<g>Raglan</g> Church has little to interest the archæological inquirer beyond
its antiquity--and its claim to this distinction is fully vindicated by
its appearance. It consists of a nave, side aisles, a chancel, and a
square embattled tower, which, with a few trees throwing their shadows
over the burial-ground, forms a pleasing landmark in the distance. We
had the pleasure of uniting in the Morning Service before leaving the
village, and were much gratified by the religious demeanour which
pervaded the congregation, and edified by the simple but impressive
discourse with which the service was terminated.
Every feature seems stamped with the seal of antiquity; at first sight
nothing seems to have been renewed, or removed in the sacred edifice,
for at least two centuries. The great-great-grandfathers of the present
race may have occupied the same pews, knelt at the same altar, and been
addressed from the same pulpit; for the materials of which these are
composed seem as if framed to survive kingdoms and empires.
Over the Raglan <g>Vault</g> in the chancel, already noticed, some rusty
trophies of chivalry are suspended; and beneath repose several of the
ancient lords by whom they were worn, or wielded. To the state of the
monument itself, we have already alluded;[307] and judging from that of
its prostrate or dislocated compartments, the sculpture must have been
among the best specimens of its day, and employed on materials worthy to
transmit the family names to posterity; for it is of rare and variegated
marble, and appears to have been, according to monkish--but in contempt
of all classical--taste, elaborately gilded.
It has been regretted by visitors, that a tomb, in which are deposited
the remains of a nobleman--to whom the credit of a renowned invention
unquestionably belongs--should not be restored, or at least repaired. By
others, who regard it merely as an example of the Arts at that early
period, it is only a broken link in the chain of sepulchral
associations, which the skill and pencil of the artist can readily
supply. There might, indeed, be an appearance of inconsistency--a want
of harmony--in restoring the old family sepulchre, while the Castle
itself is left to destruction. In certain conditions and situations, a
fragment is more interesting than the original monument; and such,
perhaps, is the only interest which that in question ought to excite.
But with regard to the noble dust, we need only say--
“Adieu, and take thy praise with thee to heaven;
Thy ignominy sleep with thee in the grave,
But not remembered in thy epitaph.”
The family residence, more immediately connected with that of Raglan,
and to which, in the course of this article, special attention was
directed in our notice of the royal visit to the Marquess of Worcester,
is--
<g>Troy House.</g>--This name--which the King was so much pleased to use as a
classical synonyme, in his acknowledgment of the fruits which it had
furnished for the royal table while at Raglan--is so called from its
situation on the river Trothy. The village of Mitchell Troy, about a
mile and a half from Monmouth, contains a church dedicated to St.
Michael; but the chief object to which the tourist’s eye is directed is
the baronial mansion above-named. The house, which was already in high
repute at the time of the King’s visit to Raglan, was built by Inigo
Jones, who, in the suite of Christian IV. of Denmark, came back to
England in 1606. In consequence of the patronage of James the First--and
more particularly of his Queen--he was induced to settle in the
metropolis; and hence originated the sacred, regal, and aristocratic
edifices which bear his name. He was consequently appointed one of the
commissioners for repairing St. Paul’s Cathedral; but this was not
commenced until the spring of 1623. In the following reign he was much
employed in preparing <g>Masques</g> for the entertainment of the court, and in
building the Banqueting-house at Whitehall; but while thus engaged, he
fell under the displeasure of Ben Jonson, who ridiculed him on the
stage, and made him the subject of his epigrammatic muse. Jones realized
a handsome fortune; but being a Roman Catholic, and a partisan of
royalty, he suffered severely in the Civil War. At length, worn out with
sorrow and physical sufferings, he died in July, 1652, leaving behind
him many monuments of his genius, of which the subject under notice was
not the least considerable.[308]
The fame of Troy House, however, depends less on the fact of its being
the work of Inigo Jones, than upon the celebrity of its gardens--the
fruits of which are still said to vie with those of tropical
growth.[309] The excellence of these fruits, as already noticed, caused
the King to remark, “That the Sovereign of the Planets had now changed
the poles; and that Wales, the outcast of England’s fine gardens, had
fairer and riper fruits than England’s valleys had in all her beds.” Sir
Charles Somerset, sixth son of the fourth Earl of Worcester, married
Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Sir William Powel of Troy and
<g>Llanpylt</g>, and added the influence of a considerable estate to that of
the house of Worcester. It was from his gardens that the dessert for the
royal table at Raglan was supplied.
In the picture gallery of Troy House is a large and beautiful portrait
of the first Marquess of Worcester, by Sir Peter Lely. He is represented
in an open field, seated before a tent, with the Marchioness and an
infant daughter by her side, and wears a fancy dress, with a scarf over
his right shoulder--the ribbon and badge of the Garter. The other
portraits are those of the Ducal house of Beaufort, since its creation
in 1682.
The situation of this hereditary mansion is too low to produce a
striking feature in the landscape; but it commands very agreeable views
of the town of Monmouth and its environs--with the rivers Monnow and
Wye, whose waters unite and form one channel a short distance below Troy
House.
<g>Grosmont</g>, from which the lords of Raglan take the rank of Viscount, is
entitled to a brief notice in this place. In old writings it is spelt
Grysmond, and contains a population of about eight hundred. The parish
church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, is in the patronage of the Prince of
Wales. In the churchyard, in the east wall of the chancel, is a
monumental slab, said to cover the remains of Kent, or Gwent, a
Franciscan monk, whose wonderful achievements in the early part of the
fourteenth century[310] afford materials for many local traditions.
According to one of these, the inhabitants are indebted to this good
neighbourly monk for the bridge over the Monnow, on the road to
Kentchurch in Herefordshire. It is called <g>John of Kent’s Bridge</g>, and is
said to have been built in one night.
<g>The Castle</g> of Grosmont is a picturesque ruin.[311] It stands on a height
commanding the view of a beautiful valley watered by the river Monnow,
and bounded by Craig Savenny and the Garway Hill. The remains of this
ancient castle occupy the summit of this hill, or rather eminence; its
ivied walls, partly impending over the precipitous banks of the river,
and towering at intervals through a grove of wide-spreading oaks, render
the view extremely picturesque.
“By Grysmond’s ruins, scarred with years,
On yonder roofless turret standing,
How rich--how beautiful appears
The scene beneath my eye expanding!
The oak’s green banner clothes the steep,
There--herds and harvests bless the Giver;
And there, in many a crystal sweep,
Descends the Monnow’s classic river!
And here--if e’er romance be found
To love the vale or haunt the mountain--
Here is her home, with ivy bound,
And here her grot, and crystal fountain.
And here--to him who seeks repose,
By sorrow worn, or passion driven--
Here is a refuge from his woes,
And here sweet intercourse with Heaven!” &c.
<g>Monmouth.</g>--Of this ancient town and its <g>Castle</g>, the limits prescribed to
the present work will not permit us to indulge in any minute
description. But before entering upon the Abbey of <g>Llanthony</g>--the next
subject for illustration--the birthplace of Henry the Fifth is entitled
to a general notice. The bridge over the Monnow, with its ancient
gate-house at the west end, is, perhaps, the most striking feature of
the place. Two other bridges, one over the Trothy, and a third over the
Wye, contribute in no small degree to heighten the picturesque effect,
as the stranger perambulates the scene and recalls the many interesting
facts, connected with Monmouth and its vicinity, which to history and
romance have given an early and permanent lustre.
<g>The Castle</g>--of which so little remains that its original appearance can
only be described by reference to the historical fragments that still
mark the spot--is of unquestionable antiquity. It is supposed to have
been built--or rather perhaps rebuilt--by <g>John of Monmouth</g>, whose
adherence to the Barons cost him his estate, but contributed to the
success of the cause in which he had embarked. The King having created
his son Earl of Lancaster, this estate was annexed to the earldom. The
Castle became a favourite residence of John of Gaunt, to whom it
descended by his marriage with Blanche, daughter of Henry of Monmouth,
Duke of Lancaster. It was in this Castle that the unfortunate Edward the
Second was confined when taken prisoner by his Queen Isabella.[312]
But the glory of the place is its association with <g>Henry V.</g>, son of
Henry of Bolingbroke, who was born here,[313] and whose name and renown
are so familiar to every reader of our national history and the drama.
His dissipated habits while Prince of Wales, and his glorious
achievements in the conquest of France, have been so inimitably
portrayed by Shakspeare, that he still seems to live in our own age--in
the country which his worth and valour adorned--and to be as agreeably
associated with our familiar recollections as the most illustrious
characters of our own day. His good-humoured dissipation and pleasantry
in youth, became the foil to his subsequent greatness; and was probably
as much the origin of that strong admiration with which he is still
regarded, as his general talents, or the splendour of those victories,
to which his personal courage and address so mainly contributed. At the
time, as the reader may recollect, when the French realm was torn
asunder by the opposing factions of the Dukes of Orleans and Burgundy,
Henry took the favourable moment for reviving the claims of his
predecessors upon France. Placing himself at the head of his army, he
landed at Harfleur, and with only fifteen thousand men, opposed to
upwards of fifty thousand, won the battle of Agincourt, and returned to
England covered with renown. Apart from the splendour, however, which
attended the campaign, it has been justly remarked that his reign was
more brilliant than beneficial; for whilst his triumph entailed great
misery on France, it “did more harm than good” to the true interests of
England.[314] But his life was short--too short for maturing the plans
he had in view for consolidating the fruits of a brief but eventful
career; and while his greatest projects seemed to be advancing to a
successful issue, <g>Henry</g> of Monmouth was suddenly cut off at the age of
thirty-four.
The connection of this gallant prince and sovereign with Monmouth,
invests it with a lasting claim to veneration on the part of those
tourists who judge of the soil by the character of its products. In the
words of Fluellen, “All the water in <g>Wye</g> cannot wash your Majesty’s
Welsh plood out of your pody;” nor, we may add, weaken a single link of
that chain which connects the hero of Agincourt with the history of
Monmouth.
<g>The Bridge</g>, of which a cut is here introduced, was erected by Edward the
First in 1272. Surmounting the Saxon gateway is a room, used as a
guard-room or a magazine; and immediately above the arch are three
loopholes, made by the authorities of the place, when, at a very recent
period, they apprehended a sudden irruption of Chartists from Newport.
[Illustration]
During the civil war, Monmouth was justly considered as a position of
vast importance. After the defeat of the King’s army at Marston Moor,
Prince Rupert directed his attention to the marches of Wales. He
resolved to fortify Beachley, and with troops of horse to secure the
isthmus between the rivers Severn and Wye; but in this attempt he was
out-manœuvred by Colonel Massey. Lieut.-Colonel Kyrle afterwards
negotiated with Massey to deliver up the town of Monmouth, then held for
the King. Having revolted from the Parliamentary army on the loss of
Bristol, he was willing to purchase reconciliation at the price of
Monmouth. He proposed to Colonel Massey to feign a sudden return with
his forces from Beachley to Gloucester, when he agreed to make a sortie
from Monmouth, as if to fall on his rear, which might then drive him
back, and in the pursuit enter the town with him. Massey, accordingly,
gave out the necessity of a retreat; and having marched three miles,
lodged his troops in the Forest of Dean. This was no sooner reported at
Monmouth, than Kyrle drew out his men to follow in the rear of Massey.
Accordingly, about a mile from Colford, he was surprised by Massey, and
all his horsemen were led towards Monmouth. But the town having been
alarmed by an officer who had escaped, the garrison were on the alert;
yet, as Kyrle himself advanced to the drawbridge with a hundred horse,
and pretended to be returning with many prisoners, the officers and
soldiers were thrown off their guard; and with the consent of the
governor, Colonel Holtby, the drawbridge was lowered, and the town was
entered. “The governor and most of the garrison escaped, some prisoners
were made, and the rest were put to the sword.”
The loss of Monmouth, so justly considered the key of South Wales,
alarmed the garrison of Raglan Castle. The old <g>Marquess</g> called in the
assistance of Prince Rupert’s cavalry, which obtained some advantages
over the flying parties of Massey, but could not disturb his possession
of Monmouth, in which he was strongly fortified.
<g>Geoffrey</g> of Monmouth, whose name gives additional lustre to the place,
was also a native of this town. He is supposed to have been educated in
the ancient Benedictine Priory, founded by Wihenoc de Monmouth, in the
reign of <g>Henry</g> the First. A small chamber of the ancient monastery has
long been shown to inquisitive tourists, as the library of Geoffrey. The
apartment bears in the ceiling and windows certain traces of former
magnificence; but the art is of a later period than the first Henry’s
reign, and probably contemporary with that of Tinterne. Geoffrey, whose
fame as the historian of Britain takes precedence of all his
contemporaries, was archdeacon of his native town, and subsequently,
through the patronage of Robert, Earl of Gloucester, and Alexander,
Bishop of Lincoln--both renowned as the friends of learning--promoted to
the bishopric of St. Asaph. His history is considered to be a vitiated
translation of the “Annals of the British Kings,” written by St.
Thalian, Bishop of St. Asaph, who flourished in the seventh century. It
is very entertaining, and forms an epoch in the literature of this
country, being almost the first production which introduced that species
of composition called _Romance_. “Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History,” says
Campbell in his elaborate Essay on English Poetry, “was not a forgery,
but derived from an Armorican original, and with the pseudo-Turpin’s
Life of Charlemagne, was the grand historical magazine of the romancers.
Popular songs,” he adds, “about Arthur and Charlemagne--or, as some will
have it, Charles Martel--were probably the main sources of Turpin’s
forgeries, and of Geoffrey’s Armorican book.”
In Geoffrey will be found the affecting history of Lear,[315] King of
Britain, who divided his kingdom between Gonerilla and Regan, his two
elder daughters, and disinherited his youngest daughter Cordelia. Hence
Shakspeare drew his incomparable tragedy of “King Lear,” but improved
the pathos of the story by making the death of Cordelia precede that of
Lear; while in the original, the aged father is restored to his kingdom,
and Cordelia survives him. Milton also was indebted to Geoffrey of
Monmouth for his beautiful fiction of Sabrina in the “Mask of Comus.”
But to return to the scene under notice:--
<g>The Priory</g>, of which little remains, was a cell belonging to the
Benedictine Monastery of Saumur in Anjou; and in this, as we have said,
the renowned Geoffrey is believed to have prosecuted his studies. By
some writers he is called a monk of the Dominican order; but, according
to Leland, the fact has never been established; nor have we any sure
grounds for believing that, as others report, he attained the dignity of
Cardinal under the Holy See. He has higher claims to the reverential
remembrance of posterity, than either a monk’s cowl or a cardinal’s hat.
But notwithstanding his reputed Treatise on the Holy Sacrament, and
poetical Commentaries on Merlin, his fame must ever rest on the
original, or translated, History[316] of Britain, to which we have
already alluded.
Queen Elizabeth, we are told, was fond of tracing her descent from the
British line; and Spenser, in his “Faërie Queen,” introduces his
Chronicle of Briton Kings, from Brut to Arthur, with the following
address:--
“Thy name, oh Soveraine <g>Queene</g>, thy realme and race,
From this renowned Prince derived arre,
Who mightily upheld that royal mace,
Which now thou bear’st, to thee descended farre,
From mighty Kings and Conquerors in warre.
Thy fathers and thy grandfathers of old,
Whose noble deeds above the northern starre,
Immortal Fame for ever hath enrolled,
As in that <g>Old Man’s</g> book they were in order told.”