Raglan Castle--Description of the ruins--History of the Castle--The old
lord of Raglan--Surrender of the fortress--Charles I. and his host--Royal
weakness--The pigeons of Raglan--Death of the old lord--Origin of the
steam Engine.
That magnificent specimen of what is called a castellated mansion, Raglan
castle, is so interesting in itself, and at so convenient a distance from
the river, that it forms an indispensable part of the tour of the Wye.
The ruins stand upon an eminence, near the village of the same name,
eight miles from Monmouth, and cover, with their massive forms, an area
of one-third part of a mile in circumference. This includes the citadel,
which was not contained within the fortress as usual, but formed a
separate building, connected with it by a drawbridge. It was called
Melyn y Gwent, or the Yellow Tower of Gwent. It was of a hexagon form,
five stories high, defended by bastions and a moat, and surrounded with
raised walks or terraces. The building was faced with hewn stone, of a
greyish colour, and from its smoothness resembling polished marble.
The earliest style of this edifice dates only from the reign of Henry V.;
but the greater part was probably added afterwards, when, by the marriage
of Sir Charles Somerset into the house of Herbert, and the acquisition
then of the lordships of Raglan, Chepstow, and Gower, the house of
Beaufort became one of the greatest in the county. The building is of a
description peculiar to that period in the history of Monmouthshire, when
the barons had superadded to their warlike habits those of modern luxury
and magnificence. Externally, the place has evidently been a strong
fortress; internally a splendid mansion. The ascent to the state
apartment is both noble and well contrived; while the circular staircase
in the hexagon citadel, the windows of the great hall, and the
chimney-pieces, with their light and elegant cornices, are in the style
of modern edifices. The kitchen and butlery were connected with the
hall, and indicate, by their construction, the princely hospitality of
the lords of Raglan. All the rooms had chimneys, those of each floor
distinct from the rest. The cellars were extensive--so were the
subterranean passages and dungeons. The architecture is various, some
parts of the most elegant gothic, some heavy and unwieldy, representing
at once the two distinct characters of luxury and war. The southern
declivity, towards the village, was laid out in fish-ponds; three parks
of considerable extent supplied game and recreation; and the proprietor
of this unique mansion was able, through the fertility of his surrounding
estates, to maintain a garrison of eight hundred men.
"Of these noble ruins," says Mr. Coxe, "the grand entrance is the
most magnificent; it is formed by a gothic portal, flanked with two
massive towers: the one beautifully tufted with ivy, the second so
entirely covered, that not a single stone is visible. At a small
distance, on the right, appears a third tower, lower in height,
almost wholly ivyless, and with its machicolated summit, presenting a
highly picturesque appearance. The porch, which still contains the
grooves for two portcullises, leads into the first court, once paved,
but now covered with turf, and sprinkled with shrubs. The eastern
and northern sides contained a range of culinary offices, of which
the kitchen is remarkable for the size of the fire-place; the
southern side seems to have formed a grand suite of apartments, and
the great bow window of the hall, at the south-western extremity of
the court, is finely canopied with ivy. The stately hall which
divides the two courts, and seems to have been built in the days of
queen Elizabeth, contains the vestiges of ancient hospitality and
splendour: the ceiling is fallen down, but the walls still remain; it
is sixty feet in length, twenty-seven in breadth, and was the great
banqueting-room of the castle. At the extremity are placed the arms
of the first marquis of Worcester, sculptured in stone, and
surrounded with the garter: underneath is the family motto, which
fully marks the character of the noble proprietor, who defended the
castle with such spirit from the parliamentary army: 'Mutare vel
timere sperno;' 'I scorn either to change or to fear.' The
fire-place deserves to be noticed for its remarkable size, and the
singular structure of the chimney. The hall is occasionally used as
a fives court.
"To the north of the hall are ranges of offices, which appear to have
been butteries; beyond are the traces of splendid apartments. In the
walls above I observed two chimney-pieces, in high preservation,
neatly ornamented with a light frieze and cornice: the stone frames
of the windows are likewise in many parts, particularly in the south
front, distinguished with mouldings and other decorations, which Mr.
Windham justly observes, would not be considered inelegant, even at
present.
"The western door of the hall led into the chapel, which is now
dilapidated; but its situation is marked by some of the flying
columns, rising from grotesque heads, which supported the roof. At
the upper end are two rude whole-length figures, in stone, several
yards above the ground, recently discovered by Mr. Heath, under the
thick clusters of ivy. Beyond the foundations of the chapel is the
area of the second court, skirted with a range of buildings, which,
at the time of the siege, formed the barracks of the garrison. Not
the smallest traces remain of the marble fountain, which once
occupied the centre of the area, and was ornamented with the statue
of a white horse.
"Most of the apartments of this splendid abode were of grand
dimensions, and the communications easy and convenient. The strength
of the walls is still so great, that if the parts still standing were
roofed and floored, it might even now be formed into a magnificent
and commodious habitation."
The fountain mentioned above was called the White Horse, from the figure
from which the water played. In a note supplied by Dr. Griffin to
Williams's History of Monmouthshire, it is said that the people who
showed the ruins used to exhibit part of the body of a _black_ horse
which stood in the middle of the water which supplied the castle. The
cause of the change of colour was that during the siege the
parliamentarians poisoned the fountain! The horse, it seems, absorbed
the fatal drug, and not only became black, but when struck by any hard
substance, emitted a fetid smell. It is difficult to trace the early
history of the castle, from the contradictory accounts given of it by
Dugdale; but in the time of Henry V. the proprietor was Sir William ap
Thomas, second son of Sir Thomas ap Guillim, from whom the earls of
Pembroke, Powis, and Caernarvon are descended in the male, and the dukes
of Beaufort in the female line. William, the eldest son of this Sir
William, was created by Edward IV. lord of Raglan, Chepstow, and Gower;
and, in obedience to the royal command, he discontinued the Welsh custom
of changing the surname at every descent, and took Herbert as his family
name, in honour of his ancestor Herbert Fitzhenry, chamberlain to Henry
I. Richard was for some time detained at Raglan in the custody of lord
Herbert, who was a distinguished partisan of the house of York, and who
at length died on the scaffold, at Banbury, in this cause, having
previously been created earl of Pembroke. His son, by the desire of
Edward IV., yielded this title to the Prince of Wales; and, dying without
male issue, the castle of Raglan, and many other noble possessions
devolved upon his daughter Elizabeth. The heiress married Sir Charles
Somerset, natural son of the duke of Somerset, who lost his head in 1463
for his devotion to the house of Lancaster; and he, a brave soldier, a
prudent statesman, and an accomplished courtier, was created by Henry
VIII., for his services, earl of Worcester.
It is probable that the castle of Raglan, owed a great part of its
magnificence to him. In the following reign, it is thus mentioned in the
Worthines of Wales.
"Not far from thence, a famous castle fine,
That Raggland hight, stands moted almost round,
Made of freestone, upright, straight as line,
Whose workmanship in beauty doth abound.
"The curious knots, wrought all with edged toole,
The stately tower that looks ore pond and poole,
The fountain trim, that runs both day and night,
Doth yield in showe a rare and noble sight."
Four earls of Worcester held almost royal state in this princely abode;
but the fifth earl and first marquis was destined to witness its fall.
He was one of the most devoted friends of Charles I.; and may be said to
have defended not only his own mansion but all Monmouthshire from the
parliamentary arms.
The defeat of the royal army at Marston Moor was the signal for the fall
of Monmouth and of Raglan Castle. Prince Rupert immediately directed his
attention to the marches of Wales, and ordered colonel Gerard to force
his way through Gloucestershire by the Aust passage: but the latter was
opposed by Massey, and defeated. Monmouth soon after fell into the hands
of Massey by the treachery of Kirle, lieutenant-colonel to Holtby,
governor of the town for Charles; and lord Worcester at Raglan, in great
alarm, demanded the assistance of prince Rupert's cavalry.
Throgmorton, on whom the command of Monmouth devolved, set out with a
party of three hundred horse to surprise the castle of Chepstow, and in
his absence the following brilliant exploit was performed by the
royalists, which we give in the words of Sanderson. "The cavaliers from
Ragland and Godridg, about break of day, lodg themselves undiscovered
behind a rising ground near Monmouth, and viewing all advantages, fourty
of them come up to the higher side of the town towards Hereford, having a
sloping bank cast up of good height, with a ditch, over which they pass,
mount the bank, and climbed over, and so got to the next part, fell upon
the guard, some killed, other fled, and with an iron bar break the post
chain, force the gate, and open it to the horse, who ride up with full
career to the main guard, seized them, and took the rest in their beds,
with colonel Broughton, four captains, as many lieutenants and ensigns,
the committee, all the common souldiers, two hundred prisoners, two
sakers, a drake, nine hammerguns, ammunition and provision, and five
hundred muskets."
But the fate of the war was now determined, and after the battle of
Naseby Charles was unable to meet the parliamentarians in a general
engagement, and retired to the castle of Raglan. Thence he secretly
departed to commit himself to the Scottish army; and the marquis of
Worcester was besieged at Raglan for six months. The old lord, who was
then eighty-four years of age, on hearing of the landing of his son lord
Glamorgan with some Irish forces, sent the following bold letter to the
parliamentarian committee at Chepstow.
"Having notice that you are not ignorant of my son's landing with the
Irish forces, I am so much of a father, and tender of the whole
country's ruin, that if this coming to this place be hasted by the
occasion of your answer, you and not I will be the occasion of the
country's curse. You have taken from me my rents and livelihood, for
which if you give unbelied reparations, I shall be glad to live a
quiet neighbour amongst you; if otherwise, you will force me to what
my own nature hath no liking of, and yet justifiable by the word of
God, and law of nature. I expect your answer by the messenger, as
you give occasion.
"H. WORCESTER.
"Raglan, May 29, 1646."
This brought on a long and fruitless negotiation. The old lord saw that
even the master of Raglan was not the master of circumstances; and, at
length, it was agreed that the castle should be delivered up. "Nobly
done," says Sanderson, "to hold out the last garrison for the king in
England or Wales." In the articles of surrender, however, the soldierly
honour of the marquis was spared as much as possible, it being agreed
"that all the officers, gentlemen, and soldiers, with all other persons
there, should march out with their horses and arms, colours flying, drums
beating, trumpets sounding, matches lighted at both ends, bullets in
mouth, each soldier twelve charges of powder, matches and bullets
proportionable, bag and baggage, to any place within two miles of any
garrison where the marquis shall mention."
Soon after this surrender, the castle was demolished, and the timber cut
down in the parks, the loss to the family, in personal property, without
including the forfeiture and an estate of twenty thousand pounds a year,
being estimated at upwards of a hundred thousand pounds. The Chase of
Wentwood, including Chepstow Castle and Park, was immediately bestowed
upon Oliver Cromwell; who appears also to refer, in the settlements upon
his family to other estates in Monmouthshire, parcels of the noble
property of the marquis of Worcester.
In a publication of that day, entitled "Witty Apothegms delivered at
several times, and on several occasions, by king James I., king Charles
I., and the marquis of Worcester," several anecdotes are given which
throw a strong light upon the character of this fine old lord of Raglan.
"In the midst of the civil commotions, Charles I. made several visits to
Raglan Castle, and was entertained with becoming magnificence. The
marquis not only declined all offers of remuneration, but also advanced
large sums; and when the king thanked him for the loans, replied, Sir, I
had your word for the money, but I never thought I should be so soon
repayed; for now you have given me thanks, I have all I looked for." At
another time, the king, apprehensive lest the stores of the garrison
should be consumed by his suite, empowered him to exact from the country
such provisions as were necessary for his maintainance and recruit, "I
humbly thank your majesty," he said, "but my castle will not stand long
if it leans on the country; I had rather be brought to a morsel of bread,
than any morsels of bread should be brought me to entertain your
majesty."
The following conversation shows the amiable weakness of Charles's
humanity.
Sir Trevor Williams, and four other principal gentlemen of Monmouthshire,
being arrested for disloyalty, and conducted to Abergavenny, the king was
advised to order them to an immediate trial, which must have ended in
their conviction; but Charles, moved by the tears and protestations of
Trevor Williams, suffered him to be released, on bail, and committed the
others only to a temporary confinement. "The king told the marquess what
he had done, and that when he saw them speak so honestly, he could not
but give some credit to their words, so seconded by tears, and withal
told the marquess that he had onely sent them to prison; whereupon the
marquess said, what to do? to poyson that garrison? Sir, you should have
done well to have heard their accusations, and then to have shewn what
mercy you pleased. The king told him, that he heard that they were
accused by some contrary faction, as to themselves, who, out of distaste
they bore to one another on old grudges, would be apt to charge them more
home than the nature of their offences had deserved; to whom the marquess
made this return, Well, Sir, you may chance to gain the kingdom of heaven
by such doings as these, but if you ever get the kingdom of England by
such ways, I will be your bondman."
Another conversation between the marquis and Sir Thomas Fairfax is worth
relating.
"After much conference between the marquess and General Fairfax, wherein
many things were requested of the general by the marquess, and being, as
he thought himself, happy in the attainment, his lordship was pleased to
make a merry petition to the general as he was taking his leave, viz. in
behalf of a couple of pigeons, who were wont to come to his hand, and
feed out of it constantly, in whose behalf he desired the general that he
would be pleased to give him his protection for them, fearing the little
command that he should have over his soldiers in that behalf. To which
the general said, I am glad to see your lordship so merry. Oh, said the
marquess, you have given me no other cause, and hasty as you are, you
shall not go untill I have told you a story.
"There were two men going up Holborn in a cart to be hanged; one of them
being very merry and jocund, gave offence to the other who was sad and
dejected, insomuch that the downcast man said unto the other, I wonder,
brother, that you can be so frolic, considering the business we are going
about. Tush, answered the other, thou art a fool; thou wentest a
thieving, and never thought what would become of thee, wherefore being on
a sudden surprised, thou fallest into such a shaking fit, that I am
ashamed to see thee in that condition: whereas I was resolved to be
hanged, before ever I fell to stealing, which is the reason nothing
happenning strange or unexpected, I go so composed unto my death. So,
said the marquess, I resolved to undergo whatsoever, even the worst of
evils that you are able to lay upon me, before I took up arms for my
sovereign, and therefore wonder not that I am so merry."
"In the correspondence with Fairfax," says the author of the Historical
Tour, "which preceded the capitulation, the marquis of Worcester seems to
have strongly suspected that the parliament would not adhere to the
conditions. His apprehensions were not groundless, for on his arrival in
London he was committed to the custody of the Black Rod. He bitterly
complained of this cruel usage, and deeply regretted that he had trusted
himself to the mercy of the parliament. A few hours before his death, he
said to Dr. Bayley, If to seize upon all my goods, to pull down my house,
to fell my estate, and send up for such a weak body as mine was, so
enfeebled by disease, in the dead of winter, in the winter of mine age,
be merciful, what are they whose mercies are so cruel? Neither do I
expect that they should stop at all this, for I fear they will persecute
me after death.
"Being informed, however, that parliament would permit him to be buried
in his family vault, in Windsor Chapel; he cried out, with great
sprightliness of manner, Why, God bless us all, why then I shall have a
better castle when I am dead, than they took from me whilst I was alive.
With so much cheerfulness and resignation did this hero expire, in the
eighty-fifth year of his age."
The second marquis was the author of that puzzling "Century of the Names
and Scantlings of such Inventions as I can at present call to mind to
have tried and perfected."
"It appears," we are told, "from a passage in the Experimental Philosophy
of Dr. Desaguliers, that Captain Savary derived his invention of the fire
engine, since called the steam engine, from the 68th article in the
Century of Scantlings; and that to conceal his original he bought up all
the marquis's books, and burnt them." The following is the "scantling."
"An admirable and most forcible way to drive up water by fire, not by
drawing or sucking it upwards, for that must be, as the philosopher
calleth it, _intra sphaeram activitatis_, which is at but such a
distance. But this way hath no bounder, if the vessels be strong
enough; for I have taken a piece of a whole cannon, whereof the end
was burst, and filled it three quarters full of water, stopping and
screwing up the broken end, as also the touch-hole, and making a
constant fire under it, within twenty-four hours it burst, and made a
great crack; so that having a way to make my vessels that they are
strengthened by the force within them, and the one to fill after the
other, I have seen the water run like a constant fountain stream
forty feet high; one vessel of water, rarified by fire, drives up
forty feet of cold water. And a man that attends the work has but to
turn two cocks, that one vessel of water being consumed, another
begins to force and refit with cold water, and so successfully, the
fire being tended and kept constant, with the self-same person may
likewise abundantly perform in the interim between the necessity of
turning the said cocks."
We now renew our onward course, but with many a lingering look at
"delightsome Monmouth."