THE STORY OF WARWICK CASTLE
The history of Warwick Castle and the town are in a measure one, and
may be considered to have commenced in 914, when tradition avers that
Æthelflæd, daughter of Alfred the Great and lady of Mercia, built a
castle here, of which, although almost every other trace has long since
disappeared, the mound may still be seen upon which the original works
were placed.
This same Æthelflæd was one of the most prolific originators of
fortifications in the Midlands, and was responsible for those at
Tamworth and at Stafford amongst others. Some authorities are inclined
to think that Æthelflæd’s efforts as regards Warwick Castle were
merely of the nature of adding to and strengthening already existing
fortifications, which had their origin in the earthworks of the time
of St. Dubritius. But whatever may be the exact truth there remains
no possible doubt that the Mercian princess was largely responsible
for the construction of the great mound which, still bearing her name,
stands at the northern end of the castle.
Early in its history the castle was the scene of many stirring episodes
connected with the struggles of the Conqueror’s immediate successors,
and the long wars which were waged between the King and the Barons. In
the reign of King Stephen, Gundreth, widow of Roger de Newburgh, whose
family held the tide of Earl of Warwick, drove the King’s soldiers
from the castle and surrendered the latter to Henry, Duke of Normandy,
who afterwards became Henry II. A little later, during the Wars of the
Barons, Sir John Gifford, governor of Kenilworth, surprised the castle
of Warwick and carried off William de Mauduit, then Earl of Warwick,
and his lady,—the title having at this period passed to the De Mauduits
through the family of De Plessitis. The then Earl of Warwick had taken
the part of the King against the Barons, and in consequence when the
castle was captured the walls were destroyed, although the towers were
left standing.
The restoration of the castle must have proceeded rapidly, for we
find two years later Henry III. made it his headquarters whilst he was
gathering his forces together with which to besiege Kenilworth, at that
time held for the Barons. In the following reign the fortifications
of the castle were repaired and strengthened by the famous Guy de
Beauchamp, “the black dog of Arden,” and in the reign of Edward II.,
in 1312, Piers Gaveston, the Gascon pretender, was brought a prisoner
to Warwick, and tried by torchlight in the great hall of the castle,
and notwithstanding frenzied entreaties was condemned to death in the
presence of the “black dog of Arden” and the Earls of Gloucester,
Lancaster, Hereford, and Arundel. Short shrift was the custom in those
days, and on the following morning Gaveston was taken to Blacklow Hill,
just outside the town, and there executed. An old account of the event
states that his head rolled off down the hill into a thicket, where it
was picked up by a missionary friar, who, tradition asserts, carried
the horrid burden away in his hood. The body of Gaveston was first
buried by the friars in their church at Oxford, and it was afterwards
exhumed and buried by the King in the then new church at Langley with
some pomp.
By a strange change of fortune the fortress that had for a short time
confined Edward’s favourite, Piers Gaveston, two years later, on
the death of Guy de Beauchamp, was handed over into the custody of
the King’s new favourite, Hugh le Despenser, who afterwards in 1326
entertained Edward II. at Warwick.
It was not until the following reign that the outer walls, with
some of the towers, including the magnificent piece of military
architectural construction known as Cæsar’s Tower, were erected by
Thomas de Beauchamp, whose son, also Thomas, built the tower, which was
called Guy’s Tower after the traditional warrior of Warwick.
[Illustration: PEEPING TOM, COVENTRY.]
The castle has seen the coming and going of many royal guests, and in
1417 its then owner, Richard de Beauchamp, the founder of the beautiful
Beauchamp Chapel in St. Mary’s Church, welcomed Henry V. with a state
which was magnificent even for the Middle Ages. On the death of Richard
de Beauchamp the title and estates passed into the possession of
Richard Neville, who, by his marriage with Ann, daughter of Robert de
Beauchamp, was by descent also Earl of Salisbury. This man was destined
to go down in history under the title of the King Maker. He it was who
captured Edward IV. at Wolvey, some ten miles to the north–east of
Coventry, and brought him in 1469 as a prisoner to Warwick; afterwards
removing him to Middleham in Yorkshire, another of his possessions.
Richard III. stayed at Warwick in 1583, soon after his murder of Edward
V. in the Tower of London. The castle afterwards came into possession
of the Crown, and it was not until the reign of Edward VI. that it was
granted to the Dudley family.
Queen Elizabeth was entertained on two occasions at the castle, in 1572
and in 1575, by Ambrose, known as the “Good” Earl of Dudley, whose
tomb is in the Beauchamp Chapel of St. Mary’s Church. There is also a
tradition that Amy Robsart was once for a time a guest at Warwick.
The castle on the death of Ambrose Dudley once more came into
possession of the Crown, and remained so until 1605, when King James I.
granted it to Sir Fulke Greville, who found the building fallen into a
considerable state of ruin.
In 1621 Greville was created Baron Brooke, and a hundred and
twenty–five years later Francis, the eighth baron, was made an earl. It
is said that Sir Fulke Greville spent the then enormous sum of £30,000
in repairing and fitting up the castle, and he must also have incurred
enormous expenses by his entertainment of James I. on four different
occasions, namely, in the years 1617, 1619, 1621, and 1624.
On the first occasion on which the King visited Warwick he partook
of a banquet in the Hall of Leicester’s Hospital, which event is
commemorated by the following inscription, placed in that building:—
“MEMORANDUM THAT KING JAMES I. WAS RIGHT NOBLY ENTERTAINED AT A SUPPER
IN THIS HALL BY THE HONOURABLE SIR FULK GREVILLE, CHANCELLOR OF THE
EXCHEQUER, AND ONE OF HIS MAJESTY’S MOST HONOURABLE PRIVY COUNCIL, UPON
THE FOURTH DAY OF SEPTEMBER ANNO DOM. 1617. GOD SAVE THE KING.”
During the Civil Wars Robert Greville (Lord Brooke), Sir Fulke’s
successor, espoused the Parliamentary cause, and the castle and
inhabitants of Warwick heard, in consequence, more than an echo of
those stirring times. In 1642 the place was besieged by the Royalists’
troops under the Earl of Northampton, in the absence of Lord Brooke.
It was, however, vigorously defended by Sir Edward Peyto, who was
left in charge. In the end, notwithstanding the fierce attack of the
Royalists, after the siege had been sustained for a period of fourteen
days, it was raised by Lord Brooke, who had defeated some of the
Earl of Northampton’s troops at Southam, in the southern portion of
Warwickshire.
Since those days the castle has remained the peaceful residence of
the Greville family, who, in 1759, became Earls of Warwick on the
extinction of the Rich family—who, till that date, possessed the title,
although they were in no way connected with the old possessors of it,
nor at any time owners of its estates.
The castle, which is situated at the south–east end of the town, quite
close to the splendid bridge spanning the Avon, which many years ago
replaced the old one, the ruins of which are about a quarter of a mile
nearer the castle, stands on a fine rocky promontory of hard sandstone,
of which material the castle itself is built. It has stood throughout
the ages preserved in a truly wonderful manner.
Within the confines of the castle ramparts are pleasure–grounds of
great beauty, and although nowadays the houses of the town approach the
walls more nearly than in ancient times, they can detract little or
nothing from the grandly beautiful building itself.
The main entrance is by the gate–house, which stands nearly opposite
to the church of St. Nicholas. It was constructed in the first year
of the nineteenth century on the site of an Elizabethan house, which
belonged to an old Warwick family. In former times there were two other
approaches to the castle—one situated on the north side at the end
of Castle Street, and the other at the bottom of Mill Street, traces
of which are still discernible. This drive leads to the outer court,
which is known as the Vineyard, a title preserved since the fifteenth
century, when vines really grew there in such numbers as to justify
the employment of women for the purpose of gathering in the harvest of
grapes.
The gateway, which was constructed in the fourteenth century, was
approached in ancient times by a drawbridge spanning the moat. It is on
the inner side of this that the barbican stands, rising to the height
of two stories above the archway and projecting from the wall. On
either side are two octagonal turrets, freely loopholed for the purpose
of defending the bridge and its approaches from attack. Within the
drawbridge itself hangs the portcullis, and behind this in the ceiling
are four holes through which blazing pitch, hot lead, or other equally
unpleasant and destructive materials could be poured on the heads of
assailants. In the rear of the portcullis itself stood the ancient and
iron–strengthened doors. Even though the attacking party should have
found its way through both portcullis and doors into the small court
beyond, they would be still subject to a most murderous attack, and be
almost entirely at the mercy of the defenders above; and even though
surviving this they would still have to pass the gate–house, with a
groined archway defended by a portcullis, loopholes, and doors like the
barbican itself.
The gate–house is flanked by towers, from the summits of which the
defenders could pour down a shower of missiles upon the attacking party
still within the court. In the lower chamber of the south–east turret
still exists the windlass which in ancient times worked the portcullis
of the outer gate.
At the point where the road enters the inner court a fine view of
the castle is obtained, with Æthelflæd’s mound or the keep, crowned
with trees and shrubs, and crossed by the fortifications in which the
northern tower stands, the dominating feature.
On the side of the fortifications, opposite the castle, stand the two
impressive though never completed towers known as the Clarence and
Bear Towers, connected by walls of great thickness and solidity. The
first–named was probably commenced by George, Duke of Clarence, brother
of Richard III., who, created Earl of Warwick by Edward IV., projected
vast additions to the castle, which he did not live to carry out;
and the second tower by Richard himself. Opposite these two towers,
extending along the whole river front from Cæsar’s Tower to the Hill
Tower, which stands at the base of Æthelflæd’s mound, is the family
mansion, which, although altered and enlarged at various times since
feudal days, is still a wonderful erection, almost entirely in keeping
with the general aspect of the castle.
In 1770 the entrance porch and the adjoining dining–room, with the
rooms over it in front of the great hall, were built by the then Earl
of Warwick. The apartments, including the state bedroom and the boudoir
and those adjoining the eastern end of the great hall, were in all
probability the work of Sir Fulke Greville about 1605, who at the same
time considerably altered several other parts of the castle.
The ancient fireplace and the dais were situated at the west end of
the hall, and some traces of the former were discovered at the time of
the fire, the chimney still being visible in the south–west angle. Two
doorways, now blocked up, originally led to the kitchen and pantry.
The remaining most noticeable features of this, in many respects,
unique hall are its large modern recessed windows and the fine oak
panelling of the walls, which reaches to a height of about nine feet.
The floor is of white and red marble, brought from the neighbourhood of
Verona, and the remarkable carved stone mantelpiece was brought from
Rome to replace the one destroyed in the fire.
One of the most interesting relics of bygone days amongst the many
which are preserved in the castle is the garrison cooking–pot, a
remarkably fine cauldron made of bell–metal, and capable of containing
over a hundred gallons. This vessel is popularly known as “Guy’s
porridge pot,” and was probably made for the retainers of Sir John
Talbot of Swanington, who died about 1365, for there is an old couplet
quoted by Nichols in his _History of Leicestershire_ running as
follows:—
There is nothing left of Talbot’s name,
But Talbot’s pot and Talbot’s Lane.
It is difficult to say how or when the pot was first brought to
Warwick Castle, but it seems probable that it came into the family
through the marriage of Margaret, daughter of Richard de Beauchamp,
with John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, from whom the Dudleys, Viscounts
Lisle—afterwards created Earls of Warwick—were descended.
Amongst the many interesting relics which are to be found in this
magnificent feudal hall—interesting alike to the archæologist and to
the casual observer, because of their romantic associations—are a
helmet of Oliver Cromwell; breastplate and morion of the Lord Brooke,
who was killed in 1643 at the siege of Lichfield; a fine example of a
“double–plated” tilting suit; a suit of armour said to have belonged
to Charles Graham, Marquis of Montrose; the mace of the King Maker,
Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick; and a tiny suit of armour which
belonged to Robert, son of the Earl of Leicester, who is traditionally,
but probably incorrectly, said to have been poisoned by his nurse
between the age of three and four years; a very interesting square and
painted shield of the reign of Edward IV.; and a large number of other
arms.
A fine vista through the whole of the State apartments is obtainable
from the hall, the length of which suite is upwards of 320 feet. From
the great hall the Red Drawing–Room—so called because of the colour
of its wainscotted panelling—is reached; it is a handsome chamber,
measuring some 30 feet by 19–1/2 feet, with a ceiling of white and gold.
Warwick Castle, as all the world knows, contains an almost unrivalled
collection of pictures, the richest treasures of which are by Rubens,
Van Dyck, Raphael, and Rembrandt.
In the Cedar Drawing–Room, which possesses deep–set windows, and takes
its name from the wood with which it is panelled, is some of the finest
carving in the castle, and also some of the best works of Van Dyck.
Indeed it would be difficult to find gathered together in one room more
excellent examples of this master’s work.
Amongst the most noticeable of the pictures are portraits of James
Graham, Marquis of Montrose; and the composite full length picture
of Queen Henrietta Maria, the bust of which was painted by Van Dyck,
and the remainder by Sir Joshua Reynolds. There is also a half–length
picture of Charles I. by Van Dyck; two pictures of frail beauties
of the Court of Charles II. by Lely; and a good portrait of Sarah,
Countess of Warwick, who died in 1851, by Bonelli.
Among the many other exquisite _objects d’art_ which here have an
adequate setting is a beautiful table of Florentine mosaic from Grimani
Palace, Venice, ornamented in precious stones, such as lapis–lazuli,
cornelians, chalcedony, jaspar, and variegated agates, with the arms
and honours of the family. Two beautiful early Italian marriage
chests also find a place in this apartment, the treasures of which
connoisseurs recognise as almost priceless.
[Illustration: PALACE YARD, COVENTRY.]
Although the Gilt or Green Drawing–Room is of less magnificent
proportions, it is notable for its fine plaster ceiling and the
graceful and appropriate ornamentation of the walls; the wainscotting
of which in one place masks a secret passage and staircase, used in
former days as a means of escape and also for communication with the
floor below. In this chamber are some of the greatest art treasures
of the castle, including three oval portraits of the sons of Robert,
Lord Brooke, who was killed during the Civil War; a fine half–length
Van Dyck of the Earl of Strafford in armour; a Charles II.; a cavalier
in armour, with red scarf and baton, by Van Dyck; a charming “Portrait
of a Lady,” by Lely; and a notable Rubens, a portrait of Ignatius
Loyola, founder of the Order of Jesuits, clad in a scarlet chasuble.
This latter picture was originally painted for the Jesuit College
at Antwerp, and found its way to England at the time of the French
Revolution, when it was purchased by the second Earl of Warwick. There
is also an excellent Cornelis Janssens, Robert Bertie, Earl of Lindsey,
who commanded the Royal forces at the battle of Edgehill, where he was
mortally wounded and taken prisoner by the Parliamentarians. And a
couple of good examples of the work of Dahl; William, Lord Brooke and
Mary, Lady Brooke.
Out of this interesting chamber opens the State Bedroom, from the
casements of which are some of the most exquisite views seen from the
castle. Below these windows the ancient cedars spread out feathery
branches, and the river flows tranquilly by, till it ripples over the
Weir, bordered in many places by magnificent elms centuries old. The
“State bed,” which is of salmon–coloured damask, with coverings of
satin richly embroidered with crimson velvet, was formerly the property
of Queen Anne, as was also much of the furniture. It was given to the
second Earl of Warwick by King George III. In the room is a magnificent
piece of tapestry, depicting the garden of a medieval palace, thought
to be Versailles, which was made in Brussels in the early years of
the seventeenth century; whilst another interesting relic is the
leather–covered travelling trunk of Queen Anne, on which are her
initials “A. R.” under a crown.
The Boudoir itself, a comparatively small and rather narrow room, is,
however, made charming by reason of the magnificent views of the river
and park which are obtained from its windows. In it are hung some fine
examples of the work of Rubens, Holbein the younger, and Lely, as well
as a good Teniers.
The Armoury passage, a narrow corridor running at the back of the gilt
drawing–room, State bedroom, and boudoir, and connecting the latter
and the compass room, contains one of the finest private collections
of medieval armour and weapons in England, as well as quite a number
of portraits by Van Dyck, Sir G. Hayter, and others of inferior merit.
Amongst the former is a portrait of Christ, said to be one of several
painted from a likeness engraved on an emerald presented to Pope
Innocent VIII. by the Grand Turk. Amongst the examples of armour are
battle–axes, crossbows, calivers, pikes, arquebuses, daggers, swords,
etc. of almost every period of the Middle Ages; and a fine and almost
unique suit of chain–mail, of which each link has its separate rivet.
The Compass Room is a small polygonal antechamber communicating with
the gilt room. The principal window contains painted Flemish glass
of considerable merit. In this room are some magnificent pictures,
including Murillo’s famous “Laughing Boy,” and a saint by the same
artist; a fine head of an old man by Rubens; a Bacchanalian Group, by
the same; a good portrait of Maximilian, the first Emperor of Germany,
and his sister, by Lucas Cranach; and the two scriptural pictures, St.
Paul Lighting a Fire (Isle of Melita), and St. Paul Shaking off the
Viper, both by Rubens.
The chapel has a beautiful window of old painted glass, given by the
Earl of Essex in the middle of the eighteenth century; and in the
west window is a headless statuette of a Palmer, thought to be a
representation of Guy, Earl of Warwick, in pilgrim’s garb.
In the Great Dining–Room, built by Francis, first Earl of Warwick,
about the year 1770, are hung some fine pictures, including the famous
equestrian portrait of Charles I. by Van Dyck.
The library, which was unhappily destroyed by the fire of 1871, was
restored from designs of Mr. G. Fox. The ceiling is panelled and
gilded, and there is some beautiful Italian work in the sides of the
doors, and a Venetian hooded–marble chimney–piece is of most graceful
design.
The Shakespeare room, originally a laundry, which adjoins Cæsar’s
Tower, contains, as its name implies, the unique collection of
Shakespearian memorials. There are good portraits of Queen Elizabeth;
Robert Earl of Leicester; John Locke the historian; Oliver Cromwell;
Sir Philip Sidney; and a Shakespeare supposed to be by Cornelis
Janssens. The room also contains a magnificent piece of furniture,
known as the Kenilworth Buffet, which was constructed out of an oak
tree formerly growing in the grounds of Kenilworth Castle. The central
panel depicts “Queen Elizabeth’s entry into Kenilworth Castle;” and the
other panels scenes from Sir Walter Scott’s novel _Kenilworth_, with
figures of Shakespeare, Sir Philip Sidney, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Sir
Francis Drake. The Buffet was presented to the Earl and Countess of
Warwick on their marriage.
Amongst the treasures relating to Shakespeare are the only known MSS.
of his plays written before the close of the seventeenth century. The
first of these, which is supposed to have been written about the year
1610, is “The History of King Henry IV.,” the two parts in one, and
consists of fifty–six leaves. It is generally believed to be in the
handwriting of Sir Edward Dearing, of Surrenden, Kent, and to have been
transcribed by him from some other MS. since lost, as no printed copy
is extant containing the various corrections and alterations shown in
this MS.
There is also a volume of MS. poetical pieces, including a copy of
“Julius Cæsar,” transcribed in the reign of Charles II. This play, it
is clear from the enormous variations from all printed editions, must
have been transcribed from some independent version, and it seems more
than probable from an ancient playhouse copy.
In addition to these notable MSS. there are a fine copy of the folio
edition of 1623; a “Hamlet,” 1607, 1637, 1676; the second part of “King
Henry VI.,” 1619; “King Lear,” of 1608; “The Merchant of Venice,” of
1600; as well as a “Romeo and Juliet,” 1599; and a very interesting
collection of wardrobe and property bills of the Theatre Royal, Drury
Lane, dating from 1713 to 1716.
Of great interest outside the more domestic portion of the castle is
Cæsar’s Tower, in the dungeons of which so many persons during past
ages must have been confined, some of them doubtless never to be
released save to go to execution. The dungeon—on the walls of which are
rudely scratched inscriptions, drawings of bows and arrows, crucifixes,
and coats–of–arms—is a strong, stone–vaulted chamber 17 feet by 13 feet
and 14 feet 6 inches high. The roof is groined in two bays, and on the
south side is a plain semicircular opening, admitting a beam of light
from a deeply splayed window about 6 inches wide. On the same side of
the dungeon is a passage cut off from the prison by an iron grating, so
as to prevent access.
From the top of Guy’s Tower, which is reached by a staircase of one
hundred and thirty–three steps, there is a fine general view of the
castle itself, as well as the wide prospect of the surrounding country
A noticeable feature of the tower is the immense strength of the vault
beneath it, which would apparently point to the fact that in olden days
some heavy engine for the purpose of slinging stones must have been
placed upon the roof. In the tower there are five floors, each having
a groined roof, and subdivided into one large and two small rooms, the
sides of which in most cases are pierced with numerous loopholes for
bowmen commanding in all directions the curtains which the tower was
built to protect.
Any mention of Warwick Castle without a reference to the celebrated
Warwick Vase, one of the most remarkable remains of the art of ancient
Greece, would be incomplete. This fine vase, which was purchased by
the second Earl of Warwick from his uncle Sir William Hamilton, is not
in the castle itself, but in the conservatory standing in the grounds
beyond the stone bridge spanning the moat, which was built to replace
the ancient drawbridge. The inscription on the pedestal runs, “This
monument of ancient art and Roman splendour was dug out of the ruins of
the Tiburtine Villa, the favourite retreat of Hadrian Augustus, that
it was restored by the order of Sir William Hamilton, Ambassador from
George III., King of Great Britain, to Ferdinand IV., King of Sicily,
who sent it home, and was by him dedicated to the ancestral or national
genius of liberal arts in 1774.”
The romantic story of the vase runs as follows. During some
excavations which were being carried out in the bed of a small lake
called Pantinello near Tivoli, about sixteen miles from Rome, in 1770,
the workmen unearthed the vase. How it came to be at the bottom of
this lake has never been discovered and, indeed, can even scarcely be
conjectured. But in view of the fact that Hadrian’s Villa was, in the
year A.D. 546, occupied by Totila, King of the Goths, who was laying
siege to Rome at that time, it may be that the vase was cast into the
lake by Adrian’s orders to save it from the invaders.
The villa itself was finished about A.D. 138, but the vase is
undoubtedly of considerably earlier date, and by some authorities is
considered to have been the work of a Greek artist, Lysippus of Sicyon,
who lived at the close of the fourth century, when a more elegant style
was just replacing the more severe types of art of Phydias and his
school. The vase is circular in form, 5 feet 6 inches high and 5 feet
8 inches in diameter, and is constructed of white marble. The base or
pedestal on which it stands is modern. The handles of the vase are
formed of vine stems, smaller branches of which run round the upper
lip, and from which depend bunches of grapes so as to form a frieze.
Covering the lower rim are two tiger and panther skins, of which
the heads and four paws adorn the sides of the vase, the hind legs
interlacing and hanging down between the handles. The heads of Sileni
or male attendants of Bacchus are arranged along the tiger skins, with
one exception of a female head, probably that of a Bacchante or faun.
With regard to this head, however, some authorities have held that it
is a modern restoration, and represents Sir William Hamilton’s wife
Emma—of Nelson fame. Between the heads are thyrsi or Bacchic rods
entwined with ivy and vine shoots, and litui or augural wands used in
taking omens. The capacity of the vase is more than one hundred and
sixty gallons, and the use to which it was put or for which it was
intended has been the subject of much speculation.
With the many tragedies and pageants which have in the dark ages of
the pre–Medieval period down to the golden age of Elizabeth taken place
within the enduring walls of this ancient stronghold, it is impossible
to deal here. But in this ancient feudal castle the student, artist,
and lover of the past will recognise one of the finest monuments
in England of ancient splendour which yet remains happily largely
uninjured by time. In it we have also an almost unique memorial of
that transition period when the more severe and forbidding features
of fortress–dwellings were being slowly replaced by others of a more
domestic if not the less imposing character.
[Illustration: UFTON.]