VANISHED PALACES
Besides the palaces whose stories have been related, there were at one
time many other royal residences scattered over England. These have
either entirely vanished, even their sites being problematical, or
mere fragments of them alone remain. While England remained in an
unsettled condition, with constant internal wars, the Kings were
always moving about taking their Court with them, staying in their
various castles or fortified houses. We find that Henry II., the first
of the Plantagenet Kings, never stayed long in any place, generally
moving on after a few days' visit. But when more settled times came,
and the Parliament remained at Westminster, the King came to live
longer in London or at one of his royal houses in the neighbourhood.
Some of the country palaces were maintained on account of the hunting
they afforded.
A few brief notes must suffice for these vanished palaces.
=Baynards Castle= was situated on the River Thames not far from
St. Paul's. In 1461 the City of London tendered their allegiance to
Edward, Duke of York (Edward IV.) at Baynards Castle, and by doing
so secured his triumph. It became a royal house on the attainder of
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, and was rebuilt by Henry VIII., but was
seldom occupied by the sovereign. Queen Mary gave it to the Earl of
Pembroke.
[Illustration: Baynards Castle in 1790.]
=Dartford Priory= was turned into a house for the King after the
dissolution of the monasteries. It is chiefly associated with King
Henry VIII.'s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, who lived there during
the reign of Edward VI. and until her death in 1556. Queen Elizabeth
occasionally visited it, but when it was found to need costly repairs
James I. granted it to Robert, Earl of Salisbury.
=Enfield Palace=, though a Crown property from the time of Henry IV.,
was not used as a royal residence until the time of Henry VIII. Queen
Elizabeth was at Enfield when Henry VIII. died, and she often visited
it after she came to the Throne. It was sold to the Earl of Pembroke
in 1641.
=Hatfield House= was acquired by Henry VIII., whose daughter, Queen
Elizabeth, lived there during her sister's reign. James I. persuaded
Sir Robert Cecil to accept it in exchange for his house at Theobalds.
=Havering-atte-Bower= Palace stood near Romford, in Essex. It was the
country palace of Edward the Confessor, and was afterwards occupied by
various Queens, some of whom died there. James I. let it to the Earl
of Oxford.
=Kempton Park= was often used by the Plantagenet Kings up till the
time of Richard II. Henry VIII. ordered it to be taken down, using the
building materials for his new palace of Whitehall.
=King's Langley=, in Hertfordshire, was Crown land from the fourteenth
century, the manor being last held by Charles I., who presented it to
Sir Charles Morrison.
[Illustration: Nonsuch Palace.
_From an engraving by Houfnagle._]
=Nonsuch Palace= at Cheam, in Surrey, was built by Henry VIII., who
had obtained the land in 1538. The Earl of Arundel, to whom Queen Mary
gave the palace, completed the building, which was still unfinished.
It was a most unusual structure, almost fantastic with its bas-reliefs
and gilded cupolas, and quite unlike the Tudor mansion of the period.
Queen Elizabeth often visited Arundel, who entertained his royal
mistress in lavish manner. She afterwards bought the estate, which
James I. settled upon his wife. Charles II. gave it as a present to
Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland, who pulled it down.
=Oatlands=, near Weybridge, in Surrey, was the site of a palace
erected by Henry VIII., who also enclosed a park. It was occasionally
visited by Henry VIII.'s successors, down to the time of the Civil
War, when it was destroyed.
[Illustration: Savoy Palace, about 1650.
_From an etching by Hollare._]
=Richmond Palace=, the much-loved residence of the Tudors, received
its name from Henry VII., who had been known as Henry of Richmond
after the town in Yorkshire, before he came to the Throne. The first
house was destroyed by Richard II. when his wife died there in 1394,
but Henry VII. rebuilt it, dying there in 1509. Queen Elizabeth was
often at the palace, where she died in 1603.
=Savoy Palace= obtained its name from Peter of Savoy, the uncle of
Queen Eleanor, the wife of Henry III., who resided there. It was
bought back again by Queen Eleanor, who handed it on to Edmund, Earl
of Lancaster, from whose family it returned again to the Crown, by the
marriage of John of Gaunt to Blanche of Lancaster. The captive King
John of France spent some years of his life there.
=Somerset House= was built by the Protector Somerset, who ruthlessly
destroyed churches and houses to obtain a site on the river. After his
execution, it came to the Crown, and was afterwards used as part of
the Queen's dowry, Catharine of Braganza being the last Queen to
live in the palace. In 1775 it was converted into a Public Office;
Buckingham Palace, just acquired by George III., being settled upon
the Queen.
=Theobalds=, on the borders of Hertfordshire, was built by Robert
Cecil, Lord Burleigh, who often entertained Queen Elizabeth, an honour
which cost him £2,000 a visit. James I. was so delighted with it when
he came there on his royal progress from Scotland, that he induced his
host to let him have it in exchange for Hatfield. He was frequently
there, enjoying the hunting in the neighbourhood, and died there in
1625, his son Charles being proclaimed at the gate. At the Civil
War it was much damaged, afterwards being parcelled out among some
Parliamentarian officers. The last remains disappeared in 1766.
=Winchester Castle= was built, according to tradition, by Arthur, and
was constantly used by the early English Kings. It was the birthplace
of Henry III., and Parliament assembled there occasionally until the
fifteenth century. Henry V. was the last King to reside there. In the
time of the Commonwealth it came into the possession of Sir William
Waller, from whom the Corporation bought it.
=Woodstock=, in Oxfordshire, was a royal manor when the Domesday
survey was made. It was at Woodstock that Queen Eleanor, the wife of
Henry II., discovered the Fair Rosamond, daughter of Lord Clifford,
who was so much loved by her royal master. Much of the story is
probably legend; she was certainly not murdered by the jealous Queen,
but died in Godstow nunnery. Edward III. and Queen Philippa were much
attached to the palace, where their eldest son, the Black Prince, was
born. After Wyatt's rebellion, Queen Elizabeth was guarded there as a
prisoner. James I. liked it for the hunting it afforded, and Charles
I. was often there during his reign, especially when his army was at
Oxford during the Civil War. It fell into ruin after the war, and the
estate was given to the Duke of Marlborough after his famous victory
at Blenheim. The architect of Blenheim Palace wished to save the ruins
which still remained, but the Duchess of Marlborough declared that
they spoilt the view, and so swept them away completely in 1723.
[Illustration: EDINBURGH CASTLE
Stands upon a great rock rising abruptly from low-lying ground. Its
history stretches back to the dim time of legends.]