The history of building of Castles in England and Wales may be divided
into periods of transition, changing with the exigencies and
requirements of the age, and its character of civilization.
The Castles of England consist of those erected by the Romans; of
British and Saxon castles erected previous to, and Norman castles
erected after, the Norman Conquest; also of the more modern stone and
brick castles, erected from about the reign of Edward I. to the time of
Henry VII.
The Roman castles in this country are numerous, and some of them still
in very perfect condition, such as Burgh Castle and Richborough. More
popularly known is Pevensey, once a maritime town of considerable
importance, the site of which is now fixed with all but certainty, as
that of the strong old city, Anderida, though this distinction has been
claimed by no less than seven Sussex towns. Abundance of Roman bricks
have been found here, affording strong presumption of there having been
originally a Roman fortress on the spot. But the celebrity of Pevensey
(for, though reduced to a village, it has an undying name in our
history) rests upon its having been the place of debarkation of William,
Duke of Normandy, on his successful invasion of this land in 1066. It
was, therefore, the first scene of the Norman Conquest, the most
momentous event in English history, perhaps the most momentous in the
Middle Ages. Here William landed from a fleet of 900 ships, with 60,000
men, including cavalry; and having refreshed his troops, and hastily
erected a fortress, he marched forward to Hastings, and thence to Battle
(then called Epitou), where, on the 14th of October, he obtained a
decisive victory over King Harold. Southey, upon the conjoint
authorities of Turner, Palgrave, and Thierry, gives such a version of
the Normans landing at Pevensey, as to decide its having been a Roman
station. "They landed," he says, "without opposition, on the 28th of
September, between Pevensey and Hastings, at a place called Bulverhithe.
William occupied the _Roman castle_ at Pevensey; erected three wooden
forts, the materials of which he had brought ready with him for
construction; threw up works to protect part of his fleet, and burnt, it
is said, the rest, or otherwise rendered them unserviceable."[21]
Upon his accession, the Conqueror gave the town and castle to his
half-brother, Robert, Earl of Mortagne in Normandy, whose descendant,
William, was deprived of all his possessions, and banished the realm, by
Henry I. for rebellion. That monarch granted them to Gilbert de Aquila,
in allusion to whose name this district was afterwards styled the Honour
of the Eagle.
The outer work of the castle contains many Roman bricks and much
herring-bone work. The outer walls, the most ancient part of the
fortification, inclose seven acres, and are from twenty to twenty-five
feet high. The moat on the south side is still wide and deep; on the
other side it has been filled up. The entrance is on the west or land
side, between two round towers, over a drawbrige. Within the walls is
another and much more modern fortification, approaching a pentagonal
form, with nearly five circular towers, moated on the north and west. It
is entered from the outer court by a drawbridge on the west side between
two towers. The principal barbican, or watch tower, is not at the
entrance, but towards the north-east corner. The walls are nine feet
thick, and the towers were two or three stories in height. The castle
was of great strength: it withstood the attacks of William Rufus's army
for six days, protecting Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, who ultimately yielded
only for want of provisions; and it afterwards successfully resisted the
siege of King Stephen, who personally superintended the attack, but met
with so gallant an opposition from Gilbert, Earl of Clare, that he was
obliged to withdraw his force, leaving only a small body to blockade it
by sea and land. It once more resisted hostile attacks, when it was
fruitlessly assailed in 1265, by Simon de Montfort, son of the renowned
Earl of Leicester. Again, when Sir John Pelham was in Yorkshire, in
1339, assisting Henry, Duke of Lancaster, to gain the crown, the castle,
left under the command of Lady Jane Pelham, was attacked by large bodies
of the yeomen of Kent, Surrey, and Sussex, who favoured the deposed King
Richard, but was bravely and successfully defended by Lady Jane Pelham.
Pevensey castle remained as a fortress till the reign of Elizabeth: two
ancient culverins, one of which bears her initials, are yet preserved;
after which its history is not traced till the Parliamentary survey of
1675, when the fortress was in ruins, and the ground within the walls
was cultivated as a garden. The demesne and castle are now held by the
Cavendish family, under a lease from the Duchy of Lancaster, which was
originally granted to the Pelhams by Henry IV., son of the famous John
of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, to whom the Honour of the Eagle had been
given, on his surrender of the great earldom of Richmond.
It is remarkable that no mention is made of Pevensey Castle in the Saxon
times; but if not erected by the Romans, it was certainly built from
the remains of an older fortress. The Saxons most probably adapted the
Roman inclosures to their modes of defence; and it appears that they
often raised a mound on one side of the walls, on which they erected a
keep or citadel.
We are indebted to the Saxons but for few social improvements; since, in
the words of the Wiltshire antiquary, John Aubrey, "They were so far
from having arts, that they could not even build with stone. The church
at Glaston (bury) was thatched. They lived skittishly in their houses,
they ate a great deal of beef and mutton, and drank good ale in a brown
mazzard, and their very kings were but a sort of farmers. The Normans
then came, and taught them civility and building."
In various parts of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, there are
numerous encampments or castles, mostly occupying the summits of hills,
which have been ascribed to the aboriginal inhabitants. Amongst the most
remarkable are the Hereford Beacon, on the Malvern hills, in
Worcestershire; the Caer-Caradock, near Church Stretton, in Shropshire;
Moel Arthur, in Flintshire; Chun Castle, in Cornwall; and the
magnificent hill-fort, Maiden Castle, or the Castle of the great Hill,
within three miles of Dorchester.
Maiden Castle had four gateways of stone; in excavations have been found
round stones, probably sling stones, and pottery, denoting its original
occupation by Britons; how the fortress was supplied with water has not
been traced. This famous earthwork is considered of a period anterior to
that of the Britons and Romans: the extent of the work is one mile, and
the ramparts are, in some places, sixty feet high. Another famous
earthwork in Dorset is Poundbury, a Roman encampment, though it has
been set down as Danish, and an Anglo-Saxon camp of council.[22]
Before we leave the Roman period, we may remark that the manufacture of
bricks and tiles must then have been known in England, because it was
practised in such perfection by our conquerors during their occupation,
as is evident in the numerous remains of their buildings.[23] It has,
however, been asserted that up to the reign of Elizabeth, the houses of
the gentry throughout England were built entirely of timber; whereas, of
the mansions of earlier date than that reign, which remain entire or in
part to this day, three-fourths, at least, are built of stone or brick.
The latter material is stated by Bagford and others to have been first
introduced in the reign of Henry VII. Yet, Endure Palace, in
Oxfordshire, erected by William De la Pole, and Hurstmonceux Castle, in
Sussex, both of which are of brick, are attributed to the reign of Henry
VI. Oxburgh Hall, in Norfolk, was erected in the reign of Edward IV.
Leland mentions the walls of Hungerford, as early as the reign of
Richard II., being of that material; and Stow records Ralph Stratford,
Bishop of London, inclosing the burial-ground of Charter-house, for
those that died of the plague in 1348, with a wall of brick. That
roofing-tiles were in use before the time of Richard I. is proved by the
order made in the first years of that reign, Henry Fitzalwayne being
Mayor of London, that the houses of that city should be covered with
"brent tyle," instead of "strawe," or reeds. The ancient name for bricks
appears to have been wall-tiles, to distinguish them from floor-tiles,
used for paving.
William the Conqueror lost no time in erecting strong castles in all the
principal towns in the kingdom, as at Lincoln, Norwich, Rochester, &c.
for the double purpose of strengthening the towns, and keeping the
citizens in awe. The Conqueror's followers, among whom he parcelled out
the lands of the English, imitated their master's example by building
castles on their estates; and so rapidly did they increase, that in the
reign of Stephen, or within a century after the arrival of the
Conqueror, there are said to have been 1115 castles completed in England
alone.
One of the earliest was Conisborough Castle, built by William, the first
Earl of Warren, about six miles west of Doncaster: the remains, as far
as can be traced, extend about 700 feet in circumference; but the chief
object is a noble round tower, strengthened by six massive square
buttresses, running from the base to the summit. The extreme thickness
of the walls is 15 feet; of each buttress 23 feet; and the entrance is
24 feet from the ground, up a flight of steps. In the centre of the
first floor is a round hole, which is the only entrance to a lower
apartment, or dungeon. This Castle is chosen by Sir Walter Scott for one
of the principal scenes of his romance of _Ivanhoe_.
Many of the castles of this age were of great size. Instead of a single
tower, they consisted of several towers, both round and square, united
by walls, inclosing a space called a courtyard, the entrance to which
was generally between two strong towers. The whole building was
surrounded by a moat or ditch, across which a drawbridge led to the
massive doors, which were covered with plates of iron, and in front of
them, an iron portcullis--like a harrow, such as we see in the arms of
the city of Westminster--was let down the rough, deep grooves in the
stonework; whilst overhead projected a parapet, resting on corbels, with
openings through which melted lead or hot water could be poured, or
stones thrown on the heads of the assailants, who should attempt an
entrance by forcing, or, as was the usual mode of attack, by setting
fire to the door.[24] The gateways of Caerlaverock, Conway, Carisbrooke,
and Caernarvon castles, present good specimens of this kind; as do the
Middle Tower, and the Bloody Tower, in the Tower of London: the latter
has the most perfect portcullis in the kingdom.
A principal tower or keep rose prominently above the rest, and generally
from an artificial mount. It contained the well of water, without which
the garrison, when besieged, could not hold out in this their last place
of refuge. The keep also had its subterranean prison, and several
stories of apartments communicating by a staircase, either in the walls,
or built outside the tower.
As the railway traveller journeys along the South Eastern line, he will
see close to the Tunbridge station, the towered entrance-gate of the
castle built by Richard de Tonbridge, a follower of the Conqueror. The
whole building was moated, and the exterior walls inclosed an area of
about six acres. There remain only two massive towers flanking an arched
gateway, with walls of great thickness, and having no other openings
than long narrow slits, called _oilets_, through which, when besieged,
archers shot their arrows. In front of this entrance was formerly a
drawbridge, thrown across the moat, which, when raised, formed a strong
door, closing up the archway. This opening was again guarded by two
portcullises and two thick doors. The towers appear to have been divided
into four stories, or floors, the lower being dungeons or prisons, and
the upper formed into a large and noble hall, extending the whole width
and depth of the two towers. It was lighted by two large windows towards
the inner court. The towers are supposed, from their style, to have been
built in the reign of King John, or Henry III. The windows were not
glazed, but had iron bars; the floor and ceiling were of immense
thickness, the latter three feet. Branching from this tower-entrance,
are certain walls to the right and left; the first extending up the side
of a lofty hill, whereon was the keep-tower, or chief residence of the
baron: to this, it is presumed, he retreated when other parts of his
castle had been taken by an enemy.
The following account of the siege of Bedford Castle by Henry III.,
given in Camden's _Britannia_, is interesting, as containing a summary
of the principal portions of the building, and the several stages of the
attack:--"The castle was taken by four assaults: in the first was taken
the barbican; in the second, the outer bail (ballium); at the third
attack, the wall by the old tower was thrown down by the miners, where,
with great danger, they possessed themselves of the inner bail through a
chink; at the fourth assault, the miners set fire to the tower, so that
the smoke burst out, and the tower itself was cloven to that degree, as
to show visibly some broad chinks; whereupon the enemy surrendered."
The most perfect of our northern castles now existing, is Raby, the
stately seat of the Duke of Cleveland, the history of which is traced
through eight centuries and a half. Raby, pointing by its name to a
Danish origin, is first mentioned in connexion with King Canute, who,
after making his celebrated pilgrimage over Garmondsway Moor to the
shrine of St. Cuthbert, there offered it, with other possessions, to the
saint. Bishop Flambard wrested the rich gift from the monastics, but
restored it again on his death-bed. It continued in the peaceful
possession of the monks till 1131. In that year they granted it, for an
annual rent of £4, to Dolphin, son of Ughtred, of the blood-royal of
Northumberland. Whoever the original founder might have been, Dolphin's
descendant, Robert filius Maldred, was Lord of Raby when, early in the
thirteenth century, he married Isabel Neville, by the death of her
brother the last of that line. From their son Geoffrey, who assumed his
mother's surname, the history of the Nevilles may be said to date. To
his descendant, John Lord Neville, they owed Raby. Some portion of the
older fabric is thoroughly incorporated with the new, so as to present
the work and ideas of one period, and a perfect example of a
fourteenth-century castle, without any appearance of earlier work or
later alteration whatever. Its apparent weakness of site has been
pointed out; but though not set on a hill, it had the defence of water,
which was drawn off centuries since. But the real defences of Raby lay
beyond the mere circuit of its own walls and waters. They are to be
found in the warrior spirits of its lords and in the border castles of
Roxburgh, Wark, Norham, Berwick, and Bamburgh, which they commanded
continuously as warders and governors from the days of Robert Neville,
in the thirteenth century, to the time of Queen Elizabeth. Apart from
the question of the site, the stately castle itself is of great
strength, and skilfully disposed.
Passing through a fine gate-tower, the bailey (immediately within the
outer ward) is entered. The castle itself consists of a quadrangular
mass of great dignity and splendour, with an open court in the centre.
One side of the court, or the quadrangle, is occupied by two halls, one
above the other, of such stupendous proportions that carriages are
admitted to drive across the quadrangle _into_ the lower hall. The sides
of the quadrangle have the kitchen and offices springing from one end of
the hall, and the principal chambers of the castle from the other,
according to the usual distribution of the age.
Although a view of most of those fortresses which are destined chiefly
for the purposes of war or defence, suggests to the imagination
dungeons, chains, and a painful assemblage of horrors, yet some of these
castles were often the scenes of magnificence and hospitality,
"Where the songs of knights and barons bold
In weeds of peace high triumph hold;"
or where, in the days of chivalry, the wandering knight or distressed
princess found honourable reception; the holy palmer repose for his
wearied limbs; and the poor and helpless their daily bread.
Leland considered Raby as "the largest castle of logginges in all the
north country." At different periods alterations have been made,
according to the more modern ideas of comfort and convenience, without
materially affecting its external form, so that it recalls to the mind
the romantic days of chivalry. The embattled wall with which it is
surrounded, occupies about two acres of ground. At irregular distances
are two towers, named from their founders, the Clifford Tower and the
Bulmer Tower. The halls are large and grand. In the upper, or Baron's
hall, ninety feet in length, and thirty-four in breadth, the baronial
feasts were held; and here,
"Seven hundred knights, retainers all
Of Neville, at their master's call,
Together sat in Raby's Hall."
When the British Archæological Association visited Raby in the autumn of
1865, the Duke of Cleveland, as the President of the Association,
entertained some 200 guests at a sumptuous dinner, in which venison,
venison pasties, and grouse were paramount. The kitchen is on a scale to
correspond with the enormous festivals of the seven hundred knights: it
is a square of thirty feet, having three chimneys, one for the grate, a
second for stoves, and the third (now stopped up) for the great
cauldron. The roof is arched, and has a small cupola in the centre; it
has likewise five windows, from each of which steps descend, but only in
one instance to the floor; and a gallery runs round the whole interior
of the building. The ancient oven is said to have allowed a tall person
to stand upright in it, its diameter being fifteen feet; according to
Pennant, it was one time converted into a wine-cellar, "the arches being
divided into ten parts, each holding a hogshead of wine in bottles."
"The park and pleasure grounds belonging to this magnificent castle are
upon the same extensive scale, with woods that sweep over hill and sink
into valley, and command a constant change of beautiful prospects."[25]
Durham Castle is another noble pile of the north. The outer gateway is a
Norman arch; traces of Norman work are seen in the courtyard; and we
then reach the hall, which, as left by Bishop Hatfield, was at least a
third longer than it is at present. It owes it curtailment to Bishop Fox
(1494-1502), who erected a kitchen and other offices at the lower end.
This kitchen remains in its original form, with wide-yawning fireplaces
still applied to their original purpose; and the buttery hatches in old
black oak have the motto of "_Est Deo gracio_," in black-letter, carved
upon them. A tapestried gallery, with an elaborate Norman doorway, leads
to Bishop Tunstall's chapel; and in another apartment, now the
senate-room of the University of Durham, is some curious tapestry of the
history of Moses. The keep, now refaced and restored, was rebuilt by
Bishop Hatfield. The castle is commonly said to be no older than William
the Conqueror; but a fortress must have existed from a much earlier
period, and the mound is artificial. The Norman chapel of the castle,
its most ancient portion, is usually assigned to King William I., though
of the time of Rufus. The pavement of herring-bone is, no doubt, coeval.
The whole of Durham Castle is now in excellent preservation, and the
union of the past with the present is well maintained; for the old keep,
which commands beautiful views of the Wear and the outlying country, is
parcelled out into rooms, which are occupied by the students of the
University. The great hall of the castle is hung with old paintings,
chiefly the portraits of bishops and ecclesiastics connected with the
see. At the lower end of the apartment, about half way between the roof
and the ground, are two niches, at opposite sides, built for the
minstrels of the period, and from which they regaled the guests.
The legendary histories of our castles would take us too far afield for
our limits. Sometimes, in these legends, the very names of the Teutonic
mythic personages are preserved. Thus, a legend in Berkshire has
retained the name of the Northern and Teutonic smith-hero, Weland, the
representative of the classical Vulcan. The name of Weland's father,
Wade, is preserved in the legend of Mulgrave Castle, in Yorkshire, which
is pretended to have been built by a giant of that name. A Roman road,
which passes by it, is called Wade's Causeway; and a large tumulus, or
cairn of stones, in the vicinity is popularly called Wade's Grave.
According to the legend, while the giant Wade was building his castle,
he and his wife lived upon the milk of an enormous cow, which she was
obliged to leave at pasture on the distant moors. Wade made the causeway
for her convenience, and she assisted him in building the castle by
bringing him quantities of large stones in her apron. One day, as she
was carrying a bundle of stones, her apron-string broke, and they all
fell to the ground, a great heap of about twenty cart-loads,--and there
they still remain as a memorial of her industry. Another castle in
Yorkshire, occupying an early site, was said, according to a legend
related by Leland in the sixteenth century, to have been built by a
giant named Ettin. This is a mere corruption of the name of the
_eotenas_, or giants of Teutonic mythology.
One of our most celebrated castles of defence is Corfe Castle, in
Dorset, a remarkable specimen of mediæval military architecture. The
earliest notice of this fortress is in an Anglo-Saxon charter of the
year 948. In 981 Corfe was the scene of the murder of King Edward the
Martyr. After the death of his father, Edgar, Elfrida, his widow, headed
a faction in opposition to the accession of Edward, and continued her
intrigues until her unscrupulous ambition at last led her to the
perpetration of a deed which has covered her name with infamy. This was
the murder of her step-son by a hired assassin, as he stopped one day
while hunting, at her residence, Corfe Castle; he was stabbed in the
back, as he sat on his horse at the gate of the castle, drinking a cup
of mead. The 18th of March, 978, is the date assigned to the murder of
King Edward, who was only in his seventeenth year when he was thus cut
off. He is retained in the calendar of the Anglican Church as a saint
and martyr. The castle, which was the strongest fortress in the kingdom,
formed an irregular triangle, the apex of which was connected by a
narrow isthmus with the high ground, on which the town of Corfe stands.
The isthmus had been cut through, and the ditch thus formed was spanned
by a stately bridge of arches leading to the principal entrance of the
fortress. Only the south side and parts of the east and west sides of
the keep are standing, and large masses of prostrate walls lie in
confusion around. The keep is Norman, believed to have been built by the
Conqueror. King John kept his treasure and regalia here, and used the
castle as a state prison. Twenty-four nobles concerned in the
insurrection by his nephew, Arthur, Duke of Brittany, were, save two, it
was said, there starved to death. King John caused Prince Arthur to be
murdered, and sent his sister, the beautiful Princess Eleanor, prisoner
to Corfe, where she remained several years.
Edward II., when he fell into the hands of his enemies, was, for a time,
imprisoned here. In 1635, the castle and manor came into the possession
of Sir John Bankes, Lord Chief Justice of England, and ancestor of the
present owner. In the great Civil War, Corfe Castle was strongly
defended for the king, by Lady Bankes, wife of the Lord Chief Justice,
with the assistance of her friends and retainers, and of a governor sent
from the king's army. The castle was one of the last places in England
that held out for Charles I. In the year 1645, it was captured by the
Parliamentary forces through treachery, and reduced to the shapeless but
picturesque fragments that now remain. Lady Bankes's heroic defence is
narrated in the _Story of Corfe Castle_, a volume of stirring interest;
and the event is a favourite subject with our historical painters. The
ruins of Corfe are extensive, and from their very high situation, form a
very striking object. "The vast fragments of the King's Tower," says
Hutchins, "the Round Tower, leaning, as if nearly to fall, the broken
walls, and vast pieces of them tumbled into the vale below, form such a
scene of havoc and desolation, as strikes every spectator with sorrow
and concern. The abundance of stone in the neighbourhood, the excellence
of the cement, harder to be broken than the stones themselves, have
preserved these prodigious ruins from being embezzled and lessened."
In the age of Edward III. the castles differed from those of previous
periods. The confined plan of the close fortress expanded into a mixture
of the castle and the mansion; comprising spacious and magnificent
apartments, the hall, the banqueting-room, the chapel, with galleries of
communication, and sleeping chambers. The keep was entirely detached,
and independent of these buildings. Such was the royal palace of
Windsor, erected by Edward III.; and such were the splendid baronial
castles of Warwick, Ludlow, Stafford, Harewood, Alnwick, Kenilworth,
Raglan, and many others. The last-mentioned is one of the most perfect
examples we are acquainted with, of the union of vast strength and
security, with convenient accommodation and ornamental splendour. The
keep is a perfect fortress in itself, and encircled by a range of minor
towers and moat. Its masonry is unrivalled.[26]
Of one of these spacious castles we give a descriptive outline, chiefly
from the paper read by Mr. J. H. Parker, on the visit of the
Archæological Institute to Windsor, in July 1866. Amongst the royal and
palatial edifices of Europe, that of Windsor holds a very high rank, and
is, in a manner, to England what Versailles is to France and the
Escurial to Spain; and while it is infinitely superior to both in point
of situation, it far exceeds them, and indeed every other pile or
building of its class, in antiquity. From having been the residence of
so many of our kings, its history is, to a certain extent, identified
with that of the kingdom itself from the time of the Conquest. The
castle stands on an outlying promontory of chalk, commanding the winding
shores of that part of the Thames, with a rich valley, which seems to
have pointed it out as a natural position for a fortress in primitive
times, when the natives wished to protect their country from invasion.
The wide and deep entrenchments, and the high artificial mounds,
indicate an early date. There are also roads at the bottom of the
fosses, with a wide bank between them, on which several keeps were
erected, first of wood and afterwards of stone. A subterranean passage
leading from the bottom of the outer foss, at a depth of thirty feet, to
the bottom of the inner foss, at a depth of fifteen feet (the present
pantries), cut in a very rude manner through the solid chalk, has a
vault of the time of Henry II. carried on chalk walls, built over a
small part of it as far as the Norman buildings extended only: the
doorways are of the same period, one of which is quite perfect, and
opens into the inner foss. If Windsor Castle had been built in the fifth
century by King Arthur, as was believed by Edward III. and the
chronicler Froissart, the roads would have been on the level. They are
more likely of the time of Caractacus or Julius Cæsar. Edward the
Confessor is believed to have resided chiefly at Old Windsor, where some
of the ancient earthworks certainly belong to a period before the Norman
Conquest. William himself is said to have built a castle at Windsor,
but there is no evidence of it. The Domesday Survey rather proves that
there was one previously existing, which had been inhabited by Earl
Harold in the time of the Confessor. Henry I. is said by Stow, writing
in the fifteenth century, to have built New Windsor chiefly of wood;
some of the fragments of stone carving found in the castle may be of his
time.
Stephen built nothing here, but Windsor is mentioned in the treaty of
Wallingford as a fortress of importance. The name "Norman Tower," as
given to one part of the pile, is erroneous, as the Norman keep is
nothing more than earthworks surmounted by a wooden structure. The
earliest date which can be assigned to any stone masonry which has been
discovered at Windsor is the reign of Henry II. In the time of Henry II.
the first mention of the castle is made in the Pipe Rolls. The outer
wall of the south front of the upper ward remains, with the lower part
of the king's gate, its hinges, and portcullis groove; the upper part
was destroyed, and the whole concealed in other buildings by Wyatville,
in the restoration works under George IV. In the reigns of Richard I.
and John only necessary repairs were made.
With Henry III. the history of the existing castle may be said to begin.
The whole of the lower ward was then first built of stone, and many
portions of the existing walls are found to be of that period. The
Clewer Tower--now known as the Curfew Tower--remains almost unaltered,
and exhibits in good condition a prison of the above period.
The King's Hall is now the Chapter library, but the chambers of the King
and Queen have been destroyed. Plans and drawings of them have been
preserved; and the measurements agree with the orders of the kings, as
recorded in the public rolls.
Of the primitive chapel the north wall is still preserved; the galilee
being now the east end (behind the altar) of St. George's Chapel. The
doorways of the galilee are one of Henry III., the other of Edward III.;
the west end of the chapel has been rebuilt several times. The arcade in
the cloisters was protected by a wooden roof only. This chapel was
completed by Edward III. and made into a lady-chapel, when the great St.
George's Chapel was built. It was partly rebuilt by Henry VII. for the
tomb of Lady Margaret, his mother, and afterwards was proposed for that
of Henry VIII. It was much altered by James II. and partly restored by
George IV. At the present time it is being made the object of devoted
care, under the direction of Mr. Gilbert Scott. The roof has been
vaulted in stone, the pattern of that of Henry VII. is being inlaid with
mosaic work, and the windows filled with stained glass; and the edifice
is to be a sepulchral chapel over the Royal vaults, in memory of the
late Prince Consort. Mural paintings of kings' heads have been found of
the date of Henry III. and Edward III., and are preserved in the
cloister and galilee.
During the reign of Edward I. the accounts show that the great works
begun by Henry III. were carried on and completed; but no new works
appear to have been undertaken. In the reign of Edward II. there were
considerable sums expended on repairs of the walls, towers, and bridges,
chiefly for timber and carpenters' work.
The reign of Edward III. is one of the most important in respect to the
history of Windsor, a large part of the existing castle having been
built at that period, and its survey has been lately brought to light.
Another equally important document is the builder's account for the
Round Tower, which was entirely built from the ground in the eighteenth
year of this reign, and still remains, though much altered in
appearance, from the additional story superposed by Mr. Wyatville, under
George IV.
This building is sometimes called the Round Tower, and sometimes the
Round Table; and, from other peculiarities in the same accounts, it is
evident that the tower was built to hold the table. The galleries on
which this round table was placed are still remaining, and the general
disposition of the apartment where the knights dined on St. George's day
is well seen from the summit of the Round Tower. The tables of those
days were seldom more than a few planks in width, and the guests sat
round on one side, the other being open for the service of the
attendants. The centre of this great round table, then, was designed for
the latter purpose, and was open to the air, a passage communicating on
a level from this central space to the kitchen on the top of the middle
gate, which has thus acquired the title of the "Kitchen Tower." The
tower and table were erected in ten months, the greatest haste being
made in order that the new order of knights might dine here on St.
George's day following.
Edward III. did not build a chapel at Windsor, but only completed the
one which had been begun by Henry III.; adding to it or rebuilding a
cloister, a vestry, and other adjuncts.
After the thirteenth year, when William of Wykeham was appointed clerk
of the works, with a salary of one shilling a day, an entirely new
hall, with a new suite of apartments and offices, was built in the upper
bailey, where the royal apartments now are; and the fine series of
vaults under these apartments, forming ceilings to the servants' hall
and other rooms and offices, still remain in perfect preservation, as
built by Wykeham, who remained in this appointment only six years. The
summary of his accounts during that time shows an expenditure of
5,658_l_.--equivalent to 120,000_l_. (?) of our money.
From this period, comparatively little was done for a century, when
Edward IV. began to re-erect St. George's Chapel, nearly as we now see
it; thereby adding, if not immediately to the castle itself, to the
buildings within its precincts, one of extraordinary beauty and
interest, as being in some respects the very finest specimen of the
Perpendicular style and of ecclesiastical architecture in the kingdom.
What adds, in some degree, to the interest of this edifice is, that the
architects' names are preserved to us, it being known to be the work,
first of Richard Beauchamp, Bishop of Salisbury; and, after his death,
in 1481, it was completed by Sir Reginald Bray, who was also architect
of Henry VII.'s Chapel. This sovereign intended to erect a mausoleum for
himself at Windsor, and had begun to do so on the site of the original
chapel built by Henry III.; but he abandoned the idea in favour of that
at Westminster. Henry VII., however, added to the castle that building
which is still called after him, and which is situated at the western
extremity of the north side of the great quadrangle. Fortunately, this
has been preserved, owing, perhaps, partly to its situation; for,
although a mere "bit," it is a singularly fine one, and a noble specimen
of palatial architecture, in that particular style.[27]
The small tower at the south-west angle of the Royal apartments near the
library, now called erroneously King John's Tower, is an octagonal
building, and the two chambers in it have very good vaults, with the
ribs meeting in a central boss, which is in both cases carved into the
form of a rose. This enables this rose-tower and the rose-vaults to be
identified in a very remarkable manner. The tower was very richly
painted, and the quantity of paint and other materials charged on the
roll misled the late Mr. Hudson Turner, who had only seen a portion of
these accounts, and made him think they belonged to the great Round
Tower, and that it was painted on the outside. The dates do not agree
with this, and there is no evidence of external painting.
The works which had been carried on during a great part of the long
reign of Edward III. were not completed at the time of his death, and
were continued under Richard II.; but with the exception of necessary
repairs, the accounts for this reign relate chiefly to the offices and
dependencies of the cattle, especially the mews for the falcons, which
was evidently a large and important establishment not within the walls.
Geoffrey Chaucer, "the father of English poetry," was appointed, in the
fourteenth year of this reign, clerk of the works, but very little was
done in his time. The old chapter house, the remains of Henry the VII.'s
palace, and the Clewer Tower and prison, are objects of much interest. A
flight of about twenty steps leads down into the dungeons, which had
been constructed by Henry III. for the confinement of State prisoners:
it is a large and finely-arched vault, surrounded by seven small cells,
each dismally lighted through a loop-hole in the thick wall.
The reign of Elizabeth forms almost an epoch in the architectural
history of the castle, because, though she did not do much to it in the
way of building, except annexing the portion erected by Henry VII., that
which is distinguished by the name of Queen Elizabeth's Gallery, she
first caused the terraces to be formed, thereby adding to the royal
abode of Windsor, these truly regal characteristics. Under the Stuarts
nothing material was done until the Restoration, when the castle began
to be modernised, but in insipid taste. The principal addition made by
Charles II. was the Star Building (containing the State Apartments shown
to the public). The rooms were spacious and lofty, with large arched
windows, commanding enchanting prospects; their only embellishment was
derived from the sprawling pencil of Verrio. The first two Georges did
nothing for Windsor; George III. on the contrary, much, especially in
restoring the interior of St. George's Chapel. In 1796, James Wyatt
Gothicised the Star Building, and other portions. Meanwhile, the east
and south sides, the portions actually inhabited, were so inconvenient
that it was found indispensable, in 1778-82, to erect a separate
building for the actual occupation of the royal family: this was the
Queen's Lodge, a large, plain house on the south side of the castle,
near the site of the present stables. About 1823, George IV., with a
grant of 300,000_l_. from Parliament, began his grand improvements, with
Jeffry Wyatt for his architect; commencing with George the Fourth's
Gateway, the entrance into the quadrangle on the south side, in a direct
line with the Long Walk. We shall not attempt to detail the
improvements: among the most effective is the fine architectural vista
quite through from the north terrace by George the Fourth's Gateway;
the addition of the Waterloo Gallery, lighted from above, and brought
into a group with the Throne-room and the Ball-room. St. George's Hall
has been greatly improved, and at its western end has been constructed
the Chapel. By renovation and remodelling the exterior, greater height
has been given to most of the buildings; some of the towers have been
carried up higher, and others added: amongst these last are the
Lancaster and York, flanking George IV.'s Gateway; and the Brunswick
Tower at the north-east angle. But the most striking improvement of the
kind was that of carrying up the Round Tower thirty feet higher,
exclusive of the Watch Tower on its summit, which makes the height in
that part twenty-five feet more; thus rendering the castle much more
conspicuous than formerly as a distant object.
The architect's work has been much animadverted on: the details and
strange intermixture of the earliest and latest styles of Gothic are
very objectionable; and, as to general effect, Canon Bowles objected
that the renovated pile looked as if it had been washed with soap and
water! Nevertheless, it is a stately pile; the venerable Canon, just
named, says of it: "Windsor Castle loses a great deal of its
architectural impression (if I may use that word) by the smooth neatness
with which its old towers are now chiselled and mortared. It looks as if
it was washed every morning with soap and water, instead of exhibiting
here and there a straggling flower, or creeping weather-stains. I
believe this circumstance strikes every beholder; but, most imposing
indeed is its distant view, when the broad banner floats or sleeps in
the sunshine, amidst the intense blue of the summer skies; and its
picturesque and ancient architectural vastness harmonizes with the
decaying and gnarled oaks, coeval with so many departed monarchs. The
stately, long-extended avenue, and the wild sweep of devious forests,
connected with the eventful circumstances of English history, and past
regal grandeur, bring back the memories of Edwards and Henries, or the
gallant and accomplished Surrey." In 1825, Canon Bowles, who had been
chaplain to the Prince Regent, and writes himself down as not a
Laureate, but "a poet of loyal, old Church of England feelings," sung as
follows:--
"Not that thy name, illustrious dome, recalls
The pomp of chivalry in banner'd halls,
The blaze of beauty, and the gorgeous sights
Of heralds, trophies, steeds, and crested knights;
Not that young Surrey here beguiled the hour,
With eyes upturn'd unto the maiden's tower.[28]
Oh! not for these, and pageants pass'd away,
I gaze upon your antique towers, and pray--
But that my SOVEREIGN here, from crowds withdrawn,
May meet calm peace upon the twilight lawn;
That here, among these grey, primeval trees,
He may inhale health's animating breeze;
And when from this proud terrace he surveys
Slow Thames revolving his majestic maze,
(Now lost on the horizon's verge, now seen
Winding through lawns, and woods, and pastures green,)
May he reflect upon the waves that roll,
Bearing a nation's wealth from pole to pole,
And feel (ambition's proudest boast above)
A KING'S BEST GLORY IS HIS COUNTRY'S LOVE!"
"The range of cresting towers has a double interest, whilst we think of
gorgeous dames and barons bold, of Lely and Vandyke's beauties; and gay,
and gallant, accomplished cavaliers like Surrey. And who ever sat in the
stalls of St. George's Chapel, without feeling the impression, on
looking at the illustrious names, that here the royal and ennobled
knights, through so many generations, sat each installed, whilst arms,
and crests, and banners glittered over the same seat?"[29]
The interior of Windsor Castle, half a century since, mostly presented
the decorative taste of the time of Charles the Second. To the seventeen
State Apartments the public were admitted, until they were wearied with
the mythological ceilings of Thornhill, Rigaud, and Matthew Wyatt; and
the crowning genius of Verrio, in St. George's Hall. Throughout the
apartments was placed the royal collection of pictures, then including
the cartoons of Raphael; and the seven pictures of the glories of Edward
III. painted by West for George III., remarkable for their historical
accuracy, attributable to the friendly aid of Sir Isaac Heard, Garter
King-at-arms, who was constantly at the elbow of the artist. And
foremost among the decorative furniture were the State Bed of Queen
Anne, silver chandeliers and glass-frames, and a "massive silver table
from Hanover." Most of Gibbons's fine carvings appear to have been
removed to Hampton Court. The Keep, or Round Tower, was the residence of
the Constable or Governor of the castle, which he defended against all
enemies, and he had the charge of all prisoners brought thither: the
last was Major Belleisle, who lived in tapestried chambers, and beguiled
his captivity with the loves of Hero and Leander and Cupid and Psyche.
In the guard-chamber was a small magazine of arms. At the top of the
stairs, within the wall, was planted a large piece of cannon, levelled,
through an aperture, at the lower gate; there were also seventeen pieces
of cannon mounted at the embrasures round the curtain of the towers,
which was then the only battery in the castle, though formerly the whole
place was strongly fortified with cannon on each of the several towers,
besides those on the two platforms in the Lower Ward.
The remodelling of the private apartments of the castle has been
effected with due regard to convenience and splendour. Among the more
pleasurable memorials of royal visits, are the fittings of the
apartments refurnished for the Emperor and Empress of the French, in
which satin hangings, bordered with long-stitch needlework, in the
natural colours of the flowers portrayed, are much admired, as are also
the Brussels lace and white silk toilet-table, &c. There are in the
state-rooms some fine Gobelin tapestries, inlaid cabinets, superb
clocks, and a malachite vase and doors. In the plate room, among other
superb works, is a tall vase of oxydized silver, produced for the Prince
Consort, a short time previous to his death, at the cost of 1,000_l_.;
besides rock crystal cups and beakers, the gold mounts studded with
jewels, and the cups engraved and ornamented with flowers in silver
filigree. Two of the most splendid receptions at the castle in the
present reign, were the fêtes at the christening of the Prince of Wales
in 1842, and the visits of Louis Philippe and some of his family in
1844: upon the latter occasion, the castle, seen from a distance, in the
shades of an autumnal evening, with lights gleaming from nearly every
window of the long-extended and stately pile, had a most enchanting
effect.
Next to Windsor, deserves to be ranked Warwick Castle, in
picturesqueness of site rivalling the royal palace; it is one of the
finest specimens in the kingdom of the ancient residences of our feudal
nobles. Not only for its architecture, but for its scenic accessories,
and the sylvan character of the surrounding grounds, Warwick Castle is
of almost matchless beauty. Of its archæology, on reference to the Pipe
Rolls, we find it first mentioned in the 19th of Henry II., when it was
furnished and garrisoned, at an expense of 10_l_. (equal to 200_l_.
now), on behalf of the king against his son, and so it remained in the
hands of Henry II. for three years. In the 20th and 21st of Henry II.
are records of outlay for the soldiers, and in the latter year 50_l_.
was spent in repairs. In the 7th year of King John, the castle, then
belonging to the Crown (not the present castle, but a castle on the same
site), was defended for 253 days; and in the days of Henry III. the
walls were completely thrown down and destroyed. In the 9th of Edward
II. (1315) it was returned, on an inquisition, as worth nothing except
for the herbage in the courts and ditches, valued at 6_s_. 8_d_. a year.
In the reign of Edward III. (1357) a new building was commenced by
Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, and finished about 1380. Guy's Tower
was built in 1394. The next period in the architectural history of the
castle is two or three hundred years later. The castle was then used as
a gaol. The next work was the erection of the entrance-hall. Mr. Salvia,
the architect, has been called in by the Earl of Warwick, and has made
habitable a portion of the castle which before had been unused. The
extreme beauty of the two towers is considered as unequalled in the
world.
In the valuable collection of pictures in Warwick Castle are a curious
portrait of Queen Elizabeth, painted very early in her reign; portrait
of Sir Philip Sydney, the intimate friend of Fulke Greville; Charles I.
on horseback, probably a copy made by Vandyke from that at Blenheim;
and the colossal picture of Charles I. copied from the original in the
Vandyke Room at Windsor, a duplicate of which is to be seen at Hampton
Court. At Warwick, too, is Holbein's portrait of Henry VIII. noted for
the exquisite finish of its details. The collection of ancient and
modern armour is very valuable. The great hall of the castle, in its
appearance and furniture, retains much of its ancient character.
Externally, the form of the building has sustained little alteration;
its site is a solid rock, in which the cellars are excavated. Cæsar's
Tower is the most ancient; Guy's Tower, of Decorated English character,
is la fine preservation. In one of the greenhouses is the celebrated
ancient marble vase brought to England by the Earl of Warwick, to whom
it had been given by Sir William Hamilton; it is known as the _Warwick
Vase_, and has been copied in various materials.
As you look from the castle windows upon the soft-flowing Avon, with its
gentle ripple in your ears, the effect is fascinating, and you are
almost carried back to the age of fays and fairies. Henry V. visited
Guy's Cliff; and Shakspeare is supposed to have made it a favourite
retirement.
Warwick has its apocryphal antiquities, more especially Guy's
curiosities. The story of this famous fellow is said to have been taken
from the exploits of Earl Leofric, husband of Lady Godiva; though the
legendary Guy is derived by some from a French romance of the twelfth or
thirteenth century. Guy, or a prototype, was reputed to be a living
personage, and his sword and coat of mail formed the subject of a
bequest in 1369. In the reign of Henry VIII. a pension was granted for
the preservation of Guy's porridge-pot; but the conflict with the dun
cow is not mentioned until in a seventeenth century play, though Dr.
Caius, about 1552, saw a bone of a bonassus (cow) at Warwick Castle kept
with the arms of Guy. In 1636 the rib of the dun cow was exhibited at
Warwick. Guy's armour is a medley: a bassinet of Edward III.;
breast-plate, fifteenth and seventeenth century; sword, Henry VIII.;
staff, an ancient tilting-lance, very curious; the horse-armour, and
"Fair Phillis' slippers" (strap-irons), are fifteenth century. In
conclusion, "the renowned Guy" is considered to be a myth.
The first historical Earl of Warwick was so created by the Conqueror.
The history of the castle has some strange episodes. In 1468, Edward IV.
marching towards Warwick, was met by an embassy from the Earl of Warwick
to treat for peace; which the king, too credulously listening to, rested
in his camp at Wolvey; but the Earl surprised him by night in his bed,
and took him prisoner to his castle at Warwick. In the Civil War, 1642,
Warwick Castle, garrisoned for the Parliament, was besieged; and, after
the battle of Edge Hill, when Charles left Birmingham, the inhabitants
seized the carriages containing the loyal plato, and conveyed them to
Warwick Castle. Then Warwick and Kenilworth were in deadly hate: in 1230
(47th Hen. III.), Maudit, Earl of Warwick, and his Countess, were
surprised in Warwick Castle, by a party of rebels from Kenilworth
Castle, when the walls were thrown down lest the royalists should use
them again; and the Earl and Countess were carried prisoners to
Kenilworth Castle.
Kenilworth, five miles from Warwick and Coventry, respectively, had a
castle which was demolished in the war of Edmund Ironside and Canute the
Dane, early in the eleventh century. In the reign of Henry I. the manor
was bestowed by the king on Geoffrey de Clinton, who built a strong
castle, and founded a monastery. The castle keep is attributed to the
reign of King John; the outer wall to the time of Henry III. The castle
was one of the strongholds of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, in
his insurrection against Henry III. and afforded shelter to his son, and
others of his adherents, after the fatal battle of Evesham, in 1265;
next year, however, it capitulated, after a gallant defence. A
tournament of 100 knights was held here in 1278, the Earl of March
principal challenger of the tilt-yard: of the ladies, who were
splendidly attired, it is recorded, that they wore "silken mantles." The
east range of buildings is referred to the middle of the reign of Edward
II. who was confined in the castle, shortly before his murder in
Berkeley Castle, in 1327. In the following reign, John of Gaunt became
owner of the castle, which he much augmented by new and magnificent
buildings. Henry IV. son of John of Gaunt, united the castle, which he
inherited, to the domains of the Crown, of which it formed a part until
the time of Elizabeth, who granted it to Robert Dudley, Earl of
Leicester, who erected "Leicester's Buildings." The magnificent
entertainments given here by Leicester to Elizabeth are minutely
described by Laneham, an attendant on the court, in a tract, entitled
_The Princely Pleasures of Kenilworth_. On her way thither, the Queen
was entertained by Leicester under a splendid tent at Long Itchington.
Kenilworth has been made familiar to the general reader by Sir Walter
Scott's picturesque romance, which has sent thousands to pic-nic among
the castle ruins: it was dismantled after the Civil War of Charles I.
Kenilworth ruins remind one of a _puzzle_, a few of the pieces of which
have been lost, but are so few as to be readily supplied. The ruins are
principally Late Perpendicular, but there are some Norman portions.
Cæar's Tower, of which three sides remain, has walls sixteen feet thick.
John of Gaunt's large and massive additions are in decay; and the
Leicester Buildings, though comparatively modern, present, from the
friable nature of the stone, an appearance of great antiquity: they
contain the remains of the noble banqueting-hall. The gate-house, also
Leicester's, is better preserved, and has in our time been occupied as a
farm-house. The ruins are, in many parts, mantled with ivy, which adds
to their picturesqueness; and being on an elevated, rocky site, they
command extensive views of the country round:
"Grey memory of centuries past,
Proud Kenilworth! How dear
The charm that mellowing time hath cast
Over thy portals drear.
Thy battlements are crumbling now,
And ivy decks thy faded brow.
"Green grows the moss, where banners told
Ambitions Leicester's hour of pride;
Years their all-changing course have roll'd--
All tenantless the chambers wide.
Bank weeds upon the portals grow;
Noble and knight, where are ye now?"
Traditional tales of the festive joys of Kenilworth linger on the spot;
and among other things, it is told that the great clock was stopped
during Elizabeth's stay at the castle, as if Time had stood still,
waiting on the Queen, and seeing her subjects enjoying themselves!
Arundel Castle, the last baronial home we have to describe, is a seat of
great historic interest, derived from the long list of warriors and
statesmen, whose names are identified with the place; and whose deeds,
during the lapse of eight centuries, have shed lustre on our national
history:
"Since William rose, and Harold fell,
There have been Counts of Arundel;
And earls old Arundel shall have
While rivers flow and forests wave."
The castle stands on the river Arun in Sussex, at a short distance from
the sea, which is once supposed to have washed the castle-walls, as
anchors and other implements have been found near it. The castle is
mentioned as early as the time of King Alfred, who bequeathed it to his
nephew Adhelm. After the Norman Conquest, it was given by William to his
kinsman, Roger de Montgomeri, created Earl of Arundel and Shrewsbury.
Robert, one of the successors of this Earl, supported Robert, Duke of
Normandy, the eldest son of William I. against Henry, the youngest son
of the Conqueror. Afterwards the castle passed into the family of
Albini; and at last, by the marriage of that race with Thomas, Duke of
Norfolk (in the reign of Elizabeth), into the family of the Howards. It
gives to its possessor (now the Duke of Norfolk) the title of Earl of
Arundel, and is an instance of a peerage attached to the tenure of a
house, which is now an anomaly. In 11th Henry VI. it was decided that
the tenure of the castle of Arundel alone, without any creation, patent,
or investiture, constituted its possessor Earl of Arundel. Sir Bernard
Burke, however, considers this fact to admit of doubt. (See _Visitation
of Seats and Arms_, vol. i. p. 89.) For a place of defence, the castle
must have been well calculated, standing, as it does, at the extreme
point of an eminence which terminates one of the high and narrow ridges
of the South Downs; and in the two immense fosses which still remain, we
have evident tokens of the ancient mode of fortification. The entrance
gateway, anciently defended by a drawbridge and a portcullis, was built
by Richard Fitzalan, in the reign of Edward I. This, with some of the
walls and the keep, is all that remains of the ancient castle.
The keep is a circular stone tower, sixty-eight feet in diameter, and
the most perfect in England. In the middle of it is a dungeon, a vault
about ten feet high, accessible by a flight of steps, and thought to
have served as a storehouse for the garrison. The keep has long been
tenanted by some owls of large size and beautiful plumage, sent over
from America as a present to the then Duke of Norfolk. The barbican was
named Bevis's Tower from this legendary story. A giant named Bevis
officiated here as warder, in payment for which the Earl of Arundel
built this tower for his reception, allowing him two hogsheads of beer
every week, a whole ox, and a proportionate quantity of bread and
mustard. So huge was the giant, that he could, without inconvenience,
wade the channel of the sea to the Isle of Wight, and frequently did so
for his amusement. So, great as that wonder may be, a greater marvel is,
how he ever got into his tower, which, upon ordinary calculations, must
have been totally inadequate to contain him.
Among the Norman remains is an extensive vault, now used as a cellar,
about fifteen feet in height. That it was anciently used as a dungeon is
undoubted; and in it were confined not only military captives, but every
civil delinquent within the privileges of the honour. This was a
considerable source of profit to the Earls, and was, therefore,
sturdily maintained by them as a vested right. The ancient hall, with
its appendant buildings, was in the style of the reign of Edward III.
The north-east wing was last erected. Such was the building as it stood
at the commencement of the seventeenth century, inclosing five acres and
a half, and resembling in ground-plan Windsor Castle.
[Illustration: ARUNDEL CASTLE--THE GREAT QUADRANGLE.]
Arundel Castle was almost battered to pieces in the Civil War: the hall
and other living apartments were rendered untenantable, and the place
was abandoned by its noble owner, till about the year 1720, from which
period until 1801 only partial restorations were carried out. Then was
built the magnificent library for 10,000 volumes, in imitation of the
aisle of a Gothic cathedral; with ornamentation from Gloucester
Cathedral, and St. George's, Windsor: the ceiling, columns, &c. are of
mahogany. In 1806 was begun the Barons' Hall: the roof is of Spanish
chestnut, designed from Westminster, Eltham, and Crosby Halls; and it
has a large stained end window, of King John signing Magna Charta,[30]
and thirteen windows painted with baronial and family portraits; and in
the drawing-room is a stained glass window, by Eginton, representing the
Duke and Duchess of Norfolk as King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba at a
banquet! The renovation of the castle cost Charles Howard, the eleventh
Duke of Norfolk, the large sum of 600,000_l_. Upon the completion of the
work in June, 1815, he gave a magnificent fête, which accelerated his
death in December following. The appointments of the castle are very
superb. The Duke of Norfolk received here, in 1846, a state visit from
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
The park is extensive and finely wooded, and has much picturesque
scenery. Vineyards formerly abounded in this country; so that, in 1763,
there were sixty pipes of excellent wine resembling Burgundy, in the
cellar of the castle, the produce of one vineyard attached to it. The
river Arun, on which the town of Arundel stands, is famous for the grey
mullets which, in summer, come up here in large shoals, in quest of a
particular weed, the feeding on which renders them a great delicacy.
Among the events in the castle history was the reception of the Empress
Maud, in 1139, at Arundel Castle, by Adeliza, a relict of Henry I. King
Stephen, apprised of her movements, appeared suddenly before the castle,
with a well-appointed army. The Queen Dowager sent him this spirited
message:--"She had received the Empress as her friend, not as his enemy;
she had no intention of interfering in their quarrels," and therefore
begged the King to allow her royal guest to quit Arundel, and try her
fortune in some other part of England. "But," added she, "if you are
determined to besiege her here, I will endure the last extremity of war
rather than give her up, or suffer the laws of hospitality to be
violated." The Queen's request was granted, and the Empress retired to
Bristol.
To conclude. No place in England deserves more notice than the Castle of
Arundel--a grand pile of buildings, modern for the most part, and not
capable of supporting criticism; but the ivy-grown keep, at least as old
as the days of Henry I., may challenge comparison with any of the same
date in this country. The castle has not withstood sieges as others
have; it is but too well known for its surrender to Sir William Waller,
who took from it seventeen colours of foot, two of horse, and a thousand
prisoners. Nor is it associated with any decisive battles or events; but
no residence presents us with such a picture of feudal times; no other
baronial home has sent forth thirteen dukes and thirty-five earls. What
house has been so connected with our political and religious annals as
that of Howard? The premiers in the roll-call of our nobility, have been
also among the most persecuted and ill-fated. Not to dwell on the
high-spirited Isabelle, Countess Dowager of Arundel, and widow of Hugh,
last Earl of the Albini family, who upbraided Henry III. to his face
with "vexing the church, oppressing the barons, and denying all his
true-born subjects their rights;" or Richard, Earl of Arundel, who was
executed for conspiring to seize Richard II.--we must think with
indignation of the sufferings inflicted by Elizabeth on Philip, Earl of
Arundel, son of "the great" Duke of Norfolk, beheaded by Elizabeth in
1572 for his dealings with Mary, Queen of Scots. In the biography of
Earl Philip, which, with that of Ann Dacres, his wife, was well edited
by the late lamented Duke, we find that he was caressed by Elizabeth in
early life, and steeped in the pleasures and vices of her court by her
encouragement, to the neglect of his constant wife, whose virtues, as
soon as they reclaimed him to his duty to her, rendered him hated and
suspected by the Queen, so that she made him the subject of vindictive
and incessant persecution, till death released him at the age of
thirty-eight. To another Howard, Thomas, son of Earl Philip, the country
is indebted for those treasures of the East, the Arundel Marbles;
though Lord Clarendon describes him somewhat ill-naturedly, denying him
all claims to learning, and even gravity of character.
The sight of the embattled towers of Arundel conjures up before us many
historic personages, whom in fancy we can see emerging from their
venerable gateways, in all the pride of youth and ancestry, whose
mouldered ashes now repose under those grey walls. And there too now
lies, alas! added to the number, the late kind-hearted and amiable Duke,
snatched away, like so many of his forefathers, in the very prime of
manhood.[31]