[Illustration: A Family Group, being Portraits of the Marquis of
Worcester with Margaret his second wife, and their infant daughter
Mary.]
Engraved by J. Cochran.
EDWARD SOMERSET, SECOND MARQUIS OF WORCESTER,
Born about 1601. Died 3rd. April, 1667
WITH MARGARET, HIS SECOND WIFE, WHO DIED 26TH. JULY, 1681,
AND THEIR ONLY DAUGHTER MARY, WHO DIED AN INFANT.
_Drawn by Henry Dircks, C.E. from the Original of Hanneman
in the Collection of His Grace the Duke of Beaufort_
THE LIFE, TIMES, AND SCIENTIFIC LABOURS
OF THE SECOND MARQUIS OF WORCESTER.
TO WHICH IS ADDED, A REPRINT OF HIS
CENTURY OF INVENTIONS, 1663,
with a Commentary thereon,
BY
HENRY DIRCKS, ESQ.,
CIVIL ENGINEER, ETC. ETC.
* * * * *
Inventas aut qui vitam excoluêre per artes.
Quinque sui memores alios fecere merendo.
VIRGIL.
How few men of genius are there who have not been the victims
of misfortune!
SIR EGERTON BRYDGES, BART.
* * * * *
LONDON: BERNARD QUARITCH, 15 PICCADILLY.
1865.
[Illustration: Armorial bearings of His Grace the Duke of Beaufort]
TO THE MOST NOBLE
_Henry Charles FitzRoy_,
DUKE OF BEAUFORT,
MARQUIS AND EARL OF WORCESTER,
EARL OF GLAMORGAN, VISCOUNT GROSMONT, BARON HERBERT OF CHEPSTOW,
RAGLAND, AND GOWER, BARON BEAUFORT OF CALDECOT CASTLE,
AND BARON DE BATTETCOURT, ETC. ETC. ETC.
* * * * *
MY LORD DUKE,
THROUGHOUT your Grace’s most ancient and regal line of ancestry it
would be impossible to name a more truly exalted character than
EDWARD SOMERSET, the sixth Earl and second Marquis of Worcester,
father of Henry, created first Duke of Beaufort by Charles the
Second.
This pre-eminence, due to his high intellectual gifts in CONSTRUCTIVE
INGENUITY, distinguishes him not only amongst the illustrious
descendants of Plantagenet, but renders it impossible to name his
compeer, either among the highest nobility, or the most eminent
scientific celebrities of Europe, during the last two centuries.
Indeed, it may be justly said, that ancient lineage, noble descent,
illustrious titles, even when crowned with all the glories of martial
deeds, or senatorial honours, fade into comparative insignificance
before the enduring renown, which it is alone the prerogative of
original genius to confer on the memory of men remarkable for their
discoveries in arts conducive to the elevation of mankind in the
scale of being.
The History of Science from the days of Archimedes presents a vast
phalanx of men mighty in genius; but foremost in this intellectual
group ranks the Marquis of Worcester, the originality, independence,
and grandeur of whose mechanical conceptions have acquired a
world-wide celebrity; for he it was who first evoked that Titanic
power, which, through successive improvements, consequent on the
accumulated ingenuity of two hundred years, has given to the present
age the modern Steam-engine.
It may be freely conceded that, _stupendous_ as he himself pronounced
the parent engine to be, it was, nevertheless, only as the acorn
compared to the time-honoured monarch of the forest. Just as the
existence of the plant is dependant on that of the seed, so, had the
Engine he constructed never existed, we might have been unacquainted
even to this day with the mechanical application of steam.
Living at a period when Civil War convulsed this country, and
unhappily brought severe suffering on all who were conspicuous for
their loyalty, the Marquis of Worcester, in common with the Royalist
party, had to succumb to intolerant rulers. For while Cromwell
enjoyed an income of £2,500 per annum, derived from a portion of his
Lordship’s princely estates, the Protector proudly granted to THE
INVENTOR OF THE STEAM ENGINE, a weekly stipend of Three pounds!
Unfortunately, the Restoration of the monarchy contributed but little
to ameliorate his Lordship’s sad condition; while his enthusiasm
led him to sacrifice those personal comforts which his declining
years would seem to have absolutely required; rather than jeopardize
operations depending on his great invention.
In offering for your Grace’s approval this first effort to realize a
connected memoir of your Grace’s immortal ancestor, it is unnecessary
to dwell on the fact of its matter being chiefly derived from very
scattered sources, and often from but fragmentary materials, though
in every instance the very best available authorities have been
consulted; among which, the unique collection of Manuscripts, so
freely and obligingly submitted for the present purpose by your Grace,
being given entire, forms the most valuable and interesting portion.
I sincerely regret my own insufficiency to do complete justice to
this comprehensive labour. The result of my researches, however, may
gratify your Grace’s curiosity, and prove interesting in respect to
many early family details. And if my own earnestness of purpose,
in prosecuting this attempt, does not mislead me, I may venture to
hope, that the Memoir will not only meet with your Grace’s favourable
reception, but prove, at the same time, acceptable to the general
public.
With warm acknowledgments of heart-felt obligation to your Grace, for
the exceedingly handsome and liberal manner in which manuscripts and
paintings have been placed at my disposal,
I have the honour to be,
My Lord Duke,
Your Grace’s most obliged,
And most humble, obedient servant,
HENRY DIRCKS.
BLACKHEATH, KENT,
January, 1865.
PREFACE.
That a Memoir of the Inventor of the Steam Engine, should appear for
the first time two hundred years after his decease, is an occurrence
in our literature, which, of itself, might almost be considered
sufficient to arouse public inquiry in respect to such a production.
But far more solid ground exists for believing that the great country
which gave birth to the Inventor, and his Invention of one of man’s
noblest productions in art, will peruse it with true national pride,
when assured of the amount and strength of the evidence now first
adduced to establish those claims which, although never entirely
doubted, yet have hitherto borne too misty and mythical a character to
satisfy common comprehension. The labour encountered in carrying out
the required design may be appreciated from the fact, that the present
work has been to a great extent the study of thirty years, although
literally completed within only the last few years. This field of
inquiry has been, consequently, long open to more ambitious pens, and
sooner or later would, no doubt, have received, as it demands--the
attention of men of letters and of science.
Probably no other country furnishes so singular a fact, as that of
being for two centuries without information much better than
tradition, and accumulated diversities of opinions freely indulged
in, respecting the political and private character, and inventive
talent of one of its most remarkable, interesting, and glorious
benefactors. And, during so long a period, in consequence of such
defective and conflicting information, producing the most absurd and
unreliable statements, even on the most ordinary points of individual
history. In the whole range of English biography, within the same
period of time, no important memoir has ever been so mythical as that
of Edward Somerset, second Marquis of Worcester.
So entirely unacquainted are his countrymen with the history of his
life, that a very plausible work might be written to disprove both
his authorship of the “Century,” and his invention of the
steam-engine. Indeed Scotland has already contributed materials for
the former, and M. Arago, late Astronomer Royal of France, has all
but made out the latter! And such a production would excite little
suspicion and probably no hostility of feeling. But this need not
cause much surprise when it is mentioned, that it has not yet been
the good fortune of any writer, touching on the Life of the Marquis
of Worcester, to escape recording a mass of errors, such as occur in
no other biography in our language; although the period usually
selected seldom exceeds four or five years, out of a life of
sixty-six. The reader, therefore, who takes up the present volume,
under impressions derived from such dubious sources of information as
those indicated, will find little to confirm his preconceived
opinions. The histories of men as of nations require facts for their
basis, judgment to guide in their arrangement, discretion to direct a
wise selection, and a knowledge of the whole to perfect the desired
work. The mixed character of the Marquis of Worcester has ever been a
stumbling-block to the purely classical scholar, the divine, the
politician, and the lawyer; while, on the other hand, the rapid
advances in science during the last fifty years, have deprived “The
Century” of more than half its interest. Science cannot hope to be
advanced by discussing the automata of the 17th century, its
fountains, improvements in fire-arms, bows, keys, stairs, boats,
fortifications, and many other promising inventions. But a Life of
the Marquis of Worcester, without the “Century,” would be a drama
without its most important character. It is, therefore, no act of
supererogation to give a commentary on that little, but perplexing
book; it is something more than a mere amusement, it is a necessary
adjunct, and is not wholly useless considered as a matter connected
with the history of science. The commentator on the “Century” may
hope to render the biography of its noble author interesting from
another and most important point of view, which would be wholly lost
by its omission, or by treating it as secondary or unimportant. The
“Century” is the exponent of the man; the author without his
pocket-journal of his life-long labours is reduced to a nonentity,
with nothing higher left to him to boast of than his descent from
royal blood, the unimpeachable character of his noble line of
ancestry, and his own spotless rectitude of character--an amiable,
unintellectual man!
The “Century,” the only work he is known to have left to posterity,
sorely perplexed the fastidious Horace Walpole, was too much of a
mechanical production for the astute David Hume, and has thoroughly
bewildered the legal acumen of Mr. Muirhead, the biographer of
James Watt. It has challenged the skill of critics of every degree,
from contributors to the Gentleman’s Magazine to those of the
Harleian Miscellany, and even in all sketches of the history of the
steam-engine, percolating thence through biographies, and popular
accounts of Raglan Castle, to the latest and best illustrated works
on our castles and abbeys. So many writers, so many minds, whose
judgments in a collected form, would afford a very discordant and
uninviting miscellany, a sad satire on the material and style of
a certain class of criticism, too much encouraged in our current
literature. It is painful to observe its constant want of sympathy
with the pains and penalties which unhappily are the too frequent
lot of lofty, original, inventive genius. The case might fairly be
paralleled by supposing Voltaire and others to have successfully
established a clique against Shakespeare, to misrepresent and malign
the great dramatist up to the present time; when, suddenly should
appear, the _first_ work, to settle his literary claims! Of course it
is declared impossible; and so it is, with a literary work; but it is
not so with Inventions. The fame of the Marquis of Worcester rests
less on his book than on his Water-commanding Engine. The book we see
and read, but probably not one man in ten thousand knows anything
about the Engine. Here is the weak point when the tide turns against
the Inventor, against the man, a man politically and religiously
proscribed. A great man for his Engine but hated by those politicians
who side with the Stuart dynasty, for his luckless association with
Charles the First. And misunderstood by the dilettanti Walpole, a
connoisseur in paintings and works of _vertu_, but in matters of
science more ignorant of the Marquis of Worcester’s worth, than
Voltaire was of Shakespeare’s genius. But we regret there is a third
conspicuous offender in the field, and as he is the latest, so we hope
he is the last of the clan of vituperative critics.
Our largely gifted historian, Lord Macaulay, never wrote such feeble
lines as those in which he attempted to depict the Marquis of
Worcester; but the historian is a tower of strength, and his words may
here be quoted without a fear of our object being either mistaken,
or open to misrepresentation. Depreciation is not our object, and
nothing could be a greater folly than to attempt it on such ground; we
give them in evidence, to prove how little really is known, even in
well-informed circles, respecting this extraordinary inventor, when so
brilliant a writer as Macaulay could be at fault, from no other cause
than defective information. Speaking of Charles the Second’s reign,
he says:--“The Marquess of Worcester had _recently_[?] observed the
expansive power of moisture rarified by heat. After _many_ experiments
he had succeeded in constructing a _rude_ steam engine,[?] which he
called a fire water-work, and which he pronounced to be an admirable
and most forcible _instrument of propulsion_.[?] But the Marquess
was suspected to be a _madman_[?] and known to be a Papist. His
inventions, _therefore_, found no favourable reception.[?] His fire
water-work _might_, _perhaps_, furnish matter for conversation at a
meeting of the Royal Society,[?] but was not applied to _any practical
purpose_.[?]” These few lines suggest seven inquiries, but we are
satisfied Macaulay could never have written thus upon the life of any
great man of that period, much less on this illustrious inventor, had
the proper materials been at command. This example is valuable, in as
much as it is well known that Lord Macaulay was master of much curious
reading, particularly of the class referring to that interesting
period of our country’s history, and also that he possessed a
remarkably retentive memory. But he was here dealing with a shattered
monument; its goodly form wholly gone, and its fragments scattered in
every direction; here ground to dust, there altogether buried, and so
disfigured and dishonoured that he made the most he could of the faint
traces within his immediate reach, and unquestionably felt satisfied
that, considering the limit of these few lines, he had boldly,
graphically, and truthfully pourtrayed the character he had designed
to delineate. How infinitely superior to this rough draught would have
been the sketch, had Macaulay possessed proper documentary evidence.
A more striking or satisfactory instance than is here adduced could
not be presented for showing the paucity of information hitherto
existing in a collected form; and those readers who might otherwise
have doubted the fact, will readily gather from what is here brought
forward, that the story of this singular man’s life has hitherto
remained untold.
The life of the Marquis of Worcester affords a tissue of the most
violent contrasts, romantic in many incidents, exceeding any that
have ever been experienced by any other descendant of our ancient
nobility. He was a man of rigid honour and probity, remarkable too
for his modesty, virtue, and genius, in an age distinguished for few
excellencies, and notorious for many vices. He was the favourite of
his Sovereign, although in but little favour at Court, and the very
esteem which raises most men was his certain ruin; obliged to flee
his country, he returned only to be imprisoned; and on his release,
was allowed £156 per annum out of his own princely but confiscated
estates! As the subject of Charles the Second, he received back
his demolished castle, without the means to re-establish himself;
and, steeped in debt, he sought royal patronage in vain, although
his genius was perhaps of greater value to the state, than all the
revenues of the Crown! Neglected by contemporaries, his memory has
been preserved rather traditionally than by any literary effort
(beyond fitful glimpses of doubtful praise), to raise a monument
to the indisputable inventor of the Steam Engine--that greatest
source of our country’s commercial and manufacturing greatness; and
universal, moral and intellectual progress. Lord Macaulay has tersely
and justly remarked that:--“The chief cause which made the fusion of
the different elements of society (in the 17th century) so imperfect,
was the extreme difficulty which our ancestors found in passing from
place to place. Of all inventions, the alphabet and the printing press
alone excepted, those inventions which abridge distance have done
most for the civilization of our species.” He then adds, speaking of
steam, that it has--“in our day, produced an unprecedented revolution
in human affairs, which has enabled navies to advance in the face
of wind and tide, and battalions, attended by all their baggage
and artillery, to traverse kingdoms at a pace equal to that of the
fleetest race-horse.”
The general reader will be very likely to overlook one important
fact, a golden hinge on which more rests than at first appears in
the following narrative; and, therefore, a word of remark may not be
altogether thrown away, in calling attention to the circumstance.
There are very many persons, most intelligent and well informed on
other matters, who have yet to learn that all invention is progressive
in a regular series. There may be a long series of elementary
principles developed without the occurrence of a single practical
result, practical as regards any useful application to supply man’s
wants. Then may arise a series combining these elements, so to speak,
and for the first time producing a new instrument, machine, or engine.
When a new machine is produced, we do not say, Why it only consists
of a number of wheels and cylinders, therefore, surely there is
nothing new in it! All the parts may be old, and yet the combination
be quite new. To analyse an invention into its several parts, would
be equivalent to finding that a poem was only composed of the letters
of the alphabet, or the words in a dictionary. But there is another
point of view not lightly to be passed over. Take this instance of
the steam engine. We find a talented Scotch writer wondering that
Englishmen take the trouble to claim the invention of the steam engine
for the Marquis of Worcester, because of the “doubtfulness” existing
respecting it, at the same time that he accompanies this statement
with a large amount of evidence, but evidence which he does not
fully admit. He thus places himself very much in the position of a
philosopher, who should adopt as his theory some peculiar notion to
the effect that the letter A, or the numeral 1, could be dispensed
with, in consequence of some “doubtfulness existing” in respect to
its value; and that, indeed, to retain either any longer would only
be evidence of a “little national rivalry.” Although this may appear
too absurd in this light, something very similar has been proposed as
a kind of compromise in the contest between England and France, the
“little national rivalry” between which countries might be settled,
would Englishmen but give up all further advocacy of the Marquis of
Worcester’s claim. This is not the reason given, but it is the happy
result which would follow; and it is urged against the invention, that
there is so much “doubtfulness existing” about it, that it is a wonder
any one takes further trouble in the matter. So far as we can see,
its value is A, or 1, it is the first of a series, it is the golden
hinge, or link, on which all hangs; take this away, and we sever the
head from the main body. Will any one in future be found to take up
and maintain so foolish a line of argument? The Marquis of Worcester
was unquestionably the Inventor of the Steam Engine in the first
of its three stages, as a fire engine. Previous to the Marquis of
Worcester, all that had been done, was solely in the series developing
a principle, a mere idea, but still no invention, in the proper sense
of such a term, as applied to works of practical utility. All other
early efforts were purely elementary or experimental.
Let us take an illustration from another branch of science. It is not
unreasonable to suppose that Electricity, using the term in its most
extended sense, will some day or other supersede steam. We probably
only require to be able to collect it cheaply and to control it
effectually, to employ the artillery of heaven on the wide ocean,
on our network of iron rails, and throughout all our manufacturing
establishments. A, we will suppose, invents the first efficient
Electric Engine, which with fifty horse power is fully at work; and
in the course of a few years we sit down to write the history of this
engine invented by A. Where shall we start in our history? Did not
Faraday years ago produce an electro-magnetic engine; then of course
Faraday invented A.’s engine! But we need not stop here; we have the
whole history of electricity before us. There is no end of machines
and engines; and a patent specification may come to light, the nearest
possible thing to A. But we have not done yet, we have to consider
France, &c., where we may find some more elementary electrical models
before Faraday, and then of course before A. So that, on this system,
as hitherto adopted, in attempting to settle a claim for De Caus, and
depreciating the claim of the Marquis of Worcester, we may venture
to predict an analogous fate for the Electric Engine, _hereafter_ to
be invented by some inventor, A. Here we must plainly see that all
that has hitherto been invented in this electrical line, does _not_
go beyond model or elementary apparatus, and that however nearly some
of these may approach any plan hereafter to be invented, it would
be ridiculous and highly reprehensible to set up claims based on
_no_ practical value, and only colourably _similar_ in _some single
particular_, but otherwise of no greater concern than as amusing
or illustrative scientific toys. De Caus’ fountain was one of these
pleasing toys, and De Caus himself could never have thought otherwise
of it, taking his own large book and his own few lines of description;
although it served the purpose of M. Arago to assume for it a
pre-eminence over the Marquis of Worcester’s invention, merely because
the latter came half a century later.
The author is not aware of any portion of his work that is open to
controversy, unless it be that relating to a second visit to Ireland,
asserted to have been made by the Earl of Glamorgan. However, should
it be contended, or proved, that his negotiations refer to a _single_
visit there, the circumstance would not affect the main story. The
author has, however, had one essential difficulty to deal with,
arising from the quantity of correspondence and documentary evidence,
which, under the circumstances, he was obliged to introduce, thus
materially affecting the text. It certainly was open to him to throw
the greater part into the Appendix, but with considerable drawbacks
to all readers really interested in such a work. The course adopted
has been to introduce documents, of whatever kind, in their order of
date, and to modernise the orthography (and that alone) to render them
generally readable. The few pieces admitted in their original style
will satisfy any one how thoroughly unreadable the work would have
become, if largely occupied with such orthography. The prayer (for
example) is a strict copy of the original, which appears to be in the
handwriting of the Marchioness, with several interlinear corrections
made by the Marquis himself, which certify to its genuineness.[A]
Every document is given with its own date, and no deviations occur
beyond the modern spelling of words. The “Century,” however, being
printed matter, has been re-produced verbatim, with scrupulous
accuracy.
The general reader will find that the really scientific portion of
this memoir, is restricted to the “Century,” which has relieved the
biographical portion of much technical detail: no more reference to
inventions occurring therein than appeared absolutely necessary to
preserve uniformity in the narrative.
It was very desirable in such a work as the present to steer clear
of a controversial strain, whether in reference to the past or the
present. This has been effected in a great measure, as regards the
numerous detractors that might be cited, who have given false views,
both of the personal character of the Marquis, and the merit of some
or most of his inventions, until we find the admiring biographer of
the celebrated James Watt, as if blinded by too much light, speaking
of the Marquis in the most disparaging terms. And lastly, it was
impossible to escape recurring to the charge against Savery; the dates
and facts, now for the first time supplied, going far to strengthen
the belief, that the engine reputed to be Savery’s, is identical with
that invented by the Marquis of Worcester.
The materials of the present work are principally derived from
original sources with respect to Manuscripts; and from the highest
published authorities. All printed materials are scrupulously
acknowledged in two catalogues, one historical and literary, the other
wholly scientific. Through the kindness and liberality of His Grace
the Duke of Beaufort, the entire collection of Manuscripts in his
Grace’s possession, relative to the Marquis of Worcester, are here
given at large. While at Raglan, on visiting Troy, Osmond A. Wyatt,
Esq., was especially obliging in affording information; as well
as John Cuxson, Esq., of Raglan; and at Badminton, John Thompson,
Esq., materially assisted in procuring the required manuscripts, and
affording facilities for copying them, for which kindly aid the author
can but insufficiently here express his obligations. The author is
likewise greatly indebted generally to the rich stores of the British
Museum, and the obliging attentions of its principal officers; to
the State Paper Office, where he was especially assisted through the
kindness of Mrs. M. A. E. Green, with the uncalendered papers given
at pages 249, 270, 286, and 287, and to John Bruce, Esq. Also to the
excellent Libraries of the Royal Society; the London Institution; and
the particularly valuable scientific collection of the Patent Office.
At Oxford, the privilege of consulting works and manuscripts at the
Bodleian Library, was freely granted, and every facility afforded.
The author would especially notice among other contributions of
information, the able assistance of Bennet Woodcroft, Esq., F.R.S.,
&c. To the Rev. John Webb, of Hay, he is particularly indebted for the
papers at pages 64, 88, and 142, to which that gentleman directed his
attention, and which he might otherwise have overlooked. He has also
received assistance from the collections of Robert Cole, Esq., and of
the late Dawson Turner, Esq., which are noted where they occur. When
inquiring for the autograph of “Glamorgan,” every possible effort to
trace it, although unavailing, was kindly employed by the Librarian of
St. Cuthbert’s College, Durham, and by the Rev. Dr. Grant, the Roman
Catholic Bishop of Southwark.
During the author’s visit to Dublin, Sir Bernard Burke, Ulster King at
Arms, very obligingly searched for any documents referring to the Earl
of Glamorgan, that might be in Dublin Castle, but without success;
and the author is also much indebted for general information most
courteously given by the Rev. Dr. Todd, of Trinity College, Dr. R. G.
Travers, Marsh’s Library, and the Rev. C. P. Meehan; and likewise,
through correspondence, by the Rev. James Graves, of Stonyford.
It now only remains for the author to say, that in the event of any of
our nobility or gentry, or other collectors, possessing any manuscript
whatever, even although only a copy of matter here produced, he would
esteem it a very particular favour to be informed of it (through his
publisher), and to be permitted to examine any record, bearing either
directly or indirectly on this subject.
H. D.
Footnotes
[A] I am happy in being able to afford this testimony, were it only
to dissipate the inuendoes of Mr. Muirhead.
CONTENTS.
DEDICATION Page iii
PREFACE vii-xxi
1599–1628.
Chap. I.--Marriage of Henry Somerset, Lord Herbert of Raglan 1–9
1601–1639.
Chap. II.--Birth, home, education, early career, times, and
first marriage of Edward Somerset, Lord Herbert 10–29
1639–1642.
Chap. III.--Edward, Lord Herbert’s second marriage 30–36
1641–1642.
Chap. IV.--Henry, Earl of Worcester--created Marquis of
Worcester--Raglan Castle 37–54
1642–1644.
Chap. V.--Lord Herbert in his military capacity 55–68
1644–1645.
Chap. VI.--Lord Herbert created Earl of Glamorgan--Irish
affairs 69–94
1640–1645.
Chap. VII.--Raglan Castle--Royal visits 95–111
1645–1646.
Chap. VIII.--The Earl of Glamorgan’s second visit to
Ireland 112–139
1646–1647.
Chap. IX.--Raglan Castle; its defence and surrender--Death
of Henry, Marquis of Worcester 140–156
1645–1647.
Chap. X.--The Earl of Glamorgan’s transactions in Ireland,
concluded 157–185
1646–1650.
Chap. XI.--The Marquis of Worcester in exile; resides in
France 186–191
1643–1659.
Chap. XII.--Affairs affecting the Marquis of Worcester’s
family, in respect to Worcester House and other
property in and near London 192–200
1651.
Chap. XIII.--The Marquis of Worcester’s son,
and two daughters 201–208
1651–1661.
Chap. XIV.--His return to England--Imprisonment, and
liberation--his “_Century_”--pecuniary difficulties--
petitions--at Charles the Second’s Coronation--Lord
Herbert 209–233
1660–1662.
Chap. XV.--His prospects at the period of the Restoration--
Proceedings in Parliament respecting the Patent to
create him Duke of Somerset--Estates restored, &c.--
Parliamentary duties 234–246
1660–1664.
Chap. XVI.--His Inventions--further Petitions--publication
of his “_Century_”--Charles II. visits Lord Herbert at
Badminton--Worcester House, Strand 247–261
1664–1670.
Chap. XVII.--His operations at Vauxhall--Petitions and
decease--Caspar Kaltoff and family--M. Sorbière--Cosmo,
Grand Duke of Tuscany--The Dowager Marchioness of
Worcester 262–308
Chap. XVIII.--A brief retrospect of the Marquis of
Worcester’s Genealogy, and his private, political,
and philosophical character; including his own
statement of expenditure during the Civil War 309–342
LIST OF ENGRAVINGS.
From Drawings and Sketches made, and Ciphers and Autographs traced, by
the author.
The steel engraved Portraits executed by Mr. J. Cochran, and the Wood
Engravings by Mr. Stevens, and Mr. J. H. Rimbault; and Coats of Arms
by Mr. Layton.
* * * * *
STEEL ENGRAVINGS.
A Family Group, being Portraits of the MARQUIS OF WORCESTER, with
Margaret his second wife, and their infant daughter Mary. From a
painting by Hanneman. (See pages 30,31.) TO FACE TITLE PAGE.
Portrait of ELIZABETH LADY HERBERT, first wife of Edward Lord
Herbert, afterwards Marquis of Worcester. From a painting by
Vandyke PAGE 16.
WOOD ENGRAVINGS.
PAGE.
Armorial bearings of His Grace the Duke of Beaufort iii
Plan of the Castle and Citadel of Raglan, Monmouthshire xxiv
Baynard’s Castle, from Newcourt’s ancient Map of London, 1658 1
Worcester House, 1658 8
H. Herbert (autograph) Henry, 1st Marquis of Worcester 10
E. Worcester (autograph) Edward, 4th Earl of Worcester 12
Water-works side of the Citadel, Raglan Castle 20
Distant view of Raglan Castle 49
Ed. L. Herbert (autograph) afterwards 2nd Marquis of Worcester 77
The Earl of Glamorgan’s writing in the address of a Cipher
letter 179
The letter written in his Cipher. [See also page 553.] 180
The Tower, Map of London, 1658. 211
Worcester [autograph, 1665–6, of the Author of the “Century”] 283
St. Cadocus, Raglan Church 296
--〃-- east end and plan 297
Arms of the Marquis of Worcester, and his two wives 298
C. Somerset (autograph) Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of
Worcester 309
One line of the Marquis of Worcester’s cipher writing 333
A Cipher Seal 377
Portrait of Edward Lord Herbert, afterwards second Marquis
of Worcester, from a painting by Vandyke, in the
possession of his Grace, the Duke of Beaufort 389
A one line Cipher 392
The Marquis’s Cipher 398
Ancient Paddle Boat 408
A Balance Water-work 417
A Bucket-fountain 418
A double-drawing Engine 424
A to and fro Lever 426
A most easy level Draught 427
Tobacco-tongs 446
A weighted wheel 454
A water-flowing and ebbing motion 457
A musketeer, 1643 465
De Caus’ Fountain 477
A forcer 483
Savery’s Engine, 1699 485
Engine to raise weights 532
Porta’s steam apparatus 541
A blowing Æolipile 542
A steam blow-pipe 543
A fire-blowing Æolipile 543
A weather glass 546
The Marquis of Worcester’s Engine 551
--his Cipher Alphabet 553
Construction of a water-screw 554
Christopher Copley (autograph) 570
REFERENCES TO THE PLAN OF THE CASTLE AND CITADEL OF RAGLAN,
MONMOUTHSHIRE.
*.* _All other portions are named on the plan._
THE CASTLE.
1. Outer portcullis; 1. A second portcullis within the arched entrance.
2. Gateway.
3. The gate.
4, 4. Two barbican towers.
5. A guard room.
6. Parlour or ante-room.
7. Stair-cases; all marked 7.
8. The Closet or Library Tower.
9, 10. Sitting Room or Parlour, originally wainscoted with oak, and
over which was the Marquis’s Dining room.
10. Large bay-window looking towards the moat.
11. Broken porch.
12. Entrance from the courtyard to the vaults.
13, 13. Broken entrance to cellars.
14. Remains of a staircase.
15. This part is vaulted.
16. Suite of family apartments.
17. Gateway to the Bowling-green.
18. Bridge.
19. Bowling-green.
20, 20. Cellars.
21. Steps and door leading to--
22. Way to stable-yard.
23. One sipe of the outer wall of the Paved Court, where the first
breach was made by the Parliamentary forces, 1646.
24. Ruined tower.
25. The buildings formerly here completely obliterated, having suffered
most during the siege.
26. The bakery and remains of its ovens.
27. Entrance to the Wet Larder.
28. An outside high level walk.
29. Low ground.
30. Pier wall.
31. Deep space.
32. The Kitchen Tower, remarkable for its great strength, and remains
of a large fire-place.
33. A draw-well.
34. A long, narrow, vertical gap through former windows and door. The
building probably had a corridor at top.
35. Ruins of cellar or dry larder.
36. The uppermost window in this part indicates the situation of the
apartment occupied by Charles I.
37. The Buttery.
38. The Minstrels’ gallery was probably raised here.
39. Porch leading to--
40. The great Banqueting hall.
41. Spacious fire place, with centre window high above.
42. The large, handsome, and well-preserved bay-window, with a circular
opening or ventilator in the roof.
43. The recess.
44. The arms of the Beaufort Family, carved in stone, are inserted
centrally in the lofty wall on this side.
45. The Pantry.
46. Ruined entrance to the wine cellar.
47. End of the Picture Gallery, a narrow upper apartment of great
length, extending over and beyond the chapel.
48. Supposed to be the Bell tower.
49. The apartments above and below here were the ladies’ women’s rooms.
50. A through passage.
51. High watch tower.
52. An ancient Arbor Vitæ grows in the Fountain Court at this point.
53. Superior officers’ quarters, on the ground and upper floors.
54. Basin of the fountain.
THE CITADEL, OR KEEP,
_called_
THE MELIN-Y-GWENT, OR YELLOW TOWER OF GWENT.
A. There was probably a drawbridge here.
B. B. Two broken bastions.
C. A temporary wooden bridge.
D. Site of arched bridge to the Keep.
E. The Water-works side of the Keep, presenting large grooves cut into
the stone work, probably to insert metal pipes, &c.
F. Stone stair-case to the top, in good preservation.
G. Outer entrance to F.
H. I. Ruins of the massy walls varying from 4 to 10 feet high; the
upper portion destroyed in 1646, by order of Parliament.
L. A well.
[Illustration: Plan of the Castle and Citadel of Raglan, Monmouthshire]
PLAN OF THE CASTLE AND CITADEL OF RAGLAN, MONMOUTHSHIRE, THE PROPERTY OF
His Grace The Duke of Beaufort, &c. &c.
From Drawings by H. DIRCKS, Civil Engineer 1865.
LIFE OF THE MARQUIS OF WORCESTER.
CHAPTER I.
MARRIAGE OF HENRY SOMERSET, LORD HERBERT OF RAGLAN.
Towards the close of the sixteenth century there was a rumour afloat
in London, among aristocratic circles, respecting a marriage in high
life. At that time Blackfriars was as much the seat of fashion, as St.
James’s at a later period; and was conveniently situated while Queen
Elizabeth held her court at Greenwich.
[Illustration: Baynard’s Castle, from Newcourt’s ancient Map of
London, 1658]
BIRD’S-EYE VIEW FROM MAP OF LONDON, 1658.
A contemporary correspondent, writing in the usual quaint style of
the day, states in a letter dated from Baynard’s Castle, the 23rd of
November, 1599:--“I hear that the Lord Herbert, the Earl of Worcester’s
son, shall marry Miss Anne Russell, and that it is concluded upon.”
This announcement relates to no less a person than the future Marquis
of Worcester, father of that Edward, Marquis of Worcester, whose life
we shall hereafter have to detail, and whose prowess was severely
tested by the evil times of his closing career; it will be interesting,
at this early stage of that eminent nobleman’s personal history, to
follow this same correspondent through his future gossiping epistles
touching the proposed matrimonial alliance.
Writing to Sir Robert Sydney on the ensuing 22nd of December, he
acquaints him:--“This afternoon your little daughter was christened by
Edward, Earl of Worcester, the Lady Nottingham, and the Lady Buckhurst.
My Lord of Worcester sent his son, Henry Lord Herbert, because he
himself waited on the Queen, who rode abroad to take the air. Among the
presents were a very fair bowl and a cover from the Earl.”
After a lapse of nearly four months, we have again news from Baynard’s
Castle, under date the 19th of April, 1600, stating that--“The marriage
between Lord Herbert and Mrs. Anne Russell is concluded; for my Lady
Russell was at court, to desire the Queen’s leave, which is obtained.”
But on the 16th of May we are assured--“The marriage between Lord
Herbert and Mrs. Anne Russell is at a stay, till it please her
Majesty to appoint a day.” And further, that--“It will be honourably
solemnized; and many take care to do her all the possible honour they
can devise. The feast,” it is added, “will be in Blackfriars, my Lady
Russell making exceeding preparations for it.”
Her Majesty appears to have been somewhat deficient in considering
either the distraction she was occasioning the lovers, or the
disarranged domestic economy of the several attendants, for another
month is allowed to glide gloomily away, only to find on the 24th of
May that--“My Lord of Bedford is come to town, and his lady to honour
the marriage of Mrs. Anne Russell; but the day is not yet appointed by
her Majesty, which troubles many of her friends, that stay in town to
do her service.”
Some weeks more pass on, when at length we learn from Greenwich, under
date the 14th of June:--“Her Majesty is in very good health, and
purposes to honour Mrs. Anne Russell’s marriage with her presence. It
is thought she will stay there (at Blackfriars), Monday and Tuesday. My
Lord Cobham prepares his house for her Majesty to lie in, because it is
near the Bridehouse. There is to be a memorable masque of eight ladies;
they have a strange dance newly invented; their attire is this: Each
hath a skirt of cloth of silver, a rich waistcoat wrought with silks,
and gold and silver, a mantle of carnation taffeta cast under the arm;
and their hair loose about their shoulders, curiously knotted and
interlaced. These are the masquers. My Lady Doritye, Mrs. Fitton, Mrs.
Carey, Mrs. Onslow, Mrs. Southwell, Mrs. Bess Russell, Mrs. Darcy, and
my Lady Blanch Somersett. These eight dance to the music Apollo brings;
and there is a fine speech that makes mention of a ninth, much to her
honour and praise. The preparation for this feast is sumptuous and
great; but it is feared, that the house in Blackfriars will be little
for such a company. The marriage is upon Monday.”
Accordingly on Monday the 16th of June, 1600, her most gracious Majesty
Queen Elizabeth, arrived at Blackfriars in all possible state to grace
the marriage of the Lord Herbert and his wife. The Bride (the same
gossiping authority states) met the Queen at the waterside, where my
Lord Cobham had provided a Lectica, [used similar to a sedan chair]
made like half a litter, whereon she was carried to my Lady Russell’s
by six knights. Her Majesty dined there, and at night, went through
Dr. Pudding’s house (who gave the Queen a fan), to my Lord Cobham’s,
where she supped. After supper the masque came in; and delicate it
was to see eight ladies so prettily and richly attired. Mrs. Fitton
led, and after they had done all their own ceremonies, then eight lady
masquers chose eight ladies more to dance the measures.
Mrs. Fitton went to the Queen, and wooed her to dance.
Her Majesty asked her what she was.
“Affection,” she said.
“Affection!” said the Queen; “Affection is false.”
Yet her Majesty rose and danced. So did my Lady Marquis (of Winchester).
The Bride was led to the Church by the Lord Herbert of Cardiffe, and my
Lord Cobham; and from the Church by the Earls of Rutland and Cumberland.
The gifts given that day were valued at one thousand pounds, in plate
and jewels, at least.
The entertainment was great and plentiful, and my Lady Russell much
commended for it.
Her Majesty, upon Tuesday (following) came back again to the Court.
But the solemnities continued till Wednesday night. “And now the
Lord Herbert, and his fair lady are at Court,” (writes this pleasant
correspondent on the 23rd of the same month.)[28]
The bride’s portion, as a younger daughter, was said to be about two
thousand pounds in money; one hundred and fifty pounds a year in land;
and a reversion of one thousand marks.[106]
Thus was celebrated the marriage of Henry the young Lord Herbert, son
of Edward, fourth Earl of Worcester, then Master of the Horse, who was
eminently distinguished alike for his noble and ancient lineage and
courtly attainments. Greatly was his son’s marriage honoured, not only
by the presence of royalty in the person of a queen of Elizabeth’s
high-toned feelings and sentiments, but, if possible, more so by her
condescending to participate in the dance on that festive occasion.
The particulars afforded by this domestic incident take us far back to
a most interesting period in our country’s history. The great Queen’s
reign was then within three years of its close. The Pope had published
his bulls to exclude King James from the throne of England. On the 19th
of November following, was born at Dunfermline in Scotland, Prince
Charles, whose future reign was destined materially to affect the
family and fortunes of the Somersets, Earls of Worcester.
The social habits of the aristocracy, as here briefly pourtrayed,
evince a peculiarly primitive character. Three days’ feasting shows
a singular lustihood of enjoyment in the revels attaching to such
occasions of festivity. But, notwithstanding we are treating of the
most elevated society, in the most flourishing period of the Augustan
Age of our Literature, as it has been not inappropriately styled, a
comparative grossness of habit prevailed, occasioning a particular
relish for such carousals, during the period that viands and wine were
served without stint or stay.
Many of the modern common luxuries of the table were then unknown;
asparagus, artichokes, cauliflowers, and other edibles were not
introduced; while the finest clothing was costly, being of foreign
manufacture. Considerations like these should check the forming of
hasty judgments in reference to the manners and customs of olden times.
The lady whom Henry Lord Herbert had thus espoused was Anne, sole
daughter and heir of John Lord Russell, eldest son of Francis Russell,
Earl of Bedford. She bore him nine sons, of whom Edward was the eldest
son and heir, and four daughters, making in all a family of thirteen
children.
Sir John Somerset, the second son, married Mary, daughter of Thomas
Arundel, Lord Arundel of Wardour; and, as will appear in the sequel, he
resided at Troy House, near Monmouth.
The fifth son, Thomas Somerset, lived at Rome, 1676; and his brother
Charles was governor of Raglan Castle in 1646, and afterwards died a
Canon at Cambray in Flanders.
Four other sons died in infancy; and another, later in life, died
unmarried.
Kennet, the historian, records, in respect of one of the daughters,
that King James reprimanded the Earl, her father, for his sending her
to Brussels to be made a nun,[58] in 1620.
But it will be our chief business hereafter to treat especially of the
life and labours of the first-named son of this nobleman; only making
such allusions to the father, and relating such circumstances affecting
him, as serve to throw light on remote particulars of his son’s life.
Of the age of Henry Lord Herbert, at the time of his marriage, we are
afforded indirect evidence through Wood, who, speaking of him and his
elder brother William (who died unmarried during his father’s lifetime)
being at Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1591, states the brothers to have
been of the respective ages of 15 and 14; so that Henry, being then
only 14 years of age, would have been born on or about the year 1577,
and marrying in the year 1600, he would at that time be in his 23rd
year.
His age has been very variously, and, as it appears, vaguely stated;
originating probably with hasty printed statements during the Civil
War, when no particular purpose had to be served by accuracy on such a
matter. Wood certainly was not likely to be ten years out of truth in
recording the ages of youths. It is also more likely that his Lordship
in his circumstances, and with his family, had married rather at 23
than at 33 years of age.
We meet with no accounts of the births or baptisms of his children,
with the exception of his seventh son, Frederick Somerset, who,
according to the Parish Registers of St. Dunstan’s in the West,[73]
London, was baptized on the 26th March, 1613, in the house of Lady
Morrison in the Friars, she being related through the Russells to Anne
Lady Herbert.
James I. was proclaimed on the 24th of March, 1603. The same month Lord
Herbert was summoned to Parliament, being then 26 years of age. A great
plague was at that time raging in the metropolis, having destroyed
30,000 of the population, rendering his residence in town very perilous.
His Lordship’s father was, in 1604, invested with the Order of the
Garter, and on resigning his office of Master of the Horse, on the 1st
of January, 1616, having retained it fifteen years, he was, on the 2nd
of the same month, made Keeper of the Privy Seal.
In a literary and scientific point of view, this was a period of
great historical interest. In December, 1608, Milton was born; while
in April, 1616, Shakespeare died. In 1611 the new translation of the
Bible was published. Lord Napier, in Scotland, invented his system of
logarithms; the great Harvey was propounding his discovery respecting
the circulation of the blood; and Sir Hugh Myddleton had completed
his great undertaking of forming the New River. Such are a few among
the prominent facts that mark the intelligence and enterprise of those
times.
It is possible that Henry Lord Herbert’s parliamentary duties, his
attendance at court, with other circumstances, might occasion prolonged
residence at Worcester House, in the Strand, the ancient family town
mansion, a locality which was occupied by many noble families above two
centuries ago. Nothing transpires to indicate his presence at Raglan
Castle at that period.
[Illustration: Worcester House, 1658]
BIRD’S-EYE VIEW FROM MAP OF LONDON, 1658.
On the 24th of August, 1621, died Elizabeth, daughter of Francis
Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon; and on the 3rd of March, 1627, in the
79th year of his age, Edward, fourth Earl of Worcester, the honoured
parents of Henry Lord Herbert, who succeeded to his father’s dignities
and fortune. Their decease happened at their town residence, whence
each was conveyed with great funeral solemnity to Raglan, where, being
interred in the family vault of Raglan Church, suitable monuments were
raised to their memory.
Of Henry, now fifth Earl of Worcester, we have less intelligence as
resident in London than as retired to his magnificent Castle of Raglan,
in Monmouthshire. On the 13th of March, 1628, he obtained dispensation
to be absent from Parliament,[A] which appears to have been the
commencement of his decreased attention to public business.
He had then been married twenty-eight years, being in the fifty-first
year of his age. Of his numerous family he lost five sons and three
daughters. Edward, his first born and heir was probably about
twenty-six years old; Sir John Somerset, his second son, most likely
occupied Troy House, a few miles off, while his next surviving and
sixth son, Charles Somerset, he installed as Governor of his Castle.
The noble Earl, inclined to a plethoric constitution, had not uniform
good health, being subject to gout, yet was he of a joyous, hearty,
kind, benevolent disposition. He was too a man of some learning,
without being distinguished for its application, otherwise than in
some verbal polemical discussions attributed to him by Dr. Bayly, the
last chaplain in his service, who has preserved many of his witty
apophthegms, presenting us with indications of his religious and
political sentiments.
Although our interest in this memoir concerns us less in reference to
the father, than to be informed respecting his son, yet the intelligent
reader cannot fail to discover, that Edward, now Lord Herbert, during
the early years of his life, was necessarily so intimately associated
with all matters of domestic history, affecting the large family then
resident at Raglan Castle, that such relations as can be gathered
respecting its several branches at that early period, are invested with
a degree of interest which they might not under other circumstances
possess.
Footnotes
[28] Collins.
[106] Wiffin, v. ii. p. 56.
[58] Kennet.
[73] J. B. Nichols, vol. vi. p. 371.
[A] Calendar of State Papers. Domestic Series. Charles I.
1628–1629. Edited by John Bruce, Esq. 8vo. 1859.