founder is said to have adopted in compliment to his Royal mistress. It
is built entirely of brown stone, found on the Estate. “The length of
the Eastern or principal front,” according to Mr. Shaw, (“Elizabethan
Architecture,”) is one hundred and seventy feet; it is three stories in
height, and is surmounted by gables and a parapet, crowned with
pinnacles. Each story is marked by its entablature; the bays of its
numerous windows are divided by stone mullions; and between each window
of the uppermost story are recessed niches, containing a series of
statues, the size of life, in Roman armour, resting on their shields.”
The wings, twenty-eight feet in width, are crowned by ornamental gables;
the space between them being occupied by a terrace ascended by a flight
of seven steps. The Western Front--we learn from the same source--was
greatly improved, in 1760, by the acquisition of an ancient screen,
removed from Clifton House, near Yeovil; “it is placed between the wings
in front of the original edifice; surmounted by finials, crowned with
grotesque figures rising from turrets connected by a pierced parapet.”
The Court, upon the Eastern front, is “a fine and appropriate accessory”
to this stately Mansion. It contains two picturesque square Pavilions,
or Lodges, at the angles facing the building. The sides are formed by an
open balustrade, having a small circular temple in the centre of each;
these latter are twenty-five feet in height, from the level of the
Court. The whole composition exhibits great beauty.
Over the arched entrances in the centre compartment are the arms of the
family--argent, a chevron between three roses, gules, seeded or, barbel
vert, with lions rampant as supporters. Over the principal door of the
building is the following couplet, indicative of the hospitality of its
high-born owners:--
Through this wide opening gate,
None come too early, none return too late.
This, however, is not the only inscription to convey their sense of duty
to their guests. Over the North Porch is the following:--
And yours my friend.
And on one of the lodges,
Welcome the coming
Speed the parting guest.
The interior is divided into suites of handsome and spacious apartments.
The staircase is of the construction usual in the time of
Elizabeth--stone steps round a
[Illustration]
huge solid mass of stone. In the Hall, is a fine stone screen; and, at
the end, a bas-relief, four feet six inches in height, representing the
ancient custom of “skimmitting or stang-riding.”[26] The Hall contains
also a curious old chest--the work, probably, of some Italian or French
artist of the time of Henry the Eighth. The Rooms are generally panelled
with oak; but the ceilings throughout, and the staircase, are quite
plain; the walls of the principal apartments are, however, lined with
finely-carved wainscotting to within a few feet of the ceiling--the
intervening space being ornamented by rich plaster-work, which has a
fine effect. The screen, which Mr. Richardson has pictured in the
appended print, belonged originally
[Illustration]
to the entrance to the Dining-room, and was removed to its present
position by one of the later proprietors of the Mansion.[27]
Although the Mansion at Montacute supplies us with many subjects for
illustration by the pencil, we have preferred to introduce a copy of the
graceful and venerable School-house--one of the most striking and
interesting remains of a remote period, and one with which no other than
agreeable memories can be associated. The initial letter is part of the
sculpture of the western front.
Unhappily, the Destroyer is busily at work about this fine old
Mansion--one of the grandest, most original, and most auspiciously
situated of the few unimpaired structures of the reign of Queen
Elizabeth by which the kingdom is still enriched. Although its present
possessor is the direct descendant of its founder, and “the line” has
been unbroken for nearly three centuries, it is now deserted. All its
glories are of ancient dates: the “wide opening gate” gives admission to
no gay revellers; and the yet existing motto seems a solemn mockery--
Welcome the coming
Speed the parting guest.
[Illustration:
From a sketch by J. L. P. Day & Son, Lith.ʳˢ to The Queen
CAVERSWALL CASTLE, STAFFORDSHIRE.]
CAVERSWALL CASTLE,
STAFFORDSHIRE.
Caverswall Castle.--The pretty and secluded village of Caverswall is
seated in the centre of a rich level vale, through which runs the river
Blithe,--here, not far from its source, a narrow stream, which gradually
swells into size and strength. The venerable Castle of Caverswall, one
of the most striking, picturesque, and interesting remains of a distant
age, towers above this pleasant and appropriately named streamlet,
overlooking the broad valley, the whole of which it completely commands,
and of which it was formerly the guardian and the glory.
In the twentieth year of William the Conqueror, Caverswall was held of
Robert de Stadford by Ernulfus de Hesding; but in the time of Richard
Cœur de Lion, one Thomas de Careswell was lord of this demesne, from
whom it descended to Sir William de Caverswell, Knight, most likely the
same who was sheriff of Staffordshire towards the close of the reign of
Henry III., and whose descendant, probably grandson, of the same name
and title, in the latter end of the reign of King Edward II., built
[Illustration]
a large and strong stone castle here, surrounded by a deep moat. As
additional security, when safety was worth a costly purchase, we are
told he gave it the further defence of square turrets at the heads of
extensive pieces of water. This is “the castel or prati-pile of
Caverwell” of Leland’s time. Of its founder, we know nothing more than
is revealed to us by his marble monumental slab, now reduced to the
level of the church-floor at the entrance into the chancel--strange
transition!--to be trodden on by every foot that passes. This “goodly
castle,” as Erdeswick terms it, in his time, about two hundred and fifty
years ago, he tells us, “was lately in reasonable good repair, but is
now quite let to decay by one Browne, farmer of the demesnes, which he
procured (if a man might guess at the cause) lest his lord should take a
conceit to live there, and thereby take the demesnes from him.” Now, it
is probable no remnant of this ancient Castle is extant, unless in the
chiselled stones which give support to garden-hedges about the village.
Still, the lower portions of the wall which surrounds the platform of
the Castle, with its graduated buttresses, and perhaps also the
foundations of some of the turrets, give indications of an architecture
at least much anterior to the present building. We are inclined to refer
this ancient wall to the period of the original Castle.
The lordship descended from the Caverswells, who enjoyed it until the
nineteenth of Edward III., when by the heir-general it passed to the
Montgomerys, and subsequently to the Giffards, the Ports, the family of
Hastings, Earls of Huntingdon, who were owners of it in the seventeenth
century; and, by purchase, to Matthew Cradock, Esq., whose father, we
are told in a celebrated letter of Sir Simon Degge’s, was a wool-buyer
at Stafford. In the reign of James I., this latter proprietor, it is
said, employed the skill of the celebrated Inigo Jones to erect the
present castellated mansion. The site of this solemn fortress-like
structure, enriched by the dark-grey tints of age, is the rock which
gave foundation to Sir William de Caverswell’s Castle. The grit-stone of
which it is built has been excavated from the moat that surrounds the
whole; the same being the case no doubt with the materials of the
earlier building, for the circumstance, as we shall see, is alluded to
in the Latin lines on the founder’s tomb. The Castle is placed upon an
elevated quadrangular platform, which is defended by a curtain running
along each side, having a number of graduated buttresses rising from the
moat, and by an octagonal turret, with its base dipping in the fosse, at
each angle. The pointed arched gateway, approached by a stone bridge, is
flanked by an additional turret on each side, like the others,
balustraded at the top. This balustrade formerly was carried round the
top of the Castle also. Its removal in recent times has been injurious
to picturesque effect; hence the artist has retained this proper mark of
style in our lithotint. The quadrangle of the Castle is laid out in
gravelled walks, shaded by fine hedges of hornbeam, and a beautiful
flower-garden, exhibiting many of the gems of Flora’s chaplet, and some
remarkably fine specimens of Cotoneaster trained along the walls. The
building itself is chiefly interesting as presenting the ideal of the
great architect of the transition from the ancient castle to the
baronial mansion. The keep may be said to be still retained in the lofty
square tower, which overtops the building at its western end. Two great
bays ascend, one on each side, to the top of the building, which break
the plainness of the front, and afford additional light to the
apartments. The numerous windows are all large, divided by deep
mullions; and in a winter’s evening, when most of the rooms are
occupied, a distant spectator might conceive there was an illumination
in the Castle. The rooms are plain, and afford nothing worthy of
particular note. The square tower is chiefly occupied by staircases. The
turrets have been converted into apartments of residence. Whilst around
the whole, flow the dark yet clear waters of the moat, which expands on
the western side into a small lake. This moat is supplied by a number of
springs and a limpid rill that runs into it. Its outer margin receives
the shade of some fine limes. As if in pointed contrast to all this
panoply of defence, on the inner margin of the fosse there is seen a
pretty little flower-border, occupying the recesses between the
buttresses which support the platform.
We have here an indication of the peaceful, unwarlike purpose to which
this sombre fortress is now devoted. On the decease of Matthew Cradock,
Esq., who built the present Castle, it came into the hands of his son,
George Cradock, Esq., who died in 1643,[28] with whose descendants it
remained only till 1655. From them it passed to Sir William Jolliffe,
Knight; and from him, by marriage with his daughter, to William Viscount
Vane, of Ireland. It subsequently passed into the hands of the family of
Parker, one worthy descendant of which house, Thomas Hawe Parker, Esq.,
resides at Park Hall, near the village, and still retains the manor.
During the disastrous wars of the French Revolution, it was purchased
for the retreat of a religious community from Ghent, in Belgium,--the
Benedictine Dames,--who emigrated hither in 1811, having previously
settled at Preston, in Lancashire. These ladies, in their antique black
dresses and hoods, as they traverse the terraces on the platform of the
Castle, or engage in the cultivation of their flower-gardens, give an
air of surprising interest, of living reality, to this castellated
mansion of other ages. They have erected a good-sized chapel on the
eastern side of the house, in which is a large picture over the altar
representing St. Benedict and St. Scholastica praying to the virgin; and
they devote much of their time to the purposes of education. On the
opposite side of the moat, amidst the shade of surrounding trees, we
perceive the final resting-place of the sisterhood. In this neat little
plot is a number of tombstones, two of which are distinguished from the
rest by bearing the cross and pastoral staff--emblems of ghostly
superintendence. They mark the graves of Lady Abbesses. One lay sister,
now rapidly descending the vale of years, is the only religieuse who
came over with the original refugees.
A doorway, now closed, formerly led from the Castle to the Church, which
is close by. It is a spacious village church, dedicated to St. Peter,
embosomed in a grove of
[Illustration]
sycamores, and presenting, like many others, indications of great
antiquity--indications which are almost overgrown with the additions and
reconstructions of nearly every period since its foundation. The piers
of the nave, which give support to a series of semicircular arches, from
their plainness most probably belong to the Norman style. The decorated
finds its representatives in the belfry arch, and the two aisles of the
nave; whilst the perpendicular is fairly displayed in the handsome
eastern window of the tower. This tower and the aisles may be referred
to the fourteenth century. The beauties and harmonies of the whole have
been sadly marred, especially by the low flat ceilings, which extend
from the tower to the chancel, in different stages of degradation. The
nave contains some plain low oaken stalls, very ancient. Some pews also
and the pulpit exhibit specimens of carving in oak in a pleasing
style--an illustration of which forms our initial letter. The Church is
rich in monuments. Beyond mentioning a fine evidence of Chantrey’s
skill, in a monumental figure to the memory of the Countess of St.
Vincent,--the lady kneels in an attitude of submissiveness to the
inevitable stroke, her coronet being laid aside,--beyond this mere
mention, and that the family vaults and monuments of the Parker family,
of Park Hall, the patrons of the living, exist here, we shall confine
ourselves to the memorials of the two founders of the ancient and more
modern Castles of Caverswall. At the entrance to the chancel, near to
the foot of the pulpit stairs, is a massy slab of grey marble, laid in
the floor. This is all that now remains of the monument of Sir William
de Caverswell, the builder of the Castle in the time of Edward II.,
about A.D. 1300. It has originally contained a large and elegant
cross-fleurie, stretching over the entire length of the slab, a shield
on each side, and an inscription running along the head and the two
sides, all in inlaid brass. Erdeswick, the Staffordshire antiquary, who
described it about two hundred and fifty years ago, tells us that then
the metal had been taken out. He adds, in a parenthesis, “such is the
iniquity of this day;” but yet he was able to perceive what the letters
were. These letters are in a fine character of the period, before
black-letter was employed. Having carefully examined them, we were still
able to decipher the whole, and now present a more correct reading than
has ever before appeared, which, together with the accurate drawing of
this rich and finished tablet (printed on the front page of this
article) by our artist, Mr. F. Hulme, will, we trust, preserve a faint
memory of the original. The inscription commences at an ornamental cross
near the top on the left side, and ends at one opposite.
†Hic: jacet: Will[=s]: de: Kaverswelle: miles.†
Then follow these lines along the two sides:--
“Castri: strvctor: eram: domibvs: fossis: que: cemento.
Vivvs: dans: operam: nvnc: clavdor: in: hoc: monvmento.”
Which Dr. Plot informs us was Englished thus:--
“Sir William of Caverswall, here lye I,
Who built the Castle, and made the pooles by.”
In a spirit not altogether inaccordant with the original, another hand
added this couplet, as Dr. Plot further says:--
“Sir William of Caverswall here you lye,
Your Castle is down, and your pooles are dry.”
In the south wall of the chancel is a mural tablet in memory of Matthew
Cradock, Esq., the founder of the present Caverswall Castle. In its
style, this monument bears
[Illustration]
marks of the age in which it was constructed,--the reign of Charles I.
It is worthy of note, however, that, whilst the hand of man, as well as
his foot, has continually warred against the monumental memorial of his
great predecessor for more than five hundred years, without being able
to obliterate the recognition of his name and merits, the inscription on
that of Matthew Cradock, although not of half the antiquity, protected
and even partially renewed, is now, in the main, irrevocably effaced. It
has commenced in these terms, “Hic sepelitvr Matie Cr rmig.” The rest is
so greatly defaced, as only to allow us to make out that he married
Elizabeth, the daughter of a Salopian esquire, and that his first-born
child married the daughter of John Saunders, M.D., which agrees with the
inscription on the mural tablet of George Cradock, Esq. Some lines in
white paint below profess to have derived their origin from “ I. M. R.
E. de Stoke.” Matthew Cradock, we believe, was a merchant, and was
returned to Parliament, A.D. 1640, 15 Charles I., for the City of
London. His arms appear upon the tablet.
At an early period of the contest between Charles and his Parliament,
Caverswall Castle seems to have excited notice, and was garrisoned for
the Parliament; the family, no doubt, took this side. From the following
entry of the Committee at Stafford, the widow of George Cradock, Esq.,
appears to have received some marks of respect amidst this military
intrusion. “Dec. 4, 1643.--It is ordered that Captain John Young shall
forthwith repayre to Carswall House, and safely keepe the same for the
use of the King and Parliament, until he shall have order to the
contrarie. But he is to leave his horses behind him at Stafford; he is
likewise to use Mrs. Cradock with all respect, and not suffer any spoyle
or waste made of her goods.” “It is ordered that Mrs. Cradock shall
have, towards the fortification of her house at Carswall, liberty to
take, fell, cut downe, and carrie away any timber, or other materials,
from any papist, delinquent, or malignant whatsoever.” “March 1,
1643-4.--It is ordered that Carswall be made unservisable.” This last
order does not appear to have been fulfilled to the letter; for
Caverswall Castle still remains unimpaired, sombre and venerable, to
grace the verdant meads amid which it is situated--to shelter the
religieuses who have succeeded the refugees from the Low Countries--and
to show the pilgrim, who wanders through shady dells and by babbling
brooks, catching the bland whisperings of the spirits of the past,
that--
“Time
Has moulded into beauty many a tower,
Which, when it frown’d with all its battlements,
Was only terrible.”
[Illustration: INGESTRIE, STAFFORDSHIRE.]
INGESTRIE HALL,
STAFFORDSHIRE.
Perhaps there are few districts so rich in historical interest as that
in which is situated this venerable Mansion. The manors of Shugborough,
Sandon, Chartley--with its ruined Castle--Heywood, Blithfield, and
Wolseley, are all within view; Tixal Heath, with its abundant legends,
is close at hand;[29] and the ancient Town of Stafford is distant about
three miles. Ingestrie, or, as now more commonly written, Ingestre, and
anciently Ingestrent (from _ing_, in Danish, _a meadow_, that is, Trent
Meadow), and in Domesday-book called _Gestreon_, was a part of the Great
Barony of Stafford, and granted to Robert de Toeni by William the
Conqueror, being then valued at 15_s._ 5_d._ In the reign of Henry the
Second, it was held by Eudo, or Ivo de Mutton, or Mitton, who gave
certain lands in Ingestre to the Priory of St. Thomas à Becket near
adjoining, and then newly-founded: he afterwards became a lay-brother
there, leaving his possessions to his son, Sir Ralph de Mutton, who had
issue Adam and Philip, both knights. Sir Adam was also a benefactor to
the fore-named convent, and had the presentation of a canon granted to
him and his heirs for ever, to celebrate Divine Service for the souls of
Sir Philip de Mutton, his brother, his own soul, and those of his
ancestors and successors: he died in the fortieth year of the reign of
Henry the Third, leaving by Isabella, his wife, Ralph, his son, who died
without issue, and Isabella, his only daughter, married to Sir Philip de
Chetwynd. After the death of Sir Philip de Mutton without issue, Philip
de Chetwynd, son of Sir Philip and Isabella, became sole heir to that
family (the Muttons) in his mother’s right, and was possessed of
Ingestre, &c., &c.; which, by a continued succession, descended to
Walter Chetwynd, Esq., who, dying without issue, his estates devolved to
Captain Chetwynd, his near relation, whose descendants were created
Barons of Ingestre and Talbot. In 1784, John Chetwynd Talbot, who
succeeded his uncle William in the barony, was raised to the dignity of
an Earl of the United Kingdom by the style and title of Earl Talbot of
Ingestre.
His successor was his son, Charles Chetwynd, Earl Talbot of Ingestre,
whose seat is still the noble old Hall of his ancestors. None of the
nobles of the kingdom are more universally esteemed or respected. He has
extensive estates in the immediate neighbourhood in his own holding; and
is distinguished by his active promotion of agricultural improvements.
The nobility and gentry of the surrounding district frequently assemble
to witness the success of his experiments, and to participate in the
hospitality of this noble “English farmer.” His Lordship, however, has
not altogether eschewed public life. For some time he was the Irish
Viceroy. The manor and estate of Ingestre have recently received a large
accession by the purchase of the Tixal Estate, from Sir Clifford
Constable, by the present Earl Talbot.
Ingestre Hall is pleasantly situated on a gentle declivity, sloping
towards the river Trent, in a large and richly wooded park, which
contains some remarkably fine beech and other trees.[30] The house has a
stately and venerable appearance. It is in the style which prevailed
during the reigns of Elizabeth and James the First--having various
projections, bay windows, and others with stone mullions. The north
front was built by the present Earl, corresponding in character with the
south front; and like that also of brick and stone; by which means
several elegant rooms and a grand staircase have been added. The north
side has a terraced flower-garden ornamented by fountains, a stone
balustrade, &c., which add much to the elegance of this part of the
building. The interior well agrees with the exterior--consisting of
large and well-proportioned apartments, the principal of which is the
Library, an elegant room occupying the western portion of the Mansion,
containing a valuable collection of Books, placed in handsome oak cases,
with pilasters, &c., of the Corinthian order; also a beautiful marble
fire-place. The Billiard-room is wainscotted with oak, one-third of its
height, containing a variety of grotesque heads in small panels. The
grand Staircase has a massive oak railing of arabesque character. The
interior, however, has been greatly modernised; and its chief attraction
to the antiquary will arise from the Family Portraits, which possess
considerable interest. But the Mansion contains a rich treasure of
historical and antiquarian lore: in the Library are preserved five
Volumes in Manuscript, collected by Walter Chetwynd, Esq., consisting of
Letters, Pedigrees, &c., &c.[31]
The present Church of Ingestre is situate very near the Hall, on the
S.E. side (the ancient Church was on the S.W. side of the house),
and is a plain but handsome structure in the Grecian style of
architecture--consisting of a Tower; a Nave, with side aisles; and a
Chancel; the Ceiling of the Nave being much enriched with festoons of
fruit, flowers, &c.--and that of the Chancel with shields of arms, &c.
The Nave is separated from the Chancel by an appropriate Screen, having
the Royal Arms in relief over the Entrance, and, together with the
Pulpit, &c., is of Flanders oak. The Chancel contains several mural
Monuments of the Chetwynd Family, and Busts of the late Countess and a
little Boy. There is an interesting mural Tablet for the late
unfortunate Charles Thomas Viscount Ingestre, who was lost in a Morass,
near Vienna, on the 23rd of May, 1826, being twenty-four years of age;
it represents the extrication of his dead body. There is also a figure
exhibiting Religion with a chalice in the hands. This is placed on a
Monument to the present Earl’s brother, the late Rev. John Talbot,
Rector of Ingestre, &c. The Church has six fine Bells, and an Organ; and
was built by Walter Chetwynd, Esq., in 1673. A full account of the
building and consecration of the Church is given by Dr. Plot, in his
“Natural History of Staffordshire.”[32]