The Stately Homes of England
by Llewellynn Frederick William Jewitt · English · Gutenberg #51173 · 1,456,425 chars · public domain (US)
The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Stately Homes of England
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States,
you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located
before using this eBook.
Title: The Stately Homes of England
Author: Llewellynn Frederick William Jewitt
S. C. Hall
Release date: February 10, 2016 [eBook #51173]
Most recently updated: October 23, 2024
Language: English
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51173
Credits: E-text prepared by Giovanni Fini and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org)
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STATELY HOMES OF ENGLAND ***
Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
file which includes the original 380 illustrations.
See 51173-h.htm or 51173-h.zip:
(https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/51173/pg51173-images.html)
or
(https://www.gutenberg.org/files/51173/51173-h.zip)
Images of the original pages are available through
Internet Archive. See
https://archive.org/details/statelyhomesofen00jewiiala
Transcriber's note:
Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).
A carat character is used to denote superscription. A
single character following the carat is superscripted
(example: Conq^r). Multiple superscripted characters are
enclosed by curly brackets (example: Esq^{re}).
THE STATELY HOMES OF ENGLAND
by
LLEWELLYNN JEWITT, F.S.A., ETC., ETC.
and
S. C. HALL, F.S.A.
Complete in Two Series.
Illustrated with Three Hundred and Eighty Engravings on Wood
New York
A. W. Lovering, Importer.
INTRODUCTION.
ENGLAND is rich—immeasurably richer than any other country under the
sun—in its “Homes;” and these homes, whether of the sovereign or of
the high nobility, of the country squire or the merchant-prince, of the
artisan or the labourer, whether, in fact, they are palace or cottage,
or of any intermediate grade, have a character possessed by none other.
England, whose
“Home! sweet home!”
has become almost a national anthem—so closely is its sentiment
entwined around the hearts of the people of every class—is, indeed,
emphatically a Kingdom of Homes; and these, and their associations and
surroundings, and the love which is felt for them, are its main source
of true greatness. An Englishman feels, wherever he may be, that
“Home _is_ home, however lowly;”
and that, despite the attractions of other countries and the glare and
brilliancy of foreign courts and foreign phases of society, after all
“There’s no place like home”
in his own old fatherland.
Beautifully has the gifted poet, Mrs. Hemans, sung of English “Homes,”
and charmingly has she said—
“The Stately Homes of England,
How beautiful they stand
Amidst their tall ancestral trees
O’er all the pleasant land!”
and thus given to us a title for our present work. Of these “Stately
Homes” of our “pleasant land” we have chosen some few for illustration,
not for their stateliness alone, but because the true nobility of
their owners allows their beauties, their splendour, their picturesque
surroundings, and their treasures of art to be seen and enjoyed by all.
Whether “stately” in their proportions or in their style of
architecture, in their internal decorations or their outward
surroundings, in the halo of historical associations which encircle
them, or in the families which have made their greatness, and whose
high and noble characters have given them an enduring interest, these
“Homes” are indeed a fitting and pleasant subject for pen and pencil.
The task of their illustration has been a peculiarly grateful one to
us, and we have accomplished it with loving hands, and with a sincere
desire to make our work acceptable to a large number of readers.
In the first instance, our notices of these “Stately Homes” appeared in
the pages of the _Art-Journal_, for which, indeed, they were specially
prepared, with the ultimate intention, now carried out, of issuing them
in a collected form. They have, however, now been rearranged, and have
received considerable, and in many instances very important, additions.
The present volume may be looked upon as the first of a short series
of volumes devoted to this pleasant and fascinating subject; others
of a similar character, embracing many equally beautiful, equally
interesting, and equally “stately” Homes will follow.
LLEWELLYNN JEWITT.
WINSTER HALL, DERBYSHIRE.
CONTENTS OF FIRST SERIES.
PAGE
I.—ALTON TOWERS, STAFFORDSHIRE 1
II.—COBHAM HALL, KENT 37
III.—MOUNT EDGCUMBE, DEVONSHIRE 54
IV.—COTHELE, CORNWALL 70
V.—ALNWICK CASTLE, NORTHUMBERLAND 78
VI.—HARDWICK HALL, DERBYSHIRE 116
VII.—ARUNDEL CASTLE, SUSSEX 153
VIII.—PENSHURST, KENT 172
IX.—WARWICK CASTLE, WARWICKSHIRE 192
X.—HADDON HALL, DERBYSHIRE 221
XI.—HATFIELD HOUSE, HERTFORDSHIRE 294
XII.—CASSIOBURY, HERTFORDSHIRE 308
XIII.—CHATSWORTH, DERBYSHIRE 322
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
FIRST SERIES.
Page
I.—ALTON TOWERS.
Lion Fountain 1
Ruins of Alton Castle 2
Alton Towers, from the Terrace 4
” from the Lake 6
The Octagon 8
The Conservatories and Alcove 11
The Temple 19
The Conservatories 22
The Pagoda 24
Choragic Temple 27
View from the Lower Terrace 29
The Gothic Temple 31
Part of the Grounds 33
Hospital of St. John 34
II.—COBHAM HALL.
Initial Letter 37
Cobham Hall 38
The Three Sisters 43
The Lodge 45
Interior of the Church 48
The College Porch 50
The College 52
III.—MOUNT EDGCUMBE.
The Eddystone Lighthouse 54
Plymouth Breakwater 57
Mount Edgcumbe, from Stonehouse Pier 59
The Mansion 61
Lady Emma’s Cottage 64
The Gardens 65
The Ruin, the Sound, Drake’s Island,
&c. 68
The Salute Battery 69
IV.—COTHELE.
The Mansion 73
The Landing Place 75
V.—ALNWICK CASTLE.
Lighting the Beacon 78
Plan of Alnwick Castle 80
Alnwick Castle, from the River Aln 81
The Barbican 83
The Prudhoe Tower and Chapel 85
The Keep 87
Norman Gateway in the Keep 89
The Armourer’s Tower 91
Figure of Warrior on the Barbican 93
The Well in the Keep 94
The Constable’s Tower 95
Figure of Warrior on the Barbican 96
The East Garret 98
The Garden Gate, or Warder’s Tower 99
Bond Gate: “Hotspur’s Gate” 103
Alnwick Abbey 105
The Percy Cross 107
Hulne Abbey: The Percy Tower 109
” The Church 111
The Brislee Tower 114
VI.—HARDWICK HALL.
Ancient Pargetting, and Arms of
Cavendish 116
Hardwick Hall, with the Entrance
Gateway 118
The West Front 122
The Great Hall 125
The Grand Staircase 127
The Chapel 129
The Presence Chamber 131
Mary Queen of Scots’ Room 133
The Picture Gallery 135
Ancient Lock, and Arms of Hardwick 137
Hardwick Hall, from the Park 139
The Old Hall at Hardwick 142
Interior of the Old Hall 144
Fac-simile of the Countess of Shrewsbury’s
Signature 145
Hault Hucknall Church 146
The Grave of Hobbes of Malmesbury
in Hault Hucknall Church 148
VII.—ARUNDEL CASTLE.
Horned Owls in the Keep 153
The Quadrangle 156
Entrance Gate, from the Interior 158
The Keep 160
The Library 163
The Church of the Holy Trinity 169
Tombs of Thomas Fitzalan and Lady
Beatrix in Arundel Church 171
VIII.—PENSHURST.
The Bell 172
Penshurst, from the President’s Court 174
North and West Fronts 177
View from the Garden 179
The Baron’s Court 182
The Village and Entrance to Churchyard 185
The Record Tower and the Church,
from the Garden 186
The Hall and Minstrels’ Gallery 188
IX.—WARWICK CASTLE.
The Swan of Avon 192
The Castle, from the Temple Field 194
The Keep, from the Inner Court 196
Earl of Warwick and Humphrey, Duke
of Gloucester 198
Earl of Warwick’s Combat before the
Emperor Sigismund and the Empress 199
Earl of Warwick Departing on a Pilgrimage
to the Holy Land 200
Badge of the Earl of Warwick 201
Cæsar’s Tower 202
The Castle, from the Bridge 203
The Castle, from the Island 205
Guy’s Tower 206
The Warder’s Horn 207
The Castle, from the Outer Court 209
The Inner Court, from the Keep 211
Guy’s and the Clock Tower, from the
Keep 212
The Castle, from the banks of the Avon 214
The Beauchamp Chapel; Monument of
the Founder 216
The Confessional 217
The Oratory 218
Warwick: The East Gate 219
X.—HADDON HALL.
Dorothy Vernon’s Door 221
Haddon, from the Meadows on the
Bakewell Road 223
The “Peacock” at Rowsley 225
Haddon, from the Rowsley Road 226
Arms of Vernon quartering Avenell 227
Arms of Lord Vernon 230
Haddon, from the Meadows 234
The Main Entrance 235
Inside of Gateway 236
Ground and Garden Plan of Haddon 237
The first Court-yard 239
Gateway under the Eagle Tower 240
The Chaplain’s Room 241
The Chapel 242
Norman Font in the Chapel 244
Wall-paintings in the Chapel 248
Steps to State Apartments 249
Roman Altar, Haddon Hall 250
The Banqueting-Hall: with the Minstrels’
Gallery 251
Old Oak-table in the Banqueting-Hall 252
The Hand-lock in the Banqueting-Hall 252
Staircase to Minstrels’ Gallery 253
Oriel Window in the Dining-room 255
Ante-room to the Earl’s Bed-room 256
The Ball-room, or Long Gallery 257
Steps to the Ball-room 259
Dorothy Vernon’s Door: Interior 260
Dorothy Vernon’s Door: Exterior 261
The State Bed-room 263
The Archers’ Room, for Stringing
Bows, &c. 264
The Rack for Stringing the Bows 265
The Eagle, or Peverel Tower 266
Gallery across Small Yard 267
Room over the Entrance Gateway 268
The Terrace 270
The Hall from the Terrace 271
Arms of Family of Manners 272
Arms of the Duke of Rutland 278
The Foot-Bridge 279
Ring found at Haddon Hall 280
Washing-Tally found at Haddon Hall 281
Bakewell Church 283
Monument of Sir John Manners and
his Wife, Dorothy Vernon 286
Ancient Cross, Bakewell Churchyard 290
XI.—HATFIELD HOUSE.
Armed Knight 294
The Old Palace at Hatfield 295
The Front View 297
The Garden front of Hatfield House 299
The East View 302
The Gallery 304
The Hall 305
XII.—CASSIOBURY.
Crest of the Earl of Essex 308
Back View 310
From the Wood Walks 313
From the South-west 315
The Swiss Cottage 317
The Lodge 318
Monument in the Church at Watford 320
XIII.—CHATSWORTH.
Entrance to the Stables 322
The Old Hall as it formerly stood 325
Chatsworth from the River Derwent 333
The Entrance Gates 335
The Grand Entrance-Lodge at Baslow 340
Edensor Mill Lodge and Beeley Bridge 341
Entrance Gate 342
The Bridge over the River Derwent, in
the Park 343
The Great Hall and Staircase 344
Vista of the State Apartments 346
Grinling Gibbons’ Masterpiece 348
The Old State Bed-room 349
The State Drawing-room 351
The State Dining room 352
The Drawing-room 355
The Hebe of Canova 356
The Library 357
Fireplace by Westmacott in the
Dining-room 359
The Sculpture Gallery 360
Mater Napoleonis 361
The Pavilion and Orangery, from the
East 363
Carving over one of the Doors of the
Chapel 365
Carving over one of the Doors of the
Chapel 366
Carvings in the Chapel 367
The Private or West Library 370
The Sculpture Gallery and Orangery 372
Bust of the late Duke of Devonshire 373
The French Garden 374
The Great Cascade 375
The Alcove 376
Waterworks—The Willow Tree 377
Part of the Rock-work 378
The Great Conservatory 379
Part of the Rock-work—The Rocky
Portal 380
The Emperor Fountain 381
The Garden on the West Front 382
West Front from the South 383
The Hunting Tower 384
Mary Queen of Scots’ Bower 385
The late Sir Joseph Paxton’s House 386
The Victoria Regia 388
Edensor Church and Village 389
Monumental Brass to John Beton 391
Cavendish Monument, Edensor Church 392
Tomb of the Sixth Duke of Devonshire 393
The Chatsworth Hotel, Edensor 395
ALTON TOWERS.
[Illustration]
WE commence this series with ALTON TOWERS, one of the most interesting
of the many Stately Homes of England that dignify and glorify the
Kingdom; deriving interest not alone from architectural grandeur and
the picturesque and beautiful scenery by which it is environed, but as
a perpetual reminder of a glorious past—its associations being closely
allied with the leading heroes and worthies of our country.
The Laureate asks, apparently in a tone of reproach—
“Why don’t these acred sirs
Throw up their parks some dozen times a year,
And let the people breathe?”
The poet cannot be aware that a very large number of the “parks” of
the nobility and gentry of England are “thrown up” not a “dozen times”
but a hundred times in every year; and that, frequently, thousands of
“the people” breathe therein—as free to all the enjoyments they supply
as the owners themselves. Generally, also, on fixed days, the chief
rooms, such as are highly decorated or contain pictures—the STATE
APARTMENTS—are open also; and all that wealth has procured, as far as
the eye is concerned, is as much the property of the humblest artisan
as it is of the lord of the soil.
And what a boon it is to the sons and daughters of toil—the
hard-handed men—with their wives and children—workers at the forge,
the wheel, and the loom,—who thus make holiday, obtain enjoyment,
and gain health, under the shadows of “tall ancestral trees” planted
centuries ago by men whose names are histories.
[Illustration: _Ruins of Alton Castle._]
Indeed a closed park, and a shut-up mansion, are, now, not the rule,
but the exception; the noble or wealthy seem eager to share their
acquisitions with the people; and continually, as at Alton Towers,
picturesque and comfortable “summer houses” have been erected for the
ease, shelter, and refreshment of all comers. Visitors of any rank or
grade are permitted to wander where they will, and it is gratifying
to add, that very rarely has any evil followed such license. At Alton
Towers, a few shillings usually pays the cost consequent upon an inroad
of four thousand modern “iconoclasts:” the grounds being frequently
visited by so many in one day.
The good that hence arises is incalculable: it removes the barriers
that separate the rich from the poor, the peer from the peasant, the
magnate from the labourer; and contributes to propagate and confirm the
true patriotism that arises from holy love of country.
Alton, Alveton, Elveton, or Aulton, was held by the Crown at the
time of taking the Domesday survey, but, it would appear, afterwards
reverted to its original holders; Rohesia, the only child of the last
of whom, brought Alton, by marriage, to Bertram de Verdon, who had been
previously married to Maude, daughter of Robert de Ferrars, first Earl
of Derby. Alveton thus became the _caput baroniæ_ of the Verdon family,
its members being Wooton, Stanton, Farley, Ramsor, Coton, Bradley,
Spon, Denston, Stramshall, and Whiston.
From the Verdons, through the Furnivals and Neviles, Alton passed to
the Earls of Shrewsbury, as will be seen from the following notice
of the Verdon family. Godfreye Compte le Verdon, surnamed de Caplif,
had a son, Bertram de Verdon, who held Farnham Royal, Bucks, by grand
sergeantry, circa 1080. He had three sons, one of whom, Norman de
Verdon, Lord of Weobly, co. Hereford, married Lasceline, daughter
of Geoffrey de Clinton, and by her had, with other issue, Bertram
de Verdon, who was a Crusader, and founded Croxden, or Crokesden,
Abbey, near Alton, in the twenty-third year of Henry II., anno 1176.
He married twice: his first wife being Maude, daughter of Robert de
Ferrars, first Earl of Derby (who died without issue in 1139), and
his second being Rohesia, daughter and heiress of a former possessor
of Alton, through which marriage he became possessed of that manor,
castle, &c. He was Sheriff of the counties of Warwick and Leicester,
and, dying at Joppa, was buried at Acre. By his wife Rohesia (who died
in 1215) he had issue—William; Thomas, who married Eustachia, daughter
of Gilbert Bassett; Bertram; Robert; Walter, who was Constable of
Bruges Castle; and Nicholas, through whom the line is continued through
John de Verdon, who, marrying Marjorie, one of the co-heiresses of
Walter de Lacie, Lord Palatine of the county of Meath, had issue by
her—Sir Nicholas de Verdon of Ewyas-Lacie Castle; John de Verdon, Lord
of Weobly; Humphrey; Thomas; Agnes; and Theobald, who was Constable
of Ireland, 3rd Edward I., and was in 1306 summoned as Baron Verdon.
He died at Alton in 1309, and was buried at Croxden Abbey. His son,
Theobald de Verdon, by his first wife, Elizabeth, widow of John de
Burgh, Earl of Ulster, and daughter and one of the co-heiresses of
Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, by “Joane de Acres,” had a
daughter, married to Lord Ferrars of Groby; and, by his second wife,
Maude, daughter of Edmund, first Baron Mortimer of Wigmore, had issue,
besides three sons who died during his lifetime, three daughters, who
became his co-heiresses.
[Illustration: _Alton Towers, from the Terrace._]
One of these, Margaret (who married three times), had Weobly Castle
for her portion; another, Elizabeth, married to Lord de Burghersh,
had Ewyas-Lacie Castle for her portion; and the other, Joan, had for
her portion Alton, with its castle and dependencies. This lady (Joan
de Verdon) married, firstly, William de Montague; and, secondly,
Thomas, second Lord Furnival, who, for marrying her without the king’s
licence, was fined in the sum of £200. She had by this marriage two
sons, Thomas and William, who were successively third and fourth Barons
Furnival, lords of Hallamshire. This William, Lord Furnival, married
Thomasin, daughter and heiress of Nicholas, second Baron Dagworth of
Dagworth, and had by her a sole daughter and heiress, Joan de Furnival,
who, marrying Thomas Neville of Hallamshire, brother to the Earl of
Westmoreland, conveyed to him the title and estates, he being summoned
in 1383 as fifth Baron Furnival. By her he had issue, two daughters
and co-heiresses, the eldest of whom, Maude, “Lady of Hallamshire,”
married, in 1408, John Talbot, afterwards first Earl of Shrewsbury
and sixth Baron Talbot of Goderich—“_Le Capitaine Anglais_.” This
nobleman, whose military career was one of the most brilliant recorded
in English history, was summoned as Baron Furnival of Sheffield in
1409; created Earl of Shrewsbury, 1442; and Earl of Waterford, &c.,
1446. He was slain, aged eighty, at Chatillon, in 1453, and was buried
at Whitchurch. This Earl of Shrewsbury, who so conspicuously figures
in Shakespeare’s _Henry VI._, enjoyed, among his other titles, that
of “Lord Verdon of Alton”—a title which continued in the family, the
Alton estates having now for nearly five centuries uninterruptedly
belonged to them.
The titles of this great Earl of Shrewsbury are thus set forth by
Shakespeare, when Sir William Lucy, seeking the Dauphin’s tent, to
learn what prisoners have been taken, and to “survey the bodies of the
dead,” demands—
“Where is the great Alcides of the field,
Valiant Lord Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury?
Created, for his rare success in arms,
Great Earl of Washford, Waterford, and Valence
Lord Talbot of Goodrig and Urchinfield,
Lord Strange, of Blackmere, _Lord Verdun of Alton_,
Lord Cromwell of Wingfield, Lord Furnival of Sheffield,
The thrice victorious Lord of Falconbridge;
Knight of the noble order of Saint George,
Worthy Saint Michael, and the Golden Fleece;
Great Mareshal to Henry the Sixth
Of all his wars within the realm of France.”
To which, it will be remembered, La Pucelle contemptuously replies—
“Here is a silly stately style indeed!
The Turk, that two-and-fifty kingdoms hath—
Writes not so tedious a style as this—
Him that thou magnifiest with all these titles,
Stinking and fly-blown, lies here at our feet.”
From this John, Earl of Shrewsbury,—“the scourge of France,” “so much
feared abroad that with his name the mothers still their babes,”—the
manor and estates of Alton and elsewhere passed to his son, John,
second earl, who married Elizabeth Butler, daughter of James, Earl of
Ormond, and was succeeded by his son, John, third earl, who married
Catherine Stafford, daughter of Humphrey, Duke of Buckingham; and was
in like manner succeeded by his son, George, fourth earl, K.G., &c.,
who was only five years of age at his father’s death. He was succeeded,
as fifth earl, by his son, Francis; who, dying in 1560, was succeeded
by his son, George, as sixth earl.
[Illustration: _Alton Towers, from the Lake._]
This nobleman married, first, Gertrude Manners, daughter of Thomas,
Earl of Rutland; and, second, Elizabeth (generally known as “Bess of
Hardwick,” for an account of whom, see the article on Hardwick Hall
in the present volume), daughter of John Hardwick, of Hardwick Hall,
Derbyshire, and successively widow, first, of Robert Barlow, of Barlow;
second, of Sir William Cavendish, of Chatsworth; and, third, of Sir
William St. Loe. She was the builder of Chatsworth and of Hardwick
Hall. To him was confided the care of Mary Queen of Scots. He was
succeeded by his son Gilbert, as seventh earl. This young nobleman
was married before he was fifteen to Mary, daughter of Sir William
Cavendish of Chatsworth. He left no surviving male issue, and was
succeeded by his brother, Edward, as eighth earl, who, having married
Jane, daughter of Cuthbert, Lord Ogle, died, without issue, being the
last of this descent, in 1617. The title then passed to a distant
branch of the family, in the person of George Talbot, of Grafton;
who, being descended from Sir Gilbert Talbot, third son of the second
earl, succeeded as ninth earl. From him the title descended in regular
lineal succession to Charles, twelfth earl, who was created by George
I. _Duke_ of Shrewsbury and _Marquis of Alton_, and a K.G. At his
death, the dukedom and marquisate expired, and from that time, until
1868, the earldom has never passed directly from a father to a son.
The thirteenth earl was a Jesuit priest, and he was succeeded by his
nephew as fourteenth earl. Charles, fifteenth earl, dying without
issue, in 1827, was succeeded by his nephew, John (son of John Joseph
Talbot, Esq.), who became sixteenth earl. That nobleman died in
1852, and was succeeded as seventeenth earl, by his cousin, Bertram
Arthur Talbot (nephew of Charles, fifteenth earl), who was the only
son of Lieut.-Colonel Charles Thomas Talbot. This young nobleman was
but twenty years of age when he succeeded to the title and estates,
which he enjoyed only four years, dying unmarried at Lisbon, on the
10th of August, 1856. Earl Bertram, who, like the last few earls his
predecessors, was a Roman Catholic, bequeathed the magnificent estates
of Alton Towers to the infant son of the Duke of Norfolk, Lord Edward
Howard, also a Roman Catholic; but Earl Talbot (who was opposed in his
claim by the Duke of Norfolk, acting for Lord Edward Howard; by the
Princess Doria Pamphili, of Rome, the only surviving child of Earl
John; and by Major Talbot, of Talbot, co. Wexford) claimed the peerage
and estates as rightful heir. After a long-protracted trial, Earl
Talbot’s claim was admitted by the House of Lords, in 1858; and after
another trial his lordship took formal possession of Alton Towers and
the other estates of the family, and thus became eighteenth Earl of
Shrewsbury, in addition to his title of third Earl of Talbot.
His lordship (the Hon. Henry John Chetwynd Talbot, son of Earl Talbot)
was born in 1803. He served in the Royal Navy, and became an admiral
on the reserved list. He was also a Knight of the Order of St. Anne
of Russia, and of St. Louis of France, a Knight of the Bath, and a
Privy Councillor. In 1830, his lordship, then Mr. Talbot, represented
Thetford in Parliament; and in the following year was elected for
Armagh and for Dublin; and from 1837 until 1849, when he entered the
Upper House as Earl Talbot, he represented South Staffordshire. In 1852
his lordship was made a Lord in Waiting to the Queen; in 1858 Captain
of the Corps of Gentlemen at Arms; and was also Hereditary Lord High
Steward of Ireland.
[Illustration: _The Octagon._]
He married in 1828 Lady Sarah Elizabeth Beresford, eldest daughter
of the second Marquis of Waterford, and by her had issue living four
sons, viz.—Charles John, present, nineteenth, Earl of Shrewsbury;
the Hon. Walter Cecil Talbot, who, in 1869, assumed, by Royal Sign
Manual, the surname of Carpenter in lieu of that of Talbot, on his
succeeding to the Yorkshire estates of the late Countess of Tyrconnell;
the Hon. Reginald Arthur James Talbot, M.P. for Stafford; and the
Hon. Alfred Talbot; and three daughters, viz.: Lady Constance Harriet
Mahunesa, married to the Marquis of Lothian; Lady Gertrude Frances;
and Lady Adelaide, married at her father’s death-bed, June 1st, 1868,
to the Earl Brownlow. The eighteenth Earl died in June, 1868, and
was succeeded by his son, Charles John, Viscount Ingestre, M.P., as
nineteenth earl.
The present peer, the noble owner of princely Alton, of Ingestre, and
of other mansions, Charles John Talbot, nineteenth Earl of Shrewsbury,
fourth Earl of Talbot, of Hemsoll, in the county of Glamorgan, Earl of
Waterford, Viscount Ingestre, of Ingestre, in the county of Stafford,
and Baron Talbot, of Hemsoll, in the county of Glamorgan, Hereditary
Lord High Steward of Ireland, and Premier Earl in the English and Irish
peerages, was born in 1830, and was educated at Eton and at Merton
College, Oxford. In 1859 he became M.P. for North Staffordshire, and,
in 1868, for the borough of Stamford. In 1868 he succeeded his father
in the titles and estates, and entered the Upper House. He formerly
held a commission in the 1st Life Guards. His lordship married, in
1855, Anne Theresa, daughter of Commander Richard Howe Cockerell, R.N.,
and has issue one son, Charles Henry John, Viscount Ingestre, born in
1860; and three daughters, the Hon. Theresa Susey Helen Talbot, born in
1856; the Hon. Gwendoline Theresa Talbot, born in 1858; and the Hon.
Muriel Frances Louisa Talbot, born in 1859.
The Earl of Shrewsbury is patron of thirteen livings, eight of
which are in Staffordshire, two in Worcestershire, and one each in
Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Shropshire.
The arms of the earl are, _gules_, a lion rampant within a bordure
engrailed, _or_. Crest, on a chapeau, _gules_, turned up, _ermine_, a
lion statant, with the tail extended, _or_. Supporters, two talbots,
_argent_.
We have thus given a history of this illustrious family from its
founder to the present day, and proceed to describe its principal seat
in Staffordshire—the beautiful and “stately home” of Alton Towers.
The castle of the De Verdons, which was dismantled by the army of the
Parliament, stood on the commanding and truly picturesque eminence now
occupied by the unfinished Roman Catholic Hospital of St. John and
other conventual buildings, &c. A remarkably interesting view, showing
the commanding site of the castle, and the valley of Churnet, with
Alton Church, &c., is fortunately preserved in an original painting
from which our first engraving is made.
The site of Alton Towers was originally occupied by a plain house,
the dwelling of a steward of the estate. A hundred and forty years
ago it was known as “Alveton (or Alton) Lodge,” and was evidently a
comfortable homestead, with farm buildings adjoining.
When Charles, fifteenth Earl of Shrewsbury, succeeded to the titles
and estates of his family, in the beginning of the present century,
he made a tour of his estates, and on visiting Alton was so much
pleased with the natural beauties of the place, and its surrounding
neighbourhood, that he determined upon improving the house and laying
out the grounds, so as to make it his summer residence.[1] With that
view he added considerably to the steward’s dwelling, and having, with
the aid of architects and landscape gardeners, converted that which
was almost wilderness into a place of beauty, he called it “Alton
Abbey,”—a name to which it had no right or even pretension. To his
taste, the conservatories, the temples, the pagoda, the stone circle,
the cascades, the fountains, the terraces, and most of the attractive
features of the grounds, owe their origin, as do many of the rooms of
the present mansion. A pleasant memory of this excellent nobleman is
preserved at the entrance to the gardens, where, in a noble cenotaph,
is a marble bust, with the literally true inscription—
“He made the desert smile.”
After his death, in 1827, his successor, Earl John, continued the
works at Alton, and, by the noble additions he made to the mansion,
rendered it what it now is—one of the most picturesque of English
seats. In 1832 his lordship consulted Pugin as to some of the
alterations and additions, and this resulted in his designing some new
rooms, and decorating and altering the interior of others. Mr. Fradgley
and other architects had also previously been employed, and to their
skill a great part of the beauty of Alton Towers is attributable. The
parts executed by Pugin are the balustrade at the great entrance,
the parapet round the south side, the Doria apartments over Lady
Shrewsbury’s rooms, on the south-east side of the house, called
sometimes the “plate-glass drawing-room,” the apartments over the
west end of the great gallery, and the conservatory, &c. The fittings
and decorations of many of the other rooms and galleries, including
the unfinished dining-hall and the chapel, are also his. The entrance
lodges near the Alton Station are likewise from Pugin’s designs.
[Illustration: _The Conservatories and Alcove._]
The principal, or state, entrance to the mansion is on the east side,
but the private foot entrance from the park is by the drawbridge,
while that from the gardens and grounds is by a path leading over the
entrance gateway or tower. To reach the state entrance the visitor
on leaving the park, passes a noble gateway in an embattled and
machicolated tower, with side turrets and embrasures, near to which
he will notice the sculptured arms of De Verdon, of Furnival, and
of Raby, and on the inner side of the tower, those of Talbot, with
the date, 1843. Passing between embattled walls, the entrance to the
right is a majestic tower, bearing sculptured over the doorway the
armorial bearings, crest, supporters, with mantling, &c., of the Earl
of Shrewsbury. The steps leading to the doorway are flanked on either
side by a life-size “talbot,” bearing the shield and the family arms,
while on the pedestals, &c., are the monogram of Earl John, and the
motto “Prest d’accomplir.” Passing through the doors the visitor enters
the ENTRANCE TOWER, a square apartment of extremely lofty proportions.
“The doors being closed after him, he will at once notice the most
striking feature of this hall to be, that the entrance-doors and the
pair of similar folding-doors facing them—each of which is some twenty
feet high, and of polished oak—are painted on their full size with the
arms, supporters, &c., of the Earl of Shrewsbury. This fine effect,
until the place was dismantled a few years since, was considerably
heightened by the assemblage of arms, and armour, and of stags’
antlers, &c., with which the walls were decorated. In this apartment
the old blind Welsh harper, a retainer of the family, with his long
dress, covered with medals and silver badges, sat for years and played
his native strains on the ancient bardic instrument of his country.
“From this apartment one of the immense pairs of heraldic doors opens
into ‘THE ARMOURY,’ a fine Gothic apartment of about 120 feet in
length, with oak roof, the arches of which spring from carved corbels,
while from the central bosses hang a series of pendant lanterns.
The ‘armoury’ is lit on its north side by a series of stained-glass
windows, the first of which bears, under a canopy, &c., the portrait
and armorial bearings of William the Conqueror; the next those of
‘Marescallus pater Gilberti Marescalli Regis Henrici Primi, temp.
Will^{m.} Conq^r.;’ the third, those of Donald, King of Scotland,
1093; the fourth, those of Raby; the fifth, those of De Verdun, the
founder of the castle of Alton (‘Verdun fund: Cast: de Alveton,
originalis familiæ de Verdun, temp. Will. Conq^r.’); and the sixth, of
Lacy—‘Summa soror et heres Hugonis de Lacy, fundatoris de Lanthony in
Wallia; Mater Gilberti de Lacy, temp. Will. Conq^r.’ In this apartment,
from which a doorway leads to the billiard and other rooms, hang a
number of funeral and other banners of the house of Talbot, and at one
end is the Earl’s banner as Lord High Seneschal or Lord High Steward of
Ireland—a blue banner bearing the golden harp of ‘Old Ireland’ which
was borne by the Earl of Shrewsbury at the funeral of King William IV.
In the palmy days of Alton this apartment was filled with one of the
most magnificent assemblages of arms and armour ever got together,
amongst which not the least noticeable feature was a life-size
equestrian figure of ‘the great Talbot’ in full armour, and bearing on
his head an antique coronet, in his hand a fac-simile of the famous
sword which he wielded so powerfully while living, bearing the words—
‘Ego sum Talboti pro vincere inimicos meos
and on his shoulders his magnificent ‘Garter’ mantle, embroidered with
heraldic insignia. The horse was fully armed and caparisoned, the
trappings bearing the arms and insignia of its noble owner. The figure
was placed on a raised oak platform, richly carved; and on this, at
the horse’s feet, lay the fine war helmet of the grand old Earl. At
the farther or west end of the armoury, a pair of open screen-work
doors of large size, formed of spears and halberds, and surmounted
by a portcullis—the whole being designed by a former Countess of
Shrewsbury—opens into—
“THE PICTURE-GALLERY.—This noble gallery, about 150 feet in length,
has a fine oak and glass ceiling, supported by a series of arches,
which spring from corbels formed of demi-talbots, holding in their
paws shields with the Talbot arms, while in each spandrel of the roof
are also the same arms. The room is lit with sumptuous chandeliers.
In this gallery was formerly a series of tables, containing articles
of _vertu_ and a large assemblage of interesting objects, while the
walls were literally covered with paintings of every school, including
the collection formed by Letitia Buonaparte, which was purchased in
Paris by Earl John. It is now entirely denuded of this treasure of art.
From the Picture-Gallery a pair of Gothic screen-work oak and glass
folding-doors, with side lights to correspond, opens into—
“THE OCTAGON (sometimes called the ‘Saloon,’ or ‘Sculpture-Gallery’),
an octagonal room designed to some extent from the splendid Chapter
House at Wells Cathedral. Like this it has a central pier, or clustered
column, of sixteen shafts, from the foliated capital of which the ribs
of the vaulted roof radiate. Other radiating ribs spring from shafts
at the angles of the room; and where the radiations meet and cross
are sculptured bosses, while a series of geometric cuspings fills in
between the intersecting ribs at the points of the arches. Around the
base of the central column is an octagonal seat, and stone benches
are placed in some parts of the sides. It is lit with pendant Gothic
lanterns.
“The ‘Octagon’ opens on its east side into the ‘Picture-Gallery;’
on its west into the ‘Talbot Gallery;’ and on its north into the
‘Conservatory.’ On its south is a fine large window of Perpendicular
tracery filled with stained glass, while on the other four sides are
small windows, diapered in diagonal lines, with the motto, ‘Prest
d’Accomplir,’ alternating with monograms and heraldic devices of
the family. Over the Picture-Gallery doorway the following curious
verses—a kind of paraphrase of the family motto, ‘Prest d’Accomplir,’
which is everywhere inscribed—are painted in old English characters on
an illuminated scroll:—
“‘The redie minde regardeth never toyle,
But still is Prest t’accomplish heartes intent;
Abrode, at home, in every coste or soyle.
The dede is done, that inwardly is meante;
Which makes me saye to every vertuous dede,
I am still Prest t’accomplish what’s decreede.
“‘But byd to goe I redie am to roune,
But byd to roune I redie am to ride;
To goe, roune, ride, or what else to bee done.
Speke but the word, and sone it shall be tryde;
Tout prest je suis pour accomplix la chose,
Par tout labeur qui vous peut faire repose.
“‘Prest to accomplish what you shall commande,
Prest to accomplish what you shall desyre,
Prest to accomplish your desires demande,
Prest to accomplish heaven for happy hire;
Thus do I ende, and at your will I reste,
As you shall please, in every action Prest.’
“Above this, and other parts of the walls, are the emblazoned arms of
Talbot, Furnivall, De Verdun, Lacy, Raby, and the other alliances of
the family; while in the large stained-glass window on the south side
are splendid full-length figures of six archbishops and bishops of the
Talbot family, with their arms and those of the sees over which they
presided. Beneath this window are two beautiful models, full size, of
ancient tombs of the great Talbots of former days. One of these is the
famous tomb, from Whitchurch, of John, first Earl of Shrewsbury, who
was killed in battle July 7, 1453. It bears a full-length effigy of the
Earl in his Garter robes and armour, and bears on its sides and ends a
number of emblazoned shields of the Talbot alliances, and the following
inscription:—
“‘_Orate pro anima prœnobilis domini, domini Johanis Talbot, Comitis
Salopiæ, domini Furnival, domini Verdun, domini Strange de Blackmere,
et Mareschalli Franciæ; qui obiit, in bello apud Burdeux_ VII _Julii_
MCCCCLIII.’
“It is related that when this noble warrior was slain, his herald
passing over the battle-field to seek the body, at length found it
bleeding and lifeless, when he kissed it, and broke out into these
passionate and dutiful expressions:—‘Alas! it is you: I pray God
pardon all your misdoings. I have been your officer of arms forty years
or more. It is time I should surrender it to you.’ And while the tears
trickled plentifully down his cheek, he disrobed himself of his coat of
arms and flung it over his master’s body. This is the knight of whom we
read—
“‘Which Sir John Talbote, first Lord Fournivall,
Was most worthie warrior we read of all.
For by his knigh thode and his chivalrye
A Knight of the Garter first he was made;
And of King Henry, first Erle Scrovesberye.
To which Sir John, his sone succession hade,
And his noble successors now therto sade;
God give them goode speede in their progresse,
And Heaven at their ende, both more or lesse.
The live to report of this foresaid lorde
How manly hee was, and full chivalrose:
What deedes that he did I cannot by worde
Make rehersal, by meter ne prose;
How manly, how true, and how famose,
In Ireland, France, Normandy, Lyon, and Gascone
His pere so long renyng I rede of none.
* * * * *
Which while he reigned was most knight
That was in the realme here many yere,
Most dughty of hand and feresest in fight,
Most drede of all other with French men of werr
In Ireland, France, Gyon; whose soule God absolve
And bring to that Llyss that will not dissolve.’
“From the north side of the ‘Octagon’ a flight of stone steps leads
up to a glass doorway, which opens into a glass vestibule, forming a
part of the ‘Conservatory,’ of which I shall speak a little later on.
This conservatory leads into the ‘Dining-room’ and the suite on the
north side, and the view along it from the Octagon is charming in the
extreme, not the least striking and sweetly appropriate matter being
the motto painted above the flowers and around the cornice of the
vestibule:—
“‘The speech of flowers exceeds all flowers of speech.’
“On the west side a similar flight of steps and doorway open into
“THE TALBOT GALLERY, a magnificent apartment of about the same size
and proportions as the ‘Picture-Gallery.’ It has a fine Gothic ceiling
of oak and glass, supported, like that of the Picture-Gallery, on
arches springing from demi-talbots bearing shields. The walls, to about
two-thirds of their height, are covered with a rich arabesque paper of
excellent design, while the upper part is painted throughout its entire
surface in diagonal lines with the Talbot motto ‘Prest d’Accomplir,’
alternating with the initials T. (Talbot) and S. (Shrewsbury). On this
diapered groundwork are painted, at regular intervals, shields of arms,
fully blazoned, with tablets beneath them containing the names of their
illustrious bearers. The series of arms on the south side shows the
descent of the Earl of Shrewsbury from the time of the Conquest, while
those on the north side exhibit the armorial bearings of the alliances
formed by the females of the House of Talbot. As these series are of
great importance, and have only heretofore been given in Mr. Jewitt’s
work upon Alton Towers, from which the whole of the description of the
interior here given is copied, I have carefully noted them for the
reader’s information. On the south side, commencing at the end next the
‘Octagon,’ the arms are as follows, the arms being all impaled:—
“William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders.
King Henry I. and Matilda of Scotland.
Geoffrey Plantagenet, Earl of Anjou, and Matilda, daughter of King
Henry I.
King Henry II. and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
King John and Isabella d’Angoulême.
King Henry III. and Eleanor of Provence.
King Edward I. and Eleanor of Castile.
Humphrey Bohun, Earl of Hereford, and Elizabeth, daughter of King
Edward I.
James Butler, Earl of Ormond, and Eleanor, daughter of the Earl of
Hereford.
James, Earl of Ormond, and Elizabeth, daughter of the Earl of Kildare.
James, Earl of Ormond, and Anne, daughter of Baron Welles.
James, Earl of Ormond, and Joane, daughter of William de Beauchamp.
John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and Elizabeth, daughter of the Earl
of Ormond.
Sir Gilbert Talbot, Knight of the Garter, and Audrey Cotton.
Sir John Talbot and Ada Troutbecke.
Sir John Talbot and Frances Clifford.
John Talbot and Catherine Petre.
John Talbot and Eleanor Baskerville.
John, Earl of Shrewsbury, and Mary Fortescue.
Gilbert Talbot and June Flatsbury.
George, Earl of Shrewsbury, and Mary Fitzwilliam.
Charles Talbot and Mary Mostyn.
John Joseph Talbot and Mary Clifton.
‘John, now Earl of Shrewsbury, Waterford, and Wexford,’ and Maria
Talbot.
Richard, Baron Talbot, ancestor of the Earl of Shrewsbury, and
Elizabeth Cummin.
John, father of Elizabeth Cummin, and Joane de Valence.
William de Valletort, Earl of Pembroke, and Joane Mountchesney.
Hugh, Count de la Marche, and Isabel d’Angoulême.
Aymer, Count d’Angoulême, and Alice de Courteney.
Peter, fils de France, and the Heiress of Courteney.
Louis VI., King of Fiance, father of Peter de Courteney.
Richard Talbot and Eva, daughter of Gerrard de Gournay.
Hugh Talbot and Beatrix, daughter of William de Mandeville.
Richard Talbot and Maud, daughter of Stephen Bulmer.
Richard Talbot and Aliva, daughter of Alan Bassett.
William Talbot and Gwendiline, daughter of Rhys ap Griffith, Prince of
Wales.
Richard Baron Talbot and Elizabeth Cummin.
John Cummin, grandfather of Elizabeth, and Margery Baliol.
John Baliol and Dorvegillia, Lady of Galloway.
David the First, King of Scotland, and the Lady of Galloway.
“On the north side, beginning at the west end, the arms of the female
alliances are as on the other side—impaled—and are as follows:—
“Joane Talbot, married to John Carew.
Joane Talbot to John de Dartmouth.
Elizabeth Talbot to Waren Archdekene.
Katherine Talbot to Sir Roger Chandos.
Phillippa Talbot to Sir Matthew Gournay.
Jane Talbot to Sir Nicholas Poynings.
Anne Talbot to Hugh, Earl of Devon.
Mary Talbot to Sir Thomas Greene.
Elizabeth Talbot to Sir Thomas Barre.
Jane Talbot to Hugh de Cokesay.
Elizabeth Talbot to Thomas Gray, Viscount Lisle.
Margaret Talbot to Sir George Vere.
Anne Talbot to Sir Henry Vernon.
Margaret Talbot to Thomas Chaworth.
Eleanor Talbot to Thomas, Baron Sudeley.
Margaret Talbot to Henry, Earl of Cumberland.
Mary Talbot to Henry, Earl of Northumberland.
Elizabeth Talbot to Lord Dacre of Gilsland.
Anne Talbot to Peter Compton.
Anne Talbot to William, Earl of Pembroke.
Anne Talbot to John, Baron Bray.
Anne Talbot to Thomas, Lord Wharton.
Catherine Talbot to Edward, Earl of Pembroke.
Mary Talbot to Sir George Saville.
Grace Talbot to Henry Cavendish.
Mary Talbot to William, Earl of Pembroke.
Elizabeth Talbot to Henry, Earl of Kent.
Alatheia Talbot to Thomas, Earl of Arundel.
Gertrude Talbot to Robert, Earl of Kingston.
Mary Talbot to Thomas Holcroft.
Mary Talbot to Sir William Airmine.
Margaret Talbot to Robert Dewport.
Elizabeth Talbot to Sir John Littleton.
Mary Talbot to Thomas Astley.
Joane Talbot to Sir George Bowes.
Mary Talbot to Mervin, Earl of Castlehaven.
Barbara Talbot to James, Lord Aston.
Mary Talbot to Charles, Baron Dormer.
Mary Alathea Beatrix Talbot to Prince Filippo Doria Pamfili.
Gwendaline Catherine Talbot to Prince Marc Antonio Borghese.
“On and over the doorway are the arms and quarterings of the Talbots,
and the sculptured stone chimney-pieces are of the most exquisite
character, having Talbots supporting enamelled banners of arms under
Gothic canopies, and shields on the cuspings. At the top also is a
shield, supported by two angels. The fire-place is open, and has
fire-dogs; and the tiles are decorated alternately with the letter S
for Shrewsbury, and I T conjoined, for John Talbot.
“At the west end is a splendid stained-glass window, exhibiting the
names, armorial bearings, and dates of Earl John and nine of his
ancestors, who have been Knights of the Garter—the garter encircling
each of the shields. The names are Gilbert, Lord Talbot, 19 Henry VI.;
John, Earl of Shrewsbury, 1460; George, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury; George
Talbot; Francis, 5th Earl of Shrewsbury; Sir Gilbert Talbot, 1495;
George, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury; Gilbert, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury, 1592;
Charles, Earl of Shrewsbury, 1604; and John, Earl of Shrewsbury, 1840.
“In the palmy days of Alton Towers, this room, the Talbot Gallery,
contained a splendid collection of choice paintings, a fine assemblage
of rare china, some exquisite sculpture, and a large number of articles
of _vertu_ of every imaginable class and character. From the north side
a small door opens into—
“THE OAK CORRIDOR, a narrow passage leading in a straight line to the
North Library, and having doorways opening on its left into both of the
state-rooms. The first of these rooms, after passing the ‘waiting-room’
or ‘ante-room,’ is—
“THE STATE BOUDOIR, an octagonal apartment with a magnificent carved,
painted, and gilt Gothic ceiling. This, in former days, when it
contained some fine old cabinets, a service of regal Sèvres china, and
some exquisite portraits, and was filled with sumptuous furniture, was
one of the most charming rooms imaginable. Next to this is—
“THE STATE BED-ROOM.—The ceiling is panelled, being divided by deep
ribs into squares, having the ground painted a pale blue; rich tracery
of oak and gold stretches toward the centre of each compartment, and
terminates with a gold leaf; the hollow mouldings of the ribs are
crimson, studded with gold; below is a deep cornice of vine-leaves and
fruit picked out green and gold; and the walls are hung with paper of
an azure ground, relieved with crimson and gold.
[Illustration: _The Temple._]
“The State Bed, which is about 18 feet in height and 9 feet in width,
is a sumptuous piece of massive Gothic furniture, all gilt in every
part and massively carved. Around the canopy hangs the most costly
of bullion fringe, and the hangings, as well as those of the windows
and other furniture, are of the richest possible golden Indian silk.
This room formerly contained a toilet service of gold, and the whole
of the furniture and decorations were of the grandest character. The
chimney-piece is of white marble, exquisitely carved, and bearing
on the spandrels the Talbot arms—a lion rampant within a bordure
engrailed. The furniture is all gilt like the bed, with which also the
drapery is _en suite_. The windows, as do also those of the boudoir,
look out upon a perfect sea of magnificent rhododendrons. One door
opens into the Oak Corridor, and another into—
“THE DINING-ROOM, from which, by a doorway, the Oak Corridor is also
entered, and from which, by a light staircase, access to the upper
suite of sleeping apartments, including the ‘Arragon room’ (and to the
lower rooms) is gained. From this ante-room—
“THE WEST LIBRARY is entered. This apartment, a fine, sombre,
quiet-looking room, has a panelled ceiling, at the intersections of
the ribs of which are carved heraldic bosses. In the centre is a large
and massive dark oak table, and around the sides of the room are
ranged fine old carved and inlaid cabinets and presses for books. Over
these presses, and in different parts of this room and of the ‘North
Library,’ are a number of well-chosen mottoes, than which for a library
nothing could well be more appropriate. Thus, in these mottoes, among
others we read—
“‘Study wisdom and make thy heart joyful.’
“‘The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the portion of
fools.’
“‘They that be wise shall shine as the firmament.’
“‘Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom, and is rich in prudence.’
“‘The heart of the wise shall instruct his mouth and add grace to his
lips.’
“‘Take hold on instruction; leave it not; keep it because it is thy
life.’
“‘Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesseth it.’
“From this fine apartment the NORTH LIBRARY is entered by two open
archways. This room is similar in its appointments to the West Library,
and with it forms one magnificent whole. At the north-west corner of
this room (in the tower) is a charming apartment, connected with the
library by an open archway, called—
“THE POET’S BAY or ‘Poet’s Corner,’ which is one of the most charming
of all imaginable retreats. The bay window overlooks the park and the
distant country for miles away, while the side windows overlook parts
of the grounds and buildings. The ceiling is of the most elaborate
character, covered with minute tracery and exquisite pendents
picked out in gold and colours. At the west end of the library is a
stained-glass window with full-length figures of ‘Gilbert Talbot’ and
the ‘Lady Joan,’ with their arms under Gothic canopies. From this room
a door on the south side opens into the ‘Oak Corridor,’ while two open
arches at the east end connect it with—
“THE MUSIC-ROOM, the ceiling of which is an elegant example of
flamboyant tracery, the ground being blue, and the raised tracery
white and gold. The chimney-piece of white marble is elaborately
sculptured, and from it rises a majestic pier-glass. On either side are
portraits of Earl John and his Countess, life-size, surmounted by their
coronets. The furniture which remains is of remarkably fine character,
carved and gilt, and the walls are here and there filled in with
mirrors, which add much to the effect. On the south side is a large
and deeply-recessed bay window, like the rest, of Gothic design, with
stained glass in its upper portion, representing King David playing on
the harp, St. Cecilia, and angels with various musical instruments.
In front of this window is a beautiful parterre of flowers, the
Conservatory being to the left, and the state-rooms to the right. From
the ‘Music-Room,’ glass doors, in a Gothic screen, open into a small
library, with Gothic presses and stained-glass window with Talbot arms,
&c. From this room another similar door opens into—
“THE DRAWING-ROOM, a remarkably fine and strikingly grand Gothic
apartment, with a ceiling of flamboyant tracery of very similar design
to the one already named. To the right, on entering, a central door of
Gothic screen-work and glass opens into the CONSERVATORY, which, as I
have before said, connects this room and those on the north side with
the Octagon and those on the south side. The CONSERVATORY is entirely
of glass, both roof and sides, and has a central transept. It is filled
with the choicest plants, and in every part, except the vestibule,
the sweetly pretty and appropriate text, ‘Consider the lilies of the
field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin, yet I say
unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like unto
one of these,’ is painted around the cornice. In the vestibule, as I
have said, the motto is, ‘The speech of flowers exceeds all flowers of
speech.’ Over the Conservatory door, in stained glass, are the arms of
Talbot, Verdun, &c.; the crowned rose and thistle; and other devices.
Opposite to the Conservatory, on the north side, is the ‘Saloon.’
The furniture of the ‘Drawing-room,’ the chairs, couches, and seats,
are all of the most costly character, some of them draped with the
arms, supporters, &c., of the earl in gold and crimson damask. On a
table in this room are arranged the various addresses, in cabinets,
&c., presented to the late Earl of Shrewsbury on his accession to the
earldom and estates after the trial in 1860, and a magnificent ancient
casket, the outer glass case of which bears the inscription—‘La casset
Talbot presente par Jean, premier Comte de Shreusburie, sur son mariage
a Marguerite Beauclerc.’ On the walls, besides other paintings, is
a fine full-length seated figure of Queen Adelaide. The ends of the
room are Gothic screen-work, with doors and mirrors. One of these, at
the east end, leads into another small library, and so on by a small
gallery, denuded of its objects of interest, to the CHAPEL CORRIDOR
(elaborately groined and panelled in oak), from which the private
apartments are gained, and which also leads direct to—
“THE CHAPEL, which, although ruthlessly shorn of its relics, its
paintings, its altar, its shrines, and all its more interesting
objects, is still one of the most gorgeous and beautiful of rooms. It
is enough to say that it is one of Pugin’s masterpieces, and that the
stained glass is perhaps the finest that even Willement, by whom it was
executed, ever produced. It is impossible to conceive anything finer
than was the effect of this chapel when it was in perfect order.
[Illustration: _The Conservatories._]
“With the drawing-room, as I have said, an open archway connects
another magnificent apartment, the SALOON, which has a fine oak-groined
ceiling, with elegantly carved, gilt, and painted bosses. In the centre
of the west side is a fine stained-glass window, representing Edward,
the Black Prince, full length, in armour, and with his garter robes,
painted by Muss; and opposite to this a doorway opens into a corridor
leading to the drawing and other rooms. The view from the north end
of the saloon, looking down its full length, across the splendid
drawing-room, down the long vista of the conservatory, and into the
octagon at the farthest end, is fine in the extreme, and is indeed
matchless.
“THE CORRIDOR, of which I have just spoken, is one of the most dainty
and minutely beautiful ‘bits’ of the whole building. It is of oak, the
sides are panelled and gilt, and from small clustered pilasters rises
the elaborate oak groining of the ceiling, the groining being what can
only be expressed as ‘skeleton groining,’ the ribs alone being of oak,
partly painted and gilt, and the space between them being filled in
with a minute geometric pattern in stained glass. From this corridor a
door in the north side opens into the—
“SMALL or FAMILY DINING-ROOM, a fine sombre-looking apartment, about
25 feet square, and furnished with a magnificent central table, and
every accompaniment that wealth can desire. The ceiling is of oak,
panelled, and has a rich armorial cornice, with arms of Talbot, running
around it. The chimney-piece, of dark oak, is a splendid piece of
ancient carving. From the corridor another doorway leads to a staircase
connecting other private apartments above, while at its east end it
opens into—
“THE GRAND DINING-HALL, near which are the kitchens. This hall, which
was being remodelled and altered by Pugin at the time of the Earl’s
death, remains to this day in an unfinished state, but shows how
truly grand in every way it would have been had it been completed.
The roof is one of the finest imaginable, and from its centre rises
a majestic louvre, which at once admits a subdued light and acts as
a ventilator. It is of truly noble proportions, and the fire-places
and carved stone chimney-pieces are grand in the extreme—the latter
bearing the arms, crest, supporters, motto, chapeau, &c., of the Earl
of Shrewsbury. The sides of the room were intended to be panelled, as
was also the minstrels’ gallery, with carved oak, and a part of this
is already placed. At the north end is a fine large window, the upper
part of which is filled with armorial bearings, but the lower part
has never been completed, and is filled in with plain quarries. The
arms in this window are those of Talbot Earl of Shrewsbury, Clifford,
Beauchamp, De Valence, Comyn, Mountchesny, Nevile, Middleham, Clifford,
Bohun, Strange of Blackmere, Tailebot, Troutbeke, Claveringe, Buckley,
Pembroke, Borghese, Doria, Lovetoft, Mareschal, Strongbow, King Donald,
Raby, Lacy, De Verdun, Castile and Leon, D’Angoulême, William the
Conqueror, Bagot, Mexley, Aylmer, and others.
[Illustration: _The Pagoda._]
“From here a short corridor leads to a small vestibule, from which
the other private apartments extend. Of these the principal one is the
BOUDOIR of the Countess of Shrewsbury—a charming apartment, replete
with every luxury and with every appliance which taste and art can
dictate. The ‘Doria’ and other apartments are reached from near this by
a circular staircase. From the vestibule the private entrance to the
Towers is gained, and from it is the private way across the entrance
gateway into the grounds; and also through the small tower and across
the drawbridge the park is reached. The drawbridge crosses the moat,
and the entrance is fully guarded, and has all the appliances of an old
baronial castle.”[2]
And now let us speak briefly of the situation of Alton Towers, and
of its grounds of matchless charms. Situate almost in the centre of
England—in busy Staffordshire, but on the borders of picturesque
Derbyshire—Alton Towers is within easy reach of several populous
cities and towns, the active and laborious denizens of which frequently
“breathe” in these always open gardens and grounds the pure and
fragrant air.
The roads to it are, moreover, full of interest and surpassing beauty;
approached from any side, the traveller passes through a country rich
in the picturesque. Those who reach it from thronged and toiling
Manchester, from active and energetic Derby, from the potteries of busy
Staffordshire, are regaled by Nature on their way, and are refreshed
before they drink from the full cup of loveliness with which the
mansion and its grounds and gardens supply them.
The route from Derby passes by way of Egginton; Tutbury, whose grand
old church and extensive ruins of the castle are seen to the left of
the line; Sudbury, where the seat of Lord Vernon (Sudbury Hall) will be
noticed to the right; Marchington, Scropton, and Uttoxeter. Here, at
Uttoxeter Junction, the passenger for Alton Towers will alight, and,
entering another carriage, proceed on his way, passing the town of
Uttoxeter on his left, and Doveridge Hall, the seat of Lord Waterpark,
on his right, by way of Rocester (where the branch line for Ashbourne
and Dove-Dale joins in), to the Alton Station. Arrived here, he will
notice, a short distance to the left, high up on a wooded cliff, the
unfinished Roman Catholic Hospital of St. John, and on the right, close
to the station, the entrance lodge to the Towers.
From Manchester the visitor proceeds by way of Stockport and
Macclesfield to the North Rode Junction, and so on by Leek and
Oakamoor, &c., through the beautiful scenery of the Churnet valley, to
Alton Station, as before.
From the Staffordshire Potteries the visitor, after leaving
Stoke-upon-Trent, will pass through Longton, another of the pottery
towns, Blythe Bridge, Cresswell, and Leigh, to Uttoxeter, whence he
will proceed in the same manner as if travelling from Derby.
There are, besides others of less note, two principal entrances to the
park and grounds of Alton Towers. One of these, the “Quicksall” Lodge,
is on the Uttoxeter Road, about a quarter of a mile from Ellastone. By
this the “Earl’s Drive” is entered, and it is, for length and beauty,
the most charming of the roads to the house. The drive is about three
miles in length from the lodge to the house, and passes through some
truly charming scenery along the vale and on the heights of the Churnet
valley—the river Churnet being visible at intervals through the first
part of its route. Within about half a mile of the house, on the right,
will be seen the conservatory, ornamented with statues, busts, and
vases, and on the left a lake of water. A little farther on is the
Gothic temple, close to the road-side. At this point Alton Towers and
the intervening gardens burst upon the eye in all their magnificence
and beauty. It is a peep into a terrestrial paradise. Proceeding
onwards another quarter of a mile through a plantation of pines, the
noble mansion stands before us in all the fulness of its splendour.
The lake, the lawn, the arcade bridge, the embattled terrace, the
towers, and the surrounding foliage come broadly and instantaneously
upon the view—a splendid and imposing picture—a place to be gazed on
and wondered at. By this drive the Towers are reached by way of the
castellated stable-screen, and so on over the bridge and the entrance
to the gardens.
The other, and usual, lodge, is close by the Alton Station on the
Churnet Valley (North Staffordshire) Railway. This lodge, designed by
Pugin, and decorated with the sculptured arms of the family, is about
a mile from the house, and the carriage-drive up the wood is on the
ascent all the way. A path, called “the steps,” for foot passengers,
turns off from the lodge, and winds and “zig-zags” its way up, arriving
at the house opposite to the Clock Tower, and passing on its way some
charming bits of rocky and wooded scenery.
[Illustration: _The Choragic Temple._]
The gardens are entered from the park by a pair of gates (on either
side of which is a superb cedar) in an archway, under the “Earl’s
Drive” Bridge. Near this spot is the CHORAGIC TEMPLE, designed from
the Choragic monument of Lysicrates, at Athens; it contains a bust
of Earl Charles, the founder of the gardens, with the appropriate
inscription—“He made the desert smile.” From here the visitor then
proceeds along a winding path with an arcaded wall on one side, and the
valley, from which come up the music of the stream and the bubbling
of the miniature fountains, on the other. This passes between myriads
of standard roses on either side, and long continuous beds of “ribbon
gardening,” or what, from its splendid array of continuous lines of
colours, may very appropriately be termed “rainbow gardening,” and
pathways winding about in every direction, among roses, hollyhocks, and
shrubs and flowers of divers kinds, to a pleasant spot to the left,
where is a terrace garden approached by steps with pedestals bearing
choice sculptures. In the centre is a sundial; behind this, a fine
group of sculpture, and behind this again a fountain, surmounted by a
lion. The wall is covered with luxuriant ivy, and headed by innumerable
vases of gay-coloured flowers, above which, a little to the back, rises
one of the many conservatories that are scattered over this portion of
the grounds.
Passing onwards, the visitor soon afterwards reaches the GRAND
CONSERVATORIES—a splendid pile of buildings on his left. These
conservatories are three hundred feet in length, and consist of a
central house for palm-trees, and other plants of a similar nature; two
glass-roofed open corridors filled with hardy plants, and decorated
with gigantic vases filled with flowers; and, at one end, a fine
orangery, and at the other end a similar house filled with different
choice plants and trees. In front of the Grand Conservatory the
grounds are terraced to the bottom of the valley, and immediately
opposite, on the distant heights, is the “Harper’s Cottage.” At the
end of the broad terrace-walk, in front of the conservatory, is THE
TEMPLE—a semi-open temple, or alcove, of circular form, fitted with
seats and central table. From this charming spot, which the visitor
will find too tempting to pass by without a rest, a magnificent view
of the grounds is obtained. Immediately beneath are the terraces,
with their parterres, ponds, arcades, and fountains, receding gently
from the view till they are lost in the deep valley, beyond which
rise the wooded heights, terrace on terrace, on the other side, and
terminated with tall trees and the buildings of the tower. From the
temple a broad pathway leads on to the GOTHIC TEMPLE, and so to the
modern STONEHENGE—an imitation Druidical circle—and other interesting
objects. Retracing his path, the visitor will do well to descend by the
steps to a lower terrace, where he will find an open alcove beneath the
temple. From here many paths diverge amid beds of the choicest flowers
laid out with the most exquisite taste, and of every variety of form,
and studded in all directions with vases and statuary.
[Illustration: _Alton Towers, from the Lower Terrace._]
Descending a flight of steps beneath a canopy of ivy, a rosery, arched
behind an open arcade of stone, is reached. This arcade is decorated
with gigantic vases and pedestals, and from here, arcade after arcade,
terrace after terrace, and flight of steps after flight of steps, lead
down to the bottom of the valley, where the “lower lake,” filled with
water-lilies and other aquatic plants, is found. In this lake stands
the PAGODA, or CHINESE TEMPLE. Before reaching this, about halfway
down the hill-side, will be seen the “upper lake,” a charming sheet of
water, filled with water-lilies and other plants, and containing, among
its other beauties, a number of fish and water-fowl. Over this lake
is a prettily designed foot-bridge forming a part of what is called
“Jacob’s Ladder”—a sloping pathway with innumerable turnings, and
twinings, and flights of steps. Arrived at the PAGODA FOUNTAIN, the
visitor will choose between returning by the same route, or crossing
or going round the lake, and pursuing his way up the opposite side,
by winding and zig-zag pathways and small plateau, to the top of the
heights.
The ornamental grounds are, as will have been gathered from this
description, a deep valley or ravine, which, made lovely in the highest
and wildest degree by nature, has been converted by man into a kind of
earthly paradise. The house stands at one end or edge of this ravine,
and commands a full view of the beauties with which it is studded.
These garden grounds, although only some fifty or sixty acres in
extent, are, by their very character, and by their innumerable winding
pathways, and their diversified scenery, made to appear of at least
twice that extent. Both sides of the ravine or gorge, are formed into
a series of terraces, each of which is famed for some special charm of
natural or artificial scenery it contains or commands; while temples,
grottoes, fountains, rockeries, statues, vases, conservatories,
refuges, alcoves, steps, and a thousand-and-one other beauties, seem
to spring up everywhere and add their attractions to the general
scene. Without wearying the visitor by taking him along these devious
paths—which he will follow at will—a word or two on some of the main
features of the gardens, besides those of which we have already spoken,
will suffice. Some of these are:—
The HARPER’S COTTAGE, in which the Welsh harper—a fine old remnant
of the bardic race of his country, and an esteemed retainer of the
family—resided, is near the summit of the heights opposite to the
“Grand Conservatories.” It is in the Swiss style, and commands one of
the most gorgeous views of the grounds and their surroundings. It was
built from the designs of Mr. Fradgley, who was employed during no less
than twenty-two years on works at Alton Towers.
The CORKSCREW FOUNTAIN, standing in the midst of a pool filled with
aquatic plants, is a column of unequal thickness of five tiers, each
of which is fluted up its surface in a spiral direction, giving it a
curious and pleasing effect.
The GOTHIC TEMPLE, at the summit of the heights, on the opposite side
from the “Harper’s Cottage,” and closely adjoining the “Earl’s Drive,”
is a light and picturesque building of four stories in height, with a
spiral staircase leading to the top. From it a magnificent view of the
grounds, the towers, and the surrounding country, is obtained.
The REFUGE is a pretty little retreat—a recessed alcove with inner
room in fact—which the visitor, if weary with “sight-seeing,” or, for
a time, satiated with beauty, will find pleasant for a rest.
[Illustration: _The Gothic Temple._]
The PAGODA FOUNTAIN is built in form of a Chinese pagoda. It is placed
in the lower lake, and from its top rises a majestic jet of water which
falls down into the lake and adds much to the beauty of the place.
STONEHENGE.—This is an imitation “Druidic Circle” formed of stones,
of about nine tons in weight each; it is highly picturesque, and forms
a pleasing feature. Near to it is the upper lake.
The FLAG TOWER, near the house, is a prospect-tower of six stories
in height. It is a massive square building with circular turrets at
its angles. The view from the top is one of the most beautiful and
extensive which the country can boast—embracing the house, gardens,
grounds, and broad domains of Alton Towers; the village of Alton
with its church and parsonage; the ruins of the old castle of the De
Verduns; the new monastic buildings—the Hospital of St. John, the
Institution, the Nunnery, and the Chapel; the valley of the Churnet;
Toot Hill; and the distant country stretching out for miles around.
INA’S ROCK is one of the many interesting spots in the grounds. It is
about three-quarters of a mile from the Towers, on what is called the
“Rock Walk.” It is said that after a great battle fought near the spot
(on a place still called the “battle-field”), between Ceolred and Ina,
Kings of Mercia and Wessex, the latter chieftain held a parliament at
this rock; whence it takes its names. We have thus guided the reader
through the house and grounds of Alton Towers.
The district around Alton Towers is rich in interesting places, and
in beautiful localities where the visitor may while away many an hour
in enjoyment. The monastic buildings, on the site of old Alton Castle,
are charmingly situated, and deserve a few words at our hands. These
we quote from Mr. Jewitt’s “Alton Towers:”—“The monastic buildings,
which form such a striking and picturesque object from the railway
station, and indeed from many points in the surrounding neighbourhood,
were erected from the designs, and under the immediate superintendence,
of the late Mr. Pugin, and are, for stern simplicity and picturesque
arrangement, perhaps the most successful of all his works. The
buildings have never been—and probably never will be—completed, and
they remain a sad instance of the mutability of human plans. Commenced
at the suggestion, and carried out at the expense, of a Roman Catholic
nobleman; planned and erected by a Roman Catholic architect; and
intended as a permanent establishment for Roman Catholic priests, &c.,
&c., the buildings rose in great pride and beauty, and were continued
with the utmost spirit, until the death of Earl Bertram, when, after
the trials I have recounted, the estates passed into Protestant hands,
the works were at once discontinued, and the buildings have since been
allowed, with the exception of the chapel and the apartments devoted
to the residence of a priest (and the school), to become dilapidated.
The castle grounds on which these buildings are erected are situated
near the church, the buildings forming three sides of a quadrangle—one
being the school and institution, and the others the cloisters,
priest’s house, chapel, and other buildings. From this the moat is
crossed by a wooden bridge to the ruins of the castle and the hospital
of St. John. The buildings are beautifully shown on the engraving on
the next page.
[Illustration: _Part of the Grounds._]
“The erection of these Roman Catholic buildings gave rise to much
annoyance, and much ill-feeling was engendered in the neighbourhood;
and a hoax was played on Pugin, whose susceptibilities were strong and
hasty. It was as follows: One day—of all days ‘April fool day’—he
received the following letter:—
[Illustration: _Alton—Hospital of St. John._]
“‘Dear Sir—It is with deep sorrow that I venture to inform you of a
circumstance which has just come to my knowledge; and, though an entire
stranger, I take the liberty of addressing you, being aware of your
zeal for the _honour_ and welfare of the Catholic Church. What, then,
will be your grief and indignation (if you have not already heard it)
at being told that—fearing the bazaar, in behalf of the Monastery of
St. Bernard, may prove unsuccessful—it has been thought that more
people would be drawn to it were the _monks to hold the stalls_! Was
there ever such a scandal given to our most holy religion? It may
have been done ignorantly or innocently; but it is enough to make a
Catholic of feeling shudder! _I_ am not in a situation to have the
slightest influence in putting an end to this most dreadful proceeding;
but knowing you to be well acquainted with the head of the English
Catholics—the good Earl of Shrewsbury—would you not write to him,
and request him to use his influence (which must be great) in stopping
the _sacrilege_, for such it really is? Think of your Holy Church thus
_degraded_ and made a by-word in the mouths of Protestants! I know how
you love and venerate her. Aid her then now, and attempt to rescue her
from this calamity! Pray excuse the freedom with which I have written,
and believe me, dear sir, A SINCERE LOVER OF MY CHURCH, BUT AN ENEMY TO
THE PROTESTANT PRINCIPLE OF BAZAARS.’
“Pugin wrote immediately to the earl in an impassioned strain, but,
in reference to this trick, when the light had at length dawned upon
him, in writing to Lord Shrewsbury, he says—‘I have found out at
last that the alarm about the monks at the bazaar was all a hoax; and
rumour mentions some ladies, not far distant from the Towers, as the
authors. I must own it was capitally done, and put me into a perfect
fever for some days. I only read the letter late in the day, and sent a
person all the way to the General Post Office to save the post. I never
gave the day of the month a moment’s consideration. I shall be better
prepared for the next 1st of April.’
“The school, which was intended also as a literary institution, a hall,
and a lecture-room for Alton, will be seen to the right on entering
the grounds; the house, to the left, now occupied as a convent, being
intended for a residence of the schoolmaster. In the original design
the cloistered part of the establishment was intended to be the convent
(the chapel being a nuns’ chapel), and the parish church of Alton
was intended to be rebuilt in the same style as the splendid church
at Cheadle. The hospital was to be for decayed priests. The chapel
is a beautiful little building, highly decorated in character, and
remarkably pure and good in proportions. In it, to the north of the
altar, are buried Earl John and his Countess, and to the south Earl
Bertram. The following are the inscriptions on the brasses to their
memory:—
“‘Hic jacet corpus Johannis quondam Comitis Salopiæ XVI. qui hunc
Sacellum et hospitium construere fecit A.D. MDCCCXLIV. Orate pro anima
misserimi peccatoris obiit Neapoli die IX No MDCCCLII Ætatis suæ LXI.’
“‘In Memoriam Mariæ Teresiæ, Johannis Comitis Salopiæ Viduæ, Natæ
Wexfordiæ XXII Maii MDCCXCV. Parissis obiit IV Junii MDCCCLVI quorum
animas Viventium Amor Sanctissimus incor unum conflasse Videbatur
corpora eodem sepulchro deposita misericordiam ejusdem redemptoris
expectant. R.I.P.’
“‘Orate pro anima Bertrami Artheri Talbot XVII Com: Salop: ob: die:
10º August 1856. Requiescat in pace.’
“In the cloisters is another beautiful brass, on which is the following
inscription:—
“‘Good Christian people of your charity pray for the soul of Mistress
Anne Talbot wife of Will^m Talbot Esquire of Castle Talbot Wexford
who died on the V day of May A.D. MDCCCXLIV. Also for the soul of the
above named Will^m Talbot Esq^{re} who died the II^{nd} day of Aug^t
MDCCCXLIX aged LXXXVI years. May they rest in peace.’
“On a slab on the floor:—
“‘Of your charity pray for the soul of Sister Mary Joseph Healy of the
Order of Mercy. Who died 4th August 1857 in the 31st year of her age,
and the 5th of her Religious Profession. R.I.P.’
“On a brass:—
“‘Orato pro anima Domini Caroli quondam Comitis Salopiæ qui obiit VI
die Aprilis anno domini MDCCCXXVII Ætatis suæ LXIV.’”[3]
ALTON CHURCH is also worthy of a visit, not because of any special
architectural features which it contains, but because of its commanding
situation and its near proximity to the Castle. It is of Norman
foundation. The village itself (visitors to the locality will be glad
to learn that it contains a very comfortable inn, the “Wheatsheaf”) is
large and very picturesque, and its immediate neighbourhood abounds in
delightful walks and in glorious “bits” of scenery.
DEMON’S DALE—a haunted place concerning which many strange stories are
current—is also about a mile from Alton, and is highly picturesque.
CROXDEN ABBEY (or Crokesden Abbey) is a grand old ruin, within an easy
walk of Alton. It was founded by Bertram de Verdun, owner of Alton
Castle, in 1176.
It will be readily understood that the renown of Alton Towers arises
principally from the garden and grounds by which the mansion is
environed. But if to nature it is indebted for its hills and dells, its
steep ascents and graceful undulations, art has done much to augment
its attractions. It may have been a “desert” when Earl Charles strove,
and successfully, to convert it into a paradise; but the rough material
was ready to his hand, and to taste, with judicious expenditure, the
task was not difficult to make it what it became, and now is—one of
the most exquisitely beautiful demesnes in the British dominions.
COBHAM HALL.
THE county of Kent is one of the pleasantest of the English shires;
rich in cultivated and pictorial beauty, it has been aptly and justly
called “the garden of England.” Patrician trees are found everywhere:
for centuries the hand of ruthless and reckless war has never touched
them; its chalky soil is redolent of health; its pasture lands are
proverbially fertile; its gentle hills are nowhere barren; in many
parts it borders the sea; and to-day, as it did ages ago,—
“It doth advance
A haughty brow against the coast of France;”
the men of Kent are, as they ever have been, and by God’s blessing ever
will be, the “vanguard of liberty.” Moreover, it is rich, above all
other counties, in traditions and antiquities; some of its customs have
continued unchanged for centuries; its ecclesiastical pre-eminence is
still retained; while some of the noblest and most perfect of British
baronial mansions are to be found in the graciously endowed county that
borders the metropolis.
Among the most perfect of its stately mansions is that to which we
introduce the reader—Cobham Hall, the seat of the Earl of Darnley,
Baron Clifton.[4] Its proximity to the metropolis—from which, if we
measure distances by time, it is separated by little more than an
hour—would alone supply a sufficient motive for its selection into
this series. It is situated about four miles south-east of Gravesend,
nearly midway between that town and Rochester, but a mile or so out of
the direct road. The narrow coach-paths which lead to it are shaded by
pleasant hedgerows, and run between lines of hop-gardens—the comely
vineyards of England.
[Illustration: _Cobham Hall._]
The mansion stands in the midst of scenery of surpassing loveliness,
alternating hill and valley, rich in “patrician trees” and “plebeian
underwood,” dotted with pretty cottages, and interspersed with
primitive villages: while here and there are scattered “old houses” of
red brick, with their carved wooden gables and tall twisted chimneys;
and glimpses are caught occasionally of the all-glorious Thames. A
visit to Cobham Hall, therefore, furnishes a most refreshing and
invigorating luxury to dwellers in the metropolis; and the liberality
of its noble owner adds to the rich banquet of Nature as rare a treat
as can be supplied by Art. The Hall, independent of the interest it
derives from its quaint architecture, its fine, although not unmixed,
remains of the Tudor style, contains a gallery of pictures, by the best
masters of the most famous schools, large in number and of rare value.
Before we commence our description of the Hall, the demesne, the
Church, the College, and the village of Cobham,[5] it is necessary that
we supply some information concerning the several families under whose
guardianship they have flourished.
Cobham Hall has not descended from sire to son through many
generations. Its present lord is in no way, or at least but remotely,
connected with the ancient family who for centuries governed the “men
of Kent,” and who, at one period, possessed power second only to that
of the sovereign. That race of bold barons has been long extinct, the
last of them dying in miserable poverty; and if their proud blood is
still to be found within their once princely barony, it runs, probably,
through the veins of some tiller of the soil.
The Cobhams had been famous from the earliest recorded times. In
Philipot’s “Survey of Kent”—1659—it is said that “Cobham afforded a
seat and a surname to that noble and splendid family; and certainly,”
adds the quaint old writer, “this place was the cradle or seminary of
persons who, in elder ages, were invested in places of as signall and
principal a trust or eminence, as they could move in, in the narrow
orbe of a particular county.” In the reign of King John, Henry de
Cobham gave 1,000 marks to the king for his favour. He left three sons,
viz., John, who was Sheriff of Kent, Justice of Common Pleas, and Judge
Itinerant; Reginald, also Sheriff of Kent, Constable of Dover Castle,
and Warden of the Cinque Ports; and William, also Justice Itinerant.
The eldest, John de Cobham, was succeeded by his son John, who in turn
became Sheriff of Kent, one of the Justices of King’s Bench and Common
Pleas, and Baron of the Exchequer. His son Henry de Cobham was Governor
of Guernsey and Jersey, Constable of Dover Castle, and Warden of the
Cinque Ports; so was also, again, _his_ son Henry, who likewise was
Governor of Tunbridge Castle, and was summoned to Parliament 6 to 9
Edward III. He was succeeded by his son John de Cobham, Admiral of the
Fleet, Justice of _Oyer_ and _Terminer_, and Ambassador to France, who
in “10 Richard II. was one of the thirteen appointed by the predominant
lords to govern the realm, but was after impeached for treason, and
had judgment pronounced against him, but obtained pardon, being sent
prisoner to the island of Jersey.” Dying in the ninth year of Henry
IV., he left his granddaughter, Joan, his heiress. This lady married
for her third husband Sir John Oldcastle, who assumed the title of Lord
Cobham. Reginald de Cobham, half brother to John, was Justice of King’s
Bench, an Admiral, an Ambassador to the Pope, and commander of the van
of the army at Crecy. He was succeeded by his son, Reginald de Cobham,
who likewise was succeeded by _his_ son Reginald; he left an only
daughter as heir.
No less than four Kentish gentlemen of the name embarked with the first
Edward in his “victorious and triumphant expedition into Scotland,” and
were knighted for services rendered to that prince in his “successful
and auspicious siege of Caerlaverock.” With Reginald de Cobham, as has
been shown, the male line determined. Joan, his daughter, is said to
have had five husbands, by only one of whom, Sir Reginald Braybrooke,
she left issue, Joan, who being married to Sir Thomas Broke, of the
county of Somerset, Knight, “knitt Cobham, and a large income beside,
to her husband’s patrimony.”[6]
Their eldest son, Sir Edward Broke, was summoned to parliament,
as Baron Cobham, in the 23rd Henry VI. In 1559 Sir William Broke
entertained Queen Elizabeth at Cobham Hall, in the first year of her
reign, “with a noble welcome as she took her progress through the
county of Kent.” His son and successor, Henry, Lord Cobham, was Lord
Warden of the Cinque Ports; but “being too deeply concerned in the
design of Sir Walter Raleigh,” he was deprived of his estates, though
not his life.[7]
His younger brother, George, was executed; but Cobham “lived many
years after in great misery and poverty,” dying in January, 1619;
and sharing the humble grave of some lowly peasant, apart from the
magnificent tombs which cover the remains of his great and gallant
ancestors. He is said, by Weldon, to have been reduced to such extreme
necessity, that “he had starved, but for a trencher-scraper, some time
his servant at court, who relieved him with scraps.”
A sister of Lord Cobham’s was married to Secretary Sir Robert Cecil:
his estimable and greatly beloved lady died in January, 1596-7. She was
also a kinswoman of Sir Walter Raleigh, and in one of his letters to
Cecil he says:—“It is trew that you have lost a good and vertuous wife
and my sealf an honorable frinde and kinswoman. Butt ther was a tyme
when shee was unknowne to you, for whom you then lamented not. Shee
is now no more your’s, nor of your acquayntance, butt immortall, and
not needinge nor knowynge your love or sorrow. Therfor you shall but
greve for that which now is as it was, when not your’s; only bettered
by the differance in this, that shee hath past the weresome jurney of
this darke worlde, and hath possession of her inheritance. Shee hath
left behind her the frute of her love, for whos sakes you ought to take
care for your sealf, that you leve them not without a gwyde, and not
by grevinge to repine att His will that gave them yow, or by sorrowing
to dry upp your own tymes that ought to establish them.” This lady was
sister to two of the unhappy conspirators of 1603 and kinswoman to the
third, as well as being wife of the chief officer of state by whom
these conspiracies had to be brought to light. Well therefore was it,
for her, that her pure spirit had taken its flight before the time of
attainder of her brothers, Henry, Lord Cobham, and George Broke, and
their baseness by falsity and otherwise in leading the much-injured
Raleigh to the scaffold. “Whatever mysteries,” says Mr. Edwards, “may
yet hang over the plots and counterplots of 1603, it is certain that
George Broke proved in the issue to have been the _instrument_ of the
ruin alike of his brother Cobham and of Raleigh. It is also certain
that mere ‘credulity of the practices of malice and envy’ could never
have ripened, save in a very congenial soil, into the consummate
baseness displayed both in the examinations and in some of the letters
of George Broke after his arrest. In certain particulars his baseness
exceeded his brother Cobham’s, and that is saying not a little as
to its depth.” His estates, at the time of their confiscation, are
estimated to have been worth £7,000 per annum; and he possessed £30,000
in goods and chattels. His nephew was restored in blood; but not to
the title or property. These were transferred—“the manor and seat of
Cobham Hall, and the rest of Lord Cobham’s lands”—by James I. to one
of his kinsmen, Ludovick Stuart, Duke of Lennox, whose male line became
extinct in 1672.
The Lady Katherine, sister of the last Duke of Richmond and Lennox,
married into the princely family of the O’Briens of Thomond; but the
Duke “dying greatly in debt” the estates were sold. Cobham Hall was
purchased by the second husband of the Lady Katherine, Sir Joseph
Williamson, who resided there for some time.[8] In 1701 he died,
bequeathing two-thirds of his property to his widow. This proportion
descended, on her demise, to Edward Lord Clifton and Cornbury,
afterwards Lord Clarendon, who had married the sole child of this Lady
Katherine, by her first husband, Henry Lord O’Brien;[9] and on Lord
Clarendon’s death without issue, in 1713, his sister, Lady Theodosia
Hyde, inherited; she married John Bligh, of the kingdom of Ireland,
Esq.; created, in 1721, an Irish peer by the title of Lord Clifton of
Rathmore, and, in 1725, Earl of Darnley in that kingdom.
For some years the Cobham estate was in Chancery. After a tedious suit
it was purchased by Lord Darnley for the sum of £51,000, to the third
part of which a Mrs. Hornby became entitled, as relict of the gentleman
to whom Sir Joseph Williamson had devised one third part.[10]
The Blighs are an ancient family, connected with Devonshire and other
parts of the West of England as well as with Ireland. One of them,
a merchant of Plymouth, an ancestor of the present peer, married
Catherine Fuller, sister to William Fuller, Bishop of Limerick and
Lincoln (1667-1675). In 1721 John Bligh of Rathmore, in the kingdom of
Ireland, Esquire, who had married the Lady Theodosia Hyde, sister to
Edward, Earl of Clarendon (whose wife Catherine, daughter of Katherine
Lady Thomond, who had successfully claimed the barony of Clifton of
Leighton Bromswold, in the peerage of the United Kingdom, as being
descended from the first Lord Clifton, inherited the said barony from
her mother), from whom he inherited the title and the estates, was
created Baron Clifton of Rathmere, in the kingdom of Ireland, in 1721.
[Illustration: _The Three Sisters._]
In 1723 he was created Viscount Darnley of Athboy, and in 1725 Earl
of Darnley, both in the peerage of Ireland. He also succeeded to the
title of Baron Clifton of Leighton Bromswold, in the peerage of the
United Kingdom, by which title he and his successors sit in the House
of Lords. His lordship was succeeded, as second Earl of Darnley, by
his son, who was again, on his death, succeeded by his son John, as
third earl. This nobleman, who was born in 1719, married in 1766 Mary,
daughter and heiress of John Stoyt, of Street, co. Westmeath, and by
her, who died in 1803, had issue John, afterwards fourth earl; Lady
Mary, married to Sir Lawrence Palk, Bart.; the Hon. Edward Bligh, a
general in the army; Lady Theodosia, married to her cousin, Thomas
Cherbourgh Bligh; Lady Catherine, married to Hon. Charles William
Stewart, afterwards Marquis of Londonderry; and the Hon. William, a
colonel in the army. The Earl died in 1781, and was succeeded by his
son John, as fourth earl. He married, in 1791, Elizabeth, daughter
of the Right Hon. William Brownlow of Lurgan, and by her had issue
Edward, fifth earl; Lady Mary, married to Charles Brownlow, Esq.; Hon.
John Duncan Bligh, Secretary of Legation at St. Petersburgh; and the
Lady Elizabeth, married to the Rev. J. Brownlow. His lordship died
in 1831, and was succeeded by his son Edward, fifth earl, who (born
in 1795), married in 1825 Emma Jane, third daughter of Sir Henry
Brooke Parnell, Bart., M.P.,—who, having held office as Secretary
at War, Paymaster-General of the Forces, and Treasurer of the Navy
and Ordnance, was created Baron Congleton in 1841,—and sister to the
present Lord Congleton. By this lady, who is still living, his lordship
had issue, John Stuart Bligh, sixth and present earl of Darnley; the
Hon. and Rev. Edward Vesey Bligh; the Hon. and Rev. Henry Bligh; the
Lady Elizabeth Caroline, and the Lady Emma Bess, both of whom are
married and bear the name of Cust—the first being the wife of Reginald
Cust, Esq., and the latter the wife of the Rev. Arthur Perceval
Purey-Cust. His lordship died in 1835, and was succeeded by his eldest
son, John Stuart Bligh, as sixth earl.
The present peer, John Stuart Bligh, sixth Earl of Darnley, Viscount
Darnley of Athboy, Baron Clifton of Leighton Bromswold, and Baron
Clifton of Rathmore, was born in 1827, and was educated at Eton and
Christ Church, Oxford, being B.A. in 1848, and M.A. in 1851. He married
in 1850 the Lady Harriet Mary Pelham, eldest daughter of the third
Earl of Chichester, and has by her issue, living, the Hon. Edward
Henry Stuart Bligh, Lord Clifton, who was born in 1851; the Hon. Ivo
Francis Walter Bligh, born 1859; the Hon. Arthur Frederick Pelham
Bligh, born 1865; the Lady Edith Louisa Mary, born 1853; the Lady
Kathleen Susan Emma, born 1854; the Lady Alice Isabella Harriet, born
1860; the Lady Mary Rose Florence, born 1868; and the Lady Constance
Violet Lucy, born in 1869. His lordship is a Deputy Lieutenant of the
county of Kent; Hereditary High Steward of Gravesend with Milton; and
Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant of the West Kent Yeomanry Cavalry. He is
patron of the living of Cobham. He has, besides Cobham Hall, a seat in
Ireland, Clifton Lodge, Athboy, co. Meath, and a town residence.
The arms of the Earl of Darnley are:—_Azure_, a griffin segreant,
_or_, between three crescents, _argent_. Crest:—A griffin’s head,
erased, _or_, Supporters:—Two griffins, wings elevated, _or_, ducally
collared and chained, _azure_. Motto:—“_Finem Respice_.”
Such is a brief history of the several noble families through whom the
mansion, demesne, and estates of Cobham have passed.
[Illustration: _The Lodge._]
The Hall is backed by a noble park, amply stocked with deer, and
containing trees of great variety and immense size, some of them
measuring above thirty feet in circumference. It comprises 1,800
acres, and encloses an area of about seven miles. The old approach,
long disused, was through an avenue of lime trees, consisting of four
rows, and extending more than half a mile in length from the dependent
village. The present entrance is through a red-brick, turreted
gateway, adjacent to which is the “LODGE.” On nearing the house, the
eye encounters a cedar of magnificent growth, and to the left are the
gardens, into which there are two terrace-walks—one from the great
gate, and another, at a considerable elevation, from the suite of
apartments which constitute the first floor. The view we have given
is the more ancient portion of the venerable edifice—the north wing,
with which the south wing mainly corresponds. They are, however,
connected by a centre, built by Inigo Jones; and this centre, which
consists of a façade with Corinthian pilasters, is out of keeping with
the quaint gables, octagonal turrets, ornamental doorways, carved
cornices, projecting mullioned windows, and elaborated chimneys,
which distinguish the earlier dwelling of the Cobhams. The structure
thus assumes the form of a half H, the wings being terminated by
octagonal towers; a sunken wall in front encloses a quadrangular
lawn, ornamented with vases and statues. The wings exhibit the dates
1582 and 1594, and retain all the characteristics of the later
Tudor style; although, as we have intimated, it has been materially
corrupted by the several alterations to which, from time to time,
the mansion has been subjected. The ordinary entrance is through a
vaulted passage, “built in the form of a Gothic cloister by James
Wyatt,” which contains the arms of the Cobhams, with the date 1587.
This passage leads to the grand staircase, and the several apartments
on the ground-floor. The first to which strangers are conducted is
the dining-hall, which contains an elaborately carved black-and-white
marble chimney-piece, having quaint and curious figures and buildings,
and a series of portraits of rare excellence. The Music-room, one of
the suite added to the ancient building, affords a brilliant contrast
to the sombre and solid character of the dining-room. It contains
but one picture—full-length portraits of the Lords John and Bernard
Stuart, sons of the Duke of Lennox—a _chef-d’œvre_ of Vandyke. The
chimney-piece is formed of the purest white marble, sculptured in
bas-relief after Guido’s “Aurora,” by the elder Westmacott, with fauns
life-size, as supporters. The ceiling was designed by Inigo Jones;
it is divided into several square and circular compartments, with a
deep oval in the centre, “superbly gilt and enriched by appropriate
ornaments, among which are twelve pendant coronets.” The apartment is
in length 50 feet, in breadth 36 feet, and height 32 feet! and although
superbly ornamented and richly gilt—the pillars of the Composite
order, being of white marble, and the lining of scagliola—the whole is
in fine harmony with the grace and chasteness of the design. There are
two galleries, one of which contains an organ. The vestibule is a small
chamber, decorated with valuable vases of verd-antique. The Library
contains a series of portraits of eminent literary men—Bolingbroke,
Sidney, Shakespere, Swift, and others; none of them, however, advance
strong claims to originality. On the walls of the Great Staircase are
hung several large pictures, which may bear examination before the
gallery is entered.
The grand staircase conducts, first to the Portrait Gallery, and
next to the Picture Gallery. The walls of the former are hung with
portraits, among which are many of exceeding interest, including those
of heroes, statesmen, kings and queens, church reformers, and poets,
mingled without regard to date or order. At the end of this gallery
are, branching to the right and left, the private apartments of the
family; and in a room opening out of the west end of the Picture
Gallery, Queen Elizabeth is reported to have slept when she honoured
the Lord Cobham with a visit during her progress through Kent. In the
centre of the ancient ceiling are still preserved her arms, with the
date, 1599. The Picture Gallery is the great “show-room” of the house.
It is a noble apartment, the walls of which are covered with works
of Art, of rare value and unsurpassed excellence, the productions of
nearly all the great masters of Italy—including admirable examples
of Guido, Titian, Salvator Rosa, Rubens, Raphael, Spagnoletto, P.
Veronese, Giorgione, N. Poussin, and Guercino.
Every part of the venerable edifice contains, indeed, some object of
interest. The rooms, and halls, and galleries are thronged with rare
and beautiful works of Art; a series of perfect vases from Herculaneum
lie on the tables of the Picture Gallery; several antique busts and
statues line the hall; a magnificent bath, of red Egyptian granite,
is placed in the entrance passage; and the furniture and interior
decorations are all of corresponding excellence and beauty.
Although necessarily limited in our description of Cobham Hall, we
have sufficiently shown the rare treat a visit to it will afford those
who, “in populous city pent,” desire to convert occasional holidays
into contributions to intellectual enjoyment. The Hall and its contents
will amply repay examination; and the noble park is full of natural
treasures—thronged with deer, singularly abundant in singing birds,
and containing trees unsurpassed in magnificent size and graceful
proportions. A group of these trees, known as “the Three Sisters”
(why we cannot say), we have engraved. One of the walks conducts to
a hillock, from the summit of which there is a splendid prospect of
the adjacent country, commanding views of the Thames and Medway, and
taking in the venerable castle, cathedral, and town of Rochester, the
dockyards at Sheerness, and the whole course of the great English river
to its mouth at the Nore. The pedestrian, pursuing this route, will
pass the Mausoleum, an elegant structure, built conformably with the
will of the third Earl of Darnley, and designed for the sepulture of
his family. It was never consecrated.
But Cobham has other objects of interest: the venerable Church, and
no less venerable “College.” The “CHURCH,” dedicated to St. Mary
Magdalen, stands upon elevated ground at the entrance of the village.
It consists of a nave, aisles, and chancel, with an embattled tower,
entered by an antique porch. The tower is obviously of a more recent
date than the chancel; the former is very ancient. As in many of the
Kentish churches, the walls were formerly painted in fresco, of which
evidence may be easily obtained by those who examine them narrowly;
the steps of the altar are paved with encaustic tiles, of about the
period of Edward III., of various patterns, but most of them containing
the _fleur-de-lis_. The whole aspect of the place indeed supplies
indubitable proof of very remote antiquity. It has been recently
restored, but with sound judgment and skill, by the accomplished
architect, Sir Gilbert Scott, R.A.
[Illustration: _Interior of the Church._]
The roof of huge oak rafters, the Gothic arches, the brasses, broken
and entire, which cover the floor, the quaint monuments let into the
walls, the delicately-sculptured piscina, the sedilia of carved stone,
the singular font, the rude vestry-room with its massive oak chest, the
Scripture passages painted on the walls, all bespeak the antiquity of
the building.
“Nearly in the centre is the still beautiful tomb of Sir Thomas Broke,
the Lady Joan, and their ten sons and four daughters. It is of white
marble, over which, upon a black slab, lie the effigies of the knight
and dame. On either side are those of five of their sons, kneeling, and
wearing tabards, with their swords girded on. The figures of the four
daughters are carved on the east and west ends of the superb monument.
It bears the date 1561, under the arms of the Brokes quartered with
those of the Cobhams.
“On the floor of the chancel are the famous ‘Cobham Brasses,’ the most
perfect and most numerous assemblage now existing in the kingdom. The
series consists of thirteen, recording the memory of the Cobhams and
Brokes, ‘lords and barons of this manor of Cobham, with many of their
kindred, who for many descents did flourish in honourable reputation.’
Of the thirteen, eight are in honour of the knights, and five are
memorials of the dames. These brasses, one and all, deserve the most
careful examination and notice. The earliest is to the memory of _John
de Cobham_, the first Knight Banneret, and Constable of Rochester;
he is dressed in a shirt of mail: round his waist is a rich girdle,
sustaining a long sword. Eight lines of Norman French are inscribed
round the verge of the slab. The others are to _Maude, Lady Cobham_
(1370), probably wife of Baron Cobham, who was Warden of the Cinque
Ports in the time of Edward III., who is represented with a dog at her
feet. Over her head are the words ‘Icy gist dame Maude de Cobham.’
_Maude, Lady Cobham_ (c. 1385) supposed to have been the wife of Thomas
de Cobham. She has a flounce of fur at the bottom of her dress. There
are the remains of a mutilated canopy over her, and a fragment of
inscription says, ‘Icy gist dame Maude de Cobehm qe....’ _Margaret,
Lady Cobham_ (1385), wife of John de Cobham, the founder of Cobham
College. This is a remarkably beautiful canopied brass; the finial of
the canopy bearing a figure of the Virgin and Child. Around the brass
is the inscription, ‘Isy gist dame Margarete de Cobeham, iadiis fille
a noble en le Comte de Deuenischire; feme le sire de Cobeham, foundour
de ... morust le secounde in dimoys D’agust lan de grace, MCCCLXXXV.,
lalme de qy deux eut mercy. Amen.’ _Joan, Lady Cobham_ (c. 1320), who
was daughter of John, Lord Beauchamp of Stoke-under-Hamden, and first
wife of Sir John de Cobham. The inscription, in Longobardic capitals,
is:—
“‘Dame Jone de Kobeham gist isi
Deus de sa alme eit merci
Kike pur le Alme Priera
Quaraunte jours de pardoun avera.’”
_Reginald de Cobham_ (c. 1420), an ecclesiastic, under a triple canopy,
the shaft and some other portions being lost. _Sir Thomas de Cobham_, a
knight in mixed armour, 1367.
[Illustration: _The College Porch._]
_Ralph de Cobham_, 1405, a semi-effigy in armour, holding in his hands
a tablet, bearing the inscription in old English characters. _John de
Cobham_, the founder of the College, bearing in his hands the model
of a church. _John Broke_ and _Lady Margaret_ his wife, under a rich
canopy with pendants and other ornaments, with triangular compartments,
containing circles with shields, one of which bears the crown of
thorns, and the other the five wounds; between the pinnacles, in the
centre, is a curious representation of the Trinity, in which the Deity
is delineated with a triple crown, and the Holy Spirit has a human
face. The figure of the knight is gone, but that of his lady remains;
and beneath are groups of eight sons and ten daughters. _Sir Reginald
Braybroke_, the second husband of Joan, Lady Cobham. _Sir Nicholas
Hauberk_, her third husband. _Joan de Cobham_: she died, as appears
from the inscription, ‘on the day of St. Hilary the Bishop, A.D.
1433.’ At her feet are six sons and four daughters; and surrounding
her, are six escutcheons of the Cobham arms and alliances. _Sir Thomas
Broke_ and one of his three wives. Below them are seven sons and five
daughters. Sir Thomas died 1529.”
“The COLLEGE of Cobham” is now only a collection of almshouses, to
which presentations are made—of old people, without restriction to
either sex—as vacancies occur, by the parish and ten other parishes
adjacent. It lies immediately south of the church, and is entered
by a small Gothic gateway. Its occupants are twenty aged men and
women, who have each a little dwelling, with a neat garden and an
allowance monthly, sufficient to secure the necessaries of life. It
is a quadrangular building, of stone, measuring about 60 feet by 50;
and contains a large hall, with painted windows, a roof of blackened
rafters, an old oak screen, and a fire-place of cut stone. The history
of the college is curious and interesting. A college or chantry was
originally founded here, about the year 1362, by John de Cobham, thence
called “the founder,” in the reign of Edward III. In the Church is a
brass to the memory of William Tanner, Master of the College, who died
in 1418. The brass consists of a half-length of the master, in clerical
costume, with the inscription in black letter:—“Hic jacet Willmus
Tannere qui prim obiit magister istuis Collegii xxii. die mensis
Junii Anno Dni. M°CCCC°XVIII. cujus anime propicietur deus Amen.”
Towards the end of the reign of Elizabeth it was rebuilt, as appears
by a record—“finished in September 1598”—inscribed over the south
portal, under the arms and alliances of the Brokes, Lords Cobham. The
endowments of the old foundation were ample, and were, with the college
itself, bestowed by Henry VIII., at the dissolution, upon George, Lord
Cobham, who had the “king’s roiall assent and licence by hys grace’s
word, with any manner of letters patent or other writings, to purchase
and receyve to his heires for ever, of the late master and brethren, of
the college or chauntry of Cobham, in the countie of Kent, now being
utterly dissolved, the scite of the same colledge or chauntry, and al
and singular their heridaments and possessions, as well temporall as
ecclesiasticall, wheresoever they lay, or were, within the realm of
England.” The walls of the ancient college may be clearly traced, and a
small portion still endures, comparatively uninjured. It is a gateway,
surmounted by the arms of the Cobhams, luxuriantly overgrown with ivy,
forming a fine example of picturesque antiquity. The present structure
was erected pursuant to the will of Sir William Broke, Lord Cobham,
who devised “all those edifices, ruined buildings, soil and ground,
with the appurtenances which some time belonged to the late suppressed
college for the use of the ‘new’ college.” By an act of the 39th of
Elizabeth, the wardens of Rochester Bridge for the time being were made
a body corporate, and declared perpetual presidents of the new college,
the government of which they retain to this day.
[Illustration: _The College._]
The dependent village of Cobham is one of the neatest and most
pleasant of the fair villages of Kent. There are, no doubt, many
nobler and more perfect examples of the domestic architecture of “old”
England than is supplied by Cobham Hall, but it would be difficult to
direct attention to any that affords so rich a recompense at so small
a cost; taking into account its genuine remains of antiquity, the
magnificent works of Art that decorate its walls, its easy access from
the metropolis, and the primitive character and surpassing beauty of
the locality in which it is situated.
MOUNT EDGCUMBE.
[Illustration]
WE cannot say in what month these details will be read, but they are
written on a morning of May, in one of the loveliest spots of the
fairest of our English shires: a mild and genial day of mid-spring—
“The soote season that bud and blome forth brings;”
when the apple orchards—prides of Devon—are in full blossom; the
hawthorns have donned their snow-white draperies; the gorse its garment
of gold; and every hedgerow is rich in the hundred hues of flowers
that herald summer: while all the hill-slopes and meadows, “in verdure
clad,” seem rejoicing over the prospective abundance that Nature
promises to healthy toil. We have passed through the fifty-three miles
that separate Exeter from Plymouth. It would be hard to find in any
part of the world, in equal space, a road so lavishly endowed with
gifts of the fertile and the beautiful. Part of the way by the open
sea, then by estuaries, then by the banks of broad rivers, then by
narrow and rapid streams, then under the shadows of tree-clad hills,
green from base to summit, with frequent views of prosperous towns and
happy villages, with venerable churches continually showing their tall
spires above the tree-tops—in thoroughly rural England, far from the
tall chimneys and dense atmosphere that betoken manufactures and their
results—the railway runs through many scenes of surpassing loveliness,
any one of which might tempt the traveller who is in search of either
health or pleasure, with assurance of an ample supply of both.
The GREAT WESTERN conveys us from Paddington to Exeter. We leave
Exeter by the South Devon Railway (proverbially well managed, in
all respects): it may take us to Penzance; but its great station is
midway, at Plymouth, where has been recently erected for the especial
accommodation of railway travellers and tourists, an admirable
hotel (the Duke of Cornwall—there is none more comfortable in the
kingdom).[11] Here we arrest the tourist, in order to visit the
promontory of Mount Edgcumbe, that occupies one side of the famous
harbour.
First, however, let us glance at the several points of interest that
claim our attention _en route_. Leaving Exeter and its many attractions
other than its renowned Cathedral, we first reach the marine village of
Starcross, opposite to which are old Topsham (full of memories of our
own boyhood, when “a stranger yet to pain”), and young Exmouth; stately
villas and pretty cottages occupy slopes of the hill range. Then, at
Dawlish, a graceful village, we front the sea, and pass some singular
rocks of red sandstone, that stand like sentinels along the shore—and
here, it may be well to note, some extraordinary inroads upon the
sea-wall of the railway have lately been made by the ocean—Teignmouth
and Shaldon come next, towns on both sides of the river Teign,
connected by a narrow wooden bridge more than a quarter of a mile in
length. We next arrive at Newton Junction, where a railway branch
conducts to Torquay and Dartmouth; soon afterwards Totnes is reached,
an old town on the Dart, one of the most beautiful of all the rivers in
Devonshire, whence a steamboat issues daily to visit Dartmouth. Here
we have left the sea, and have only in view rich pasture land—ever
green, the hills tree-clad to their topmost heights. Passing Brent and
Kingsbridge Stations, Ivy Bridge next comes in sight, a deep dell, over
which a viaduct passes: a dell of singular beauty, one of the finest in
all Devonshire. Soon we pass Cornwood and Plympton,—the latter famous
as the birthplace of Sir Joshua Reynolds,—and, skirting the Plym,
enter Plymouth.
The eye is at once arrested by a sylvan spot, running out into the sea,
beyond the docks, and their manifold adjuncts; a mass of greenery,
unbroken except by trees of varied foliage, that rise continually in
groups, from all parts of the promontory that, thus seen, seems an
island.
The admiral of the “Invincible” Armada had taste, at least, in fixing
upon Mount Edgcumbe as his dwelling-place, when settled in the country
he was “about” to conquer. God’s providence gave the invader a
different locality; and the beautiful domain continues to be, as it was
then, the home of the family of the Edgcumbes, now earls of “that ilk.”
Mount Edgcumbe is in Cornwall; but until recently it was a part of
Devonshire; the Act of Parliament that removed it from one county to
the other dating no further back than 1854. But Acts of Parliament have
done other wonders in this district, for it was only in 1824 that an
act was passed giving to the town of “Plymouth Dock,”—or, as it was
then generally called, “Dock,”—the new and more pretentious name which
it now holds of _Devonport_. The “Mount” is about half a mile across
the bay which divides it from the now “united” towns of Devonport,
Stonehouse, and Plymouth, which, together, contain a population of
150,000 “souls.” From any of the adjacent heights, especially the Hoe
at Plymouth, we obtain a glorious view of the road-stead—fortified
everywhere. In mid-distance is seen the Breakwater, one of the
marvels of engineering art; and far off, yet within view, the famous
lighthouse—the Eddystone, some fourteen miles from the nearest shore.
Between these objects and the port are, at all times, many ships of the
navy: they rule the waves of ocean in the seas that encircle earth;
and Plymouth will be especially glorified when the triumphs of British
sailors, from the admiral to the able seaman, supply subjects of
discourse.
The Breakwater, one of the most gigantic works in the kingdom, lies in
Plymouth Sound, where it forms a line between Bovisand Bay on the east,
and Cawsand Bay on the west. It is about three miles from Plymouth,
and is a mile in length. In form it is a straight line, with a kant or
arm at each end, branching off towards the shore. At its eastern end
a clear passage between it and the Bovisand shore of about a mile in
width is left for ships, while at the western end the passage is about
a mile and a half in width. The idea of the Breakwater originated with
Earl St. Vincent in 1806, and Mr. Rennie and Mr. Whidbey surveyed the
Sound for the purpose. In 1811 the plan was decided upon. The first
stone was deposited on the birthday of the Prince Regent (afterwards
George IV.), 1812. In 1817, and again in 1824, much damage was done
to the progressing work. The quantity of stone used in its formation
is estimated at about four millions of tons, exclusive of about
two millions and a half of tons of granite and other stones used
for paving, facings, &c. At the east end is a beacon, and at the
west end a lighthouse 60 feet high. The spirited engraving of this
gigantic undertaking, which we here give, is taken from Mr. Jewitt’s
recently published “History of Plymouth,” where it forms one of many
illustrations. The view, as will be seen, is a kind of bird’s-eye, and
shows the form of the Breakwater, with its new central fort and its
lighthouse and beacon.
[Illustration: _Plymouth Breakwater._]
The Eddystone Lighthouse, in the English Channel, is fourteen miles
from Plymouth, from which town its light is distinctly visible under
favourable atmospheric circumstances. It is erected on one of the
Eddystone rocks, probably so called from the eddies, or whirls, which
surround them. The rocks themselves are completely covered at high
tide. The first attempt to erect a lighthouse on these rocks was made
by Mr. Winstanley in 1696. This was completed in about four years,
but was washed away in a hurricane. In 1706 a new lighthouse, for
which an Act of Parliament had been passed, was begun to be erected
by Mr. John Rudyerd, silk mercer, of London, who was of the famous
family of Rudyerd, of Rudyerd, in the county of Stafford, and a man
of considerable engineering and architectural skill. He, wishing to
profit by experience, determined that as the former lighthouse had
been angular, his should be round, and that as it was mainly of stone
his should be of wood. In 1709 Rudyerd’s lighthouse was completed, and
gave promise of being a great success. Years passed on, storms rose,
the waves dashed over and around it wildly, but it remained firm and
unshaken even through the dreadful tempest of 1744. What wind and
water could not do, was, however, soon after fearfully accomplished
by fire—the lighthouse being burned down in 1755. Immediately after
this Mr. Smeaton undertook the task of erecting a new lighthouse
of stone. This, the present Eddystone Lighthouse, was commenced in
1756 and completed in 1759. In construction it is the most complete
example of architectural and engineering skill. The lower part is
solid throughout, being literally as firm as the rock itself, on which
it is immovably and permanently fixed. The stones are all dovetailed
together, so that, in reality, it becomes but one stone throughout. In
the upper portion, which is equally strong, the rooms and staircase
take up the hollow centre. The lantern is octagonal. This building,
which has given to the name of Smeaton an imperishable fame, bears on
its granite cornice the truly appropriate inscription:—“Except the
Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Psalm cxxvii.
1;” and over the lantern, “24th August, 1759. Laus Deo.” Of this we
give an engraving on our initial letter on page 54.
But we have a theme that demands all the space we can give—MOUNT
EDGCUMBE, and that other seat of the ancient family, COTHELE.
For Mount Edgcumbe art has done little; but it was here unnecessary
for art to do much: like some women, whose charms of expression and
perfect “loveliness” do not seem to require beauty, this delicious
peninsula has been so richly gifted by Nature, that, perhaps, efforts
to enhance its attractions might have lessened instead of augmenting
them. Hill and dell, heights and hollows, pasture slopes and rugged
hillocks, succeed each other with a delicious harmony we have rarely
seen elsewhere. On one side of the bay are the three busy towns,
active with energetic life; on another are the cultivated hill-sides
of productive Devon; on another is the open sea, with the two objects
we have noted—the Breakwater and the marvellous Eddystone. Everywhere
Nature has had its own sweet will; even the laurel hedges have risen
thirty feet in height; the lime trees grow as if they had never been
trimmed; while the slopes, from the hill-heights to the sea-rocks,
appear as sheen as if the scythe had been perpetually smoothing them.
Here and there, pretty and pleasant shelters have been provided for
visitors who throng hither for health and relaxation;[12] “look
out” seats are provided on many of the hill-tops; and the deer and
the rabbits have free pasturage in the noble Park that occupies a
space of many hundred acres between the harbour and the sea. Nor may
we forget the “defences” of the peninsula: the battery that would
here, as elsewhere, “keep the foreigner from fooling us,” and that
battery called “the Salute,” in which the huge “Armstrongs” are
hidden, but where may be seen, by all on-lookers, twenty-one mounted
cannon—“prizes” from ships of “the enemy” taken during the war with
France.
[Illustration: _Mount Edgcumbe, from Stonehouse Pier._]
All, therefore, is not left to Nature. Nor must we forget the gardens:
prettily laid out; enriched by rare trees, with vases and statues
judiciously intermixed; and, especially, a grove of orange trees, with
several summer-houses in pleasant nooks, where cedars, magnolias, cork
trees, and other trees, supply shade and shelter from rain and sun.
Art has here been aiding Nature, but its influence is felt rather than
seen; those to whom the “grounds” owe much seem to have been ever
mindful that their profuse and natural luxuriance needed few checks
of the pruner and trainer. The name of one of these benefactors is
recorded—a votive urn contains a tablet to the memory of that countess
“whose taste embellished these retreats, herself their brightest
ornament”—Countess Sophia, who could not have found on earth a home
more lovely than that which, in 1806, she was called to leave for one
still more perfect and more beautiful.
The great charm of Mount Edgcumbe, however, consists in the five-mile
drive through the Park, along a road that everywhere skirts the harbour
or the sea. It is perpetual hill and dell; a mimic ruin, intended
as a view tower, and answering its purpose well, is the only object
remarkable on the higher grounds, if we except the church—Maker
Church—neither venerable nor picturesque, but containing many
interesting memorials of the Edgcumbe family;[13] but down in the dales
(in nearly all of them) are the pretty “lodges,” where the keepers and
gardeners reside, and where simple “refreshments” of milk and hot water
are provided for the crowds who are weekly visitors to the domain. One
of these we have pictured on page 64.
Lady Emma’s cottage—Lady Emma being the first Countess of Mount
Edgcumbe, wife of George, first Baron and Earl of that title—is
charmingly situated in one of the most lovely of the dells of this
domain, surrounded by soft grassy turf, and overhung by lofty trees;
the cottage itself is completely embosomed in creeping plants, and
has a rustic verandah exquisitely decorated with fir-cones and other
natural productions, so disposed as to give considerable richness to
the effect of the building. The little valley in which it stands,
hollowed out with great regularity by Nature, and sloping gently down
towards the sea, is one of the sweetest spots on the whole estate. The
footway winds round the upper part of the valley, and at the head of
the dell is a spacious alcove composed of Gothic fragments, called the
“Ruined Chapel,” from which a glorious view is obtained.
In the grounds the most famous points for the attraction of visitors
are “Thomson’s Seat;” the “Temple of Milton;” a recess called the
“Amphitheatre;” a charming alcove, the “White Seat,” which commands
a splendid prospect; “the Arch,” which overlooks the Sound; and the
“zig-zag walks,” which lead down along the cliffs and through the
woods, and are the favourite resorts of visitors.
[Illustration: _The Mansion._]
The gardens are three in number, and called respectively the “Italian,”
the “French,” and the “English” gardens, in each of which the special
characteristics of planting and arrangement of those countries are
carried out—the conservatories, fountains, orangeries, terraces, etc.,
being, in each instance, built in accordance with the tastes of the
three kingdoms.
Indeed, it is difficult to convey an idea of the grandeur, beauty,
and interest of the views from every portion of the Park; they are
perpetually varied as the eye turns from sea to shore, and from shore
to sea; each one of them enhanced by ships at anchor or in full sail;
while boats of all forms and sizes are continually passing to and fro.
One of the most prominent objects from the park is Drake’s Island; an
island in mid-channel between Plymouth and Mount Edgcumbe; it appears
on the map, however, as St. Nicholas Island, its original name, but it
has, in later times, been occasionally called Drake’s Island, after
the great admiral, Sir Francis Drake—one of the many sea-heroes of
whom Plymouth is justly proud. This island is connected with the shore
at Mount Edgcumbe by a submarine ridge of rocks, called the “Bridge,”
which renders the passage, on that side, dangerous to ships of even
moderate burthen. On the island was formerly an ancient chapel,
dedicated to St. Michael, which was converted in the fifteenth century
into a bulwark. The island contains about three acres of land, and is
strongly fortified.
We turn our backs on the Breakwater and distant Eddystone, to mark the
steamer passing under the most remarkable effort of engineering skill
in England—one of the legacies of Brunel—the “Albert Bridge” that
crosses the Tamar from Devonshire into Cornwall; and long to visit
(which we may easily do, for steam-boats run daily up it in summer)
the beautiful river Tamar and its grand tributary, the Tavy. A drive
of a mile, and before us is a continuation of the promontory, still
charming; and a little farther on, but across the river Lynher—and
adjacent to the ancient borough of St. Germans, with its venerable
church, once the cathedral of the See of Cornwall—is Port Eliot, the
residence of the noble family of Eliot, Earls of St. Germans. In a
word, a hundred points of deep and exciting interest, picturesquely
beautiful and historically interesting, may be seen and “taken note
of,” from the several points to which a drive through the Park conducts.
We give an engraving of the mansion. Parts of it are as old as the
reign of Henry VIII., but its outward signs of remote age are few; it
seems built for comfort; it is thoroughly a domestic house; the rooms
are neither large, lofty, nor stately; but all of them are made to live
in—so many parts of a home. We may except the Great Hall, however;
that is “grand.” There is a minstrels’ gallery, and it is often used
for music. The house is square in general form, and originally had
a circular tower at each angle; these, however, have been rebuilt
of an octagonal form, and additions have been carried in different
directions. The front faces down a grassy slope to the sea at Cremill,
and thus a charming prospect is always before its windows; the rooms
are full of family and historic portraits: some of them by the great
old masters, many by Sir Joshua Reynolds, “dear Knight of Plympton,”
while ten or twelve Vanderveldes grace the several apartments. Of
these some are stated to have been painted by the artist, Vandervelde
himself, at Mount Edgcumbe. Of one, which formed the subject of
correspondence between Sir Richard Edgcumbe and the artist, the
original and amended sketches hang beside the picture. The portraits
by Sir Joshua Reynolds are of individuals of three generations, and
those by Lely are in his best style. Among the national pictures are
full-length and other portraits of Charles I., Charles II., James II.,
Prince Rupert, William III., the Duke of Monmouth, and others.
It is needless to add that delicious views are obtained from the
windows of all the leading chambers, not only on the upper but on
the ground floors, as well as from the several terraces by which the
dwelling is, on all sides, environed—occupying as it does an elevation
on the side of one of the hill slopes.
Before we visit COTHELE—the other mansion of the Mount-Edgcumbes—we
give some account of the ancient and long-honoured family, who have
been their lords for many hundred years.
The family of Edgcumbe, or Edgcomb, is one of the most ancient and
venerable in the county of Devon, the name being derived from their
original possession of Eggescomb, Egecomb, or Edgcombe (now called
Lower Edgcumbe), in the parish of Milton Abbots, in that county. From
this family and this place, the noble family of the Earls of Mount
Edgcumbe is descended as a younger branch.
In 1292 Richard Edgcumbe was Lord of Edgcumbe, in Milton Abbots, and
he was direct ancestor, both of the present representative of the main
line, who is twentieth in direct lineal descent, and of the present
ennobled family, as well as of the branches settled in Kent and
elsewhere.
In the reign of Edward III., William de Eggescombe, or Edgcombe, second
son of the House of Edgcumbe, having married Hilaria, sole daughter and
heiress of William de Cothele, of Cothele, or Coteel, in the parish
of Calstock, in Cornwall, a fine old Cornish family, became possessed
of Cothele and the other estates, and removed into Cornwall. Here, at
Cothele, he and his descendants resided for several generations.
Richard Edgcumbe, great grandson of William de Edgcumbe and Hilaria
de Cothele, is said to have built the greater part of the grand
old residence of Cothele as it remains at the present day: of this
singular mansion we shall furnish some details. At Bosworth Richard
Edgcumbe received the honour of knighthood from his victorious
leader, Henry VII., was made comptroller of his household, and one
of his Privy Council, and had the castle and lordship of Totnes, in
Devonshire—forfeited to the crown on the attainder of John Lord Zouch
for high treason—conferred upon him by that monarch, with many other
honours and dignities, and large extents of land, including those of
Sir Henry Bodrugan, who had likewise been attainted for high treason.
He also held, as he had previously done, the offices of Recorder, and
Constable of the castle of Launceston, and Constable of Hertford, &c.
In 1488 Sir Richard was sent into Ireland, as Lord Deputy, by his royal
master, to take the oaths of allegiance of the Irish people, embarking
at Mounts Bay in the _Anne of Fowey_, and attended by other ships,
and a retinue of five hundred men. He died in 1489, at Morlaix, while
holding the appointment of ambassador to France. He married Joan,
daughter of Thomas Tremaine of Collacombe, by whom he had issue.
[Illustration: _Lady Emma’s Cottage._]
Of Sir Richard Edgcumbe, Fuller tells a romantic story. He says he was
“memorable in his generation for being zealous in the cause of Henry,
Earl of Richmond, afterwards King Henry VII. He was, in the time of
Richard III., so hotly pursued, and narrowly searched for, that he
was forced to hide himself in his wood, at his house, in Cuttail, in
Cornwall. Here extremity taught him a suddain policy, to put a stone
in his capp and tumble the same into the water, whilst these rangers
were fast at his heels, who, looking down after the noise, and seeing
the cap swimming therein, supposed that hee had desperately drowned
himself, and deluded by this honest fraud, gave over their further
pursuit, leaving him at liberty to shift over into Brittany. Nor was
his gratitude less than his ingenuity, who, in remembranse of his
delivery, after his return built a chappel (which still remains) in
the plase where he lurked, and lived in great repute with prince and
people.” After thus cleverly misleading his pursuers, Richard Edgcumbe
crossed the Channel in a small ship, to the Earl of Richmond, in
Brittany, with whom he afterwards returned to England, and was engaged
in the battle of Bosworth Field, in Leicestershire, where King Richard
was killed.
[Illustration: _In the Gardens._]
His son, Piers Edgcumbe, was Sheriff of the county of Devon, 9th, 10th,
and 13th Henry VII. and 2nd Henry VIII. “At the creation of Prince
Arthur he was one of the twenty individuals who were made Knights of
the Cross of St. Andrew.” He, with others, was “appointed to review
and array all men at arms, archers, and others, who were to accompany
Sir Thomas D’Arcy in his expedition against the Moors and infidels.”
He was one of the expedition into France, 5th Henry VIII., and for
his distinguished gallantry at the sieges of Tournay and Thurovenne,
and at the battle of Spurs, he was created a knight-banneret. Sir
Piers Edgcumbe was married twice: first to the daughter and heiress
of Stephen Durnford, by his wife the heiress of Rame; and, second, to
Katherine, daughter of Sir John St. John, and widow of Sir Griffith
Ap Rys, by whom he had no issue. By the first of these marriages,
Sir Piers Edgcumbe acquired the manors and estates of the Durnfords,
including that of West Stonehouse (now Mount Edgcumbe). He had issue
by her, three sons, Richard, John, and James, and three daughters,
Elizabeth, Jane, and Agnes (or Anne). Sir Piers Edgcumbe died in 1539,
and was succeeded as heir by his eldest son, Richard Edgcumbe, who was
knighted in 1536.
This Sir Richard Edgcumbe built the present family mansion, on a
part of the estate which his father had acquired by marriage with
the heiress of the Durnfords (who had inherited it from the ancient
family of Stonehouse or Stenhouse), and gave to it the name of “Mount
Edgcumbe.” He was Sheriff of Devon 35th Henry VIII. and 1st Queen
Mary. He married first a daughter of Sir John Arundel, by whom he had
no issue; and, second, Winifred Essex, and by her had, besides other
issue, a son, Piers, or Peter, who succeeded him. Sir Richard Edgcumbe,
who kept up a fine establishment, and at one time entertained at Mount
Edgcumbe the English, Spanish, and Netherlands admirals, died in 1561.
Piers (or Peter) Edgcumbe, who was member of Parliament, and was also
Sheriff of Devon 9th Elizabeth, married Margaret, daughter of Sir
Andrew Lutterell, by whom he had five sons and four daughters, and was
succeeded by his eldest son, Richard.
Piers Edgcumbe died in 1607, and on his tomb his honours are thus set
forth:—
“Lief Tenant to my Queen long Time
And often for my Shire and Knighte;
My merit did to Creddit clime,
Still bidinge in my Callinge righte;
By Loyalty my faith was tryede,
Peacefull I liv’d, hopeful I diede.”
His son, Sir Richard Edgcumbe, knighted by James I., was member of
Parliament for Totnes, for Grampound, and for Bossiney; he married
Mary, daughter and heiress of Sir Richard Coteele, or Cottle, of
London, and by her, who died eighteen years before him, had issue, two
sons, Piers and Richard, by the eldest of whom, Piers Edgcumbe, he was
succeeded. This gentleman distinguished himself by his devotion to the
royal cause; he “was a master of languages and sciences, a lover of the
king and church, which he endeavoured to support in the time of the
civil wars to the utmost of his power and fortune.” Sir Alexander Carew
and Major Scawen, for holding connection with Piers Edgcumbe, who held
a colonel’s commission in the king’s army, were beheaded. He married
Mary, daughter of Sir John Glanvil, and died in 1660, being succeeded
by his eldest son, Sir Richard Edgcumbe, who had been knighted during
his father’s lifetime. He was also a member of Parliament. He married
Anne Montague, daughter of Edward, Earl of Sandwich, by whom he had
issue two sons, Piers, who died young and unmarried, and Richard; and
six daughters. He died in 1688.
To this time, for several generations, it will have been noticed, the
inheritors of the estate alternated, in name, between Piers (or Peter)
and Richard. This succession of name was now broken by the death of
Piers, the eldest son.
Richard Edgcumbe, soon after coming of age, was chosen M.P. for
Cornwall, and continued to sit for various places until 1742. In 1716
and 1720 he was one of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, and
in 1724 was Vice-Treasurer, and Paymaster of the Taxes, &c. In 1742
he was created BARON EDGCUMBE of Mount Edgcumbe, and was afterwards
made Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, one of the Privy Council,
and Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall. His lordship, by his wife Matilda,
daughter of Sir Henry Furnese, had issue, three sons, Richard, Henry
(who died an infant), and George; he died in 1758, and was succeeded
in his title and estates by his eldest son, Richard, second Baron
Edgcumbe, member of Parliament for various places, one of the Lords of
the Admiralty, and afterwards appointed Comptroller of his Majesty’s
Household. He was a man of great talent, and is thus spoken of by
Horace Walpole in his “Royal and Noble Authors:”—“His lordship’s skill
as a draughtsman is said to have been such as might entitle him to
a place in the ‘Anecdotes of English Painting,’ ‘while the ease and
harmony of his poetic compositions give him an authorised introduction
here.’ ... ‘a man of fine parts, great knowledge, and original wit,
who possessed a light and easy vein of poetry; who was calculated by
nature to serve the public, and to charm society; but who unhappily
was a man of pleasure, and left his gay associates a most affecting
example how health, fame, ambition, and everything that may be laudable
in principle or practice, are drawn into and absorbed by that most
destructive of all whirlpools—gaming.’”
[Illustration: _The Ruin, the Sound, Drake’s Island, &c._]
His lordship, dying unmarried in 1761, was succeeded by his brother
George as third baron. This nobleman, who had sat in several
parliaments, and held various public offices (among them the
Lord-Lieutenancy of Cornwall), and was Vice-Admiral of the Blue,
married Emma, only daughter and heiress of John Gilbert, Archbishop of
York, by whom he had issue an only son, who succeeded him. His lordship
was, on the 17th February, 1781, created in addition to his title of
Baron Edgcumbe, _Viscount Mount Edgcumbe and Valletort_; and in 1789 he
was further advanced to the dignity of an earl, by the title of _Earl
of Mount Edgcumbe_. Dying in 1795, he was succeeded by his only son,
Richard, as second earl.
[Illustration: _The Salute Battery._]
This nobleman, who also held the office of Lord-Lieutenant of
Cornwall, married Lady Sophia Hobart, daughter of John, second Earl of
Buckinghamshire, and by her had issue, two sons, Ernest Augustus, and
George, and two daughters. His lordship died in 1839, and was succeeded
by his eldest son, Ernest Augustus, as third earl, who (born in 1797)
was Aide-de-Camp to the Queen and Colonel of the Cornwall militia.
He married, in 1831, Caroline Augusta, daughter of Rear-Admiral
Charles Feilding, who still survives him, and is an extra Lady of the
Bed-chamber to the Queen. By her his lordship had issue two sons: viz.,
William Henry and Charles Ernest, and two daughters, of whom Ernestine
Emma Horatia is still living. The earl died in 1861, and was succeeded
by his eldest son as fourth earl.
The present nobleman, William Henry Edgcumbe, fourth Earl of Mount
Edgcumbe, Viscount Mount Edgcumbe and Valletort, and Baron Edgcumbe
of Mount Edgcumbe, the noble owner of Mount Edgcumbe and of the large
estates concentrated in the family, was born in 1832. He was educated
at Harrow, and at Christ Church, Oxford, where he became B.A. in 1856,
and sat as M.P. for the borough of Plymouth from 1859 to 1861, when,
by the death of his father, he entered the Upper House. His lordship
is an extra Lord of the Bed-chamber to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales; is
Lieutenant-Colonel of the 2nd battalion and Captain Commandant of the
16th corps of Devon Rifle Volunteers; is a Special Deputy Warden of the
Stannaries, &c., &c. He married in 1858 the Lady Katherine Elizabeth
Hamilton, fourth daughter of the first Duke of Abercorn, and has by her
issue one son, Piers Alexander Hamilton Edgcumbe Viscount Valletort
(born 1865), and three daughters, Victoria Frederica Caroline, born
1859, Albertha Louisa Florence, born 1861, and Edith Hilaria, born
1862. His lordship is patron of five livings; viz., Dittisham and
Beer Ferrers, in Devonshire; and Landrake, Rame, and Millbrook, in
Cornwall. The arms of the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe are—_gules_, on a
bend _ermines_, cottised, _or_, three boars’ heads, _argent_. Crest—a
boar, statant, _argent_, gorged with a leaf of oak, _vert_, fructed,
_or_. Supporters—two greyhounds, _argent_, gutté de poix, and gorged
with a collar, dovetailed, _gules_.
From the ancient mansion at Mount Edgcumbe we proceed to that which is
still older and more venerable—
COTHELE.—It is difficult to imagine a house continuing—and but
little changed—to be inhabited by the same family, or, indeed,
inhabited at all, during a period approaching three centuries; yet
that is the case with Cothele, pride of the beautiful river Tamar, and
one of the “gems” of Cornwall;[14] its gigantic oaks, and chestnuts
are obviously so old; but it is requisite to examine the exterior,
and especially the interior, to obtain conviction that the mansion
dates from the reign of the seventh Henry; while its present lord is
the lineal representative of the knight who built it—Sir Richard
Edgcumbe—whose house it is we see, nearly as he left it:[15] but,
also, we may examine the armour he wore, for it still hangs in this
hall; the table at which he feasted (the worm of time only has touched
it); the chairs on which he and his dame sat, the very bed on which
they slept, while the tapestry, woven by fair hands that have been
dust for three centuries, still cover the old walls. Charles I.
certainly slept in one of these rooms, and it demands no great stretch
of imagination to believe that the illustrious Sir Walter Raleigh was
often its honoured guest. We may have been seated in the very chair
in which the great knight recounted his adventurous exploits against
the hated Spaniards under his cousin’s roof-tree. Memories haunt every
room; every hole and corner, so to speak, has a tale to tell of the
long past.
The house is one of the finest remaining examples of the period to
which it belongs, and, with Haddon Hall, in Derbyshire, which it
closely resembles in general plan and in some of its details, is one
of the best existing specimens of mediæval domestic architecture in
England. Although, doubtless, the greater part of the building was
erected by Sir Richard Edgcumbe, it is evident that the whole was
not built by him, but that he added to, and enlarged the then family
residence of the Cotheles, many portions of which exist at the present
time.[16] The buildings surround two court-yards, or quadrangles, the
entrance being surmounted by an embattled tower; the main buildings and
large tower are also embattled.
The banqueting-hall is a noble apartment, 42 feet long by 22 feet wide.
It has a remarkably fine timber roof, with intersecting arches in its
compartments. At the upper end, to the left, the lord’s table stood
beneath the bayed window, and opposite to it a doorway leads to the
principal staircase. At the bottom of the hall are three doorways, one
of which led to the great kitchen, and the other two to the buttery and
the cellar. On the walls are suits of armour, helmets, breastplates,
warders’ horns, gauntlets, matchlocks, cross-bows, shields,
battle-axes, halberts, pikes, swords, pistols, gisarmes, petronels, and
two-handed swords and spears that may have been
“Bathed in gore
On the plains of Azincourt.”
In the windows are the royal arms, the arms and impalements of
Edgcumbe, Cothele, Holland, Tremaine, Trenchard, Durnford, Rame,
Cotterell, Raleigh (for Sir Walter Raleigh’s grandmother was Elizabeth,
daughter of Sir Richard Edgcumbe of Cothele), Trevanion (Sir William
Trevanion married another daughter of Sir Richard Edgcumbe, and fought
by his side at Bosworth Field, and accompanied him in his pursuit of
the mutual enemy, Sir Henry Bodrugan), Carew, of Anthony (of the family
of Carew the historian), St. Maur, Courtenay, Bigbury, Fitzwalter, &c.
The dining-room is a charming tapestried apartment, with mullioned
windows and a fine old fire-place. The tapestry is highly interesting,
one of the subjects being the story of Eurydice, another Diana and
Apollo, and the others rural scenes, equestrian figures, &c.
Adjoining the dining-room is an ante-room of surpassing interest. “The
tapestry in this room represents the Sciences, and might be called the
school of Athens, from the similarity of the subject to the celebrated
picture of Raphael.” In this room, as in others, has been collected
together a fine assemblage of old earthenware and other interesting
matters relating to the life of the inmates in times of old.
The chapel, which is in the corner of the court-yard, contains a pretty
open-work oak screen, and an arched roof at the intersections of
which are carved bosses. The bowl of the original font is preserved.
In the east window, in stained glass, are considerable portions of
full-length figures, probably of saints, but the names do not appear,
while in the upper light is represented the Annunciation. The angel is
red with green wings, and on a label, in black letter, the words “Ave
Maria gracia plena, D̄ns tecum.” The Virgin is on the other side, near
a building resembling a church, with a label also, on which once was
“Ecce ancilla D̄ni; fiat ̄mi s̄cdm verbū-tuū.” In the lower compartment
of the window will be noticed three shields of arms: the first being
Edgcumbe, quartering Tremaine (or Trenchard); the second, first, and
fourth Edgcumbe, second Holland, third Tremaine, impaling first and
fourth Durnford, second Fitzwalter, and third, now blank but probably
originally containing Bigbury; and the third which contained Edgcumbe
and several quarterings, much injured. In the south window are two
female saints, St. Ann and St. Katherine. “An ancient altar-piece has
the date 1589, and in the centre the adoration of the Magi; while on
one door is the portrait of a man with ‘æt suæ 38,’ and on the other
of a female, with ‘æt suæ 28,’ and on each door a shield with _or_, an
arrow, _sable_.” The chapel is entered from the dining-room as well as
from the court-yard and domestic offices. It has a small bell turret.
The bed-rooms—“the white room,” the “red room,” the “best room,”
“King Charles’s room,” and “Queen Anne’s room”—are all hung with fine
tapestry, and furnished in a style strictly in keeping with the place
itself. The ceiling of the first of these is of geometric design. The
carved furniture in these rooms is of the most interesting character,
and among the decorations are many shields of arms of the Edgcumbes and
their alliances. The tapestry is of the finest character, the furniture
grand as old furniture well can be, the hangings rich in material
and hoary with age, and the ornaments of the most veritable _vertu_
character—each room in this grand old mansion offers subject-matter
enough for a separate volume.
[Illustration: _The Mansion._]
The drawing-room is also a fine tapestried apartment, furnished with
massive ebony chairs, ebony sofa, and ebony carved cabinet, and all
the appliances _en suite_. The kitchen and the other domestic offices
are each and all of the most interesting character, and convey to the
mind a vivid picture of the life of the inmates in days gone by. It
is impossible, indeed, to conceive anything better than Cothele as
an illustration of the home-life of our mediæval ancestors; for the
building, the furniture, and the appliances, as they are to-day, so
were they three hundred years ago. As it was in the days of Henry VII.,
so it is in those of Queen Victoria; and so, thanks to the preserving
spirit of the Edgcumbes, it is likely to remain for centuries to come.
On some of the previous pages mention is made of Sir Richard Edgcumbe’s
escape from his pursuers, and of his founding a chapel on the spot of
his deliverance. This little chapel still stands to mark the spot,
and to bring back to the mind the circumstances of his escape, and of
the discomfiture of his pursuers. The chapel is built on the edge of
the rock overlooking the water, and from the east window the view is
wonderfully grand. In this east window is a figure of St. George in the
centre, with the Annunciation and the Crucifixion on either side. It
also bears the arms of Edgcumbe and Tremaine. In the other windows are
also figures in stained glass, and on the altar is a triptych. Among
other interesting features in this chapel—and they are many—is a
fac-simile of the ancient tomb of Sir Richard Edgcumbe, at Morlaix.
The grounds are charmingly wild, yet graceful. Nature is in a great
degree left to have her own way; the trees are of magnificent size
(one of them indeed measures 28 feet in girth), ferns and wild flowers
grow in rich luxuriance: every now and then glimpses are obtained of
the beautiful river, and, on the opposite side, of the hill-steeps and
thick woods of Devonshire. A pretty landing-place for boats is among
the most picturesque points in the landscape; a lesser river here flows
into the Tamar; a waterfall adds to the interest of the scene; and a
neat little inn, close to the bank, gives refreshment to the wayfarer;
above all its attractions is to be counted this—it is distant a dozen
miles from a railway, and the shrill whistle never breaks the harmony
of the song-birds, who “cannot help but sing” in every bush, brake, and
tree of the demesne. The scenery on the river in the neighbourhood of
Cothele is extremely beautiful, and in many places thickly overhung by
skirting woods. Danescombe, a deep hollow in the woods, is a charming
spot, as are the Morwell rocks, and many other places.
We have directed attention to but one of a hundred attractions in
Devonshire and Cornwall: Devonshire is rich in the picturesque at
all seasons; and the wild grandeur of the Cornish coast has for
centuries been a theme of special laudation. Here and there, no doubt,
other countries may supply us with finer examples of the sublime and
beautiful in scenery; but they are to be reached only by sacrifices,
such as the HOME TOURIST is not called upon to make: our own Islands
have been gifted by God with so much that is refreshing as well as
exciting to the eye and mind, that he or she must be fastidious indeed
who fails to be content with the beauties that Nature presents so “near
at hand”—accessible at comparatively easy cost of time, toil, and
money.
[Illustration: _The Landing Place._]
Between Exeter and Plymouth there may be a tour for every day of a
month.
Among the more delightful trips, where all is so beautiful, and
where it is impossible to turn in any direction without finding some
delightful place or some interesting object, may be named as especially
within the reach of visitors, those to Ivy Bridge, with its abundant
charms of hill, dell, wood, and river; to Saltram, the seat of the
Earl of Morley, on the banks of the Laira; to the Beacon and moors of
Brent; to the picturesque and pleasant dingles and combs of Cornwood;
to Plympton, with its historic sites and its pleasant associations;
to Bickleigh and its poetical vale; to Dartmoor, with its gloomy
waste, its wild and romantic “breaks” of scenery, and its endless
antiquities; and to scores of other delicious spots. The trip up the
river Tamar to the Weir-head is one which ought to be taken by every
visitor, embracing, as it does, besides hundreds of other points of
interest, the dockyards, gun-wharf, Keyham steam-yard, Mount Edgcumbe,
Torpoint, Thanckes, Gravesend House, the mouth of the sweet river
Lynher, by which St. Germans is reached; Saltash, whose women are
proverbial for their dexterity and strength in aquatic exercises, and
who often carry off regatta prizes; St. Budeaux, with its conspicuous
church; the junction of the Tavy with the Tamar; Warleigh, Beer Ferris,
and Maristow; Cargreen and Landulph, in whose churchyard Theodore
Palæologus, the last male descendant of the Christian emperors of
Greece, rests in peace; Pentillie Castle, with its romantic love
stories and tales of change of fortune; Cothele, of which we have
spoken; Calstock, with its fine old church situated on a promontory;
Harewood House, the seat of the Trelawneys, and the scene, in Mason’s
_Elfrida_, of the love of Ethelwold and of the misfortunes consequent
on his marriage with the daughter of Ordgar; and the sublime and
beautiful Morwell Rock.
Staddon Heights, Mount Batten, Penlee Point, Hooe, and many other
places, are within short distances of the Hoe, at Plymouth, and can
be easily reached. Trematon Castle and St. John’s are also near at
hand, and pleasure trips are frequently made in steam-boats round the
Eddystone.
For those who make a longer stay in South Devon, visits may well be
made to Tavistock, to Totnes, to Berry Pomeroy Castle, to Torquay,
with a long _et cetera_.[17] Besides the trip up the Tamar, there are
other rivers in South Devon whose charms are of a totally different,
but perhaps even more exquisitely beautiful character. Thus the Dart,
the Lynher, the Plym, the Yealm, the Erme, and the Tavy, all present
attractions to the tourist.
It cannot fail to augment the enjoyment of those who visit this
beautiful county—the fairest, the brightest, and the “greenest” of all
our English shires—to recall the many “worthies” to whom Devonshire
and Cornwall have given birth; men renowned in art, in science, and in
letters: and the gallant men, the “adventurers,” who carried the flag
of England into every country of the world, braving the battle and the
breeze in all the seas that surround earth in the four quarters of the
globe. It is a long list—the names of Drake, of Raleigh, and of Davy;
of Reynolds, Northcote, Haydon, and Eastlake; of Carew, of Hawkins,
and of Gilbert; of Kitto, of Bryant, and of Hawker, being not a tithe
of the eminent men to which this district has given birth—of whom the
western shires are rightly and justly proud.
Shame be to those who seek in other lands the enjoyment they may find
so abundantly at home—who talk freely of the graces and grandeurs of
far-off countries, and do not blush to acknowledge entire ignorance of
those that bless and beautify their own.
England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, are, each and all, rich in “the
picturesque;” to the artist and art-lover they present attractions
second to none they will find in any country of the Continent: that
is the truest “patriotism,” which inculcates, as a first duty, a full
appreciation of
“Our own, our native land!”
ALNWICK CASTLE.[18]
[Illustration]
WITH the single exception of Royal Windsor, ALNWICK CASTLE is second
to none of the mediæval British strongholds which, in our own times,
combine the characteristics of the early fortress and the modern
palace. With its magnificent architectural features, all of them deeply
impressed with the attributes of a baronial castle of the olden time,
and placed in the midst of that famous scene of long-continued strife,
of daring deeds, and of summary retribution, the Northern Border,
Alnwick may truly be said to be an historical monument, standing upon
historic ground. The names of the great barons, in like manner, who
have successively been lords of Alnwick, have been enrolled by English
chroniclers among the foremost ranks of their countrymen, so that their
own biographies, interwoven with the history of their renowned castle,
are written in the annals of England. Then, on the other hand, while in
an extraordinary degree rich as well in relics as in memories of the
past, Alnwick still maintains the unclouded splendour of its ancient
dignity in its present capacity as the residence of an existing ducal
family. Thus, from whatever point of view it may be regarded, Alnwick
Castle must be esteemed as one of the finest and most interesting of
our national edifices, and it also always will establish its claim to a
foremost place among “the stately homes of England.”
When Nature declined to provide any one of her own emphatic
boundary-lines, such as a mountain-chain or a broad and deep river,
to determine the frontier which should divide England from Scotland,
she left a very delicate and difficult international question to be
adjusted by the rulers of the two adjacent realms, so long as this
single island of Britain should be divided into two distinct, and
by no means necessarily friendly, kingdoms. An artificial line of
demarcation, accordingly, had to be drawn, and was drawn, which was
supposed to be accepted and recognised both to the north and to the
south of it. Here and there, as if to show in the clearest manner
possible the unsatisfactory character of a frontier such as this, to
a tract of country the ominous name of “Debateable Land” was assigned
by common consent. On either side of the frontier-line, again, and
including all the “Debateable Land,” the “Border” stretched far away
to both the north and the south; and, throughout its whole extent, it
formed a decidedly exceptional territory, in which there prevailed
a system of wild laws that were administered after a still wilder
fashion: hence, whatever may have been the state of things between
England and Scotland, and between the two sovereigns and the two
nations, along the Border there flourished a chronic local warfare,
duly distinguished by gallant exploits, desperate enterprises, and
barbarous devastation, with the occasional variety of an expedition of
sufficient magnitude almost to constitute a regular campaign, or the
formal investment, and perhaps the storm and sack, of some important
fortified castle.[19]
The Borderers appear to have become so accustomed to this kind of life,
that they looked upon it as their proper lot, and after a manner even
regarded it with a kind of grim approval. Among them, doubtless, there
were but too many who were thoroughly in earnest in their devotion to
what may be styled the Border system—men
“Stout of heart and steady of hand,”
who, living in the constant expectation of some sudden assault, were
both “good at need,” and ready and resolute at all times to take
advantage to the utmost of every promising opportunity for successfully
and profitably assaulting their hostile neighbours. In order to keep
a check upon this predatory warfare, and to maintain something more
than the semblance of a supreme constituted authority, certain warlike
barons, intrusted with high powers as Lords Wardens, were established
in fortified castles of great strength along the line of the Border,
and in those northern districts of England which adjoined it. Of these
early strongholds one of the proudest and the sternest was the Castle
of Alnwick.
[Illustration: _Plan of Alnwick Castle._]
Distant from London, north by west, 313 miles (by railway), Alnwick,
the county-town of Northumberland, is pleasantly situated on high
ground, rising about 200 feet above the sea-level, on the south bank
of the river Aln. From the name of this river, with the addition of
_wick_, a place of human habitation, ALNWICK, always pronounced by its
native inhabitants “Annick,” is evidently derived.[20]
[Illustration: _Alnwick Castle, from the River Aln._]
Still remaining but little changed from what it was in times long
passed away, while from the humblest of origins other towns have grown
up and increased until they have attained to great magnitude and
wealth and importance, Alnwick derives its interest from its early
association with our national history—an association blended with the
connection of the town with its castle, and with the great barons, the
lords of that castle. The site of the castle and town of Alnwick is of
a character which necessarily leads to the conclusion, that it must
have been occupied both by a settlement and by some stronghold from a
very remote period; and this opinion is confirmed by the presence of
numerous relics in the immediate neighbourhood, that may be assigned
without hesitation to ages anterior to the Roman settlement in Britain:
the authentic history of Alnwick, however, cannot be carried back
further than the era of the Norman Conquest, and even then for awhile
more than a little of uncertainty overshadows the earliest pages of the
chronicle. There exists no evidence to show that in the year 1066 any
castle was standing at Alnwick; nor have we any knowledge of what lords
may have held the high ground on the southern bank of the Aln during
the Anglo-Saxon rule.
On Alnwick Moor, and in many places in the neighbourhood, are some
remarkably interesting camps and other earth-works, and also some
barrows, in which various relics have been discovered. In one of these
was found a stone cist, containing a skeleton in the usual contracted
position of Celtic interments; and in another, in a similar cist,
was found a fine food-vessel, ornamented with a lozenge pattern. In
other barrows Celtic remains, including cinerary urns, drinking-cups,
food-vessels, flints, celts, and other implements of stone, bronze
daggers, &c., have been found, and prove incontestably the early
occupation of the site of Alnwick. In the neighbourhood, too, occur
many of those curious remains of antiquity, sculptured stones, bearing
circles and other rude and singular characters, which are supposed to
be inscriptions.
It may be accepted as probable that the first Norman by whom this
barony was held was Gilbert Tyson, standard-bearer of the Conqueror,
the kind of personage who very naturally would be intrusted with the
charge of a remote and turbulent northern district. His descendants
continued to hold some estates under the lords of Alnwick in the reign
of Edward III., but there is no foundation for the legend that the
barony of Alnwick passed to Yvo de Vesci by his marriage with Alda,
a granddaughter of Gilbert Tyson. Still, by whatever means he may
have acquired possession, Yvo de Vesci was lord of Alnwick about the
year 1096; and he also is the first Norman baron of this barony whose
history, scanty as it is, rises above doubt and speculation. He died
about the year 1134, leaving, without any male issue, an only daughter,
Beatrix, his sole heiress.
Before we pass on to trace the fortunes of the descendants of Yvo
de Vesci, a brief notice must be taken of a memorable incident which
took place in the immediate neighbourhood of Alnwick before Yvo
himself had become its lord. After the Norman Conquest many of the
Anglo-Saxon nobles found a sympathizing refuge to the north of the
Border, under the protection of Malcolm Caenmore, or “great head,” King
of Scotland, whose queen was an Anglo-Saxon princess, being sister
to Edgar Atheling. Malcolm, in his zeal for the fallen Anglo-Saxon
dynasty, five times made incursions into Northumberland, laid waste
the country far and wide with fire and sword, and carried away almost
the entire adult population as slaves into Scotland. This devastating
warfare was suspended in consequence of a treaty, during the concluding
years of the reign of the Conqueror; but it broke out afresh after
the succession of Rufus, and Malcolm, accompanied by Prince William,
his eldest son, in person led an expedition as far south as Alnwick;
and there, on the 13th of November, 1093, the king himself fell in
an ambuscade, his son at the same time was mortally wounded, and the
Scottish army was dispersed by Earl Robert de Mowbray, the governor
of Bamborough Castle. The body of Malcolm, having rested about thirty
years at Tynemouth, was removed and re-interred at Dunfermline by his
son Alexander. There still remain two fragments of a rude memorial
cross, which, from an early period, has marked the spot assigned by
tradition to the scene of Malcolm’s discomfiture and death; and, in
1774, one of his descendants, Elizabeth, Duchess of Northumberland,
erected on the same spot another cross, designed in accordance with the
debased architectural taste of that period.
[Illustration: _The Barbican._]
The one circumstance connected with the career of Yvo de Vesci that
has come down to us is the fact that he began to build the earliest
parts of the existing castle of Alnwick. With the barony, the castle
of Alnwick passed to Eustace Fitz-John by his marriage with Beatrix,
the heiress of Yvo de Vesci. In the hands of this able baron, Alnwick
Castle was “most strongly fortified:” he also founded the monastery of
Alnwick, and in 1157 was succeeded by his eldest son, William, who, in
honour of his mother, assumed the name of De Vesci. In the time of this
baron, another King of Scotland found that the neighbourhood of Alnwick
Castle was no place of safety. In the year 1174 William the Lion, while
besieging the fortress of the De Vescis, was taken prisoner, and the
large army under his command was completely routed, De Vesci himself
taking an active part in the fierce struggle. His descendant, John De
Vesci, who died in 1288, leaving no issue, founded and endowed Hulne
Abbey; and he was the first baron of his house who was summoned by the
king to the parliament by writ, his predecessors having been barons by
tenure. William De Vesci III., one of the claimants of the Scottish
crown, was born in 1245, and succeeded to the barony of Alnwick on the
death of his brother. The last baron of Alnwick of his race, he died in
1297, without legitimate issue, having infeoffed the celebrated Anthony
Bec, Bishop of Durham, with all his lands and his castle of Alnwick, to
hold them in trust for an illegitimate son. But in 1309 the bishop sold
the castle and barony of Alnwick to Henry de Percy; and this conveyance
was confirmed by Edward II. in 1310.
Deriving, as it would seem, their memorable name from that district
in Normandy in which from an early period, long before the Norman
Conquest of England, their family had been established, the PERCIES
were represented in the ranks of the Conqueror at Hastings by William
de Percy, who assumed the additional name of Le Gernons, or Algernon,
as a personal epithet denoting the mass of hair which he wore about
his face. About 1166, or almost an exact century after the battle of
Hastings, the wealth, dignities, and power of the Percies centred in an
heiress who, perhaps in 1168, married Josceline de Louvain, second son
of the Duke of Brabant, and half-brother to the second queen of Henry
I. of England. A legend has been preserved, which relates that on her
marriage with Josceline, Agnes de Percy stipulated that her husband,
at his own option, should assume either the arms or the name of Percy;
and it is added that the bridegroom elected to retain his own arms, the
blue lion rampant of Brabant, while he assumed the paternal surname
of his bride. This legend, however, must be regarded as the poetic
offspring of a later age, since at the time of the marriage of Agnes de
Percy armorial insignia had neither assumed any definite character, nor
had any such insignia become hereditary.
[Illustration: _The Prudhoe Tower and Chapel._]
There is nothing to show that Josceline de Louvain ever bore the name
of Percy; but it is certain that the surname of his mother was assumed
and borne by the second son of Josceline’s marriage with the Percy
heiress, Henry de Percy; and by his descendants and successors the
same name was regularly borne. It was Sir Henry de Percy, third of the
name, who in 1309, the second year of Edward II., when already he was
possessed of vast wealth, and great power, became the _first Lord of
Alnwick of the House of Percy_, by purchase from Bishop Anthony Bec.
Having taken an active part in the wars with Scotland and otherwise
distinguished himself among the foremost men of his time, Henry, first
Baron Percy of Alnwick, died in 1315, and was buried at Fountains
Abbey, to which institution he had been a munificent benefactor. One of
the powerful barons who signed the memorable letter to Pope Boniface
VIII., in which the peers of England refused to recognise or allow the
interference of Papal authority with the independent sovereignty of
this realm, he married Eleanor Fitz-Alan, daughter of Richard, Earl of
Arundel, by whom he had two sons, and of these the elder, another Henry
de Percy, succeeded his father as second Baron Percy of Alnwick, to
whom was granted by Edward III. the castle and manor of Warkworth “for
service in peace and war,” as appears from the original grant now in
the Duke of Northumberland’s possession. This Lord Percy was interred
at Alnwick Abbey, the only head of the family buried in Northumberland.
The history of the lords of Alnwick from this period becomes so closely
interwoven with the history of England, that it would be superfluous
in such a sketch as the present to attempt to introduce even a slight
outline of the career of each of those renowned barons; and, indeed,
if it were desirable, it would not be possible here to find space for
the very slightest outline of so comprehensive a subject. Accordingly,
we now are content to give but little more than the succession of the
Percies after they became lords of Alnwick.
Henry de Percy, eldest son of the first baron, succeeded his father
as second Baron Percy of Alnwick; he died in 1352, leaving, by his
wife Idonea de Clifford (whose magnificent monument, with its rich and
splendid architectural canopy, unsurpassed in England, and also without
a rival in its remarkable condition of preservation, is the pride of
Beverley Minster), four sons, of whom the eldest, Henry, succeeded as
third Baron Percy of Alnwick. This baron died in 1368; his eldest son,
by Mary of Lancaster, Henry de Percy, sixth of his name and fourth
baron, was created EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND by Richard II., and High
Constable of England. This great noble fell a victim to the tyranny of
Henry IV., at Bramham Moor, in 1409. He was thrice married: first to
Elizabeth, heiress to the Earl of Angus, by whom he acquired the barony
of Prudhoe; secondly to Margaret de Neville; and thirdly to Maud de
Lucy, sister and heiress of Lord Lucy, widow of Gilbert de Umfraville,
and mother of her second husband’s first wife: and by these alliances
the barony of Prudhoe, with the estates of the Lucys and the castle
and honour of Cockermouth, became annexed to the Percy earldom. Sir
Henry de Percy, known by his surname of HOTSPUR as well in song as in
history,—
“Who was sweet Fortune’s minion and her pride,”
the earl’s eldest son, was killed near Shrewsbury in 1403. At Trotton,
in Sussex, a fine monumental brass commemorates Elizabeth de Mortimer,
wife of Hotspur, and afterwards of Lord Camoys.
[Illustration: _The Keep._]
After several years the fortified honours and estates of the Percies
were restored to Henry, the son of Hotspur, who thus became the second
Earl of Northumberland. This great earl was killed, fighting under
the red-rose banner, at St. Albans, in 1455; and was succeeded by his
fourth surviving son, by his marriage with Eleanor de Neville, another
Henry, who, with one of his brothers, fell at the disastrous rout of
Towton, in 1461. Two other brothers of this earl died in arms in the
Lancastrian cause; one of them, Sir Ralph de Percy, a few days before
the final catastrophe at Hexham in 1464, was killed fighting bravely on
Hedgeley Moor, where a cross was erected as a memorial of his valour
and his fall: of this cross the shaft, adorned with the heraldic
insignia of Percy and Lucy, is still standing. Under the third earl,
who, by his marriage with Eleanor de Poynings, acquired the baronies
of Poynings, Fitzpayne, and Bryan, the estates attached to the earldom
reached their greatest territorial extent, and constituted a vast
principality.
In 1469 the attainder of the third earl having been reversed, his only
son, Henry, became the fourth earl; he was killed in a popular tumult
in 1489, when his eldest son, by his marriage with Maud de Herbert,
Henry Algernon, succeeded as fifth earl. Remarkable rather for an
almost regal state and magnificence than for the warlike qualities that
before his time had been hereditary in his house, he was the first
Earl of Northumberland who did not fall in battle or otherwise suffer
a violent death. He died in 1527, having married Catherine Spense, or
Spencer. The Household Book of this earl, which has been published
by Bishop Percy, is one of the most remarkable and characteristic
documents that illustrate the personal history of the greatest English
nobles in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. His son, the sixth
earl, a second Henry Algernon de Percy, the lover of Anne Boleyn in
her earlier and really happier days, married Mary Talbot, daughter of
the Earl of Shrewsbury, but in 1537 died without issue, when the grand
Percy earldom became extinct.
Twenty years later, “in consideration of his noble descent, constancy,
virtue, and valour in deeds of arms, and other shining qualifications,”
of which last recommendations to royal favour the fact that he was a
zealous Roman Catholic certainly was not the least influential, Thomas
de Percy, eldest son of the second son of the fifth earl (Sir Thomas
Percy), was created by Queen Mary, Baron Percy, and also restored to
the earldom of Northumberland; but the tenure by which the restored
earl was to hold his dignities and lands restricted the succession
absolutely to the heirs male of his own body, and to those of his
brother. This the seventh earl was executed, as a traitor, at York,
in 1572, leaving no surviving son. Accordingly, his brother, Henry
de Percy, became the eighth earl: he died in 1585, having been shot
(it was said, but most doubtfully, by his own hand) while a prisoner
in the Tower. The eldest son of this earl, by Catherine de Neville,
Henry, succeeded as ninth earl: he was a learned, eccentric personage,
commonly known as “the Wizard,” and died, after an imprisonment of
fifteen years in the Tower, in 1632. He married Dorothy Devereux,
and was succeeded by his eldest son, Algernon, one of the noblest of
his race. This great earl died in 1668, having married, first, Anne
Cecil, and, secondly, Elizabeth Howard. His successor, his only son
(by his second marriage), Josceline de Percy, the eleventh and last
earl of Northumberland of the direct lineage of the Percies, died in
1670, leaving, by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas, Earl of
Southampton, an only child, a daughter, Elizabeth de Percy, four years
old at the time of her father’s death.
Here we pause, before we trace onwards the fortunes of the later lords
of Alnwick, that we may direct our attention to the history of their
grandest northern fortress-home, Alnwick Castle.
[Illustration: _Norman Gateway in the Keep._]
The plan of the castle, as it exists at the present time, is shown in
our engraving; and it will be seen that five distinct periods in the
architectural history are indicated by varieties of shading introduced
into the outlines. The extreme extent of the walls from east to west
slightly exceeds 1,000 feet; while that from north to south is somewhat
less than 600 feet. The varied outline of the space enclosed within
the walls, which in a great measure has been determined by the nature
of the ground, in an infinite degree enhances the equally noble and
picturesque aspect of the edifice. The figures in the plan refer to
the various parts of the castle in the manner following:—1, is the
Barbican; 2, the Gateway to the second Baly; 3, the Octagonal Towers;
4, the Norman Gateway; 5, the Grand Staircase; 6, the Guard Chamber;
7, the Principal Ante-Room; 8, the Library; 9, the Saloon; 10, the
Drawing-Room; 11, the Dining Hall; 12, the Chapel; 13 and 14, State
Bed-Rooms, 15, Boudoir of the Duchess; 16, Kitchen; 17, Estate Offices;
18, Laundry; 19, Guest-Hall; 20, Stables; 21, Riding-School; 22, West
Garret; 23, Abbot’s Tower; 24, Falconer’s Tower; 25, Postern Tower;
26, Constable’s Tower; 27, Ravine Tower; 28, East Garret; 29, Warder’s
Tower; 30, Auditor’s Tower; 31, Clock Tower; and 32, the Avener’s
Tower. Thus, the open ground within the circumvallation, as will be
seen by the plan, is divided into two irregular spaces, the outer and
the inner Baly, the outer being toward the west. Occupying a central
position is the Keep, a grand cluster of towers and curtain-walls,
enclosing an open court-yard: of these towers, the new Prudhoe Tower,
within which is the Library (No. 8), with its lofty banner-turret,
is the most conspicuous. Running south, commencing with No. 13 and
extending to No. 2, a new range of buildings connects the Keep with
the early Percy gateway between the balies, and with the main southern
curtain. In this direction, all the buildings, from No. 29 to No. 17,
and from thence (with the exception of No. 31, which is one of the
flanking towers of the main curtain) to No. 19 southward, and to No. 21
westward, are new, and they have been erected beyond and without the
limits of the proper fortification. In like manner, the whole line of
curtain-wall, from No. 24 to No. 25, is new. To the north of the Keep
the ground falls somewhat rapidly in the direction of the river; from
the bridge which here crosses the Aln, the view of THE CASTLE, as its
groups of towers and its far-extending walls rise proudly above the
encircling woods, is particularly fine and impressive.
The principal approach and entrance to the castle are from the west.
Here, to the westward of the original outer face of the fosse, stands
the Barbican; an embattled outwork of equal strength and dignity, the
work of the first of the Percies, about A.D. 1310. The rounded arch of
the entrance gateway here is an example of a usage not very uncommon
at the period which has just been specified, and always present in the
works of Lord Henry de Perci. The Barbican, which covers an area of 55
feet in length by 32 feet in width, is a perfect example of the style
of fortification that was held to be essential for defence against
assault in mediæval warfare. One remarkable feature, which is repeated
again and again in various parts of the castle, cannot fail at once
to attract attention when approaching the Barbican; this is the array
of tall figures representing armed warders of the fourteenth century,
sculptured in stone, which surmount the parapet, and stand upon the
merlons of the embattling, casting their long shadows upon the grey
masonry.
[Illustration: _The Armourer’s Tower._]
Having entered the Barbican, passed under the sculptured Percy
lion which keeps guard over the archway, and traversed the entrance
tower, we find ourselves within the enclosure of the first or outer
baly; here, turning to the left, we commence our survey of the castle
within the lines of circumvallation. The curtain-wall, extending from
the entrance northwards at a right angle to the Abbot’s Tower, and
having midway a garret or wall-tower (No. 22 in plan) built upon it,
is part of the old Norman work of the De Vescis, with evident tokens
of important reparation a little before the middle of the fifteenth
century, by the father of Hotspur, the sixth lord of Alnwick. The
Armourer’s Tower (No. 23 in plan), which occupies the N.W. angle
of the _enceinte_, is a noble piece of Edwardian architecture; it
consists of a vaulted basement, with two stories above it, connected
by a turret-stair: and its external massive effectiveness is greatly
enhanced by the square turret at the N.W. angle of the tower, which
rises boldly above the embattled parapet, having its own merlons
crowned with weather-beaten sculptured warders. Now facing eastwards,
and soon making a slight inclination towards the east, again we follow
the line of the Norman curtain-walls, until we reach the new Falconer’s
Tower (No. 24 in plan), which has been built on the site of the razed
early Armourer’s and Falconer’s Towers; the original curtain apparently
extended in a direct line from No. 24 to the Keep. Passing onwards
along the new curtain-wall due east from No. 24, we follow the line
of this wall as it turns towards the south, and at No. 25 in the plan
brings us to the Postern Tower, another massive relic of the first Lord
Percy, placed at the base of the eminence upon which the Keep stands;
this tower protects a postern or sally-port, and it has a curious
staircase in the thickness of its walls: it is now used as a museum for
Roman and British antiquities. Advancing still further eastwards, but
with an inclination to the north, and again following the course of De
Vesci’s curtain, we reach the Constable’s Tower (No. 26 in plan), of
Edwardian architecture, to which there are three external entrances,
one in each floor: one chamber in this tower is used as an armoury.
Again, as we follow the guidance of the curtain-wall towards the S.E.,
we have before us the Norman masonry, with traces of Edwardian, or
first Percy, reparation. Here, about midway between Nos. 26 and 27 of
the plan, an embattled projection from the line of the wall has been
entitled “Hotspur’s Chair,” and to the east of this projection a gap in
the curtain is filled up with eighteenth-century masonry; this gap a
not very well-supported tradition assigns to a fierce assault by some
Scots, who are said to have been so far successful as to beat down
this portion of the castle-wall, after which exploit the tradition
adds that the assailants were cut off to a man by the garrison. This
tower, which is called both the Ravine Tower and the Record Tower
(No. 27 of plan), stands at the easternmost extremity of the castle;
with Edwardian remains in its walls, it was for the most part rebuilt
in the last century: on the ground-floor is the muniment-room, in
which the records are kept. From this point our course inclines in
a south-westerly direction, the curtain being eighteenth-century
work, until again, at No. 28 in the plan, we welcome traces of the
early masonry: here another garret occurs, with the junction of the
Norman and modern masonry; then yet another succeeds, as once more
we follow an eighteenth-century wall until we reach the new Lion or
Garden Gatehouse, No. 29 in the plan, through which a road leads to
Barneyside, where are situated the extensive and beautiful gardens of
the castle.
[Illustration: _On the Barbican._]
From within this gateway, which is flanked by two octagonal towers,
one of them—the Warder’s Tower—larger and loftier than the other,
the curtain-wall of the first Lord Percy’s work leads in a direct line
nearly due west; we follow the course of this wall, we pass through
the middle gate-house, erected by the first of the Percies, which both
separates and connects the inner and the outer baly; again, on our
left, we have early Norman masonry in the curtain, and then we reach
the Auditor’s Tower (No. 30 in plan), another relic of the first Lord
Percy: here was held the court of the lord of the barony; here now
is the private Library of the Duke; and here also is the Museum of
Egyptian Antiquities, collected by Duke Algernon, the last munificent
restorer of Alnwick. Still following the line of the curtain, we
reach the Clock Tower. From this tower, the curtain, built in the
last century, leads in a northerly direction to the entrance gateway
connected with the Barbican, to which, thus completing our entire
circuit, we now return, having passed, since leaving the Clock Tower,
the Avener’s Tower or Garner (No. 32 of plan), like the adjoining
curtain, a modern work.
During our progress from the garden gate (No. 29 in plan) westward
and northward to the Barbican, we have passed the long ranges of new
buildings that either adjoin or actually abut upon the outer face of
the curtain-walls (Nos. 16 to 21 in plan), by no means unimportant
parts of the latest restoration, which comprise all the domestic
offices and the whole stable department of the castle. These buildings,
which have been planned and constructed with the highest architectural
and engineering skill, are on a scale of princely magnitude; and of
them it may truly be said that they leave nothing to be desired. Of
one only of these new edifices is it necessary that we should make
particular mention; this is No. 19 on the plan, a noble apartment,
covered with an open timber hammer-beam roof. In consequence of there
being in the restored castle no such baronial hall as invariably formed
the principal feature in a great mediæval stronghold, Duke Algernon
built this Guest Hall in its stead, which might enable himself and his
successors to assemble his and their tenantry and friends to partake of
the always splendid hospitality of the Percies. This hall has also been
used for concerts and various other purposes.
[Illustration: _The Well in the Keep._]
From the Barbican we retrace our steps so far as to traverse the
roadway that leads to the inner Gate-House (No. 2 in plan), that we may
explore the magnificent Keep: this, however, is a duty we postpone;
pausing for a while, and resting beneath the tree that grows beside
the Barbican. Presently, we shall resume our biographical sketch, and
observe by what means an only daughter once again became the ancestress
of a noble lineage, and through them brought to the house and castle of
the Percies a still more exalted dignity and a still higher honour than
ever before had been attained by them.
[Illustration: _The Constable’s Tower._]
And we rejoice to know that the noble line of the Percies was not
destined finally to fail with a failure of a direct heir male; it also
is a subject for rejoicing that over the towers of Alnwick there still
should wave a banner, charged with the same quarterings that in the
olden time were so well known to the breezes of Northumberland. As it
has been well said, Alnwick Castle has ever been esteemed as the old
head-quarters of border chivalry; and, in truth, it is a subject for
national pride to feel it has that same aspect still. No one assuredly
can “look upon this very ‘gudlye howsse,’ as King Harry’s commissioners
called it, or upon its grassy courts fringed with ‘faire towres,’ its
stately keep with its ‘marveylouse fare vaulte’ ‘and tryme ladgings,’”
as they are described about the middle of the sixteenth century, in the
survey made by Clarkson for the seventh earl, “without feeling that he
had seen the martial, social, and most knightly centre of mediæval life
in Northumberland.” And so also, in like manner, no one now can visit
Alnwick Castle, and not feel deeply impressed with the conviction that
the England, of which the past history possesses monumental records
and still living witnesses such as this, is a land rich as well in the
most precious elements of present strength as in the most glorious of
memories; and so, when her true sons look forward to the future of
England, they may do so in the spirit of the fine old motto of the
Percies—ESPERANCE.
[Illustration]
* * * * *
The annals of the truly noble family of the Percies, as we have seen,
down to the death of Josceline, the eleventh earl, in 1670, extend
over five centuries, during three hundred and sixty-one years of
which period, almost without interruption, the family was intimately
connected with Alnwick. By the limitation of the patent of 1557, the
youthful daughter of Earl Josceline was incapable of inheriting her
father’s honours, and thus, at last, the Percies’ earldom again became
extinct, when no inconsiderable part of their immense possessions
lapsed to the crown: the great northern earldom, however, was not
permitted in this manner to pass away without more than one fruitless
effort on the part of collateral descendants to establish a claim to
the succession.
Notwithstanding the alienation of some of the estates consequent upon
the extinction of the Earldom of Northumberland, Elizabeth Percy, the
daughter of the last earl, was the most wealthy heiress in the realm;
and, accordingly, it was considered to be a matter of the greatest
importance that a suitable alliance should be arranged for her with
the least possible delay. When but little more than a child, in 1679,
she was married to Henry Cavendish, Earl of Ogle, and heir to the Duke
of Newcastle, who died in the following year. Before another year
had expired, the youthful widow was again married to Thomas Thynn of
Longleat; but once more the heiress became a widow very shortly after
her marriage. Her second husband was murdered early in 1682, as he was
passing in his coach along Pall Mall. While she was still not more than
fifteen years of age, within three months after the tragedy in Pall
Mall, Elizabeth Percy became the wife of Charles Seymour, sixth Duke
of Somerset, by whom only she had issue: she died in 1722, leaving,
besides three daughters, one only surviving son, Algernon, who in 1748
succeeded his father as seventh Duke of Somerset. In 1749 this duke was
created Baron of Warkworth and Earl of Northumberland, with remainder
of those dignities to the heirs male of his daughter, his only
surviving child, by her marriage with Sir Hugh Smithson. The duke died
in 1750, when the Seymour dignities reverted to the male descendants of
the Protector Somerset by his first marriage. Thus, once more, an only
daughter, now bearing the paternal name of Seymour, was the heiress and
representative of the Percy lords of Alnwick: and thus, by reason of
his alliance with this lady, Sir Hugh Smithson became _jure uxoris_, by
special Act of Parliament, Earl of Northumberland; and he himself, his
countess, and their descendants, were empowered and authorised to take
and use the surname of Percy alone, and to bear and quarter all the
armorial insignia of that noble house.
The fortunate husband of this last heiress of the Percies, on the death
of his grandfather, Sir Hugh Smithson, in the year 1729, succeeded to
the baronetcy, which had been conferred by Charles II. in 1663 on that
grandfather’s grandfather, also a Hugh Smithson. A remarkably handsome
man, with a refined taste, and in many other respects well qualified
for the distinguished destiny which awaited him, Sir Hugh Smithson
is said to have been in no slight degree indebted for his eventual
splendid matrimonial success to a previous failure. He had attracted
the attention of Lady Percy, who, on hearing that some other lady had
rejected the suit of Sir Hugh Smithson, expressed her surprise that any
lady should have refused to accept such a man. The words of the fair
and noble heiress reached the ears of the disconsolate baronet, and
they promptly wrought a marvellous change in his views and aspirations.
Upon the hint so given Sir Hugh spoke, and—his words were not in
vain. In nearly all the “Peerages,” borrowed one from another, it is
stated that this Sir Hugh Smithson early in life went to London, where
he established himself in business as an apothecary. Although no slur
would thus have been cast on the illustrious race, it is simply untrue.
The following statement, extracted from a “Baronetage” published in
1727, may be accepted in proof:—
“The present Sir Hugh Smithson married a sister of the late Lord
Langdale, and had two sons, who lived to man’s estate. Hugh, the
eldest, died unmarried before his father; Langdale Smithson, the second
son, married Miss Revely, by whom he left only one son, Hugh—now a
minor, and a most hopeful young gentleman—so that there now remain
only two heirs to the title and estate—this young gentleman, Sir
Hugh’s grandson, and Hugh Smithson, of Tottenham, Esq., cousin of Sir
Hugh.”
[Illustration: _The East Garret._]
The “young gentleman” in question succeeded his grandfather as Sir
Hugh Smithson, of Stanwick. There was no trace in any documents
or papers of his ever having been in any position but that of the
acknowledged heir to a considerable estate and to a baronetage, granted
to his ancestor for his loyalty and sacrifices in the royal cause
during the civil wars of Charles I.[21] He married Lady Percy on the
16th of July, 1740, when he became Earl of Northumberland with all the
territorial greatness attendant on that earldom.
[Illustration: _The Garden Gate, or Warder’s Tower._]
In 1766 the earl was created Duke of Northumberland and Earl Percy,
with succession to his heirs male; and, finally, in 1784, the barony of
Lovaine was added to the duke’s accumulated dignities, with remainder
to the younger of his two sons. The duchess died in 1776, but the duke
survived till 1786: they had one daughter, who died unmarried, and
two sons, Hugh and Algernon, of whom the elder succeeded his father
as second Duke of Northumberland, a distinguished general officer in
the first American War. The second duke married, first, a daughter of
the then Earl of Bute; and, secondly, Frances Julia, third daughter of
Peter Burrell, Esquire, a Commissioner of the Excise, by whom he had
a numerous family: the duke died in 1817, and was succeeded by Hugh,
his eldest son, who thus became the third Duke of Northumberland, the
princely representative of George IV. at the coronation of Charles X.
of France. This third duke died, without issue, in 1847, having married
Lady Charlotte Florentia Clive, youngest daughter of Earl Powis: and
thus the dukedom passed to the third duke’s brother, the younger son of
the second duke, who at the time of his brother’s death bore the title
of Baron Prudhoe—an independent peerage to which he himself had been
elevated in 1816, in consideration of his services as an officer in the
navy.
Algernon Percy, fourth Duke of Northumberland, was born in 1792; in
1842 he married the Lady Eleanor Grosvenor, daughter of the Marquis of
Westminster; in 1847 he succeeded to the honours and possessions of his
family; he was created a K.G. in 1852, when he also held the office of
First Lord of the Admiralty; and on February 12th, 1865, he died at
Alnwick Castle, and, as his brother and predecessor had died, without
any issue. Like the great soldier, with whose memory the dukedom of
Wellington must ever be directly associated, Sir Algernon Percy will
long be remembered with affectionate and grateful admiration as THE
Duke of Northumberland. A true English sailor, a princely English
Nobleman, an elegant scholar and an accomplished gentleman, large of
heart too and open of hand, with his commanding presence Duke Algernon
looked every inch a Percy; and, in very deed, in his person were
centred the brightest of the brilliant qualities of his forefathers, in
happy combination with those admirable endowments that were peculiarly
his own.
The two sons of the first duke (as we have seen) bore the same names
as the two sons of his successor the second duke—Hugh and Algernon
Percy. The two brothers, the sons of the first duke, married two
sisters, daughters of Mr. Burrell.[22] With Duke Algernon the line of
Hugh, the elder of the sons of the first duke, became extinct; and,
consequently, the succession to the dukedom passed to the descendants
of that other Algernon who was the younger son of the first duke. This
Algernon, who on the death of his father became Baron Lovaine, in 1798
was created Earl of Beverley: he died in 1830. George Percy, his son,
then succeeded as Earl of Beverley; and subsequently, in 1865, at that
time being in the 87t
Showing first 200,000 characters. Full text: gutenberg.org/ebooks/51173