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BYGONE BERKSHIRE
Edited by
P.H. DITCHFIELD, M.A., F.S.A.,
Editor of the "Berks, Bucks, and Oxon Archæological Journal,"
Secretary of Berkshire Archæological Society.
Author of "Our English Villages," etc.
London:
William Andrews & Co., 5, Farringdon Avenue.
1896
Hull:
William Andrews and Co., The Hull Press.
[Illustration: WINDSOR CASTLE.]
Preface.
The Royal County has many charms for the Antiquary and the Historian,
and we trust that "Bygone Berkshire" will not be the least interesting
volume of the series which the publisher has so successfully
inaugurated. We have attempted to give some glimpses of bygone times
and episodes, sketches of the manners and customs of old Berkshire
folk, and a few biographical notices of our heroes and learned men.
The story of our castles and abbeys shows how many great events in the
history of England have been enacted on Berkshire soil, and Windsor,
the home of our sovereigns, sheds additional glory on the annals of our
ancient county. The editing of this volume has been a task congenial to
one who for many years has made Berkshire his home. I desire to express
my gratitude to the authors who have so kindly co-operated with me in
the preparation of this volume, and I trust that their labours will
meet with the approbation of all who reverence antiquity, and love the
traditions of the Royal County.
P.H. DITCHFIELD.
BARKHAM RECTORY,
_August, 1896_.
Contents.
PAGE
HISTORIC BERKSHIRE. By P.H. Ditchfield, M.A., F.S.A. 1
WINDSOR CASTLE. By Evelyn Ingleby 21
WALLINGFORD CASTLE. By J.E. Field, M.A.. 47
CUMNOR PLACE AND AMY ROBSART. By H.J. Reid, F.S.A. 63
ALFRED THE GREAT. By W.H. Thompson 98
THE GUILDS OF BERKSHIRE. By P.H. Ditchfield, M.A., F.S.A. 115
THE SCOURING OF THE WHITE HORSE. By E.R. Gardiner, M.A. 137
THE LAST OF THE ABBOTS 153
SIEGE OF READING 160
READING ABBEY 179
THE FIRST BATTLE OF NEWBURY. By Edward Lamplough 193
THE SECOND BATTLE OF NEWBURY. By Edward Lamplough 204
BINFIELD AND EASTHAMPSTEAD, 1700-1716, AND THE EARLY
YEARS OF ALEXANDER POPE. By C.W. Penny, M.A. 211
BERKSHIRE WORDS AND PHRASES. By M.J. Bacon, M.A. 235
BULL-BAITING IN BERKSHIRE. By Canon Sturges, M.A. 244
INDEX. By William Andrews, F.R.H.S. 258
BYGONE BERKSHIRE.
Historic Berkshire.
BY REV. P.H. DITCHFIELD, M.A., F.S.A.
Berkshire has played an important part in the annals of our country,
and been the scene of many stirring events in English history. For
eight hundred years it has enjoyed the proud distinction of being the
Royal County; Windsor Castle, the ancient home of the kings and queens
of England, is within its borders, and it has shared the fortunes and
misfortunes of the Royal House. Indeed, its proud distinctive title
may be traced to a period more remote than that of the building of
the Castle by the Plantagenet Kings; Alfred the Great was born in
Berkshire, and there were royal palaces in Saxon times at Farringdon
and Old Windsor. Here the Confessor King oft resided. Here the
Conqueror hunted the tall stags whom he loved "as though he were
their father." Hence from Saxon times to the present day Berkshire has
deserved its royal title, and has been pre-eminently the county which
kings delight to honour.
The history of Berkshire is indeed the history of England. Successive
waves of conquerors passed over our hills and vales, and have left
their traces behind them in the names of hamlets, towns, and villages,
or in barrows or earthworks. In Celtic times the greater part of
Berkshire was held by the powerful family of the Segontiaci; eastern
Berkshire was inhabited by the Bibroci; whilst on the south dwelt the
Atrebates, a tribe of the Belgæ, mentioned by Cæsar, who migrated into
these parts from Gaul and drove the Celts northward. Silchester, the
famous Roman city, the Pompeii of England, was their capital before it
was captured by the Roman legions; and the walls, which seem to defy
the attacks of time, were built along the Atrebatian earthworks. Very
numerous are the remains of these ancient inhabitants of Britain in
various parts of the county. There are the old roads and trackways,
the most important being the Ridgeway, running along the Ilsley Downs,
forming part of the Icknield Street, which connected the east and
west of Britain. The road is flanked by fortresses of earth at various
places along its course, and barrows mark the burial places of the
heroes of their tribes. The chief of these are Letcombe, Uffington,
Lowbury, Churn Knob, and Scutchamore Knob. The so-called "King Alfred's
Bugle Horn," near Kingston Lisle, a large stone pierced with natural
holes, is really a Celtic Memorial. Its trumpet-note can be heard for
miles, and was used by the British tribes to summon their scattered
bands together when danger threatened. And Wayland Smith's Cave,
immortalized by Sir Walter Scott, and supposed to be the burying-place
of a Danish chieftain, is probably a British cromlech. In other parts
of Berkshire, especially on the high ground between the Thames and
Kennett, there are many traces of the ancient inhabitants of our
country.
When the tide of Roman conquest flowed over Britain the old inhabitants
of our county soon felt its force and yielded to the storm. Their lands
then formed part of the Roman province of Britannia Prima. Instead
of incessant tribal wars and rude barbaric manners, the conquerors
established peace and civilisation. Silchester became the centre
of their rule in this part of the country, and instead of the pit
dwellings and rude huts of the natives they erected their stately
villas and their forums and bacilicas, the ruins of which, after a
burial of many centuries, are now being disinterred. This city lies
just beyond the confines of Berkshire, although the Amphitheatre,
where Roman gladiators fought, and where, doubtless, as at Rome during
the Decian Persecution, Christians were doomed to death, "butchered
to make a Roman holiday," is within our borders. Silchester was the
centre of our system of Roman roads. Other Roman towns in this district
were Spinæ (Speen, near Newbury), Thamesis (probably Streatley),
and Bibracte (possibly Wickam Bushes, near Easthampstead). A road
ran from Silchester to Pontes (Staines), and another from the same
place to Spinæ. Romano-British remains have been found in abundance
at Wallingford, Compton, Reading, and other places; and Roman villas
discovered at Maidenhead, Hampstead Norris, Frilsham, and elsewhere.
With the Romans also came Christianity, and at Silchester have recently
been discovered the remains of what is probably the most ancient
ecclesiastical building in the country, the forerunner of the many
beautiful churches which adorn our county.
But dark days were in store for our British ancestors, enfeebled by
Roman luxury, when the legions were withdrawn to protect the centre
of the Empire, and they were left to shift for themselves. The fierce
Saxons poured into the land, a happy hunting ground for adventurous
warriors, and with fire and sword destroyed the towns and villas which
the Romans had left. Calleva, or Silchester, soon fell a prey to the
ruthless conquerors, and was burnt to the ground.[1] This was said
to have been accomplished by tying burning tow to a swallow's tail.
The Celts were driven westward, and found a secure retreat in the
fastnesses of Wales and Cornwall, where the British church lived on and
waited the advent of better days.
The Saxons hated walled towns, which they regarded as "graves of
freedom surrounded by nets," and loved to make clearings in the forests
and form agricultural settlements. In no part of England have they left
more enduring marks of their presence than in Berkshire. The names of
our towns and villages are nearly all Saxon, and mark the spot where
their powerful families formed their settlements. We find the Rædingas
at Reading, the Wokings at Wokingham, the Ardings at Ardington, the
sons of Offa at Uffington, the Farringas at Farringdon, and scattered
all over the county are the _fields_ and _hams_, and _steads_ and
_tons_, which denote a Saxon origin. The name of the county, too, is
decidedly Saxon, and is probably derived from _Beorce_, the birch-tree,
or from the Berroc wood, which occupied a large part of the _scire_
or shire. It formed part of the important kingdom of Wessex, and soon
became the battlefield of opposing tribes. Offa, King of Mercia (A.D.
756-796), wrested that portion which borders on the Thames from King
Kinewulf, after the battle at Bensington. In the time of Egbert (A.D.
800), Wessex recovered its territory, and established its superiority
over the other kingdoms of the Saxon Octarchy, its ruler becoming the
first Bretwalda or monarch of England. In the time of Ethelred I., the
brother of Alfred the Great, a Berkshire hero, born at Wantage, came
the black raven of the Danes, and on the chalk hills many a fierce
fight was fought between the old and new invaders. At length, after
the Danes had captured Reading, and were moving westward to ravage
the whole country, Ethelred and his immortal brother Alfred drew up
their Saxon hosts at Æscendune (the Ash-tree Hill), slew the Danish
King Bægsceg, and put his yellow-haired warriors to flight. This great
battle checked the conquering career of the Danes, who, though they
made several incursions into the county, and set on fire Reading and
Wallingford, gained no permanent footing in its valleys. The exact
site of this victory has been vigorously disputed; it may possibly be
identified with Ashdown, near Lambourne, where the white horse cut out
on the adjoining hill is supposed to commemorate the valour of the
Saxons, but the best authorities place it at Lowbury.
Ashmole states that when England was united under King Alfred, another
division was made, and when the office of High Sheriff, or Vice Comes,
was instituted, Berkshire and the adjoining county of Oxford were put
under the authority of the same person.
In the war with the Danes during the reign of Ethelred II., Berkshire
was again laid waste by fire and sword, and the barbarous invaders
burnt Reading, Wallingford, and other places in 1006. They destroyed,
too, with ruthless hand the numerous churches and monasteries, which
since the conversion of the Saxons to Christianity, had been erected
in our towns and hamlets. This conversion was accomplished by the
preaching of Berin or Birinus, who, with a company of faithful monks,
arrived in Berkshire about 636 A.D. He was received by King Kynegils,
Oswald of Northumbria, his son-in-law, and other princes at Churn
Knob, and convinced his hearers of the truth of Christianity. The King
and his court were baptised at Dorchester, which became an important
centre of missionary enterprise. The earliest monastic house was the
famous abbey of Abingdon, founded by Heane, its first prior, and nephew
of Cissa, Viceroy of Kentwine, who was a great benefactor to the
monastery. Here also Heane's sister founded a nunnery dedicated to St.
Helen, which was removed to Wytham. The abbey, in spite of being burned
by the Danes, became very rich and prosperous. At Reading, Elfreda
founded a nunnery in expiation of the murder of her step-son, and
almost every village had its parish church. In the time of the Norman
Conquest there were as many as 1,700. At Sonning there was a bishop's
palace, but although Leland speaks of the Bishops of Sonning, it was
never an episcopal seat.
Soon the peaceful hamlets of Saxon folk were rudely disturbed by
the advent of the Norman invaders, and Saxon writers lament over
the sadness of the times, when English lands were bestowed upon the
followers and favourites of the Conqueror, who reared their mighty
strongholds everywhere, "filled with devils and evil men," who
plundered the English, confined them in dungeons, and were guilty of
every kind of cruelty and crime. At Wallingford, William received
the submission of Archbishop Stigand and the principal barons before
he marched to London. There arose the strong castle, built by Robert
D'Oyly, and others were erected at Windsor, Reading, Newbury, and later
at Farringdon, Brightwell, and Donnington. The history of the castles
at Wallingford and Windsor will be recorded in this volume; Donnington
endured an exciting siege during the Civil Wars; the others were
speedily destroyed.
The foundation of the famous Abbey of Reading was the chief event for
Berkshire in the reign of Henry I., a magnificent building, one of
the richest and most powerful in the kingdom. It was commenced in
1121. A royal charter was granted in 1125 conferring upon it important
privileges, and the great Church of the Abbey was consecrated by
Archbishop Becket in 1164. Here the embalmed body of King Henry I.
was buried, and subsequently the eldest son of Henry II. found here a
last resting-place. Here many stirring events in the annals of English
history took place; here Parliaments were held and royal festivals, and
many exciting conclaves sat to discuss the disputes of kings and barons
and papal legates. To these inviting themes we need not now refer, as
the history of the Abbey will be dealt with in a separate chapter.
The wars between Stephen and the Empress Maud devastated the county.
As each side gained the supremacy they proceeded to take vengeance
on the supporters of the vanquished, and the land was filled with
fightings and bloodshed. Brian Fitzcount, the lord of Wallingford
Castle, espoused the cause of the Empress, and his fortress afforded
her a secure retreat when she fled from Oxford, dressed in white,
across the icebound river. Farringdon Castle was captured by Stephen,
and completely demolished. Around that Castle and the fortresses
of Windsor, Reading, Newbury and Wallingford the war raged. Poor
unfortunate prisoners for the sake of ransom were hanged by their feet,
and smoked with foul smoke. Some were hanged by their thumbs, and
knotted strings were writhed about their heads till they went into the
brain, and others were placed in foul dungeons where adders and snakes
and toads were crawling. The whole county was reduced to a howling
wilderness by this relentless and long-continued war, until at length
the country was wearied of fightings and plunderings, and peace was
declared.
When John rebelled against his brother, Richard I., he seized
Wallingford and Windsor Castles, but they were taken by the barons and
bishops in the king's interest, and placed in the hands of the queen
dowager. The strength of these two fortresses rendered them important
as military stations in the troubles which took place during the
latter part of the reign of King John, and also during that of Henry
III. Reading was the scene of many stormy meetings of the barons and
bishops opposed to the faithless John, and it was at Loddon Bridge that
they assembled their forces, and marched on Staines; and on the Isle
of Runimede, just beyond our Berkshire borders, they compelled the
faithless king to sign the Charter of English liberties.
In 1263 Windsor Castle was besieged and captured by Simon de Montfort;
and the battle of Radcot Bridge in the reign of Richard II., A.D. 1389,
when Vere, Earl of Oxford was defeated by Henry, then Earl of Derby,
was the only engagement which disturbed the comparatively peaceful
repose of Berkshire in that period of its history. The unhappy child
queen of Richard II., Isabella of Valois, after the dethronement of her
husband, attempted to restore his rights by force of arms. Her forces
assembled at Sunninghill, and marched to Wallingford and Abingdon; but
her efforts were in vain; the power of Henry was too strong for the
unhappy child-wife, who fell a prisoner into his hands.
[Illustration: RUINS OF READING ABBEY. THE PARLIAMENT HALL.]
Turning from the records of civil strife, we read of the great
rejoicings which took place at Reading on the occasion of the marriage
of John of Gaunt with Blanche of Lancaster, which were solemnized
in the great church of the Abbey. The festivities lasted fourteen
days, and tilts and tournaments were held daily. During the reign of
the Edwards, the trade of the country increased; in the west, the
farmers produced their rich fleeces, and the clothiers of Reading,
Abingdon, and Newbury plied their looms and became wealthy. Thomas
Cole is said to have flourished at Reading in the time of Edward I.;
the famous John Winchcombe (otherwise Smalwood) better known as "Jack
of Newbury," and Sir Thomas Dolman, were men of note in the sixteenth
century.
In the fifteenth century, the plague raged frequently in London, and,
in consequence, several parliaments were held at Reading; at one
of them, in 1439, a new order of nobility, that of "viscount," was
constituted. In the reign of Henry VIII., when many changes stirred
the heart of England, we find Wolsey building his memorial chapel at
Windsor, of which he was so soon deprived; we see the King hunting
in the Forest of Windsor, and being strangely troubled in mind and
conscience with regard to the lawfulness of his first marriage with
Catharine of Arragon, when he had seen and loved the fairer Ann. Later
we see the unhappy divorced Queen taking refuge within our borders
at Easthampstead, mourning over the fickleness of men. Then were the
fiery times of trial and persecution. According to Fuller, Newbury was
one of the first places to receive the doctrines of the Reformation,
and there, in 1518, one Christopher the Shoemaker was burnt at the
stake for heresy, and later, in 1566, Julius Palmer and two others
suffered in a similar manner. In the meantime, a covetous king and
greedy courtiers had set their eyes on the rich monasteries in England;
and the noble Abbeys of Reading and Abingdon, and the lesser houses
at Bisham, Donnington, Wallingford, and other places, soon met their
doom. Hugh Farringdon, the last abbot of Reading, and two of his monks
were hung. The last abbot of Abingdon, Rowland de Penthacost, fared
better, and was allowed to retire on a pension to the manor-house of
Cumnor. The effect of the dissolution of the religious houses was very
disastrous. Agriculture languished; wheat became scarce and costly;
the cloth trade declined; the poor suffered greatly from the loss of
employment which the monasteries formerly afforded, and of the alms
which the monks freely bestowed.
No important historical events occurred in the annals of the royal
county until the outbreak of the Civil War. The kings and queens of
England often resided at Windsor, hunted in the great forest, made
royal progresses through the chief towns, and sojourned at the Abbey
of Reading, now used as a palace. Edward VI. was received with much
state by the Mayor of Reading at Coley Cross in 1552. Queen Mary and
her worthless husband were welcomed with much ceremony in 1554, when
the mace was presented to her. Elizabeth came nine times to Reading,
and had a royal seat appointed for her in the Church of St. Lawrence.
The first of the Stuart kings honoured the town with a visit, and his
queen stayed at Caversham House, where a mask was performed for her
edification. In 1625, on account of the plague, Charles I. resided
at Reading, where the Michaelmas term was kept, and the courts of
chancery, king's bench, and common pleas were held in the abbey
buildings.
Then followed one of the most disastrous periods of our county's
history. In 1642, the High Sheriff of Berkshire refused to obey the
king's command; the town of Reading was fortified, and King Charles
passed through the town on his way to Oxford, his headquarters.
Garrisons for the king were established at Farringdon, Abingdon,
Wallingford, Greenwell House, Reading, Newbury, Donnington, and
Hungerford. Windsor was held by the Parliamentarians. Many of the
people of Reading espoused the cause of the parliament, and left the
town because the mayor and other chief men supported the king.
The war in Berkshire began, in 1643, with an attack on Reading by the
Roundheads under Major Vavasour. The Royalists attempted to relieve the
siege, but were beaten back at Caversham Bridge, and retired to Oxford.
The town was captured by the enemy, and the West of England became the
seat of war. Then followed the first battle of Newbury, which will be
hereafter described. The Royalists were practically beaten, and the
gallant Lord Falkland slain. Essex, the leader of the Parliamentarian
forces, marched on London, harrassed by Prince Rupert's horse near
Aldermaston. Reading was abandoned to the King, and placed under the
command of Sir Jacob Astley. In 1644, the war at first raged chiefly in
the North of England. Then Reading and Abingdon were captured by Essex,
and all Berkshire, except the castles of Donnington and Farringdon,
were in his hands. The cause of the Parliament in the West was not so
prosperous; the King's plans had been successful. The garrisons of
Donnington, Newbury, and Basing had been relieved; but then followed
the second battle of Newbury, which ended in the retreat of the
Royalists. Then several marches through the county were made, and the
royal forces, after going to Bath and Oxford, came again to Donnington,
and thence went by Lambourne to Wantage and Farringdon, and finally to
Oxford.
The whole of Berkshire was in a deplorable condition; the necessities
of war were so great; the supplies needed for the victualling of such
large armies were so heavy, that scarcely "a sheep, hen, hog, oats,
hay, wheat, or any other thing for man to eat" were left. Soldiers
on both sides foraged for supplies, and seized with ruthless hand
everything they could find. Peaceful citizens were captured for the
sake of ransom, and no goods could be conveyed safely along the roads
without their owners paying large sums to the leaders of foraging
parties who intercepted them. Numerous skirmishes took place in the
campaign of 1645 without much advantage to either side. At last the
skill of Fairfax and Cromwell proved too strong for the Royalists, and
Bristol and Oxford fell. Donnington Castle, under the gallant Sir John
Boys, was the last fortress in Berkshire to yield, and he and his brave
soldiers marched out with all the honours of war, having earned the
admiration of both friend and foe.
Thus ended the Civil War in Berkshire. The King, now a prisoner, was
allowed to stay at Caversham House with his children; but soon the
end came, and the fatal scaffold at Whitehall ended the career of
the unhappy monarch. The sequestrators in Berkshire did their work
thoroughly; estates of Royalists were duly confiscated; the clergy
ejected from their livings; and the Puritan rule fully established.
Shouts of joy welcomed the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. In
Reading there were great rejoicings, and a stage was set up in the
market-place for the purpose of issuing the royal proclamation, and the
King's arms were engraved on the mace. The Revolution of 1688 caused
some commotion in Berkshire. In the cellars of Lady Place, at Hurley,
many anxious meetings were held, which resulted in the advent of the
Prince of Orange. Lord Lovelace, its owner, was one of his principal
adherents, and he and his twenty followers were the first to strike
a blow for William. It was entirely unsuccessful, and a prison cell
at Gloucester rewarded his rashness. At Hungerford, William met the
King's commissioners, and then marched on Newbury, some of his forces
being also present at Abingdon. Some fighting took place at Hungerford
between the Irish troops of King James and the soldiers of William, who
were entirely victorious. Reading also was the scene of fighting. The
Irish soldiers quartered there threatened to massacre the inhabitants,
who requested succour from William. A body of three hundred men
were sent to their relief, and a sharp engagement took place in the
market-place, in which the Prince's troops were victorious. The
anniversary of the "Reading fight" was celebrated with great rejoicings
for many years. There was some slight opposition to the progress of
William's troops at Twyford and Maidenhead, but ere long London was
reached, and William proclaimed King. There were not a few who sighed
after the exiled sovereign, and many who could not reconcile it with
their consciences to take the oath of allegiance to the new king.
Shottesbrooke Manor-house was the resort of many famous non-jurors,
amongst whom were Bishop Kenn, Robert Nelson, Francis Cherry, Dr.
Grade, and Henry Dodwell.
From this period the course of our county's history runs smoothly on,
and is absorbed in that of England. Each ruined keep and moss-grown
pile, each village green and scattered hamlet, has a history all its
own, often buried beneath the weight of years, and little heeded by the
present race of pilgrims.
Many of these shrines of an elder age it is now our privilege to visit,
and to recall the memories of bygone times that cluster round the
revered spots of ancient Berkshire. And as we muse upon her glorious
past, we shall hold in pious memory the valour of her sons who have
writ her name so large in history, and strive to retain untarnished the
honour and good name of the Royal County.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 1: So say the Chroniclers; but modern investigators seem to
think that the city did not fall a prey to fire and sword, but died a
lingering death by the slow process of gradual decay.]
Windsor Castle.
BY EVELYN INGLEBY.
The word Windsor is doubtless derived from the Anglo-Saxon "windle,"
a willow, probably referring to the winding course of the Thames,
and "ofer," a shore, the "Windesoveres" of Geoffrey Gaimar, the
"Winlesoren" of King Edward, the "Windesores" of Domesday, the
"Windleshore" of Henry III.
The manor of Clewer, the site of the modern Windsor, consisting of five
hides, was the property of Harold, son of Godwin, and, together with
his other estates, fell at his death into the hands of William the
Conqueror. William granted the manor to one Ralph, the son of Seifride,
reserving, however, one-half of a hide on which were some earthworks,
which are believed to be as old as the Heptarchy, and on which he
built for himself a castle. This was styled, not Clewer Castle, but
Windsor Castle, the name of Harold's royal residence, and since then
has been intimately associated with English history, having been used
alternately by William's descendants as their palace, prison, and
burial place.
Edward the Confessor had a "palace" at Windsor, though it is not easy
to determine the exact situation.
William Rufus assembled a council at Windsor, and there imprisoned the
rebellious Earl of Mowbray for the remaining thirty years of his life.
Henry I. built a chapel, probably on the site now occupied by the
Albert Memorial Chapel, formerly known as Wolsey's Tomb-House. Windsor
was a favourite summer residence of Henry, and it was here that, in
1121, he married Adelicia of Louvain, the "Fair Maid of Brabant." In
1127, Henry received at Windsor the homage of the nobles of the land,
who at the same time swore allegiance to his daughter, the Empress
Maud, or Matilda. As was usual on such solemn occasions, the coronation
ceremony was repeated.
Windsor does not figure at all in Stephen's disturbed reign, but Henry
II. frequently resided there, and in his tenth year expended the sum of
30s. on repairing the kitchen. Fabyan, a chronicler of the time, tells
a pathetic story bearing on Henry's domestic troubles. "It is recorded
that in a chambere at Wyndsore he caused to be painted an eagle, with
four birds, whereof three of them all rased (scratched) the body of the
old eagle, and the fourth was scratching at the old eagle's eyes. When
the question was asked of him (Henry) what thing that picture should
signify? it was answered by him, 'This old eagle,' said he, 'is myself;
and these four eagles betoken my four sons, the which cease not to
pursue my death, and especially my youngest son, John, which now I love
most, shall most especially await and imagine my death.'"
Windsor is closely connected with the granting of Magna Charta by
John. Between Old Windsor and Staines is the flat meadow of Runimede,
from which the Castle towers are visible. During the conferences which
preceded and followed the ratification of this great charter, John went
backwards and forwards to Windsor each day. He was at Windsor when he
heard of the landing of the Dauphin Louis.
Henry III. greatly improved the Castle. The old hall in the Upper
Ward was abandoned for a new and larger one in the Lower Ward, and,
in 1272, he roofed the Keep. Part of the cloister still stands as it
was then built, and not long ago a portrait of the king, part of the
painted decoration, was discovered. On the town side three great towers
were built, and on the north was erected a tower on the same site as
now stands the Winchester Tower. All the buildings were handsomely
decorated with paintings and windows filled with glass. In one of the
new towers on the western side was possibly the dungeon connected
with a scene in Henry's career, which proved him, for all his piety,
a worthy son of his father. The Londoners, headed by their Mayor,
Fitz-Thomas, had long resisted Henry's exactions, and when, in 1265,
the King was in their power, and Earl Simon de Monfort ruled the land,
Fitz-Thomas addressed to his King words in St. Paul's which sank deep
into Henry's soul. When the Battle of Evesham delivered his enemies
into his hands, Henry summoned the Mayor and chief citizens to Windsor,
giving them a safe conduct. They were then thrown into prison, from
which it does not appear that Fitz-Thomas ever emerged, though the
others, to the number of forty, were eventually released.
The two eldest sons of Edward I. were born at Windsor, and, though the
King himself rarely visited the Castle, Queen Eleanor seems often to
have resided here.
In 1312 was born at Windsor one who was to do much for the castle,
Edward III. During all his long reign Windsor was the scene of many
displays of pomp and vanity, of tournaments, feasts, processions,
besides councils, chapters, and great assemblies. The Upper Ward was
entirely rebuilt, William of Wykeham--from whom the Winchester Tower
derived its name--being the architect. It is said that the words
"Hoc fecit Wykeham" were placed upon it, and that the wily prelate
translated them to Edward as meaning, not "Wykeham made this," but
"This made Wykeham."
Another story is told which points to the want of refined manners
and delicate feeling of the Middle Ages. King Edward was conducting
his royal prisoners, King John of France and King David of Scotland,
round the Lower Ward, when one of them pointed out that the Upper Ward
lay on higher ground and commanded a finer view. The King "approved
their sayings, adding pleasantly that it should so be, and that he
would bring his castle thither, that is to say, enlarge it so far with
two other wards, the charges whereof should be borne with their two
ransoms," as afterwards happened. The story of King Arthur and the
Round Table fired Edward with the idea of founding the institution of
the Garter, and carpenters and masons were soon busy erecting the Round
Tower for the Round Table. The table, made of fifty-two oaks, seems to
have been in the shape of a horse shoe rather than a perfect circle,
so that the attendants could stand in the middle to serve the guests.
In this tower assembled the flower of English knighthood--Warwick,
celebrated in the French wars, who, when he died of the plague in 1369,
left "not behind him his equal;" the young Earl of Salisbury, whose
beautiful mother is said to have given rise to the motto of the Order,
"Honi soit qui mal y pense;" and many others besides, whose names are
well known for their prowess and valour.
It was at Windsor that good Queen Philippa passed away, universally
lamented. Froissart touchingly describes her death:--"There fell in
England a heavy case and common, howbeit it was right piteous for the
King, his children, and all the realm. For the good Queen of England,
that so many good deeds had done in her time, and so many knights
succoured, and ladies and damsels comforted, and had so largely
departed of her goods to her people, and naturally loved always the
nation of Hainault, the country where she was born; she fell sick in
the Castle of Windsor, the which sickness continued on her so long that
there was no remedy but death. And the good lady, when she knew and
perceived that there was with her no remedy but death, she desired to
speak with the King, her husband. And when he was before her she put
out of her bed her right hand, and took the King by his right hand, who
was right sorrowful at heart. Then she said, 'Sir, we have in peace,
joy, and great prosperity used all our time together. Sir, now I pray
you, at our departing, that ye will grant me three desires.'" Her
requests related to her debts, her promises to churches, and to her
husband's "sepulture when so ever it shall please God to call you out
of this transitory life," beside her in Westminster. "Then the good
lady and Queen made on her the sign of the cross, and recommended the
King, her husband, to God, and her youngest son, Thomas, who was beside
her. And anon after, she yielded up the spirit, the which I believe
surely the holy angels received with great joy up to heaven, for in
all her life she did neither in thought or deed thing whereby to lese
her soul, as far as any creature could know."
Many important scenes in Richard II.'s life are laid in Windsor Castle.
Two deputations waited upon him here with a list of their grievances.
In 1390 he appointed Geoffrey Chaucer, the poet, to superintend repairs
in the chapel. The great dispute between Henry Bolingbroke, the last
Knight of the Garter admitted by Edward III., and the Duke of Norfolk,
took place at Windsor Castle, where, in the courtyard, King Richard
sat on a platform, and gave judgment between the two, sentencing
Bolingbroke to ten years' exile, and banishing Norfolk for life. It
was at Windsor that Richard bade a last farewell to his child-queen,
Isabella of France, then eleven years of age. The scene is touchingly
described by a contemporary chronicler, who states that the King and
Queen walked hand in hand from the Castle to the Lower Court, and
entered the Deanery, passing thence into the chapel. After chanting a
collect, Richard took his Queen into his arms, and kissing her twelve
or thirteen times, said sorrowfully:--"Adieu, _ma chère_, until we
meet again; I commend me to you." Then the Queen began to weep, saying
to the King:--"Alas! my lord, will you leave me here?" The royal pair
then partook of comfits and wine in the Deanery, the King kissing his
Queen many times and lifting her in his arms. "And by our lady, I never
saw so great a lord," continues the chronicler, "make so much of nor
show such great affection to a lady as did King Richard to his Queen.
Great pity was it that they separated, for never saw they each other
more."
After Richard's deposition and death, Isabella was detained by Henry
IV., who would have married her to his madcap son, Prince Hal.
Eventually, however, she married the Duc d'Orleans, this time choosing
a husband much younger than herself.
A conspiracy against Henry IV. came to a head at Windsor, when the
Duke of Exeter seized and searched the castle. Henry, however, had had
timely warning, and had fled. "He rode to London and made him strong
to ride on his enemies," and crushed the rebellion. The Castle during
this reign held two unfortunate young prisoners, the Earl of March,
whose only fault was his descent from an elder son of Edward III.,
Henry himself being descended from a younger branch; the other was one
of the most unfortunate of the hapless house of Stuart, James Stuart.
The king, his father, had sent him to France to complete his education.
Henry, however, fearful of an alliance between France and Scotland,
seized the Prince's vessel, and sent James to Windsor, declaring
jocularly that England possessed good French teachers. Henry kept his
word, and the young prince received a good education. He seems in every
respect to have been treated as suited his rank, and was allowed plenty
of freedom, sharing in all the festivities of the court. From his tower
window he beheld and fell in love with the fair Joanna Beaufort, the
king's niece, whom he eventually married. His return to Scotland marked
the beginning of a sad and gloomy reign, and he was assassinated by his
unruly nobles in 1437, to whom he had made himself odious by trying to
curb their power.
In 1416, the Emperor Sigismund was present at the feast of St. George,
bringing as an offering the heart of St. George, which remained in the
chapel till the Reformation.
Whilst Henry V. was besieging Meaux he heard of the birth of his
son. "But when he heard reported the places of his nativity, were it
that he, warned by some prophesie, or had some fore-knowledge, or
else judged himself of his son's fortune, he said unto the Lord Fitz
Hugh, his trusty chamberlain, these words, 'My lord, I, Henry, born
at Monmouth, shall small time reign and much get, and Henry, born at
Windsor, shall long reign and all lose; but as God will, so be it.'"
Although this unfortunate Henry of Windsor spent all his early years at
his birthplace, the Castle fell into a very neglected condition. On his
marriage with Margaret of Anjou, some necessary repairs were made for
her reception, and during his illness, in 1453, Henry lived here.
Edward IV. was the first monarch interred at Windsor, where his little
daughter Mary and his son George of Clarence, supposed to have been
drowned in a cask of wine, had been buried before him. In 1484, the
remains of Henry VI. were removed from Chertsey Abbey, and interred
beside those of his rival. In 1789 some workmen came across the lead
coffin of Edward IV. On opening it the entire skeleton was found,
measuring 6 feet 3-1/2 inches in length. A lock of brown hair taken
from the coffin is in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. A bone of the leg
was publicly sold by auction with the museum of a private collector a
few years ago. It was understood at the time that the dishonoured relic
was taken back to Windsor.
The poet Earl of Surrey was much at Windsor in his early life, and was
imprisoned there in 1546. In one of his poems he gives a description of
the large green courts, the stately seats, the secret groves, the wild
forests, and other delights of the place. He was beheaded in 1547 for
denying the king's supremacy in the church.
Queen Jane Seymour was buried at Windsor Castle with much pomp, a
life-sized figure of the deceased was upon the pall, with a rich crown
of gold upon her head, the hair all loose, a sceptre of gold in her
right hand, and adorned with finger-rings and a necklace of gold and
precious stones. In his will, Henry VIII. commanded that his body
should be laid beside that of his "true and loving wife, Queen Jane."
Queen Elizabeth was very fond of Windsor Castle, and sometimes remained
all the autumn and over Christmas. Between 1569 and 1577, more than
£1000 a year was spent on improvements, which, remembering Elizabeth's
parsimony, is very surprising. It is said that Elizabeth desired to
see "Falstaff in love," and therefore it was that Shakespeare laid the
scene of the "Merry Wives" at Windsor. As Elizabeth was very fond of
riding, many a gay cavalcade of beautiful ladies and gallant gentlemen
must have issued from the gates of Windsor, whilst many a magnificent
pageant must have been held, and many must have been the love scenes
enacted here, during her long reign.
There are several old descriptions of the Castle at this period still
extant, and among the Harleian MSS., is one generally attributed to
Stowe. "Upon the north syde and uttar part of whiche (describing the
Terrace) lodgings also, betwene the same and the browe or fall of the
hill which is very stepe and pitche, is an excellent walk or baye,
rennynge all along the sayd buyldyngs and the syd of the castele borne
upp and susteyned with arches and boteres of stone and tymber rayled
brest highe which is in lengthe 360 paces, and in bredthe 7, of such
and excellent grace to the beholders and passers by lyenge open to the
syght even afarre off; that the statelynes, pleasure, beautie, and the
use thereof semethe to contend one with another which of them should
have the superioritie."
In 1642, the Parliamentary army occupied Windsor, and in the following
year fifty-five political prisoners were lodged here under the command
of Colonel Venn, who despoiled the chapel, and destroyed the deer in
the Great Park. In 1647, Charles I. was a prisoner in the palace of his
ancestors. After escaping from Hampton Court, and being confined in
Carisbrook, he was brought back to Windsor in close custody of Colonel
Whitchcott. The Governor was allowed £20 a day for his expenses. A
month later, in January, 1649, he was removed to London. After his
execution at Whitehall there ensued much discussion as to his place of
burial, Windsor finally being chosen. A hearse, driven by the King's
old coachman, and attended by four servants, conveyed the body to
Windsor. The Governor refused to allow the use of the Burial Service in
the Common Prayer-book. With much difficulty the vault of Henry VIII.
and Jane, his wife, was discovered. The Duke of Richmond scratched on
a piece of lead, "King Charles, 1648," the year being then reckoned
to end on the 25th of March. The following day the King's coffin was
brought out when "presently it began to snow, and the snow fell so fast
that by the time the corpse came to the west end of the Royal Chapel,
the black velvet pall was all white, the colour of innocency, being
thick covered with snow." The coffin was placed on two trestles in the
vault, and the velvet pall thrown in upon it. "Thus went the White
King to his grave in the 48th year of his age," without ceremony or
religious service.
In Charles II.'s reign the State apartments were remodelled, the
architect being May, who probably only carried out the designs of Sir
Christopher Wren. Verrio painted the walls and ceilings, and Gibbons
carved the fittings. The £70,000 voted for a tomb to the memory of
Charles I., was probably spent in these new buildings. Samuel Pepys
visited Windsor in 1666, and was conducted to "where the late king is
buried, and King Henry and my Lady Seymour. This being done to the
King's house, and to observe the neatness and contrivance of the house
and gates. It is the most romantique castle that is in the world.
But Lord! the prospect that is in the balcone that is in the Queen's
lodgings, and the terrace and walk, are strange things to consider,
being the best in the world, sure; and so, giving a great deal of money
to this and that man and woman, we to our tavern and there dined."
James II. lived much at Windsor. His daughter Anne here gave birth to a
child, baptised Anne Sophia, who, dying soon after, was buried in Henry
VIII.'s vault. James alienated his subjects by committing the fatal
error of receiving the Papal Nuncio. It was here also that the Prince
of Orange held the consultation which resulted in the flight of James.
In 1700, the Duke of Gloucester, the longest lived of all Anne's
nineteen children, died at Windsor, to the great grief of the nation.
It was in one of the rooms now forming part of the Royal Library,
of this castle that Queen Anne was sitting with the Duchess of
Marlborough, when the news of the great victory of Blenheim arrived.
The first and second Georges did not care for Windsor, but it was a
favourite residence of George III., but into such dilapidation was it
allowed to fall, that in 1778 it was declared uninhabitable. It was
therefore resolved to keep what was standing from falling into ruins,
but to build a new lodge on the site of the house which Queen Anne
preferred as a residence to the magnificence of the Castle.
The new residence was a long, narrow building with battlements facing
north towards the old Castle walls. It was here that Queen Charlotte
lived when Fanny Burney, the author of "Evelina," afterwards known as
Madame d'Arblay, was her maid-of-honour. According to Miss Burney's
diary, the life at Windsor must have furnished anything but the
excitement which is supposed to be the necessary element of court life.
At eight o'clock, the king and queen attended prayers in the private
chapel. In the afternoon, the king and queen and the princesses walked
on the terrace. On this terrace, by-the-by, there is a sun-dial,
which was the cause of an interesting little incident. The King and
the Duke of York were one day walking on the terrace, when the king
leant his arms on the sun-dial. A sentry immediately came forward
and respectfully, but decidedly, informed the king that it was part
of his duty to prevent any person from touching the dial. The king
was so charmed, that he commended the soldier to his colonel, and
he was shortly afterwards promoted. Every evening there was music in
the concert-room, the king being very fond of Handel. In 1788, Miss
Burney describes one of the king's attacks. The Prince of Wales and his
brother, and several doctors and equerries sat up all night, whilst
the king raved up and down an adjoining room, and made occasional
excursions in various apartments, addressing wild accusations of
neglect to each and every of his attendants, till at length, Mr.
Fairly, one of them, led him gently but forcibly away. During the
king's illness, the Prince of Wales and Duke of York lodged in the
Castle, and even held formal dinners there, whence it may be deduced
that formerly even the royal kitchen in the Castle had fallen into
desuetude.
Although the Queen's Lodge was now the chief royal residence, some
attention was paid to the restoration of the ancient Castle, and
in 1800, James Wyatt built a new staircase, and also restored some
apartments looking on to the north terrace, whither the old king was
removed during his last attack. On his death, he was laid under the
chapel at the east end of St. George's, in the vault which in 1810 had
been erected for his daughter Amelia.
During the reigns of George IV. and William IV., James Wyatt's brother,
Jeffry Wyatt, whom George IV. knighted and called Wyatville, continued
the work of restoration, and gradually nearly all traces of the Castle
as it was during the latter part of the eighteenth century disappeared.
He raised the Round Tower to its present height, designed the plan for
the east and west sides of the Upper Ward, raised the level of all the
roofs, filled up the Brick Court with a grand staircase, and the Horn
Court with the Waterloo Gallery, united the stables, which were dotted
throughout the Town, on Castle Hill, and built the Brunswick Tower,
and the York and Lancaster Tower. It is to Wyatville's good taste and
fine artistic perceptions that we owe the fact that Windsor retains its
characteristics of a mediæval fortress, and has not been converted into
a stiffly symmetrical building, then so much affected.
George IV.'s favourite residence was a lodge near the Long Walk, but
two years before his death he removed to the Castle, and his long
illness kept him prisoner here till his death. In the same room, later
on called the Queen's Drawing-room, exactly seven years later, King
William also died.