1 1  ■ ■ | ' • 'V - _ - . * \ ' : - 1 'Sft, $V\i 1 i § ITHE BARONIAL HALLS, ANCIENT PICTURESQUE EDIFICES OF ENGLAND. FROM DRAWINGS BY J. D. HARDING, G. CATTERMOLE, S. PROUT, W. MULLER, J. HOLLAND, AND OTHER EMINENT ARTISTS. EXECUTED IN COLOURED LITHOTINTS, BY DAY AND SON AND HANHART. THE TEXT BY S. C. HALL, E.S.A. EMBELLISHED WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS ON WOOD. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I LONDON: WILLIS AND SOTHERAN, 136, STRAND. MDCCCLVIII.architecture lib.&ARE -fi>a ■ 1 ■ ' ^■'1 ■ ' ■ II ■. I I ■ I «f MMSAWSTON HALL, CAMBRIDGESHIRE. awston Hall is situated to the right of the long and straggling village of Sawston, on the high-road to Cambridge, from which it is distant about six miles. For many centuries it has been the residence of the Huddlestons, an ancient and honourable family, of the Roman Catholic faith. The mansion lies low, and is partially hidden by thickly-clustered cottages and gardens. It is a large quadrangular building, erected during the reign of Queen Mary, under circumstances which we shall presently explain. It retains much of its original character, both externally and internally; and, although it cannot boast of great architectural beauty, it may be considered as a good example of the gable-ended style of the sixteenth century. The principal entrance is by a low door-way, underneath a porch, leading into a spacious hall, paved with Kettering stone and black marble, and lighted by two windows, exhibited in the appended wood-cut, and a large bay-window on the same side.* The wainscotting has been stained to imitate walnut-wood. The walls are adorned by several finely-painted portraits. Of the rooms on the upper floor there are none that demand especial notice: two of the bed-chambers are, however, hung with faded tapestry, concealing doors that lead to remote parts of the building. The antique damask bed-furniture and quilted coverlets are relics of ages long passed away. The Gallery, hung with old family portraits, extends nearly the whole depth of the mansion—being upwards of one hundred feet long by about eighteen wide, with oak * The windows formerly contained some rare specimens of painted glass, which the late proprietor permitted a clerical 1 friend to abstract for the purpose of decorating a neighbouring church.SAWSTON HALL. panels to the ceiling. A door-way in the court-yard conducts to a neat chapel, containing a window of stained glass, and an altar of fine Egyptian marble, inlaid with lapis lazuli. The venerable edifice derives its principal attraction from its associations with the olden time: it is impossible to wander through its now nearly deserted apartments, without reading a solemn and impressive passage from history. Its great characteristic is solitude. The present occupant—a bachelor of . venerable years—is almost the last of a distinguished and honourable race, leading a secluded life in the house consecrated by a long line of noble ancestors. Though dwelling apart from the business and turmoil of life, secluded alike from the toils and anxieties of the world, where “ Silence pervades the halls of revelry there are, nevertheless, many who can testify to the active benevolence of his nature, to his worthily representing the virtues of generations of great and good men; and that when he dies “ his works will follow him.” In supplying some details of the family history, we avail ourselves of the genealogical roll, which the courtesy of the venerable representative permitted us to inspect. We copy the superscription: the document itself is upwards of eighteen feet long, and contains a multitude of names “ Writ in the annals of their country’s fame.” “This Pedegree, Genealogy, or liniall Descent of the Ayntient and Right wort hey Famylie of Hodlestone of Salstone, in the Countey of Cambridg, and of Hodlestone, Lords of Milham, in the Countey of Cumberlande, and of divers other Manners and Lordshipps, shewing theire Matches and Aliances with many Princely, and Honorable, and Right Noble famyleyes, faithfulley and carefulley Drawne and Collected out of the Publick Recordes of this Kingdom, Ayntient deedes and evidences, bookes of Arms, and other venerable Prooves, by John Taylor, at the Lute, in fleetstreet, Anno 1641.” The pedigree on the maternal side begins with Henry I., continues through the various monarchs who filled the throne of England down to Edward III. and John of Gaunt, whose sole daughter, Joane, became the wife of Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmoreland, by whom she had a son, Richard, married to Alice, daughter and heir of Thomas Montague, Earl of Salisbury; at whose death, in 1428, the earldom became extinct, but was afterwards revived in the person of the aforesaid Richard, from 2SAWSTON HALL. whom descended Joane (wife of William Fitz-Allan, eighth Earl of Arundel), Richard Earl of Warwick, the “King-maker,” and John Marquis of Montagu, slain with his brother at the battle of Barnet. This last married Isabella, daughter and heiress of Sir Edmond Inglethorpe, Knt., by whom he had five daughters, coheiresses, of whom one, Isabella, was the wife of Sir William Hodleston, Knt., of Salston, in the county of Cambridge; to him the estate descended in right of his wife. The deed of conveyance, dated 17th Henry VII., is in the possession of Mr. Huddleston. On the paternal side, the list commences with Nigell de Hodleston, settled in Cumberland at the time of Henry I., which Nigell, surnamed Propositus (provost or warden), “ gave to the Abbey of Selby two carrucates of land and a half in Milium, and parte of his tythe in Hodleston, with the socage, &e.” About the same period mention is made of Godard de Milium, who gave to the Abbey of St. Mary of Furney’s certain lands “for the safety of his soul, and of all his ancestors.” Sir Adam de Hodleston sat in Parliament as Knight of the Shire, in the third of Edward II., and afterwards became connected by marriage with Miles de Stapleton de Bedell, of the county of York. Milium Castle was fortified and embattled, in 1335, by Sir John de Hodleston; and a Richard de Hodleston was a man-at-arms at the battle of Agincourt, in the retinue of Sir William de Harington, Knight of the Garter. He was knighted after the engagement, by the king. From an intermarriage among theBdescendants of Nigell and Goddard, sprang the above-mentioned Sir William Hodleston, whose grandson, John,* (afterwards knighted by Mary), was united to Bridgett, daughter of Robert Cotton, of Landwade, or Lanwood, ancestor of the present Sir Vincent Cotton; for him, or by him, Sawston Hall, as it now stands, was erected. The circumstances connected with the building of Sawston Hall are akin to Romance. The popular tradition is, that it was erected at the cost of Queen Mary, who, when a fugitive from her enemies, after the death of Edward VI., found shelter in the ancient house of the Huddlestons. Her pursuers reached the Hall within a very short time after she had quitted it; and in their rage of disappointment at losing their prey, burnt to the ground the mansion that had harboured her. She is said to have witnessed the conflagration from a distant hill; and to have exclaimed, “ Let the house burn; I will build Huddleston a better.” “ She kept her word: ” writes a modern historian. “ Sawston Hall was built by her order, and at her cost.” Unfortunately, however, there exists evidence that * Fuller states that Sir John Huddleston “was highly honoured by Queen Mary, and deservedly. Such was the trust reposed in him, that when Jane Grey was proclaimed Queen, she came privately to him at Sawston, and rid thence behind his servant, the better to disguise herself from discovery, 3 to Framlingham. She afterwards made him, as I have heard, her Privy Councillor; and besides other great boons, bestowed the bigger part of Cambridge Castle, then in ruins, upon him, with the stone whereof he built his fair house in this county.”SAWSTON HALL. the Queen forgot her promise, if she ever made it, to her preserver. It is believed, indeed, that “ she gave the stone from Cambridge Castle to rebuild the House,” but it is certain that, at least, it was unfinished many years after Mary’s death, although commenced during her lifetime. In the court-yard are two stones, which record the dates—probably of the commencement and termination of the building. Upon one are the initials, J. H., and the date 1557; on the other, those of E. H., (Edmund, son of Sir John,) with the date 1584. The village of Sawston stands in the hundred of Whittlesford, and deanery of Camps. There are four manors in this parish—Pyrotts, Dernford, Dale, and Huntington—all now the property of Mr. Huddleston. The manor of Pyrotts continued until the year 1329 in the immediate descendants of Pirotus, who held it under Eudo Fitzherbert, Steward of the Household to William the Conqueror. Sir Edmund de la Pole died, seised of this manor and Dernford, in 1419. Mr. Huddleston’s ancestor came into possession of them—which had descended from the De la Poles through the Ingeldesthorps to the noble family of Neville—by his marriage with the daughter of the Marquis Montagu. The manors of Dale and Huntington were purchased by Sir Edmund Huddleston before the year 1580; the manor of Dale, or Le Dale, had been in the Saliston, or Sawston, family, who held it under the manor of Pyrotts by the service of finding an armed soldier whenever the owner of that manor should attend the King to the wars. Near the entrance to the park, there formerly stood an ancient cross, the shaft and pedestal of which alone remain. It forms the subject of our initial letter. The church of Sawston, which abuts on the park, appears to have been built about the thirteenth century; like most of the churches of Cambridgeshire, it possesses a fine open porch. Sir John Huddleston, who spent the greater part of his fortune in the service of Philip of Spain after Mary’s death, lies buried in the chancel here. The following inscription is engraved on a brass plate placed on the tomb, represented in the annexed woodcut. Igeth entombeb the bobge of g>r Sfoijn Jgubbleston, Iftntghte, btce^ehamberlagne unto 3&tnge 3S3hgltpe, anb eaptatne of j)ts gar be; anb one of <®ueen JHarge’s most honorable prgbte (ftouncell, bjfjo bteb g* fourthe bag of jBLobembr, tn the geare of our Uorbe <§ob 1557.” 4WiiTr.,' inrfhfiriiii^^^^Vr i r#ifi twiih !i^ rin'rf' *»%+** ,.y<* - ■ft-Mn-rr'ftfiiifiiijiBEEBE TON HALL, CHESHIRE. on.—This Mansion, designated by Webb 44 the stately House of Brereton,” with which the name of Elizabeth, our maiden Queen, is much associated, stands in a beautiful green vale, fertilized by the little river Croco. It is within five miles of Congleton, and three of Sandbach. The plain of Cheshire displays great richness and exuberance in this neighbourhood; and although 44 evil times ” have fallen upon the ancient demesne of Brereton—the park having been stripped of its old familiar trees—it has recently resumed a character of graceful serenity and luxuriance. Brereton Hall has a western aspect, and looks across the pleasant valley, along which the little stream before mentioned pursues its course, in a direction parallel to the front of the House. In form the plan of the original building somewhat resembled the letter E, consisting of a long front, graced by two octagonal turrets, and two wings, having the gables slightly advancing on the front, but receding backwards a considerable distance. Behind the two stories of apartments above the basement, which were only one room in depth, ran a long corridor, on each floor, communicating with the wings. Amongst the various mutations which time and an attention to convenience and comfort has brought with it to the Hall, a geometrical staircase has been made in the back wall of the corridor, and a large block of offices has been built between the receding wings behind. Camden, speaking of Brereton, tell us that Sir William Brereton 44 added much credit and honour to the place by a magnificent and sumptuous house that he had there built.” The building is of brick, quoined with stone. That Queen Elizabeth laid the first stone of this house, and visited it, at a subsequent period, when hospitality presided in its halls, we have not only the authority of unquestioned tradition, but also that of numerous memorials scattered on its walls. The central portion of its exterior seems to have been especially devoted to ornament, and also to defence. On each side of the door-way, there rises from the ground an octagonal tower or turret, projecting iBRERETON HALL. by five of its panes from the wall, and formerly ascending above the building, to terminate in a dome, but now surmounted by a low stone battlement. Immediately over the centre of the door-way the sculptures begin by the shield of the Brereton Arms, bearing two bars sable, being suspended on an ermine mantle, from a helmet supporting the crest—the head of a muzzled bear;—below which is the date 1586. In the spandrels of the elliptical arch of this entrance the arms are repeated with different quarterings, a rose being superadded on each side. We next come to a division, reaching quite across the central part of the front, from the outer side of one turret to that of the other, which is richly adorned. In the first place, it is divided into a number of compartments by a series of short carved pilasters, doubled at every angle of the turrets. Square sculptured stones occupy some of the compartments thus formed. In the middle, however—the place of honour—are the arms of Queen Elizabeth, with the garter, bearing the motto, the crest and supporters, on a tablet of good dimensions. On one side of these is a large rose, on the other a portcullis, both crowned, and both also surmounted by the letters E. R. This ornamental stage of pilasters and sculptures, with the heraldic insignia, is repeated above the square-headed windows, the royal arms again occupying the centre. Each turret has a chalice in high relief on its front pane, below the battlements. But, besides these decorations, so distinctive of the taste of the age in which it was erected, this “ stately house of Brereton ” bears, in this part, and especially on the different faces of the turrets, and near their tops, to command various angles, as well as different distances, another interesting indication of the days of “ good Queen Bess,” happily now grown so unfamiliar to our view. We allude to the numerous large portholes which still frown over the peaceful vale. Above the rise of the roof the turrets are conjoined by a closed gallery, occupied by borders and other decorative sculptures, and supported by a depressed arch of some magnitude. The embattled parapet is continued from the turret on each side, along the front of the house to the gables of the wings, being in the place of an open balustrade, which formerly rose here. Each end of the house is furnished with a large bay, both at the front and the side, which are occupied by windows, and surmounted by a pediment containing sculptured ornaments. The effect of this entire front, over which the gray tint of the masonry prevails, being rich in its antique decorations, is solemn and imposing. Yet it excites, rather than satisfies our curiosity. On ascending the flight of steps in the entrance-hall, we immediately perceive that modern alterations have greatly effaced the impression of former days with which we had expected to have been greeted. There still remain, however, many notable traces left behind. In a good apartment, opening into the corridor, on the left, is a richly sculptured Chimney-piece, which has been removed from a lodging above, called Queen Elizabeth’s Room. On a panel over the fire-place, bordered with carving, the Brereton 2BRERETON HALL. Arms were formerly emblazoned in inlaid wood of different colours, upon their ermine mantle, which gave rise to the appellation of Queen Elizabeth’s Fan. The original panel is still in the house, though much dilapidated; but the heraldic achievements have been reproduced by the hands of the painter. The Drawing-room in the south wing has a fine bay window, and retains the old oak wainscoting. The ornamental Chimney-piece in this room is divided by pilasters into three panels, having carved borders, and containing the Brereton Arms. But the chief apartment of the House is in this wing —the spacious and magnificent Dining-room. This noble apartment is rich in the usual armorial decorations. Over the massive architectural Mantel-piece of the period, the pilasters of which reach from the floor to the ceiling, the arms of Queen Elizabeth are fully displayed ; the supporters being the golden lion and the red dragon, the latter the cognizance of the Tudor family. The letters E. R. occupy the sides of the royal crest, whilst the words Vivat Regina, and the date, 1585, occur below. The family crest and motto, “ Opitulante Deo? are not omitted. Indeed the armorial bearings richly emblazoned, with various quarterings, are repeated again in the window in stained glass. Around the entire circuit of the room, except over the fire-place, where the vacancy is filled up by a scroll and figures supporting a celestial globe, immediately below the ceiling, there runs a curious series of heraldic achievements in carved oak, now emblazoned afresh. They represent crowns and shields bearing the arms of forty-three different states and principalities; to each of which is attached a scroll, with the name of the King or Emperor in Latin. In the windings of every one of these scrolls there is placed a large white, and also a red rose. The shield of the King of Jerusalem (REX HIERUSALEM) bears an ornamented cross, and his crown is a crown of thorns. It might be difficult to divine the meaning of this display of escutcheons and names. If they were intended to represent the allies of the Queen, or those of her family, allegory seems to have been intimately mingled in the device, from the celestial globe above her head, glittering with golden stars on cerulean blue, to all the subsidiary parts. Queen Elizabeth’s room is a good-sized square apartment immediately over the entrance-hall; formerly panelled round the lower part of the walls, but now presenting no evidence of its former high destiny. Other bed-rooms, however, retain their ancient ornamental chimney-pieces, in alabaster and stone, supported and divided by oddlooking pilasters in the Elizabethan style. The oft-repeated Arms of Brereton, painted and sculptured, occur again and again. In a room south of the entrance they are given with supporters, viz., dexter, a greyhound, sinister, a muzzled bear; and each of the panels at the sides bears a coronet, from which is suspended a medal containing a flourished cipher of the name, W. Brereton. In this part of the building some of the old oak floorings remain. A bed-room in the north wing has an alabaster chimney-piece, with the date 1633 on it. In a room in the south wing, formerly 3BRERETON HALL. the drawing-room, there is an oaken wreath with acorns round the family crest, finely executed in a close-grained stone. A portion of the ancient oaken staircase, leading from the grand dining-room below to this apartment, is still preserved. The landing of this staircase is curious, as exhibiting the former state of the house unchanged. Around the top of the walls, below the ceiling, is painted a long series of escutcheons bearing the arms of various Cheshire families, with the name on a label attached to each. And the window is occupied in its upper part by six compartments, containing the heraldic devices of the five following families, whose names and the dates are inscribed below, (the sixth is vacant,) viz.,— LEIGH OF BOOTHES. MANWARINGE OF CROERTON. TROWTEBEKE, 1577. CORBET DE LEGH. RADELIFFE, 1577. Brereton occurs in the Survey—when it formed part of the territorial possessions of Gilbert de Venables, Baron of Kinderton. A family, which assumed the local name, had a grant of it as early as the reign of William Rufus. This is the parent stock of the very widely-spreading family of Brereton; and they are to be traced here to about the year 1200. Sir William Brereton, 13th in descent from the founder, was engaged in the wars in Ireland. In 1534, with his son John, he was inshored at Howth with 250 soldiers, well appointed. In the same year he went to summon the strongly fortified castle of Maynooth, which he took by storm, running up “the highest turret of the castle, and advancing his standard on the top thereof, notifienge to the Deputie that the fort was woone.” Another Sir William built this stately mansion, and entertained his royal guest within its halls. In 1624 Sir William Brereton was created Lord Brereton of Leighlin in Ireland, on the death of Francis Lord Brereton. In the wars between Charles I. and the Parliament, another Sir William of this family, but not of Brereton Hall, the famous parliamentarian general, took a very conspicuous part. So early as August, 1642, he began to beat up for recruits, and in the severe contest of the-following years, attended by such various fortune, he many times commanded in this county. In June 1644, he received the appointment of Major-General of Cheshire from the Parliament; and ultimately took the strong fortress of Beeston Castle, and the city of Chester itself, by siege; which put an end to the war in this county. Lord Brereton, of Brereton Hall, however, who had espoused the cause of the King, fled before his nephew the parliamentarian general, to Biddulph Hall, in Staffordshire, whither Sir William pursued him, and took him prisoner.* In 1722, the male line of the family * A singular tradition, alluded to by Camden, has long prevailed, that previously to the death of a heir of the house of Brereton, trunks of trees were observed to rise from the bottom of the lake of the neighbouring Bog Mere, and to float for several days. One historian of Cheshire, sensible of the credulity of the great antiquary, would resolve the pleasant dream of olden fancy by the laws of modern statics. 4BRERETON HALL. In 1722 the male line of the family became extinct by the death of Lord Brereton. The Hall and estates subsequently passed, through female inheritance, to A. Bracebridge, Esq.* In 1817, to satisfy certain claims upon it, the estate was dismembered by Act of Parliament; and, after being many years uninhabited, Brereton Hall was purchased by the present proprietor, John Howard, Esq. The Church, now a rectory, and dedicated to St. Oswald, is within a stone’s throw of the Hall. It is a plain building, in the perpendicular style, encompassed with trees; amongst which are one or two venerable yews, standing in the churchyard itself. The original chapel was built in the reign of Richard Coeur-de-Lion; but of this ancient structure it is doubtful whether any traces remain in the present building. One of the large windows on the north side of the chancel was formerly filled with stained glass. The subject contained four figures, representing the persons who slew Thomas a Becket, and a fifth, supposed to be Henry II. By an instrument yet extant, it appears to have been portrayed by order of Sir William Brereton in 1608. Perhaps the object of most interest in this church at present is the armour which is ascribed to Lord Brereton. The harness is suspended from the north wall of the chancel. The shirt to which the rings have been attached (see our initial letter) remains, but they have dropped off. It is surmounted by his helmet, bearing the family crest. Below these hang the gauntlets and spurs; and above the whole a banner has waved, now presenting only its bare staff. Attached to the wall, on the same side of the chancel, is a monumental tablet with a Latin inscription, to the effect,—that this church being in ancient times a donative chapel in Astbury parish, the ancestors of Sir William Brereton, Baron of Malpas, who erected this monument in 1618, were buried in the church-yard of Astbury. 5 Brereton is the “ Bracebridge Hall ” of Washington Irving.BRERETON HALL. Accordingly, in this latter place, on the north side of the church, we find some curious ancient monuments. A fine canopied tomb, in the decorated style, open at both sides, covers two stone effigies, of a knight armed cap-a-pie, with his feet resting on a lion, holding a heater-shaped shield on his left arm; and his lady, with her hands conjoined on her breast, her feet resting on a dog. Within the arch of the canopy is the following inscription, surmounted by the arms of Brereton:— “HIC JACENT RADULPHUS BRERETON MILES; ET DOMINA ADA, UXOR SUA, UNA FILIARUM DAVIDIS COMITIS NUNTINGDONIS.” On the left side of this beautiful monument is placed a stone coffin with effigy in flowing robes, a coif, and a beard, in form resembling that of some of the Egyptian deities, being wider as it descends. The head rests on a pillow; the hands are joined in the attitude of prayer; and the feet are placed on an animal, resembling a dog-On the right side of the canopied tomb is another coffin and effigy of a knight in armour, of apparently the latter part of the fourteenth century. The heater-shaped shield has traces of heraldic bearings, seemingly the two bars of the Breretons. This figure has been richly harnessed. The head has been covered by the conical-topped helmet, with the chain camail falling from it over the neck; but some modern stonecutter has done his utmost to transform these military habiliments into an old-fashioned wig. Cheshire abounds in ancient Halls; and a very large number of them having received but little injury from time, or the more evil influence of44 renovators” and “improvers,” continue in a comparatively primitive state. Several still remain to the descendants of worthies by whom they were erected; unhappily, Brereton is not one of these; but we trust it is in safe hands, and that it is destined to sustain no farther insult or injury from convenience or caprice. 6 // / I f \CREWE HALL, CHESHIRE. re we Hall—situate about four miles from the town of Nantwich— affords a striking example of the singular changes to which a baronial residence and its dependencies may be subjected in this utilitarian age. Formerly, it occupied the centre of a sequestered valley—now and then, when the wind was southerly, the ti-ri-la of the horn of a distant /* stagem to Chester, fell upon the ear of secluded villagers; it was almost the only sound that connected them with the business of actual life. The lord of the mansion and his humble neighbours, dwelling apart from the stir of traffic and the din of commerce, scarcely heard even those “ rumours of oppression and deceit” that followed or preceded “unsuccessful or successful war;” content, in their “dreary contiguity of shade,” to be overlooked and unheeded by the busy world about them. The picture at Crewe is now a new one : it is the largest of all the railway stations between Birmingham and Liverpool: the moaning of steam-engines never ceases there; a smoke perpetual gathers over the trees; travellers are rushing backwards and forwards every hour of the day; the noise unnatural is also unceasing, and is audible for miles around, breaking the calm of night in the country, and making the day seem devoted to unhealthy and unpeaceful toil. The contrast between what this pretty hamlet was and is, becomes the more striking because, as yet, the station is at some distance from the gigantic warehouses, engine-room, and coke-stores, which have suddenly grown into existence here. A small inn—new, but not much out of keeping with the ancient aspect of the place—stands beside “the station,” and on the main road which leads from Crewe Hall to Nantwich; the former being distant about a mile, the latter about four miles. Crewe Hall is the seat of the Bight Hon. Hungerford Crewe, third Baron Crewe, who was born in 1812, and succeeded his father in 1835. His grandfather, the first peer, represented Cheshire in parliament from the year 1768 until his elevation to the upper house in 1806. The manor was from a very early period the property of the family of Crue, or Crewe, and some remains of a far more ancient seat are still to be 1CREWE HALL. found in the neighbourhood. “About the year 1300, Joan, eldest daughter and co-heiress of the last male heir of the elder branch of the family, married Robert Praers, whose grand-daughter conveyed the manor to Sir Robert Foulshurst.” From this family it was purchased, in 1578, by Sir Christopher Hatton. “A fortunate lawyer” had the means of restoring it to the race to whom it had originally belonged. About the year 1610 Sir Randal Crewe, Serjeant-at-Law, descended from Patrick, a younger brother of Thomas de Crewe, bought it from Sir Christopher’s heirs, and erected, between the years 1615 and 1636, the present mansion. In 1684 the male line became extinct, by the death of John Crewe, Esq. $ Anne, his eldest daughter, having married John Offley, Esq., of Madeley Manor, their eldest son, John, subsequently took the name of Crewe in 1708, and, as we have stated, the family was ennobled in 1806. The hall is a remarkably beautiful structure, and a fine example of the architecture of the period. It is characterised by a distinguished architect as “ undoubtedly one of the finest remaining specimens of the English branch of the Italian cinque cento, which may he considered to have arrived at its full state of perfection during the reign of James I.” According to some passages in Fuller, at the period of its erection it must have been classed among the more sumptuous edifices of the kingdom. He says, “ Nor must it he forgotten that Sir Randal first brought the model of excellent building into these remote parts—yea, brought London into Cheshire, in the loftiness, sightliness, and pleasantness of their structures.” Although it has undergone many improvements, it has lost but little of its original character. “ It consists of two lofty stories, surmounted by a sculptured open parapet, concealing, in some degree, the high roof, from which rise the chimneys, representing detached octagonal columns, with their plinths, bases, and capitals.” The central compartment — the line of the front being broken at each extremity by how windows — is composed entirely of stone, and is rich in decoration; the arch of the doorway is supported by four fluted Ionic columns, on sculptured pedestals. A dwarf wall and balustrades surround the edifice at its base; and the courtyard, now a prettily laid out lawn and garden, is entered by some finely modelled gates of cast-iron, produced at the foundry of Messrs. Bramah. ^The exterior is now undergoing thorough repair under the superintendence of Mr. Edward Blore. Mr. Richardson has supplied us with the appended copy of the decoration, in carved stone, which surmounts the entrance, and also of one of the exterior ornaments, of which we have formed an initial letter. 2CREWE HALL. The interior of this fine old mansion is in the purest possible state; such alterations as time or circumstances may have rendered necessary have been effected with judgment, skill, and taste. “ It presents an extraordinary variety of decorated ceilings, enriched plaster-work, and carved wainscot, the design and execution of which are masterly, fully equalling the choicest specimens of the French renaissance of the reign of Francis I.” It contains some bas-reliefs of a very early age, and these, probably, were removed from the still older mansion of the Crewes. It must also have undergone some changes at so late a period as that of Charles II., and these, no doubt, were rendered necessary in consequence of two sieges to which it was subjected during the civil wars. In 1643 it was garrisoned by the Parliamentary troops, who were besieged there by the Royalists under Lord Byron, to whom they yielded in consequence of failure of food and ammunition: “ becoming prisoners, stout and valiant soldiers, having quarter granted them.” During the subsequent year the mansion was taken by the troops of the Parliament, and, in like manner, the garrison was permitted to go out in honourable safety. The hall, which is somewhat low and narrow, is of carved oak ; to the left is the diningroom, of which the accompanying print, in lithotint, affords a satisfactory idea. The screen of richly carved oak is as fresh and sharp as if it had been painted by the artist only yesterday. The fireplace of cut stone is inlaid with marbles of various colours and countries. Opposite the screen is a fine oriel window ; and the ceiling is of exquisite design, and remarkably bold in character. A side entrance leads through “ the carved parlour 99 to the upper rooms by a staircase of surpassing beauty, “ made gay ” by painted monsters of all kinds, bearing blank shields. The several apartments, drawing-rooms, and bedchambers, are furnished with great taste; the library is exceedingly fine and spacious : here, as in other parts of the house, we find treasures of ancient art, and, among them, very choice productions of the modern school of England. At the extremity of the hall is the chapel of the mansion, small in size but of exquisite workmanship, being formed entirely of carved oak, to which Time has given the sombre tint that ever harmonises well with 3CREWE HALL. the sacred character of the structure. The chapel contains a painted window by Willement, and two noble paintings by Giordano. The roof is of white and gold, with a single pendant; the gallery is for the servants, and there is a small place at the entrance for dependants. On the whole, there are in England few fresher or finer examples of the period of its erection.DORFOLD HALL, CHESHIRE. orfold Hall, now the seat of Mrs. Tomkinson, was built by Ralph Wilbraham, Esq. in the reign of James I.—according to Lysons, in the year 1616—on the site of a still older mansion. It is situated about one mile from Nantwich ; it is a brick building with stone dressings. The staircase and the great chamber are still perfect. The ceiling of the latter room is an. extraordinary specimen of decorative plaster-work ; the form is of the kind called “ waggon-headed.” It is completely covered with a pattern, in bold relief, of the most complicated description, ornamented with shields of arms and various Tudor emblems. Few such curious specimens of the intricate design ^ v of the period can now be found. Over the doorway in the great chamber is a shield of the arms of the Wilton family. Mr. Richardson, in his observations on old English mansions, observes there is every reason to suppose that Dorfold Hall, Crewe Hall, and Aston Hall, near Birmingham, were built in successive order by the same architect; many of the ceilings, fireplaces, staircases, &c. are nearly the same in all the three houses. The early rudeness of the style is seen at Dorfold Hall, its purity in Crewe Hall, and the commencement of its deterioration in Aston Hall. The front of Dorfold is highly picturesque. The two small lodges seen in front belong to the original construction; but modern domestic arrangements requiring more room than was afforded by the old building, the small offices between the house and the old lodges haveDORFOLD HALL. been added. If the reader can suppose these away, and a formal balustrade or wall, with gates in the centre, connecting the old lodges in front, he will have the exact appearance of the house in the olden time. All the old buildings were then supplied in front by great courtyards, into which carriages never entered, either from their being of too lumbersome a construction, or with a view to state. It may be hinted that the buildings of the reign of Elizabeth exhibited a considerable portion of the proud, haughty character of the sovereign. Dorfold, like many of its neighbours in Cheshire, was besieged by the army of the Parliament during the Civil Wars. The interior of the Hall bears many unequivocal proofs that refined taste prevails over all its arrangements. The new furniture is in keeping with the old carvings ; illustrated books, and prints in harmony with the impressive character of the time-honoured structure, are profusely scattered upon the tables and along the walls. Dorfold has fallen into “ good hands its peculiar beauties and its interesting associations are appreciated and valued ; and the spirits of its ancient owners may contemplate with approval the efforts of its existing proprietors—shoots from a noble and honourable stock.MOKETON HALL, CHESHIRE. subject of our present delineation—Moiieton Hall, is situated amidst the sandy plain of Cheshire, on the Staffordshire border of the county. Its eastern aspect is bounded by that range of hills which extends from Scotland southwards into the centre of England, and which here presents some of its most remarkable features in the high hills called “ Mow Cop ” and “ Cloud,” both being upwards of 1000 feet above the sea-level. The former is surmounted by a ruined tower, and by a singular isolated rock caUed “The Old Man of Mow.” The latter is an abrupt and dome-shaped termination of a portion of the range to the northward. From the Hall, these hills present objects of interest not devoid of richness, as on this side they are clothed with the dark verdure of the Scotch fir. Moreton Hall—or, “Little Moreton Hall,” as it has been denominated to distinguish it from the residence of the Bellots in the immediate neighbourhood, seated on the plain below — is an ancient timbered house, partly embosomed in trees, but attracting the eye from a distance by the interrupted outline of its numerous roofs, its strange columnar chimneys,—in form resembling rows of prismatic crystals, some of them being rendered more picturesque by the o’er-covering ivy,—and its black beams and diaper-like patterns distinctly traced on the white ground of the intervening plaster. On a nearer approach we discover the house to be encompassed by a narrow moat, beyond • which, and at its south-western corner, is a small conical mound, prettily surmounted by a sycamore tree. The house is approached from the south over a stone arch of antique form, and bearing the Moreton arms on either side. The square Portal, with a sun-dial over it, is adorned with some bold carvings of foliage in oak on the top and sides. These are repeated on the inner opening at the entrance into the Court; each door-post here being crowned by a 1MORETON HALL. halbert-bearer in high relief. Over this portal is a lofty range of building, consisting of a number of small wainscotted rooms, and an oaken staircase, which ascends to the long room or gallery, 68 feet in length, running over the top of the whole. This room is lighted from the south by a window its entire length. Like all the other apartments, its walls are lined with wainscot, except the ends, where, at the upper part, are figures and tablets, bearing inscriptions, in stucco. That at the western end represents blind Fortune with her wheel, bearing this motto on the rim: “Qui modo scandit corruet statim.” The inscription is: The wheel of Fortune, Whose rule is ignoraunce.” That at the opposite extremity, Fate supporting a globe with one hand, and holding a pair of compasses in the other. The inscription : “ The speare of Destiny, Whose rule is knowledge.” This apartment has a pitched roof, and an oaken ceiling, open to the rafters. Tradition relates that Queen Elizabeth, while on a progress through Cheshire, danced here, and that Oliver Cromwell made use of it as a council chamber during the Civil Wars. Having passed through the portal and under the building surmounted by the long room, we enter a small Court, which is one of the most curious parts of this ancient residence. There are seven doors opening into it; the principal entrance, (that which leads into the hall,) being nearly opposite to the portal. Besides other windows, there are two large gabled bow-windows, which light the Banquet-ting Hall, the antique form and curious glazing of which excite immediate attention. Indeed, the glazing of most of the windows of the house is very remarkable; the panes being small, and joined by slips of lead, so as to represent many pretty patterns. Upon bands around these windows are the following inscriptions:—“ God is al in al thing. This window where made by William Moreton, in the yeare of oure Lorde MDLII.” “ Rycharde Dale, Carpeder made theis windows, by the grace of God.” * * The Cheshire carpenters of old seem to have been not J occurs the name of a William Moreton, we have that also of sparingly endowed with the “noble” aspiration. In an Richard Lowndes, Carpenter;—his work, however, is of no inscription on the fine carved oak ceiling of the neighbouring mean desert. Church of Astbury, bearing date 1616 and 1617, in which 2 iipUB JUBjifisTr oMORETON HALL. One of the entrances from the court, on the right, leads into a small chapel, which, by the lapse of time and disuse, has lost much of its sacred character. Almost the only indication of its former purpose is a series of tablets suspended on the walls and bearing inscribed on them, in old English characters, numerous texts of Scripture. The principal entrance leading into the house is closed by an antique oaken door, having a small wicket in it fastened with a ponderous bolt. This door is rendered still more impregnable by many a coat of whitewash. On passing through it we are ushered into a large wainscotted apartment, having seats attached to the wainscot all round,—the ancient Banquetting Hall. In it we observed a fine old long table of oak. This apartment is lighted by the large windows already described, which contain, like some other windows of the house, small portions of stained glass, consisting of the Moreton and other arms. An inner door in the wainscot leads from the Banquetting Hall into the family apartment, which likewise looks into the court. This room has an ornamented chimney-piece, which is surmounted by arms in stucco, bearing the motto “ Honi soit qui mal y pense,” and a large A on each side. Many of the rooms have floors made of plaster. The fastenings of some of the doors of the upper rooms are curious; they consist of a large iron ring standing out from the middle of the door, through which is passed a bar of wood. This reaches across, and rests on the jambs on either side; a very secure mode of fastening to those who happen to be on the right side. In the fine old parish church of Astbury, within two miles of Moreton Hall, there is a side chapel, at the east end of the north aisle, of great antiquity, divided between the two manorial proprietors of Little Moreton-cum-Rode. In the east window, which formerly contained some splendid stained glass, there now only remains the arms of one of the Blundevilles, the famous Earls of Chester. The three wide steps which led to the altar, a piscina, on one side, and a closet for relics, on the other, are almost the only remnants of its ancient purposes. At the Moreton end of this side chapel there are three large plain marble slabs over altar tombs, bearing the following inscriptions:— Dame Mary Jones, Sir William Moreton, Knt., Dame Jane Moreton, died the 19th of April, 1743, Recorder of the City of London, died the 10th of Feb., 1758, aged 85. died the 14th of March, 1763, aged 61. aged 67. There is a fine oaken cabinet in Moreton Hall, which, from the labels in old law-hand, has most likely belonged to the above-named Sir William Moreton. The house belongs to a lady of the Moreton family,—in whose possession it is said to have remained since the 13th century. An adjacent meadow was formerly the mill-pool of the Hall. In front of the house there formerly stood the steps of an old cross, which have been removed. It is probable that they now surround the cross 3MOKETON HALL. piled up in the garden, and upon which is placed an old sun-dial. Of this cross, or rather, the remains, Mr. Pratt (the artist to whom we are indebted for the illustrations of this subject) made a drawing, which forms our initial letter. Odd Rode, or Little Moreton-cum-Rode, are noticed as two manors in “ The Survey,” and wera subsequently granted to Hugh de Mara and Wm. Fitz Nigel. They are described in Domesday, as having inclosures for taking wild deer, and an aerie for hawks. The present divisions of the township are distinguished by the names of Little Moreton and Rode. A branch of the Grahams of Lostock settled in Little Moreton early in the thirteenth century, the third of whom assumed the name of Moreton, and his descendants in the male line continued till the death of Sir W. Moreton in 1763, when his nephew, the Rev. Richard Taylor, took the local name. In the 12th Henry VIII. Sir W. Brereton made an award between Mr. Wm. Moreton and Mr. Thos. Rode, of Rode, in a dispute “ which should sit highest in the churche, and foremost goo in procession : ” when he very judiciously awarded between these two sticklers for precedence “ That whyther of the said gentylmen may dispende in landes by title of enheritaunce 10 marks or above more than the other, that he shall have the pre-eminence in sitting in the churche, and in gooing in procession, with all other lyke causes in that behalf.” We fear we must ascribe the rumoured subterranean passages of Moreton Hall, running under the moat to chambers hid in the mound, to no higher authority than that wild fancy which thus gilds, to its own delight, antique and curious buildings in all parts of our country—that native spirit of poetry,— “ One with our feelings and our powers, And rather part of us, than ours,” without a sprinkling of which, this world in all its teeming beauty might be too much of a dull reality. 4/. 4 * IPLACE HOUSE, CORNWALL. lace House, formerly called the “ Plas” (a corruption of “Palace”), from its having the reputation of being once the residence of the Earls of Cornwall, stands on elevated ground in the centre of Fowey, a seaport-town on the southern coast of Cornwall. It is a fine pile of building, a large portion being very ancient, though the exact date cannot be ascertained with certainty ; there is, however, abundant evidence to prove that many parts of it existed so far hack as 1455,* and were probably built about that time ; a period to which also is assigned the re-erection of the church close by, a handsome and lofty fabric of the perpendicular English style of architecture: the two buildings are composed of similar materials. The ancestors of its present possessor, J. T. Treffry, Esq., have occupied Place House, without intermission, as we believe, for many centuries past, and exercised considerable influence in Fowey, which was formerly a place of far greater importance than it is now. The townsmen acquired wealth and fame by deeds of war during the reigns of Edward I., Edward III., and Henry V., and they furnished more ships to the fleet of Edward III. before Calais than any other port in England. Among the gallant men who fought and won at Cressy, we find Sir John Treffry, to whom, chroniclers say, the French king surrendered himself on the field. His heroism at Poictiers is commemorated on a stately monument in Fowey Church, which bears the following inscription :—“ The atchievements of John Treffry, who, at the battle of Poictiers, fought under Edward the Black Prince, and took the French royal standard ; for it he was made a Knight-Banneret by King Edward III. on the field of battle.” In addition to this title, Sir John was rewarded for his valour with an honourable augmentation to his arms ; viz. supporters, and as a quartering, the jleur-de-lis from the arms of France, which are still to be seen painted on the windows of Place House. * Hales and Tonkin state, that “ about the middle of thH fourteenth century the Treffry family largely contributed towards the building of the church, and erected, adjoining to it, a magnificent castellated mansion for their own residence.” We imagine there is an error in the date of this, and should rather refer it to the middle of tjie fifteenth century, after the French had destroyed the town; which they did about the year 1453. 1PLACE HOUSE. The French frequently attacked Fowey, and, according to Leland, “most notably about 1457, when the wife of Thomas Treffry, with her servants, repelled their enemies out of the house, in her husband’s absence; whereupon he builded a right faire and strong embateled tower in his house, and embateled it to the walls of his house,—in a manner made it a castle, and unto this day it is the glorie of the towne building of Foey.” This tower we have engraved. John Treffry, most probably a son of the aforesaid Thomas, was high-sheriff of Cornwall in 1482; he left issue several sons, of whom three are portrayed on a large tomb in the adjoining church : one of these, Sir John, was a person of considerable eminence, and, with his brother William, \fras attainted by Richard III., but afterwards restored by act of parliament to their estates, in the reign pf Henry VII. Thomas Treffry, member for the county during the first two parliaments of Philip and Mary, was compelled to leave the country for having opposed the marriage of Mary with the Spanish monarch. From this last period to the present time we find no names of note in the genealogy of the family; but the estate appears to have been handed down, from one generation to another, in almost unbroken succession; the various members in possession holding a distinguished position among the old county gentry. Place House contains numerous apartments, many of which are highly interesting. In the hall is a richly carved ceiling of oak, and on the walls are emblazoned the arms of Edward VI. and the first Earl of Bedford, with quarterings, all well executed; also the arms of Treffry and Tresilhneys, quartered in Queen Elizabeth’s time. In several other parts are likewise the family arms, quartered according to the various periods to which each is assigned. One of the ancient gateways is indicated in the appended cut. f* A i* M « M **» * ^ fS a A * A ^ * A * A A A A A A A A « , Txrs4v^ llfc ?aSi\i M • \ *'i !UA4r^\'' r«%!irM ■& <■• ».%jt *%~® v'>i -# .jrnl-.T' ^ &'*s>; Bh9B v&sl^»W / Slga paa llplPl |gfe|${ S&P8 HlSsl ***• ■. SraggHE fi^li —BfeiME i .?59±r$&.V', ifi rnWlinnf ^'ToMir m A.' / 0 K V B. ml lii |Jm ii ni nil liN A WO RTH, CUMBERLAND. aworth is one of the few remaining Castles of the Border rescued from the grasp of Time by the noble descendants of its ancient lords. It is the property of the Earl of Carlisle—the representative of “ centuries of Howards ”— who, according to Sir Walter Scott, “ deserves high praise for the attention bestowed in maintaining the curious and venerable pile in its former state.” While, however, his Lordship has taken especial care to arrest the progress of Time over the old walls, he has been wisely cautious to prevent “repairs” from being unseemly patches upon the honoured face of slow to anger; merciful to offenders, after a little punishment to make them sensible of their faults : in brief, a character that approaches nearer to perfection, is not to be found 3 and has a gallery at the western end, of depending from the ceiling, ornamented only in history.” His death was mourned by “ all the muses ; ” funeral dirges to his memory were written by Donne, Webster, ' Chapman, Brown, Drummond of Hawthornden. and a score of other poets.CHARLTON HOUSE. at the angles, possesses great beauty. At the bottom of Jthe grand staircase is the diningroom ; and adjoining to this the Chapel, the ancient doors of both being beautifully carved in oak. The staircase leading to the principal apartments, which are on the upper floor, is of massive chesnut, its arabesque balusters being surmounted by capitals of the Tuscan, Ionic, and Corinthian orders. On the upper floor are the saloon, long gallery; and suite of drawing-rooms, all with highly-wrought chimney-pieces, in stone or marble, and ornamented ceilings. The ceiling of the saloon is composed of exquisitely-worked* arabesque ornaments intermixed with fruit and flowers, and decorated with pendants. The chimney-piece is of alabaster and black marble, in which, the Greek and arabesque are united, supported by two finely-sculptured figures of Vulcan and Venus. The gallery, 76 feet in length, is of panelled oak, with an elaborately-wrought arabesque ceiling. Between the gallery and the saloon is the chimney-piece here represented. It is carved with the story of Medusa, underneath which are two allegorical basso-relievos. In the drawingroom, on the other side of the saloon, is a chimney-piece, “ so highly polished,” that—if we may credit the testimony of Dr. Plot—“ the Lord of Downe did see in it a robbery committed on Shooter’s Hill; whereupon sending out his servants the thieves were taken.” o * The House contains a good collection of family portraits, and a Museum of curious and interesting objects in Natural History, gathered chiefly by the late Lady Wilson, and augmented by the present Baronet during travels in the North and South of Europe. The Park—although small, containing about 100 acres—is exceedingly beautiful; full of finely-grown trees, among which are several yews of venerable antiquity, a perfect avenue of which still leads to the. garden north of the House. The gardens are laid out with considerable taste, and abound in shrubs brought from various parts of the world. The annexed print represents a graceful and picturesque ‘♦drinking-house,” in the grounds fronting the Mansion; overlooking it is the solitary tree of cypress, the only one which endures of the “ Row” of which Evelyn speaks.* Charlton Village, until late in the last century, was famous for a “ disorderly fair ” called “Horn Fair,” according to Philipott, “by reason of the great plentie of all sorts of winding homes and cups and other vessels of home there brought to be sold.” * Evelyn makes frequent mention of the venerable mansion, i the son and successor of Sir Adam. At that time the property in connection with his “excellent friend,” Sir Henry Newton, | belonged to Sir William Ducie. 4CHARLTON HOUSE. That which had been instituted for a useful purpose degenerated in time, and became a nuisance to the neighbourhood, until its excesses were suppressed by the grandfather of the present Baronet.* It is now held in a field at the end of the village, and is one of the most orderly fairs in the neighbourhood of the Metropolis. The present Church of Charlton is of a date a little more recent than the Mansion.—It is built, however, on the site, and partly with the materials, of an ancient structure. It is dedicated to St. Luke, and seems to have been surrendered to the crown with the Manor of Charlton, and the rest of the possessions of St. Saviour’s, at its dissolution, June 1st, anno 29 King Henry the Eighth, 1537, and to have remained part of the Royal demesnes till James the First granted it with the Manor to Sir Adam Newton, who dying before he was enabled to repair or rebuild it, 44 left,” according to Philipott, 44 the care with his cost, to enlarge and beautify God’s house,” to his executors, who 44 most amply discharged that trust, and in a manner new builded a great part thereof, and erected the steeple new from the ground, and furnished it with a good ring of bells, decorating the same Church without and within so worthily that it surpasseth most in the shire.” The Patron of the Church is Sir Thomas Maryon Wilson I the Rector is the Rev. Arthur Drummond, who married a sister of the present baronet. The structure is of red brick, consisting * There are several wild traditions—and some of them not very delicate—concerning its origin. It is said to have been the result of an intrigue of King John with the wife of a miller : but the more probable origin is, that it was symbolic of the Ox Luke, by which he.is usually distinguished in ancient paintings, and to this Saint the Church of Charlton is dedicated. The Fair is now held on St. Luke’s day, the 18th of October, and the minister had a bequest of twenty shillings for preaching a sermon there. It was formerly kept upon a green opposite the Church, and facing the Mansion. At this fair were sold various articles formed of horn, such as drinking cups, &c., and horns gilded were sold and worn by the frequenters ; during the reign of Charles the Second, it was a carnival of the most unrestrained kind, and persons used to start from London in boats, disguised as kings, queens* millers, &c., with horns on their heads, and men dressed as females, who formed in procession and marched round the church and fair. In theltime of Brand, he tells us that the folks assembled consisted “ of a riotous mob, who, after a printed summons dispersed through the adjacent towns, meet near Deptford, and march from thence in procession through that town and Greenwich to Charlton, with horns of different kinds upon their heads ; and at the fair there are sold rams’ horns and every sort of toy made of horn, even the gingerbread figures have horns.” In “Pasquil’s Night-cap, or Antidote for the Head-ache,” 1612, a poem by Nicholas Breton, a long and curious history of the annual meeting for the inauguration of these horns is given, as it used to be held in great pomp and with an immense concourse of people, all of whom “ In comely sort their foreheads did adorne, With goodly coronets of hardy home but he ends by telling us that— “ Long time this solemne custome was observ’d, And Kentish-men with others met to feast; But latter times are from old fashions swerv’d And grown repugnant to this good behest. For now ungratefull men these meetings scorn And thanklesse p^e* to Fortune and the horn, For onely now is kept a poor goose fair, Where none but meaner people doe repair.” 5CHARLTON HOUSE. of a Chancel, a Nave, and North Aisle. At the West end is a square brick Tower embattled. In the Windows of the Chancel are several Coats of Arms in stained glass—principally those of Lee Warner, Bishop of Rochester; Newton (uncle of Sir Adam, one of his executors) Blunt, of Wricklemarsh; Peto, quartering Langley and Loges; Puckering; Sir William Langhorne, impaling Manners,—Sir William’s first wife being a daughter of the Earl of Rutland; Puckering impaling Chowne, Wilson quartering Smythe, Haddon, and Weller, &c. The Church contains Monuments to Sir Adam Newton, the founder of the Mansion, and his Lady, with a Latin inscription written by himself; of Sir William Langhorne and his wife Grace, daughter of John, Earl of Rutland, and relict of Viscount Armagh; Brigadier Michael Richards, Surveyor-general of Ordnance to George the First; James Craggs, Esq., Postmaster-general, 1721 ;* John Turnpenny, Esq., “ who by industry acquired, by economy improved, and with equity dispensed, a considerable fortune among his surviving -friends ”; Sir John Lambert Middleton, Bart.; Edward Falkingham, Esq.; Comptroller of the Navy, 1757; and of the father and grandfather and other members of the family of the present baronet. A bust by Chantrey, with an inscription, is also placed here over the remains of the amiable and excellent Right Hon. Spencer Perceval, who fell by the hand of an assassin, when Prime Minister of the country, in 1812. He married Jane, second daughter of Sir T. Spencer Wilson. The lamented Edward Drummond, also the victim of assassination, having been mistaken by the murderer for Sir R. Peel, to whom he was private secretary, is buried in a vault in the churchyard. He was brother of the present rector. Few mansions of its date—although that date is no more remote than the beginning of the seventeenth century—have retained, with less injury, the peculiar characteristics of the age of James the First. . The present estimable possessor is fortunately anxious'to preserve it in its purity; the necessary repairs have been conducted with judgment and taste; and, as an example of the architecture of the period, it may be regarded with exceeding pleasure—a pleasure enhanced by its vicinity to the Metropolis. * Craggs was much implicated in the “ South Sea Bubble.” He resided in a house on the property of Sir T. M. Wilson— since the residence of Mrs. Fitz-Herbert—afterwards of Queen Caroline, when Princess of Wales—afterwards of Alderman Atkins, and recently of Gen. Sir Thomas Hislop, Bart., who died there. 6COBHAM HALL, KENT. he County of Kent holds foremost rank among the%Shires of England; not alone because of its picturesque beauty, its great fertility, the full and important page it occupies in British history, the abundance and richness of its antiquities, the peculiarities of its laws, the primitive character of its customs, or its ecclesiastical preeminence ; but, chiefly, because it is regarded as our great Island bulwark—our “ Vanguard of liberty,”— “ A soil that doth advance A haughty brow against the coast of France.” Very few of our counties contain so many perfect examples of structures such as it is our purpose to depict. The baronial halls of Kent, and the ancient churches of Kent, are among the most remarkable, picturesque, and unimpaired edifices of the kingdom. With Kent, therefore, we commence our Work; and although it will he, necessarily, discursive, we may draw from the vast store of wealth with which the fair County supplies us, ample to excite and interest the reader at the outset of our undertaking. Its proximity to the Metropolis—from which, if we measure distances by time, it is separated by little more than two hours—supplies a sufficient motive for the selection of Cobham Hall, and the several striking objects in its immediate vicinity. It is situated about four miles south-east of Gravesend, nearly midway between that town and Rochester; hut a mile or so out of the direct road. The narrow coach-paths which lead to it are shaded by pleasant hedge-rows, and run between lines of hop-gardens—our English vineyards, infinitely more graceful and beautiful accessories to the landscape than the stunted grape-shrubberies of France. 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 lCOBHAM HALL. 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 f, 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 very 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 Philipott’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 principall a trust or eminence, as they could move in, in the narrow orbe of a particular county.” Henry de Cobham was one of the Recognitores magnse assisae— who were “ in some proportion equivalent to the judges itinerant”—in the first year of King John. 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 * The Hall is opened to the public generally, only on Friday (between the hours of eleven and four) the day on which Hampton Court isElosed. Visitors are admissible by cards, which must be obtained previously from Mr. Caddel, library, Gravesend, or Mr. Wildash, bookseller, Rochester. A charge is made of one shilling to each person. The sum thi® accruing ^ appropriated to the benefit of the schools ,and other charitable institutionsi^m the neighbourhood. The visitor is thus relieved from the irksome necessity of considering what gratuijSahe is to bestow upon the guide who accompanies him through the several galleries ; servants “ being strictly forbidden to take any fees.’* The cards contain the “Regulations.” Those who can devote but one day to an 2 examination this locality will do well to commence by an inspection of the church and village, and wander about the park after the Hall has been seen. ' Those who are not content with so comparatively brief a scrutiny, will find a homely but neat and comfortable inn at Cobham. It i^tialeely necessary to observe that steam-boats ply, in summer, from Blackwall—distant six miles, or ten minutes, from the heart of London—every half hour. These voyages commence very early, and are continued to a late hour ; so that although the Hall is five or six and twenty miles from theit will not be , found difficult to visit it and return to the j^ty within one day. t “ Cobeham anciently Coptham,—that is the head or villagel from the Saxon Copt, an head, ’ '‘—Philipott. Survey of Kent.COBHAM HALL. Carlaverock. ” With John de Cobham, distinguished in the reign of Edward the Third, 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, Esq., “ knitt Cobham, and a large income beside, to her husband’s patrimony, t” Their eldest son, Sir Edward Broke, was summoned to Parliament, as Baron Cobham, in the 23 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. £ ” His younger brother, George, was executed; but Lord 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, sometime his- servant at Court, who relieved him with scraps.” His estates, at the * One of the husbands of this lady was Sir John Oldcastle, who, in the reign of Henry V., attached himself to the Lollards. He was cited to appear before the Archbishop of Canterbury, and sentenced to death as “a heretic ; who together with others, to the number of twenty men, called Lollards, had conspired td subvert the clergy and kill the king.” Having been outlawed upon treason and excommunicated, he was removed from the Tower to the “ New Gallows ” in St. Giles,’ where he underwent his sentence—“ to be hanged, and burned hanging.” At the place of execution, it is said, he desired Sir Thomas Erping-hamBin case he saw him risen the third day after, that he would then be a means to procure favour to the rest of his sect.” His “ Tryal ” before the Archbishop of Canterbury, 1 Henry Fifth, a. d. 1413, “ on the Saturday after the feast of St. Matthew,” in the Chapter House of St. Paul, is reported in the State Trials. It is curious to note the language in which the prelate is stated to have addressed the doomed recusant: —“We repeated in soft and moderate terms, and in a manner very courteous and obliging, all our proceedings against him.’3 “ We replied with much patience, and in a courteous and affectionate manner.” “We besought him, with tears in our eyes, and exhorted him in the most compassionate manner.” Such, and similar phrases, record the “gentleness” with which he was doomed to a cruel death. The archbishop could “ make nothing” of the brave Lollard. He openly avowed that the only honour he vouchsafed to the Image of the Cross was, to “ keep it clean, and in his closet; ” declared his belief that he was “ the true successor of St. Peter, who followed him in the purity of his life and conversation ; ” and protested that he “desired absolution only from God.” For the said “ detestable crime of heresy ” he was ordered to die ; “ by the advice and consent of men famous for discretion and wisdom ;” and was “ dispatched with all convenient expedition.” 3 f Sir Thomas Broke, and Joan de Cobham, his wife, had ten sons and four daughter^ It is their tomb which occupies so prominent a position in the chancel of Cobham church. % At the trial of Sir Walter Raleigh, at Winton, the 17th of November, 1 Jac. 1603, for high treason,Bin conspiring to depose the King and set up the Lady Arabella Stuart, and corresponding with Spain for that purpose;” a variety of documents and letters were produced and read; written, as alleged, by Lord Cobham, implicating Sir Walter, admitting his own guilty participation, and affirming that “ he would not have entered into these courses but by his, Raleigh’s, instigation.” Raleigh’s demand to be brought® face to face ” with his accuser was refused, on the ground that “ the accuser may be drawn by practise to retract what he had deposed, while he is here in person.” To this Raleigh replied, He dares not accuse me. He said I was the cause of all his miseries and the destruction of his house, by my wicked counsel. If this be true, whom hath he to accuse or be revenged of but me?” “ I say,” he added/^ that Cobham is a base, dishonourable, poor soul.” Cobham, however, had retracted his assertions concerning Raleigh, who, at his trial, produced a letter from Cobham, to this effect:—“ Seeing myself so near my end, for the discharge of my conscience and freeing myself from your blood, which else will cry vengeance against me, I protest upon my salvation, I never practised with Spain by your procurement : God so comfort me in this my affliction, as you are a true subject for anything I know. I will say as Pilate, f Purus sum a sanguine hujus.’ So God have mercy upon my soul, as I know no treason by you.” The letter, however, availed Sir Walter nothing; the attorney-general affirming “that it had been procured by subtle practises ; and that the first declaration was drawn up voluntarily by my lord Cobham, and without any hopes of pardon.” Under a most iniquitous sentenceCOBHAM HALL. 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 bloodbut 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 the First 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. * 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 the Lady Katherine, by her first husband, Henry Lord O’Brien j; and on his 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 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. Hornsby became entitled, as relict of the gentleman to whom Sir Joseph Williamson had devised one third part.§ The present Peer, the sixth Earl of Darnley, is a minor; he was born on the 16th April, 1827, and will consequently be of age in 1848. He is hereditary High Steward of Gravesend and Milton. His father, the fifth Peer, married—in 1825—Emma Jane, third daughter of Sir Henry Parnell, Bart., created Lord Congleton in 1841. This estimable lady resides at Cobham Hall. The late Peer died in 1835, in consequence of an injury received from a woodman’s axe, while he was trimming trees in a plantation adjoining his mansion. His death was the subject of universal sorrow; in his own immediate neighbourhood, it was mourned as a private and personal loss. Such is a brief history of the several noble families through whom the mansion, demesne, and estates, of Cobham have passed. then pronounced, Raleigh was executed fifteen years afterwards; and Cobham had been a houseless wanderer, meanwhile, perishing unpitied and unwept. Of their intimacy there is no doubt; and it is more than probable that the Old Hall we are describing was often the home of Sir Walter Raleigh, when distinguished as “ the noble and valourous knight.” It is grievous to think that so great a “ worthygr.should have been sacrificed to the pitiful cowardice of so “ poor a soul ” as the last of the Cobhams—the degenerate scion of a munificent and valorous race. * Sir Joseph Williamson was the son of a clergyman of Cumberland. He held various appointments under the Crown was President of the Royal Society; and was buried in Westminster Abbey. t “ Lady Katherine O’Brien died in November following; 4 upon which her two thirds of this manor and seat, with the rest of the estates of the late Duke of Richmond, purchased by Sir Joseph Williamson, descended to Edward, Lord Clifton and Cornbury, (son of Edward, Lord Cornbury, afterwards Earl of Clarendon, and Catherine his wife, the only daughter and heir of the said Lady Katherine, by her first husband, Henry, Lord O’Brien,) and on her death without issue, in 1713, to his only surviving sister and heir, the Lady Theodosia Hyde.”— Hasted's Kent, vol. i. % The Blighs were originally a Devonshire family; and in the reign of Charles the First were seated at Rathmore, in the county of Meath, in Ireland. § In 1714, 1 Geo. I., Sir Richard Temple, Bart, was created Baron Cobham—a title his descendants enjoy. The Temples were connected in the female line with the Brokes.COBHAM HALL. 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 taken by Mr. Harding pictures the more ancient portion of the venerable edifice—the north wing; wTith which the south wing mainly corresponds. They are, however, connected by a centre, built by Inigo Jones; and 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 it has been, from time to time, subjected. The ordinary entrance to the house 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 I this centre, which consists of a fa£ade with Corinthian pilasters, is sadly out of keeping with the quaint gables, octagonal turrets, ornamental door-ways, carved cornices, projecting mullioned windows, and elaborated chimneys, which distinguish the earlier dwelling of the Cobhams. In front, this incongruity is sadly apparent; but examined from either of the sides it is not perceived. The additions made by Inigo Jones are injurious, because they impair the harmony of the building; although, considered apart, they are worthy of his high fame. The nature of the architecture and the singular contradiction it exhibits, cannot be better shown than by reference to this engraving of one of the projecting entrances, of stone, extending to the roof, by which the wings are backed—including one of the ancient latticed windows on either side.COBHAM HALL. 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’oeuvre 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 pendent coronets.” The apartment is in length 50 feet, in breadth 36 feet, and in 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 verde antique. The Library contains a series of Portraits of eminent literary men—Bolingbroke, Sidney, Shakspere, 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 most remarkable is attributed to Domenichino. 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.* 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 Italyl including admirable examples of Guido, Titian, Salvator, 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 * 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 throughKent. In thecentre of the ancient Ceiling are still preserved her Arms, with the date, 1599.COBHAM HALL. 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. Not the least interesting among relics of the olden time, is a Carriage, of which we append a copy. Its date is probably not more remote than the reign of Charles the Second. It is in a good state of preservation, and stands in one of the Out-oflices, of which there is an extensive and remarkably commodious range. Although necessarily limited in our description of Cobham Hall, we have sufficiently shown the rare treat a visit to it will afford to those who, “ in populous city pent, j|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. 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: in consequence, it is said, of a dispute respecting “ terms,” and is now rapidly falling to decay. The basement story contains a vault and sarcophagus, surrounded by recesses for coffins. The Chapel is above. The exterior consists of four wings, with columns, sustaining sarcophagi, and surmounted by a pyramid. 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 to 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 will 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 Stalls, of old oak, appear to have been worm-eaten 7COBHAM HALL. for centuries. The whole aspect of the place indeed supplies indubitable proof of very remote antiquity *. The modern “ fittings up ”—the painted pews—contrast strangely with the age of the structure. The Roof of huge oak rafters, the Gothic arches, the Brasses—broken or entire—which cover the floor, the quaint Monuments let into the walls, the delicately-sculptured Piscina, the Sedelia 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. But the most primitive portion of it is the Chancel, on either side of which are five latticed Windows, the south side being entirely, and the north side being partially, blocked up with rough stones. 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 the 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 town 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. Of one of them we procured an engraving, in order to convey a somewhat accurate idea of the style and character of the series. It is to the * An interesting series of Helmets hangs upon the walls of the chancel. They vary in age and appearance. The most interesting are two tilting helmets of the time of Henry V. These helmets were worn over the bassinet* yidiich. was also of steel, and fitted close to the head, having a movable visor which covered the face. The tilting or tournament helmet had nothing of the kind, an opening for the admission of light and air being formed by the projection of the lower portion, which covered the face, from the cap above. A few holes were.drilled for sight, and the helmet rested upon the shoulders, being made wider at the neck, while the bassinet fitted it closely. The crest of the wearer, a plume of feathers, or other ornament, was generally affixed to these tournament helmets ; and upon one of these at Cobham the staples remain upon the top and a hook behind, which helped to retain such decorations. A helmet thus ornamented with the crest of the Brokes—a Saracen’s head—still remains upon the walls. It is, however, of a much later date, probably about the time of Henry VII., and is a war-helmet with a movable visor. 1 I 1 1 I/ 41SSI mmm f§fl®l Wmmsm mmm1 i«l C 0 B H A M C HCOBHAM HALL. memory of Sir Nicholas Hawberk, the third husband of Joan Lady Cobham; the carving, in this example, is very elaborate and refined. The knight is represented with folded hands under a canopy,“ habited in plate armour, standing on a lion, with a sword and dagger dependent from a rich girdle, and has on a skull-cap, with a hauberk of mail.” The summit of the canopy is divided into three compartments, highly enriched with finials and pinnacles, and exhibiting the Trinity in the centre, and at the sides the Virgin and Child, and St. George killing the Dragon. At the feet of the knight is a youth standing on a pedestal. An inscription round the verge of the slab records the marriage of Sir Nicholas with Joan de Cobham *. “ The College of Cobham” is now only a collection of alms-houses, 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 mansion, 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 fireplace of cut stone. The history of the college is curious and interesting. A college or chauntry was originally founded here, about the year 1362, by John de Cobham, thence called “ the Founder,” in the reign of Edward III. Towards the end of the reign of Elizabeth it was rebuilt, as appears by a record—“ finished in September, * The other Brasses require a brief notice. The earliest isj to the memory of John de Cobham, the first Knight Banneret, and ^MfSMe of Rochester ; he is dressed in a shirt of mail: round l^^mst is a rich girdle sustaining a long s^rd#Eight Kmes of Norman French are inscribed round the verge of the slab. 2. Maude de Cobham, wife to Reynold, Baron Cobham, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in the reign of Edward the Third: she is standing on a; dog. 3. Another Ma^de de Cobham—probably the &f|lof Thomas de Cobham, who died in the reign ^Richard the Second. 4. Margaret de Cobham, wife of John Lord Cobham, the founder of the College. The inscription round the verge informs us, she was daughter to the Earl of Devonshire. 5. Johm^mCobham, the founder of the College, standing on a lion under a canopy. In his hands he holds a church. 6. Thomas de Cobham. 7. Joan de Cobham, “probably the daughter of John Lord Beauchamp, and mother of the Founder.” 8. Sir John Broke, and Lady Margaret his wife, under a rich canopy with pendants and other ornaments, 9 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 ^remb^ntation 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.” 9. Sir Reginald Braybroke, the second husband of Joan Lady Cobham. 10. Sir Nicholas Hawberk, her third husband. 11. Joan de Cobham : she died, as appears from the inscrip-tion/SPon 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. 12. Sir Thomas BrokB, and one of his three wives. Below them are seven sons and five daughters. Sir Thomas died in 1529. 13. Sir Ralph, or RaueKe Cobham, represented by a bust,*in a skull-cap and shirt of mail. He died, according to the inscription, on the 20th January 1402.COBHAM HALL. 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, without, any manner of letters patent, or other writings, to purchase and receyve to his heires for ever, of the late Master and Bretheren, of the colledge 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 sometime belonged to the late suppressed college,” for the use of the “ newB college. By an act of the 89th of Elizabeth the wardens of Rochester Bridge, for the time being, were made a body corporate, and declared to be perpetual presidents of the new college, the government of which they retain to this day. The dependent village of Cobham is one of the neatest and most pleasant of the many fair villages of Kent. Although in the course of our work we shall picture many nobler and more perfect examples of the domestic architecture of “ Old ” England than is supplied by Cobham Hall, we shall be enabled to call attention to few that afford 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. 10I \ /HEVER CASTLE, KENT. ever Castle is situated in that district of the County of Kent called H the Weald.” It was erected in the time of Edward III., by William de Hevre, who had obtained the j King’s license to embattle his Manor-house; dying soon ! afterwards, the estate Was inherited by his two daughters; one of whom married a younger son of the Lord Cobham, who purchased the remainder, and by whose grandson the whole was disposed of to Sir Geoffrey Boleyn, a wealthy mercer of London, who was Lord Mayor of the City in the 37th Henry VI. He was the founder of a family, whose short-lived power forms a brilliant but melancholy page in British History. His grandson, Thomas, the father of “ the unfortunate Anne,” was created, by Henry VIII., Earl of Wiltshire and Ormond ; but dying without issue male (his son having been executed during his lifetime), his remorseless son-in-law seized on the estates “ in right of his late wife,■which in the 32nd year of his reign, he granted, for her life, to Anne of Cleves, the wife he had then repudiated. Sir Thomas Boleyn is buried in the Church of Hever; his tomb is in the chancel; a fine relic of ancient splendour, which time and neglect have essentially impaired. After the decease of Anne of Cleves, Hever passed successively through the hands of the Waldegraves, the Hum-freys, the Waldos, and the Medleys, in whose possession it is at present. The Castle is still in good condition, and is kept in sufficient repair. A moat surrounds it, formed by the river Eden; over which a drawbridge leads to the principal 1HEVER CASTLE. entrance—a centre flanked by round towers, embattled and machicolated, and defended also by a portcullis. The inner buildings form a quadrangle, inclosing a court. Our view is taken from the entrance to the orchard, on the east side of the moat; thus presenting the east and north sides of the building. A “ great staircase” conducts to the several apartments and “ the long gallery; ” from this gallery there opens a small recess, said to have been the council chamber of the eighth Henry during his frequent visits to the Castle. Our print exhibits also the trap-door, from which there is a narrow and gloomy passage to the dungeons and the moat. To this awful-looking place, so suggestive of sad thought, tradition has given the name of “ the hunger hole.” A chamber, with which are associated feelings scarcely less painful, is the antechamber that leads to the bed-room of Queen Anna Boleyn. This suite is said to have constituted her prison after her “ disgrace”—if the term may be applied to the change of circumstances to which she was doomed by the inhuman despot to whose merciless keeping a stern fate had consigned her destiny. The Castle and its neighbourhood contain many traditions connected with the sad story of the ill-fated Anne. Hever was the residence of her earlier and happier years ; in this Castle she was wooed by her King; from hence she was conducted in triumph to a throne. And from the lone chamber she here occupied, she was led to a still more fatal prison and the scaffold. In the immediate neighbourhood, a hill is pointed out, upon the summit of which it was the custom of King Henry to wind his bugle-horn in token of his approach, when, with his retinue, he drew near the dwelling of his “ Lady-love.”> /\KN OLE HOUSE, KENT. nole House adjoins the pleasant and picturesque town of Sevenoaks. The principal approach is by a long and winding avenue of finely-grown beech-trees, through the extensive Park — the road, sloping and rising gradually, and presenting frequent views of hill and dale, terminated by the heavy and sombre stone front of the ancient and venerable edifice. Passing under an embattled Tower, the first or outer quadrangle is entered; hence there is another passage through another tower-portal, which conducts to the inner quadrangle,, and so to the for which Knole—one of the stateliest of the Baronial Mansions of England—has long been famous. No precise date can he assigned to the structure; it is certain that so far back as the Conquest there was 46 a residence ” here; we have, however, no authentic records of its occupants until early in the reign of John, when 44 the Manor and Estate ” were held by Baldwin de Bethune, from whom they passed by marriage to the Mareschals, Earls of Pembroke, one of whom—a 44 rebellious Baron ”—forfeiting, the lands were bestowed upon Fulk de Brent, a low soldier of fortune—44 a desperate fellow,” as Camden terms him, whose arms had been useful to the King and his son, Henry the Third. Upon the subsequent disgrace of this mercenary, the lands reverted to the Earl of Pembroke; from whom they passed to the Bigods, the Grandisons, the Says, and—in the reign of Henry the Sixth—to James Fienes, summoned to Parliament in the twenty-fourth of that Monarch’s reign as Lord Say and Sele; and murdered in Cheapside by order of “Jack Cade.” His son and heir conveyed the estates to Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, who having “rebuilt the Manor-house, and enclosed a Park round the same,” bequeathed it, in 1486, to the See. Knole thus became the dwelling-house of the several Archbishops until the twenty- “ Huge Hall, long Galleries, spacious Chambers,’ ■KNOLE HOUSE. ninth of Henry the Eighth, when Cranmer, “willing to surrender a part of the possessions of the Church to preserve the remainder,” granted Knole and its appurtenances to the King. By Edward the Sixth they were given to the Dudleys: on the failure of the attempt to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne, they reverted to the Crown. By Queen Mary they were presented to Cardinal Pole. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, after having been held for a brief time by the Earl of Leicester, they were bestowed upon Thomas Sackville, created Baron Buckh-urst and Earl of Dorset. In this family they have ever since remained; the present owner of the noble Mansion and Estates being the Countess Amherst, relict of the sixth Earl of Plymouth, and daughter of the third Duke of Dorset, co-heiress, with her sister the Countess De la Warr, of her brother, the fourth Duke, who died “of full age, but unmarried and without issue,” in 1815.* Knole House is full of highly honourable and deeply interesting associations with the past. Seen from a distance, the Mansion appears irregular ; but, although the erection of several periods, and enlarged, from time to time, to meet the wants or wishes of its immediate occupiers, it exhibits few parts out of harmony with the whole; and presents a striking and very imposing example of the earlier Baronial Mansions, such as it was before settled peace in Britain warranted the withdrawal of all means of defence in cases of attack from open or covert enemies.—The neighbourhood, as well as “ the House,” is suggestive of many sad, or pleasant, memories: from the summits of knolls in the noble and well-stocked Park, extensive views are obtained of the adjacent country; scattered about the wealds of Kent are the tall spires of scores of village churches; Hever—recalling the fate of the murdered Anna Boleyn and the destiny of the deserted Anne of Cleves; Penshurst—the cradle and the tomb of the Sidneys; Eridge—once great Warwick’s hunting-seat; the still frowning battlements of Tunbridge Castle; — these and other objects, within ken, * The Sackvilles are an ancient and very distinguished family, dating from the Conquest. The first Peer, the famous Lord Buckhurst and Earl of Dorset, succeeded Burleigh as Lord Treasurer, an office in which he was confirmed by King James. He is more celebrated, however, as the author of the earliest English Tragedy in blank verse, “ Gordubuc,” and “ The Induction to a Mirrour for Magistrates,” one of the noblest Poems in the language. Gordubuc is praised by Sidney for its “ notable moralitie and the Poem is believed to have given rise to the Fairy Queen. All contemporaries agree in bearing testimony to the virtues of this truly noble man. One of them thus draws his character:—“ How many rare things were in him! who more loving unto his wife ! who more kind unto his children ! who more fast unto his friend ! who more moderate unto his enemy ! who more true to his word ! [’ The sixth Earl of Dorset is also celebrated in the History of Litefflure : he was one of the wits of the licentious 2 court of Charles the Second; the associate of Rochester, Villiers, and Sedley ; but subsequently the patron of Prior, Dryden, Butler, Congreve, Addison, and Pope. Prior he rescued from a vintner’s tap, and Butler “ owed to him that the court tasted his 1 Hudibras.’ ” His reputation as an author rests upon a Poem consisting of no more than eleven stanzas—the “song” beginning “ To all ye ladies now at land,”— said to have been written on shipboard, on the night preceding a sea-fight. It is an elegant composition, and manifests a “ heedlessnesse of danger ” natural to a gallant youth. Pope hails him as “the grace of courts, the Muses’ pride ; ” and there can be no doubt that he was not only a generous and liberal friend to men of letters, but a judicious patron to those who needed help.KNOLE HOUSE. demand thought and induce reflection; both of which obtain augmented power while treading the graceful corridors and stately chambers of the time-honoured Mansion. The walls are hung with authentic portraits of the great men of various epochs, who, when living, flourished here; not alone the noble and wealthy owners of the old Hall, but the worthies who sojourned there as guests—to have sheltered, aided, and befriended whom is now the proudest, as it will he the most enduring, of all the boasts of lordly Knole.* Visitors are generously admitted into the more interesting and attractive of the apartments; and they are full of treasures of art,—not of paintings alone, although of these every chamber is a store-house, hut of curious and rare productions, from the most elaborate and costly examples of the artists of the middle ages, to the characteristic works of the English artisan during the reigns of Elizabeth and James, when a vast amount of labour was bestowed upon the commonest articles of everyday use. The collection of Fire-dogs at Knole is singularly rich; those which adorn “the Cartoon Gallery” supply us with our initial letter; hut every room throughout the Mansion contains a pair equally curious and fine—the greater number being of chased silver. The chairs and seats of various kinds, to he found in all parts of the House, are so many models for the artist. The best are placed in “the Brown Gallery—a long and narrow apartment, panneled, roofed, and floored with oak; here the antique fastenings to the doors and windows are preserved in their early purity; the stained windows are fresh as if painted yesterday; while the walls are covered with historic Portraits, giving vitality to the striking and * The Dining Parlour—where, by the way, in 1645, the Court of Sequ^Jation met and deprived, for loyalty to his sovereign, Edward/the fourth Earl of Dorset, of his estates— contains a series of Portraits of men who, it is certain, met together often there, assembled round the festive board of Charles, the sixth Earl. Among the interesting and important are those of Waller and Addison, by Jarvis; Dr. Johnson, Garrick, and Goldsmith, by Sir Joshua Reynolds ; Otway, by Sir Peter Lely ; Locke, Hobbes, Sedley, Newton, and Dryden, by Kneller; Cowley and Rochester, by Du Boyce; Tom Durfey—in “a conversation piece”—by Vandergucht; 3 Burke, by Opie ; together with copies, by less famous hands, of Ben Jonson, Congreve, Wycherley, Rowe, Garth, Swift, Cartwright, Pope, Betterton, Gay, Handel, &c., &c., &c. + The artist selected as a worthyHbject for his pencil the gallery which runs parallel with “ the Brown Gallery,” on the upper floor. It is peculiarly striking and characteristic ; and Time has shaken it into “ the picturesque.” It is known as “ the Retainers’ Gallery ; ” the sleeping apartments of the domestics branch off from it. The marble chimney-piece, although much dilapidated, is of the finest marble, and of rare workmanship.KNOLE HOUSE. interesting scene—and seeming to remove two centuries from between the present and the past. Similar wealth (wealth in the best and truest meaning of the word) is to be found in every chamber. The Great Hall has its 44 dais,” its 44 Minstrels’ Gallery,” and even its oak tables where retainers feasted, long ago. The bed-rooms are distinguished as, 44 the Spangled, ” 44 the Venetian,” 44 the King’s, ” &c. &c. Of the last named we give an engraving. The furniture here is entirely of silver; the state bed is said to have cost £8000. The room was prepared and furnished for the reception of James the First. The Portraits scattered through the various apartments are, many of them, of rare value. They include the principal nobility and statesmen of the reigns of Henry the Eighth and his children. Among the other pictures are choice examples of Titian, Corregio, Vandyck, Rembrandt, and Reynolds. In a window of the Billiard-room is a painting on glass of a knight in armour, representing the famous ancestor of the Sackvilles; and in the Cartoon Gallery are, also on glass, the armorial bearings of twenty-one of his descendants, ending with Richard, the third Earl of Dorset. Of the several 44 galleries,” and the drawing-rooms, it is sufficient to state that they are magnificent in reference to their contents, and beautiful as regards the style of decoration accorded to each. There is, indeed, no part of the noble building which may not afford exquisite and useful models to the painter; a fact of which we understand the noble owners are fully aware, for to artists they have afforded repeated facilities for study. It will not be difficult to recognise, in some of the best productions of modern art, copies of the gems which give value and adornment to the noble House of Knole. 4\ 5 / V N. /PENSHURST, KENT. ENSHURST ! How many, and Row glorious, are the associations connected with this ancient house—“ the seat of the Sidneys I ” Every great name, memorable in the Augustan age of England, is linked with it for ever; while its venerable aspect, the solemnity of surrounding shades, the primitive character of the vicinity, together with its isolated position—far away from the haunts of busy men—are in perfect harmony with the memories it awakens. Here lived the earliest and bravest of the Anglo-Norman Knights. Here dwelt the ill-fated Bohuns — the three unhappy Dukes of Buckingham, who perished in succession — one in the field, and two on the scaffold. And here flourished the Sidneys! Here, during his few brief years of absence from turmoil in the turbulent countries of Ireland and Wales, resided the elder Sidney, Sir Henry, who, although his fame has been eclipsed by the more dazzling reputation of his gallant son, was in all respects good as well as great—a good soldier, a good subject, a good master, and a good counsellor and actor, under circumstances peculiarly perilous. This is the birth-place of “ the darling of his time,” the “ chiefest jewel of a crown,” the “ diamond of the Court of Queen Elizabeth.” Here, too, was horn, and here was interred the mutilated body of, the “ later Sidney ; ” he who had “ set up Marcus Brutus for his pattern,” and perished on the scaffold—-a martyr for what he called “the good old cause,” one of the many victims of the meanest and worst of his race. With the memories of these three marvellous men—the Sidneys, Henry, Philip, and Algernon—are closely blended those of the Worthies of the two most remarkable Eras in English History. Who can speak of Penshurst without thinking of Spenser ! “ For Sidney heard him sing, and knew his voice ; ”— of Shaksperc—of Ben Jonson, the laureate of the Place—of Raleigh, the “friend and frequent guest”—of Broke, whose proudest boast is recorded on his tomb, that he was 1PENSHURST. “ the servant of Queen Elizabeth, the Counsellor of King Janies, and the friend of Sir Philip Sidney ”—of the many other immortal men, who made the reign of Elizabeth the glory of all Time ! Reverting to a period less remote, who can think of Penshurst without speaking of the high spirits of a troubled age ?— “ The later Sidney, Marvel, Harrington, Young Vane, and others who called Milton—friend ! ” Although its glory is of the past, and nearly two centuries have intervened between the latest record of its greatness and its present state,—although it has been silent all that time,—a solemn silence broken only by the false love-note of an unworthy minstrel, for the names of “ Waller and Sacharissa ” dishonour rather than glorify its gray walls—who does not turn to Penshurst as to a refreshing fountain by the way-side of wearying History ? Penshurst—“ the seat of the Sidneys ”—adjoins the village to which it gives a name. It is situated in the weald of Kent, nearly six miles south-west of Tonbridge, and about thirty miles from London. The neighbourhood is remarkably primitive. As an example of the prevailing character of the houses, we have copied a group that stands at the entrance to the Church-yard— a small cluster of quiet cottages, behind which repose the rude forefathers of the Hamlet, with brave Knights of imperishable names ; and facing which, is an Elm of prodigious size and age, that has seen generations after generations flourish and decay. The sluggish Medway creeps lazily round the Park, which consists of about 400 acres, finely wooded, and happily diversified with hill and dale. A double row of Beech-trees of some extent, preserves the name of “ Sacharissa’s Walk ; ” and a venerable Oak, the trunk of which is hollowed by Time, is pointed out as the veritable tree that was planted on the day of Sir Philip’s birth; of which Bare Ben Jonson thus writes,— “That taller tree which of a nut was set, At his great birth when all the Muses met: ” —to which Waller makes reference as “ the sacred mark of noble Sidney’s birth; ”PENSHURST. concerning which. Southey also has some lines; and from which a host of lesser Poets have drawn inspiration. Until within the last twenty or thirty years, the house was in a sadly dilapidated stateB Its utter ruin, indeed, appeared a settled thing, until the present proprietor, Lord De L’Isle, set himself to the task of its restoration. It is now rapidly assuming its ancient character—a combination of several styles of architecture, in which the Tudor predominates. One of Mr. Harding’s drawings represents it “ under repair,” as it now is; the other gives a view of the Mansion, from the principal approach, through the Park. In the first, the back-entrance to the Hall is seen between two rude buttresses, and the roof of the Hall is shown above the broken wall. Opposite, is the old Court-yard Bell, which bears the date of 1649. It is supported on a wooden frame, richly covered with ivy. A print of it forms the Initial Letter to this History. In Mr. Harding’s second view is exhibited the West Pront, the north front being seen in quick perspective; on the left, is “ Sir Henry’s Tower,” containing his arms, and an inscription stating that he was Lord Deputie General of'the Bealm of Ireland in 1579. This Tower terminates the north wing, the only part of the building as yet completely restored. In the north wing is the principal entrance, by an ancient gateway leading through one of the smaller Courts to the great Hall. Over this Gateway is an antique Slab, setting forth that “ The most religious and renowned Prince, Edward the Sixt, kinge of England, Erance and Irelande, gave this house of Pencestre, with the Manors, landes and appur-tenaynces therunto belonginge unto his trustye and well beloved servant syr William Sidney, Knight Banne^H” The Exterior of the Mansion is, however, an assemblage of erections of various times, and furnishes some examples of singular incongruity. But the “restorations” are proceeding in good taste and with sound judgment; and the Seat of the Sidneys will, in the course of a few years, "regain its rank as one of thB finest and most extensive edifices of the County of Kent. The Interior is also in progressive improvement; but the new and the old are at present awkwardly and ungracefully mingled. The “ Hall ” is still comparatively untouched, and the more interesting of its characteristic features are in no peril of further destrucl tion; the business of the architect being limited to repairing the inroads of time. The pointed timber Boof, upon which the slates are laid, is supported by a series of grotesque figures (corbels), each the size of life. The Screen of tfia Gallery is richly carved and panelled. The Gallery—'“the Minstrels’ Gallery’’—fills the sidePENSHURST. opposite the Dais. The Gothic Windows are narrow and lofty. Every object calls to mind and illustrates a Eeudal age. The oak Tables, on which retainers feasted, still occupy the Hall; in its centre are the huge Dogs, (pictured on the preceding page), in an octagonal enclosure, beneath the louvre, or lanthorn, in the Hoof, which formerly permitted egress to the smoke. A stone Staircase (indicated in the appended print) leads from the Hall to the Picture Gallery and the State Apartments. They are filled with family Portraits, all of which possess considerable interest, although few are of much worth. Among them are several of Sir Philip and Algernon Sidney; one of Sir Philip’s sister, the Countess of Pembroke, to whom he addressed the “ Arcadia,” and who is immortalised by Ben Jonson in his famous Epitaph to ‘ j the subject of all verse; ” and one, by Lely, of the 44 Sacharissa ” of the muse of Waller. A small Chamber in the Mansion contains, however, a few treasures of rarer value than all its copies of “ fair women and brave men.” Among some curious family relics and records, is a lock of Sir Philip Sidney’s hair; it is of a pale auburn. A lock of the hair of the ill-fated Algernon is also with it; in tint it nearly resembles that of his illustrious great uncle. But “Penshurst Place” is interesting chiefly because of its associations; and these [are indeed of a high order. Our history of the family is, necessarily, brief. Until the reign of Edward the Sixth, the Manor of Peneshurste * had received a rapid succession of lords. In the reign of Edward the Eirst, it was in the possession of Sir Stephen de Peneshurste, or Pencestre—“ a very learned man,” according to Harris, and a “famous warden of the Cinque Ports.” In that of Edward the Second, it was the property of Sir John de Pulteney, who “ had licence to embattle it,”—and who was four times Lord Mayor of London. In that of Bichard the Second, it was sold to the Begent Duke of Bedford. On his death, his brother, “ the good Duke Humphrey,” inherited; and on his death—by murder, at Bury, in 1446—the estate reverted to the Crown, and was granted by Henry the Sixth to his kinsman, Humphrey de Stafford, Duke of Buckingham. In his family it remained until the reign of Henry the Eighth, when, by the attainder of Edward Duke of Buckingham, it fell again to the Crown. By Edward the Sixth, it was given to Sir Balph Eane; but on his execution, as an accomplice of the Protector Somerset, it was by letters * According to Hasted, the name is derived from Pen, an old British word signifying the top of anything; and hyrst, a wood. 4jtPENSHURST. patent granted to Sir William Sidney (one of the heroes of Flodden Field) and his heirs— Sir William being lineally descended from Sir William Sidney, Knight, Chamberlain to the Second Henry, 44 With whom he came out of Anjou.” In 1553, his son, Sir Henry, inherited. Sir Henry was from infancy bred at Court, being 44 a companion, and many times a bedfellow,” to the young Prince, afterwards Edward the Sixth, by whom he was knighted. He was twice Lord Deputy of Ireland in the reign of Elizabeth—a period of trouble and continual danger; during which he discharged his duty as an energetic soldier, a sound practical reformer, and a merciful man. The Historians of his time describe him as 44 of a very public spirit, of great abilities, modest, pious, and patient; and in his younger years, for comeliness and beauty, the ornament of the Court.” Sir Philip Sidney—styled 44 the Incomparable”—was his eldest son; and at Penshurst he was horn, on the 29th of November, 1551. His life was one scene of romance from its commencement to its close. His early years were spent in travel; and on his return, he was married to the daughter of Sir Francis Walsingham, a lady of many accomplishments, and of 44 extraordinary handsomeness; ” hut his heart was given to another. The Lady Penelope Devereux won it, and kept it until he fell on the field of Zutphen. Family regards had forbad their marriage ; hut she was united to the immortal part of him, and that contract has not been yet dissolved. She is still the Philoclea of the 44 Arcadia,” and Stella in the Poems of Astrophel. It is unnecessary to follow, in detail, the course of Sir Philip Sidney’s life. There is no strange inconsistency to reason off, no stain to clear, no blame to talk away. We describe it when we name his accomplishments. We remember it as we would a dream of uninterrupted glory. His learning, his beauty, his chivalry, his grace, shed a lustre on the most glorious reign recorded in the English annals. England herself, 44 by reason of the wide-spread fame of Sir Philip Sidney,” rose exalted in the eyes of foreign nations. He was the idol, the darling, of his own. For, with every sort of power at his command, it was his creed to think all vain hut affection and honour, and to hold the simplest and cheapest pleasures the truest and most precious. The only displeasure he ever incurred at Court, was when he vindicated the rights and independence of English Commoners in his own gallant person, against the arrogance of English Nobles in the person of the Earl of Oxford. For a time, then, he retired from the Court, and sought rest in his loved simplicity. He went to Wilton; and there, for the amusement of his dear sister, Mary, Countess of Pembroke, he wrote the 44 Arcadia,” between the years 1579 and 1581.* Again, however, he returned to Court, and his Queen * It has been the fortune of the “Arcadia ” to be too highly valued in one age, and far too much underrated in another. Immediately after its publication it was received with unbounded applause “ From it was taken the language of compliment and love, it gave a tinge of similitude to the colloquial and courtly dialect of the time, and from thence its influence was communicated to the lucubrations of the Poet, the Historian, and the Divine.” The Book is a mixture of what has been termed the heroic and the pastoral Romance, interspersed with ^^Rludes and episodes, and details the various and marvellous adventures of two friends, Musidorus and Pyrocles. It was not intended to be published to the world ; but was written merely to pleasure the Countess of Pembroke—“ a principal ornament to the family of the Sidneis.”PENSHURST. seized every opportunity to do him honour. He received her smiles with the same high and manly gallantry, the same plain and simple boldness, with which he had taken her frowns. In the end, Elizabeth—who, to preserve this “jewel of her crown,” had forcibly laid hands on him when he projected a voyage to America with Sir Erancis Drake, and laid her veto on his quitting England, when he was offered the crown of Poland—could not restrain his bravery in battle, when circumstances called him there. At Zutphen, on the 22nd of September, 1586, he received a mortal wound.* We may place implicit faith in the testimony of all the contemporaries of Sir Philip Sidney—and by all of them he is described as very near perfection; their praises must have been as sincere as they were hearty; for his fortune was too poor to furnish him with the means to purchase them with other than gifts of kindly zeal, affectionate sympathy, cordial advice, and generous recommendations to more prosperous men. Erom Spenser himself we learn, that Sidney “First did lift my muse out. of the floor.” In his dedication of the “ Ruins of Time” to Sidney’s sister, he speaks of her brother as “ the Hope of all learned men, and the Patron of my young Muse.”—“ He was,” writes Camden, the great glory of his family, the great hope of mankind, the most lively pattern of virtue, and the darling of the learned world.” Sir Philip dying without issue, he was succeeded by his brother, Sir Robert, created Lord Sidney of Penshurst, and afterwards Earl of Leicester, by James I. He died at Penshurst in July 1626, and was succeeded by his son, Robert. “ Though never of their faction,” he remained in retirement at Penshurst during the domination of the Parliament and the rule of the Protector, and died there in November 1677, in the 82nd year of his age. His eldest son succeeded to the title and estates, and lived in troubled times the life of an easy gentleman. Not so the second son—the famous scion of the Sidneys, whose namo is scarcely less renowned in history than that of his great-uncle, Sir Philip. Algernon Sidney was horn at Penshurst in 1621. He had scarcely reached the age of manhood when he was called upon to play his part in the mighty drama then acting before the on the 17th of October, 1586. The close of his life affords a beautiful lesson. “ Calmly and steadily he awaited the approach of death. His prayers were long and fervent—his bearing was indeed that of a Christian hero. Hie had a noble funeral. Kings clad themselves in garments ;of grief—a whole people grieved for the loss of thHiost accomplished scholar, the most graceful courtier, the best soldier, and the worthiest man of the country and the age. ^ was burH in state, in the old Cathedral of St. Paul’s, on the 16th of February. Both Universities composed verses to his memory ; and so general was the mourning for him, that, “ for many months after H death, it was accounted indecent for any gentleman of quality to appear at Court, or in the City, in any light or gaudy apparel.” 6 * lhc touching n^^Bit to which, perhaps, more than to any other circumstance, Sir Philip is indebted for his heroic fame, is thus related by his.friend and biographer, Fulke GrevilH Lord Broke :—“ In his sad progress, passing along by the rest of the army, wlHe his uncle, the General, was, and being thirsty with exceHof bleeding, H called for drink, which was presently brought him ; but, as he was putting the botHto his mouth, he saw a poor soldier carried along, who had been wounded at the same time, ghastly casting up his eyes at the bottle. Which Sir Philip perceiving, took it from his head before he drank, and delivered it to the poor man, with these words, i Thy necessity is yet greater than min^^H He lived in great pain for many days after he was wounded, and diedPENSHURST. world. He joined the Parliament, and became a busy soldier—serving with repute in Ireland, where he was “ sometime Lieut.-General of the Horse, and Governor of Dublin ” —until Cromwell assumed the position of a sovereign, when Sidney retired in disgust to the family seat in Kent, and began to write his celebrated “ Discourses on Government.” At the Restoration, he was abroad, and “ being so noted a republican,” thought it unsafe to return to England; for seventeen years after this event he was a wanderer throughout Europe,—suffering severe privations—“ exposed (according to his own words) to all those troubles, inconveniences, and mischiefs, unto which they are liable who have nothing to subsist upon, in a place farre from home, wheare no assistance can possibly he expected, and wheare I am known to he of a quality which makes all lowe and meane wayes of living shamefull and detestible.” The school of adversity failed to subdue the proud spirit of the republican; and on his return to his native country—in 1677—at the entreaty of his father, who “desired to see him before he died,” the “ later Sidney” became a marked man, whom the depraved Charles and his minions were resolved to sacrifice. He was accused of high-treason—implicated in the notorious Rye-house plot— carried through a form of trial on the 21st of November—and beheaded on Tower-hill on the 7th December, 1683. Philip, Algernon’s brother, the third Earl, died in 1696, Three of his grandsons were successively Earls of Leicester. Jocelyn, the last Earl of this family, died in 1713, leaving no legitimate issue. His next brother, who died before him, had however two daughters, to whom the estate devolved as coheiresses, after a long course of litigation with a natural daughter of the late Earl. In the division of the property, Penshurst Place was allotted to the youngest, Elizabeth, who was married to William Perry, Esq., of Turvile Park, Buckinghamshire. After the death of her sister, Lady Sherrard, Mrs. Perry was enabled, by purchase, to re-unite a part of her moiety to the Penshurst estate. This Mrs. Elizabeth Perry had an only son—Algernon Perry Sidney—who died in his mother’s life-time, hut left two daughters; the eldest, Elizabeth, was married to Bysshe Shelley, Esq.; their son, John Shelley 7PENSHURST. Sidney, inherited Penshurst and the manors and estates in Kent; he was created a Baronet in 1818; and his son, who married one of the daughters of his late Majesty William the Fourth, was elevated to the Peerage, hy the title of Lord De L’Isle and Dudley, in 1835. Consequently, Penshurst, “the seat of the Sidneys,” is now the inheritance of a very remote branch of the illustrious family. The Church at Penshurst is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. It immediately adjoins the Park; and is connected, hy a private walk, with the garden of the Mansion. It is an ancient and very venerable structure, containing many monuments to the Sidneys, and to members of the families of Draynowt, Cambridge, Egerton, Head, Darkenol, Pawle, and Yden. The most interesting and beautifully wrought of the tombs is to the memory of Sir William Sidney, Knight Banneret, Chamberlain and Steward to EdAvard the Vlth, and Lord of the Manor of Peneshurste, who died in 1553. It stands in a small chapel at the wust end of the chancel, and at the foot of the tomb is a very antique figure, carved in marble, supposed to he a memorial to Sir Stephen de Pencestre. Below, is the vault which contains the dust of generations of the Sidneys. Sir William Sidney’s monument is a fine example of art, elaborately and delicately sculptured; it contains a long inscription, engraved on a brass tablet, the lettering in which is as clear and as sharp as if it were the work of yesterday. The roof of this Chapel is peculiarly light and elegant. In both the exterior and interior the Church is highly picturesque. The oak gallery is one of the earliest erections of the kind that followed the Deformation. In our view of the exterior is introduced the entrance to the Sidney vault—a modern addition to the Church. In all respects, therefore, a visit to Penshurst—now, hy railroad, within an hour’s distance of the Metropolis-—may he described as a rare intellectual treat; opening a full and brilliant page of history, abundant in sources of profitable enjoyment to the Antiquary, affording a large recompense to the lover, or the professor, of Art, and exhibiting Nature under a vast variety of seductive aspects. 8/ 1 ) / I Iff < £HALL I’ THE WOOD, LANCASHIRE. all f the Wood.—This very ancient and venerable edifice—with which, far more than with many of greater magnitude and higher state among the old mansions of England, are associated ideas of permanent utility and universal good—is situate about a mile from Bolton, close to one of the admirably-managed cotton-mills of the Messrs. Ashworth. It is surrounded by indications of commerce; the smoke of many hundred factories impregnates the air, and renders even the herbage stunted and dark; while numerous steam-engines are busily at work drawing to the surface the coal, without which industry could avail little in a locality so far inland, and where the water barely suffices to aid the mighty machinery which supplies the world with the most essential article of dress. Yet the neighbourhood is fuU also of tokens of early Baronial splendour; and the 44 HaHs ” scattered in various directions afford unequivocal proofs of its former dignity and importance, ere the 44 ’Squirearchy ” gave place to the 44 Manufacturers,” who now fill every part of Lancashire with long, tall, and broad houses, abounding in windows—grievously diminishing the picturesque, but cheering and animating to those who know that in the nineteenth century the pre-eminence of Great Britain must be secured by commerce and manufacture. Close at hand are 44 Smithells,” formerly a seat of the Ratclifies, now the property of the Ainsworths; 44 Peel HaU,” still the inheritance of the Kenyons; 44 Turton Tower,” once the seat of Humphry Chetham; and 44 Worsley Old Hall,” the present residence of Lord Francis Egerton. The greater number of these old houses, however, have altogether changed owners;—many of them, as in the case of Hall i’ the Wood, having been deserted, or left to humbler occupants, who care only to keep the roofs above their heads, and attach small import to the interest they derive from antiquity. The house under especial notice at one time belonged to 44the Norrises;” from them, it passed to 44 the Starkies;” and towards the close of the last century it obtained a celebrity—which must for ever render the neighbourhood famous—as the humble dwelling of a humble artisan, who largely contributed to the prosperity of his iHALL I* THE WOOD. country. From him, indeed, Hall i’ the Wood derives historic interest; the old and somewhat dilapidated mansion, although divided and subdivided into tenements for “working men,” should be as a place of pilgrimage to those who date the modern supremacy of Great Britain from the improvements in manufactures, which have upheld the State and sustained her power during peace, as the courage, fortitude, and endurance of her sons had done during a protracted war. In no part of England does the memorable line receive stronger emphasis than in the small room of this comparatively deserted house:— “ Peace hath her victories as well as War ! r The father of Samuel Crompton was a small farmer, residing at Firwood, near Bolton, who, as was the custom in those days, mingled with the business of a farmer the occupations of weaving, carding, and spinning. Samuel was born in 1753; and while an infant, was removed with his family to the scene of his after triumph, Hall i’ the Wood ; which even then must have been consigned by its earlier owners to the chances of preservation from needy inmates. We borrow from various sources some particulars concerning the eventful life and important labours of this remarkable man—chiefly from a paper by John Kennedy, Esq., the generous and consistent friend of Crompton. At the age of sixteen, he learned to spin upon “ a Jenny ” (of Hargreave’s make), and occasionally wove the yarn he had spun. His work, however, being but indifferent, he was led to consider how it could be improved; and the result was, ultimately, though at a far-off distance of time, the construction of “ the mule ”—a machine which it is foreign to our purpose to describe, but which gave to the cotton manufacture a degree of perfection to which, without it, it could never have attained. Crompton was only twenty-one years old when he commenced the undertaking, which took him five years to effect—at least, before he could bring his improvements to maturity. He experienced much difficulty in consequence of being unable to procure proper tools with his limited earnings, acquired by labour at the loom or jenny. Not being a regular mechanic, and having to learn the use of the few he could purchase, it is matter of surprise that even in five years he succeeded in making his machine practically useful. His greatest trouble appears to have been his inability to enjoy his little invention to himself, in his own room; for the product of his machine obtaining a better price than other yarns of those times, a report was circulated that he had devised some novel mode of improved spinning: people, for miles round the country, gathered about his dwelling; and, in many instances, actually obtained ladders, and climbed up to his window to see him work. To avoid this intrusion, he formed a screen; but the annoyance becoming so great, that he could not proceed with his work to advantage, he at length laid the whole plan before a number of gentlemen, who gave him one guinea each to look at it. These sums amounted to about 50/., which enabled him to constructHALL r THE WOOD. another machine, still farther improved, and of larger dimensions (the first machine consisted of not more than thirty or forty spindles). When relating this little history to Mr. G. A. Lee and Mr. John Kennedy, Mr. Lee having observed, “ It was a pity he had not kept the secret to himself,” he replied, “ that a man had a very insecure tenure of property, which another could carry away with his eyes.” Unfortunately, therefore, Crompton never secured his invention by patent; and the consequence was, that while hundreds of manufacturers were making immense fortunes by the result of his ingenuity, he himself lived in poverty, and died little better than a pauper. He was left a widower when his children were very young, and his only daughter kept his little cottage in King-street, Bolton, where he died. He erected several looms for the fancy-work of that town, in which he displayed great ingenuity. He was fond of music, and built for himself an organ, which he had in his little cottage. In 1812 he made a survey of all the cotton districts in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and obtained an estimate of the number of spindles then at work on his principle, which amounted to between four and five millions (in 1829, the number was seven millions). On his return, he laid the result of his inquiries before Mr. Lee and Mr. Kennedy, with a suggestion that Parliament might “ grant him something.” With these data before him, Mr. Lee entered fully into the case, and made an appointment with the late George Duckworth, Esq., of Manchester, who drew up a memorial to Parliament in his behalf. This was signed by most of the principal manufacturers in the kingdom, who were acquainted with his merits. He went to London himself with the memorial, and obtained an interview with one of the members for the county of Lancaster. He remained there during the session, and was in the House on the evening that Mr. Perceval was shot, and witnessed the catastrophe. A short time before this disastrous occurrence, Mr. Perceval had given him a promise to interest himself in his behalf; and, in accordance with this assurance, had brought in a bill, which was passed, for a grant of 5000£ in full, without fees or charges. Mr. Crompton was now anxious to place his sons in some business, and fixed on that of bleaching; but the unfavourable state of the times, the inexperience and mismanagement of his sons, a bad situation, and a misunderstanding with his landlord, which occasioned a tedious lawsuit, conspired, in a very short time, to put an end to this establishment. His sons were dispersed, and he and his daughter reduced to poverty. Messrs. Hicks and Rothwell, of Bolton, Mr. Kennedy, and some others in that neighbourhood and in Manchester, made, in 1824, a second subscription, to purchase a life annuity for him, which produced 63£ per annum. The amount was raised in small sums from one to ten pounds, some of which were contributed by the Swiss and French spinners, who acknowledged his merits, and pitied his misfortunes. He died January 26, 1827, having enjoyed his annuity only two years, leaving his daughter, his affectionate housekeeper, 3HALL F THE WOOD. in absolute poverty. Such, unhappily, has been the fate of many public benefactors. They have tilled the ground and sown the seed, but others have gathered in the harvest. “ Hall i’ the Wood,” as we have intimated—the preservation of which as a monument to the memory of useful industry, and its prodigious practical results, may be regarded as a public duty—is falling gradually into decay; but its condition is such, that a very trifling degree of labour may effectually restore it. Its present occupants work at the neighbouring factories: and although we found them taking some pride in the aged walls they inhabit, from them we can expect nothing in the way of its preservation. Surely it ought not to be left to the common fate of common things ! The accompanying print — from an excellent drawing by Mr. J. J. Dodd, a most intelligent artist, by whom we were accompanied to this “ shrine ” of manufacturing devotees—exhibits the principal front, “ Crompton’s Room” being indicated by the open window. The house is built in the usual style of old dwellings of a better class in Lancashire, being composed of “wood and plaster.” It has no projecting windows or carved doors; the chief entrance, at the south gable, appears to have been a later addition. It is of stone; and above it, in a square panel, is the date 1648, with the initials A.N.A. Within, a staircase of massive oak leads to the upper chambers; of which, one only—“ Crompton’s Room ”—seems to have been treated with respect; but this also has been doomed to periodical “ whitewashings,” which, however, have failed to efface a deeply-cut panel (given as our initial letter), interesting as that upon which the eyes of “ the Discoverer ” must have often looked. Seen from a distance, the house is highly picturesque; it stands on high, rocky ground, which on one side is almost perpendicular to a great depth, broken into masses, covered with moss and lichens, among which, here and there, shoot out the branches of the oak and ash, which have found places for their roots in the crevices of the rocks. Some of these trees have been partially hurled down by frequent storms, and their gnarled branches form singular contrasts with the silvery stems of a few slender birch-trees, which flourish in young vigour by their sides. At the foot of the precipitous descent, a broad and somewhat clear stream winds its way over large stones, forming tiny waterfalls; passing under a rustic wooden bridge, it makes its way through the adjacent valley to supply many scores of mills and factories, creating wealth. 4 i '/SMITHELLS HALL, LANCASHIRE. mithells Hall is situated about two miles and a half from the populous and flourishing manufacturing town of Bolton, The manor was dependent on the manor of Sharpies, the lord of which claimed from its owners a pair of gilt spurs annually, and—by a singular and “inconvenient” custom—the unlimited use of the Smithells cellars during one week of every year. It does not appear, however, that the lord of Smithells was bound, at this particular period, to store his cellars with any particular quantity or quality of liquor. Up to the time of Henry VII the Radcliffes were lords of Smithells ; but Joan, the daughter and sole heir of Sir Ralph Radcliffe, having married Robert Barton, Esq., he became in that reign seized of the manor and lordship of Smithells, where his posterity continued, until Grace, sole daughter and heiress of Thomas Barton, Esq., the last male heir, was married to Henry, eldest son of Henry first Lord Viscount Fauconberg, whose descendant, Thomas, in 1721, sold the manor, which afterwards passed into the hands of the Byrons of Manchester, by whom it was sold for 21,000/. to Mr. Ainsworth of Halliwell, an opulent bleacher, and a descendant of the Ainsworths of Pleasington. The period of the erection of the mansion cannot be accurately ascertained ; a date (1360) affixed above one of the gate- __ ways is obviously no authority. The rebus of a tun, crossed by a bar, indicating, it is said, Andrew Barton, the famous rover of Henry VII.’s reign, may probably indicate the erection of part of the structure early in the sixteenth century. The building consists of “post and plaster work,” black and white, with bold trefoils and quatrefoils. At the western extremity is a shaded walk, covered with ivy, leading to the principal entrance. The hall is tastefully furnished with relics of the olden time—chairs and tables coeval with the building—while its primitive character is augmented by huge baskets of yule-logs. The leading feature of the house is the magnificent oak dining-room, erected by the present 1SMITHELLS HALL. owner, Peter Ainsworth, Esq. M.P., in admirable keeping with the aspect of the edifice in its several details. The grateful acknowledgments of all antiquaries are due to Mr. Ainsworth for the zeal he has manifested in preserving the ancient style of his venerable mansion ; the delicate care he has exhibited in preventing the destruction of even the least important “ bit ” that may be preserved ; and the judgment he has exercised in effecting restorations and repairs in perfect harmony. This feeling is especially evidenced by the manner in which the dining-room has been constructed. It was rebuilt—an exact resemblance of its former state,—and panelled with the old oak, the workmanship of which is so pure as to bear comparison with the best existing examples in the kingdom. In a passage near the door of the old dining-room, at the foot of the staircase leading to the chapel, is a natural mark in the stone-flag resembling the print of a man's foot. This appearance has given rise to a tradition that the martyr, George Marsh, when brought before Sir Roger Barton for examination in 1555, stamped with his foot in confirmation of the truth of his opinions, and that a miraculous impression was made on the stone as a perpetual memorial of the injustice of his enemies. George Marsh was horn at Dean, two miles south-west of Bolton. In the persecuting days of Mary he underwent his first examination before Sir Roger Barton in Smithells Hall, from whence he was transferred to Latham, previous to his final committal to Lancaster Castle. A small chamber behind the chapel contains a beautiful latticed window of large size, and here tradition states the early martyrs endured much suffering. The chapel has been fitted up in good taste, and is full of associations with remote periods. It is not only used by the family and the household, hut, by the courtesy of Mr. Ainswrorth, is open to all in the neighbourhood who desire to attend divine service there. The house, it will be seen from our engraving, is a fine example of a class of architecture of which Lancashire still has many singular and interesting remains. It is highly picturesque; and, notwithstanding its situation in the centre of a manufacturing district, it commands extensive and very beautiful views of a rich and productive valley. The drawing and the sketches from woodcut illustrations have been supplied to us by Mr. J. J. Dodd, an excellent artist of Manchester. 2 s- ^+*umrsiMr. *fct* JSPEKE HALL, LANCASHIRE. pec, Speake,—or Speke Hall, according to the more modern reading,—is situate about seven miles from Liverpool, and nearly the same distance from Prescot. The house and the estates adjacent—after passing through “ several hands ”— are now the property of Richard Watt, Esq., of Bishop-Burton, whose uncle, Richard Watt, Esq., merchant of Liverpool, purchased the manor from the Beauclerk family. The house is, however, “ let,” and is now in the occupation of Joseph Brereton, Esq. The history of the mansion—preserved as it is from a very early period—is curious and interesting. Speke, according to Domesday Book, was “held by TJctred,” with “two caracutes of land,” and was “ worth sixty-four pence.” With Uctred, however, it did not long remain; for, soon afterwards, we find it given by Benedict de Gerneth or Garnet, with Annota his daughter and heiress, to Adam de Molineux, of the Sefton branch of that very noble and chivalric family. From them it passed—by marriage with Joan Molineux, daughter of Sir John Molineux, Knt., of Sefton—to William Norris, Esq., of Sutton. From this union sprung the Lord Norris, of Rycot, and the founders of several other noble families of Lancashire and Berkshire.* It was held by the Norrises, in direct * The Norrises had long been a family of note in Lancashire, and held lands in Blackrod, Sutton, &c. The family of Bradshaw, of Bradshaw, was of Saxon origin, and seated there before the conquest; after that event, Sir John Bradshaw was repossessed of his estates by the Conqueror, which went to his posterity for twenty-two descents, whereof eleven were lineally knighted, as appears by ancient charter, and other authentic evidences. A full account of the marriages may be seen in Wotton’s Baronetage (Edition 1769, vol. vi., fol. 14), down to Sir William Bradshaw, second son of Sir John Bradshaw, the tenth generation from Sir John Bradshaw; which Sir William married Mabel daughter of Hugh Norreys, or Norris, by which he got for her dowry, as sole heir of her father, the manors of Sutton, Raynhill, Whiston, Haghe, Blackerode, and West Leigh. Haghe and Blackrode were held as a twelfth part of a knight’s fee. There is a well-attested story of Mab and Mab’s Cross. She was obliged to walk bare-foot and bare-legged once a week from Haigh to near Wigan, to expiate the sin of marrying again in her husband’s absence, when she thought he had been slain. This Mab was Mabil Norreys, of Blackrode. A portion of the Cross is still to be seen at the extremity of the town of Wigan, on the left hand side of the road, leading from Wigan to Haigh Hall, now the residence of Earl Balcarras. The Norrises of Speke and Rycot were all martial men. They held their estate of Speke by military tenure, 1SPEKE HALL. descent, until the middle of the last century, when it was inherited by Topham Beauclerk, Esq., by whose son it was transferred to Mr. Watt. Speke Hall is among the best specimens of its class that yet endure in England. It is built of wood and plaster—the material employed in all the Lancashire houses of the sixteenth century. It was formerly surrounded by a moat, the remains of which are easily traced, although long ago filled up by gravelled walks and flowering shrubs in rich abundance. A stone bridge, with high piers, leads to the principal front; and the house is entered through a picturesque stone porch, immediately over which is the following inscription, in black letter of antique shape:— Cgts toorke ttoentg gatta long toas toijollg fiutlt ft# 3E. N., 1598. The annexed woodcut shows the Stone Bridge leading to the entrance arch, from which there is a flight of stone steps communicating with the moat; there appears formerly to have been a terrace walk on this side of the house, the situation of which is shown by the figure looking over the wall. The pinnacles and ornaments from the Gables on this side of the building are quite gone, the only ornament now remaining is the string course round the whole building which still remains in good preservation; and the window over the arch has some bold mouldings, it occupies the space below the second gable in the woodcut. A large room in the further Gable, now used as a Laundry, is said to have formerly been the Chapel: we may imagine this to have been the case by the window, which is different in size and shape from the others. On the right of the arch is a doorway leading to the moat by the flight of stone steps, also to the terrace-walk before mentioned, which is only continued on one side of the building. On each side of this doorway is a large stone seat, one of which is shown in the woodcut. The arch is ornamented with a number of small which they imposed upon their tenantry. The Norrises acquired great honours in foreign service, in which they were so much engaged as to be unfrequent attendants at court. A part of the debateable lands at Bromfield, in Wales, was granted to this family. Sir John Norris was a most accomplished General about 1577, equally valiant and skilful in a charge as a retreat. On one memorable occasion, he 2 effected a retreat with a handful of Englishmen, which gained him more honour than a victory could have conferred. He was sent to Ireland, as a commander, in the reign of Elizabeth ; but not being properly supported by the Government, or owing perhaps to the animosity of party spirit, he did not succeed in his mission, and died anno 1597.>SPEKE HALL. mouldings, which, commencing at one base, is continued through the impost and architrave to the base opposite. Two large oak doors open from the porch into an inner court of an oblong form, in length about twenty-four yards, and in breadth about seventeen. Two enormous and very venerable yew-trees still flourish here—now only picturesque ornaments in keeping with the solemn character of the structure; but in ancient times, no doubt, they answered the purpose of equipping many a stout English bowman, and may have aided the victors of Crecy and Poictiers. The principal windows of the mansion look into this court; several of them yet retain their costly ornaments, and everywhere there is to be found some indication that wealth and taste were lavishly expended in decorating the noble and beautiful structure. Passing down the principal lobby, we enter the Great Hall on the right. It is very lofty ; a fine oak wainscoting reaches from the floor to the ceiling, which is of oak also, crossed by large beams, deeply moulded, forming squares, which are again crossed, diagonally, by small moulded ribs. The large Bay Window, as we have noted, looks into the court-yard. The huge Chimney-piece, which seems to be of a much later date than the Hall, contains a singular mass of strange forms; its peculiarities are shown in the drawing, for which, and the other illustrations of this fine old mansion, we are indebted to Mr. J. J. Dodd, an excellent artist, of Manchester. The drawing introduces the Bay Window and a projecting doorway leading to the drawing-room; it exhibits, too, the fine wainscoting, which is divided perpendicularly and horizontally into panels of various sizes; above the eye is a 3SPEKE HALL. row of twelve panels, bearing shields or scrolls, similar to achievement shields, of Gothic shapes, on each of which is carved a head, supposed to represent one of the twelve Caesars. Of this wainscot Seacome, in his “ History of the House of Stanley,” says, “ And here justice as well as respect to the ancient and worthy house, Norris of Speke, calls upon me to acquaint the reader with the bravery of Sir Edward Norris, son of Sir William, who was slain at the battle of Musselburrow, in the time of Henry VII. This valiant and heroic gentleman, Sir Edward Norris, commanded a body of the army, under General Stanley, at Flodden Field, where he behaved with so much courage and good conduct, that he was honoured by the King his master with a congratulatory letter, for his good services on the victory of that day, in token whereof he brought from the deceased King of Scots’ palace all or most of his princely library; and he also brought from the said palace the wainscot of the King’s Hall, and put it up in his own hall of Speke, wherein are seen all the orders of architecture, and round the top of it this inscription” (broken by the projections and ornaments) : ttot: ttll: u ftatje: nmsetorfc Job: tjoto: fjast: : g tog: past if: tfjou: fjabe: toell ton: tfjank: Ototi tf ot f)er: toagg, xz pent, ge* The Door-case between the great hall and large Drawing-room projects into the former, and is richly ornamented with a coat of arms and supporters. In the windows * The question whether the wainscoting at Speke did or not originally come from Scotland, appears to have given rise to some discussion; and is unquestionably a matter of deep interest to antiquarians. Not long ago, Robert Whatton, Esq., F.S.A., Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, took some pains to investigate its history, in order to assist the Scottish Society of Antiquaries, who had organised a committee with a view to ascertain whether there was or was not any proof to sustain the tradition. It appears Mr. Whatton could meet with no intelligence prior to 1767. “ Seacome,” in his History of the House of Stanley, page 46, refers to it; also “ Enfield,” in his History of Liverpool, 4to, 1774, page 115. These accounts have been copied by Gough, in his edition of Camden, and every subsequent writer. The very splendid and highly-finished specimen of the carved oak wainscot, common to the counties of Lancaster and Chester, is erected against the north wall of the room, and is divided perpendicularly from the ceiling, two-thirds of its extent downwards, into eight compartments, these compartments being again subdivided horizontally into five rows of panels ; a space corresponding with the width of two of the compartments, on the right hand, with the exception of the uppermost panels, is occupied by the door-case, which projects into the room. That part of the wainscot which is usually allotted to frieze or cornice, is here formed into a ’projecting head, extending through the whole length of the 4 works in a line with the ceiling of the room, to which it is attached and secured by nine supporters, correspondent with the columns below. The columns which divide the wainscot into compartments rise from square ornamental pedestals ; the shafts are fluted in two divisions, having capitals with volutes and rows of foliage, and supporting scrolls with massive square heads, increasing in diameter upwards, and reaching to the bottom of the first row of panels. The columns of the door-case are similar to those on the wainscot, except that the shafts are ornamented in zigzag instead of fluting; in the centre, over this door, is a shield with the arms of Norris, quartering Harrington, and Molyneux, and others we cannot decipher. With respect to the origin of this fine and beautiful work, there seems to be no evidence to support the current tradition of its having been originally Scottish. Mr. Whatton is of opinion, not only that it never came from Scotland, but that it was of neighbouring manufacture; and was executed for Edward Norris in 1598 (40th of Elizabeth), and not brought thither by his great uncle, Sir Edward, who fought at Flodden ; but the probability is, that some relics brought from Scotland had been set up at Speke previous to the erection of the present Manor Hall in 1598 ; and as these would no doubt be transferred to the new building, it might have happened in the course of time, that what was strictly applicable to a part may have been ascribed to the whole.SPEKE HALL. there are still to be seen many arms painted on the glass, which add greatly to the imposing effect of the room. A seat or bench, with a rest for the feet, is continued, not only in the recess of the bow and bay windows, but all round the apartment. Crossing the hall, a passage leading from the projecting doorway brings us to the staircase on the right, opposite to which is the entrance to the great parlour or drawing-room, on the door frieze of which is the following inscription, in similar characters to those in the Great Hall:— je: : ©otr: to: lobe: serbe: toage: to: beaben: abobe: all: tfjgng While the Great Hall has been renovated and repaired with considerable taste and skill, the Drawing-room has been grievously neglected, until it has become a complete ruin. The floor has been entirely removed; every window is boarded up, mouldings from the oak wainscot are crumbling and falling down on every side, and it is not till we have remained in the room some time, and the eye is accustomed to the darkness, that we discern the elaborately enriched ceiling, which consists of fifteen square compartments, being divided by four beams horizontally, having the corners splayed off; they are of plaster, ornamented with a running stem of the hop-plant, skilfully continued throughout. The ceiling of the Bay Window is also ornamented, but in a different style, being panelled with scrolls and ogee lines, and having in the centre an angel, apparently rising into the clouds; the seats and panelling from this window are gone, and the space is filled with broken panels, mouldings, and “ firewood; ” the wind and rain force their way between the pieces of board which stand in the stead of glass; and the ivy has in many places forced itself through from the outside. This Bay Window, with a square window of six lights close to it, looks into the moat. This side of the house has been quite neglected: windows are partially boarded up, and it is difficult to trace any architectural features, except the two fine Chimneys; all else is a complete wreck, exhibiting grievous proof of the want of taste and right feeling in the present owner. The Chimneys here are stone, but the greater part of the building is of wood; a few bricks have been introduced, but only because they were absolutely necessary to support the tottering woodwork from the ruin that follows neglect. Another window, at the end, looked into the garden, into which there was also a communication through an arched doorway—shown in the garden front view—having the initials carved on it. The whole 5SPEKE HALL. of the drawing-room is of oak, from the floor to the ceiling; the panels at the top of the end adjoining the Great Hall are pierced with stars and circles of different kinds in two rows; intended doubtless to destroy the dull uniformity which must have been otherwise exhibited by one hundred and twenty panels broken only by two doorways. It only remains to notice the Carved Oak Chimney-piece in this room, with which time has not yet made so much havoc as it has with the ceiling. From the carved figures and inscriptions on the frieze, there can be no doubt of its representing a pedigree of the Norris family for three generations. It consists of three principal compartments, separated by pairs of square columns, having their interstices occupied by beautiful arabesque foliage of different patterns, the whole resting on a base corresponding with the extent of the fireplace, and finished with carvings of a similar kind to those filling the spaces between the columns. An inscription formerly ran along the cornice, explanatory of the figures in the different compartments, but it is entirely gone: the remainder is in a fair state of preservation, and is a good specimen of the class introduced into England, when the Italian became mixed with our English classic in domestic architecture. The ancient Hall of Speke supplies a highly interesting example of the architecture of the period. Although time has made sad havoc among its beauties and peculiarities, and it has been shamefully neglected by those who should have cherished the old House, as “ the apple of an eye,” its leading outlines still exist unimpaired; the arrangements of the several apartments may be distinctly traced; and if by some fortunate event it should happen to fall into the hands of parties capable of estimating its worth, its restoration might be so effected as to exhibit a perfect mansion of the 16th century. Most auspiciously situated in the midst of rich and lovely scenery, surrounded by venerable trees, many of them coeval with the building, it would seem as if all the moral, social, and physical wants of the owner might be supplied by means ready at his hands. Alas ! that there is no manorial lord to estimate the value of rare gifts of nature #nd fortune beyond the actual profit the venerable walls can be made to yield. oV I < f 4ITUETON TOWEE, LANCASHIRE. his venerable and highly picturesque edifice is situated about four miles from Bolton, in a district singularly at war with relics of antiquity, and at variance with associations awakened by remains of time-honoured mansions of the ancient lords of the soil. From an adjacent hill may be seen a thousand tall chimneys, of red brick; while the surrounding atmosphere is dense and heavy with the smoke arising from factories and coal-pits, so numerous, that the eye labours in vain to count them. In the time of King John, the Township of Turton was held by Roger Fitz Robert (De Holland); it became part of the property of Henry, “ the good Duke of Lancaster,” from whom the manor passed into the knightly family of the Orrels, whom Camden styles “Illustrious.” From them it was purchased, for £3,000, by Humphrey Chetham, Esq., a manufacturer of fustians; of whom, about the middle of the 17th century, Fuller speaks, as “a public benefactor.” From him it passed successively to his descendants, Humphrey,, Samuel, and Edward Chetham; by Anne, one of the co-heiresses of Edward Chetham, it was conveyed by marriage to ----------------- Bland, Esq., whose sole heiress married Mordecai Green, Esq., whose daughters, the issue of his son, James Green, inherited, and now possess, the estate. That portion of it, consisting of 365 acres, which contains Turton Tower, is in the occupation of James Kay, Esq., a gentleman who deserves the high praise of all, and the fervent gratitude of the antiquary, for the care he has taken, not only to protect from further injury the venerable relic of a remote age, but for the taste and judgment he exhibits in keeping all things in harmony with the character of the honoured and interesting edifice. The dwelling has received various additions from time to time; but none of them are of very recent date. They are principally of a class common in Lancashire, in houses of the better order, as well as in cottages of the labourer and artisan, being constructed of wood and plaster. “ The Tower ” is of stone, and much older than other parts of the structure. It is square, and was evidently constructed for defence. It has a hall, of small size, but richly decorated with wood carvings I a quaint iTURTON TOWER. staircase conducts to the upper apartments, the principal of which is the drawing-room, panelled with oak from the floor nearly to the ceiling—the ceiling being highly enriched. It receives light from two mul-lioned windows. This room is in the Tower—the whole length and breadth of which it occupies. Every chamber throughout the mansion has been fitly furnished by Mr. Kay. The ancient coffer, bound with iron—(it supplies our initial letter)—concerning which tradition has been always busy—is one of the few heirlooms of the House. We believe, with this exception, the whole of its picturesque contents, from attic to cellar, have been the introductions of Mr. Kay; and we cannot sufficiently praise the sound taste and judicious feeling by which that gentleman has been actuated in his efforts at restoration both within and without. At a short distance from the mansion is a singularly picturesque turret—an engraving of which we annex. Through the township of Turton passed the ancient Roman road; and in the immediate neighbourhood may be traced many relics of remote antiquity. From “ the Height ” a most extensive view is obtained—a view unsurpassed in England for singularity and deep interest, —taking in Bolton and Warrington and other towns and villages full of factories; from hence also are seen Billinge Hill and Beacon, the far-famed Pike and Beacon of Rivington; while a deep shadow that hangs over an enormous space, points attention to busy and prosperous Manchester, buried with its prodigious wealth in the centre of a valley some fifteen miles away. 2 \ I ImS'« / . ■/ ijW t * tl 44 9 911 B \A/U.C. BERKELEY LIBRARIES CD3MT43D32