OF THE GRANDEUR OF THE HERBERTS, EARLES OF PEMBROKE.
WILTON HOUSE AND GARDENS.
[AUBREY’S account of the famous seat of the Pembroke family at Wilton,
and of its choice and valuable contents, will be found exceedingly
interesting. His statements are based upon his own knowledge of the
mansion before the Civil Wars, and upon information derived from Thomas
Earl of Pembroke, Dr. Caldicot, who had been chaplain to the Earl’s
family, and Mr. Unlades, who also held some appointment in the
establishment.
As the ensuing narrative is occasionally somewhat obscure, owing to its
want of method and arrangement, it may be useful to prefix a brief
summary of the history of the mansion, with reference to dates, names,
and other necessary particulars.
William Herbert, the founder of this branch of the family, married
Anne, sister to Queen Katharine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII. He
was knighted by that monarch in 1544, and in the same year the
buildings and lands of the dissolved Abbey of Wilton, with many other
estates in different counties, were conferred upon him by the King.
Being left executor, or “conservator” of Henry’s will, he possessed
considerable influence at the court of the young sovereign, Edward VI.;
by whom he was created Earl of Pembroke (1551). He immediately began to
alter and adapt the conventual’s buildings at Wilton to a mansion
suited to his rank and station. Amongst other new works of his time was
the famous porch in the court-yard, generally ascribed to Hans Holborn
(who died in 1554). To what extent this nobleman carried his building
operations is not known. He was succeeded in 1570 by his son Henry, who
probably made further additions to the house. This nobleman married
Mary, the sister of Sir Philip Sidney, a lady whose name is illustrious
in the annals of literature. He died in 1601.
William, his son (the second Earl of that name), who has been fully
noticed in the last Chapter, succeeded him in the title, and was
followed in 1630 by his brother Philip, who, in 1633, at the
instigation of King Charles I., added a range of buildings at Wilton,
forming the south front of the house, and facing an extensive garden
which was laid out at the same time. In designing both the building and
the gardens, he employed Solomon de Caus, a Gascon, on the
recommendation of Inigo Jones. About fifteen years afterwards the south
front so erected was destroyed by fire, and rebuilt by the same Earl in
1648, from the designs of John Webb, who had married the niece of Inigo
Jones. This peer was a great lover of the fine arts, and a patron of
Vandyck. He died in 1650.
Philip, his son (the second Earl of that name), experienced some
pecuniary difficulties, and the valuable collection of pictures and
books formed by his predecessor, was sold by auction, and dispersed for
the benefit of his creditors. Aubrey’s description, from his own
familiar knowledge of them before the sale, is therefore the more
curious and valuable.
In 1669 the second Earl Philip was succeeded by his son William (the
third of that name), and on the death of the latter in 1674, the title
and estates were inherited by his brother, a third Earl Philip. The two
last-mentioned noblemen, according to Aubrey, “espoused not learning,
but were addicted to field sports and hospitality”. Their younger
brother, Thomas, became Earl of Pembroke in 1683. He was a warm admirer
and liberal patron of literature and the fine arts, and is famous as
the founder of the magnificent collection of ancient marbles, coins,
&c. which have given great celebrity to Wilton House. Aubrey dedicated
the present work to that nobleman, soon after he succeeded to the
title, and was honoured with his personal friendship. The Earl survived
him many years, and was succeeded by Henry, the second of that name, in
1733. Of the latter nobleman and his works at Wilton, Horace Walpole
wrote as follows:—“The towers, the chambers, the scenes which Holbein,
Jones, and Vandyke had decorated, and which Earl Thomas had enriched
with the spoils of the best ages, received the best touches of beauty
from Earl Henry’s hand. He removed all that obstructed the views to or
from his palace, and threw Palladium’s theatric bridge over his river.
The present Earl has crowned the summit of the hill with the equestrian
statue of Marcus Aurelius, and a handsome arch designed by Sir William
Chambers.* No man had a purer taste in building than Earl Henry, of
which he gave a few specimens besides his works at Wilton.” (Anecdotes
of Painting, &c.) The nobleman thus commended for his architectural
taste, was succeeded as Earl of Pembroke, in 1751, by his son Henry,
who employed Sir William Chambers as mentioned by Walpole; and George,
who succeeded to the Earldom in 1794, caused other extensive additions
and alterations to be made at Wilton, by the late James Wyatt.—J. B.]
*[I have in my possession a drawing of this arch by the architect.—J.
B.]
THE old building of the Earl of Pembroke’s house at WILTON was designed
by an architect (Hans Holbein) in King Edward the Sixth’s time.† The
new building which faced the garden was designed by Monsieur Solomon de
Caus, tempore Caroli {primi}, but this was burnt by accident and
rebuilt 1648, Mr. Webb then being surveyor. [See next page.]
†[There is no authority for the assertion that Holbein designed more
than the porch mentioned elsewhere.—J. B.]
The situation of Wilton House is incomparably noble. It hath not only
the most pleasant prospect of the gardens and Rowlindon Parke, but from
thence over a lovely flatt to the city of Salisbury, where that lofty
steeple cuts the horizon, and so to Ivychurch; and to add further to
the glory of this prospect the right honourable Thomas, Earle of
Pembroke, did, anno 1686, make a stately canal from Quidhampton to the
outer base-court of his illustrious palace.
The house is great and august, built all of freestone, lined with
brick, which was erected by Henry Earle of Pembroke. [Holbein’s porch,
and probably other parts of the house, were anterior to the time of the
first Earl Henry. See the introductory note to this chapter.—J. B.] Mr.
Inigo Jones told Philip, first Earle of Pembroke, that the porch in the
square court was as good architecture as any was in England. ’Tis true
it does not stand exactly in the middle of the side, for which reason
there were some would have perswaded his Lordship to take it down; but
Mr. Jones disswaded him, for the reasons aforesayd, and that we had not
workmen then to be found that could make the like work.—(From Dr.
Caldicot.)
King Charles the first did love Wilton above all places, and came
thither every summer. It was he that did put Philip first Earle of
Pembroke upon making this magnificent garden and grotto, and to new
build that side of the house that fronts the garden, with two stately
pavilions at each end, all “al Italiano”. His Majesty intended to have
had it all designed by his own architect, Mr. Inigo Jones, who being at
that time, about 1633, engaged in his Majesties buildings at Greenwich,
could not attend to it; but he recommended it to an ingeniouse
architect, Monsieur Solomon de Caus, a Gascoigne, who performed it very
well; but not without the advice and approbation of Mr. Jones: for
which his Lordship settled a pension on him of, I think, a hundred
pounds per annum for his life, and lodgings in the house. He died about
1656; his picture is at Mr. Gauntlet’s house at Netherhampton. I shall
gladly surcease to make any further attempt of the description of the
house, garden, stables, and approaches, as falling too short of the
greatness and excellency of it. Mr. Loggan’s graver will render it much
more to the life, and leave a more fixt impression in the reader. [This
refers to one of Aubrey’s contemplated illustrations. See Chap. XX. (in
a subsequent page), Draughts of the Seates and Prospects.—J. B.]
The south side of this stately house, that was built by Monsieur de
Caus, was burnt ann. 1647 or 1648, by airing of the roomes. In anno
1648 Philip (the first) re-edifyed it, by the advice of Inigo Jones;
but he, being then very old, could not be there in person, but left it
to Mr. Webb, who married his niece.
THE PICTURES. In the hall (of old pieces) were the pictures of the
Ministers of State in Queen Elizabeth’s time, and some of King Henry
the Eighth. There was Robert, Earle of Essex, that was beheaded, &c.
At the stairecase, the picture of Sir Robert Naunton, author of
“Fragmenta Regalia;” his name was writt on the frame. At the upper end
was the picture of King Charles I. on horseback, with his French riding
master by him on foot, under an arch; all as big as the life: which was
a copie of Sir Anthony Vandyke, from that at Whitehall. By it was the
picture of Peacock, a white race-horse, with the groom holding him, as
big as the life: and to both which Sir Anthony gave many master
touches. Over the skreen is a very long picture, by an Italian hand, of
Aurora guiding her horses, neigheing, and above them the nymphes
powring down out of phialls the morning showres. Here was the “Table”
of Cebes, a very large picture, and done by a great master, which the
genius describes to William, the first earl of this family, and lookes
on him, pointing to Avarice, as to be avoyded by a noble person; and
many other ancient pieces which I have now forgott.
The long gallery was furnished with the ministers of estate and heroes
of Queen Elizabeth’s time, and also some of the French. In one of the
pictures of Sir Philip Sydney are these verses, viz.-
“Who gives himselfe may well his picture give,
Els were it vain, since both short time doe live.”
At the upper end is the picture of King James the First sitting in his
throne, in his royall robes; a great piece, as big as the life; by him
on the right hand wall is the picture of William Herbert, first earle,
at length, as big as the life, and under it the picture of his little
dog, of a kind of chesnut colour, that starved himselfe for his
master’s death. Here is the picture of Henry Earle of Pembroke and his
Countesse; and of William Earle of Pembroke, Lord Chamberlain; severall
Earles of Oxford; and also of Aubrey Earle of Oxford, now living; the
pictures of Cardinal Wolsey; Archy (King James’s jester);……, governour
to Sir Philip Sydney; Mr. Secretary Walsingham, in his gown and wrought
cap; Mary Countess of Pembrok, sister of Sir Philip Sydney; the last
Lady Abbess of Wilton (Lady Anna Gawen), a pretty, beautiful, modest
Penelope; with many others now forgotten by me and everybody else.
[The last mentioned name must be erroneous. The Abbess of Wilton at the
time of the dissolution of monasteries was Cecily Bodenham, who had
previously been Prioress of St. Mary’s, Kington St. Michael.—J. B.]
I was heretofore a good nomenclator of these pictures, which was
delivered to me from a child eight yeares old, by old persons relating
to this noble family. It is a great and a generall fault that in all
galleries of pictures the names are not writt underneath, or at least
their coates of armes. Here was also the picture of Thomas Lyte, of
Lytes Cary; and a stately picture of King Henry the eighth.
The genius of Philip (first) Earle of Pembroke lay much to painting and
building, and he had the best collection of paintings of the best
masters of any peer of his time in England; and, besides those pictures
before mentioned, collected by his ancestors, he adorned the roomes
above staires with a great many pieces of Georgeon [Giorgione], and
some of Titian, his scholar. His lordship was the great patron of Sir
Anthony Van Dyck, and had the most of his paintings of any one in the
world; some whereof, of his family, are fixt now in the great pannells
of the wainscot in the great dining roome, or roome of state; which is
a magnificent, stately roome; and his Majesty King Charles the Second
was wont to say, ’twas the best proportioned roome that ever he saw.*
In the cieling piece of this great roome is a great peece, the Marriage
of Perseus, drawn by the hand of Mr. Emanuel De Cretz; and all about
this roome, the pannells below the windows, is painted by him, the
whole story of Sir Philip Sydney’s Arcadia,† Quaere, Dr. Caldicot and
Mr. Uniades, what was the story or picture in the cieling when the
house was burnt. At the upper end of this noble roome is a great piece
of Philip (first) Earle of Pembroke and both his Countesses, and all
his children, and the Earle of Carnarvon, as big as the life, with
landskip beyond them; by the hand of that famous master in painting Sir
Anthony Van Dyk, which is held one of his best pictures that ever he
drew, and which was apprized at 1,000 li. by the creditors of Philip
the third earle of Pembrok. Mr. Uniades told me that he heard Philip
(first) Earle say, that he gave to Sir Anthony Van Dyk for it five
hundred Jacobuses. ’Tis an heirloome, and the creditors had nothing to
doe with it, but Mr. Davys the painter, that was brought from London to
apprize the goods, did apprize it at a thousand pounds. Captain Wind
tells me that there is a tagliedome of this great picture: enquire for
it. [A critical account of this picture, which is 17 feet in length by
l1 feet in height, and contains ten full-length portraits, will be
found in the Beauties of Wiltshire, vol. i. p. 180-187. It was engraved
by Bernard Baron in 1740.—J. B.]
*[This refers to the “double-cube” room, as it is often called, from
its proportions. The Great Hall at Kenilworth was also a double cube;
and the same form was adopted in many other old buildings.—J. B.]
†[In “A Description of the Antiquities and Curiosities in Wilton
House,” 4to. these paintings are ascribed to Signer Tomaso and his
brother.—J. B.]
The anti-roome to the great roome of state is the first roome as you
come up staires from the garden, and the great pannells of wainscot are
painted with the huntings of Tempesta, by that excellent master in
landskip Mr. Edmund Piers.‡ He did also paint all the grotesco—painting
about the new buildings.
‡[Ascribed to Tempesta junior in the “Description” already
mentioned.—J. B.]
In the roome within this great roome is the picture of King Charles the
First on his dun horse by Van Dyk; it hangs over the chimney. Also the
Dutchess of Richmond by Van Dyk. Now this rare collection of pictures
is sold and dispersed, and many of those eminent persons’ pictures are
but images without names; all sold by auction and disparkled by
administratorship: they are, as the civilians term them, “bona caduca”.
But, as here were a number of pictures sold, with other goods, by the
creditors of Philip (the second), so this earle [Thomas] hath supplied
it with an admirable collection of paintings by great masters in Italy,
when his lordship was there, and since; as he also did for prints, and
bookes of fortification, &c.
THE LIBRARIE.—Here was a noble librarie of bookes, choicely collected
in the time of Mary Countesse of Pembroke. I remember there were a
great many Italian bookes; all their poets; and bookes of politic and
historic. Here was Dame Julian Barnes of Hunting, Hawking, and
Heraldry, in English verses, printed temp. Edward the Fourth. (Philip,
third earle, gave Dame Julian Barnes to Capt. Edw. Saintlo of
Dorsetshire.) A translation of the whole book of Psalmes, in English
verse, by Sir Philip Sydney, writt curiously, and bound in crimson
velvet and gilt; it is now lost. Here was a Latin poëme, a manuscript,
writt in Julius Cæsar’s time. [See ante, p. 60.] Henry Earle of
Pembroke was a great lover of heraldrie, and collected curious
manuscripts of it, that I have seen and perused; e. g. the coates of
armes and short histories of the English nobility, and bookes of
genealogies; all well painted and writt. ’Twas Henry that did sett up
all the glasse scutchions about the house: quære if he did not build
it? Now all these bookes are sold and dispersed as the pictures.
THE ARMORIE. The armory is a very long roome, which I guesse to have
been a dorture heretofore. Before the civill warres, I remember, it was
very full. The collection was not onely great, but the manner of
obtaining it was much greater; which was by a victory at the battle of
St. Quintin’s, where William the first Earle of Pembroke was generall,
Sir George Penruddock, of Compton Chamberlain, was Major Generall, and
William Aubrey, LL.D. my great-grandfather, was Judge Advocat. There
were armes, sc. the spoile, for sixteen thousand men, horse and foot.
(From the Right Honourable Thomas Earle of Pembroke.)
Desire my brother William Aubrey to gett a copy of the inventory of it.
Before the late civill warres here were musketts and pikes for ...
hundred men; lances for tilting; complete armour for horsemen; for
pikemen, &c. The rich gilt and engraved armour of Henry VIII. The like
rich armour of King Edward VI. In the late warres much of the armes was
imbecill’d.
WILTON GARDEN: by Solomon de Caus. [See also in a subsequent page,
Chap. IV. OF GARDENS.] “This garden, within the inclosure of the new
wall, is a thousand foot long, and about four hundred in breadth;
divided in its length into three long squares or parallellograms, the
first of which divisions, next the building, hath four platts
embroydered; in the midst of which are four fountaines, with statues of
marble in their middle; and on the sides of those platts are the platts
of flowers; and beyond them is a little terrass raised, for the more
advantage of beholding those platts. In the second division are two
groves or woods, cutt with divers walkes, and through those groves
passeth the river Nader, having of breadth in this place 44 foote, upon
which is built the bridge, of the breadth of the great walke: and in
the middest of the aforesayd groves are two great statues of white
marble of eight foot high, the one of Bacchus, and the other of Flora;
and on the sides ranging with the platts of flowers are two covered
arbours of three hundred foot long, and divers allies. At the beginning
of the third and last division are, on either side of the great walke,
two ponds with fountains, and two columnes in the middle, casting water
all their height; which causeth the moving and turning of two crowns at
the top of the same; and beyond is a compartment of green, with divers
walkes planted with cherrie trees; and in the middle is the great
ovall, with the Gladiator of brasse, the most famous statue of all that
antiquity hath left. On the sides of this compartment, and answering
the platts of flowers and long arbours, are three arbours of either
side, with turning galleries, communicating themselves one into
another. At the end of the great walke is a portico of stone, cutt and
adorned with pyllasters and nyckes, within which are figures of white
marble, of five foot high. On either side of the said portico is an
ascent leading up to the terrasse, upon the steps whereof, instead of
ballasters, are sea-monsters, casting water from one to the other, from
the top to the bottome; and above the sayd portico is a great reserve
of water for the grotto.”
[The gardens of Wilton were illustrated by a series of twenty-six folio
copper plates, with the following title; “Le Jardin De Wilton,
construct par le trés noble et trés p. seigneur Philip Comte Pembroke
et Montgomeri. Isaac de Caux invt.” The above description is copied
from one of these plates. Solomon de Caus was architect and engineer to
the Elector Palatine, and constructed the gardens at Heidelberg in
1619. Walpole infers that Isaac and Solomon de Caus were brothers, and
that they erected, in conjunction with each other, “the porticos and
loggias of Gorhambury, and part of Campden house, near Kensington.”
(Anecdotes of Painting.) As the engravings of Wilton gardens bear the
name of Isaac, he had probably some share in the arrangement of the
grounds, and perhaps also in building the house. In Campbell’s
Vitruvius Britannicus, vols. ii. and iii. are several views, plans, and
sections of Wilton House and grounds.—J. B.]
The grotto is paved with black and white marble; the roofe is vaulted.
The figures of the tritons, &c. are in bas-relieve, of white marble,
excellently well wrought. Here is a fine jeddeau and nightingale pipes.
Monsieur de Caus had here a contrivance, by the turning of a cock, to
shew three rainbowes, the secret whereof he did keep to himself; he
would not let the gardener, who shewes it to strangers, know how to doe
it; and so, upon his death, it is lost. The grott and pipes did cost
ten thousand pounds. The garden is twelve acres within the terrace of
the grott.
The kitchin garden is a very good one, and here are good ponds and a
decoy. By the kitchin garden is a streame which turnes a wheele that
moves the engine to raise the water to the top of a cisterne at the
corner of the great garden, to serve the water-workes of the grotto and
fountaines in the garden.
Thomas, Earle of Pembroke, told me that his sister-in-law’s priest, a
Frenchman, made a pretty poem or poemation on Wilton House and Garden,
in Latin verse, which Mr. Berford, his Lordship’s Chaplain, can
procure.
THE STABLES, of Roman architecture, built by Mons. de Caus, have a
noble avenu to them, a square court in the middle; and on the four
sides of this court were the pictures of the best horses as big as the
life, painted in severall postures, by a Frenchman. Among others was
the great black crop-eared stone horse on which Gustavus Adolphus, King
of Sweden, was killed at the battle of Lutzen, two miles from Leipzig.
Upon the comeing of the Scotts, in 1639, Sir. .. Fenwyck and... fearing
their breeds of horses would be taken away by the Scotts, did sell
their breeds of horses and mares to Philip (first) Earle of Pembroke.
His Lordship had also Morocco horses, and for race horses, besides
Peacock and Delavill, he had a great many more kept at the parke at
Ramesbury and at Rowlinton. Then for his stagge-hunting, fox-hunting,
brooke-hawking, and land-hawking, what number of horses were kept to
bee fitt at all seasons for it, I leave the reader to guesse, besides
his horses for at least halfe a dozen coaches. Mr. Chr. Wroughton
guesses not lesse than an hundred horses. [In the notice of William,
first Earl of Pembroke, in Aubrey’s “Lives of Eminent Men,” he says,
“This present Earl (1680) has at Wilton 52 mastives and 30 greyhounds,
some beares, and a lyon, and a matter of 60 fellowes more bestiall than
they.”—J. B.]
OF HIS LORDSHIP’S HOUNDS, GREYHOUNDS, AND HAWKES. His Lordship had all
sorts of hounds, for severall disports: sc. harbourers (great hounds)
to harbour the stagges, and also small bull-dogges to break the bayes
of the stagge; fox-hounds, finders, harriers, and others. His Lordship
had the choicest tumblers that were in England, and the same tumblers
that rode behind him he made use of to retrieve the partridges. The
setting-doggs for supper-flights for his hawkes. Grayhounds for his
hare warren, as good as any were in England. When they returned from
hawking the ladies would come out to see the hawkes at the highest
flying, and then they made use of their setting dogges to be sure of a
flight. His Lordship had two hawkes, one a falcon called Shrewsbury,
which he had of the Earle of Shrewsbury, and another called the little
tercel, which would fly quite out of sight, that they knew not how to
shew the fowler till they found the head stood right. They had not
little telescopes in those dayes; those would have been of great use
for the discovery which way the hawke’s head stood.
TILTING. Tilting was much used at Wilton in the times of Henry Earle of
Pembroke and Sir Philip Sydney. At the solemnization of the great
wedding of William, the second Earle of Pembroke, to one of the
co-heires of the Earle of Shrewsbury, here was an extraordinary shew;
at which time a great many of the nobility and gentry exercised, and
they had shields of pastboard painted with their devices and emblemes,
which were very pretty and ingenious. There are some of them hanging in
some houses at Wilton to this day but I did remember many more. Most,
or all of them, had relation to marriage. One, I remember, is a man
standing by a river’s side angling, and takes up a rammes-horne: the
motto “Casus ubiq{ue} valet”.—(Ovid de Arte Amandi.) Another hath the
picture of a ship at sea sinking in a storm, and a house on fire; the
motto “Tertia pestis abest”; meaning a wife. Another, a shield covered
with black velvet; the motto “Par nulla figura dolori”. This last is in
the Arcadia, and I believe they were most of them contrived by Sir
Philip Sydney. Another was a hawke lett off the hand, with her leashes
hanging at her legges, which might hang her where’ere she pitcht, and
is an embleme of youth that is apt to be ensnared by their own too
plentifull estates.
’Tis certain that the Earles of Pembroke were the most popular peers in
the West of England; but one might boldly say, in the whole kingdome.
The revenue of his family was, till about 1652, 16,000li. per annum;
but, with his offices and all, he had thirty thousand pounds per annum,
and, as the revenue was great, so the greatnesse of his retinue and
hospitality was answerable. One hundred and twenty family uprising and
down lyeing, whereof you may take out six or seven, and all the rest
servants and retayners.
FOR HIS LORDSHIP’S MUSICK. Alphonso Ferrabosco, the son, was Lord
Philip (the first’s) lutenist. He sang rarely well to the theorbo lute.
He had a pension and lodgings in Baynard’s Castle.