalists  of  the  locality,  under  Sir  William  Vavasour 
and  Colonel  Lingen,  surrounded  the  castle. 

But  Lady  Brilliana  met  the  emergency  undauntedly.  Her  own 
cause  was  "  God's  cause,  in  which  it  would  be  an  honour  to  suffer." 
This  reflection  would  have  afforded  consolation  in  the  event  of  her 
castle  being  taken  and  her  friends  and  kinsmen  slain  ;  but  she  was 
too  magnanimous  to  admit  of  such  a  possibility.  She  kept  her 
consolations  in  reserve,  for  use  when  they  should  be  required  ;  but 
in  the  meantime,  while  yet  her  walls  were  strong,  her  garrison  in 
good  heart,  and  her  larders  well  stored,  she  did  not  require  the  com- 
fort of  consolation,  but  stoutly  maintained  "  that  the  Lord  would 
show  the  men  of  the  world  that  it  is  hard  fighting  againstheavcn." 

During  the  years  1642  and  1643,  when  as  yet  the  tide  had  not 


Brampton  Brian  Castle,  513 

set  distinctly  in  favour  of  Cavaliers  or  Roundheads,  Lady  Harley 
painfully  felt  her  isolated  and  friendless  position.  Almost  all  the 
influential  families  of  Herefordshire  had  risen  in  arms  for  the  king, 
and  Brampton  Brian  stood  almost  alone  in  its  championship  of  the 
Parliament.  To  Lady  Harley  the  very  indecision  of  her  enemies 
gave  her  additional  perplexity.  Vague  threats  reached  her  from  all 
sides,  but  she  knew  not  whence  to  expect  any  decided  movement. 
For  a  whole  year  she  lived  in  daily  apprehension  that  her  castle 
was  to  be  assailed.  Gradually  the  ill  rumours  became  more  dis- 
tinct— the  farms  around  Brampton  Brian  were  to  be  burned,  and 
the  castle  itself  blockaded.  Later  on  it  was  reported  that  a  council 
of  war  had  been  held  by  the  Royalists,  and  that  the  somewhat 
irrational  conclusion  had  been  arrived  at,  "  that  the  best  way  to 
take  Brampton  was  to  blow  it  up  !"  Active  operations  were  now 
daily  expected. 

On  St.  Valentine's  Day,  1643,  Lady  Brilliana  writes  to  her  son — 
"  The  sheriff  of  Radnorshire,  with  the  trained  bands  of  that  county 
and  some  of  the  Hearfordsheare  soulders  mean  to*  come  against 
me.  .  .  .  Now,  they  say,  they  will  starve  me  out  of  my  howes. 
They  have  taken  away  all  your  fathers  rents,  and  now  they  will 
drive  away  the  cattell,  and  then  I  shall  have  nothing  to  live  upon  ; 
for  all  theare  aim  is  to  enfors  me  to  let  the  men  I  have  goo,  that 
then  they  might  seize  upon  my  howes  and  cute  otir  throghts  by  a 
feewe  rooges,  and  then  say  they  knowe  not  whoo  did  it.  ,  .  . 
They  have  used  all  means  to  leave  no  man  in  my  howes,  and  tell 
me  I  should  be  safe,  but  I  have  no  caus  to  trust  them." 

Her  own  mind  was  now  made  up  to  hold  the  castle  at  any 
hazard.  Stores  were  collected  without  delay,  and  the  building 
was  put  into  the  most  efficient  state  of  repair  possible  under  the 
circumstances.  The  lead  of  the  roofs  was  recast,  the  timber-work 
reneAved  and  strengthened,  and  money  borrowed  from  a  friendly 
neighbour  for  the  costly  work  of  refilling  the  moat.  The  garrison 
of  Brampton  had  hitherto  been  under  the  command  of  Dr.  Nathan 
Wright,  the  family  physician — a  widely  accomplished  gentleman 
who  knew  something  about  the  art  of  killing  as  well  as  of  curing — 
but  it  was  now  strengthened  by  the  addition  of  a  sergeant  from  Col. 
Massie's  division.  Sergeant  Hackluyt,  "  a  brave  and  abell  soul- 
dier"  who  had  served  in  the  German  wars,  and  who  now  took  the 
direction  of  affairs. 

As  the  time  for  the  assault  of  the  enemy  drew  near,  the  spirit  of 
the  Lady  of  Brampton  rose  with  the  occasion,  and  her  letters  to 
**  L  L 


5 14  Brampton  Brian  Castle. 

her  son  become  more  and  more  cheerful.  These  epistles,  several 
hundreds  in  number,  recently  published  under  the  superintendence 
of  Lady  Frances  Vernon  Harcourt,  a  descendant  of  the  Lady 
Brilliana,  are  of  very  great  interest  as  depicting  the  arrangements 
of  a  fortified  house  of  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  centur)^,  under 
a  prolonged  siege.  *'  I  thank  God,"  writes  Lady  Harley,  in  June 
1643,  "  I  do  beyond  my  expectations  or  that  of  some  in  my  house  : 
my  provisions  hold  out  and  I  have  borrowed  yet  not  much 
money." 

On  the  26th  July,  Sir  William  Vavasour  besieged  the  house  with 
six  hundred  men ;  but  at  the  close  of  August  he  had  achieved 
nothing,  and  he  was  then  called  away  to  Gloucester,  to  help  to 
sustain  the  falling  fortunes  of  the  king  in  that  quarter.  The  com- 
mand was  left  with  Colonel  Lingen,  a  Herefordshire  man,  who  to 
the  ardour  of  his  loyalty  to  the  king,  added  a  special  animosity 
against  a  neighbour  differing  with  him  in  opinion.  But,  however 
anxious  to  reduce  the  place,  Lingen  found  his  efforts  unavailing. 
The  defenders  of  the  castle  were  full  of  courage  and  spirit.  They 
had  a  lady  to  serve  and  an  old  Gustavus  Adolphus  veteran  to  direct 
them,  and  they  received  the  attacks  of  the  enemy  with  unfailing 
gallantry.  During  the  siege  the  church  and  the  town  of  Brampton 
were  burned,  but  the  castle  itself  sustained  no  serious  damage.  In 
the  beginning  of  September,  when  authentic  news  of  the  defeat  of 
the  royal  forces  at  Gloucester  reached  the  castle,  Colonel  Lingen 
drew  off  his  baffled  troops. 

But  the  protracted  anxiety  which  she  had  undergone  proved  too 
much  for  Lady  Harley.  She  lived  to  survive  her  triumph,  and  then, 
when  the  excitement  of  danger  was  over  and  the  tension  passed 
away  from  nerve  and  brain,  she  felt  the  strain  under  which  she  had 
been  labouring,  and  sank  down  helplessly.  Rumours  of  another 
intended  siege  reached  the  castle,  and  in  announcing  the  circum- 
stance to  her  son,  she  tells  him  she  is  sure  the  Lord  will  dehvcr 
her  from  its  trials.  Her  trust  was  fulfilled — s'le  died  the  next 
day. 

Meantime,  early  in  the  spring  of  the  succeeding  year,  Sir  Michael 
VVoodhouse,  a  stern  and  able  officer,  brought  a  fresh  force  against 
the  castle  and  attacked  it  in  a  manner  which  proved  his  skill  and  ex- 
perience. The  heavy  artillery  employed  by  Woodhouse  tore  down 
the  walls,  and  though  the  defence  was  most  gallant,  there  was 
nothing  but  surrender  possible,  after  the  outworks  were  levelled 
with  the  ground.  Among  the  prisoners  are  enumerated,  Sir  Robert 
Harley's  three  young  children,    as  well  as  "Lieutenant •Colonel 


Brampton  Brian  Castle.  5 1 5 

Wright  and  Captain  Hackluyt,"  in  which  gentlemen  of  military 
rank  we  recognise  the  family  physician,  and  the  "  brave  and  abcU 
souldier-"  who  had  been  in  the  German  Wars.  The  year  wore  on, 
and  before  its  close  the  royalists  had  been  definitively  beaten  at  the 
conclusive  battle  of  Naseby  ;  Hereford  .itself  was  in  the  possession 
of  the  Parliament,  and  the  garrison  of  Brampton  Castle  who  had 
been  taken  prisoners,  were  set  at  liberty. 

After  the  Commonwealth  was  established,  it  was  in  Sir  Robert 
Ilarley's  power  to  exact  compensation  for  the  losses  he  had  sus- 
tained and  the  expenses  to  which  he  had  been  put  by  the  two 
sieges.  -  His  claim  amounted  in  all  to  12,990/.  Parliament  allowed 
the  claim,  and  authorized  Harley  to  levy  a  large  portion  of  the 
amount  upon  the  estates — now  confiscated — of  Colonel  Lingen, 
who  had  conducted  the  first  siege  of  the  Castle  of  Brampton. 
When  this  order  in  Parliament  was  given.  Colonel  Lingen  was 
either  in  prison  or  otherwise  detained  from  home.  Edward 
Harley,  Sir  Robert's  son,  accordingly  waited  on  Lingen's  wife, 
presented  the  account  of  the  property  assigned  to  him  by  Parlia- 
ment, and  inquired  whether  the  particulars  had  been  correctly  set 
down  and  signed  by  her  husband.  On  receiving  her  answer  he 
returned  the  schedule,  voluntarily  renouncing  all  right  or  title  to 
the  estates  which  it  conferred  upon  him.  "A  revenge  so  noble," 
says  the  author  of  the  "  Castles  of  Herefordshire,"  "  elevates  the  son 
to  a  level  with  his  heroic  mother.  Her  courage  baffled  her  enemies  ; 
his  forgiveness  subdued  them." 

Brampton  Brian  remained  a  complete  ruin  till  after  the  death  of 
Sir  Robert,  the  husband  of  Lady  Brilliana,  in  1657.  Sir  Edward, 
the  heir  and  successor  to  the  estates,  had  been  appointed  Governor 
of  Dunkirk,  but  resigning  this  appointment  in  1 661,  he  returned  to 
his  native  country,  and  commenced  rebuilding  the  castle,  or  more 
properly  speaking,  the  Hall  of  Brampton  Brian.  In  this  house  he 
was  resident  in  1665,  and  a  few  years  later  we  find  him  com- 
mencing a  retrospect  of  his  life,  with  the  words  :  "  I  was  born  at 
Brampton  Castle,  October  21st,  1624;  I  am  now  through  Divine 
long  suffering,  at  Brampton  Brian,  October  21st,  1673,  forty-nine 
years  old  ...  .  This  place  which  was  iustly  waste,  and  for  divers 
years  as  the  Region  of  the  Shadow  of  Death,  for  the  sins    and 

iniquities  of  my  forefathers now  is  made  to  me  a  goodly 

Heritage." 

The  estate  is  now  the  property  of  Lady  Langdale,  the  direct  de* 
scendant  of  Robert  de  Harley,  its  possessor  five  centuries  ago. 

L  L  2 


Si6 


Hagley  Park. — Lord  Lytteltoii's  Ghost  Story. 

••  We  then  a  lodge  for  thee  will  rear  in  Hagley  Park." 

Castle  of  Indolence. 

This  lordly  mansion,  the  seat  of  Lord  Lyttelton,  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  tlie  ancestral  halls  of  England,  and  one  which,  apart 
from  the  glorious  beauty  of  the  scenery  amid  which  it  is  placed,  and 
independently  of  the  treasures  of  art  and  literature  which  bespeak 
the  wealth  and  the  refinement  of  the  ancient  family  that  possess  it, 
has  an  unusual  attraction  as  having  been  the  rendezvous  of  a 
number  of  the  brightest  spirits  of  a  past  generation,  and  as  having 
been  specially  the  favourite  haunt  of  Thomson,  of  Shenstone,  and 
of  Pope.  The  famous  author  of  the  "  Seasons,"  writing  from  Hagley 
to  a  lady  friend,  for  whom  he  seems  to  have  cherished  an  affection 
that  hesitated  between  being  Platonic  and  going  further,  thus 
describes  the  scene  in  which  he  was  destined  afterwards  to  meet 
the  most  brilliant  Englishmen  of  his  time,  and  in  which  he  was  to 
spend  so  many  happy  days  : — "  After  a  disagreeable  stage-coach 
journey,  disagreeable  in  itself,  and  infinitely  so  as  it  carried  mc 
from  you,  I  am  come  to  the  most  agreeable  place  and  company  in 
the  world.  The  park,  where  we  pass  a  great  part  of  our  time,  is 
thoroughly  delightful,  quite  enchanting.  It  consists  of  several  little 
hills,  finely  tufted  with  wood,  and  rising  softly  one  above  another  ; 
from  which  are  seen  a  great  variety  of  at  once  beautiful  and  grand 
extensive  prospects  :  but  I  am  most  charmed  with  its  sweet  em- 
bowered retirements,  and  particularly  with  a  winding  dale  that  runs 
through  the  middle  of  it.  This  dale  is  overhung  with  deep  woods 
and  enlivened  by  a  stream,  that,  now  gushing  from  mossy  rocks, 
now  falling  in  cascades,  and  now  spreading  into  a  calm  length  of 
water,  forms  the  most  natural  and  pleasing  scene  imaginable.  At 
the  source  of  this  water,  composed  of  some  pretty  rills  that  purl 
from  beneath  the  roots  of  oaks,  there  is  as  fine  a  retired  seat  as 
lover's  heart  could  wish.  There  I  often  sit  and  with  a  dear,  exquisite 
mixture  of  pleasure  and  pain,  of  all  that  love  can  boast  of  excellent 
and  tender,  think  of  you,"  &c.  To  the  description  of  Thomson  mr.y 
be  appended  the  brief  note  of  Horace  Walpolc, — much  an  inferior 
poet  than  the  bard  of  the  "  Seasons  ;"  but  a  much  more  piquant 
letter-writer : — "  I  cannot  describe  the  enchanting  beauty  of  the 
park;  it  is  a  hill  of  three  miles,  but  broke  into  all  manner  of 
beauty  ;  such  lawns — such  woods — hills,  cascades,  and  a  thickness 


Hagley  Park,  51; 

of  verdure,  quite  to  the  summit  of  the  hill,  and  commanding  such 
a  view  of  towns  and  meadows  and  woods,  extending  quite  to  the 
Black  Mountains  in  Wales.    Here  is  a  ruined  castle,  built  by  Millar, 

has  the  true  rust  of  the  Barons'  Wars A  small  lake  with 

cascades  falling  down  such  a  Parnassus,  with  a  circular  temple  on 
the  distant  eminence,  a  fairy  dale  with  cascades  gushing  out  of  the 
rocks,  a  pretty  well  under  a  vvood,  like  the  Samaritan  woman's  in 
a  picture  of  Nicolo  Poussin." 

The  following  fine  lines  from  Thomson's  "  Spring,"  addressed  to 
Lord  Lyttclton,  with  allusions  to  Hagley  Park,  which  the  poet 
names  the  British  Tempe,  from  its  resembling  the  celebrated 
Thessalian  valley  in  excess  of  natural  beauty,  will  be  read  with 
interest.  After  mentioning  the  exquisite  pleasures  to  which  the 
contemplation  of  nature  gives  rise,  the  poet  proceeds  ;— 

"  These  are  the  sacred  feelings  of  thy  heart, 
Ihy  heart  informed  by  reason's  purer  ray, 
O  Lyttelton,  the  friend  !  thy  passions  thus 
And  meditations  vary,  as  at  large. 
Courting  the  muse,  through  Hagley  Park  you  stray  j 
Tiiy  British  Tempd  !  there  along  the  dale, 
With  woods  o'erhung,  and  shagged  with  mossy  rocks. 
Where  on  each  hand  the  gushing  waters  play, 
And  down  the  rough  cascade  white-dashing  fall, 
Or  gleam  in  lengthened  vista  through  the  trees. 
You  silent  steal ;  or  sit  beneath  the  shade 
Of  solemn  oaks,  that  tuft  the  swelhng  mounts 
Thrown  graceful  round  by  Nature's  careless  hand, 
And  pensive  listen  to  the  various  voice 
Of  rural  peace  :  the  herds,  the  flocks,  the  birds, 
The  hollow-whispering  breeze,  the  plaint  of  rills. 
That,  purling  down  amid  the  twisted  roots 
Which  creep  around,  their  dewy  murmurs  shake 
On  the  soothed  ear." 

The  dell  of  shrubberies  and  waterfalls  laid  out  in  the  park  by  the 
first  Lord  Lyttelton  and  by  Shenstone  the  poet,  has  been  con- 
siderably altered,  but  the  renown  of  the  beautiful  grounds  of  Hagley 
is  as  high  at  the  present  as  at  any  former  day.  The  noble  owner 
constantly  employs  a  number  of  industrious  poor  in  dressing  the 
lawns  and  preserving  the  utmost  neatness.  Gravel  walks  are  now 
conducted  across  all  the  glens,  through  the  woods,  and  along  the 
sides  of  the  lawns,  concealed  from  sight  in  the  fine  prospects  by 
shrubbery,  but  rendering  communication  always  easy,  and  con- 
ducting to  all  the  more  charming  spots  which  it  has  been  the 
owner's  care  to  enhance  by  ornamentation.  The  scenes  and  the 
chief  architectural  "poirts"  of  the  park  are,  the  model  of  the 


5i8  Hagley  Parh 

porch  of  the  Temple  of  Theseus — the  beautiful  proportions  are 
prominently  thrown  out  by  the  darkening  background  of  Scottish 
firs  that  extends  behind  it ;  the  octagon  temple  erected  by  Lord 
Lyttclton  to  the  memory  of  his  friend  the  poet  Thomson,  and 
which,  standing  at  a  short  distance  from  the  house,  bears  the  fol- 
lowing generous  inscription  : — "  To  the  Immortal  Genius  of  jAMES 
Thomson,  a  Sublime  Poet,  a  good  man,  this  Temple  (built  after 
his  death)  in  that  recess  which  when  living  he  delighted  in,  is 
erected  and  dedicated  by  George  Lyttelton  ;" — the  Ionic  Rotunda, 
an  elegant  dome,  inclosed  in  an  amphitheatre  of  very  large  trees  ; 
the  Doric  Temple  with  the  inscription  "  Ouieti  et  Musis,"  standing 
on  the  summit  of  a  swelling  lawn ;  the  Hermitage,  a  sequestered 
spot,  constructed  chiefly  with  roots  and  moss,  and  containing  only 
a  humble  bench,  with  appropriate  lines  from  the  "  II  Penseroso"  of 
Milton  above  it ;  the  Ruined  Tower,  a  masterly  artificial  "  antique,"' 
occupying  the  highest  ground  in  the  park,  and  erected  merely  as  a 
picturesque  eminence  from  which  to  obtain  the  best  and  most 
extensive  views  ;  the  ornamental  Urns  in  memory  of  Pope  and 
Shenstone  ;  and  the  column  bearing  the  statue  of  Frederick,  Prince 
of  Wales. 

The  mansion  itself  stands  on  an  easy  rising  ground,  surrounded 
by  lawns  on  all  sides  except  the  north,  where  are  the  ofifices  and 
kitchen  garden,  bordered  by  shrubbery,  evergreens,  and  lines  of 
luxuriant  limes  and  other  trees.  The  building  is  quadrangular 
with  a  square  tower  at  each  angle.  A  handsome  double  flight  of 
steps  lead  to  the  hall,  which  is  thirty  feet  square,  contains  a  well 
executed  white  marble  chimney-piece,  supported  by  two  figures  of 
Hercules,  as  well  as  numerous  art-treasures,  as  "  The  Courtship  of 
Diana  by  Pan,"  in  relievo  by  Vasari ;  busts  of  Rubens  and  Van- 
dyke, by  Rysbrach  ;  and  casts  of  Bacchus,  Venus,  and  Mercury, 
'ihe  library  is  interesting  not  only  from  its  valuable  collection  of 
books,  but  from  the  busts  of  Shakspeare,  Milton,  Spenser,  and 
Dryden  with  which  it  is  ornamented,  and  which,  besides  being 
from  the  studies  of  Schecmakers,  were  a  special  gift  from  Pope  to 
Lord  Lyttclton.  There  is  also  here  a  portrait-picture  representing 
Pope  and  his  dog  Bounce.  In  the  noble  gallery,  85  feet  by  22  feet, 
there  are  amongst  an  extensive  collection  of  pictures,  portraits  of  the 
Countess  of  Exeter,  by  Vandyke  ;  the  Countess  of  Suffolk,  Duke  of 
Monmouth,  Sir  W.  Fairfax,  &c.,  by  Lely  ;  Oliver  Cromwell,  uncer- 
tain, and  many  others  of  note.  The  drawing-room  is  hung  with 
Gobelins  tapestry,  and  contains  a  number  of  famous  portraits  by 


Hagley  Park,  519 

Ramsay.  Distributed  throughout  the  other  rooms  is  a  "Dead 
Christ  with  two  Marys,"  by  Vandyke  ;  "A  Holy  Family,"  by 
Poussin  ;  "  Christ  and  the  Woman  taken  in  Adultery,"  by  Paul 
Veronese  ;  with  specimens  of  Jansen. 

The  present  church,  the  original  building  of  which  stood  here  in 
the  reign  of  William  I.,  is  a  structure  of  the  reign  of  Henry  HI. ; 
but  since  his  time  several  alterations  have  been  made.  The 
chancel  was  rebuilt  from  the  foundation  in  1754,  with  freestone. 
In  our  own  day  the  edifice  has  been  enlarged  and  thoroughly  re- 
paired from  Street's  designs,  by  a  fund  raised  throughout  the  county, 
in  order  to  honour  the  present  Lord  Lyttelton  with  a  testimonial 
expressive  of  the  general  appreciation  of  his  conduct  as  Lord  Lieu- 
tenant. Among  the  alterations  made  under  Mr.  Street's  superin- 
tendence, the  chancel  floor  was  raised  above  the  nave,  and  paved 
with  encaustic  tiles.  The  arch  of  the  chancel  is  of  great  width  and 
rests  upon  detached  shafts  of  polished  serpentine  marble.  The 
pulpit  is  ornamented  with  panels  of  the  same  material,  and  a  spire 
now  crowns  the  edifice.  The  parish  register  of  Hagley  is  perhaps 
the  oldest  in  England.  It  dates  from  December  i,  1538,  being  the 
year  in  which  registers  were  first  ordered  to  be  kept  in  all  parishes, 
which  order  seems  not  to  have  been  very  generally  complied  with 
at  first.  In  the  chancel  two  very  elegant  monuments  have  been 
erected  by  George,  Lord  Lyttelton  :  one  to  the  memory  of  his  first 
wife,  the  other  to  that  of  his  father  and  mother. 

In  Doomsday  book  the  name  of  this  splendid  domain  is  written 
Hageleia,  and  from  time  to  time  the  spelling  is  differently  given. 
It  is  described  as  having  been  held  by  a  "  King's  thane,"  who  held 
directly  from  the  king,  acknowledging  no  other  lord,  and  who  was 
succeeded  by  the  king's  barons  after  the  Norman  conquest.  Consi- 
derable Roman  remains  have  been  found  in  the  vicinity,  and  the 
district  appears  to  have  been  of  some  importance  from  very  early 
times. 

Hagley  was  held  at  the  time  of  the  great  survey  as  one  of  the 
fourteen  lordships  which  William  Fitzsculph  held  in  Worcestershire, 
as  a  member  of  his  barony  of  Dudley.  This  wealthy  lord  died 
without  issue,  and  the  property  came  successively  into  the  hands 
of  the  Paganels  and  Somerys,  barons  of  Dudley,  and  in  the  reign 
of  Henry  II.,  William  de  Haggaley  held  the  Manor  of  Gervase 
Paganel.  The  lordship  paramount  of  this  manor  fell,  about  the 
close  of  the  reign  of  Edward  III.,  to  John  de  Botetourt,  Knight. 
The  property  was  recovered  by  Henry  de  Haggeley,  who  was  High 


520  Hagley  Park, 

Sheriff  of  Worcestershire  in  1398,  and  subsequently.  It  afterwards 
passed  by  sale  to  Thomas  Walwyn,  Esquire,  who  alienated  it  to 
Jane  Beauchamp,  Lady  Bergavenny,  who  devised  it  to  her  grandson, 
James  Boteler.  This  gentleman,  son  and  heir  to  the  Earl  of  Or- 
mond,  came  into  possession  in  1445.  He  was  a  fervid  Lancastrian, 
was  taken  prisoner  at  Towton,  and  beheaded  at  Newcastle,  when 
his  lands  reverted  to  the  crown.  The  king  granted  it  afterwards 
to  his  consort,  Elizabeth  Wodeville  ;  but  it  soon  passed  into  the 
possession  of  Thomas  Butler,  younger  brother  of  the  James  Boteler 
or  Butler  above-mentioned.  The  daughter  of  Thomas  Butler  be- 
queathed Hagley  to  her  grandson,  who  sold  the  estate,  in  1564,  to 
Sir  John  Lyttclton,  of  Frankley,  Worcestershire,  Knight. 

The  family  of  Lyttelton  is  of  ancient  lineage.  They  had  con- 
siderable possessions  in  the  Vale  of  Evesham,  particularly  at  South 
Lyttelton  (whence  probably  they  derive  their  name)  as  early  as  the 
beginning  of  the  thirteenth  century.  The  most  famous  of  the  early 
Lytteltons  was  Thomas*  who  was  bred  to  the  law,  was  called,  1454, 
and  ten  years  after  was  appointed  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Court  cf 
Common  Pleas,  and  in  ten  years  more  was  created  a  Knight  of  the 
Bath.  His  famous  work  the  "Treatise  on  Tenures"  has  been 
spoken  of  by  Lord  Coke  as  "  the  ornament  of  the  Common  Law, 
and  the  most  perfect  and  absolute  work  that  ever  was  wrote  in  any 
human  science."  His  grandson,  John  Lyttelton,  Esq.,  married 
Elizabeth,  great-great-granddaughter  of  John  of  Gaunt,  son  of 
Edward  IIL,  in  right  of  which  connexion  the  Lytteltons  "quarter 
the  arms  of  France  and  England  within  a  bordure  gobony.'* 
Sir  John  Lyttelton,  the  eldest  son  by  this  marriage,  succeeded  in 
1532.  He  was  knighted  by  Queen  Elizabeth  at  Kenilworth  Castle 
in  1556.  His  grandson,  John  Lyttelton,  Esq.,  member  of  Parlia- 
ment for  the  county  of  Worcester,  was  much  respected  for  his  wit 
and  valour  ;  and  being  a  Catholic,  he  was  courted  by  Lord  Essex 
and  his  friends.  One  result  of  this  somewhat  dangerous  intercourse 
was  that  Lyttelton  was  induced  by  Sir  Charles  Danvers  to  take 
some  part  in  the  conspiracy  which  ultimately  cost  Essex  his  head. 
Lyttelton  himself  did  not  emerge  unscathed  from  his  complicity  in  a 
treasonous  scheme.  He  was  tried,  condemned,  and  imprisoned  in 
1600,  and  his  estate  was  forfeited.  Indeed  his  property  was  so 
tempting  a  bait  to  the  queen  herself,  and  to  Sir  Walter  Raleigh, 
who  was  then  in  high  favour,  that  all  advantages  were  taken  against 
the  rich  but  erring  gentleman  ;  and  although  he  was  then  danger- 
ously ill,  yet,  lest  he  should  die  before  he  had  been  condemned  as 


Hagley  Park.  521 

a  traitor  and  his  estates  thus  made  over  to  the  crown,  the  queen 
had  him  hurried  with  indecent  haste  to  his  trial,  though  she  was  at 
the  same  time  pardoning  others  who  were  more,  or  at  least  equally, 
guilty,  but  whose  fortunes  were  less  desirable.  He  was  convicted 
of  high  treason  and  was  condemned  to  death  in  February,  1600-1, 
and  though  his  death  at  the  hands  of  the  executioner  was  averted 
eventually  by  the  intermediation  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  Lyttelton 
died  in  prison  in  the  following  July.  His  wife,  Muriel,  was  the 
daughter  of  Lord  Chancellor  Bromley.  On  the  accession  of  James  I. 
this  lady  threw  herself  at  his  Majesty's  feet  at  Doncaster,  in  York- 
shire, and  obtained  a  reversal  of  the  attainder  of  her  husband,  and 
a  grant  by  letters  patent  of  the  whole  of  his  estate.  Thomas,  the 
eldest  son  of  John  Lyttelton  and  his  wife  Muriel,  was  member  foi 
Worcestershire,  and  Sheriff  of  that  county  in  161 3.  He  was  a 
zealous  adherent  of  the  cause  of  the  Stuarts  during  the  civil  war. 
He  offered  to  raise  a  regiment  of  foot  and  a  troop  of  horse,  in  1642. 
He  suffered  imprisonment  in  the  Tower,  for  his  fidelity  to  Charles, 
and  died  in  1649-50.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  eldest  son  Sir 
Henry,  who  was  also  a  staunch  royalist,  and  was  consequently  im- 
prisoned for  nearly  two  years  in  the  Tower  by  Cromwell.  He  died 
without  issue  in  1703,  when  the  title  devolved  upon  his  brother,  Sir 
Charles,  whose  grandson.  Sir  George  Lyttelton,  laid  out  the  grounds 
of  Hagley  Park,  and  lavished  the  richest  yet  most  tasteful  orna- 
mentation on  that  famous  domain,  made  it  the  almost  continuous 
residence  of  his  family,  and  the  home  under  whose  roof-tree  he 
loved  to  see  assembled  such  men  as  his  bosom  friends  Thomson 
and  Shenstone,  Mallet  and  West. 

Sir  George  was  born  in  1709 ;  was  educated  at  Eton  and  Cam- 
bridge, and  entered  Parliament  in  1730.  He  was  appointed  secretary 
to  the  Prince  of  Wales  in  1737,  and  in  1755  became  Chancellor  and 
Under-Treasurer  of  the  Exchequer.  He  was  elevated  to  the  peerage 
by  the  title  of  Lord  Lyttelton,  1757.  In  his  own  day,  and  towards 
the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  he  had  a  considerable  repu- 
tation as  an  author.  His  best  known  works  are  "On  the  Con* 
version  and  Apostleship  of  St.  Paul''  (i747)>  "Dialogues  of  the 
Dead"  (1760),  and  '^History  of  Henry  n."(i764).  A  singularly 
beautiful  letter  was  written  by  his  father  to  the  first  Lord  Lyttelton, 
on  the  publication  of  his  treatise  on  the  conversion  of  St.  Paul.  "  I 
have  read  your  religious  treatise,"  writes  the  author's  father,  "  with 
infinite  pleasure  and  satisfaction.  The  style  is  fine  and  clear  ;  the 
arguments  close,  cogent,  and  irresistible.    May  the  King  of  kings, 


522  Hagley  Park. 

whose  glorious  cause  you  have  so  well  defended,  reward  your  pious 
labours,  and  grant  that  I  may  be  found  worthy,  through  the  merits 
of  Jesus  Christ,  to  be  an  eyewitness  of  that  happiness  which  I 
don't  doubt  he  will  bountifully  bestow  upon  you.  In  the  meantime 
I  shall  never  cease  glorifying  God  for  having  endowed  you  with 
such  talents,  and  giving  me  so  good  a  son." 

George,  Lord  Lyttelton,  so  fortunate  in  his  virtues,  rank,  talents, 
and  in  the  love  and  admiration  of  his  friends,  was  succeeded  in 
1773  by  his  son  Thomas,  second  Lord  Lyttelton,  who  was  as  con- 
spicuous for  profligacy  as  his  father  for  virtue.  This  nobleman's 
brief  career  of  debauchery  had  a  termination  which  would  be  most 
curious  if  it  were  not  too  dreadful  to  be  merely  entertaining.  To  the 
stoiy  of  his  remarkable  death,  the  hour  of  which  he  himself  foretold 
to  the  whole  circle  of  his  friends,  we  shall  presently  return.  The 
second  Lord  Lyttelton  died  in  1779,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-five, 
without  issue.  The  peerage  then  became  extinct ;  but  the  baronetcy 
reverted  to  his  uncle. 

The  present  peer  is  Sir  George  William  Lyttelton,  Baron  of 
Frankley,  county  Worcester,  in  the  peerage  of  Great  Britain ; 
Baron  Westcote  of  Ballymore  in  the  peerage  of  Ireland. 

"  Lord  Lyttelton's  Ghost  Story"  is  one  of  the  most  mysterious, 
and  at  the  same  time  one  of  the  best  authenticated,  stories  of  its 
kind  on  record.  Dr.  Johnson,  who  was  curiously  impressible  on 
the  superstitious  side,  pronounced  the  death-foretelling  vision  of 
Lord  Lyttelton  as  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  occun-ences  of  the 
day.  In  proof  of  the  authenticity  of  the  story,  which,  however, 
there  is  no  reason  to  doubt,  the  great  lexicographer  was  wont  to 
declare  that  he  heard  it  from  the  lips  of  Lord  Westcote  himself, 
the  uncle  of  Lord  Lyttelton.  "And,"  housed  to  add,  "I  am  so 
glad  to  have  evidence  of  the  spiritual  world,  that  I  am  willing  to 
believe  it."  Sir  Walter  Scott,  in  his  "  Letters  on  Demonology," 
merely  mentions  the  outlines  of  this  famous  ghost  story,  but  has 
evidently  heard  only  a  maimed  account  of  the  extraordinary  inci- 
dent, and  has  accepted  as  a  satisfactory  solution  of  it  a  theory 
which  is  incompatible  with  the  actions  of  Lord  Lyttelton,  with  the 
terrors  that  harrowed  his  dying  hours,  and  with  other  facts  of  the 
story  as  we  know  it  in  all  its  completeness. 

This  strange  occurrence  has  been  described  by  many  pens. 
The  GcntlemaJt^s  Magazine  contains  one  version  of  it ;  the  account 
given  in  Chambers's  "  Book  of  Days"  contains  all  the  principal 
facts ;  but  the  most  carefully  compiled  and  the  fullest  account  is 


Hagley  Park,  523 

that  given  by  Sir  Bernard  Burke,  in  his  "  Romance  of  the  Aristo- 
cracy." In  this  sketch  no  feature  of  the  story  is  allowed  to  drop 
into  shadow  by  undeserved  neglect,  nor  do  we  believe  that  any 
undue  prominence  has  been  given  to  any  special  point.  The 
sketch  is  confirmed  by  the  versions  of  earlier  writers,  and  we  think 
Sir  Bernard  makes  no  boast  when  at  the  conclusion  of  "  Lord 
Lyttclton's  Ghost  Story"  he  says,  "  The  reader  is  nozv  in  possession 
of  every  fact  that  is  known  to  exist  in  relation  to  this  singular 
events  Let  us  see  what  these  facts,  as  collected  by  Ulster  King- 
of-Arms,  are  : — 

Thomas,  second  Lord  Lyttelton,  cannot  be  said  to  have  been  a 
very  good  or  a  veiy  bad  man.  His  character  was  full  of  contra- 
dictions that  may  serve  to  puzzle  the  common  mass  of  observers, 
who  are  apt  to  jump  too  hastily  to  their  conclusions.  By  the  un- 
thinking, Lyttelton  has  been  written  down  a  mere  libertine,  and  the 
judgment  thus  pronounced  by  the  thoughtless  or  the  pharisaical 
of  his  own  times  has  been  continued  almost  without  a  question 
to  the  present  day.  No  doubt  much  of  the  calumny  heaped  upon 
this  singular  character  has  arisen  from  the  unfortunate  state  of 
dissension  existing  between  himself  and  his  father  ;  for  no  man, 
whatever  may  have  been  his  rank  or  genius,  ever  yet  set  himself  in 
ivowed  opposition  to  the  established  opinions,  or  even  to  the  pre- 
judices of  society,  but  he  has  come  halting  off  from  the  en- 
counter. As  a  trifling  but  characteristic  token  of  the  enmity  of  his 
father,  the  first  Lord  Lyttelton,  towards  himself,  we  have  the  cir- 
cumstance that  the  elder  Lord  Lyttelton  bequeathed  the  office  of 
editing  his  works  to  his  nephew.  Captain  Ayscough,  in  order,  as 
ne  himself  says,  "  to  mark  a  degree  of  parental  resentment  against 
an  ungracious  son."  But  Ayscough,  it  seems,  was  a  coward,  a 
poltroon,  and  a  Sybarite  of  unlimited  indulgence-^a  man  who  died 
the  victim  of  coarse  debauchery,  and  who  left  behind  a  diary  filled 
with  the  foulest  licentiousness.  In  bequeathing  the  honourable 
office  of  editing  his  works  to  his  nephew,  the  first  Lord  Lyttelton 
showed  that  he  was  moved  more  by  the  desire  to  annoy  and  spite 
his  son  by  passing  him  and  grafting  his  fame  upon  a  worthless  re- 
lative, than  by  the  wish  to  act  justly,  and  humanely,  and  wisely. 

And  what,  after  all,  was  the  real  character  of  Lord  Lyttelton,  of 
whom  the  world  seems  to  have  known  so  little,  while  it  has  talked 
so  much  ?  Dissolute  he  undoubtedly  was,  devoted  to  women,  and 
over  fond  of  play ;  but  it  may  be  questioned  whether  he  was  worse 
in  these  respects  than  so  many  others,  both  nobles  and  commoners, 
who  have  gone  down  uncensured  to  posterity.     But  none  of  that 


524  Hagley  Park, 

liberality  was  ever  used  in  judging  him,  which  men  are  generally 
content  to  exercise  in  other  cases ;  and  this  harshness  has  mani- 
festly proceeded,  not  from  his  acknowledged  faults,  but  from  his 
carelessness  of  keeping  these  concealed.  He  was  of  too  frank  and 
ingenuous  a  nature  to  play  the  decent  hypocrite.  He  was  not 
without  a  sense  of  religion,  though  he  seldom  allowed  it  to  influence 
his  conduct ;  he  was  not  without  talent,  though  he  either  misapplied 
it  or  suffered  it  to  lie  dormant ;  and  he  too  often  frequented  the 
lowest  society,  though  such  was  the  fascination  of  his  wit  and 
manners,  that  he  was  ever  welcome  in  the  highest.  Solitude  was 
intolerable  to  him,  partly  from  his  love  of  pleasure  and  the  unfit- 
ness for  self-amusement,  which  more  or  less  prevails  in  all  who 
mingle  overmuch  in  the  bustle  of  life,  and  partly  from  a  constitu- 
tional disposition  to  melancholy,  which  made  him  glad  to  fly  from 
loneliness,  just  as  a  timid  child  is  always  eager  to  escape  from 
darkness  into  daylight.  Perhaps,  too,  this  dislike  to  being  alone 
might  in  some  measure  be  heightened  by  his  superstitious  leanings, 
and,  at  all  events,  these  rendered  him  peculiarly  liable  to  receive 
profound  impressions  of  the  supernatural. 

After  returning  from  Ireland,  where  he  held  office  under  govern- 
ment, Lord  Lyttelton  found  that  he  was  affected  by  suffocating  fits. 
These  were  frequent  during  the  month  which  preceded  his  fatal 
illness,  though  they  did  not  prevent  his  attending  to  his  senatorial 
duties  in  the  House  of  Lords.  They  r.o  doubt  proceeded,  in  some 
measure,  from  indigestion,  superinduced  by  his  long-continued  and 
excessive  indulgence  in  pleasures  of  all  kinds.  These  fits  were 
accompanied  by  other  and  more  dangerous  symptoms — as  pains  in 
the  region  of  the  stomach,  supposed  to  indicate  the  existence  of 
heart-disease. 

A  prudent  person  thus  afflicted  would  have  exerted  his  utmost 
energies  of  will  in  endeavouring  to  avoid  any  indulgence  which  ex- 
perience had  taught  him  fed  his  disease,  and  induced  the  recur- 
rence of  the  fits.  But  Lord  Lyttelton  was  not  a  prudent  man,  and 
in  the  intervals  of  his  attacks  he  made  himself  such  amends  as  lie 
could  for  his  past  pains  by  indulgence  in  the  pleasures  of  the  tabic, 
till  a  fresh  access  of  his  disorder  drove  him  back  again  to  absti- 
nence and  medicine.  It  might  naturally  be  supposed  that  the  bills 
which  he  thus  persistently  drew  upon  his  constitution  would  at  last 
be  dishonoured.  Each  paroxysm  left  his  natural  powers  of  re- 
covery weaker  than  before,  and  less  able  to  contend  with  the  dis« 
order  on  its  recurrence. 

Thus  matters  progressed  as  they  were  of  necessity  bound  to  do, 


Hagley  Park.  525 

till  finding  himself,  on  the  evening  of  Wednesday,  24th  November, 
somewhat  worse  than  he  had  been  for  some  time,  he  retired  to  bed 
at  an  earlier  hour  than  usual.  His  servant  gave  him  his  customary- 
medicine — which  was  kept  in  readiness  for  these  occasions — and 
retired  for  the  night.  He  had  not  been  gone  long,  however,  when 
Lord  Lyttelton,  who  still  conceived  himself  to  be  awake— and  whom 
we  cannot  prove  to  have  been  at  the  time  asleep — was  disturbed 
by  a  gentle  fluttering  of  wings  about  his  chamber.  While  he  yet 
listened,  he  was  still  more  struck  by  the  sound  of  footsteps  appa- 
rently approaching  his  bed.  Astonished  at  these  noises  in  such  a 
place  and  hour,  he  raised  himself  up  in  bed  to  learn  what  it  ail 
meant,  and  was  surprised  beyond  measure  at  the  sight  of  a  lovely 
female,  dressed  in  white,  with  a  small  bird  perched,  falcon-like, 
upon  her  hand.  While  he  was  struggling  for  words,  the  figure 
addressed  him,  in  a  grave  authoritative  tone,' commanding  him  to 
prepare  himself,  for  that  he  would  shortly  die.  The  delivery  of  an 
articulate  message,  however  dreadful  the  message  of  itself  might 
be,  banished  in  some  degree  the  elements  of  terror  which  the  vision 
at  first  inspired,  and  Lyttelton  now  found  words  to  inquire  how 
long  he  might  expect  to  live  1  The  vision  then  replied,  "  Not  three 
days,  and  you'll  depart  at  the  hour  of  twelve." 

After  he  arose  in  the  morning  all  the  details  we  have  narrated 
were  as  fresh  in  his  mind  as  if  they  had  occurred  the  minute  before. 
If  they  formed  what  were  merely  the  outlines  of  a  nightmare,  they 
had  not,  at  least,  become  blurred,  and  clouded,  and  faint  by  the 
dreams  that  followed,  or  by  the  lapse  of  many  hours,  as  the  inci- 
dents— the  plot,  so  to  speak — of  ordinary  nightmares  generally  are. 

In  the  morning  his  lordship  felt  his  dream  a  burden  to  him,  and 
could  not  resist  trying  the  usual  expedient  for  relief  in  such  cases — 
communicating  his  distress  and  describing  its  cause.  At  the 
breakfast  table  he  related  his  dream  or  vision  ;  but  in  the  manner 
of  his  relation  it  was  obvious  that  he  tried  to  convince  himself,  as 
well  as  his  hearers,  that  his  apparition  was  simply  a  common 
dream.  As  to  the  bird  he  accounted  for  it  by  saying,  that  when  he 
was  in  the  green-house  at  Pitt  Place,  a  few  days  before,  he  had 
taken  some  pains  to  catch  a  robin,  which  had  been  shut  in,  his 
object  being  to  set  it  free.  But  the  imagination,  when  fairly  ex- 
cited, is  not  easily  set  at  rest  again.  Gloom  and  despondency  I'-'ere 
evidently  gathering  upon  the  peer — he  jested  in  a  ribald  fashion 
about  his  warning,  but  he  seemed  to  feci  already  that  the  shroud 
was  high  upon  his  breast — he  laughed  at  the  chimeras  that  had 


526  Hagley  Park, 

affrighted  him,  but  at  the  same  time  he  was  fain  to  calLhis  friends 
about  him,  and  have  his  house  filled  with  revelling  guests,  to  blot 
out  from  the  vision  of  his  brain  the  shape  that  was  sure  to  rise 
there  when  his  ears  Avere  stilled  and  his  eyes  were  closed. 

He  could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  tell  the  story  to  his 
friends,  and  it  thus  became  known  from  his  own  lips  to  a  wide 
circle  of  the  best  educated  and  intellectually  acute  men  of  the 
time. 

His  companions  knowing  Lyttelton  to  be  at  once  nervous  and 
superstitious,  tried  to  cure  him  of  his  fears  by  ridicule,  and  for  a 
time  their  arguments  had  the  desired  effect ;  for  during  the  course 
of  the  day  after  his  vision,  his  spirits  had  so  far  rallied  that  he 
attended  in  his  place  in  the  House  of  Lords,  and  delivered  two 
speeches  with  all  his  accustomed  wit  and  brilliancy.  This  feat, 
however,  was  injudicious  ;  the  excitement  was  too  much  for  him, 
and  he  returned  home  much  worse  than  he  had  been  when  he 
left. 

The  third  day  had  now  come— the  second  having  passed  pretty 
much  as  the  first.  The  time,  as  on  the  two  previous  days,  was 
passed  in  alternations  of  despondency  and  confidence,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  predominance  in  his  mind  of  his  own  broodings  cr 
the  noisy  revels  of  his  friends.  At  dinner  he  seemed  to  rally  won- 
derfully, and  when  the  cloth  was  removed  he  joyously  exclaimed, 
"  Richard's  himself  again."  This  feeling  of  exhilaration  prevailed 
throughout  the  early  part  of  the  evening,  and  Admiral  Wolseley 
and  others,  who  feasted  with  him  on  this  occasion,  have  stated, 
that  during  these  hours  his  wit  and  convivial  qualities  shone  to 
greater  advantage  than  usual.  As  the  night  wore  on,  however,  the 
lights  of  his  temporary  illumination  seemed  gradually  to  die  out, 
and  gloom  seemed  again  to  settle  down  upon  him.  His  brow 
darkened,  his  manner  grew  restless,  if  not  agitated  ;  he  became 
silent,  or  when  he  replied  to  his  friends,  who  saw  and  endeavoured 
to  rouse  him  from  his  gradually  deepening  despondency,  it  was  in 
short,  abrupt  answers,  often  foreign  to  the  purpose.  Yet  his  friends 
had  used  every  precaution  to  prevent  him  from  becoming  the  vic- 
tim of  what  many  of  them  considered  to  be  a  disordered  imagina- 
tion. They  had  all  put  their  watches  half-an-hour  forward,  and, 
acting  with  the  assistance  of  the  valet  and  steward,  had  similarly 
altered  Lyttelton's  own  watch,  as  well  as  all  the  clocks  and  watches 
in  the  house. 

At  what  his  lordship  believed  to  be  half-past  eleven,  though  in 


Hagley  Park,  $27 

reality  it  was  only  eleven  o'clock,  he  complained  oi  weariness  and 
retired  to  his  bedroom.  He  now  showed  great  uneasiness,  kept 
his  valet  with  him  in  the  room,  and  was  observed  to  consult  his 
w  atch  frequently  and  anxiously.  At  length  when  it  was  within  a 
minute  or  two  of  twelve  by  the  altered  time,  he  asked  to  see  his 
servant's  watch,  and  seemed  pleased  to  find  it  corresponded  with 
his  own.  He  then  held  them,  the  one  after  the  other,  to  his  ear, 
and  appeared  highly  gratified  to  find  they  were  both  "  going." 

It  was  now  a  quarter  past  twelve,  as  he  imagined,  when  he 
exclaimed  to  his  servant — "  This  mysterious  lady  is  not  a  true 
prophetess,  I  find.     Give  me  my  medicine  ;  I'll  wait  no  longer,'* 

On  this  errand  the  servant  went  to  the  dressing-room  adjoining, 
but  after  a  minute's  absence,  he  thought  he  heard  his  master 
breathing  unusually  hard.  He  at  once  returned  to  the  bedroom 
and  found  that  the  prophetic  vision  had  been  a  true  one,  and  that 
his  lordship  was  in  the  agonies  of  death.  He  instantly  raised  the 
alarm,  and  at  his  summons  Lord  Fortescue,  the  two  Misses 
Amphlett,  cousins  of  the  dying  man,  and  Mrs.  Flood,  their  com- 
panion, hurried  into  the  room  ;  but  they  were  in  time  only  to 
witness  the  painful  parting  of  soul  and  body.  It  was  subsequently 
found  that  his  lordship  had  died  of  disease  of  the  heart. 

"The  marvels  of  this  story,"  says  Sir  Bernard  Burke  "might 
well  be  supposed  to  end  here.  We  have  Lord  Lyttelton  stating, 
over  and  over  again,  not  to  one  but  to  many  credible  witnesses,  a 
dream  he  has  had  the  night  before,  and  at  the  end  of  three  days, 
by  evidence  equally  indisputable,  we  find  this  dream  fulfilled  to  the 
very  letter.  These  facts  may,  indeed,  be  variously  and  even  reason- 
ably accounted  for,  but  they  cannot  be  denied  upon  any  of, the 
grounds  usually  employed  as  tests  of  credibility.  The  parties  who 
have  recorded  them  are  all  above  suspicion  ....  nor  was  there 
anything  in  what  they  saw  or  heard  that  could  be  set  down  to 
illusion  ....  Then  as  to  Lord  Lyttelton,  he  could  scarcely  have 
fancied  a  dream  ;  and  to  what  purpose  should  he  have  feigned  one  ? 
It  has  indeed  been  said  that  for  some  unknown  cause  he  poisoned 
himself;  but  this  charge  has  never  been  substantiated — besidcJ 
that,  if  we  allowed  a  thing  so  improbable,  under  all  the  circum- 
stances, it  would  still  have  been  a  thing  beyond  his  power  to  have 
foretold  the  exact  hour  when  it  would  end  him,  unless  he  had  taken 
some  very  active  drug  at  the  predicted  moment.  This  certainly  he 
might  have  done  during  the  absence  of  the  valet,  brief  as  it  was  ; 
but  the  supposition  seems  totally  inconsistent  with  the  part  he  had 


51-8  Hagley  Park, 

been  playing  for  the  three  days  previous ;  the  bravest  man  never 
yet  trifled  with  death  so  hardily." 

We  may  add  here  that  the  incorrectness  of  the  poison  theory 
seems  to  be  demonstrated  by  the  following  facts  : — i.  INIedical 
evidence  proved  the  cause  of  death  to  be  heart  disease.  2.  No 
poison,  or  vessel  containing  poison,  was  found  in  his  lordship's 
room,  or  known  to  be  in  the  house.  3.  Had  the  man  who  was  so 
vain  and  frivolous  as  to  deceive  his  friends  by  telling  them  of  a 
fanciful  dream,  he  meanwhile  having  resolved  to  commit  suicide  by 
taking  poison,  he  would  have  carried  out  the  illusion  to  the  end, 
and  have  taken  the  poison  at  such  a  time  that  it  would  have  h^d 
the  fatal  effect  at  the  predicted  hour;  but  having  been  deceived  by 
the  watches,  he  would  have  been  a  dead  man  at  half-past  eleven, 
whereas  he  did  not  die  till  what  he  believed  to  be  twelve  o'clock. 

"  But,"  continues  Sir  B.  Burke,  "  the  most  surprising  part  of  the 
story,  because  the  most  difficult  of  explanation,  yet  remains  to  be 
related.  On  the  second  day,  Miles  Peter  Andrews,  one  of  the  most 
intimate  of  his  lordship's  friends,  left  the  dinner  party  at  an  early 
hour,  being  called  away  upon  business  to  Dartford,  where  he  was 
the  owner  of  certain  powder  mills.  He  had  all  along  professed 
himself  one  of  the  most  determined  sceptics  as  to  the  dream  being 
anything  more  than  an  ordinary  vision,  and  therefore  soon  ceased 
to  think  of  it.  On  the  third  night,  however,  when  he  had  been  in 
bed  about  half-an-hour,  and  still  remained,  as  he  imagined,  wide 
awake,  his  curtains  were  suddenly  pulled  aside  and  Lord  Lyttclton 
appeared  before  him  in  his  robe-de-chambre  and  nightcap.  Mr. 
Andrews  looked  at  his  visitor  for  some  time  in  silent  wonder,  and 
then  began  to  reproach  him  for  so  odd  a  freak,  in  coming  down  to 
Dartford  Mills  without  any  previous  notice,  as  he  hardly  knew 
where,  on  the  sudden,  to  find  him  the  requisite  accommodation. 
*  Nevertheless,'  added  the  disturbed  host,  *  I  will  get  up  and  see 
what  can  be  done  for  you.'  With  this  view  he  turned  to  the  other 
side  to  ring  the  bell,  but  on  looking  round  again,  he  could  see  no 
signs  of  his  strange  visitor.  Soon  afterwards  the  bell  was  answered 
by  his  servant,  and  upon  Andrews  asking  what  had  become  of  Lord 
Lyttelton,thelatter  repliedthat  he  had  seen  nothing  of  him  since  they 
left  Pitt  Place.  *  Psha,  you  fool  !'  exclaimed  Mr.  Andrews,  *  he  was 
here  this  moment  at  my  bedside.'  ....  Mr.  Andrews  rose,  and 
having  dressed  himself,  proceeded  to  search  the  house  and  grounds, 
but  no  Lord  Lyttclton  was  anywhere  to  be  found.  Still  he  could 
not  help  believing  that  his  friend,  who  at  all  times  was  much  given 


Hagley  Park,  529 

to  practical  jests,  had  played  him  this  trick  for  his  previously 
expressed  scepticism  in  the  matter  of  the  dream.  But  he  was  soon 
brought  to  view  the  whole  affair  in  a  very  different  light,  and  even 
to  question  the  correctness  of  his  own  disbelief,  when,  about  four 
o'clock  of  the  same  day,  an  express  arrived  from  a  friend,  with  the 
news  of  his  lordship's  death,  and  the  whole  manner  of  it  as  related 
by  the  valet  to  those  who  were  in  the  house  at  the  time,  although 
not  actually  present  at  the  parting  scene," 


M  M 


530 


STAFFORDSHIRE  AND  SHROPSHIRE 

Stafford  and  its  Castles. 

As  the  railway  traveller  passes  along  the  Grand  Junction  line,  run- 
ning from  Birmingham  to  Newton,  in  Lancashire,  he  will  not  fail  to 
notice  the  remains  of  the  Castle  of  the  celebrated  Barons  of  Stafford, 
placed  about  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  south-west  of  the  town  of 
Stafford,  on  the  summit  of  a  hill,  which  resembles  a  labour  of  art. 

The  history  of  Stafford  and  its  Castle  is  involved  in  much  obscurity. 
The  earliest  notice  of  the  place  occurs  in  the  Saxon  Chronicles,  when, 
in  the  year  913,  Ethelfleda,  "lady  of  Mercia,"  built  here  "  a  mighty 
castle,"  to  keep  the  Danes  of  the  neighbourhood  in  check ;  but  there 
are  no  vestiges  of  it,  and  its  precise  site  is  much  disputed.  Edward  the 
Elder  is  likewise  said  by  Camden  to  have  built  a  tower  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  river  Soar,  about  a  year  after  the  erection  of  that  which  his 
sister  had  founded.  The  next  remarkable  mention  of  Stafford  occurs 
in  Domesday,  wherein  it  is  stated  that  the  Conqueror  built  a  Castle 
here ;  this,  however,  was  soon  deniolished,  but  was  restored  by  Ralph 
de  Stafford,  a  distinguished  warrior  in  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  At 
the  period  of  Domesday,  Stafford  was  a  place  of  importance,  but  it  was 
not  regularly  incorporated  until  the  7th  year  of  the  reign  of  King  John 
(anno  1206).  The  Charter  is  still  in  a  very  excellent  state  of  preserva- 
tion. According  to  the  very  en'oneous  statements  of  several  writers 
(each  following  in  the  other's  wake),  Stafford  was  incorporated  one 
year  prior  to  the  incorporation  of  the  City  of  London ;  but  Stow 
quotes  a  Charter  of  King  Edward  the  Confessor,  as  being  extant  in  the 
Book  of  St.  Albans,  which  is  directed  to  Alfward,  the  Bishop  of 
London,  the  Port-rcve,  and  the  Burgesses  of  London.  The  Stafford 
Charter  was  confirmed  by  different  sovereigns,  and  additional  privileges 
were  granted ;  but  at  length,  from  the  filling  up  improperly  of  the 
vacancies  in  the  body  corporate,  the  charters  became  forfeited  in  the 
year  1826  ;  and  from  a  singular  coincidence  the  Corporation  seal  was 
by  some  means  lost  about  the  same  time.  In  1827,  the  town  of  Stafford 
was  re-incorporated,  on  petition,  by  George  IV.,  and  a  new  Seal  was 
engraved  from  an  impression  of  the  old  one,  which  bears  the  elevation 
of  the  Castle.  In  the  Civil  War  of  Charles  I.  the  Royalists,  after  the 
capture  of  Lichfield  Close  by  the  Parliamentarians,  retired  to  Stafford,* 


"  Taniivorth  Toivcr  and  ToivnP  53^ 

and  an  indecisive  battle  was  fought  at  Hopton  Heath,  two  or  three 
miles  from  the  town,  March  12,  1643,  ^"  which  the  Earl  of  North- 
ampton, the  Royalist  commander,  was  killed.  The  town,  which  was 
walled,  was  subsequently  taken  by  the  Parliamentarians,  under  Sir 
William  Brereton,  and  the  walls  were  so  entirely  demolished,  that  no 
trace  of  them  remains.  The  Castle  was  subsequently  taken  and  de- 
molished, except  the  Keep. 

"  Tamworth  Tower  and  Town." 

Tamworth  is  finely  situated  at  the  confluence  of  the  rivers  Tame  ana 
Anker,  in  the  county  of  Stafford.  The  parish  is,  however,  divided  by 
the  Tame  into  two  parts,  one  in  this  county,  the  other  in  Warwick- 
shire, whence  it  is  accounted  to  belong  to  both.  The  early  history  of 
the  town  is  very  eventful.  In  the  time  of  the  Mercians  it  was  a  royal 
village,  and  the  favourite  residence  of  their  monarchs.  The  celebrated 
Offa  dates  a  charter  to  the  monks  of  Worcester  in  781,  from  his 
palace  at  Tamworth.  At  this  period  it  was  fortified  on  three  sides  by 
a  vast  ditch,  45  feet  in  breadth,  the  rivers  serving  as  a  defence  on  the 
fourth  side.  Upon  the  invasion  of  the  Danes,  Tamworth  was  totally 
destroyed.  Ethelfrida,  however,  the  daughter  of  the  illustrious  Alfi-ed, 
rebuilt  the  town  in  the  year  913,  after  she  had,  by  her  foresight  and 
valour,  succeeded  in  freeing  her  brother's  dominions  from  the  grasp 
of  the  invaders.  This  heroic  lady  likewise  erected  a  tower  on  a  part 
of  the  artificial  mount  which  forms  the  site  of  the  present  Castle ;  and 
here  she  generally  resided  until  the  period  of  her  death,  in  920.  About 
two  years  later,  Tamworth  w^itnessed  the  submission  of  all  the  Mercian 
tribes,  together  with  the  Princes  of  Wales,  to  the  sovereign  power  of 
Elft-ida's  brother  Edward.  Leland  tells  us  that  at  the  time  of 
Henry  VHI.  "the  toune  of  Tamworth  is  all  builded  of  tymber." 
Michael  Drayton,  the  fine  old  English  poet,  was  born  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood on  the  banks  of  the  Anker  ;  which  he  celebrated  in  his  most 
beautiful  sonnet.  Drayton  is  the  name  of  a  place  on  the  western  border 
of  Staffordshire,  near  which  is  Blore  heath,  where  the  party  of  York,  under 
the  Earl  of  Salisbury,  defeated  the  Lancastrians,  commanded  by  Lord 
Audley.  Queen  Margaret  beheld  the  battle  from  a  neighbouring 
steeple.  Drayton  Bassett  and  Drayton  Manor  are  the  names  of 
two  of  the  finest  seats  in  the  county.  The  church  at  Tamworth  is 
famous  for  its  Saxon  work,  "round  arches  with  zigzag  mouldings." 
'I'he  monuments  are  many,  "  most  of  them  beautiful  altar-tombs,  with 
recumbent  figures  of  knights  in  armour,  and  their  wives." 


53-  "  Tamworih  Tower  and  Townr 

The  Castle  of  Tamworth,  an  eminent  baronial  residence,  was  founded 
by  Robert  de  Marmion — a  name  adopted  by  Sir  Walter  Scott  as  the 
title  of  one  of  his  soul-stirring  metrical  tales: — 

"They  hailed  Lord  Marmion, 

They  hailed  him  Lord  of  Fontenaye, 

Of  I  ^utterward  and  Scrivelbaye,  ! 

Of  Tamworth  tower  and  town." 

Marmion,  canto  i.  st.  ii. 

The  poet,  however,  acknowledges  the  Lord  Marmion  of  his  romance 
to  be  entirely  a  fictitious  personage.  "  In  earlier  times,  indeed,"  continues 
he,  "  the  family  of  Marmion,  Lords  of  Fontenay,  in  Normandy,  was 
highly  distinguished.  Robert  de  Marmion,  Lord  of  Fontenay,  a  dis- 
tinguished follower  of  the  Conqueror,  obtained  a  grant  of  the  Castle 
and  town  of  Tamworth,  and  also  of  the  manor  of  Scrivelsby,  in 
Lincolnshire.  One  or  both  of  these  noble  possessions  was  held  by  the 
honourable  service  of  being  the  royal  champion,  as  the  ancestors  of 
Marmion  had  formerly  been  to  the  Dukes  of  Normandy.  This 
Robert  being  settled  at  Tamworth,  expelled  the  nuns  he  found  here  to 
Oldbury,  about  four  miles  distant.  A  year  after  this,  he  gave  a 
costly  entertainment  at  Tamworth  Castle  to  a  party  of  friends,  among 
whom  was  Sir  Walter  de  Somerville,  Lord  of  Wichover,  his  sworn 
brother.  Now  it  happened  that  as  he  lay  in  his  bed,  St.  Edith  appeared 
to  him  in  the  habit  of  a  veiled  nun,  with  a  crosier  in  her  hand,  and 
advertised  him  that  if  he  did  not  restore  the  Abbey  of  Poles  worth 
(which  lay  within  the  territories  of  his  Castle  at  Tamworth)  unto  her 
successors,  he  s!iould  have  an  evil  death,  and  go  to  hell ;  and  that  he 
might  be  more  sensible  of  this  her  admonition,  she  smote  him  on  the 
side  with  the  point  of  her  crosier,  and  so  vanished  away.  Moreover,  by 
this  stroke  being  much  wounded,  he  cried  out  so  loudly  that  his  friends 
in  the  house  arose ;  and  finding  him  extremely  tormented  with  the  pain 
of  his  wound,  advised  him  to  confess  himself  to  a  priest,  and  vow  to 
restore  the  nuns  to  their  former  possession.  Finlhermore,  having 
done  so,  his  pain  ceased,  and  in  accomplishment  of  his  vow  (accompanied 
by  Sir  Walter  de  Somerville  and  others),  he  forthwith  rode  to  Oldbury, 
and  craving  pardon  of  the  nuns  for  the  injury  done,  brought  them  back 
to  Polesworth,  desiring  that  himself  and  his  friend,  Sir  William  de 
Somerville,  might  be  regarded  their  patrons ;  and  hence  burial  for  them- 
selves and  their  heirs  in  this  Abbey — viz.,  the  Marmions  in  the  Chapter 
House,  and  the  Somervilles  in  the  Cloister.  However  some  circinn- 
stances  in  this  story  may  seem  fabulous,  the  substance  of  it  is  perfectly 
ti-ue,  for  it  appears  by  the  very  words  of  His  charter  that  he  gave  to 
Osanna,  the  Prioress." 


"  Taniworth  Tower  and  ToivnP  ^^^ 

Robert,  the  son  and  heir  of  Robert  de  Marmion,  being  a  great  ad- 
versary to  the  Earls  of  Chester,  who  Ziad  a  noble  seat  at  Coventry,  but 
a  little  distance  from  the  Earl's  Castle,  entered  the  Priory  there,  and 
expelling  the  monks,  fortified  it,  digging  in  the  fields  adjacent  divers 
deep  ditches,  lightly  covered  over  with  earth,  to  the  intent  that  such  as 
made  approaches  thereto,  might  be  entrapped.  AVhereupon,  it  so  hap- 
pened, that  as  he  rode  out  himself  to  view  the  Earl  of  Chester's  forces, 
which  began  to  draw  near,  he  fell  into  one  of  the  ditches  and  broke 
his  thigh,  so  that  a  common  solder  presently  seizing  on  him,  cut  off 
his  head. 

After  the  Castle  and  demesne  of  Tamworth  had  passed  through  four 
successive  Barons  from  Robert,  the  family  became  extinct  in  the  person 
of  Philip  de  Marmion,  who  died  20th  Edward  I.,  without  male  issue. 
Baldwin  de  Freville,  fourth  lord  of  Tamworth  (Alexander's  descen- 
dant in  the  reign  of  Richard  I.),  by  the  supposed  tenure  of 'his  Castle, 
claimed  the  office  of  royal  champion,  and  to  do  the  service  appertain- 
ing ;  namely,  on  the  day  of  the  coronation,  to  ride  completely  armed, 
upon  a  barbed  horse,  into  Westminster  Hall,  and  there  to  challenge  the 
combat  against  any  one  who  should  gainsay  the  King's  title.  But  this 
office  was  adjudged  to  Sir  John  Dimock,  to  whom  the  manor  of 
Scrlvelby  had  descended  by  another  of  the  coheiresses  of  Robert  de 
Marmion  ;  and  it  remains  in  that  family,  whose  representative  is  Here- 
ditary Champion  of  England  at  the  present  day.  The  family  and  pos- 
sessions of  Freville  have  merged  in  the  Earls  of  Ferrers ;  descended, 
says  Burton,  from  an  anqient  Saxon  line,  long  before  the  Conquest. 
It  has  subsequently  been  in  the  possession  of  the  Marquess  Towns- 
hend,  in  right  of  the  heiress  of  the  Comptons. 

The  architecture  of  the  present  Castle  is  of  various  periods ;  the  old 
Castle  stood  below  the  site  of  the  present  fortress,  which,  by  its  eleva- 
tion, throws  around  it  an  air  of  considerable  grandeur.  The  exterior  is 
kept  in  tolerable  repair.  The  hall  is  large  and  of  ancient  state,  but  ex- 
ceedingly rude  and  comfortless.  By  Leland's  account,  the  greater  part 
was  built  since  his  time  :  his  words  are,  "  the  base  court  and  great  ward 
of  the  Castle  is  cleane  decayed,  and  the  wall  fallen  downe,  and  therein 
be  now  but  houses  of  office  of  noe  notable  building.  The  dungeon 
hill  yet  standeth,  and  a  great  round  tower  of  stone,  wherein  Mr.  Ferrers 
dwelleth,  and  now  repaireth  it."  Such  was  its  state  in  the  time  of 
Henry  VHI.  The  dining  and  drawing  rooms  have  fine  bay-windows, 
and  command  rich  views  over  the  river,  which  runs  at  the  foot  of  the 
Castle  mount  to  the  meadows  and  woodlands,  where  formerly  was  the 
park.   Around  the  dining-room  are  emblazoned  the  arms  of  the  Ferrers 


S34        Tnihury  Castle,  audits  Curious  Tcuurcs. 

family.  In  the  hall  was  formerly  a  rude  delineation  upon  the  wall  of 
the  last  battle  between  Sir  John  Launcelot  of  the  Lake,  a  knight  of 
King  Arthur's  Round  Table,  and  another  knight,  named  Sir  Tarquin. 
The  figures  were  of  gigantic  size,  and  tilting,  as  described  in  the  romance ; 
resting  their  spears,  and  pushing  their  horses  at  full  speed  against  each 
other. 

Tamworth  is  Shakspcarean  ground ;  for,  on  a  plain  near  the  town, 
the  Earl  of  Richmond  halted,  on  his  march  to  Bosworth  Field,  thus  to 
inspire  his  forces  for  the  coming  fight : — 

"  This  foul  swinp 
Lies  now  even  in  the  centre  of  this  isle, 
Near  to  the  town  of  Leicester,  for,  as  we  learn, 
From  Tamworth  thitlicr  is  but  one  clay's  march. 
In  God's  name  cheerly  on,  courageous  friends, 
To  reap  the  harvest  of  perpetual  peace, 
By  this  one  bloody  trial  of  sharp  war." 

Richard  III.,  act  v.  scene  3. 

Tamworth  possesses  a  very  interesting  memorial  of  our  own  times, 
a  bronze  statue  of  the  late  Sir  Robert  Peel,  erected  in  the  market- 
place by  public  subscription,  in  the  summer  of  1852.  Tamworth,  for 
which  borough  Sir  Robert  sat  in  parliament  many  years,  owed  this 
debt  of  gratitude  to  the  fame  of  the  deceased  statesman,  and  it  has  been 
rendered  with  every  evidence  of  sincerity :  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest, 
nearly  everybody  subscribed  for  the  statue.  It  is  placed  with  its  back 
to  London  and  the  world,  with  its  face  directed  towards  the  place  of 
Sir  Robert's  birth  ;  on  the  right  is  the  church  in  which  he  worshipped, 
and  on  the  left  the  palace  (Drayton  Manor)  which  he  erected,  but  did 
not  live  long  to  inhabit.  The  sculptor  or  the  statue  is  Mr.  E.  M. 
Noble,  and  we  have  the  testimony  of  a  son  of  Sir  Robert  Peel  to  its 
excellence  as  a  work  of  art,  whether  in  the  general  outline,  the  correct- 
ness of  the  proportions,  in  the  resemblance  of  the  features,  or  in  the 
ease  and  gracefulness  of  the  posture. 


Tutbury  Castle,  and  its  Curious  Tenures. 

The  Castle  of  Tutbury  presents  to  the  eye  of  the  visitor  little  more 
than  a  slrai'gling  scene  of  shattered  ruins.  Yet,  its  appearance  is  ex- 
tremely pictures(iue,  and  its  site  is  worth  more  minute  description.  The 
high  ground  of  Needwood  Forest,  contained  between  the  Trent  and 
the  Dove,  is  brought  to  a  termination  eastward  by  the  union  of  these 
streams  upon  the  confines  of  the  three  shires  of  Derby,  Stafford,  and 


JtUhury  Castle,  tmd  its  Ctirious  Tenures.        535 

Leicester.  About  five  miles  above  this  confluence,  upon  the  right  or 
Staffordshire  bank  of  the  Dove,  stand  the  town  and  Castle  of  Tutbury, 
once,  according  to  Leland,  a  residence  of  the  Saxon  lords  of  Mercia  ; 
and  named,  it  is  said,  from  the  god  Thoth,  who  presides  over  Tuesday, 
and  is  thought  here  to  have  been  worshipped.  The  etymology  is  supported 
by  Wednesbury ;  but,  however  this  may  be,  Tutbury  was  certainly  an 
ancient  stronghold,  and  the  site  possesses  in  that  respect  unusual  advan- 
tages. It  is  tutelar  to  the  little  town  of  Tutbury,  with  its  beautiful 
church  standing  on  the  rise  of  the  hill  which  ends  abruptly  on  the 
banks  of  the  Dove,  giving  an  expansive  prospect  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach,  over  Staffordshire  and  the  famous  Peak  Hills  of  Derbyshire.  The 
sharp,  broken  outline  of  tower  and  wall,  when  seen  from  this  point,  be- 
speaks the  ravages  of  time  and  war  which  have  reduced  this  once  cele- 
brated fortress  to  its  present  state  of  ruin. 

The  Castle  crowns  the  head  of  a  considerable  ridge  of  new  red  sand- 
stone rock,  which  projects  from  the  high  ground  of  Hanbury  and  Need- 
wood,  and  forms  an  abrupt  promontory  above  the  broad  and  level 
meadows  of  the  Dove.  On  the  south  or  landward  side,  the  hill  is 
partially  severed  from  its  parent  ridge  by  a  cross  valley,  within  and 
about  which  is  built  the  ancient  town  of  Tutbury.  The  natural  posi- 
tion of  the  Castle  is  strong  and  well  defined ;  it  has  been  turned  to 
account  from  a  very  remote  period,  and  materially  strengthened  by 
Norman  and  pre-Norman  art.  Three  of  its  sides  are  further  protected 
by  a  broad  and  deep  ditch  ;  towards  the  north,  where  the  hill  projects 
upon  the  meadows,  the  ditch  ceases,  and  this  front,  rising  steeply  about 
100  feet,  has  been  rendered  steeper  by  art.  Upon  the  south-west  and 
west  sides,  the  earth  has  been  employed  to  form  a  large  mound,  about  40 
feet  high,  and  70  feet  across,  which  renders  this  front  almost  impreg- 
nable. The  base-court  of  the  castle  covers  about  three  acres  ;  it  is  in 
plan  an  irregular  circle.  The  best  view  of  these  magnificent  earthworks 
is  from  the  summit  of  the  mound,  which  not  only  predominates  over 
the  court  of  the  Castle  to  its  east,  but  westward  rises  very  steeply  about 
140  feet  from  the  meadows. 

The  masonry  which  has  been  added  to  the  earlier  defences  is  com- 
posed of  a  group  of  buildings  on  the  south  front,  flanked  by  curtains, 
which  run  west  and  east  along  the  top  of  the  bank.  This  curtain, 
now  about  6  feet,  was  originally  20  feet  high,  with  a  rampart  accessible 
from  its  flanking  tower,  and  by  a  double  flight  of  open  steps  from  within, 
The  east  curtain  is  broken  by  a  lofty  rectangular  mural  tower,  which 
faced  the  turn  of  the  road  up  to  the  Castle,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
ditch;    the  interior  wall,  with  a   square  angle-turret,   only  remains. 


53^         Tutbury  Castle y  and  its  Curious  Tenures. 

This  tower  is  Perpendicular  in  style,  and  has  evidently  been  blo\\Ti  up 
by  gunpowder. 

At  the  north  end  of  this  curtain  is  the  great  gatehouse,  almost  entirely 
outside  the  wall ;  the  portal  has  side  lodges.  Only  its  south  and  east 
walls  remain.  From  two  solid  cheeks  of  wall,  the  drawbridge  fell 
across  the  moat ;  two  portcullis  grooves  remain.  The  masonry  has 
been  removed,  and  the  ditch  here  solidly  filled  up  with  earth. 

Upon  the  summit  of  the  mound  is  a  ruined  round  tower,  an  erection 
of  modern  times,  probably  as  a  summer-house.  There  is  said  to  have 
been  an  earlier  building  here,  destroyed  before  the  reign  of  Elizabeth, 
probably  by  John  of  Gaunt:  it  was  called  the  Julius  Tower,  a  not 
uncommon  name  for  such  structures.  The  beauty  of  the  view  from 
this,  the  highest  ruin  of  Tutbury,  amply  compensates  for  all  the  danger 
from  the  gaping  clefts  in  the  M^all  by  uncertainty  of  foothold.  The 
Dove  is  seen  winding  its  silvery  stream  in  the  plain  beneath  ;  while,  be- 
yond it,  field  over  field  rise  to  view,  the  distance  bounded  by  the  high 
hills  of  Matlock,  which,  in  the  spring  of  the  year  are  tipped  with  snow. 

The  Castle  buildings  have  been  broken  down,  but  what  remains  is 
as  sharp  and  fresh  as  though  lately  executed.  The  outward  wall  and 
altered  windows  remain  of  the  great  hall ;  at  the  west  end  is  a  brick 
building,  probably  of  about  the  time  of  Queen  Anne,  or  George  I.  At 
the  east  end  is  a  group  of  state  apartments.  Here  are  two  very  fine 
crypts,  no  doubt  cellars,  entered  from  the  court  by  handsome  doorways, 
and  six  or  eight  descending  steps.  They  have  been  covered  with  barrel 
vaults,  ribbed  transversely  and  diagonally,  with  large  carved  bosses — 
fitting  receptacles  for  the  very  best  of  drinks.  Above  there  are  hand- 
some rooms,  with  chimney-places  with  mouldings  set  with  flowers  and 
the  **  hart  lodged,"  and  what  may  be  a  conventional  pomegranate. 
These  buildings  are  in  the  best  and  purest  Perpendicular  style.  In  the 
court  is  a  deep  well,  still  in  use. 

So  far  as  can  be  observed,  the  Castle  exhibits  no  trace  of  Normar. 
masonry.  All  the  structures,  walls,  tower,  gatehouse,  hall,  and  apart- 
ments are  nearly  or  quite  of  one  date  ;  and  are  probably  the  work  of 
John  of  Gaunt,  who  resided  here  very  frequently  in  regal  state.  This 
is  very  remarkable,  because  Tutbury  is  mentioned  in  Domesday;  was 
the  caput  of  a  veiy  important  Norman  honour,  and  the  principal  seal 
of  the  great  Norman  family  of  Ferrars,  earls  of  Derby,  from  the  Con- 
quest to  their  ruin  towards  the  close  of  the  reign  of  Henry  III., 
since  which  time  it  has  been,  for  the  most  part,  in  the  Duchy  of 
Lancaster. 

Tutbury,  as  mentioned  in  our  account  of  Chartley,  was  one  of  the 


TtUbiiry  Castle^  audits  Curious  Tenures.         537 

prison-houses  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  in  a  low  range  of  buildings  at 
the  south-east  angle  of  the  Castle.  It  originally  consisted  of  two  large 
rooms,  an  upper  and  a  lower  one  :  the  former  has  disappeared ;  but  the 
square  holes  in  the  wall  are  visible,  in  which  the  beams  of  the  flooring 
were  inserted.  Of  the  lower  apartment,  the  walls  remain  ;  the  entrance 
is  by  a  descent  of  several  steps  ;  it  had  a  vaulted  ceiling,  and  the  pro- 
jecting ledges  or  supports  afford  by  their  accumulation  of  earth  suffi- 
cient nourishment  for  brambles.  The  room  is  lighted  by  two  small 
windows,  deeply  cut  in  the  thick  wall.  The  upper  room  had  two  large 
pointed  windows,  commanding  a  fine  view,  the  extent  of  which,  to  its 
luckless  prisoner,  Mary,  must  have  made  her  narrow  prison  more 
irksome  and  dreaiy.  She  was  removed  hither  from  Chartley  and  placed 
under  the  care  of  George,  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  then  constable  of  Tut- 
bury  Castle.  At  Chartley  the  Queen  had  been  placed  under  the  care  of 
Sir  Amias  Paulet,  when  Anthony  Babington,  of  Dethic,  and  his  accom- 
plices, attempted  to  rescue  her :  maintaining  a  correspondence  with  her 
by  means  of  a  hole  in  the  wall,  which  they  closed  with  a  loose  stone ; 
the  attempt,  however,  ended  in  their  own  destruction,  and  the  removal 
of  the  Queen  to  Tutbury.  "  Like  every  other  place  of  her  confine- 
ment," says  Mrs.  Howitt,  "  Chartley  is  a  ruin.  Crumbling  walls,  trees 
growing  where  rooms  once  were,  and  inscribed  with  the  names  or 
initials  of  hundreds  of  visitors;  tall  weeds  and  melancholy  yews, 
spreading  around  their  shade — mark  the  spot  as  one  fraught  with  many 
subjects  of  thought  on  the  past  and  the  present,  on  the  changes  of 
times,  and  of  national  character." 

Tutbury  was  held  for  the  King:,  and  taken  by  the  Parliament, 
in  the  wars  of  Charles  I.  Subsequently,  by  order  of  the  House, 
it  was  reduced  very  nearly  to  the  condition  in  which  it  is  now 
seen. 

"  Although  the  temporal  evidence  of  the  splendour  of  the  House  of 
Ferrars  has  disappeared,  the  memory,  as  usual,  of  their  ecclesiastical 
beneficence  has  been  preseiTcd.  The  parish  church  of  St.  Mary,  once 
the  church  of  the  Ferrars  abbey  of  Tutbury,  still  stands,  scarcely  a 
stone's  cast  from  the  Castle  wall,  and  seems  anciently  to  have  been  in- 
cluded within  the  outer  defences.  It  was  founded  by  Henry  de  Ferrars, 
in  the  reign  of  Rufus,  and  has  a  Nonnan  nave,  clerestory,  and  aisles ; 
and  its  west  end  is  one  of  the  richest  and  most  perfect  Norman  fronts 
in  existence.  This  edifice,  which  had  been  much  misused,  has  had  the 
Norman  portion  restored  by  Mr.  Street,  the  eminent  architect,  who  has 
also  added  a  large  polygonal  apse,  or  east  end,  to  the  chancel.  This 
is  probably  the   Chapel   of  St.  Mary  within   the  Castle,   in  which 


53S        TtUbury  Castle^  and  its  Curious  Tenures, 

(i8  Edward  I.),  Edmund  Earl  of  Lancaster  founded  a  special 
mass."* 

Tutbury  is  a  curious  old  place,  with  old  services  and  customs,  some 
of  which  are  entitled  to  be  called  "  Jocular  Tenures."  Thus,  when 
John  of  Gaunt  was  lord  of  this  castle,  Sir  Philip  Somei-vile  held  of  him 
the  manor  of  Briddeshall  by  these  services  :  that  when  his  lord  keepeth 
Christmas  at  his  castle  of  Tutbury,  Sir  Philip,  or  some  other  knight, 
his  deputy,  shall  come  to  Tutbury,  on  Christmas  Eve,  and  be  lodged  in 
the  town  by  the  Marshal  of  the  Earl's  house  ;  and  on  Christmas-day 
he  shall  go  to  the  dresser,  and  carrying  his  lord's  mess  to  his  table,  shall 
carve  the  meat  to  his  lord,  and  this  he  shall  do  as  well  at  supper  as  at 
dinner ;  and  when  his  lord  hath  eaten,  the  said  Sir  Philip  shall  sit  down 
in  the  same  place  where  his  lord  sat,  and  shall  be  served  at  the  table  by 
the  stewards  of  the  Earl's  house.  And  upon  St.  Stephen's  Day,  when 
he  hath  dined,  he  shall  take  his  leave  of  his  lord,  and  shall  kiss  him ; 
and  for  this  service  he  shall  nothing  take,  and  nothing  give.  These 
services  Sir  Philip  performed  to  the  Earls  of  Lancaster  forty-eight  years 
for  the  manor  of  Briddeshall. 

Sir  Philip  also  held  the  manors  of  Tatenhall  and  Drycot,  in  this 
county,  by  the  following  sei-vices :  that  he,  or  his  attorney,  should  go  to 
the  Castle  of  Tutbury,  upon  St.  Peter's  day,  in  August,  and  show  the 
steward  that  he  is  come  to  hunt,  and  take  his  lord's  grccse,  or  wild 
swine,  at  the  cost  of  his  lord  ;  whereupon  the  steward  shall  cause  to  be 
delivered  to  Sir  Philip  an  horse  and  saddle,  worth  50  shillings,  or  that 
sum  to  provide  one,  and  one  hound  ;  and  shall  likewise  pay  to  Sir 
Philip,  for  every  day  to  Holyrood-day,  two  shillings  and  sixpence  for 
himself,  and  one  shilling  for  his  servant  and  hound.  And  the  wood- 
masters  of  the  forests  of  Needwood  and  Dufficld,  with  all  the  pai'kers 
and  foresters,  are  to  attend  upon  Sir  Philip,  while  their  lord's  grecse  is 
taking  in  the  said  forest,  as  upon  their  master  during  that  time ;  and  at 
the  expiration  thereof.  Sir  Philip  shall  deliver  up  the  horse  and  barcelet 
(or  hound),  to  the  steward  with  whom  he  has  dined  on  Holyrood- 
day  at  the  Castle  of  Tutbury,  he  shall  kiss  the  porter  and  depart.f 

But  the  most  extraordinary  custom  at  this  place  was  the  barbarous 
diversion  called  Tutbury  Bull-running,  the  origin  of  which  is  too  curious 
to  Ixr  omitted.  During  the  time  that  the  ancient  Earls  and  Dukes  of 
Lancaster  had  their  abode,  and  kept  a  liberal  hospitality  at  their  honour 
of  Tutbury,  gieat  numbci-s  of  people  resorted  here  from  all  paits,  for 


•  From  an  able  contribution  to  llie  DuiUcr. 
,  D"-g:dale's  Baronage,  vol.  ii.  ;  Plots  Staffordshire,  chap.  la 


Tuibury  Castle,  and  its  Curiotis  Tenures.        539 

whose  diversion  musicians  were  permitted  to  come,  to  pay  their  services. 
At  length  quarrels  arose,  when  it  was  necessary  to  form  rules  for  a  proper 
regulation  of  these  services,  and  a  governor  was  appointed  by  the  name 
of  King,  who  had  officers  under  him  to  see  those  laws  executed ;  as 
appears  by  the  charter  granted  to  the  King  of  the  Minstrels,  by  John  of 
Gaunt,  dated  August  22,  4th  of  King  Richard  II.  In  the  reign  of 
Henry  VI.,  the  Prior  of  Tutbury — for  there  was  an  Abbey  founded 
here  by  Henry  de  Ferrai-s,  for  Benedictine  monks,  which  Abbey  was 
richly  endowed,  and  remained  in  great  splendour  till  the  Reformation — 
gave  the  minstrels,  who  came  to  matins  there  on  the  feast  of  the 
Assumption  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  a  bull  to  be  taken  on  this  side  the 
river  Dove,  or  else  the  Prior  paid  them  forty  pence.  This  custom  con- 
tinued after  the  Reformation,  with  alterations. 

On  the  1 6th  of  August,  the  minstrels  met  in  a  body  at  the  house  of 
the  bailiff,  where  they  were  joined  by  the  steward  of  the  manor,  from 
whence  they  marched,  in  couples,  to  church,  the  King  of  the  Minstrels 
walking  between  the  steward  and  the  bailiff,  with  music  playing,  each 
of  the  four  under-officers  carrying  a  white  wand  immediately  following, 
and  then  the  rest  of  the  company.  Being  seated  in  the  church,  prayers 
were  read,  and  a  sermon  preached,  for  which  each  of  the  minstrels  paid 
the  Vicar  a  penny.  From  hence  they  returned  in  procession  to  the 
large  Hall  in  the  Castle,  where  the  King,  sitting  between  the  bailiff  and 
steward,  made  a  report  of  such  minstrels  as  had  offended  against  the 
statutes,  when  the  guilty  were  fined  a  small  sum.  Moreover,  to  exhort 
them  better  to  mind  their  duty,  the  steward  gave  them  a  long  charge ; 
in  which  he  expatiated  largely  upon  the  origin  and  excellence  of  music ; 
its  power  upon  the  passions  ;  how  the  use  of  it  had  always  been  allowed 
in  praising  and  glorifying  God ;  and  although  it  might  sometimes  be 
demeaned  by  vagabonds  and  rogues,  he  maintained  that  such  societies 
as  theirs,  legally  founded  and  governed  by  strict  rules,  were  by  no 
means  included  in  that  statute.  This  charge  being  finished,  and  various 
forms  gone  through,  they  retired  to  the  great  hall,  where  an  excellent 
dinner  was  provided,  and  the  overplus  given  to  the  poor. 

The  next  object  was  the  taking  of  the  bull,  for  which  purpose  the 
minstrels  repaired  to  the  Abbey-gate  and  demanded  him  of  the  Prior  ; 
afterwards  they  went  to  a  barn  by  the  town-side,  where  the  bull  was 
turned  out  with  his  horns  cut  off,  his  ears  cropped,  and  his  tail  dimi- 
nished to  the  very  stump,  his  body  besmeared  with  soap  ;  and  his  nostrils 
filled  with  pepper,  to  increase  his  fury.  Being  then  let  loose,  the  steward 
proclaimed  that  none  were  to  come  nearer  to  the  bull  than  forty  feet, 
nor  to  hinder  the  minstrels,  but  to  attend  to  their  own  safety.    The 


540         Ttitbury  Castle,  and  its  Curious  Tenures. 

minstrels  were  to  take  him  before  sunset,  on  this  side  the  river,  which  if 
they  failed  to  do,  and  he  escaped  into  Derbyshire,  he  still  remained  the 
lord's  property.  It  was  seldom  possible  to  take  him  fairly,  but  if  they 
held  him  long  enough  to  cut  off  some  of  his  hair,  he  was  then  brougnt 
to  the  market-cross,  or  bull-ring,  and  there  baited;  after  which  the 
minstrels  were  entitled  to  the  bull. 

Hence  originated  the  rustic  sport  of  Bull-running,  which,  before  the 
close  of  the  last  century,  had  become  a  horrible  practice.  The  harmony 
of  the  minstrels  was  changed  to  discord  and  noise ;  their  solemn  and 
harmless  festivity  into  rioting  and  drunkenness,  and  the  white  wands  of 
the  officers  into  clubs  and  destructive  weapons.  In  short,  the  sport  had 
got  to  such  a  pitch  of  madness  and  cruelty,  that  not  content  with  tor- 
turing the  poor  bull,  the  people  fell  in  the  most  savage  manner  upon 
each  other,  so  that  it  became  a  faction  fight  between  the  mobs  of  the 
two  counties ;  and  seldom  a  year  passed  without  great  outrages,  and 
fi-equently  loss  of  life.  Happily,  the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  who  had  be- 
come owner  of  the  Castle  and  lord  of  the  manor,  abolished  the  inhuman 
custom. 

The  hivie-skivie  and  tag-rag  of  the  scene  are  thus  noticed  in  a  ballad 
of  the  early  part  of  the  last  century : 

"  Before  we  came  to  it,  wc  heard  a  strange  shouting, 
And  all  that  were  in  it  look'd  madly  ; 
For  some  were  a  Bull-back,  some  dancing  a  Morrice, 
And  some  singing  Arthur  O  Bradley  I" 

In  an  old  play.  The  Fa'ire  Ma'ule  of  Clifton,  by  William  Sampson, 
1696,  this  practice  flourished  at  Tutbury;  for  in  Act  V.  we  read: 
"  He'll  keep  more  stir  with  the  Hobby  Horse,  than  he  did  with  the 
pipers  at  Tedbury  Bull-rumiing."  Mundy,  in  his  elegantly-descriptive 
poem  of  "  Needwood  Forest"  (written  in  1770),  has  thus  glanced  at 
the  celebrities  of  Tutbury : 

••  With  awful  sorrow  I  bcliold 
Yon  cliff,  that  frowns  with  niins  old  ; 
Stout  Ferrars*  there  kept  faithless  ward, 
And  Gaunt  performed  his  castle-guard. t 
There  captive  Mary  J  look'd  in  vain 
For  Norfolk  and  her  nuptial  train  ; 


•  Robert  de  Fcrrars  joining  a  rebellion  against  Henry  III.,  forfeited  the 
possession  of  Tutbury. 

t  A  service  imposed  upon  those  to  whom  castles  and  estates  adjoining  were 
granted. 

X  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  was  a  prisoner  in  Tutbury  Castle  at  the  time  of  the 
Duke  of  Norfolk's  intrigues.  She  listened  to  his  proposals  of  marriage  as  the 
only  means  of  obtaining  her  liberty,  declaring  herself  otherwise  averse  to 
further  matrimonial  connexions. 


Chartley  Castle,  54^ 

Enrich'd  with  royal  tears  the  Dove, 
But  sigh'd  for  freedom,  not  for  love. 
'Twas  once  the  seat  of  festive  state. 
Where  high-born  dames  and  nobles  sat ; 
While  minstrels,  each  in  order  heard, 
Their  venerable  songs  preferr'd. 
False  memory  of  its  state  remains 
In  the  rude  sport  of  brutal  swains. 
Now  serpents  hiss  and  foxes  dwell 
Amidst  the  mouldering  citadel : 
And  time  but  spares  those  broken  towers 
In  mockery  of  human  powers," 

The  steward  of  the  manor  held  at  Tutbury,  to  our  time,  a  court 
called  the  Minstrels'  Court. 


Chartley  Castle. 

Upon  an  eminence,  which  rises  from  a  wide  and  fertile  plain,  envi- 
roned by  some  of  the  finest  scenery  in  the  county  of  Stafford,  lies  the 
beautiful  estate  of  Chartley.  The  property  is  about  six  miles  south- 
east of  Stafford,  and  two  miles  east  of  the  direct  London  and  Liverpool 
road,  between  Rugby  and  Stone.  And,  upon  a  clear  day,  may  be  seen 
by  the  traveller  from  Stone  to  Colwich,  on  the  North  Staffordshire  Rail- 
way, the  remains  of  the  Castle  which  has  conferred  celebrity  upon 
Chartley  for  six  centuries  past. 

At  the  Domesday  survey,  Chartley  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Con- 
queror, whose  successor,  William  Rufus,  gave  it  to  Hugh,  Earl  of 
Chester.  In  his  family  the  estate  continued  for  several  successions ; 
and  Ranulph,  Earl  of  Chester,  built  the  Castle  in  1220,  or  the  fourth 
year  of  the  reign  of  Henry  III.,  and  its  defensive  strength  as  a  fortress 
was  severely  tested  in  those  turbulent  times.  After  the  death  of  Ra- 
nulph, the  founder,  the  Castle,  with  his  other  estates,  devolved  on 
William  de  Fen-ers,  Earl  of  Derby,  and  was  then  attached  to  the  Royal 
forest  of  Needwood  and  the  honour  of  Tutbury.  But  the  Earl's  grand- 
son, having  joined  the  rebellious  Barons  against  Henry  III.,  and  been 
defeated  at  Burton  Bridge,  this  Earl's  immense  possessions,  now  forming 
part  of  the  Duchy  of  Lancaster,  were  forfeited  to  the  Crown.  The 
Earl,  however,  again  possessed  himself  of  the  Castle  by  force  ;  when,  by 
command  of  his  brother,  the  King,  he  was  besieged  by  the  Earl  of  Lan- 
caster, who  took  the  fortress  after  an  obstinate  resistance.  Ferrers  was 
subsequently  pardoned ;  and  though  deprived  of  the  Earldom  of  Derby, 
was  allowed  possession  of  his  Castle. 

The  Chartley  estate  remained    in  this  family  until  the    time  of 


542  Uiartley  Castle, 

Hcniy  VI.,  when  being  tied  in  dower,  Agnes,  heiress  of  Willian. 
carried  it  by  marriage  to  Walter  Devereux,  Earl  of  Essex  ;  and  it  re^ 
mained  in  this  line  until  the  death  of  Robert,  Earl  of  Essex,  the  Parlia- 
mentary genera],  who  closed  his  life  at  the  palace  of  Eltham,  in  Kent, 
in  1646.  Thus,  it  is  certain  that  Ghartley  was  in  the  possession  ot 
the  Earl  of  Essex,  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth ;  and  it  was  probably 
the  place  of  his  retirement  when  he  was  liberated  from  his  first  impri- 
sonment, at  the  end  of  August,  1600;  perhaps  here  he  planned  the 
plot  for  which  he  was  tried,  Feb.  19,  1601,  and  executed  on  the  25th  of 
the  same  month,  being  Ash  Wednesday.  In  1677,  Sir  Robert  Shirley 
(son  of  Dorothy,  sister  of  the  last  Earl  of  Essex)  was  declared  Lord 
Ferrers  of  Ghartley.  This  nobleman  was  afterward  created  Viscount 
Tamworth  and  Earl  Ferrers,  from  whom  the  property  descended  to  the 
present  Earl. 

The  keep  of  Ghartley  was  circular,  and  about  fifty  feet  in  diameter. 
The  present  remains  consist  chiefly  of  the  fragments  of  two  round 
towers,  and  part  of  a  wall  twelve  feet  in  thickness:  the  loopholes  are  so 
constructed  as  to  allow  arrows  to  be  shot  into  the  ditch  in  a  hori- 
zontal direction,  or  under  the  towers. 

The  Gastle  appears  to  have  been  in  ruins  for  many  years.  It  is  re- 
corded that  Queen  Elizabeth  visited  her  favourite,  the  Earl  of  Essex, 
here  in  August,  1575,  and  was  entertained  by  him  in  a  half-timbered 
house,  which  formerly  stood  near  the  Gastle,  but  was  long  since  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  It  is  questionable  whether  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  wa3 
imprisoned  in  this  house,  or  in  a  portion  of  the  old  Gastle.  Gertain, 
however,  it  is  that  the  unfortunate  Queen  was  brought  to  Ghartley  from 
Tutbury  on  Ghristmas-day,  1585.  On  the  8th  of  August,  1586,  she 
was  taken  from  Ghartley  to  Tixhall,  distant  about  three  miles,  and 
brought  back  on  the  30th.  She  found,  on  her  return,  that  her  cabinet 
had  been  broken  open,  her  papers  carried  off  by  Gommissioncrs ;  and 
her  two  secretaries,  Naue  and  Gurle,  taken  into  custody.  The  exact 
date  at  which  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  left  Ghartley  is  not  certain ;  but  it 
appears  she  was  removed  thence  under  a  plea  of  taking  the  air  without 
the  bounds  of  the  Gastle.  She  was  then  conducted  by  daily  stages 
from  the  house  of  one  gentleman  to  another,  under  pretence  of  doing 
her  honour,  without  her  having  the  remotest  idea  of  her  destination, 
until  she  found  herself,  on  the  26th  of  September,  within  the  fatal  walls 
of  Fotheringhay  Gastle.  A  bed,  wrought  by  the  Queen  of  Scots  during 
her  imprisonment,  is  shown  at  Ghartley. 

A  strange  traditional  omen  clings  about  the  natural  history  of  the  in- 
digenous Staffordshire  cow  \^'hich  is  preserved  in  the  park  at  Ghartley: 


TJie  Legend  of  Dieulacres  Abbey.  543 

this  cow  is  small  in  stature,  of  sand-white  colour,  with  the  ears,  muzzle, 
and  hoof  tipped  with  black.  The  tradition  is  said  to  have  originated  in 
a  black  calf  being  born  in  the  year  of  the  battle  of  Burton  Bridge,  at 
which  period  dates  the  downfall  of  the  House  of  Feirers ;  and  from 
this  time  the  birth  of  a  parti-coloured  Chartley  calf  has  been  believed 
to  foretell  the  death  of  a  member  of  the  Lord's  family. 


The  Legend  of  Dieulacres  Abbey. 

At  a  short  distance  from  the  town  of  Leek,  in  Staffordshire,  is  the 
interesting  site  of  the  Abbey  of  Dieulacres  or  Dieulencres,  which  stood 
in  the  vale  of  the  river  Churnet ;  but  nothing  of  the  Abbey  remains 
standing  except  part  of  the  shafts  of  the  chapel  columns.  Randle 
Blundevill,  Earl  of  Chester,  in  1254,  translated  the  Cistercian  monks 
of  the  Abbey  of  Poulton,  near  Chester,  to  this  place,  and  endowed  it 
with  the  church  of  Leek.  The  following  legend  is  recorded  in  White's 
History  of  Staffordshire,  as  immediately  connected  with  the  name  and 
foundation  of  this  Abbey.  The  earl  dreamt  that  the  ghost  of  his  grand- 
father appeared  to  him,  and  bade  him  go  to  Gholpesdale,  near  Leek, 
and  found  an  abbey  of  white  monks,  near  to  a  chapel  there,  dedicated 
to  the  Blessed  Virgin  ;  "  for  by  it,"  said  the  ghost,  "  there  shall  be  joy 
to  thee  and  many  others  who  shall  be  saved  thereby ;  of  this  it  shall 
be  a  sign  when  the  Pope  doth  interdict  England.  But  do  thou,  in  the 
meantime,  go  to  the  monks  of  Poulton,  and  be  a  partaker  of  the  sacra- 
ment of  the  Lord's  supper ;  and,  in  the  seventh  year  of  that  interdict, 
thou  shalt  translate  those  monks  to  the  place  I  have  appointed." 
Ranulph  having  had  this  vision,  related  it  to  his  wife,  who,  hearing  it, 
said,  in  French,  "Dieulacres!  God  increase!"  whereupon  the  earl, 
pleased  with  the  expression,  said  it  should  be  the  name  of  the  abbey, 
which  he  speedily  founded,  and  furnished  with  monks  of  the  Cistercian 
order  from  Poulton. 

About  50  years  ago  the  ruins  of  the  abbey,  which  had  been  so  com- 
pletely buried  in  the  earth  that  cattle  grazed  over  them,  were  dug  up, 
and  most  of  the  materials  used  in  erecting  barns  and  stables  for  the  use 
of  the  ancient  farmhouse  which  stands  near  the  spot ;  the  exterior 
walls  of  the  farm-buildings  were  decorated  with  many  fragments  of 
arches  and  capitals,  and  in  one  of  them  is  a  stone  coffin,  with  a  crosier 
and  sword  carved  upon  it. 

After  the  Dissolution  of  the  monasteries  in  England  by  Henry  VHI 
the  site  of  this  Abbey,  with  the  manor,  rectory,  and  advowson  of  the 


544-  Shrewsbury  Castle, 

vlcara£:e  c-f  Leek  and  the  annexed  chapels  of  Horton,  Chedleton,  and 
Ipstones,  and  all  the  tithes  of  those  places,  and  all  other  property  "  to 
the  said  monastery  of  Delacres  formerly  belonging,"  were  granted  by 
letters  patent,  in  the  second  year  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign,  to  Sir 
Ralph  Bagenall,  Knight,  in  fee,  in  consideration  of  his  true,  faithful, 
and  acceptable  services  theretofore  done  "  to  us"  in  Ireland.  Most  of 
that  property  descended  from  him  to  Sir  Nicholas  Bagenall,  and  from 
him  to  his  son,  Sir  Henry  Bagenall,  who,  with  Dame  Eleanor  his  wife, 
by  indenture  dated  3TSt  March,  1597,  conveyed  it  to  Thomas  Rudyerde, 
of  Rudyerde,  Esq.,  under  whom  it  has  been  derived  or  come  to  the 
present  proprietors. 

Shrewsbury  Castle. 

The  ancient  town  of  Shrewsbury  was  probably  founded  by  the 
Britons  of  the  kingdom  of  Powis,  and  it  is  supposed  to  have  been 
established  by  them  as  a  stronghold  when  they  found  Wroxeter  (the 
Vriconium  of  the  Romans)  no  longer  tenable ;  the  Welsh  name  was 
Pengvvem.  According  to  Domesday  Book,  the  town  had,  in  Edward 
the  Confessor's  time,  250  houses,  with  a  resident  burgess  in  each 
house ;  also  it  had  five  churches.  It  was  included  in  the  earldom  of 
Shrewsbury,  granted  by  William  the  Conqueror  to  his  kinsman, 
Roger  de  Montgomery,  who  erected  a  Castle,  to  clear  or  enlarge  the 
site  of  which  fifty-one  houses  were  demolished ;  fifty  others  lay  waste 
at  the  time  of  the  Domesday  Survey,  and  forty-three  were  held  by  the 
Nonnans.  The  Castle  was  built  at  the  entrance  to  the  peninsula  on 
which  the  town  stands.  There  had  been  a  Castle  here  previously, 
which  was  besieged  a.d.  1068,  by  the  Anglo-Saxon  insurgents,  and  the 
Welsh,  who  burnt  the  town.*  The  Castle  and  town  were  surrendered 
to  Henry  I.  by  Robert  de  Belesme,  the  third  Earl,  who  had  risen  in 
arms  in  favour  of  Robert,  Duke  of  Normandy,  Henry's  brother. 
After  being  held  for  several  years  by  the  Crown,  the  Earldom  was  granted 
by  Henry,   in  11 26,  to  his  second  wife.    Her  castellan  and  sheriff, 

*  In  1098,  Magnus  III.  of  Nonvay,  in  ravaging  Anglesey,  was  encountered 
by  Hugh  Montgomery,  Earl  of  Slirewsbury,  and  Hugh  de  Albrincis,  Earl  of 
Chester,  who  had  recaptured  the  island.  The  death  of  the  former  affords  an 
instance  of  clever  marksmanship.  "  King  Magnus  shot  with  the  bow;  but 
Hugo  the  Brave  was  all  over  in  armour,  so  that  nothing  was  bare  about  him 
excepting  one  eye.  King  Magnus  let  fly  an  arrow  at  him,  as  also  did  a  man 
who  was  beside  the  King.  They  both  struck  him  at  once;  the  one  shaft  hit 
the  nose-screen  of  the  helmet,  which  was  bent  by  it  on  one  side,  and  the  other 
hit  the  Earl's  eye,  and  went  through  his  head ;  and  that  was  found  to  be  the 
King's." 


Shi^eivsbury  Castle,  545 

Fitz-Alan,  held  the  Castle  for  the  Empress  Maud  against  Stephen,  who 
took  it  by  assault  in  1138,  and  treated  the  defenders  with  great  severity. 
It  was  retaken  by  Henry,  son  of  Maud,  afterwards  Henry  II.,  towards 
the  close  of  Stephen's  reign ;  and  the  custody  of  the  Castle  was  restored 
to  Fitz-Alan.  The  Seal  of  the  Corporation,  engraved  in  1425,  exhibits 
a  curious  representation  of  the  town.  Its  contests  with  the  Welsh,  and 
the  insurgent  Barons  under  Simon  de  Montfort,  and  its  Parliaments,  we 
h:ive  not  space  to  detail.  In  1283,  a  Parliament  was  assembled  here  for 
the  trial  of  David,  the  last  Prince  of  Wales,  who  was  executed  as  a  traitor. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  Henry  IV.  that  King  assembled  an 
aiTTiy  here  to  march  against  Owen  Glendower ;  and  the  year  after,  1403, 
fought  the  famous  battle  of  Shrewsbury  against  the  turbulent  Percies 
and  their  allies.  The  insurgents,  under  the  younger  Percy  (Hotspur), 
were  marching  from  Stafford  towards  Shrewsbury,  which  they  hoped 
to  occupy,  as  its  command  of  the  passage  over  the  Severn  would 
enable  them  to  communicate  with  their  ally,  Glendower  ;  but  the  King, 
who  came  from  Lichfield,  reached  Shrewsbury  a  few  hours  before 
them.  Henry  set  fire  to  the  suburb  adjacent  to  the  Castle,  and  marched 
out  to  offer  battle  ;  but  Hotspur,  whose  forces  were  weary  with  their 
march,  drew  off,  and  the  battle  was  fought  next  day  at  Hateley  Fidd, 
about  three  miles  from  the  town.  Hotspur  had  about  14,000  men, 
a  considerable  part  of  them  Cheshire  men,  who  were  famous  for  their 
skill  as  archers.  Henry's  force  was  nearly  twice  as  great.  The  en- 
gagement was  very  fierce,  but  the  death  of  Hotspur  decided  the  battle. 
The  insurgents  were  defeated  with  great  slaughter:  the  Earls  of  Doug- 
las and  Worcester,  and  Sir  Richard  Venables  were  taken ;  the  first  was 
released,  and  the  last  two,  with  some  others,  were  beheaded  without  trial. 

In  the  Wars  of  the  Roses,  Shrewsbury  supported  the  Yorkists,  and 
Edward  IV.  showed  much  favour  to  the  townsmen.  His  second  son, 
Richard,  the  younger  of  the  two  Princes  murdered  in  the  tower,  was 
born  here.  The  Earl  of  Richmond  on  his  march,  previous  to  the  battle 
of  Bosworth,  was  received  into  Shrewsbury  with  some  reluctance  by 
the  magistrates,  but  with  acclamations  by  the  townsmen. 

In  the  Civil  Wars  of  Charles  I.  the  King  came  to  Shrewsbury,  where 
he  received  liberal  contributions  of  money  and  plate  fi-om  the  neigh- 
bouring gentry,  and  largely  recruited  his  forces.  The  town  was  sur- 
prised and  taken  by  the  Parliamentarians  in  February  1644.  There  are 
some  remains  of  the  Castle,  especially  of  the  keep,  which  has  been 
modernized ;  also  of  the  walls  of  the  inner  court,  the  great  arch  of  the 
inner  gate,  a  lofty  mound  on  the  Lank  of  the  river;  and  a  fort  called 
Roushill,  built  by  Cromwell. 

**  N  N 


54°  Shrew shiry  Castle. 

Shrewsbury  has  been  for  ages  famed  for  its  pageants  and  festal  dis- 
plays. The  Shrewsbury  Show  originated  in  the  splendid  festival  ot 
Corpus  Christi,  in  the  Church  of  Rome :  the  procession,  so  far  back  as 
the  reign  of  Henry  VI.,  was  supported  by  several  of  the  Guilds.  After 
the  Reformation,  the  religious  part  of  the  ceremony  was  set  aside,  and 
as  a  substitute,  the  second  Monday  after  Trinity  Sunday  adopted  as  a 
day  of  recreation  and  feasting,  on  Kingsland,  where  each  Company  had 
a  small  inclosure,  within  which  was  a  building  called  "  an  arbour,"  sur- 
rounded by  trees,  and  where  refreshment  was  liberally  provided  by  the 
respective  trades.  The  Show  is  continued,  but  the  Mayor  and  Corpo- 
ration no  longer  take  part,  and  the  cost  is  defrayed  by  the  junior  mem- 
bers of  the  various  trades. 

Shrewsbury  was  formerly  famous  for  its  painted  glass  works,  and  for 
its  making  of  excellent  brawn.  Nor  ought  to  be  forgotten  the  "  Shrews- 
bury Cakes,"  which  Shenstone  has  recorded  among  the  products  of  his 
natal  ground : 

"  And  here  each  season  do  those  cakes  abide, 
Whose  honoured  names  the  inventive  city  own, 
Rendering  through  Britain's  isle  Salopians  praises  known."* 


*  Another  celebrated  Cake  is  manufactured  at  Shrewsbury ;  this  is  the  Simnel, 
made  also  at  Coventry,  Devizes,  and  Bury  in  Lancashire.  At  Bury,  on 
Mothering,  or  Mid-lent  Sunday,  when  young  folks  go  to  pay  their  dutiful 
respects  to  their  parents,  they  go  provided  with  this  offering.  At  Shrewsbury 
it  is  made  in  the  form  of  a  pie,  the  crust  being  coloured  with  saffron,  and  very 
thick.  At  Devizes,  it  has  no  crust,  is  star-shaped,  and  is  mixed  with  a  mass  of 
currants,  spice,  and  candied  lemon.  The  common  Shropshire  story  about  the 
meaning  of  the  name  Simnel  is  well  known.  A  happy  couple  had  a  domestic 
dispute  as  to  whether  they  should  have  for  their  day's  dinner  a  boiled  pudding 
or  a  baked  pie.  Words  began  to  run  high ;  but  meanwhile  the  dinner  lay 
not  dressed,  and  the  couple  were  getting  hungry.  So  they  came  to  a  compromise 
by  first  boiling  and  then  baking  the  dish  that  was  prepared.  To  this  grand 
effort  of  double  cookery  the  name  of  Simnel  was  given,  because  the  husband's 
name  was  Simon  and  the  wife's  was  Nell.  The  real  history  of  this  famous 
composition  is  very  different.  The  name  is  of  very  great  antiquity,  and  in  Latin 
is  called  Siminellus  :  and  that  from  a  Greek  word  signifying  sifted  or  fine  flour 
of  wheat,  mentioned  among  the  finest  kinds  of  bread  by  Galen,  the  physician, 
who  was  born  in  A.D.  131.  Other  languages  have  words  very  like  it  for  fine 
^our  :  the  German  semmel,  the  Italian  semolino.  Originally,  tlierefore,  it  was 
.rtost  Hkely  not  the  heavy  piece  of  pastry  that  it  now  is,  but  a  lighter  cake,  con- 
sidered as  a  treat  by  people  who  lived  on  coarser  fare.  The  word  siminclliis  is 
frequently  met  with  in  mediaeval  deeds.  In  the  year  1044,  wlien  a  King  of 
Scotland  was  visiting  at  the  English  Court,  an  order  was  issued  for  12  simincls 
for  liim  and  his  suite  every  day.  1  he  monks  of  Battel  Abbey  in  Sussex  had  Ijy 
their  rules  bread  of  the  most  nutritious  and  digestible  kind  (cjui  vulgo  simcnel 
vocatur)  commonly  called  simcnel.  This  archaeological  conlection  is  unsafe 
when  eaten  to  excess  ;  for  an  old  gentleman  of  the  year  1595,  speaking  no 
Joubt  from  melancholy  experience,  gives  this  warning  upon  the  subject,  "Sod- 
den bread  which  bee  called  Simnels,  bee  verie  unwholesome  1" 


547 


Ludlow  Castle  and  its  Memories. 

This  celebrated  Castle,  about  whose  history  there  is  a  sort  of  chi- 
valric  and  poetic  romance,  is  placed  at  the  north-west  extremity  of  the 
town  of  Ludlow,  in  a  country  of  surpassing  beauty.  The  fortress  was 
built  by  Roger  de  Montgomery  shortly  after  the  Conquest ;  but  the  son 
of  this  nobleman  did  not  long  enjoy  it,  as  he  died  in  the  prime  of  life. 
The  grandson,  Robert  de  Belesme,  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  forfeited  it  to 
Henry  I.,  having  joined  the  party  of  Robert,  Duke  of  Normandy. 
Henry  presented  it  to  his  favourite,  Fulke  Fitz  Warine,  or  de  Dinan, 
whose  name  the  Castle  for  some  time  bore.  To  him  succeeded  Joccas, 
between  whom  and  Hugh  de  Mortimer,  Lord  of  Wigmore,  dissensions 
arose ;  and  the  latter  was  confined  in  one  of  the  towers,  still  called 
Mortimer's  Tower.  Edward  IV.  repaired  the  Castle,  as  the  palace  of 
the  Princes  of  Wales,  and  the  appointed  place  for  meeting  his  deputies, 
the  Lords  Presidents,  who  held  in  it  the  Court  of  the  Marches,  for 
transacting  the  business  of  the  Principality.  At  his  death,  in  1483,  his 
eldest  son  was  twelve  years  old,  keeping  a  mimic  Court  at  Ludlow 
Castle,  with  a  council.  Ordinances  for  the  regulation  of  the  Prince's 
daily  conduct  were  drawn  up  by  his  father  shortly  before  his  death, 
which  prescribe  his  morning  attendance  at  mass,  his  occupation  "at 
school,"  his  meals,  and  his  sports.  No  man  is  to  sit  at  his  board  but 
such  as  Earl  Rivers  shall  allow :  and  at  this  hour  of  meat  it  is  ordered 
"  that  there  be  read  before  him  noble  stories,  as  behoveth  a  prince  to 
understand ;  and  that  the  communication  at  all  times,  in  his  presence, 
be  of  virtue,  honour,  cuning  (knowledge),  wisdom,  and  deeds  of  wor- 
ship, and  nothing  that  shall  move  him  to  vice." — (MS.  in  British 
Museum.)  The  Bishop  of  Worcester,  John  Alcock,  the  President  of 
the  Council,  was  the  Prince's  preceptor.  Here  he  was  first  proclaimed 
King  by  the  title  of  Edward  V.,  but  after  a  mere  nominal  possession  of 
less  than  three  months,  he  and  his  brother,  Richard  Duke  of  York,  both 
disappeared,  and  nothing  is  known  as  to  their  fate ;  but  the  prophetic 
words  of  the  dying  Edward  IV.  were  fulfilled :  "  If  you  among  your- 
selves in  a  child's  reign  fall  at  debate,  many  a  good  man  shall  perish,  and 
haply  he  too,  and  ye  too,  ere  this  land  shall  find  peace  again." 

Sir  Henry  Sidney,  as  Lord  President  of  the  Marches,  resided  at 
Ludlow  Castle,  then  the  principal  stronghold  between  England  and 
Wales.  An  extract  fi^om  a  letter  in  the  ninth  year  of  Elizabeth  (1566), 
written  to  his  son.  Sir  Philip  Sidney,  then  a  boy  twelve  years  of  age,  at 
school  at  Shrewsbury,  who  was  evidently  in  the  habit  of  writing  to  his 


54^  Ludlow  Castle,  and  its  Memories, 

father  at  Ludlow,  serves  as  an  example  to  parents  generally  how  to 
encourage  and  advise  their  children  when  away  from  their  custody  or 
care: 

*•  I  have  received  two  letters  from  you,  one  written  in  Latine,  the 
other  in  French,  which  I  take  in  good  part,  and  will  (wish)  you  to 
exercise  that  practice  of  learning  often  ;  for  that  will  stand  you  in  most 
stead  in  that  profession  of  life  you  are  bom  to  live  in.  And  since  this  is 
my  first  letter  I  ever  did  write  to  you,  I  will  not  that  it  be  all  empty  of 
some  advice,  which  my  natural  care  of  you  provokcth  me  to  wish  you 
to  follow,  as  documents  to  you  in  this  your  tender  age. 
■  "  Let  your  first  action  be  the  lifting  of  your  mind  to  Almighty  God 
by  hearty  prayer,  and  feelingly  digest  the  words  you  speak  in  prayer, 
with  continual  meditation  and  thinking  of  Him  to  whom  you  pray, 
and  of  the  matter  for  which  you  pray.  ...  Be  humble  and  obedient  to 
your  master,  for  unless  you  frame  yourself  to  obey  others,  yea,  and 
feel  in  yourself  what  that  obedience  is,  you  will  never  be  able  to  teach 
others  how  to  obey  you.  .  .  .  Well  (my  little  Philippe),  this  is  enough 
for  me,  and  too  much,  I  fear,  for  you. 

"  Your  loving  father,  so  long  as  you  live  in  the  fear  of  God, 

"  H.  Sidney." 

This  charming  letter  was  probably,  though  undated,  written  from 
Ludlow  Castle.  Sir  Henry  died  here  in  1586.  The  Queen  being  cer- 
tified thereof,  ordered  Garter  King-of-Arms  to  prepare  all  things  apper- 
taining to  his  office  for  his  funeral.  Accordingly,  Garter  and  the  other 
heralds  coming  to  Worcester,  ordered  the  corpse,  robed  with  velvet,  to 
be  brought  from  Ludlow,  which  was  solemnly  conveyed  into  the 
cathedral  church  at  Worcester,  and  there  placed ;  and  after  a  sermon 
preached  by  one  of  Sir  Henry's  chaplains,  the  corpse  was  conveyed  into 
a  chariot  coveiTd  with  velvet,  hung  with  escutcheons  of  his  arms,  &c. : 
and  being  accompanied  with  "  Mr.  Garter,"  and  the  other  heralds,  with 
the  principal  domestics  of  the  deceased,  and  officers  of  the  court  of 
Ludlow,  they  proceeded  on  their  journey  to  London  ;  and  from  thence 
to  Penshurst,  where,  on  Tuesday,  21  June,  1586,  he  was  interred  in 
the  chancel  of  the  church  of  that  place,  attended  from  his  house  by  a 
noble  train  of  lords,  knights,  gentlemen  and  ladies,  something  like  six 
weeks  after  his  death  ;  giving  us  a  slight  idea  of  the  length  of  time  con- 
sumed in  those  days  in  journeying  from  Ludlow  to  the  metropolis, 
albeit  this  was  a  solemn  and  grand  occasion. 

It  was  during  the  time  of  Sir  Henry's  presidency  that  many  im- 


Ludlow  Castle^  audits  Memories.  S49 

portant  additions  were  made  to  the  Castle  of  Ludlow ;  and  here  he 
often  resided  in  great  pomp  and  splendour.  The  young  Philip  was, 
consequently,  a  frequent  indweller  of  the  Castle ;  and  the  woods  and 
hills  around  must  have  been  the  scene  of  many  a  hunting  or  hawking 
excursion,  in  which  he,  with  his  noble  brothers  and  sisters,  shared. 
Mr.  Thomas  Wright,  in  his  Ludlow  Sketches,  says  :  "  Sir  Philip  Sidney, 
the  preux  chenjalier  of  his  age,  the  poet,  and  lover  of  letters  and  men  of 
letters,  was  no  doubt  a  fi-equent  resident  in  Ludlow  Castle,  and 
probably  there  collected  at  times  around  him  the  Spensers  and  the 
Raleighs,  and  the  other  literary  stars  of  the  day." 

The  stone  bridge  which  supplies  the  place  of  a  drawbridge  at  the 
Castle,  is  apparently  of  Sir  Henry  Sidney's  time,  and  the  great  portal  is 
of  the  same  date.  Over  the  archway  is  a  small  stone  tablet,  with  a 
Latin  inscription  alluding  to  the  ingratitude  of  man,  which  seems  very 
curious,  and  must  refer  to  some  great  disappointment  Sir  Henry  met 
with  at  this  time.  The  mere  fact  that  much  of  the  work  he  did  in  the 
Castle,  at  great  expense  to  himself,  and  which  the  government  ought  to 
have  paid  for,  but  did  not,  has  been  surmised  the  cause  of  this  complaint 
on  the  wall  over  the  archway. 

The  next  memorable  circumstance  in  the  history  of  Ludlow  Castle 
is  the  first  representation  of  Milton's  masque  of  Comus,  in  1634,  when 
the  Earl  of  Bridgewater  was  Lord  President.  A  scene  in  the  Masque 
represented  the  Castle  and  town  of  Ludlow.  Mr.    Dillon    Croker, 

in  a  paper  read  to  the  British  Archaeological  Association,  in  1867,  has 
thus  ably  illustrated  this  exquisite  effusion  of  Milton's  genius : — 

"  There  are  passages  or  phrases  in  this  Masque,"  says  Mr.  Croker,  "in 
which  we  may  trace  a  similarity  to  the  writings  of  Chaucer,  Spenser 
(in  his  Fairy  Queen),  Shakspeare  (notably  in  the  Tempest),  and  other 
authors ;  the  plot  is  also  well  known  to  be  a  striking  resemblance  to  a 
scarce  old  play  by  George  Peele,  called  The  Old  Wave's  Tale,  printed  at 
London,  1595,  in  which,  among  other  parallel  incidents,  are  exhibited 
two  brothers  wandering  in  quest  of  their  sister,  whom  an  enchanter  had 
imprisoned.  This  magician  had  learned  his  art  from  his  mother  Merse, 
as  Comus  had  been  instructed  by  his  mother  Circe.  The  brothers  call 
out  on  the  lady's  name,  and  echo  replies.  The  enchanter  had  given  her 
a  potion,  which  suspends  the  power  of  reason  and  superinduces  oblivion 
of  herself.  The  brothers  afterwards  meet  with  an  old  man  who  is  also 
skilled  in  magic,  and  by  listening  to  his  soothsayings  they  recover  their 
lost  sister.  From  this  there  is  much  reason  to  believe  that  this  old 
drama  may  have  furnished  Milton  with  the  idea  and  plan  of  Comus, 
the  resemblance  traced  by  Waiton  being  even  stronger  U:an  has  been 


5  5°  Ludlow  Castle y  and  its  Memories. 

asserted.  Again,  from  Fletcher's  Faithful  Shepherdess,  and  from  Browne's 
Inner  Temple  Masque^  it  is  asserted  that  Milton  may  have  taken  some 
hints ;  as  well  as  from  the  old  English  Apuleius,  and  it  has  been  con- 
jectured also  that  he  framed  Comus  very  much  upon  the  episode  of 
uirce  in  Homer's  Odyssey,  whilst  another  ingenious  annotator  contends 
that  it  is  rather  taken  from  the  Comus  of  Erycius  Puteanus,  a  tract 
published  at  Oxford,  in  1634,  the  very  year  Milton's  Comus  was  vn-itten. 
"  Sir  Egerton  Brydges,  in  his  life  of  Milton,  obseiTes  that  '  Comus  is 
the  invention  of  a  beautiful  fable,  enriched  with  shadowy  beings  and 
visionary  delights ;  every  line  and  word  is  pure  poetry,  and  the  sentiments 
are  as  exquisite  as  the  images.  It  is  a  composition  which  no  pen  but 
Milton's  could  have  produced  ;  though  Shakspeare  could  have  written 
many  parts  of  it,  yet  with  less  regularity,  and  of  course  less  philoso- 
phical thought  and  learning,  less  profundity  and  solemnity,  but,  per- 
haps, with  more  buoyancy  and  transparent  flow.'  The  obligation  ot 
Pope  to  Milton  has  been  examined,  and  Warton  calls  him  the  first 
writer  of  eminence  who  copied  Comus.  Having  alluded  to  the  various 
sources  from  which  Milton  (then  in  his  twenty-sixth  year)  is  said  to 
have  obtained  his  plot,  or  at  least  some  valuable  suggestions,  there  yet 
remains  the  story  tor  which  Oldys  is  the  earliest  known  authority,  that 
Lord  Brackley,  then  aged  twelve  (who  performed  the  part  of  the  elder 
brother,  and  was  the  eldest  surviving  son  of  the  Earl  of  Bridgewater), 
accompanied  by  the  Hon.  Thomas  Egerton  (who  enacted  the  Second 
Brother),  with  their  sister,  the  Lady  Alice  (who  could  not  have  been 
at  that  time  more  than  thirteen,  and  who  acted  the  Lady), were  on  their 
way  to  Ludlow  from  the  house  of  some  relatives  in  Herefordshire,  when 
they  rested  on  their  joumey,  and  were  benighted  in  Haywood  Forest, 
and  this  incident  (the  Lady  Alice  having  been  even  lost  for  a  short  time) 
furnished,  it  is  thought,  the  subject  of  Comus  as  the  Michaelmas  fes- 
tivity, which  was  acted  in  the  great  hall  of  the  Castle,  the  occasion 
being  the  installation  of  the  Earl  as  president  over  the  March  of  Wales, 
to  which  office  he  was  nominated  in  1631,  but  did  not  proceed  to  his 
official  duties  until  some  two  years  later.  The  early  edition,  a  small 
quarto  of  thirty-five  pages,  was  simply  entitled  "  A  Mascjue,  presented 
at  Ludlow  Castle,  1634,  on  Michaelmasse  night,  bcforc  the  Right  Hono- 
rable John,  Earl  o'  Bridgewater,  Viscount  Brackley,  Lord  President 
of  Wales.  London,  1637."  The  names  of  the  principal  actors  ap|>car 
at  the  end  of  this  edition.  The  songs  were  set  to  music  by  Mr.  Henry 
Lawes,  gentleman  of  the  King's  Chapel,  and  one  of  His  Majesty's 
private  musicians,  who  taught  music  in  Lord  Bridgewater's  family. 
The  Lady  Alice,  who  excelled  in  singing,  was  a  pupil  of  Lawes;  she 


Lttdloiv  Castle,  and  its  Memories.  55 1 

was  allotted  the  song  of  "  Echo."  Lawes  performed  the  part  of  the 
attendant  Spirit,  and  undertook  the  general  management  ef  the  Masque. 
It  is  not  known  who  were  the  original  representatives  of  the  parts  of 
Gomus  and  Sabrlna." 

Entertainments  of  this  kind  having  been  discouraged,  Comus  was  the 
delight  of  comparatively  few  until  1 758,  when  it  was  produced  at  Drury 
Lane  Theatre,  with  new  music  by  Dr.  Arne.  It  was  subsequently  re- 
peatedly presented  on  the  stage,  and  was  revived  at  Drury  Lane  so 
recently  as  1864.  It  is  worthy  of  note,  that  in  1750  it  was  acted  and 
published  for  the  benefit  of  Milton's  grand-daughter,  who  kept  a 
chandler's  shop  at  Holloway  ;  an  occasional  prologue  was  written  for 
this  occasion  by  Dr.  Johnson,  and  spoken  by  Garrick. 

It  has  been  surmised  that  Milton  produced  Comus  under  his  father's 
roof  at  Horton,  near  Colnbrook,  in  Buckinghamshire,  where  the  poet 
went  to  reside  after  leaving  Cambridge :  here  his  father  had  retii-ed 
from  practice  with  a  competent  fortune,  holding  his  home  under  the 
Earls  of  Bridgewater,  which  may  possibly  have  been  young  Milton's 
introduction  to  that  noble  family.  Buckinghamshire,  rather  than 
Shropshire,  may  therefore  have  been  his  residence  when  he  wrote  Comus  ; 
and  there  is  evidence  to  prove  that  he  was  even  present  at  Ludlow  Castle 
during  the  representation  of  the  work. 

In  Ludlow  Castle  also  Butler  wrote  part  of  Hudibras,  During  the 
Civil  War  the  fortress  was  garrisoned  for  the  King,  but  was  delivered  up 
to  the  Parliament  in  1646.  Lord  Carbery's^  account  of  the  expenses 
incurred  in  making  the  Castle  habitable  after  the  Civil  War,  has  some 
entries  which  are  valuable,  as  specifying  the  period  of  Butler's  services 
as  Steward  of  Ludlow  Castle,  and  the  nature  of  the  services  performed 
by  the  great  wit.  Thus  we  find  payments  made  by  Butler  "  to  sundry 
Braziers,  Pewterers,  and  Coopers,"  for  "  supplies  of  furniture ;"  "bottles, 
corkes,  and  glasses ;"  "  saddles  and  furniture  for  the  caterer  and 
slaughterman,"  &c. 

The  exterior  of  the  Castle  denotes  in  some  degree  its  former  magnifi- 
cence. It  rises  from  the  point  of  a  headland,  and  the  foundations  are 
ingrafted  into  a  bare  grey  rock.  The  north  front  consists  of  square 
towers,  with  high  connected  walls,  embattled ;  the  old  fosse  and  part 
of  the  rock  were  planted  with  trees  in  1772.  The  principal  entrance 
is  by  a  gateway,  under  a  low  pointed  arch ;  the  enclosure  is  of  several 
acres.  The  body  of  the  Castle  on  the  north-west  is  guarded  by  a 
deep  and  wide  fosse.  The  arms  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  with  those  of  the 
Earl  of  Pembroke,  who  succeeded  Sir  Henry  Sidney  in  the  presidency, 
ai-e  seen  on  the  walls.    The  Keep  is  a  vast  Eai'ly  Norman  square  tower 


552        The  Priory  of  Austin  Friars  at  Ludlow 

1 10  feet  high,  and  ivy-mantled  to  the  top.  The  ground-floor  contains 
the  dungeon  or  prison,  half  underground,  with  three  square  opening? 
communicating  with  the  chamber  above  ;  these  openings,  besides  being 
used  for  letting  down  the  prisoners,  are  supposed  to  have  been  intended 
for  supplies  of  ammunition,  implements,  and  provisions  during  a  siege. 
The  Great  Hall,  where  Comus  was  first  played,  is  roofless  and  has  no 
floor.  A  tower  at  the  west  end  is  still  called  Prince  Arthur's  Tower ; 
and  there  are  the  remains  of  the  old  chapel.  The  Castle  has  altogether 
a  grand  and  imposing  aspect ;  and  in  some  points  of  view  the  towers 
are  richly  clustered,  with  the  keep  in  the  centre.  The  Earl  of  Powis, 
who,  previous  to  the  accession  of  George  I.  held  the  Castle  on  a  long 
lease,  acquired  the  reversion  in  fee  by  purchase  from  the  Crown  in  iSii. 
The  prospect,  we  have  said,  is  charming.  The  old  town  of  Ludlow 
— in  itself  an  object  of  considerable  interest — stands  upon  a  knoll,  and 
to  the  westward,  on  the  heights  of  a  steep  line  of  rocks,  rise  the  grey 
towers  of  Ludlow  Castle,  which  at  one  time  must  have  been  impregnable. 
From  this  point  the  view  is  perhaps  unsurpassed  in  all  England.  East- 
ward is  Titterstone  Clee  Hill ;  on  the  north  is  Corve  Dale,  and  a  series 
of  hills  which  stretch  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see,  the  beautiful  valley  of  the 
Teme  lying  immediately  before  you,  with  the  Stretton  Hills  as  a  back- 
gi'ound ;  to  the  west  is  a  line  of  hill  and  forest ;  while,  looking  back, 
the  Teme,  prettiest  and  tiniest  (in  some  parts)  of  rivers,  disappears  in 
a  narrow  ravine,  "  formed  "  (says  a  contemporary  writer)  "  by  some 
convulsion  of  the  ancient  world,  which  cut  off  the  knoll  on  which  now 
stand  the  castle  and  town,  and  gave  it  its  picturesque  character."  So 
beautiful,  indeed,  is  the  surrounding  country,  that  Ludlow  has  been 
called  by  an  enthusiastic  admirer — probably  a  Salopian — the  queen  of 
our  inland  watering-places. 


The  Priory  of  Austin  Friars  at  Ludlow. 

How  the  remains  of  the  Priory  of  Austin  Friars  at  Ludlow  were 
discovered  about  seven  years  since,  is  thus  pleasantly  narrated  by  Mr. 
Beriah  Botfield,  F.S.A.,  in  the  Archaologia : — 

"Tradition,  the  handmaid  of  history,  has  happily  furnished  some 
account  of  the  last  state  of  this  ancient  foundation.  A  lady,  now  ad- 
vanced in  years,  but  still  resident  at  Ludlow,  was  amused  by  the  interest 
created  by  digging  out  the  old  foundations,  while,  as  she  said,  no  one 
took  such  notice  ofthe  buildings  when  they  were  above  ground.  When  she 
was  quite  young,  and  used  to  goto  school  from  Letwyche,  an  extensive 
ranrre  of  stone  buildings,  which  looked  like  a  large  house,  stood  a  little 


TJie  Priory  of  Austin  Friars  at  Ludlow.        553 

below  the  road  in  an  open  space  full  of  stones  and  ruins.  Dividing  this 
space  fi'om  the  road  was  a  massive  wall  with  an  archway  in  it,  and  gates, 
through  which,  and  between  some  of  the  ruins,  there  was  a  kind  of  road 
down  to  the  '  ruined  building.'  The  little  stream  called  Whitehall 
Brook,  rising  probably  from  St.  Julian's  Well,  on  Gravel  Hill,  flowed 
through  the  fish-ponds  below  the  Priory  inclosure  into  the  river  Teme. 
Its  course  having  lately  been  altered,  it  has  now  ceased  to  run  as  formerly. 
The  old  lady  described  a  road  leading  from  nearly  opposite  the  entrance 
archway  of  the  Priory  to  join  the  Cleobury  Mortimer-road,  near  where 
the  Gravel  Hill  turnpike-gate  now  stands.  The  existence  of  a  road  in 
that  direction  explains  the  ancient  road  which  was  cut  across  by  the 
Shrewsbury  and  Hereford  Railway  at  that  spot,  and  set  down,  in  spite 
of  all  reasons  to  the  contrary,  as  a  Roman  road,  at  the  time  it  was  dis- 
covered, nearly  seven  years  ago.  The  building  itself  was  used  as  a 
kennel  for  Captain  Waring's  hounds ;  and  the  old  lady  perfectly  re- 
members how  he  and  a  gay  party  of  gentlemen  and  ladies,  all  dressed  in 
scarlet,  rode  out  of  the  archway  on  days  when  the  meet  was  fixed  at 
Ludlow.  But,  she  added,  at  night  was  quite  another  scene.  The  old 
Priory  seemed  then  to  be  reoccupied  by  its  former  inhabitants — singing 
and  other  noises  were  heard,  as  though  many  people  lived  there ;  and 
on  fine  nights  the  Prior  and  his  brethren,  all  habited  in  white,  might  be 
seen  walking  along  the  road,  still  called  the  Friars-lane,  in  a  stately 
manner,  to  the  intense  alarm  of  any  young  folks  who  might  happen  to 
be  rambling  that  way  too  late  in  the  evening.  I  tell  this  tale  as  it  was 
told  to  me ;  but  I  am  happy  to  add  that  the  kennel  was  not  on  the  site 
of  the  Priory,  but  in  a  barn  immediately  adjoining  Old  Gates  Fee.  The 
harriers,  which  were  the  hounds  Captain  Waring  kept,  were  hunted  by 
a  man  of  the  name  of  Maiden,  who  lived  in  that  part  of  the  old  building 
which  was  still  habitable.  A  great  part  of  it  had  the  roof  off,  and  only 
holes  where  the  windows  were.  All  the  remains  of  the  old  buildings 
were  taken  down  by  Mr.  Gilley  Pritchett,  who  laid  down  the  land  as  a 
meadow,  the  turf  of  which  soon  covered  the  foundation  of  the  walls. 
This  happy  accident  enabled  Mr.  Curley,  the  engineer  employed  in 
levelling  the  ground  for  the  new  Cattle  market,  to  trace,  with  remarkable 
accuracy,  the  ground-plan  of  the  Priory  and  conventual  buildings.  In 
their  general  an'angement  they  correspond  with  other  houses  under  the 
same  rule." 


554 


Chilllngton  Park. — Legend  of  Giffard. 

The  name  of  Giffard,  which  etymologists  take  to  mean  "  Free- 
Giver,"  has  been  borne  by  an  illustrious  line  of  English  gentlemen, 
from  the  Conquest  to  the  present  time.  But  this  family  did  not 
enter  upon  its  renown  when  it  took  possession  of  the  rich  lands 
assigned  to  it  by  the  conquering  William  in  Buckinghamshire  and 
Gloucestershire.  Before  coming  over  with  the  Conqueror,  this 
house  had  achieved  a  distinct  reputation,  and  was  known  by  another 
name.  The  family  was  a  Norman  one,  and  the  head  of  the  house 
took  his  name  from  his  territorial  domain  of  Bolebek.  In  these 
early  and  tumultuous  Norman  times,  the  mere  fact  that  fiolebek 
held  an  estate,  was  in  itself  presumptive  evidence  that  he  was  a 
man  of  resolution,  of  intrepidity  and  skill  in  battle,  and  of  fair 
fame  as  a  knight  among  his  peers.  Under  a  younger  son  of  Bole- 
bek, the  fortunes  of  the  house  grew  and  prospered.  The  young 
knight  was  highly  distinguished  as  a  soldier,  and  no  less  distin- 
guished as  a  man  of  quick  and  ready  sympathies  and  frank 
generosity.  The  Duke  of  Normandy,  afterwards  William  the 
Conqueror,  had  rewarded  the  knight's  valour  and  generalship  by 
conferring  upon  him  the  title  of  the  Comte  de  Longueville,  and 
his  contemporaries  testified  to  their  appreciation  of  his  open- 
handed  generosity,  by  adding  to  his  Christian  name  the  approving 
sobriqtiet  of  Giffard  or  the  Free  Giver. 

At  the  time  of  the  invasion  of  England  by  the  Normans,  three 
members  of  the  Bolebek  family,  the  chief  and  two  young  branches, 
accompanied  the  Norman  host  to  our  shores.  The  two  younger 
chieftains  soon  achieved  distinction.  The  one,  Walter,  Comte  de 
Longueville,  was  created  Earl  of  Buckingham,  and  received  ex- 
tensive grants  of  land  in  that  county ;  the  other,  Osbert,  received 
lands  in  Gloucestershire,  unaccompanied  by  a  title.  The  Bucking- 
hamshire branch  died  out  in  the  second  generation,  the  estates 
passing  to  the  Clares,  there  being  a  marriage  connexion  between 
these  families  ;  the  Gloucestershire  branch  took  root  and  flourished, 
and  its  representative,  John  Giffard  of  Brunsficld  in  that  county, 
was  summoned  to  serve  in  Parliament  in  the  reign  of  Edward  I. 

In  the  celebrated  expedition  which  invaded  Ireland,  under 
Strongbow,  there  was  a  young  adventurer  named  Peter  Giffard,  a 
cadet  of  the  Brunsficld  family  of  that  name.  This  Peter  was  ac- 
companied by  a  friend,  a  Saxon  knight,  named  Corbucin.    Giffard 


Chillington  Park.  555 

won  high  reputation  in  the  campaign,  and  received  from  Strong- 
bow  a  liberal  grant  of  lands  in  the  country ;  Corbucin,  however, 
was  mortally  wounded  in  one  of  the  battles,  and  dying  he  en- 
trusted to  his  friend  and  companion  in  arms  the  duty  of  returning 
to  England,  of  carrying  the  news  of  his  death  to  his  only  surviving 
relative,  his  sister  Alice,  and  of  comforting  the  poor  girl  in  her 
bereavement.  Giffard  was  faithful  to  his  friend.  He  sought  Alice 
in  England,  and  comforted  her  to  some  effect ;  for  after  a  short 
time  he  married  the  sister  of  his  friend,  and  setthng  upon  one  of 
her  Staffordshire  estates,  he  became  there  the  head  of  a  house  re- 
presented at  the  present  day  by  direct  descendants.  Thus  com- 
menced the  Staffordshire  branch  of  the  Giffard  family,  a  branch 
that  has  flourished  in  peace  and  prosperity  for  many  centuries, 
while  other  and  even  more  illustrious  Norman  houses  have  died 
out. 

The  secret  of  the  prosperity  of  the  Staffordshire  Giffards  seems 
to  have  been,  that  perceiving  that  though  the  Saxon  people  were 
subdued,  Saxon  ideas,  customs,  justice,  and  liberty,  were  still  un- 
conquered  and  unconquerable  in  the  country,  they  elected  not  to 
attempt  the  impossible ;  but  instead  of  trying  to  crush  out  the 
Saxon  spirit  of  the  people,  to  harmonise  themselves  with  it  and 
live  in  peace  and  perfect  accord  with  it.  The  natural  result  of  this 
policy  of  conciliation  and  accommodation  was,  that  the  most 
cordial  understanding  has  always  subsisted  between  the  Giffards  and 
their  neighbours  and  tenants.  On  the  estate  itself  the  connexion 
between  baron  and  peasant  recalls  patriarchal  times  ;  for  the  baron 
has  always  been,  in  kindness  and  in  readiness  to  protect  and  defend, 
the  father  of  his  tenantry. 

Of  this  harmonious  state  of  affairs,  the  following  tradition, 
selected  from  many,  exemplifying  the  same  kindly  relationship  and 
differing  mainly  only  in  the  marvellous  character  of  their  incidents, 
affords  an  illustration. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  King  Henry  VII.,  the  head  of 
the  house  of  Chillington  was  Sir  John  Giffard.  He  held  a  distin- 
guished position  in  his  time.  He  represented  his  county  in  Parlia- 
ment, and  was  a  favourite  at  court.  At  the  period  to  which  our 
story  refers,  it  was  customary  for  great  families  to  keep  a  col- 
lection of  wild  and  rare  animals ;  and  even  at  the  present  day  the 
visitor  to  an  ancient  mansion  may  very  probably  have  some  stable- 
like structure  pointed  out  to  him  as  ''•the  menagerie."  One  of  the 
rich  friends  of  the  Lord  of  ChilHngton  had  presented  him  with  a 


55^  Chillington  Turk, 

splendid  panther.  The  present  was  a  rich  and  handsome,  but  at 
the  same  time,  an  awkward  one,  as  there  was  some  difficahy  in 
finding  a  properly  fitted  place  in  which  to  secure  the  dangerous 
animal.  One  summer  morning  the  report  was  suddenly  brought 
to  Chillington  House  that  the  beautiful  but  deadly  beast  had 
broken  loose  and  escaped.  Instant  pursuit  was  ordered,  and  the 
Lord  of  Chillington,  seizing  his  powerful  crossbow,  issued  forth, 
attended  by  his  son.  The  ancient  house  stood  on  the  exact  site  of 
the  present  mansion.  Straight  from  the  front  entrance  of  the  house, 
where  there  is  now  a  magnificent  avenue  of  oak  trees,  but  where 
in  those  days  the  ground  was  still  wild,  Sir  John  Giffard  and  his 
son  proceeded.  Their  route  descended  into  a  valley,  crossed  a 
stream  and  led  up  the  opposite  bank.  Speeding  up  this  ascent  the 
travellers  were  urged  to  the  utmost  by  hearing  distant  cries  of 
terror.  Arriving  at  the  brow  of  the  hill  a  frightful  scene  presented 
itself.  Open  fields  with  an  uninclosed  road  leading  to  a  group  of 
cottages  extended  in  front,  and  there,  on  a  slight  elevation,  the 
dreaded  animal  lay  crouching  for  a  spring  and  glaring  upon  a  wo- 
man, who,  with  her  baby  at  her  breast,  was  fleeing  distractedly 
toward  her  own  door.  Gififard  lost  not  a  moment  in  fitting  a  bolt  to 
the  string  of  his  crossbow,  and  was  in  the  act  to  shoot  precipitately, 
when  his  son,  stepping  up  to  him,  whispered  in  his  ear,  in  the 
Norman  tongue,  which  was  still  the  familiar  language  of  the 
Giffards,  "  Prcnez  haleine,  tirez  fort," — "  Take  breath,  pull  strong." 
The  caution  was  wise  and  well-timed.  Lives  depended  upon  it. 
The  old  knight  drew  a  deep  breath,  steadied  his  foot-hold,  covered 
the  prey  and  shot.  The  panther  had  sprung,  the  mother  fainting 
and  distraught  had  sunk  on  the  ground  covering  her  infant  with 
hci  own  body ;  but  the  bolt  had  struck  the  panther  midway  in  its 
spring  and  pierced  its  heart,  and  the  brute  that  sank  short  of  its 
prey  was  as  good  as  dead  before  he  reached  the  ground. 

The  courage  and  nerve  of  the  good  knight  were  soon  made 
known  over  the  country,  and  two  crests  commemorative  of  the 
gallant  deed  were  granted  to  the  family — one  is  the  knight  in  the 
act  of  drawing  the  bow,  the  other  the  panther's  head,  with  the  now 
famous  motto,  ^^ Prcnez  haleine^  tirez  fort^ 

The  spot  on  which  this  extraordinary  rescue  took  place  is  marked 
by  a  large  wooden  cross,  and  is  known,  not  only  to  the  people  of 
the  neighbourhood  as  the  scene  of  the  incident  related,  but  to  per- 
sons far  and  near,  as  "Giffard's  Cross." 

Chillington  Park,  about  thirteen  miles  to  the  south  of  Stafford 


ALTON    TOWERS. 

1.  The  Conserv;  tories  and  Alcove. 

2.  Alton  Towers  from  the  Terrace. 


Alton  Towers.  557 

is  still  the  seat  of  the  Giffards.  The  former  house  was  of  the 
date  of  Henry  VIII.,  and  was  remarkable  for  the  varied  forms  of 
the  windows  and  chimneys.  The  present  house  was  built  in  1787 
from  designs  by  Sir  John  Soane,  by  Peter  Giffard,  the  seventeenth 
lord.  The  rebuilding  of  the  house  was  no  doubt  rendered  necessaiy 
from  the  rough  usage  the  former  mansion  sustained  during  the  Civil 
War.  The  principal  attraction  of  the  house  is  the  magnificent  ap- 
proach by  an  avenue  of  oaks  two  miles  in  length.  The  grounds, 
however,  are  very  extensive  and  beautifully  wooded,  and  an  addi- 
tional charm  is  furnished  by  a  large  lake  called  the  Pool. 


Alton  Towers. 

Alton  Towers,  "  one  of  the  most  exquisitely  beautiful  demesnes 
in  England,"  is  situated  in  Staffordshire,  near  the  borders  of  Derby- 
shire. It  has  thus  within  its  vicinity  a  number  of  populous  towns 
and  cities,  hard-working,  if  not  over-working ;  and,  at  the  same 
time,  by  way  of  compensation,  much  of  that  scenery — many  of 
those  retreats  of  nature,  at  once  wild,  beautiful,  and  healthful,  which 
are  so  admirably  fitted  to  recruit  overtasked  energies.  And  the 
beauty  of  Alton  Towers  is  not,  like  the  beauty  of  the  oasis  in  the 
desert,  a  thing  to  surprise  and  confound.  It  unfolds  itself  before 
you  gradually,  like  the  dawn,  and  you  are  prepared  for  and  tuned 
into  harmony  with  it,  by  the  charming  approaches  which  conduct 
to  it  from  all  sides.  From  the  great  centres  of  Manchester,  Derby, 
and  the  Staffordshire  Potteries,  the  routes  to  Alton  Towers  are  in 
their  diverse  fashions  all  beautiful.  From  the  first  the  approach 
is  by  Stockport  and  Macclesfield,  Leek  and  Oakamoor,  on  to 
Alton  Station  through  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Churnet ;  from 
Derby  the  route  passes  Sudbury  with  its  grand  old  church,  its  ex- 
tensive castellated  ruins  and  modern  mansion,  on  by  Marchington 
and  Uttoxeter,  and  so,  after  changing  carriages,  to  Alton  Station, 
while  from  the  Potteries  the  traveller,  leaving  Stoke-upon-Trent 
behind  him,  passes  Blythe  Bridge,  Cresswell,  and  Leigh,  and, 
arriving  at  Uttoxeter,  proceeds  to  his  destination  by  the  same  route 
as  from  Derby. 

An  estate  so  lordly  in  extent,  and  comprising  throughout  its 
length  and  breadth  so  many  spots  which  have  a  beauty  of  their 
own  independently  of  that  of  the  central  attraction,  the  Towers 


553  Alton  Toivcrs, 

themselves,  has  necessarily  several  entrances;  but  of  these  it  is 
necessary  to  mention  only  two. 

Of  these,  Quicksall  Lodge,  Uttoxeter  Road,  ushers  the  visitors 
into  a  magnificent  approach  to  the  house  known  as  the  Earl's  Drive. 
It  is  three  miles  in  length,  and  leads  along  the  vale  of  the  Churnet. 
Near  the  house  the  conservatory  is  seen  from  the  Earl's  Drive, 
with  its  natural  attractions  enhanced  by  the  statues,  busts,  and 
vases  with  which  it  is  tastefully  and  profusely  ornamented.  And 
now  the  proportions  of  the  Towers  of  Alton  come  out  upon  us 
through  the  intervening  foliage — rich  in  spire  and  arcade,  in  dome 
and  gable — a  painter's  dream  realized  in  antique  stone,  a  poet's 
vision  rendered  permanent  for  ever. 

The  other  entrance  or  lodge,  on  the  North  Staffordshire  Railway, 
was  designed  by  Pugin.  The  carriage-way  from  this  to  the  house 
is  only  about  a  mile  in  length,  and  rises  throughout  the  entire  dis- 
tance, to  the  acclivity  on  which  the  house  stands. 

The  gardens  of  this  great  estate  are  simply  a  wonder  and  a 
mystery  of  beauty.  Their  extent,  made  apparently  greater  than  it 
really  is  by  artificially  formed  terraces,  and  by  the  other  subtle 
resources  of  the  landscape  gardener's  art,  and  the  lavish  manner  in 
which  they  are  ornamented  with  statuary,  sculptured  vases,  temples 
and  fountains,  excite  the  visitor's  surprise  and  delight.  That  variety 
of  gardening  recently  become  popular,  and  known  as  "  ribbon 
gardening,"  is  here  seen  in  perfection.  The  grand  conservatory 
contains  a  palm  house  and  orangery.  Among  the  other  attractions 
of  the  grounds  are  the  Gothic  Temple,  four  stories  high,  from 
which  a  glorious  view  is  obtained ;  the  Flag  Tower,  a  massive 
building  with  four  turrets,  six  stories  high,  and  used  as  a  prospect 
tower ;  the  Refuge,  a  delightful  retreat  for  the  visitor  weary  with 
sight-seeing ;  Stonehenge,  an  imitation  of  the  stone-temple  of  Salis- 
bury Plain  ;  Ina's  Rock,  at  which,  after  a  great  battle  with  Ceolcred 
King  of  Mercia,  Ina  King  of  Wessex  held  a  parliament,  are  among 
the  remaining  interesting  and  picturesque  features  of  the  grounds. 
In  the  near  vicinity  of  the  Towers,  arc  Alton  Castle,  with  the  pic- 
turesque ruins  of  a  range  of  conventual  buildings,  in  which  the 
remains  of  a  number  of  the  earlier  lords  of  Alton  lie  interred ; 
Alton  Church,  a  building  of  Norman  foundation  charmingly  situa- 
ted, near  the  castle  ;  Demon's  Dale,  a  haunted  valley,  in  connexion 
with  which  there  are  a  number  of  extraordinary  legends  ;  and 
Croxden  or  Crokesdcn  Abbey,  a  grand  old  ruin,  founded  in  1176 
by  Bertram  de  Verdun,  of  Alton  Castle. 


Alton  Towers,  559 

This  Bertram  de  Verdun,  grandson  of  Godfreye  Compte  le  Ver- 
dun, who  held  Farnham  Royal,  in  Bucks,  about  the  year  1080,  was 
the  first  Norman  baron  who  was  owner  of  the  manor  and  strong- 
hold of  Alton,  which  at  the  time  of  the  taking  of  the  Doomsday 
survey  was  held  by  the  crown,  but  was  afterwards  given  back  to  its 
original  holders.  Rohesia,  the  daughter  and  heiress  of  the  last  of 
these,  married  the  Bertram  named,  and  thus  brought  into  the 
Norman  family  of  Verdun,  the  hereditary  possession  handed  down 
to  her  from  her  Saxon  ancestors.  Bertram,  after  founding  Croxden 
Abbey,  in  1176,  joined  the  crusade  of  the  period,  and  dying  at 
Joppa,  was  buried  at  Acre.  Rohesia,  wife  of  Bertram,  died  in  12 15, 
leaving,  among  other  issue,  Nicholas  de  Verdun,  whose  descendants 
contracted  an  alliance  with  the  Lacies  of  Meath  in  Ireland.  Of 
this  alliance,  Theobald  de  Verdun  was  summoned  as  Baron  Verdun 
in  1 306.  By  a  second  marriage  he  had  three  daughters,  to  one  of 
whom,  married  to  Thomas,  second  Lord  Furnival,  the  demesne  of 
Alton  fell  as  her  portion.  For  marrying  this  lady  without  the 
King's  licence.  Lord  Furnival  was  fined  200/.  Through  a  female 
descendant  by  this  marriage  the  estates  and  title  passed  by  mar- 
riage to  Thomas  Neville,  who  was  summoned  as  fifth  Baron  Fur- 
nival, in  1383.  His  eldest  daughter,  Maude,  the  "Lady  of 
Hallamshire,"  married  (1408)  John  Talbot,  afterwards  Earl  of 
Shrewsbury — Le  Capitaine  Anglais — and  conveyed  the  Manor  o 
Alton  to  the  illustrious  family  who  are  now,  and  have  been  for  the 
last  five  centuries,  in  possession  of  it. 

This  Talbot,  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  and  who  among  his  renowned 
titles,  enjoyed  that  of  Lord  Verdun  of  Alton,  occupies  a  conspicuous 
place  in  the  history  of  his  country.  He  lives  in  ancient  story  as 
"  the  most  worthy  warrior  we  read  of  all,"  "  the  scourge  of  France  ;" 
the  Knight  "  so  much  feared  abroad  that  with  his  name  the  mothers 
still  their  babes,"  was  slain  at  the  siege  of  Chatillon,  in  the  eightieth 
year  of  his  age. 

George,  sixth  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  married  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  John  Hardwick,  of  Hardwick  Hall,  Derbyshire.  This  lady, 
generally  known  as  "  Bess  of  Hardwick,"  was  the  builder  of  Chats- 
worth  and  Hardwick  Hall.  To  the  seventh  earl  of  this  family  was 
confided  the  care  of  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots.  He  was  succeeded  by 
tis  brother,  who  died  without  issue,  leaving  the  estate  to  pass  to  a 
oranch  of  the  family  in  the  person  of  George  Talbot,  of  Grafton, 
who  succeeded  as  ninth  earl.  By  regular  lineal  descent  the  title 
then  passed  to  the  twelfth  earl,  who  was  created  Duke  a£  Shrews- 


560  Hals  ton  House. 

bury  and  Marquis  of  Alton,  by  George  I.,  but,  dying  without  issue, 
the  dukedom  and  marquisate  expired  with  him.  From  this  time 
the  succession  has  not  been  lineally  regular,  but  has  passed  to 
subordinate  branches  of  the  family.  In  1858  Earl  Talbot  esta- 
blished his  claim  to  the  estates,  and  his  son,  Charles  John,  the 
nineteenth  earl,  is  now  in  possession. 

The  Manor  of  Alton  has  not  always  occupied  the  same  site. 
The  fortified  castle  of  the  De  Verduns,  which  stood  on  a  command- 
ing eminence,  now  occupied  by  an  unfinished  Catholic  hospital, 
and  other  conventual  buildings  raised  by  the  later  lords  of  Alton, 
who  were  Roman  Catholics,  was  dismantled  by  the  troops  of  the 
Parliament.  Where  the  Towers  now  raise  their  varied  and  pictu- 
resque turrets  and  battlements  there  stood,  a  hundred  and  fifty  years 
ago,  a  plain  building,  the  dwelling  of  a  steward  of  the  estate.  This 
building  was  called  "  Alton  Lodge."  But  the  beauty  of  its  situation 
was  fully  appreciated,  and  the  extraordinary  faciUties  for  improve- 
ment at  the  hands  of  the  architect  and  the  landscape  gardener  were 
so  apparent  to  Charles,  the  fifteenth  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  that  he 
determined  to  i^ar  here  his  summer  residence.  The  marvellous 
beauty  of  the  buildings  as  they  now  stand,  and  of  the  cultured  ex- 
panse around,  bear  witness  to  the  soundness  of  the  earl's  judgment, 
the  purity  of  his  taste,  and  to  the  justice  of  the  inscription  on  his 
beautiful  cenotaph — 

•'  He  made  the  desert  smile." 


Halston  House. — The  Last  of  the  Myttons. 

Among  the  gentry  of  Shropshire,  "the  proud  Salopians,"  the 
Myttons  of  Halston  stood  in  the  first  rank  for  centuries.  So  far 
back  as  the  days  of  the  Planlagenets  they  represented  the  borough 
of  Shrewsbury  in  Parliament,  and  they  filled  the  high  office  of 
Sheriff  of  Shropshire  at  a  very  remote  period.  In  1480  Thomas 
Mytton,  while  acting  in  the  latter  capacity,  was  fortunate  enough 
to  capture  Stafford,  Duke  of  Buckingham.  Him  he  conducted  to 
Salisbury  for  trial,  and  the  sentence,  "  Off  with  his  head,"  was  soon 
spoken  and  given  effect  to.  In  reward  for  this  service,  Richard 
bestowed  on  his  "trusty  and  well-beloved  squire,  Thomas  Mytton, 
the  Duke's  castle  and  lordship  cf  Cawes." 

The  immense  wealth  of  the  Myttons  came  into  the  family  in 


Hals  ton  House,  561 

great  measure  by  fortunate  alliances.  In  1373  Reginald  de  Mytton, 
M.P.  for  Shrewsbury,  married  the  daughter  of  the  Lord  of  West 
Tilbury  in  Essex,  and  obtained  with  her  a  handsome  portion  ;  his 
son,  Thomas,  married  the  daughter  of  William  Burley  of  Malehurst, 
herself  an  heiress,  and  the  representative  of  heiresses.  But  the 
grandest  of  the  Mytton  alliances — one  which  brought  ample  estates 
and  royal  blood  into  the  family — was  the  union  of  Thomas  Mytton, 
only  son  of  the  heiress  of  Burley,  with  Eleanour,  the  daughter  and 
co-heiress  of  Sir  John  de  Burgh,  knight,  Lord  of  Mowddwy,  in 
Merioneth,  a  descendant  on  his  mother's  side  of  the  princely  Welsh 
line  of  Powis.  This  marriage  added  32,000  acres  to  the  family 
possessions  of  the  Myttons. 

This  fortunate  scion  of  the  race  of  Mytton,  or  rather  Mutton  (for 
that  was  the  original  name  and  the  manner  in  which  he  spelled  it), 
was  member  for  Shrewsbury  in  1472.  In  1520  Adam  Mutton  was 
member  for  the  same  borough,  and  in  1554  Thomas  Mytton,  now 
so  called  for  the  first  time,  sat  in  the  House  of  Commons  for  the 
same  town.  From  1690  to  17 10  Richard  Mytton  discharged  the 
duties,  which  seemed  to  be  a  special  privilege  of  his  family,  in 
Parliament ;  and  in  1819  John  Mytton,  the  subject  of  the  following 
sketch,  took  his  seat  in  the  House. 

The  family  of  the  Myttons,  which  thus  continued  steadily  to  in- 
terest itself  in  the  common  weal,  did  not  fail  to  continue  with  as 
praiseworthy  assiduity  to  contract  alliances  of  the  same  influential 
kind  as  those  already  noted. 

In  1549  the  family,  removing  from  their  ancient  residences,  the 
castles  of  Cawes  and  Habberly,  settled  at  Halston — or,  as  it  was  then 
called,  "Holy  Stone," much  celebrated  in  ancient  history  as  the  scene 
of  bloody  deeds  in  the  reign  of  the  first  Richard.  At  this  ancient 
mansion  there  had  been  a  preceptory  of  Knights  Templars,  and 
afterwards  of  the  Knights  Hospitallers.  This  ancient  estate  be- 
came private  property  after  the  dissolution  of  religious  houses,  and 
was  obtained  by  Edward  Mytton  of  Habberly  in  exchange  for  one 
of  his  estates.  The  remains  of  the  ancient  abbey  of  Habberly  were 
taken  down  more  than  a  century  ago,  but  there  still  remains  the 
ancient  chapel  or  church  on  the  domain  of  Halston,  independent  of 
episcopal  jurisdiction,  and  without  any  other  revenue  than  what 
the  chaplain  may  be  allowed  by  the  owner  of  it. 

Of  modern  Halston  we  now  come  to  speak.     It  is  situated  about 
three  miles  from  Oswestry,  the  site  itself  being  flat,  but  surrounded 
with  undulating  land,  with  a  lawn  sixty  acres  in  extent  in  front  of 
*  *  0  0 


562  IIalsto?i  House, 

It.  The  great  oak  woods  of  Halston  were  once  the  pride  of  this 
part  of  the  country.  A  fine  sheet  of  water  gives  finish  to  the 
domain,  and  in  the  grounds  there  is  both  a  rookery  and  a  heronry 
— the  latter  very  rare  in  this  district. 

John  Mytton  was  born  in  1796,  and  was  left  fatherless  when  he 
was  only  two  years  of  age  ;  and  it  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  in  the 
latter  generations  of  this  family  no  father  enjoyed  the  privilege  of 
seeing  his  son  and  successor  attain  his  majority.  In  his  case  the 
loss  of  one  to  advise  and  govern  seems  to  have  been  productive  of 
results  which  many  had  afterwards  to  mourn.  He  was  a  wild  lad 
and  a  finished  scapegrace  from  the  precocious  age  of  ten.  "  He 
was  expelled  Westminster  and  Harrow,"  says  his  biographer,  the 
famous  Nimrod;  "he knocked  down  his  private  tutor  in  Berkshire, 
in  whose  hands  he  was  afterwards  placed  ;  was  entered  on  the  books 
of  both  Universities,  but  did  not  matriculate  at  either — and  the  only 
outward  and  visible  sign  of  his  ever  intending  to  do  so  was  his 
ordering  three  pipes  of  port  wine  to  be  sent  addressed  to  him  at 
Cambridge.  At  the  age  of  eighteen,  however,  he  went  on  a  tour  on 
the  Continent  by  way  of  something  like  '  the  Finish,'  and  then  re- 
turned to  Halston  and  his  harriers,  which  he  had  kept  when  he  was 
a  child." 

When  he  was  a  mere  boy  at  Westminster,  he  lived  at  the  rate  of 
800/.  a  year — exactly  double  his  allowance.  Finding  that  the  sum 
which  was  awarded  him  in  Chancery  was  quite  inadequate,  young 
Mytton  wrote  to  Lord  Eldon,  as  Lord  Chancellor,  requesting  an 
increase  of  income,  as  he  was  going  to  be  married  !  The  boy  was 
then  only  fourteen  years  of  age  !  The  reply  of  his  legal  guardian  was 
sufficiently  laconic  : — "  Sir,  if  you  cannot  live  on  your  allowance, 
you  may  starve  ;  and  if  you  marry,  I  will  commit  you  to  prison." 

Mytton  entered  the  army  as  a  cornet  in  the  7th  Hussars,  at  the  age 
of  nineteen,  and  after  signalising  himself  as  a  jockey  and  as  a  most 
reckless  gamester,  he  left  it  in  his  twenty-third  year,  and  married. 

After  the  death  of  his  wife,  which  happened  a  few  years  after 
marriage,  the  career  of  extravagance  through  which  Mytton  passed 
hay  probably  no  parallel.  "  Never,"  says  Nimrod,  "  was  constitution 
so  murdered  as  Mr.  Mytton's  was  ;  for  what  but  one  of  adamant 
could  have  withstood  the  shocks,  independent  of  wine,  to  which  i( 
was  almost  daily  exposed  ?  His  dress  alone  would  have  caused  the 
death  of  nine  hundred  of  a  thousand  men  who  passed  one  part  of 

the  day  and  night  in  a  state  of  luxury  and  warmth He  never 

wore  any  but  the  thinnest  and  finest  silk  stockings,  with  very  thin 


Hals  ton  House,  563 

boots  or  shoes  ;  so  that  in  winter  he  rarely  had  dry  feet.  To  flannel 
he  was  a  strans^er  since  he  left  his  petticoats.  Even  his  hunting 
breeches  were  without  lining  ;  he  wore  one  small  waistcoat,  always 
open  in  the  front  from  about  the  second  of  the  lower  buttons  ;  and 
about  home  he  was  as  often  without  a  hat  as  with  one.  His  winter 
shooting  gear  was  a  light  jacket,  white  hnen  trousers,  without 
lining  or  drawers — of  which  he  knew  not  the  use."  .  .  .  .  "  He 
would  ride,  several  times  in  the  week,  to  covers  nearly  fifty  miles 
distant  from  Halston,  and  return  thither  to  his  dinner.  Neither 
could  any  man  I  ever  met  in  the  field  walk  through  the  day  with 
him  at  his  -pace.  I  saw  him,  on  his  own  moors  in  Merionethshire, 
completely  knock  up  two  keepers  (who  accompanied  him  alter- 
nately), being  the  whole  day  bareheaded  under  a  hot  sun."  .  .  .  , 
"  Mr.  Mytton  appeared — at  least  wished  to  be  supposed  to  be — 
indifferent  to  pain.  A  very  few  days  after  he  had  had  so  bad  a  fall 
with  his  own  hounds  as  to  occasion  the  dislocation  of  three  ribs, 
and  was  otherwise  much  bruised,  a  friend  in  Wales,  unconscious  of 
his  accident,  sent  him  a  fox  in  a  bag,  with  a  hint  that,  if  turned  out 
on  the  morrow,  he  would  be  sure  to  afford  sport,  as  he  was  only 
just  caught.  *  To-morrow,  then,  said  Mytton,  *  we  will  run  him  ;* 
and  although  he  was  lifted  upon  his  horse,  having  his  body  swathed 
with  rollers,  and  also  writhing  with  pain,  he  took  the  lead  of  all  the 
field,  upon  the  horse  he  called  '  the  Devil,'  and  was  never  headed 
by  any  man  till  he  killed  his  fox  at  the  end  of  a  capital  hour's  run. 
He  was  very  near  fainting  from  the  severity  of  this  trial ;  but  I 
remember  his  telling  me  that  he  would  not  have  been  seen  to  faint 
for  ten  thousand  pounds^  "  As  we  were  eating  some  supper  one 
night  in  the  coffee-room  of  the  hotel  at  Chester,  during  the  race 
week,  a  ge*itlcman,  who  was  a  stranger  to  us  all,  was  standing  with 
his  back  to  the  fire,  talking  very  loudly,  having  drunk  too  much 
wine.  *  I'll  stop  him,'  said  Mytton ;  and  getting  behind  him  un- 
perceived,  put  a  red-hot  coal  into  his  pocket !  But  I  have  a  better, 
inasmuch  as  it  was  a  more  harmless,  joke  to  relate  with  respect  to 
George  Underbill,  the  dealer.  He  rode  over  one  day  to  Halston, 
to  dun  Mr.  Mytton  for  his  demand  upon  him,  which,  I  believe,  was 
rather  a  large  one.  After  having  been  made  comfortable  in  the 
steward's  room,  Mytton  addressed  him  thus  : — '  Well,  George,  here 
(handing  him  a  letter)  is  an  order  for  all  your  money.  Call  on  this 
gentleman  as  you  pass  through  Shrewsbury,  and  he  will  give  it  to 
you  InfnllJ  Now,  this  gentleman — also  a  banker — was  one  of  the 
governors  of  the  lunatic  asylum,  and  the  order  for  payment  ran  thus  : 

002 


564  Halston  House, 

•'  Halston. 

"Sir, — Admit  the  bearer,  George  Underhill,  into  the  Lunatic 
Asylum. 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"John  Mytton." 

"  In  his  deah'ngs  with  the  world,"  continues  Mytton's  biographer, 
'*he  was  a  man  of  strict  honour  and  probity;  and  without  justifying 
his  extravagance,  I  may  be  allowed  to  say  that  his  chief  concern, 
after  the  last  estates  he  could  sell  were  disposed  of,  was  not  whether 
he  himself  might  be  left  destitute,  but  whether  there  would  be 
enough  to  pay  his  creditors  in  full.  As  a  master  he  was  the  kindest 
of  the  kind,  and  a  liberal  and  most  considerate  landlord.  Surely, 
then,  this  man  must  have  been  either  counterfeiting  a  nature  not 
his  own,  or  he  must  have  been  to  a  certain  extent  and  on  certain 
points  a  madman.  No  doubt  he  did  the  one ;  and  no  doubt  he 
was  the  other." 

The  following  anecdote  is  illustrative  of  his  impulsive  nature. 
Mr.  Mytton  was  in  the  billiard-room  at  Halston  when  the  medical 
gentleman  who  attended  at  the  accouchement  of  the  first  Mrs. 
Mytton  went  to  inform  him  of  a  birth.  "  What  is  it .?"  he  inquired. 
On  being  told  it  was  a  girl,  he  swore  he  would  have  it  smothered ; 
theii,  a  moment  afterwards,  throwing  himself  on  a  sofa,  he  gave 
vent  to  his  feelings  in  a  flood  of  tears,  and  his  anxiety  for  the  well- 
doing of  his  wife  would  have  done  honour  to  any  man. 

He  never  on  any  occasion  would  take  advice  on  any  point,  and 
he  must  have  been  either  a  very  bold  man  or  a  very  intimate  friend 
who  presumed  to  advise  John  Mytton.  Previously  to  the  disposal 
of  the  first  property  that  he  sold,  Mr.  Appcrley  (Nimrod),  his  bio- 
grapher, happened  to  be  at  Halston,  and  was  about  to  accompany 
Mytton  to  Lichfield  races,  where  each  had  horses  to  run.  Just 
before  setting  out,  the  squire's  agent,  Mr.  Longucville,  of  Oswestry, 
arrived  at  the  house  and  desired  to  speak  with  Mr.  Apperlcy.  "  I 
have  reason  to  believe  you  can  say  as  much  to  Mr.  Mytton  as  any 
man  can,"  said  he  ;  "  will  you  have  the  goodness  to  tell  him  you 
heard  me  say  that  if  he  will  be  content  to  live  on  6000/.  per  annum 
for  the  next  six  years,  he  need  not  sell  the  fine  old  Shrewsbury 
estate  that  has  been  so  many  years  in  his  family,  and  at  the  end  of 
that  period  he  shall  not  owe  a  guinea  to  any  man."  "  I  fancy,'* 
writes  Mr.  Apperley,  "  I  can  see  the  form  and  features  of  my  old 
friend,  with  the  manner  in  which  he  received  and  replied  to  the 


Hals  ton  House,  565 

flattering  proposition,  and  many  others  who  know  him  as  well  as  I 
did  will  also  have  the  picture  in  their  mind's  eye.  Lolling  back  in 
his  carriage,  which  was  going  at  its  usual  pace,  and  picking  a  hole 
in  his  chin,  as  he  was  always  wont  to  do  when  anything  particular 
occupied  his  thoughts,  he  uttered  not  a  syllable  for  the  space  of 
some  minutes  ;  when  suddenly  changing  his  position,  as  if  rousing 
from  a  deep  reverie,  he  exclaimed  with  vehemence — *"  You  may  tell 
Longueville  to  keep  his  advice  to  himself,  for  I  would  not  give 

a for  life  on  six  thousand  a  year  J  "     It  was  in  vain  to  urge  the 

subject  further ;  there  was  that  in  his  manner  that  convinced  his 
adviser  that  the  counsel  even  of  an  angel  of  heaven  would  have  been 
in  vain.  The  wild  squire  was  already  going  down  the  hill — hungry 
ruin  had  him  in  the  wind — but  it  is  from  his  rejection  of  Mr. 
Longueville,  his  agent's,  proposal  that  his  perceptibly  rapid  de- 
clension dates. 

He  soon  began  to  cast  about,^and  busy  himself  with  the  great 
question  of  which  of  his  estates  should  go  to  the  hammer  first.  On 
one  occasion  a  near  relative  ot'  nis  was  endeavouring  to  dissuade 
him  from  parting  with  a  certain  property  on  the  score  of  its 
having  been  so  long  in  the  family. 

"  How  long  ?"  inquired  Mytton. 

"  Above  five  hundred  years,"  was  the  reply. 

"  The  d 1  it  has  !"  returned  the  squire  ;  "  then  it  is  high  tiine 

it  should  go  out  of  it." 

One  is  not  a  little  curious  to  know  how  a  man  like  Mytton,  whose 
style  of  living  at  Halston  was  anything  but  ostentatious,  could  not 
with  the  very  slightest  self-denial,  have  given  his  affairs  time 
enough  to  re-establish  themselves,  and  his  princely  fortune — 
princely  even  on  the  brink  of  his  ruin — to  consolidate  itself  once 
more.  There  was  no  unnecessary  display  at  Halston.  A  perfecl^ 
stranger  himself  to  the  science  of  economy,  his  establishment  was 
managed  with  considerable  regularity ;  and  notwithstanding  the 
consumption  of  good  things  in  the  servants'-hall,  for  the  number  o 
stable  servants  was  great,  it  was  not  Halston  that  ruined  him.  "  It 
was,"  says  Mr.  Apperley,  "  that  largeness  of  heart,  even  as  the  sand 
that  is  on  the  sea-shore,  which  Solomon  had,  but  unaccompanied 
by  his  means  as  well  as  by  his  wisdom,  which  ruined  Mr.  Mytton  j 
added  to  a  lofty  pride  which  disdained  the  littleness  of  prudence, 
and  a  sort  of  destroying  spirit  that  appeared  to  run  a  muck  at 
Fortune.  By  a  rough  computation,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  pro- 
perty he  sold;  I  should  set  down  the  sum  total  expended  at  very 


566  Halston  House, 

little  less  than  half  a  million  sterling  within  the  last  fifteen  years 
of  his  life  !  !" 

In  elucidation  of  the  problem — how  did  Mytton  succeed  in  the 
feat  of  making  his  magnificent  fortune  vanish  so  rapidly  and 
effectually,  his  biographer  states  :  "  Horace  would  furnish  a  com- 
mentary upon  it.  Some  persons  hunt,  says  he  ;  some  race,  some 
drink,  some  do  one  thing,  and  some  another;  but  Mytton,  in 
sporting  language,  was  *  at  all  in  the  ring/  His  foxhounds  were 
kept  by  himself  without  any  subscription,  and  upon  a  very  exten- 
sive scale,  with  the  additional  expenses  attending  hunting  two 
counties.  His  racing  establishment  was  on  a  still  larger  scale, 
having  often  had  from  fifteen  to  twenty  horses  in  training  at  the 
same  time,  and  seldom  less  than  eight.  .  .  .  His  game  pre- 
serves were  likewise  a  most  severe  tax  upon  his  income.  Will  it 
be  credited  that  he  paid  one  bill  of  1 500/.  to  a  London  game-dealer 
for  pheasants  and  foxes  alone  !  The  formation  of  three  miles  of 
plantation,  which  this  game  went  in  part  to  stock,  must  have  cost 
him  an  immense  sum ;  having  had  for  several  years  as  many  as 
fifty  able-bodied  labourers  in  his  employ ;  while  the  keepers  in  the 
neighbouring  properties  were  commissioned  to  save  all  the  vermin 
they  could  for  him,  and  week  by  week  men  poured  into  Halston 
with  sacks  of  badgers,  stoats,  and  pole-cats.  ...  I  have 
reason  to  believe  that  the  money  he  had  at  various  times  lost  (not 
at  play,  for  there  I  should  say  he  was  borne  harmless)  would  have 
purchased  a  pretty  estate.  I  am  afraid  to  say  what  was  supposed 
to  have  been  the  amount  of  bank-notes  that  were  one  night  blown 
out  of  his  carriage  on  his  road  to  Doncaster  races,  but  I  have 
reason  to  believe  it  was  several  thousand  pounds  !  His  account  of 
the  affair  was  this  :  He  had  been  counting  a  large  quantity  of 
bank-notes  on  the  scat  of  his  carriage — in  which  he  was  alone — 
with  all  the  windows  down  ;  and  falling  asleep,  did  not  awake 
until  the  night  was  far  spent — his  servant  paying  the  charges  on 
the  road.  An  equinoctial  gale  having  spnmg  up,  carried  great 
part  of  the  notes  away  on  its  wings,  verifying  the  proverb  'light 
come,  light  go.'  It  was  always  his  custom  to  have  a  large  sum  of 
money  in  his  travelling  writing-desk,  but  it  was  more  than  usually 
large  at  this  time,  in  consequence  of  his  having  broken  the  banks  of 
two  well-known  London  Hells  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  from 
London  for  Doncaster.  Like  Democritus,  however,  Mytton  laughed 
at  everything,  and  always  spoke  of  this  as  a  very  good  joke.  I 
have  seen  him  when  he  has  been  going  a  journey,  take  a  lot  of 


Hals  ton  House.  567 

bank-notes  out  of  his  desk,  and,  rolling  them  into  a  lump,  throw 
them  at  his  servant's  head,  as  if  they  had  been  waste  paper  ;  but 
his  chaplain  used  to  say,  he  always  knew  what  the  lump  contained, 
and  how  far  it  would  carry  him — a  fact  by  no  means  so  clear  to 
me.  I  picked  up  one  of  these  lumps  some  years  since  in  the  plan- 
tations at  Halston,  containing  37/.,  which  had  been  there  some 
days  by  its  appearance ;  and  as  he  never  had  pockets  in  his 
breeches,  such  occurrences  must  have  been  frequent." 

It  might  be  interesting  to  inquire  whether  Mytton  really  enjoyed 
life  amidst  all  his  extravagance,  his  wild  excitement  of  hunting 
and  racing,  and  his  regardless  and  indiscriminate  expenditure.  He 
had  most  of  the  requisites  for  the  man  of  a  noble  fortune,  which 
Horace  granted  to  TibuUus  ;  but  one  thing  was  wanting — the  at's 
fritendi — the  art  of  enjoying  it.  "  Indeed,"  says  Nimrod,  "  to  a 
vitiated  palate  always  calling  for  fresh  gratifications,  the  wealth  of 
Croesus  might  fail  in  procuring  that  one  thing  wanting  ;  but  there 
was  something  about  my  friend  that  gave  one  the  idea  that  to  him 
it  was  peculiarly  denied.  There  was  that  about  him  that  resembled 
the  restlessness  of  the  hyena ;  and  whether  in  the  pursuit  of  his 
pastimes,  or  the  gratification  of  his  passions,  there  was  an  unsteadi- 
ness throughout,  which  evidently  showed  that,  beyond  the  excite- 
ment of  the  passing  moment,  nothing  afforded  him  sterling  plea- 
sure. .  ,  .  His  popularity,  independently  of  family  associations, 
and  recollection  of  ages  long  since  gone  by  ;  the  dashing  personal 
character,  and  extreme  and  unaffected  good  humour  of  the  late 
squire  of  Halston,  together  with  his  foxhounds,  his  race-horses, 
his  game,  his  wine,  his  ale,  and  many  other  things  besides,  rendered 
him  extremely  popular  in  Shropshire ;  and  if  he  had  but  been 
possessed  of  a  fair  share  of  rh  npenov,  so  much  esteemed  by  the 
ancients,  and  so  expressive  of  that  exterior  propriety  of  conduct  in 
the  common  intercourse  of  life,  which  the  world  is  very  unwilling  to 
dispense  with,"  he  might  have  held  the  good  esteem  of  all  whose 
respect  was  worth  retaining.  But  daily  excess  in  drinking  reduced 
his  self-respect,  and  led  him  to  associate  with  questionable  com- 
rades. Wine  was  to  him  the  Circean  cup — the  bane  of  his  respec- 
tability, his  health,  his  happiness,  and  everything  that  was  dear  to 
him  as  a  man  and  a  gentleman.  Yet  even  when  he  had  sunk  in  the 
social  scale,  when  his  fortune  was  wrecked,  he  was  still  as  nobly 
generous  as  when  he  scorned  life  at  6000/.  a  year.  When  he  was 
at  Calais,  only  a  few  months  before  his  death,  he  chanced  to  be  in  a 
silversmith's  shop,  when  a  French  soldier  entered,  with  a  watch  in 


568  Halstoji  House, 

his  hand,  which  he  said  he  wished  to  dispose  of  for  the  benefit  of  a 
sick  comrade,  who  wanted  some  further  comforts  than  a  barrack 
afforded.  On  the  silversmith  objecting  to  the  price  demanded,  Mr. 
Mytton  threw  down  the  money  and  took  up  the  watch.  "  Thanks, 
Monsieur,"  exclaimed  the  soldier,  who  proceeded  to  give  further 
expression  to  his  gratitude.  "  Take  this  to  your  comrade  also"  said 
Mytton,  placing  the  watch  in  his  hand.  "  Ah,  Monsieur  Anglais  ! 
exclaimed  the  man,  "  qice  vous  dirai-je  .?" — what  shall  I  say  to  you. 
**  RiEN,"  responded  Mytton — "  nothing  !" 

He  was  exceedingly  kind  to  his  servants,  and  readily  pardoned 
derelictions  of  duty  when  he  found  that  the  offendei-'s  repentance 
was  sincere.  But  the  grounds  on  which  he  chose  his  people  were 
often  peculiar.  "  In  once  hiring  a  keeper,  he  did  not  go  so  much 
upon  character  and  experience  as  the  applicant's  ability  to  thrash 
a  certain  sweeps  that  was  in  the  habit  of  trespassing  in  the  Halston 
covers.  A  trial  was  accordingly  agreed  to,  and  the  new  man  put 
upon  his  watch.  In  due  course,  the  sweep  made  his  appearance, 
and  after  a  long  fight  was  well  licked.  The  keeper's  engagement 
was  ratified  at  once,  as  the  sweep  was  thoroughly  satisfied — and 
the  sweep  was  Mytton  himself P 

The  talents  of  this  super-eccentric  man  were  of  a  high  order,  and 
had  they  been  cultivated  instead  of  being  prostrated  by  excesses, 
they  might  have  enabled  him  to  shine  as  a  senator  or  a  scholar. 
He  read  with  unusual  rapidity  and  retained  what  he  read  ;  for  his 
literary  acquisitions  were  surprising,  considering  the  life  of  tumult 
he  had  led.  He  had  always  a  quotation  at  hand  from  a  Greek  oi 
Latin  author,  and  there  was  a  conscious  feeling  of  ability  about 
him,  which  he  was  somewhat  wont  to  display.  His  election  squibs 
in  prose  and  verse  are  capital. 

Of  the  melancholy  close  of  Mytton's  career  it  is  unnecessary  and 
would  be  ungracious  to  give  any  but  the  merest  outline.  In  his 
early  "  salad  days"  he  had  distinguished  himself  as  the  best  farmer 
in  his  part  of  the  country,  and  at  one  of  the  Shropshire  agricultural 
meetings,  he  gained  every  prize  for  clean  crops  of  grain  save  one, 
a  field  of  barley,  his  claim  for  which  was  rejected  from  a  cause 
highly  typical  of  the  man — "  //  was  found  to  contain  wild  oats  /" — 
and  the  report  of  the  judge  to  this  effect  was  received,  as  may  be 
imagined,  with  unbounded  merriment  by  the  company.  At  about 
the  same  time  he  planted  extensively,  with  a  twofold  object, — to 
replace  the  fine  old  timber  which  he  knew  must  one  day  or  other 
fall  under  the  hammer  to  pay  his  debts,  and  to  afford  cover  for  his 


Hals  ton  House,  569 

game.  But  these  days  of  enterprise  and  industry  were  now  gone. 
A  well-known  auctioneer  at  Shrewsbury  said  of  him,  at  a  very 
early  period  of  his  career — "  He'll  put  the  haxe  to  the  hoaks  and 
the  hash,"  and  now  the  day  had  come  when  the  prophecy  was  to 
have  a  fatal  fulfilment.  Oak  and  ash  fell,  and  the  Times  one  morn- 
ing published  an  advertisement  of  the  sale  of  all  his  effects  at 
Halston.  After  this,  in  fear  of  arrest,  he  sojourned  for  some  time  at 
a  small  hotel  in  Richmond,  and  then  retired  to  France.  His 
decline  was  now  rapid,  he  gave  himself  up  to  drinking  brandy,  and 
was  often  affected  with  mania.  The  absence  of  his  wife,  who  had 
been  induced  to  separate  from  him  near  the  close  of  his  career,  and 
the  dissolution  of  Halston,  also  preyed  on  his  mind.  When  his 
case  became  hopeless  his  mother  took  him  from  France  to  England, 
but  it  was  only  to  find  a  prison  and  a  grave.  He  was  cast  for  debt 
into  Shrewsbury  gaol,  and  thence  removed  to  King's  Bench  Prison, 
London,  and  here  after  a  brief  release  and  a  re-arrestment,  he  died 
at  the  early  age  of  thirty-eight.  His  death  created  the  sincerest 
regret,  and  his  funeral  formed  an  event  which,  for  its  magnificence, 
and  for  the  depth  and  genuine  sincerity  of  the  sympathy  it  called 
forth,  is  still  remembered  in  Shropshire.  The  remains  of  John 
Mytton  lie  in  the  family  vault  at  Halston  Chapel. 

The  property  of  Halston  was  entailed  upon  his  eldest  son  and 
namesake,  by  whom  it  was  in  a  few  years  alienated.  Mr.  Mytton, 
junior,  disposed  of  it  to  the  late  Edmund  Wright,  of  Manchester, 
whose  son,  Mr.  E.  Wright,  is  the  present  propiietor. 


INDEX 


TO 


THE    SECOND    VOLUME, 


A  BBEY  of  St.  Alban,  io8 
^  ^     Abbey  of  St.  Alban,    Repair 

of,  124 
Abbey  MSS.,  Dispersion  of,  6 
Abbot  Frederic,  of  St.  Alban's,  124 
Abergavenny  Castle,  483 
Abingdon  Abbey,  51 
Addison's  Campaign^  438 
Alban,  Holy  Born,  108 
Alban,  St.,  Relics  of,  112 
Alban,  St.,  Shrine  of,  113 
Albans  Abbey,  Tumult  at,  124 
Albert  Memorial  Chapel,  Windsor, 

49 
All  Souls,  Mallard  Song,  Oxford,  412 
Alton  Towers,  557 
Amesbury  Monastery,  15 
Ampthill  Castle,  275 
Ampthill  House  and  the  Ashburn- 

hams,  276 
Amy  Robsart,  Fate  of,  59  et  scq. 
Annals  of  Dunstable,  279 
Archbishop  Neville  at  Moor  Paik, 

131 

Arthur,  King,  at  Windsor,  49 
Ascham,  Mr.,  his  Account  of  Lady 

Jane  Grey,  354 
Ashdown,  Battle  of,  75 
Ashby-de-la-Zouch  Castle,  34I 
Ashridge  House,  83 
Austin  Friars  at  Ludlow,  552 
Avebury  and  Stonchenge,   and  Sil- 

buiy  Hill,  28 
Avebury  described,  29  et  scq. 


"D  ACON,  Friar,  his  BrazenHead, 

■^     414 

Ballad  of  the  Bold  Bigod  and  the 

King  of  Cockney,  192 
Ballad  of  the  Scouring  of  the  White 

Horse,  81 
Ballad  by  Sir  John  Mennis,   on  the 

Poltroonery  of  Suckling  the  Poet, 

208 
Banbury  Castle,   Cross,  and  Cakes, 

421  et  seq. 
Barony  by  Tenure,  303 
Barsham  Hall,  202 
Battle  of  Ashdown,  75 
Beaufort,  Lady  Jane,  and  James  I., 

Story  of,  45 
Beckford,  Mr.,  at  Fonthill,  9-1 1 
Bedford  Castle,  Siege  of,  281 
Belvoir  Castle,  342 
Berkhampstead  Castle,  126 
Berkhampstead     Castle     and     the 

I^rinces  of  Wales,  128 
Berkhampstead  Castle,  William  the 

Conqueror,  Henry  I.  and  II.,  at, 

127 
Berkeley  Castle,  457 
Berne,  the  Huntsman,  Stoiy  of,  75 
"  Bigod  the  Bold,"  189 
V>\xi}i'i,  Framlingham  Castle^  173,  174 
Bisham  Abl)ey,  68 
Bishop's  Stortford  Casfle,  129 
Blenheim  Palace  and  Park,  436 
Blacklow    Hill,    and    the  Fate  of 

Gavcston,  3GS 


Index, 


571 


Boscobel  and  Charles  II. ,  496 
Borstall  Tower,  Bucks,  86-90 
BoAver,    Rosamond's,    Woodstock, 

428 
Bradgate  Hall,  351  d  seq, 
"Bramfield  Oak,"  a  Famous  Tree, 

194 
Brampton  Brian  Castle,  510 
Brandon  Charles,  Duke  of  Suffolk, 

195 
Bransel  Castle  Tradition,  507 
Brasenose  College,  Oxford,  414 
Bromholme  Priory,  221 
Broughton  Castle,  444 
Bungay  Castle,  189 
BuU-nmning  at  Tutbury,  540 
Banyan's  Birthplace  at  Elstow,  283 
Burgh,  the  Roman  Castle  of,  178 
Burghley  House,   and  the  Lord  of 

Burghley,  294  et  seq. 
Burleigh-on-the-Hill,     and   Jeffrey 

Hudson  the  Dwarf,  328 


CAERLEON,    a      Roman    and 
British  City,  483 
Caistor  Castle,  244 
Caldicote  Castle,  474 
Cambridge  Castle,  249 
Cambridge  and  its  Colleges,  254 — 

263 
Capel,  Arthur,   Life  and  Death  of, 

163 
Capel,  the  House  of,  162 
Carey,  Sir  Robert,  at  Court,  132 
Camac,  Avebury,   and  Stonehenge, 

28 
Castle  Acre  Castle  and  Priory,  220 
Cassiobury  House,  159 
Catesby  Hall  and  the   Gunpowder 

Plot,  312 
Catesby  Hall,  temp.  Richard  III., 

314 

Caversham,  the  Lady  of,  441 
Chalgrove,  the  Skirmish  at,  and  the 

Death  of  Hampden,  103 
Chapel,   beautiful,    at  Luton -Hoo, 

283 
Charlecote  House,  393 
Charles  I.,  Seizure  of,  at  Holmby 

House,  308 
Charles  II.  visits  Avebury,  31 


Chartley  Castle,  541 
Chavenage  Manor  House,  455 
Chenies,  Burial-place  of  the  Russell 

Family,  273 
Chepstow  Castle,  472 
Cherbury,   the  First  Lord  Herbert 

of,  487  et  seq. 
Cheslyns,  the,  and  Langley  Priory, 

356 
Chillington  Park,  554 
Chronicle  of  Abingdon,  51 
Cicely,   Duchess  of  York,  at  Berk- 

hampstead  Castle,  128 
Cirencester  Castle  and  Abbey,  465 
Clare  Castle,  176 
Clare  Hall,  Cambridge,  258 
Clifford  Castle,  508 
Clarendon's  Account  of  the  Battle  of 

Edge-hill,  402,  403 
Cokes,  the.  Earls  of  Leicester,  242 
Coldbrook  House,  485 
Comb  Abbey,  375 
Comus,  Milton's  Masque  of,  85,  549 
Constable  of  England,  454 
Cornebury  Hall,  418 
Coventry  Castle  and  Lady  Godiva, 

371 

Coventry  Play  Described,  372 

Cov-jer,  Earl,  the  Family  of,  153 

Cowper,  Spencer,  the  Story  of,  152 

Cranbourn  Chase,  16 

Cromv/ells,  the  Family  of  the,  264 
et  seq. 

Cromwell,  Oliver,  269 

Creslow  House,  97 

"  Cross  of  Baldwin,"  221 

Cross,  Queen  Eleanor's,  at  North- 
ampton, 289 

Cumnor  Place  and  Amy  Robsart,  59 


■pjARELL,     Wild,      Mysterious 

-*-^     Story  Regarding,  20 

Devizes  Castle,  19 

Dieulacres  Abbey,  Legend  of,  543 

Donington  Park,  356 

Donnington  Castle  and  the  Battles 

of  Newbury,  63 
Dorchester  Priory,  442 
Draycot  House,  Legend  of  the  White 

Hand,  24 
Druidism  and  Stonehenge,  35  etseq. 


572 


Index. 


Dudley  Castle,  502 
Dudley  Priory,  506 
Dudley,   Robert,  Earl  of  Leicester, 

End  of,  418 
Dunstable,  Royal  Visits  to,  278 
Dunstable  Priory,  277 
Dunwich  Swallowed  up  by  the  Sea, 

166 


■pDGE-HILL,  Battle  of,  399 
-^     Edward    I.    and    II.    at  St. 

Alban's  Abbey,  122 
Edward  II.,  Cradle  of,  471 
Edward  II.,  murdered  in  Berkeley 

Castle,  458  ct  seq. 
Edward  III.  and   the  Countess  of 

Salisbury,  Story  of,  41 
Edward  IV.  at  St.  Alban's  Abbey, 

121 
Edward   IV.  and  Elizabeth  Wood- 

ville,   the  Romantic  Plistory  of, 

321  f/  scq. 
Eleanor's,   Queen,  Cross  at  North- 
ampton, 289 
Elizabeth,      Princess,     at    Bisham 

Abbey,  69  ;  at  Ashridge,  84,  85 
Elizabeth,  Princess,  at  Hatfield,  133 
Elizabeth,   Princess,    committed  to 

the  Tower  of  London,  85,  86 
Elizabeth    Princess,  at  Woodstock, 

433 
Elizabeth,    Queen,    at  Kenil worth 

Castle,  383 
Liizabeth,   Queen,  in  Suffolk,  188  ; 

at  Engelfi^ld  Manor,  71 
Ely  Castle,  249 
Ely,  the  Isle  of,  its  Monasteiy  and 

Cathedral,  25 1 
Elizabeth    Woodville,     Queen    of 

Edward  IV,,  Romantic  History 

of,  315,  321—327 
Engelfields,  the  Family  of  the,  71 
Evesham  Abbey,  497 
Evesham,  Battle  of,  498 


T7AIRFAX,    at  Ragland  Castle, 
^     481 

Fair  Rosamond,  Story  of,  427  d  scq. 
Faukes  de  Brent  and  Bedford  Castle, 
282 


Ferrers,  Earl,  Story  of,  335  a  seq. 
Fitzhardinge   at   Berkeley    Castle, 

457 
Fonthill  and  Fonthill  Abbey,  8 
Fotheringhay  Castle,  302 
Framlingham  Castle,  171 
Froissart's  Story  of  Edward  III.  and 

the  Countess  of  Salisbury,  41 
Fuller,    Dr.,    his  Account  of  Lady 

Jane  Grey,  355 


("'ARTER,  Story  of  the  Inslitu- 

^-^     tion  of  the,  41 

Gaveston,  Piers,  B.iheading  of,  368 

et  seq. 
Geoffrey  de  Gorham,  Abbot  of  St. 

Albans,  114 
Ghost  of  Rosamond  Clifford,  Story 

of  the,  98 
Giffards,  the  Family  of  the,  554 
Gloucester  Lampreys,  462 
Gloucester   Monastery  and  Castle, 

460 
Godiva,  Lady,  at  Coventry,  371 
Godstow  Nunnery,  427 
Gray's  Long  Story ^  91 
Grafton  Manor  and  the  Woodvilles, 

315  r/  scq. 
Great  Bed  of  Ware,  the,  146 
Great  Bed  win  and  Chisbury  Castle, 

12 
Great  Hampden,  100 
Great  Tom,  Oxford,  416 
Greystoke  Castle,  454 
Grey,  Lady  Jane,  351  ct  seq. 
Groby  Castle,  35 1  et  scq. 
Gunpowder  Conspirators  at  Comb 

Abbey,  375 
Gunpowder  Conspirators  seized  at 

Hendlip,  500 
Guy's  House,  and  Ctesar's  Tower, 

Warwick,  363 


TTADLEIGH,  Dr.  Taylor  burnt 
■'■■'-     at,  181— 186 
Hagley  Park,  516  r/  seq. 
Halston  House,  560 
Hampden,  Great,  ico 
Hampden,  John,  die  Patriot,  Sketch 
of  his  Life,  102 


Index. 


573 


Harrod's    "Gleanings   among    the 

Castles  and  Convents  of  Norfolk," 

216 
Hartshome,     the    Rev.     Mr.,    his 

Account  of  Queen  Eleanor's  Cross 

at  Northampton,  291 
Hatfield  House  built,  133 
Hatfield  House,  Curiosities  at,  135 
Hatfield  House,   State   Papers  and 

Historical  MSS.  at,  137 
Hatfield,  Palace  of  the  Bishops  of 

Ely,  133 
Hatton,  Sir  Christopher,  and  Lady, 

90,  91 
Heathcotes,  the  Family  of  the,  333 
Hendlip  Hall  and  the  Gunpowder 

Plot,  500 
Henham  House,  195 
Henham  Oak,  Legend  of,  199 
Henry  I.  and  Reading  Abbey,  54, 55 
Henry  III.   at  St.  Alban's  Abbey, 

117 
Henry  VI.  at  St.  Alban's  Abbey, 

121,  122 
Herbert  Family,  the,  485  et  seq. 
Heme  the  Hunter  at  Windsor,  50 
Hertford  Castle,  125 
Hertfordshire,  Historical,  149 
Hinchinbrook      House     and      the 

Cromvi^ells,  265 
Holkham  Hall  and  its   Treasures, 

238 
Holniby  House  and  the  Seizure  of 

Charles  I.,  307 
Hooper,  Bishop,  burnt  at  Glouces- 
ter, 462 
Houghton  Hall  and  the  Walpoles, 

228 
Hubba,  the  Dane,  Story  of,  76 
Hudson,  Jeffrey,  the  Dwarf,  328 
Hughes,  T.,  his  ''Scouring  of  the 

White  Horse,"  79 
Hume's  Account  of  the  Battle  of 

Edge-hill,  400,  401 
Humphrey,    Good    Duke,    at    St, 

Alban's  Abbey,  124 
Hungnar,  the  Dane,  Story  of,  76 
Hurley  Priory,  65 


T  S  ABELLA,  Queen  of  Edward  II. , 
"*•     at  Hertford  Castle,  125,  126 


TACK  of  Newbury,  456 

^  James  I.  of  Scotland  at  Wind- 
sor, 41 

Jesus  College,  Cambridge,  263 

John,  King,  besieges  Bedford  Castle, 
282 

John,  King,  his  Hunting-seat,  16 

John  Long,  Story  of,  25 

Johnson,  Mr. ,  Steward  to  Earl  Fer- 
rers, Account  of  the  Murder  of, 

339 
Joyce,   Cornet,   and  Charles   I.    at 
Holmby  House,  309 


TT-ATHERINE,  Queen,  at  Kim- 

-^^     bolton,  245 

Kempenfelt,    Admiral,    and    Lady 

Place,  67 
Ken,  Bishop,  at  Longleat,  13 
Kenilworth  Castle,  381 
Kenilworth  Priory,  389 
Kimbolton  Castle,  245 
King's  College,  Cambridge,  258 
King's  Quhair,  The,  41 
Knebworth   House  (Lord  Lytton), 

139  et  seq. 


T  ACOCK  Abbey,  13 

■*-'    Lady     Place,     or    St.    Mary 

Priory,  64 
Langley  Priory,  356 
Legend  of  Dieulacres  Abbey,  543 
Legend  of  Giffard,  554 
Legend  of  Henham  Oak,  199 
Legend  of  the  Great  Bed  of  Ware, 

147 
Legend  of  the  White  Hand,  24 
lieicester  Abbey  and  Cardinal  Wol- 

sey,  349 
Leicester  Castle,  347 
Littlecote     House,     a    Mysterious 

Story,  20 
Llanthony  Abbey,  476 
Lodbroc,  the  Dane,  Story  of,  75 
London    and    Oxford     contrasted, 

415 
Longleat  House,  12 
Long,  John,  Story  of,  25 
"  Lord  of  Burghley,"  by  Tennyson, 

300 


574 


Index, 


Lovel,  Lord,  Story  of,  439 
Lovelace,  Lord,  the  Family  of,  and 

Lady  Place,  65 
Lowestoft,  Origin  of,  186 
Lucy  Family,  the,  393  et  seq. 
Ludlow    Castle  and  its  Memories, 

547 

Luton-Hoo  and  its  Gothic  Chapel, 
283 

Lyttelton's,  Lord,  Ghost  Story,  516 
et  seq. 

Lytteltons,  the  Family  of  the,  520 

Lytton,  Lord,  on  Historical  Hert- 
fordshire, 149 


A/r  ACAULAY,  Lord,  his  Charac- 
^^^  ter  of  the  Walpoles,  232,  236 
Macclesfield,  Lord,  his  Observatory, 

420 
Mackworths,  the  Family  and  Fate 

of  the,  332 
Magdalen  College  Tower,   Oxford, 

410 
Malmesbury  Castle  and  Abbey,  4 
Mandeville,  Sir  John,  124 
Marlborough  Castle,  ir 
Marten,  the  Regicide,  in  Chepstow 

Castle,  473 
Martyrdom  of  St.  Alban,  109 
Mary,  Queen,  at  Hatfield,  134 
Mary  Queen  of  Scots  at  Fothering- 

hay  Castle,  302 
Maxstoke  Castle,  390 
May     Morning    Custom,     Oxford, 

410 
Maze  and  Privy  Garden,   Hatfield, 

139 

Monks,  learned,  at  St.  Albans  Ab- 
bey, 122 

Monmouth  Castle,  471 

Monmouth,  Elizabeth,  Countess  of, 
132 

Monmouthshire,    Religious  Houses 

in,  479 
Mortimer    Family    and    Wigmore 

Caslle,  491 
Moor  Park,  Rickmansworth,  131 
Mysterious  Story   about  Littlecote 

House,  20 
Mystery  of  Minster  Lovel,  439 
Myttons,  the  last  of  the,  560 


TSJASKBY  Battle-field,  306-308 
■'-^      Normanton    Park,     and    the 

Fate  of  the  Mackworths,  332 
Northampton  Castle,  286 
Norwich  Castle,  210 
Norwich  Cathedral  Priory,  Burning 

of,  212 


OAKHAM  Castle,  330 

^^     Old  Sarum,  2 

Order  of  the  Garter,  Legend  of  41 

—43 
Orford  Castle,  176 
Oseney  Abbey,  443 
Ouseley,  Sir  W.   G.,  on  Avebury 

and  Stonehenge,  37 
Oxford  Castle,  408 
Oxfordshire  Legend  in  Stone,  416 


pANSHANGER  House  and  the 

■*■  Story  of  Spencer  Cowper, 
152 

**  Paston  Letters,"  the,  244 

Pope,  the  Poet,  at  Stanton  Har- 
court,  426 

Pope,  Sir  Thomas,  at  Hatfield 
House,  134 

Priory  of  Our  Lady  of  Walsingham, 
224 

Protestants  Burnt  at  Bishop's  S tort- 
ford,  129 


QUIN's  Soliloquy,  123 

"D  AGLAND  Castle,  479 

■^^      Ramsey     Abbey      and      its 

Learned  Monks,  247 
Reading  Abbey,  54 
Relic  of  St.  James's  Hand,  57 
Relics  of  St.  Alban,  112 
Richard  II.  at  St.  Alban's  Abbey, 

119 
Richard  II.,  Portrait  of,  119  n. 
Richard  III.  at  St.  Alban's  Abbey, 

121 
Rivers,  Earl,  Romantic  History  of, 

317- 
Rising  Castle,  216 


Index, 


575 


Ross,   Lord,   and   Belvoir    Castle, 

342  et  seq. 
Round    Tower,     Windsor    Castle, 

44 
Russell  Family,  Origin  of,  271 
Rye  House  and  its  Plot,  148 


CT.  BRIAVEL'S  Castle,  465 
•^     St.  Edmund,  King  and  Martyr, 

a  Suffolk  Legend,  167 
St.  Edmund's  Monastery,   Sacking 

of,  168 
St.  George's  Chapel,  Windsor,  49 
St.    John's     College,     Cambridge, 

262 
St.  Mary  Priory,  64 
St.    Peter's    College,     Cambridge, 

255 
Sarum  Castle,  i 

Saye  and  Sele,  Lord,  444  r 

Scales,  Lord,  Romantic  Histoiy  of 

317 

Shakespear,     Mr.,      and    Langley 

Priory,  359 
Shakspeare,  Birthplace  of,  376 
Shakspeare's  Birth,  Tercentenary  of, 

379 
Shaksperian  Relics  at  Stratford,  379 
Shakspeare's  Deer-stealing  Adven- 
ture, 393 
Shirbourn  Castle,  Oxon,  419 
Shirleys,  the,  Earls  of  Ferrers,  336 
Shre\vsl)ury  Cakes,  546 
Shrewsbury  Castle,  544 
Shrewsbury  Family,  the,  559 
Shrewsbury  Show,  546 
Shrine  of  St.  Alban,  1 14,    115 
Shuckburghs,    the,    of  Shuckburgh 

Hall,  399 
Silbury  Hill  described,  38 
Sopwell  Nunnery,  145 
Stafford  and  its  Castles,  530 
Stanton  Harcourt  and  its  Kitchen, 

426 
Stanton  Harold  and  the  Story  of 

Earl  Fei-rers,  335  et  seq. 
Stoke    Pogeis   and    Lady   Hatton, 

90  .  j 

Stonehenge  described,  29  et  seq.  I 

Stowe  and  the  Buckingham  Family,    i 

94  \ 


Stratford-on-Avon,  376  et  seq. 

Suckling,  Sir  John,  the  Poet,  Sketch 
of  the  Life  of,  202 

Sudeley  Castle  and  Queen  Kathe- 
rine  Parr,  463 

Suffolk,  Charles  Brandon,  Duke  of, 
195 

Surrey,  Earl  of,  imprisoned  at  Wind- 
sor, 44 


X  AM  WORTH  Tower  and  Town, 

J-  ,  531 

Taylor,  Dr.   Rowland,   Martyrdom 

of,   181— 186 
Tewkesbury  Abbey,  469 
Tewkesbury,  Battle  of,  469 
Thetford  Priory,  214 
Thornbury  Castle,  450  et  seq. 
Tintem  Abbey,  475 
Trial  by  Battle  at  Reading,  35 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  259 — 

262 
Trowbridge  Castle,  12 
Tutbury    Castle    and    its    Curious 

Tenures,  534 


Y^NEYARD  at  Hatfield,  139 


WALLINGFORD  Castle,  53 

Walpole,  Horace,  234 
Walpole,  Sir  Robert,  231 
Walpoles,  the  Family  of,  231 
Walsingham,  Pilgrimages. to,  226 
Waltham  Cross,  107 
Wardour  Castle,  3 
Ware,  Great  Bed  of,  146 
Warwick    Castle   and  Guy's   Cliff, 

362 
Wayland  Smith's  Cave,  80 
Whaddon  Hall,  and  Browne  Willis, 

96 
White  Hand,  Legend  of  the,  24 
White  Horse  Hill,  75 
White  Horse,  Scouring  of  the,  75 
"Wild  Darell,"  Mysterious  Stoi-> 

about,  20 
Wigmore    Castle    and    its    Lords, 

491 
Wilton  Abbey  and  Wilton  House,  7 


576 


Index. 


Windsor  Castle  and  its  Romances, 

40 
Windsor  Park  and  Forest,  48 
Wingfield  Castle,  174 
W^oburn  Abbey  and    the    Russell 

Family,  271 
Wobum,  various  Ways  of  Spelling, 

27S 
Worcester  Castle  and  its  Sieges,  494 
Woodstock  Palace,  426 


Woodvilles,  the  Family  of  the,  .'^15 

et  seq. 
Woodville,     Elizabeth,    Queen    of 

Edward     IV.,      Romantic     and 

Tragic  History  of,  321 — 327 
Woodville,    Elizabeth,    and   Lady 

Jane  Grey,  351  et  seq. 
W^orcester,  second  Marquis,  and  the 

Steam-engine,  482 
Wulstan's  Ribs,  at  St.  Alban's,  115 


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