de Lytton of Knebworth, K.B., Privy Councillor and Keeper of the Great
Wardrobe, A.D. 1508; 1st. by Margret Beauchamp, from whom descended Anne
St. John, wife of Sir Rowland Lytton, temp. Elizabeth. 2dly. by Anne,
sister of Sir Owen Tudor and wife of Sir William Norreys, temp. Henry
VII., from whom descended William Robinson Lytton, temp. Anne._”
The chimneypiece is a beautiful Gothic specimen of carved stone gilt and
blazoned, with the following punning motto on the frieze,--“_A Dieu foy,
aulx amys foyer._”
Returning to the staircase we descend the first flight, and turning to
that at the left pass by a full-length statue, in carved wood, of Sir
Walter Raleigh; to a lobby, communicating on one hand with the
Minstrels’ Gallery, on the other, through a very curious oak door, to
the Round-Tower Chamber. This last is covered with stamped leather,
white and gold, and commands, from the deep-set window, a beautiful view
of the gardens. It contains portraits of Madame Dubarry, mistress to
Louis XV.; of Ninon de l’Enclos; and one or two other persons of better
repute: amongst them, Viscountess Falkland, daughter of Sir Rowland
Lytton--a charming face. In a lobby adjoining the tower is a stone bust
of Prince Charles Edward. In the Music Gallery is a long picture of
“_Moses in the Bulrushes_,” which unluckily hides the old _œil de bœuf_,
so rare in English halls. A corridor leads from the Music Gallery to the
principal sleeping chambers, which are, for the most part, in character
with the rest of the house.
The _Falkland Room_ is uniformly in the style of Charles II., with
family portraits of that date: viz. Margaret, daughter of Sir William
Lytton, and wife of Viscount Hewyt; another daughter, Dorothy, wife of
Sir Francis Barrington of Barrington; a third, Judith, married to Sir
Nicholas Strode; and fourth, Elizabeth, married to W. Windham of
Felbrigge, ancestor of the celebrated statesman. Over the chimneypiece
hangs a half-length of Charles II. in armour.
Another room, called _the Hampden_, is of a much earlier style of
decoration and furniture than that which the name betokens. The curious
old bed, the wardrobe, chimneypiece, &c., are about the time of Henry
VIII. or Edward VI.
But the two most interesting rooms in this part of the house are, 1st,
that called Queen Elizabeth’s, which is carved entirely, with
magnificent old tapestry in fine preservation, and in which are a vast
bed of carved oak, a rude chimneypiece supported by quaint stone
figures, &c.; 2d, the room called Mrs. Bulwer Lytton’s, and occupied by
her in her lifetime. This contrasts with the rest of the house, and is
entirely modern. The walls, paneled in wainscot, white and gold, are
hung round with her own drawings and paintings, some of which are of no
common merit for a lady artist; here also are collected the portraits of
her immediate family, her three sons, her mother, Sir Edward’s children,
&c. But the feeling which dictated the character of this room is best
told, perhaps, by the following inscription over the chimneypiece:--
“_This room, long occupied by Elizabeth Bulwer Lytton, and containing
the relics most associated with her memory, her Son trusts that her
descendants will preserve unaltered. Liberis Virtutis exemplar._”
The Village is long, straggling, primitive, and rural; the cottages
neat, and all provided with gardens. In the centre is an alms-house for
widows, built by the late Mrs. Bulwer Lytton, whose interest in all
that concerned the poor of the neighbourhood, or the maintenance of the
several duties connected with property, is visible everywhere.
[Illustration]
The Church of Knebworth is worth visiting. In the private Chapel of the
family are some very beautiful and costly marble monuments to several of
the Lyttons, surmounted by faded banners, and the crested
helmets of some of that line, said, by Mr. Pratt, to be among the finest
and rarest specimens he has seen in England: their dates appear to be
those of Henry IV., Henry VII., and Elizabeth.
A very interesting little tale was published in the last century, called
“Jenny Spinner, or the Hertfordshire Ghost,” the scene and incidents of
which are laid at Knebworth, and founded upon the traditional
superstition that in certain apartments, called “the Haunted Rooms,” the
whirr of a spinning-wheel was heard at night. The book is extremely
rare, and appears to have furnished Sir Walter Scott with the idea of
the parish-clerk of Gandercleugh, in “Old Mortality.”
As the seat and residence of Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., the
accomplished Author who occupies so prominent a position in the Literary
History of the age and country, Knebworth cannot fail to possess an
interest beyond that which it derives from antiquity and picturesque
character; we, therefore, have devoted to it greater space than we are
usually able to appropriate to a single subject.
[Illustration:
J. D. Harding, Delᵗ. on Stone by W. L. Walton. M. & N. Hanhart, Lithogʳˢ.
HINCHINBROOK]
HINCHINBROOK HOUSE,
HUNTINGDONSHIRE.
[Illustration: H]INCHINBROOK--the seat and residence of John William
Montagu, seventh Earl of Sandwich--is situated within “a short mile” of
the ancient town of Huntingdon. Few mansions in England possess a deeper
interest, or have weightier associations connected with them; for,
although not actually born within these walls, here the Protector,
Oliver Cromwell, passed many of his boyish days: here occurred not a few
of the incidents which formed his character; and here, probably,
originated that peculiar temperament which afterwards gave birth to
mighty issues.
The House stands upon the site of a very ancient Priory of Benedictine
Nuns, said to have been founded by the Conqueror; the “holy ladies”
having been removed thither from Eltesly, in Cambridgeshire, where,
according to Leland, “was sumtyme a Nunnery, where Pandonia, the
Scottish virgine, was buried, and where there is a Well of her name yn
the south side of the quire.” The site of this Priory was granted--29
Henry VIII.,--to Sir Richard Williams, the lineal representative of the
Welsh Lords of Cardigan and Powis, whose father having married the
sister of the famous Earl of Essex, assumed the name of CROMWELL. Sir
Richard rose rapidly into favour with his uncle’s imperious master, the
Eighth Henry, obtained the lucrative appointment of one of the Visitors
of Religious Houses, and on the Dissolution had a lion’s share of rich
Abbey lands; becoming, in consequence, one of the wealthiest commoners
of England. In 1546, he was succeeded by his son, Sir Henry, called,
from the liberality of his largesses, “the golden knight.” By him the
mansion at Hinchinbrook was built, partly out of the materials of the
adjacent nunnery, the memory of which is still preserved by the names,
“Nun’s Bridge,” and “Nun’s Meadow,” continued by tradition to places on
the west side of the park. In 1564, the mansion had the honour of
receiving Queen Elizabeth as a guest. Sir Henry left a large family. Sir
Oliver inherited Hinchinbrook, and Robert, the second son, was the
father of the Protector. The uncle was also the godfather of Oliver
Cromwell; and in this house many of his boyish days were passed.
From causes insufficiently explained, the revenue of Sir Oliver
dwindled; and, being under the necessity of alienating part of his
hereditary estates, he sold Hinchinbrook to Sir Sidney Montagu, of
Barnwell, knight--the ancestor of the present Earl of Sandwich--in whose
family it has since remained. Thus, the heir apparent, afterwards the
Protector, instead of inheriting a large patrimony, had but a poor
prospect; his father, to augment his income, became a brewer, dwelling
in a comparatively “meane house within the towne;”[33] and it is matter
for curious speculation how far the visits of James I. to Sir Oliver
impaired the fortunes of the house, and the consequent impoverishment
may have biassed the character of his nephew; who, possibly, if he had
been heir to the enormous estates acquired by his grandfather, might
have been contented with his destiny, and have never drawn a sword which
continued out of the scabbard until a monarch had perished on a
scaffold.[34] In Huntingdon, Oliver Cromwell was born, on the 25th
April, 1599, “by birth,”--as he described himself in Parliament
fifty-five years afterwards,--“a gentleman, to live neither at any
considerable height nor yet in obscurity;” and in the church which
adjoined his father’s house, the church of St. John, long ago removed,
he was christened, four days afterwards, as appears by the entry (of
which we made a fac-simile copy) in the books, now preserved in the
church of All-Saints.
[Illustration]
Above this entry some loyalist had written, “England’s plague for five
years,” which the pen of some Parliamentarian had afterwards struck
through. The hand-writing of this pithy sentence seems, to judge from
the characters and the ink, nearly as old as the registry itself.
Fortunately there is one object associated with the early life of
“Oliver, Lord Protector,” which the rude hand of a modern Vandal has not
been able to desecrate or even touch. The Grammar School remains
uninjured even by time; it stands
[Illustration]
in the centre of the Town, opposite to All-Saints Church;[35] and in its
interior as well as exterior seems to have undergone very little change
since Oliver’s master, Dr. Beard, flogged him there--as tradition saith
he did--for dreaming that “he saw a gigantic figure come to his bedside,
and tell him he should be greater than a King;” and where, not long
afterwards--it is said, on the same authority--while acting the part of
“Tactus” in the play of “Lingua,” it was his business to “stumble at a
crown and regalia,” and to repeat the lines commencing--
“Was ever man so fortunate as I,
To break his shins at such a stumbling-block.”
The ancient and venerable school-room, retaining, as it does, so much of
its primitive character, is an object of intense interest; the thick
walls, with their latticed windows, seem utterly unchanged; the very
desks, heavy with ink blotches, and the deeply-carved names of hundreds
of heedless urchins, may have been--possibly are--the very desks at
which young Oliver sate, when “now a hard student for a week or two, and
then a truant or otioso for twice as many months.”
In this town, which he afterwards represented in Parliament, he passed
not only his boyhood, but the years of his prime; selling, in 1631, the
small remnant of his property there, and removing to St. Ives, whence,
on the death of his maternal uncle, Sir Thomas Steward, he removed, in
1636, to the Isle of Ely. It was at Huntingdon, however, he made his
first essays in the cause of Freedom. Here, in 1639, he met the King’s
Commissioners, who were working injustice towards those who had
reclaimed the Fens; here he argued with and confuted them; boldly
confronting the Crown-partisans, and thwarting the measures of the
Court; so that thenceforward, until he achieved a higher title, he
obtained the popular appellation of “Lord of the Fens.”
During his greatness, his native town seems to have seen very little of
him; his fate was perhaps that of prophets generally, who “have no
honour in their own country.” It is on record, however, that one day
marching through it, he met in the main street a reverend divine, by
whom his life had been saved from drowning when a boy. On reminding the
clergyman of the fact, “the general” received for answer, “Yes, I well
remember it, and wish I had put you in, rather than see you thus in arms
against your King.”[36]
Hinchinbrook House is scarcely less intimately connected with Oliver’s
early history, than is Huntingdon town; independently, therefore, of its
intrinsic value, its associations
[Illustration]
are of surpassing interest; and it is surrounded by very valuable
remains of antiquity--the ancient borough of Godmanchester[37] being
especially rich in relics of very olden times. The reader will perhaps
consider we have done well in procuring a copy of one of them--the old
Court-House--the speedy removal of which is one of the “threats” of the
age. Causes tried “in open court” is a phrase familiar to all; but in
ancient times, the courts were literally “open”--not to suitors alone,
but to wind and weather. That at Godmanchester continued “open” until
the passing of the Reform Bill. It stands in the middle of the highway
where two roads meet, and is a venerable building of timber and
plaster, having upon its front the date 1679; probably that of its
latest alteration or reparation--for some portions of the building are
certainly much older. It is inclosed in a small court-yard by a mud
wall; and remained perfectly “open” up to the memorable year 1832, when
for the comfort and convenience of a
[Illustration]
new race of Aldermen, unaccustomed to privations, it was bricked and
plastered in. Here then, until within the last few years, was justice
ministered openly as in the most ancient times, when a broad tree not
unfrequently formed the sole shelter for judge and people. Down to a
comparatively late period the law courts were thus held both in
Guildhall and Westminster-hall, in London. In a much earlier age
Parliament was similarly seated; Richard II. erected for the Members a
temporary wooden house, while rebuilding Westminster-hall; and this
house was open on all sides to the weather and to all men; the members
being protected by 4,000 Archers placed around them by the King--“to
secure freedom of debate,” as Pennant slily remarks. Such open
meeting-houses were by no means uncommon in the olden time; the
Godmanchester Court-house is interesting as the last remaining relic of
the custom. Another valuable relic of antiquity we found in the Church
of Godmanchester; chained to the pulpit was a poor-box formed of oak
strongly banded with iron. We thought it desirable to preserve a copy of
it, which we have given above.
Hinchinbrook, as we have stated, passed from the family of Cromwell to
that of Montagu; having been purchased by Sir Sydney Montagu, in 1627.
It is the present
[Illustration]
seat and residence of his lineal descendant, John William, the seventh
Earl of Sandwich--a family ennobled by talent and bravery, but also by
remote and honourable descent. Although the venerable structure has
undergone sundry changes, chiefly the consequence of a fire which
consumed a considerable portion of it in 1828, it retains much of its
original character. The court-yard, reached through a winding avenue of
trees, is entered through a singularly picturesque gate-way, which forms
the subject of the appended engraving. It is built of stone,
embellished and carved with more than ordinary skill. The gates are of
thick oak; there are two--one to open and give admission to carriages,
the other to foot passengers, who are protected by a solid balustrade,
also of oak.[38]
The exterior, as we have intimated, has been considerably impaired by
fire; and sufficient care does not appear to have been taken with its
subsequent restoration. Notwithstanding, it continues to “display in its
parts the architectural taste of the earliest as well as of the latest
period of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, possessing the irregularity of design
peculiar to the era.” The bay-windows are profusely embellished with
shields of the family of Cromwell, the arms of Queen Elizabeth, and “a
variety of heraldic cognizances denoting the honours of the Tudor
line,--the falcon, the portcullis, a ton with a branch, and roses of
different forms, which are upon the upper cornice of each window.” The
interior has been almost entirely modernized; but the “furnishing” is in
good taste, and is made to harmonize as nearly as possible with the era
in which the fame of the venerable structure was achieved. The walls are
covered with family portraits--principally the “living likenesses” of
Lely. The library is of oak--richly and elaborately carved by the hand
of some great old master.
[Illustration:
J. Holland, Delᵗ. on Stone, by W. Walton. M. & N. Hanhart, Lithogʳˢ.
CHARLTON HOUSE, KENT]
CHARLTON HOUSE,
KENT.
[Illustration: C]HARLTON--according to Philipott, “anciently written
Ceorleton, that is the town inhabited with honest, good, stout, and
usefull men, for tillage and countrye businesse,” the name being derived
from the Saxon word Ceorle, a husbandman, “from which radix ‘Churle’
cometh,” and so Churleston, whence Charlton--is a village in Kent
distant seven miles from London, and standing on the summit of a hill,
which commands an extensive view of the Thames, and the opposite shores
of Essex county.[39] In the reign of Edward the Confessor, the Manor was
held by two brothers, Godwin and Alward; the Conqueror bestowed it upon
his half brother Odo, Bishop of Baieux; subsequently, it came into the
possession of Robert Bloett, Bishop of Lincoln, who gave it, about the
year 1093, to the Prior and Monks of Bermondsey. After the suppression
of that Monastery, it passed into the hands, severally, of Sir Thomas
White, Anne Lady Parry, and Thomas Fortescue. In 1604, it was granted by
James the First to John Earl of Mar, by whom it was sold immediately
afterwards to Sir James Erskine, who re-sold it, in 1607, to Sir Adam
Newton; his son, Sir Henry Newton, (who had taken the name of
Puckering,) “a great royalist who suffered much by sequestration,”[40]
alienated it in 1659, to Sir William Ducie,[41] afterwards Viscount
Downe, by whose representatives it was disposed of to Sir William
Langhorne, an East India merchant; from him, failing male issue,
inherited “his kinswoman,” Mrs. Margaret Maryon, widow, whose son John
bequeathed it to his niece, whose daughter Jane inheriting, conveyed it
by marriage to Sir Thomas Spencer Wilson, Bart., whose grandson, Sir
Thomas Maryon Wilson, Bart., now possesses the estate.
The Wilsons are a family of great antiquity, descended from William
Welson or Wilson, chancellor to William the Conqueror:--From Thomas
Wilson, of Elton, in Yorkshire, 1250, was descended Sir Thomas Wilson,
Knight, LL.D., Dean of Durham, principal Secretary of State to Queen
Elizabeth; not only an able statesman, but one of the most eminent
scholars of that age. He was knighted and made Dean of Durham and Master
of St. Katherine’s, near the Tower, by Queen Elizabeth, in reward for
important and continued services. The baronetcy was conferred, in 1660,
upon his descendant, William Wilson, of East-bourne, son and heir of
John Wilson, of Sheffield-place, Sussex, for his fidelity and
distinguished conduct on the side of the monarchy, during the civil
wars. The present baronet is the eighth in succession; a magistrate for
Kent, Sussex, and Surrey; a deputy-lieutenant, and captain in the West
Kent Militia; and was High Sheriff of Kent in 1828. Sir Thomas is also
Lord of the Manor of Hampstead, where he inherited considerable
property.
The Manor House of Charlton was built by Sir Adam Newton, between the
years 1607 and 1612. Sir Adam was tutor to Prince Henry, the son of
James the First; and, according to contemporary authorities, it was
erected for the Prince, a statement which receives confirmation from the
royal arms placed over one of the recesses of the saloon, while the
plume of ostrich feathers--the cognizance of the Prince--occupies a
similar position opposite.[42] Evelyn speaks of it as “a faire house
built for Prince Henry.”[43] The interest of Charlton House is greatly
enhanced by the fact that here was formed the mind of the estimable
youth; here he was trained to virtue. After the lamented death of his
beloved pupil, Mr. Newton, “though made treasurer to Prince Charles,
spent the remainder of his days chiefly in study and retirement.”
The Mansion, as we have intimated, stands on the summit of a hill, which
overlooks the Thames. The trees, by which it is surrounded, are of
magnificent growth. Hasted speaks of a long row of cypress trees, “which
seem to be of great age, and are, perhaps, the oldest in England; “they
have all--save one--been removed by the hand of Time. The ancient
gateway, now disused, immediately fronts the principal entrance; (we
have adopted it as our initial letter). It is a remarkably elegant
erection, attributed, not without reason, to Inigo Jones, who resided
for some time in a house, still standing, in the immediate
neighbourhood. The Mansion forms an oblong square, with projections at
the end of each front, crowned by turrets, and an open stone balustrade
of peculiar character, carried round the summit of the front. The centre
projects; on either side of the arched entrance, surmounted by a niche,
are two Corinthian pillars; above are two pillars carved in grotesque
ornaments; the projection, running to the roof, being richly decorated
with carved cornices and brackets.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
The spacious Hall is of oak, panelled, and has a gallery at the western
end, of comparatively recent date; the centre drop depending from the
ceiling, ornamented only at the angles, possesses great beauty. At the
bottom of the grand staircase is the dining-room; and adjoining to this
the Chapel, the ancient doors of both being beautifully carved in oak.
The staircase leading to the principal apartments, which are on the
upper floor, is of massive chesnut, its arabesque balusters being
surmounted by capitals of the Tuscan, Ionic, and Corinthian orders. On
the upper floor are the saloon, long gallery, and suite of
drawing-rooms, all with highly-wrought chimney-pieces, in stone or
marble, and ornamented ceilings. The ceiling of the saloon is composed
of exquisitely-worked arabesque ornaments intermixed with fruit and
flowers, and decorated with pendants. The chimney-piece is of alabaster
and black marble, in which the Greek and arabesque are united, supported
by two finely-sculptured figures of Vulcan and Venus. The gallery, 76
feet in length, is of panelled oak, with an elaborately-wrought
arabesque ceiling. Between the gallery and the saloon is the
chimney-piece here represented. It is carved with the story of Medusa,
underneath which
[Illustration]
are two allegorical basso-relievos. In the drawing-room, on the other
side of the saloon, is a chimney-piece, “so highly polished,” that--if
we may credit the testimony of Dr. Plot--“the Lord of Downe did see in
it a robbery committed on Shooter’s Hill; whereupon sending out his
servants the thieves were taken.”
The House contains a good collection of family portraits, and a Museum
of curious and interesting objects in Natural History, gathered chiefly
by the late Lady Wilson, and augmented by the present Baronet during
travels in the North and South of Europe.
The Park--although small, containing about 100 acres--is exceedingly
beautiful; full of finely-grown trees, among which are several yews of
venerable antiquity, a perfect avenue of which still leads to the garden
north of the House. The gardens are laid out with considerable taste,
and abound in shrubs brought from various parts of the world. The
annexed print represents a graceful and picturesque “drinking-house,” in
the grounds fronting the Mansion; overlooking it is the solitary tree of
cypress, the only one which endures of the “Row” of which Evelyn
speaks.[44]
Charlton Village, until late in the last century, was famous for a
“disorderly fair” called “Horn Fair,” according to Philipott, “by reason
of the great plentie of all sorts of winding hornes and cups and other
vessels of horne there brought to be sold.” That which had been
instituted for a useful purpose degenerated in time, and became a
nuisance to the neighbourhood, until its excesses were suppressed by the
grandfather of
[Illustration]
the present Baronet.[45] It is now held in a field at the end of the
village, and is one of the most orderly fairs in the neighbourhood of
the Metropolis.