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diff --git a/old/51191-0.txt b/old/51191-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index caf260c..0000000 --- a/old/51191-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,18798 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Nooks and Corners of Lancashire and -Cheshire., by James Croston - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Nooks and Corners of Lancashire and Cheshire. - A Wayfarer's Notes in the Palatine Counties, Historical, - Legendary, Genealogical, and Descriptive. - -Author: James Croston - -Release Date: February 12, 2016 [EBook #51191] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOOKS, CORNERS OF LANCASHIRE *** - - - - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - NOOKS AND CORNERS - - OF - - LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE. - - - - -Of this work 600 copies have been printed, the whole of which were -subscribed for before publication. - - - - - NOOKS AND CORNERS - - OF - - Lancashire and Cheshire. - - A WAYFARER’S NOTES IN THE PALATINE COUNTIES, - HISTORICAL, LEGENDARY, GENEALOGICAL, - AND DESCRIPTIVE. - - BY - - JAMES CROSTON, F.S.A. - - _Fellow of the Royal Historical Society of Great Britain; - Member of the Architectural, - Archæological and Historic Society of Chester; Member of the - Council of the Record Society._ - - Author of “On Foot through the Peak,” “A History of Samlesbury,” - “Historical Memorials of the Church in Prestbury,” - “Old Manchester and its Worthies,” - etc., etc. - - JOHN HEYWOOD, - DEANSGATE AND RIDGEFIELD, MANCHESTER; - AND 11, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, - LONDON. - 1882. - - - - - JOHN HEYWOOD, PRINTER, HULME HALL ROAD, - MANCHESTER. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -PREFACE. - - -This volume is not put forth as professedly a history of the places -described, the Author’s aim having been rather to seize upon and -group from such accredited sources of information as were available, -the leading facts and incidents relating to special localities, and -to present the scenes of human life and action in a readable and -attractive form by divesting, in some degree, the tame and uninviting -facts of archæology of their deadly dulness; to bring into prominent -relief the remarkable occurrences and romantic incidents of former -days, and, by combining with the graver and more substantial matters -of history an animated description of the physical features and scenic -attractions of the localities in which those incidents occurred, to -render them more interesting to the general reader. - -A popular writer—the Authoress of “Our Village”—has said that she -cared less for any reputation she might have gained as a writer of -romance, than she did for the credit to be derived from the less -ambitious but more useful office of faithfully uniting and preserving -those fragments of tradition, experience, and biography, which give to -history its living interest. In the same spirit the following pages -have been written. There are within the Palatine Counties of Lancaster -and Chester many objects and places, many halls and manor-houses that -possess an abiding interest from the position they occupy in “our -rough island story,” and from their being associated, if not with -events of the highest historic import, yet at least with many of -those subordinate scenes and occurrences—those romantic incidents -and half-forgotten facts that illustrate the inner life and character -of bygone generations. These lingering memorials of a period the -most chivalrous and the most romantic in our country’s annals may -occasionally have received the notice of the precise topographer and -the matter-of-fact antiquary, but, though possessing in themselves -much that is picturesque and attractive, they have rarely been placed -before the reader in any other guise than that in which the soberest -narrative could invest them. In them the romance of centuries seems to -be epitomised, and to the “seeing eye” they are the types and emblems -of the changing life of our great nation; legend and tradition gather -round, and weird stories and scraps of family history are associated -with them that bring vividly before the mind’s eye the domestic life -and manners of those who have gone before, and show in how large a -degree the Past may be made a guide for the Present and the Future. - -It only remains for the Author to acknowledge his obligations to those -friends who, by information communicated, and in other ways, have aided -him in his design. His thanks are due to JOHN EGLINGTON BAILEY, Esq., -F.S.A., of Stretford; JOHN OLDFIELD CHADWICK, Esq., F.S.S., F.G.S., of -London; Dr. SAMUEL CROMPTON, of Cranleigh, Surrey; Lieutenant-Colonel -FISHWICK, F.S.A., of Rochdale; and THOMAS HELSBY, Esq., of the Inner -Temple. He is also indebted to the kindness of GILBERT J. FRENCH, Esq., -of Bolton, for the loan of the several engravings which add interest to -the story of Samuel Crompton. - - UPTON HALL, PRESTBURY, CHESHIRE, - DECEMBER, 1881. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. PAGE - A Railway Ramble—The Roman City on the Ribble—A - Day Dream at Ribchester 1 - - CHAPTER II. - Marple Hall—The Bradshaws—Colonel Henry Bradshaw—The - Story of the Regicide 21 - - CHAPTER III. - Over Sands by the Cartmel Shore—Wraysholme Tower—The - Legend of the Last Wolf 76 - - CHAPTER IV. - An Afternoon at Gawsworth—The Fighting Fittons—The - Cheshire Will Case and its Tragic Sequel—Henry - Newcome—“Lord Flame” 102 - - CHAPTER V. - The College and the “Wizard Warden” of Manchester 157 - - CHAPTER VI. - Beeston Castle 213 - - CHAPTER VII. - Whalley and its Abbey—Mitton Church and its Monuments—The - Sherburnes—The Jesuits’ College, Stonyhurst 242 - - CHAPTER VIII. - Adlington and its Earlier Lords—The Leghs—The Legend of - the Spanish Lady’s Love—The Hall 283 - - CHAPTER IX. - The Byroms—Kersall Cell—John Byrom—The Laureate of - the Jacobites—The Fatal ’45 361 - - CHAPTER X. - Hall-i’-th’-Wood—The Story of Samuel Crompton, the Inventor - of the Spinning Mule 408 - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS. - - - PAGE - - PROSPECT TOWER, TURTON 3 - - RIBCHESTER BRIDGE 7 - - MARPLE HALL 20 - - AUTOGRAPH AND SEAL OF COLONEL BRADSHAW 34 - - PRESIDENT BRADSHAW 47 - - AUTOGRAPH OF JOHN BRADSHAW 49 - - GEORGE FOX’S CHAPEL, SWARTHMOOR 77 - - GRANGE-OVER-SANDS 79 - - WRAYSHOLME TOWER 89 - - HERALDIC GLASS AT WRAYSHOLME 91 - - GAWSWORTH OLD HALL 105 - - GAWSWORTH CROSS 109 - - THE REV. HENRY NEWCOME 143 - - “LORD FLAME’S” TOMB, GAWSWORTH 153 - - JOHN DEE, THE “WIZARD WARDEN” 156 - - THE MANCHESTER COLLEGE 196 - - MORTLAKE CHURCH 207 - - BEESTON CASTLE 212 - - THE PHŒNIX TOWER, CHESTER 240 - - ABBOT PASLEW’S GRAVE STONE, WHALLEY CHURCH 246 - - ANCIENT CROSS, MITTON CHURCHYARD 263 - - THE HODDER BRIDGE 265 - - STONYHURST 269 - - ADLINGTON HALL 282 - - AUTOGRAPH OF SIR URIAN LEGH 326 - - SIR ALEXANDER RIGBY 333 - - AUTOGRAPH OF THOMAS LEGH 338 - - KERSALL CELL 360 - - JOHN BYROM’S HOUSE, MANCHESTER 381 - - HALL-I’-TH’-WOOD 409 - - HALL-I’-TH’-WOOD: SOUTH FRONT 412 - - STAIRCASE, HALL-I’-TH’-WOOD 415 - - HERALDIC SHIELD, HALL-I’-TH’-WOOD 417 - - OLDHAMS 429 - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -SUBSCRIBERS. - - -ADSHEAD, G. H., Esq., Fern Villas, Bolton Road, Pendleton, nr. M’chester. -ANDREW, FRANK, Esq., Ashton-under-Lyne. -ARDERN, L., Jun., Esq., Hazel Grove, Cheshire. -ARMITAGE, ELKANAH, Esq., The Rookery, Pendleton, Manchester. -ARMSTRONG, THOMAS, Esq., F.R.M.S., Highfield Bank, Urmston. -ARNOLD, HENRY, Esq., Blackley, near Manchester. -ASHTON, J. T., Esq., Wellington Road South, Stockport. -ASHWORTH, CHARLES E., Esq., Fairfield, Manchester. -ASHWORTH, GEORGE, Esq., 3. Charlotte Street, Manchester. -ASCROFT, W. T., Esq., 3, Stamford Street, Altrincham. -ASPLAND, L. M., Esq., 47, Linden Gardens, South Kensington, London, S. W. -ASQUITH, D., Esq., Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Offices, Manchester. -ATKINSON, GEORGE, Esq., Stockport. -ATHERTON, W. H., Esq., Southbank Road, Southport. -ATHENÆUM, The, Manchester. -ATTOCK, F., Esq., Somerset House, Newton Heath. - -BAILEY, J. EGLINTON, F.S.A., Egerton Villa, Stretford. -BARLOW, J. R., Esq., Edgeworth, near Bolton. -BARNES, ALFRED, Esq., Farnworth. -BARNES, THOMAS, Esq., Farnworth. -BARTON, RICHARD, Esq., West Leigh Lodge, West Leigh, Lancashire. -BAYLEY, WILLIAM, Esq., Craybrow, Lymm, Warrington. -BAZLEY, Sir THOS., Bart., Eyford Park, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire. -BEAMAN, Mrs., Haydock Lodge, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Lancashire. -BEALES, ROBERT, Esq., M.D., J.P. (Mayor), Congleton. -BELLIS, THOMAS, Esq., Northenden, near Manchester. -BERRY, JAMES, Esq., Jun., Palatine Square, Burnley. -BESWICK, JOHN, Esq., Victoria Hotel, Strangeways, Manchester (2 copies). -BIBBY, W. H., Esq., Levenshulme. -BIRCH, HERBERT, Esq., The Vicarage, Blackburn. -BIRLEY, HUGH, Esq., M.P., Moorland, Withington. -BIRLEY, J. SHEPHERD, Esq., Moss Lee, Bolton-le-Moors. -BLEASDELL, The Rev. J., Henry Square, Ashton-under-Lyne. -BODDINGTON, HENRY, Jun., Esq., Strangeways Brewery, Manchester. -BOLGER, Miss SARAH, Atherton, Bournemouth, Hants. -BOLTON, JOHN, Esq., Southfield, Blackburn. -BONE, JOHN W., Esq., F.S.A., 26, Bedford Place, Russell Square, London. -BOOTH, AARON, Jun., Esq., 4, South Street, Albert Square, Manchester. -BOOTH, JAMES, Esq., 52, Todmorden Road, Burnley. -BOOTE, DANIEL, Esq., Oakfield, Ashton-on-Mersey. -BOURNE, Sir JAMES, Heathfield, Liverpool. -BOWDLER, WILLIAM HENRY, Esq., J.P., Kirkham, Lancashire. -BOWES, Dr. JOHN, The Blue Coat School, Warrington. -BOWKER, S. J., Esq., 42, Great Ancoats Street, Manchester. -BOULTON, ISAAC WATT, Esq., J.P., Stamford House, Ashton-under-Lyne - (2 copies). -BRADSHAW, CHRISTOPHER, Esq., Kenwood, Ellesmere Park, Eccles. -BRADSHAWE, GEORGE PARIS, Esq., 30, Gloucester Street, Warwick Square, - London. -BRADSHAWE-ISHERWOOD, Mrs., Marple Hall, Stockport. -BRADSHAW, S., Esq., 241, Broad Street, Pendleton. -BRADWELL, DENNIS, Esq., J.P., Higher Daisy Bank, Congleton. -BRAMWELL, ROBERT, Esq., 5, Green Street, Ardwick Green. -BRAGG, HARRY, Esq., The Mount, Blackburn. -BRANSBY, WILLIAM, Esq., 46, Deansgate, Manchester. -BROWN, Rev. Canon, M.A., Staley Vicarage, Stalybridge. -BROWNHILL, JOHN, Esq., Alderley, Cheshire. -BRIDGEMAN, Rev. The Honble. G. T. O., Wigan Hall, Wigan. -BROADBENT, GEO. HARRY, Esq., L.K.Q.C.P.I. and L.M., Ashton-under-Lyne. -BROADBENT, EDWIN, Esq., Reddish, near Stockport. -BROCKBANK, W., Esq., Pall Mall, Manchester. -BUCKLEY, Mr., Strangeways Brewery. -BUDD, Mrs. M., Cedar Villa, Wilbraham Road, Fallowfield, Manchester. -BULTEEL, S. W., Esq., Victoria Park, Manchester. -BURGESS, SAMUEL, Esq., Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Offices, - Manchester. -BURTON, ALFRED, Esq., 37, Cross Street, Manchester. -BURGHOPE, WILLIAM, Esq., Albert Villa, near Malvern. -BURTON, JOSEPH, Esq., Lyme View, Bramhall, Cheshire. -BURTON, J. H., Esq., F.R.H.S., 5, Trafalgar Square, Ashton-under-Lyne. -BURTON, Mrs. LINGEN, Abbey House, Shrewsbury. -BUSTARD, J., Esq., Summer Lane, Barnsley. - -CALDERBANK, Captain, Stockport. -CAMERON, JOHN D., Esq., The Grove, Sale, Cheshire. -CARRINGTON, H. H., SMITH, Esq., Whaley Bridge, near Stockport -CARVER, Mrs. J., Sunnyside, Whalley Range, Manchester. -CARR, JOHN, Esq., 2, McDonald’s Lane, Manchester. -CASSON, E., Esq., Raper Lodge. Bramhall Park, Cheshire. -CHADWICK, T., Esq., The Grove, Urmston, near Manchester. -CHETHAM’S LIBRARY, Manchester. -CHORLTON, THOMAS, Esq., 32, Brasenose Street, Manchester. -CHORLTON, WILLIAM, Esq., Fairfield, near Manchester. -CHORLTON, THOMAS, Esq., 32, Brazenose Street, Manchester. -CHRISTY, RICHARD, Esq., Poynton Towers, Cheshire. -CLARE, CHARLES LEIGH, Esq., Park Lane, Higher Broughton, Manchester. -COATES, The Misses, Sunnyside, Crawshawbooth, Lancashire. -COLLINS, JAMES, Esq., Ada Villa, Old Trafford, Manchester. -COOMBES, The Rev. G. F., B.A., Portwood, Stockport. -COOPER, EDWARD, Esq., 10, Downing Street, Manchester. -COOPER, THOMAS, Esq., Mossley House, Congleton. -COULTATE, WILLIAM MILLER, Esq., F.R.C.S., J.P., 1, Yorke Street, Burnley. -COWIE, Very Rev. B. MORGAN, D.D., Dean of Manchester, The Deanery, - Manchester. -CRAIG, ANDREW L., Esq., 148, Cheapside, London. -CRAVEN, JAMES, Esq., Woodland House, Whalley Range, Manchester. -CREEKE, Major A. B., Monkholm, near Burnley. -CRONKESHAW, JOHN, Esq., White Bull Hotel, Blackburn. -CROSS, JOHN, Esq., Cambridge Villa, Heaton Norris. -CROSS, The Right Hon. Sir R. A., M.P., Eccle Riggs, Broughton-in-Furness. -CROMPTON, SAMUEL, Esq., M.D., Cranleigh, Surrey. -CUNLIFF, JOHN, Esq., Lomber Hey, near Stockport. -CURZON, N. C., Esq., Lockington Hall, Derby. -CUFF, JAMES HENRY, Esq., Millington, near Altrincham. -CUNLIFFE, EDWARD THOMAS, Esq., Handforth. - -DALE, THOMAS, Esq., J.P., Bank House, Park Road, Southport. -DAVENPORT, E. H., Esq., Davenport, Bridgnorth, Shropshire. -DAY, Mr. T. J., Heaton Moor, Stockport. -DEVONSHIRE, His Grace the Duke of, Chatsworth, Chesterfield. -DILLON, Rev. GODFREY, Radcliffe (2 copies). -DOBSON, MATTHEW, Esq., Cheadle. -DORRINGTON, JAMES T., Esq., Bonishall, near Macclesfield. -DOWNING, WILLIAM, Esq., Springfield Olton, Acock Green, Birmingham. -DYER, A. C., Esq., National Provincial Bank of England, Manchester. - -EARWAKER, J. P., Esq., M.A., F.S.A., Pensarn, Abergele. -EASTWOOD, J. A., Esq., 49, Princess Street, Manchester. -EATON, C., Esq., 3, St. Edward Street, Leek. -ECKERSLEY, C., Esq., Tyldesley, Lancashire. -EDGAR, ROBERT A., Esq., Seymour Lodge, Heaton Chapel. -EDGE, J. BROUGHTON, Esq., Broad Oak Park, Worsley. -EILBECK, H., Esq., Ashton-upon-Mersey, Cheshire. -ELLISON, JOHN, Esq., Stockport Road, Ashton-under-Lyne. -ELWEN, GEORGE, Esq., 11, Knott Street, Higher Broughton, Manchester. -ENION, J. C., Esq., Piccadilly, Manchester. -EQUITABLE CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY, Greenacres Hill, Oldham. -EVANS, Miss LYDIA, The Heys, near St. Helens, Lancashire. -EVANS, JOHN, Esq., 1, Mitton Street, Greenheys. -EYRE, The Rev. W. H., Stonyhurst College, near Blackburn (_5 copies_). - -FAIRBROTHER, HENRY, Esq., 106, Albert Square, Manchester. -FEATHER, The Rev. GEORGE, The Vicarage, Glazebury, Leigh, Lancashire. -FIELDEN, JOHN, Esq., Dobroyd Castle, Todmorden (_2 copies_). -FLETCHER, J. SHEPHERD, Esq., M.D., 75, Lever Street, Manchester. -FLETCHER, THOMAS, Esq., Lever House, near Bolton-le-Moors. -FOLLY, THOMAS, Esq., Warrington. -FOYSTER, J. ASHER, Esq., 5, Norfolk Street, Manchester. -FRANKLAND, GEO., Esq., _Express_ Office, Burnley. -FRESTON, T. W., Esq., 8, Watling Street, Manchester. -FRY, JOSEPH, Esq., Manchester. - -GAMBLE, Colonel, Windlehurst, St. Helens. -GARTSIDE, R. A., Esq., Dacres, Greenfield, near Manchester. -GASKELL, A. E., Esq., 255, Moss Lane, East, Manchester. -GASKELL, JOSIAH, Esq., Burgrave Lodge, Ashton-in-Makerfield. -GEE, CHARLES, Esq., Gorton, Manchester. -GERARD, Major, Aspull House, Wigan. -GIBBONS, BENJAMIN, Esq., London Road, Manchester. -GILL, RICHARD, Esq., 7, Pall Mall, Manchester. -GILBODY, A. H., Esq., Edge Lane, Chorlton-on-Medlock. -GOODMAN, DAVENPORT, Esq., Eccles House, Chapel-en-le-Frith. -GRAHAM, JOSEPH, Esq., Carlton Road, Burnley. -GRAHAM, Rev. PHILIP, Turncroft, Darwen. -GRANTHAM, JOHN, Esq., 2, Rothsay Place, Old Trafford, Manchester. -GRAY, ROBERT, Esq., Greenfield House, Hyde. -GRADWELL, SAMUEL, Esq., Holmes Chapel, Cheshire. -GRATRIX, SAMUEL, Esq., J.P., West Point, Whalley Range, Manchester. -GREAVES, GEORGE, Esq., Hayfield. -GREENALL, Sir GILBERT, Bart., Walton Hall, Warrington. -GREENALL, Colonel, Lingholme, Keswick. -GREENALL, Major, The Old Rectory, Grappenhall. -GREENE, Mrs. TURNER, Southworth House, Wigan. -GREENHALGH, JOSEPH DODSON, Esq., Gladstone Cottage, Bolton. -GREENWAY, C., Esq., J.P., Darwen Bank, Darwen. -GREENWOOD, CHARLES, Esq., 26, Aked’s Road, Halifax. -GROVES, G. H., Esq., Kent Villa, Urmston, near Manchester. -GRUNDY, ALFRED, Esq., Whitefield, near Manchester. -GUEST, W. H., Esq., 78, Cross Street, Manchester. - -HADFIELD, GEORGE, Esq., 110, King Street, Manchester. -HAGUE, JOHN SCHOLES, Esq., White Hall, Chinley, Derbyshire. -HALL, JOSHUA, Esq., Kingston House, Hyde. -HALL, JOHN, Esq., The Grange, Hale, Cheshire. -HALL, ROBERT, Esq., Anes House, Hyde. -HALSTEAD, LOUIS, Esq., Redwaterfoot, Corneholme. -HAMPSON, WILLIAM, Esq., Rose Hill, Marple, Cheshire. -HAMPSON, J. R., Esq., Old Trafford. -HAMPSON, J. T., Esq., Solicitor, Ashton-under-Lyne. -HARLOW, Miss, Heaton Norris, Stockport -HARTLEY, WILLIAM, Esq., Greek Street, Stockport. -HARTLEY, Mrs., Brierfield House, near Burnley. -HARTLEY, JOB W., Esq., Westgate, Burnley. -HARDWICK, C., Esq., 72, Talbot Street, Moss Side, Manchester. -HARWOOD, Alderman JOHN J., Northumberland Street, Higher Broughton. -HAWORTH, The Rev. J. G., Tunsteads Vicarage, Stacksteads. -HAWORTH, S. E., Esq., Holyrood, restwich. -HAWORTH, RICHARD, Esq., J.P., 28, High Street, Manchester. -HEGINBOTTOM, THOMAS, Esq., J.P., (Mayor), Stamford House, - Ashton-under-Lyne. -HELSBY, THOMAS, Esq., Lincoln’s Inn, London. -HIBBERT, HENRY, Esq., Broughton Grove, Grange-over-Sands. -HICKS, JOHN, Esq., Mytton Hall, Whalley, Lancashire. -HIGGINS, ARTHUR, Esq., King Street, Salford. -HIGGINS, JAMES, Esq., Woodhey, Kersal, Manchester. -HIGSON, THOMAS, Esq., Red Cliffe, Alderley Edge, Cheshire. -HILL, T. D., Esq., Fairfield. -HINDLEY, THOMAS, Esq., Stockport. -HIRST, JOHN, Esq., Ladcastle, Dobcross. -HODGSON, T., Esq., Cravenholme, Didsbury. -HOOLEY, SAMUEL J., Esq., Manchester and Liverpool District Bank Limited, - Tunstall. -HOWE, JAMES, Esq., Bellfield House, Ashton-under-Lyne, near Manchester. -HODGKINSON, JAMES B., Esq., Green Bank, Sale, Cheshire. -HODGKINSON, S., Esq., Marple, Cheshire. -HOLDEN, THOMAS, Esq., Bolton. -HOLMES, JAMES, Esq., Egerton Road, Fallowfield, Manchester. -HORNBY, JAMES, Esq., Wigan. -HYDE, WALTER, Esq., Cromwell House, Heaton Chapel. - -INGHAM, B., Esq., York Chambers, Brasenose Street, Manchester. - -JACKSON, ALFRED, Esq., Burnley Lane, Burnley. -JACKSON, B., Esq., Heathfield, Ashton-upon-Mersey. -JACKSON, HARTLEY, Esq., Pickup Terrace, Burnley. -JACKSON, H. J., Esq., Ashton-under-Lyne (_2 copies_). -JOHNSON, J. A., Esq., 73, Albert Road, Southport. -JOHNSON, J. H., Esq., F.S.A., 73, Albert Road, Southport. -JONES, JOHN JOSEPH, Esq., Abberley Hall, Stourport. - -KAY, JACOB, Esq., 5, Booth Street, Manchester. -KEENE, R. Esq., Irongate, Derby. -KETTLE, A. J., Esq., Addiscombe, Prestwich Park, near Manchester. -KETTLE, W. C., Esq., Addiscombe, Prestwich Park. -KENDERDINE, FREDERICK, Esq., Morningside, Old Trafford. -KNOTT, JAMES, Esq., 55, Higher Ardwick, Manchester. -KNOTT, JOHN, Esq., Dartmouth House, Hurst, Cheshire. - -LANCASTER, ALF, Esq., Manchester Road, Burnley. -LAWTON, JAMES KINDER, Esq., Hazel Grove, near Stockport. -LEEDHAM, F. H., Esq., Burnage Lane, near Manchester. -LEECE, JOSEPH, Esq., Mansfield Villa, Urmston, near Manchester.. -LEES, EDWARD B., Esq., Kelbarrow, Grasmere. -LEIGH, JAMES, Esq., 66, Deansgate, Manchester. -LEVER, ELLIS, Esq., Culcheth Hall, Bowdon. -LEES, SAMUEL, Esq., Park Bridge, Ashton-under-Lyne. -LEIGH, JOHN, Esq., The Manor House, Hale, Cheshire. -LEIGH, CHARLES, Esq., Bank Terrace, Wigan. -LEYLAND, JOHN, Esq., The Grange, Hindley, near Wigan. -LIBRARIES, FREE PUBLIC, Manchester. -LIBRARY, FREE PUBLIC, Town Hall, Rochdale. -LIBRARY, FREE, Peel Park, Salford. -LIBRARY, FREE, The Stockport. -LIBRARY, FREE, The Wigan. -LIBRARY, FREE, The Heywood, near Manchester. -LIBRARY, FREE, The Bolton-le-Moors. -LINFOOT, JOSEPH, Esq., Cannon Street, Manchester. -LINGARD-MONK, RICHARD, B. M., Esq., Fulshaw Hall, Wilmslow. -LLOYD, THOMAS, Esq., Brooklands House, Brooklands, Cheshire. -LONG, JOHN F., Esq., 135, Great Ancoats Street, Manchester. -LONGDEN. A. W., Esq., Marple, Cheshire. -LONGWORTH, SOLOMON, Esq., Whalley, Lancashire. -LONGSHAW, Mrs., Beech Priory, Southport. -LONGTON, EDWARD JOHN, Esq., M.D., The Priory, Southport. -LORD, HENRY, Esq., 42, John Dalton Street, Manchester. -LUPTON, ARTHUR, Esq., 136, Manchester Road, Burnley. -LUPTON, BENJAMIN, Esq., Cumberland Place, Burnley. -LUPTON, JOSEPH TOWNEND, Esq., 28, Manchester Road, Burnley. -LOWE, J. W., Esq., St James’s Square, Manchester. - -MARSDEN, Rev. Canon, Great Oakley, Harwich, Essex. -MARSDEN, The Rev. W., Fullarton House, Upper Brook Street, M’chester. -MARSHALL, E. W., Esq., 38, Barton Arcade, Manchester. -MARSON, GERVASE, Esq., Thorncliffe House, Higher Broughton, Manchester. -MARSON, JAMES, Esq., High Cliffe, Warrington. -MASSEY, JOHN, Esq., J.P., Hawk’s House, near Burnley (_2 copies_). -MAYOR’S LIBRARY, The, Manchester, per Alderman Patteson. -McQUHAE, WILLIAM, Esq., 5, Stamford Street, Brooks’s Bar, Manchester. -McKENNA, BERNARD, Esq., Lea Grange, White Moss, Blackley, nr. M’chester. -McKERROW, Alderman JOHN B., J.P., Norcliffe, Broughton Park. -METCALF, WILLIAM, Esq., 2, Vernon Avenue, Eccles. -MIDDLETON, THOMAS, Esq., Springfield, Adlington, Lancashire. -MIDWOOD, G. H., 55, Faulkner Street, Manchester. -MILLS, WILLIAM, Esq., 12, New Brown Street, Manchester. -MILNER, GEORGE, Esq., 57a, Mosley Street, Manchester. -MITCHELL, WILLIAM, Esq., Brook Villa, Golbourne. -MOORE, D., Esq., Woodville, Bramhall, Cheshire. -MOORHOUSE, CHRISTOPHER, Esq., 4, St Paul’s Road, Kersal, Manchester. -MORTON, WILLIAM, Esq., 12, Brown Street, Manchester. -MOTHERSILL, EDWARD, Esq., Dane House, Sale, Cheshire. -MOULTON, GEORGE, Esq., Hall’s Crescent, Collyhurst. -MUIRHEAD, THOMAS S., Esq., Ash Lodge, Halliwell Lane, Cheetham. -MURRAY, Alderman (the late), Apsley House, Hyde Road, Manchester. -MYERS, HENRY, Esq., 140, Newcastle Street, Stretford Road, Manchester. - -NAPIER, GEORGE W., Esq., Merchistoun, Alderley Edge. -NEAL, WILLIAM, Esq., Ashton-under-Lyne. -NEWTON, WALTER, Esq., 69, Bridge Street, Manchester. -NEW, PHILIP N., Esq., 15, Baillie Street, Rochdale. -NORREYS, Miss, Davyhulme Hall, Lancashire. -NORTHCOTT, JAMES B., Esq., King Street, Manchester. - -OWEN, WILLIAM, Esq., Palmyra Square, Warrington. - -PARK, Rev. R., M.A., 3, The Crescent, Salford. -PARKER, EDWARD, Esq., Browsholme Hall, Yorkshire. -PATTESON, Alderman, J.P., Victoria Park, Manchester. -PEACOCK, RICHARD, Esq., Gorton Hall, near Manchester. -PERKINS, STANHOPE, Esq., 6, Healey Terrace, Fairfield, near Manchester. -PHILLIPS, JOHN WILLIAM, Esq., Brown Hill, Burnley. -PHILLIPS, Miss, Welcombe, Stratford-on-Avon. -PICCLES, THOMAS L., Esq., Rock Cottage, New Mills, Derbyshire. -PILKINGTON, JAMES, Esq., Swinithwaite Hall, Bedale, Yorkshire. -PINK, WM. DUNCOMBE, Esq., Leigh. -POOLEY, C. J., Esq., Knutsford. -POLLITT, JAMES, Esq., Guide House, Ashton-under-Lyne. -POOLEY, W. ORMSBY, Esq., J.P., Knutsford. -PORTICO LIBRARY, The, Mosley Street, Manchester. -POTTER, RUPERT, Esq., 2, Bolton Gardens, South Kensington, London, S.W. -POTTS, ARTHUR, Esq., Hoole Hall, Chester. -PRESTON, THOMAS, Esq., 92, Manchester Road, Burnley. - -RABY, WILLIAM, Esq., 78, Cross Street, Manchester. -RALPHS, SAMUEL, Esq., 56, Sandy Lane, Stockport. -RAMSBOTTOM, G. H., Esq., Altham Hall, near Accrington. -RAMSBOTHAM, JOHN, Esq., 22, Arbour Street, Southport (2 copies). -RAWSTHORNE, H., Esq., East Street, Preston. -REDHEAD, R. MILNE, Esq., Springfield, Seedley, Manchester (2 copies). -RICHMOND, T. G., Esq., Ford House, Prestbury. -RICHMOND, FRED, Esq., 163, Radnor Street, Hulme, Manchester. -RICHMOND, JAMES, Esq., Mosely House, Burnley. -RICKARDS, CHARLES H., Esq., J.P., Seymour Grove. Old Trafford, Manchester. -RIGBY, S., Esq. -ROBINSON, WILLIAM, Esq., The Hollies, Talbot Road, Old Trafford. -ROBSON, THOMAS W., Esq., 18, Aytoun Street, Manchester. -ROOKE, GEORGE, Esq., Moorside, Sale. -ROUNDELL, C. J., Esq., M.P., Osborne, Fernhurst, Hazlemere. -ROYLE, JOHN, Esq., 53, Port Street, Manchester. -ROYLANCE, E. W., Esq., Brookfield, Bury Old Rd., Cheetham Hill, M’chester. -RUMNEY, THOMAS, Esq., Hallcroft Cottage, Carnforth. -RUSHTON, THOMAS LEVER, Esq., Moor Platt, Horwich, near Bolton. -RYDER, T. D., Esq., St James’s Square, Manchester. -RYLANDS, J. PAUL, Esq., F.S.A., Highfields, Thelwall. -RYLANDS, W. HARRY, Esq., F.S.A., Biblical Archæological Society, - 11, Hart Street, Bloomsbury, London. - -SCHUNCK, J. EDGAR, Esq., Wicken Hall, near Rochdale. -SEVERS, FRED, Esq., 1, Dalton Terrace, Clayton St., Chorlton Rd., - M’chester. -SCOTT, JOHN OLDRED, Esq., 31, Spring Gardens, London, S.W. -SCHOFIELD, THOMAS, Esq., J.P, Thornfield, Old Trafford. -SHAW, GILES, Esq., 72, Manchester Road, Oldham. -SHIERS, GEORGE ALFRED, Esq., Tyntesfield, Ashton-upon-Mersey. -SHIERS, RICHARD, Jun., Esq., Earlscliffe, Bowdon, Cheshire. -SIDEBOTHAM, JOSEPH, Esq., F.R.A.S., F.L.S., F.S.A., Erlesden, Bowdon, - Cheshire. -SITWELL, R., Esq., Morley, Derby. -SLARK, J. and A., Esqrs., 41, Fishergate, Preston. -SMEAL, A., Esq., Ravensla, Whalley Road, Whalley Range, Manchester. -SMITH, ASTON W., Esq., The Old Hall, Bootle. -SMITH, BRYCE, Esq., 16, Nicholas Street, Manchester. -SMITH, GEORGE J. W., Esq., Savings Bank, Stockport. -SMITH, JAMES, Esq., Highfield, Edge Lane, Chorlton-cum-Hardy. -SMITH, Rev. J. FINCH, M.A., F.S.A., Aldridge Rectory, Walsall. -SMITH, J., Jun., Esq., Legh Street, Warrington. -SMITH, ROBERT McDOWELL, Esq., Crumpsall, near Manchester. -SMITH, WILLIAM, Esq., Adswood Grove, Stockport. -SMITH, J. J., Esq., King Street, Manchester. -SOWLER, Lieut.-Colonel, Oak Bank, Victoria Park, Manchester. -STANLEY, C. J., Esq., Halscote, Grange-over-Sands. -STANTON, HENRY, Esq., Greenfield, Thelwall. -STEVENS, JAMES, Esq., F.R.I.B.A., Lime Tree House, Macclesfield. -STEINTHAL, H. M., Esq., The Hollies, Fallowfield, near Manchester. -STUBS, PETER, Esq., Statham Lodge, Warrington. -STANYER, The Rev. W., 41. Corporation Street, Manchester. -STARKEY, Miss, Northwich, Cheshire. -STEVENS, EDWARD, Esq., Alderley Edge, Cheshire. -STRANGEWAY, WILLIAM N., Esq., 59, Westmoreland Rd., Newcastle-on-Tyne. -STANNING, Rev. J. H., The Vicarage, Leigh. -SUTCLIFFE, FRED, Esq., Ash Street, Bacup. -SYDDALL, JAMES, Esq., Chadkirk, Romily, Cheshire. - -TAYLOR, THOMAS, Esq., 33, St. James Street, Burnley. -THOMPSON, Alderman JOS., J.P., Riversdale, Wilmslow. -THORLEY, WILLIAM, Esq., Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Offices, - Manchester. -TOLLEY, THOMAS, Esq., Warrington. -TOPP, ALFRED, Esq., J.P., Farnworth. -TOULMIN, GEORGE, Esq, _Guardian_ Office, Preston. -TURNER, W., Esq., Rusholme. -TURNER, JOHN, Esq., Woodville, Lytham. -TWEEDALE, CHARLES LAKEMAN, Esq., Holmefield House, Crawshawbooth. - -UNDERDOWN, R. G., Esq., M. S. & L. Railway Company, Manchester. - -WADDINGTON, WILLIAM, Esq., Market Superintendent, Burnley. -WADDINGTON, WM. ANGELO, Esq., 5, Carlton Road, Burnley. -WALKDEN,—Esq., 16, Nicholas Street, Manchester. -WALKER, THOMAS, Esq., Oldfield, Cheshire. -WALMESLEY, OSWALD, Esq., Shevington Hall, near Wigan. -WALSH, Dr. JOHN, Stonyhurst, near Whalley, Lancashire. -WALTERS, CHARLES, Esq., Clegg Street, Oldham. -WARRINGTON, the Museum and Library. -WATTERSON, WM. CRAVEN, Esq., Hill Carr, Bowdon, Cheshire. -WAINWRIGHT, JOHN, Esq., Carlton Lodge, Stretford. -WARBURTON, JOHN, Esq., Fairlie Villas, Raspberry Road, Fallowfield. -WARBURTON, SAMUEL, Esq., Sunnyhill, Crumpsall, Manchester. -WARBURTON, HENRY, Esq., The Elms, Hendham Vale, Manchester. -WATERS, — Esq., Manchester. -WATTS, JAMES, Esq., Portland Street, Manchester. -WATTS, JOHN, Esq., 23, Cross Street, Manchester. -WEBB, F. W., Esq., Chester Place, Crewe. -WEBSTER, WILLIAM, Esq., Abbotsfield, St. Helens. -WHITE, CHARLES, Esq., Holly Villa, Warrington. -WHITTAKER, W. WILKINSON, Esq., Cornbrook Park, Manchester. -WHITEHEAD, EDWIN, Esq., The Hurst, Taunton Road, Ashton-under-Lyne. -WHITTAKER, ROBERT, Esq., Birch House, Lees, near Manchester. -WILD, ROBERT, Esq., 134, St. James’s Street, Burnley. -WILKINSON, A., Esq., Westbourne Grove, Harpurhey, Manchester. -WILKINSON, T. R., Esq., The Polygon, Ardwick, Manchester. -WILKINSON, JOHN, Esq., 25, Manor Street, Ardwick, Manchester. -WILKINSON, WILLIAM, Esq., M.A., Middlewood, Clitheroe. -WILSON, WILLIAM, Esq., Savings Bank, Stockport. -WILSON, C. M., Esq., Lancaster Villa, Broughton Park, Manchester. -WINTERBOTHAM, HENRY, Esq., F.R.C.S., Bury New Road, Manchester -WOLSTENHOLME, CHARLES, Esq., Richmond Hill, Bowdon, Cheshire. -WOOD, JOHN, Esq., J.P., Arden, near Stockport, -WOOD, RICHARD, Esq., J.P., Plimpton Hall, Heywood, near Manchester. -WOOD, WILLIAM, Esq., Woodville, Bramhall, Cheshire. -WOOD, W. C., Esq., Brimscall Hall, Chorley, Lancashire. -WORTHINGTON, ED., Esq., Appley Bridge, near Wigan. -WOODHOUSE, GEORGE, Esq., Heath Bank, Chorley New Road, Bolton. -WOOD, ROBERT, Esq., Drywood Hall, Worsley. -WORTHINGTON, Alderman T., 33, Church Street, Manchester. -WRIGHT, E., ABBOTT, Esq., Castle Park, Frodsham, Cheshire. - -YATES, J. W., Esq., Ashton-upon-Mersey. -YEOMAN, JOHN, Esq., 30, Union Street, Ardwick, Manchester. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -BOOKSELLERS. - - -BEMROSE & SONS, Derby. -BROWN & SONS, Macclesfield. -BUTLER, S., Altrincham. -BURGHOPE & STRANGE, Burnley. -BURGESS, HENRY, Northwich. - -COOKE, Stretford Road, Manchester. -CORNISH, J. E., Piccadilly and St. Ann’s Square, Manchester. - -DODGSON, J., Leeds. -DAY, T. J., Market Street, Manchester. -DOOLEY, HENRY, Stockport. - -GALT, J. & CO., Corporation Street, Manchester. -GRAY, HENRY, Topographical Bookseller, 25, Cathedral Yard, Manchester. -GRUNDY, 68, Woodhouse Lane, Wigan. - -HOWELL, E., Liverpool. -HOLDEN, ADAM, 48, Church Street, Liverpool. -HEYWOOD, ABEL & SON, Oldham Street, Manchester. - -KENYON, W., Newton Heath, Manchester. - -LITTLEWOOD, JAMES, Ashton-under-Lyne. -LUPTON, J. & A., Burnley. - -MINSHULL & HUGHES, Chester. - -PEARSE, J. C., Southport. -PEARSE, PERCIVAL, Warrington. -PHILLIPSON & GOLDER, Chester. -PLATT, RICHARD, Wigan. - -RIDER, Leek. -ROWORTH, St Ann’s Square, Manchester. -ROBINSON, Preston. - -SMITH, W. H. & SON, 1, New Brown Street, Manchester. -SMITH, W. H. & SON, L. & N. W. Railway and M. S. & L. Railway - Bookstalls, London Road Station, Manchester. -STOCK, ELLIOT, 62, Paternoster Row, London, E.C. - -TUBBS & BROOK, Market Street, Manchester. -TRÜBNER & CO., London. - -WALMSLEY, G. G., 50, Lord Street, Liverpool. - -YABSLEY & CO., Sale, Cheshire. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -NOOKS AND CORNERS - -OF - -LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -A RAILWAY RAMBLE—THE ROMAN CITY ON THE RIBBLE—A DAY-DREAM AT -RIBCHESTER. - - -On a bright morning in the exuberant summer time, ere the country had -lost the freshness of its earlier beauty, or the forest trees had -begun to bend beneath the weight of their blushing burdens, we found -ourselves on the platform of the Victoria Station with a friend, the -companion of many a pleasant wandering, equipped for a journey to the -fair country which skirts the base of Pendle Hill. We were both in high -spirits, and the beauty of the opening day added to our enjoyment The -morning was cool and clear, and radiant with the early sunshine—one -of those genial days when, as Washington Irving says, we seem to draw -in pleasure with the very air we breathe, and to feel happy we know -not why—the invigorating freshness of the atmosphere giving a pleasant -impulse to the spirits. There had been a slight fall of rain during the -night, but the breeze which followed had dried up the roadways, and -now all was bright and clear, and the unclouded sun poured down a flood -of brilliance that added to the charms of the early morn, imparting a -gladdening influence which even the sparrows seemed to share as they -flitted to and fro about the eaves with unceasing twitter. - -For some distance the railway is carried over the house-tops, and -as the train speeds along we can look down upon the dreary web of -streets, the labyrinth of dwellings, the groves of chimneys, the mills, -workshops, and brick-kilns, and the strange admixture of squalor, -wretchedness, and impurity that go to make up the royal borough of -Salford. Soon we reach the outskirts, where the country still struggles -to maintain its greenness; then, after a short stoppage at Pendleton, -we enter upon the pleasant vale of Clifton, where we are enabled to -breathe the balmy atmosphere and drink in the fresh fragrance of the -flower-bespangled meads. Pleasant is it to escape from the gloomy -hives of brick, with their busy human throng, and to look abroad upon -the expanse of country reposing in the summer sunshine. The gentle -showers of the night seem to have refreshed the thirsty soil, and to -have given an invigorating aspect to the landscape, imparting to the -turf a brighter hue, and to the trees which clothe the folding bluffs a -brighter tinge of colouring, whilst the sunlight gleams upon the fields -and on the already ripening grain, and sparkles upon the lingering -rain-drops that hang like strings of pearls from every bush and twig. -On the left the quaint old hall of Agecroft, with its picturesque black -and white gables, twinkles through the wind-shaken leaves; the Irwell -meanders pleasantly through the fertile meadows on the right; and -beyond, the grey embattled tower of Prestwich Church may be seen rising -prominently above the umbraged slopes that bound the opposite side of -the valley. - -[Illustration] - -On, on we go with a screech and a roar, rattling over viaducts, -rumbling through rocky cuttings, rushing along steep embankments; -then rolling rapidly again over the level country, from whence we -can look back upon the dingy town of Bolton, memorable in the -annals of the great civil war as the place where the martyr Earl of -Derby sealed his loyalty with his life. The changing aspect of the -country now becomes manifest. Every mile brings a fresh picture, and -the variety itself adds to the interest of the journey. The land is -prettily featured—green and undulating, with well-wooded cloughs and -shady dingles, backed by lofty gritstone ridges, which here and there -soften into slopes of fertile beauty that form an admirable relief -to the pale blue hills which stretch away to the furthest point of -distance. Just before reaching the station at Chapeltown we get sight -of Turton Tower, a fine old relic of bygone days, once the home of -Manchester’s most noted “worthy”—Humphrey Chetham—and for a time, as -tradition tells us, the abode of Oliver Cromwell; and close by is -a picturesque gabled summer-house, surmounting a gentle eminence, -that forms a conspicuous object for miles around. Still onward, past -scattered hamlets, past mills, bleachworks, and collieries; past -farms, cottages, and old-fashioned timber-built dwellings that more or -less merit the appellation of “hall” applied to them; past meadows, -fields, and pastures, where the hedgerows and trees seem to revolve -in a never-ending reel, while the telegraph wires that stretch from -post to post rise and fall in a succession of graceful genuflexions. -On, on! Small streams are crossed, bridges are shot through, and then -the “express” thunders past with a deafening roar, almost terrifying -the life out of a nervous old lady who sits opposite to us, and who, -on recovering her breath, feels instinctively inside her left-hand -glove to make sure that her ticket has not been spirited away by the -fiery iron monster. Darwen—cold, stony-looking Darwen—is passed, and -presently Blackburn is reached, where a few minutes is considerately -allowed to stretch our legs and look about us. The prospect, however, -is not altogether lovely, and the people are as little prepossessing in -appearance as the place itself, so that we are not sorry when our brief -respite is brought to an abrupt termination by the sharp “Now then, -gentlemen,” of the guard, when, resuming our seats, the carriage door -is slammed to by that energetic official. - -A few puffs, a whistle, and a screech, and we are moving swiftly over -the green landscape again. The meadows widen, and the trees and hedges -fly past as if driven by the whirlwind. Onwards, on and on, until -we reach the little roadside station that forms the terminus of our -railway journey. - -Ribchester, for that is the name of the station, is Ribchester station -only by courtesy[1]—the old Roman town whose name has been somewhat -unceremoniously appropriated being a good three miles away; so that -we shall have to lengthen our walk considerably before we reach the -Roman _Rigodunum_. On leaving the station we turn to the left, and -then, crossing the railway bridge, follow an ascending path that leads -past a few squalid-looking cottages which stand irregularly along the -edge of a tract of common land—the grazing ground of an impassive -donkey and of a flock of geese that begin to sibilate and crane their -necks spitefully as we go by. A little brick chapel with a bell-cot at -one end stands on the further side of the green, and close by is the -village school. Leaving this uninviting spot, we continue our walk past -a few waste-looking fields and across the level summit of an eminence -the verdant slopes of which stretch away on either side. Presently the -road descends, winding hither and thither between pleasant hedgerows -and embossed banks, garlanded with the gaily-coloured flowers of the -exuberant summer time, “the jewels of earth’s diadem,” speaking of Him - - Whose hand hath shed wild flowers - In clefts o’ the rock, and clothed green knolls with grass, - And clover, and sweet herbs and honey dews, - Shed in the starlight bells, where the brown bees - Draw sweets. - -[Note 1: Wilpshire is the name now given to the station.] - -At every turn we get pretty snatches of scenery, with glimpses of -cattle-dappled pastures and green fields, where the black, glossy rooks -are hovering about and cawing loudly to each other as if discussing the -result of their recent entomological researches. Looking across the -country the high downs are seen with their broad green cloud-mottled -shoulders, half-hiding the undulating hills that stretch away along -the dim blue line of the horizon. By-and-by Ribblesdale, one of the -prettiest vales in the kingdom, opens upon us. Below, the river winds -its snake-like course through the meadows, its ample bosom gleaming -in the sun like molten silver. On the right, lying low among the tall -ash-trees, is Salesbury Hall, a quaint half-timbered mansion, once the -abode of a branch of the great family of the Talbots, one of whom aided -in the capture of the unfortunate Henry VI., and previously the home -successively of the Salesburys, the Cliderhows, and the Mauleverers. -Conspicuous on the further side of the valley are seen the stately -towers of Stonyhurst crowning a wooded slope, that swells gradually up -from the margin of the Hodder, forming one of the spurs of Longridge -Fell. Looking up the valley, the eye takes in the long-backed slopes -of Pendle Hill, the abrupt elevation on which stands the ruined keep -of Clitheroe Castle, the wooded heights of Wiswell and Whalley, the -dark-hued moorlands that extend to the ancient forests of Bowland, with -Bleasdale Moor, Waddington Fell, and the screen of hills that sweep -round in an irregular circle to meet the huge form of Longridge Fell -lying upon the landscape like a monster couchant. - -A quaint relic of the olden time stands by the wayside on the left. A -gabled mansion of the time of the Second Charles, now occupied by a -farmer, but still bearing the name of New Hall, though, as the date -(1665) testifies, the storms of more than two hundred winters have -broken upon it since George Talbot, a younger son of Sir John of -that name, placed his initials and the crest of his family above the -doorway. At this point the road diverges to the right, and a few paces -bring us to the margin of the Ribble, when a charming prospect meets -the eye, a prospect that would have delighted the heart of Cuyp had -he had the opportunity of sketching it. There was no stir or fret—no -excitement. All was calm, placid, and serene. The swift and shallow -Ribble lay before us, sparkling and glistening all over, save on the -further side, where a row of trees that fringed the roadway flung the -broad shadows of their spreading branches upon its placid bosom. There -was a Sabbath-like peace in the air, and the stillness of a summer -day lay profoundly as a trance upon the scene. An old-fashioned punt, -moored to the side, lazily dragged its creaking chain, and now and -then chafed itself against the bank as the motion of the water gently -swayed it to and fro. Before us Ribchester Bridge lay bestriding the -stream—its broad circular arches reflected in the water with a distinct -vividness that was interrupted only at intervals when their image was -broken into a quivering indistinctness as a passing gust rippled the -mirrored bosom of the water. As we stood gazing upon the scene, a boat -borne by the current slowly glided down the river, looking like a bird -suspended in the blue of heaven. The oars were poised in the rowlocks, -and the water, dripping from their flashing blades, fell upon the -glassy surface, and spread out in widening silver rings that floated -slowly onwards. - -[Illustration: RIBCHESTER BRIDGE.] - -Crossing the bridge, at the foot of which stands a comfortable inn—the -De Tabley Arms—we wound away to the left, following the bold sweep of -the Ribble, and a few moments later entered the “Aunciente Towne” of -Ribchester. Ribchester! What visions of antiquity float before the -imagination as the stranger enters this little unpretending village, -for town it can now hardly be called. What memories of the past are -awakened at the mere mention of the name. The old distich, which the -inhabitants still take pride in repeating, tells us that - - It is written upon a wall in Rome - Ribchester was as rich as any toune in Christendome.[2] - -[Note 2: Camden’s Britannia, Ed. 1586, p. 431.] - -The first glimpse, even were we unsupported by tradition, would lead -us to believe that this part of the valley of the Ribble was even in -earliest times a place of some importance, for, admirably protected by -Nature, and adapted as it must then have been to the requirements of -an untamed and uncivilised race, it was hardly likely to have escaped -the searching eye of our Celtic forefathers, being then protected by -naked marshes, and flanked on each side by lofty eminences, with a -wide river between on which their slim coracles might float; whilst -adjacent was the great forest of Bowland, the haunt of the wolf, the -boar, and other wild animals, whose skins would supply clothing, and -their flesh sustenance, to the hardy hunter. Whether the primeval -Britons established a colony here or not, certain it is that when the -more refined subjects of the Cæsars had established themselves as -conquerors of the country, Ribchester attained to a high degree of -eminence, and became one of the richest and most important stations -in the newly-acquired territory. For the greater protection and -security of the conquered lands in the North, Agricola constructed -a chain of forts from one extremity of Lancashire to the other, -and occupying the sites now held by Lancaster, Ribchester, Walton, -Blackrod, Manchester, Overborough, and Colne. The most important -of these stations, as evidenced by the richness and variety of the -remains that have at different times been discovered, was the one at -Ribchester. The place lost its pre-eminence after the fall of the -Roman government in Britain, but the foundation of its buildings long -defied the ravages of time, though now the searching eye can scarce -discover the faintest relic of their former existence. Leland, the -old topographer, who visited the place in the early part of the 16th -century, says: “Ribchester is now a poore thing; it hath beene an -Auncient Towne. Great squared stones, voultes, and antique coynes be -found ther: and ther is a place wher that the people fable wher that -the Jues had a temple.”[3] No doubt the temple existed, for the remains -of it have been traced in later times, but it was Pagan and not Jewish, -and was dedicated, as Dr. Whitaker supposed from an inscription found -upon the site, by an empress or princess of the Imperial Roman family -to the goddess Minerva. Ribchester has been prolific in remains of -Roman art, and many of the altars, statues, bronzes, and “antique -coynes” that have been dug up have been carried away to enrich the -archæological museums of other parts of the country, or have found -their way into those of private collectors, where they are practically -lost to the student of antiquity, for, unfortunately, there is hardly -a town in Lancashire which possesses a museum worthy of the name where -such exhumed treasures might find a fitting resting-place. Pennant -mentions having seen a sculpture, discovered on digging a grave in -the churchyard, representing a Roman soldier carrying a _labarum_, -or standard of cavalry; but perhaps the most remarkable relic is -the elaborately ornamented bronze helmet found in 1796, familiar to -antiquaries by the engravings which have appeared in the _Vetusta -Monumenta_, and in the histories of Whitaker and Baines. So lately as -the beginning of the present century a Roman house and hypocaust were -brought to light whilst excavating the foundations for a building on -the banks of the river; altars dedicated to various divinities have on -different occasions been unearthed, with other memorial stones, coins, -pottery, glass, articles of personal adornment, ampullæ, fibulæ, &c; -and even in recent times, though less frequently than of yore, when the -earth is removed to any considerable depth relics are turned up which -help to illustrate the habits and customs of the Roman settlers, and -prove the wide diffusion of the elegant and luxurious modes of life it -was their aim to introduce. - -[Note 3: Itinerary IV., fol. 39.] - -It requires no great stretch of the imagination to picture the -Ribchester of those far-off days. The picture, it is true, may be only -shadowy and indistinct seen through the long distance which intervenes; -but, carrying the mind back to those remote times, let us contemplate -the scene presented to our fancied gaze. It is Britain—Britain in -the darkest period of its history, the Britain of Caractacus and -Boadicea—but how great the contrast from the Britain of to-day! A broad -flowing river separates us from the opposite land, the tide flows up, -and the wavelets break monotonously upon the shore. Before us and on -each side rise gently swelling hills clothed with dense forests of -oak—primeval monarchs that have budded and flourished and shed their -leaves through long centuries of silent solitude. There are no towns -or villages, no fertile meadows and rich pasture fields; not a sign of -a habitation can we discern save here and there where the dark woods -have been thinned, and a solitary hut, rudely constructed of wood and -wattles, bears evidence of man’s existence. Looking more closely into -the picture, we can discover the naked and painted forms of human -beings—men eager, impetuous, brave, armed with javelin and spear, and -ready to engage with any chance foe that may cross their path whilst -seeking for their prey among the wild beasts of their native woods. - -Gradually the view dissolves. Softly, slowly, it fades away, and -darkness overspreads the scene. Hark! The sound of distant strife -breaks faintly upon the ear; there is a rumble of war chariots and -the hollow tramp of legionaries; then a fire blazes on the top of -Longridge Fell, lighting up the heavens with a ruddy glare; the signal -is answered by successive flashes from Pendle Hill and from beacons -more remote. In a moment the scene is alive with the forms of men armed -with spear and shield, hurrying to and fro, brandishing their javelins -with impatient haste, eager to meet the coming foe. Meanwhile the -conquering eagles of imperial Rome are seen advancing. Cohort follows -cohort, and legion succeeds to legion. With measured pace and steady -tread they come. There is the shock of mortal combat; the valley echoes -with the clang of arms and the fell shout of war; and Briton and Roman -are struggling together for conquest and for life. - - The hardy Briton struggled with his foe, - Dared him to battle on the neighb’ring height; - And dusky streamlets reddened with the flow - From heroes dying for their country’s right. - - Their simple weapons ’gainst the serried ranks, - Full disciplined in war, were hurled in vain; - Well greaved and helmeted, the firm phalanx - Received their fierce attack in proud disdain. - -It is over. Undisciplined valour yields to superior military skill, and -the heroic Britons, defeated but not subdued, are driven for refuge -within the fastnesses of their native woods, leaving those green slopes -crimsoned with the life-blood of a people who, if they knew not how to -fight, knew at least how valiant men should die. - -Another tableau of history succeeds. Order arises out of disorder. -After many struggles, in which her greatest generals have taken part, -Rome, by her obstinate bravery, has succeeded in carrying her eagles -northward as far as the banks of the Tay. The line of conquest is -marked by a chain of forts erected with masterly judgment to keep -in check the more disaffected of the northern tribes, and these -strongholds are connected by a network of military ways, the course of -which, after a lapse of eighteen centuries, may still be discerned—a -proof that the Roman road makers were no despicable engineers. - -One of these military ways—the one from _Mancunium_ (Manchester)—led -through Ribchester, and, passing Stoneygate, climbed the rugged slopes -of Longridge Fell and along the tops of the hills, whence, taking an -easterly direction, it traversed the Forest of Bowland, and thence -continued to _Eboracum_ (York). Though their levels were chosen on -different principles, the lines they followed were indicated by the -great features of nature, and were pretty much the same as those -adopted by the makers of our modern iron roads. Long centuries after -the Roman had taken his departure these military roads formed the -great highways of traffic. The tracks traversed by Agricola and his -victorious legionaries have since been trodden in succession by Pict -and Scot, by Plantagenet and Tudor, by Cavalier and Roundhead, by the -hapless followers of the ill-fated Stuart, and by the ruthless soldiery -of the Hanoverian King, and in later and more peaceful times by long -lines of pack-horses, laden with the products of the Lancashire looms. - -Agricola, having now satisfied his thirst for military glory, has -become a pacificator and law-giver in the newly-acquired provinces. The -subjugated natives, attracted by the fame of the illustrious Roman, -steal from their hiding places in the woods, and learn the manners and -customs of civilisation, and with them, it is to be feared, vices which -before they knew not of. - -Turn we again. Another picture dawns upon us, dimly and obscurely -enough at first, but becoming more distinctly visible as the darkness -fades away. The appearance of the people is changed, and the aspect of -the country has changed with them. Time has passed on—the river that we -before gazed upon still flows on as of yore, though somewhat narrowed -in its proportions. The woods now ring with the war clarion of the -invincible auxiliaries; the wattled huts have disappeared; and in the -assart space they occupied a flourishing city is seen, with halls and -porticoes and statues, in humble imitation of the then magnificence -of the city that crowns the seven hills. Where the oaks grew thick, -and the wild bull, the wolf, and the boar reigned in undisputed -possession, a military fortification has been built, with ramparts -and towers and turrets, and close by, to celebrate the subjugation -of the brave Brigantes, a pagan temple has been reared in honour of -Minerva, for the sound of glad tidings has not yet come across the -sea. The scene is one of bustle and organisation. Here, on the quay, -merchants are congregated with traders from Gaul and Phœnicia, and -adventurers from more distant lands, bartering earthenware, implements -of agriculture, and other commodities which those colonists of the old -world have brought with them, for the treasures of the soil. There a -gang of labouring captives, sullen and unwilling, are toiling under -the eye of their relentless taskmasters. Strange-looking vessels -are borne upon the bosom of the stream, unwieldy in form, with long -lines of oars shooting out from each side, and prows resplendent with -paint and gilding, standing high up out of the water. Now and then a -gaily-decorated galley floats past, freighted with fair Olympias, or -bearing, perchance, some tender Sistuntian maid, whose loving heart, -flinging aside the trammels of religion and race, has cast her lot -with the conquerors of the land. Under the shadow of that wall a -sentinel, in classic garb, with helmet and sandal, paces his measured -round, and, pausing now and then, leans upon his spear, and muses -upon the scenery of his own German home. Within the garrison all is -gaiety and enthusiasm; there are marchings and countermarchings, and -transmissions of signals, and relievings of guard. How the lances -glitter in the light, and the brazen helmets reflect the glory of -the midday sun. Here are gathered fighting men from all parts of -Europe—Dalmatians, Thracians, and Batavians—who are talking over the -victories of the past, and thinking, perhaps, of those timorous eyes -that beamed tenderly upon them, and wept their departure from their -distant homes—Moors of swarthy hue from the shores of Africa, whose -dark skins have flashed terror into the souls of the pale Northern -tribes; stern-visaged Frisians from the marshes of Holland; and -stalwart Asturians, with veteran warriors who have fought through many -a campaign and earned for themselves the proud title of conquerors of -the world. - -The conquerors of the world! Time has passed rapidly on, and Rome, -the vaunted mistress of the world, with difficulty grasps her own. -Pierced by barbarian hordes, torn by intestine wars, weakened at heart -and tottering to her ruin, her last legions have been recalled for -her own defence, and the fair provinces of the West are abandoned to -the Northern savages, who come, as Gildas relates, “like hungry and -ravening wolves rushing with greedy jaws upon the fold.” - - Yet once again, a change—and lo! - The Roman even himself must go; - While Dane and Saxon scatter wide - Each remnant of his power and pride. - -Enfeebled by long submission to the Roman yoke, deprived of the -protection of the forces of the empire, the flower of her youth drafted -away to swell the armies of the Emperors Maximus and Constantine, -Britain is left in a state of utter defencelessness, and speedily -becomes a prey to those warlike hordes that come pouring in from the -maritime provinces of Germany, Norway, and Sweden. The period that -follows is one of anarchy and confusion, of Saxon conquest and Danish -spoliation. - -But we pass on. Another picture is shadowed forth, and what is this -that meets the gaze? The scene of fierce war and angry passions, of -conquest and oppression, of barbaric rudeness and pagan splendour, is -now a desolate and deserted waste, where the frail creations of man -are blended with the ever-enduring works of God. The relentless foot -of Time has pressed heavily upon these wrecks of human greatness—a few -straggling walls, a ruined temple, pavements worn down by the tread of -many a Roman foot, broken columns, with fragments of masonry, are all -the vestiges that remain to denote the ancient importance of the Roman -_Rigodunum_—all the signs that are left to point out where merchants -gathered and where warriors prepared for conquest and for fame. - -The departure of the Roman legionaries inflicted a heavy blow on the -fortunes of the city. The period of Saxon conquest was followed by the -descent of the wild Scandinavian marauders—the Jarls and sea-kings of -the North, who, with their piratical hordes, swept the country, leaving -the red mark of death and desolation in their wake. - - What time the Raven flapped his gory wing, - And scoured the White Horse o’er this harried realm; - His crowded galley brought the dread Viking, - Lust at his prow, and rapine at the helm. - -The splendour of Ribchester must have waned rapidly, for after the -overthrow of Harold on the red field of Hastings, when the victorious -Norman made his great survey of the conquered country, it had become -so insignificant as to be accounted a mere village dependent upon -Preston, then rising into note. Yet it did not escape the fury of the -invading Scot, whose footsteps were everywhere marked with blood and -destruction, for in one of those frequent incursions after the defeat -at Bannockburn—when, as old Hollinshead tells us, the victorious Bruce -marched his army through Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Lancaster to -Preston—the miserable inhabitants were driven from their homes, and the -place burned to the ground. Subsequently its fortunes revived, and for -a time it could boast of having no less than three fairs, an evidence -of its increased importance. In the unhappy struggle between Charles -the First and his Parliament it was the scene of an encounter (April, -1643) between the Royalist forces, led by the Earl of Derby, and the -Parliamentarian levies, commanded by Colonel Shuttleworth, resulting -in a victory for the latter; and tradition says that five years later -(August, 1648) Cromwell slept at the old white house, opposite the -Strand, on the night before the memorable battle of Ribblesdale, and -there, with Major-General Ashton, matured the plan of those operations -which ere the next setting of the sun had proved fatal to the Duke of -Hamilton, and tinged the flowing river with the blood of his Scottish -followers as deeply as their ancestors had dyed it with English blood -three centuries before. In more peaceful times, when the cotton trade -was yet in its infancy, hand-loom weaving flourished, and formed the -staple industry; but the day of prosperity has passed, and the place -has now dwindled down to the condition of a mean and insignificant -country village, old-fashioned in aspect and quiet enough for the grass -to grow in the narrow and painfully-ill-paved streets that struggle on -towards the river. So lifeless looking is it that were it not for a few -loiterers standing about the doorway of the “Bull,” and that we now and -then hear the clack of the shuttle, it would seem - - Like one vast city of the dead, - Or place where all are dumb. - -After long centuries of vicissitude and change, except the shadowy -memories of the past, the ancient parish church is almost the only -object that remains to arrest the steps of the inquiring wayfarer, -and this well deserves examination. Tradition hovers about the place, -and tells us that after the conversion of King Edwin, the great -missionary Paulinus here proclaimed the glad tidings of salvation, in -commemoration of which event the symbol of the Christian’s faith—the -cross—was planted, contemporaneously with those in the neighbouring -churchyard of Whalley; and that the first “modest house of prayer” -was erected on the spot once occupied by the temple of Minerva. The -late Canon Raines believed the church at Ribchester was coeval in -antiquity with that at Whalley. It is the work of many hands and many -separate eras, and, as may be supposed, exhibits many different styles -of architecture. The oldest part is undoubtedly the chancel, the -windows of which are, for the most part, of the narrow lancet style, -showing that it must have been built about the year 1220. Portions of -the nave and the north aisle exhibit the rich detail of the Decorated -period, and the tower bears evidence that it is of later date, the main -features being of Perpendicular character. In the south wall of the -chancel is an ancient arched sedilia, with a piscina and credence table -attached, and on the north side is a solid block of stone, whereon -are carved three heraldic shields bearing the arms of the Hoghtons -and some of their alliances. This stone is commonly supposed to be a -tomb, but it is more probable that it was intended as a seat in times -when only the patron and some of his more influential neighbours were -so accommodated, the general body of worshippers standing or kneeling -during the services of the Church. The Hoghtons, whose arms it bears, -were for generations lords of Ribchester, and one of them, Sir Richard -Hoghton, in 1405, founded and endowed the chantry on the north side -known as the “Lady Chapel,” in which are still preserved the remains of -the ancient altar and piscina. - -Our story is told, and we now draw the veil over these grass-grown -by-ways of the past. Eighteen centuries have rolled by since Agricola -planted his eagles on the northern shores of the Ribble; for 400 -years the Roman wrought and ruled; Saxon and Dane and Norman have -followed in his wake, and each successive race has left its distinctive -peculiarities stamped upon the institutions of the country. In that -time kingdoms and empires have risen and passed away, generation after -generation has come and gone. The old hills still lift their heads to -the breezes of heaven, the stream flows on as of yore, and the sun -shines with the same splendour as it shone in those ancient days—but -where are they who peopled the busy scene? - - They are vanished - Into the air, and what seemed corporal melted. - -With Cassius we might exclaim,— - - They are fled away and gone, - And in their stead the ravens, crows, and kites - Fly o’er our heads. - -The splendid civilisation which the Roman colonists brought with them -did not long outlive their departure. The strongholds they built, the -palaces they reared, have disappeared. Where once gleamed the spears of -the Imperial soldiery the plough now passes and the harvest smiles. The -Roman has passed away, and the glory of Ribchester has passed away with -him, scarcely a stone now remaining to tell the story of its former -greatness. - -[Illustration: MARPLE HALL.] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - MARPLE HALL—THE BRADSHAWS—COLONEL HENRY BRADSHAW THE STORY OF THE - REGICIDE. - - -Cheshire abounds with ancient houses, but few, if any, of them are more -interesting from their historical or traditional associations than -Marple Hall, the home of Colonel Henry Bradshaw, the noted Cromwellian -soldier, and the place where his younger brother, “Judge” Bradshaw, -passed the earlier years of his eventful life. It is one of the few old -mansions of the county that have remained to the descendants of the -earlier possessors, and though located in close proximity to a district -singularly at variance with associations awakened by the time-honoured -memorials of bygone days, is yet surrounded by much that is picturesque -and attractive. - -The house, which stands a mile or more away from the straggling village -from which it takes its name, is within the compass of a pleasant walk -from Stockport or Hazel Grove, but it is more readily approached from -the Rose Hill Station of the Macclesfield and Bollington Railway. -It cannot be seen from the highway, but an antiquated and somewhat -stately looking gateway, a few yards from the station, gives admission -to a tree-shaded drive that leads across the park, at the further end -of which the quaint old pile comes in view, standing upon a natural -platform or terrace, with a lichened and moss-grown wall on the further -side, all grey and weather-worn, that extends along the edge of the -precipice on which it is built. The shelving slopes below are clothed -with shrubs and trees that furnish a pleasant shade in the summer time; -wild flowers in abundance peep out from the clefts and crevices; and -were our visit made in the earlier months of the year, while the white -fringe of nature’s weaving yet lingers upon the skirts of winter’s -mantle, we should find the acclivities plentifully besprinkled with -the pale and delicate blossoms of the snowdrop—the firstling of the -year awakening from its lengthened sleep to proclaim the reanimation -of the vegetable world. At the foot of the cliff is a sequestered -dingle with a still pool, the remains, possibly, of a former moat or -mere,[4] that gleams in the green depths, and a tiny rivulet that looks -up through the overhanging verdure as it wanders on in pastoral and -picturesque seclusion. The well-wooded heights of Thorncliffe shut -in this bosky dell from the valley of the Goyt, across which, from -the terraced heights, there is a delightful view in the direction of -Werneth Low, the Arnfield and Woodhead Moors, and the range of green -uplands and dusky eminences which stretch away in long succession to -the pale blue hills that in the remote distance bound the landscape. -There this interesting memorial of the stormiest period of England’s -history stands in peaceful serenity, lifting its dark stone front above -the surrounding offices and outbuildings, with its high-peaked gables -draped with a luxurious mantle of ivy that softens the sterner outlines -into beauty, its long, low, mullioned windows, and its entrance tower -and balcony above, now protected by a latticed railing, so as to form a -kind of observatory, and which once had the addition of a cupola. - -[Note 4: The name, anciently written Mer-pull, seems to be a corruption -of Mere-pool. A little lower down the river is Otters-pool, and these -two point to the conclusion that the Goyt had at one time a much -greater breadth here than it has now.] - - High on a craggy steep it stands, - Near Marple’s fertile vale, - An ancient ivy-covered house - That overlooks the dale. - - And lofty woods of elm and oak - That ancient house enclose, - And on the walls a neighb’ring yew - It sombre shadow throws. - - A many-gabled house it is, - With antique turret crowned, - And many a quaint device, designed - In carvings rude, is found. - -So says Mr. Leigh, in one of his “Legendary Ballads of Cheshire.” The -first glimpse gives evidence of the fact that it has been erected at -different periods, additions having been made from time to time as the -convenience or requirements of successive occupants have dictated; -but none of these are of modern date, or in any way detract from its -venerable aspect. On the south a lofty wall encloses the garden and a -court that occupies the entire front of the house. Tall pillars of the -Carolinian period, supporting a pair of gates of metal-work, forming -the principal entrance, give admission to this court; and if the -wayfarer is fortunate enough to be provided with an introduction, or if -with a taste for antiquarian investigation he unites the manners of a -gentleman, he may rely upon a courteous reception. - -The time of our visit is a pleasant autumn afternoon. The trees and -hedges are in the fulness of their summer verdure; but the waning of -the year is evidenced by the lengthened shadows, the warm golden hue -that is deepening upon the landscape, and the russet, purple, and -yellow with which the woods, though green in the main, are touched. -Turning suddenly to the right, we quit the highway, and saunter -leisurely along the broad gravelled path. As we approach the gates -we become conscious that something unusual is astir. Pedestrians are -wending their way towards the hall; occasionally a carriage rattles -past; and then, as we draw near, the sounds of mirth and minstrelsy -break upon the ear. Passing through the old gateway leading to the -court, we find groups of people on the lawn, and the lady of the house -is flitting to and fro with a pleasant word and a kindly greeting for -every one. A _fête champêtre_ is being held in the grounds, and a fancy -fair is going on in one of the outbuildings, which has been smartened -up and decorated for the occasion, the proceeds of the sale, we are -told, going towards the rebuilding of - - The decent church that tops the neighbouring hill, - -or rather the building of a new one by its side, which, when finished, -is to supersede it. A “steeple-house,” forsooth! At the very mention -of the name a host of memories are conjured up. For a moment the mind -wanders back along the dim avenues of the past to the stormy days -of Cavalier and Roundhead, and we think of the mighty change the -whirligig of time has brought about since Bradshaw’s fanatical soldiery -bivouacked here, ready to plunder and profane the sanctuary, and to -destroy, root and branch, hip and thigh, the “sons of Belial” who -sought solace within its walls, or, as Hudibras has it:— - - Reduce the Church to Gospel order, - By rapine, sacrilege, and murder. - -Happily, fate has not ordained that we should sleep here this night; -for Marple, be it remembered, has its ghost chamber—what ancient house -with any pretensions to importance has not?—and if the shades of the -departed can at the “silent, solemn hour, when night and morning meet,” -revisit this lower world, those of the stern old Puritan colonel and -the grim-visaged “Lord President” would assuredly disturb our slumber. - -But let us quit the shadowy realms of legend and romance, and betake -ourselves to that of sober, historic fact. After the overthrow of -Harold on the fatal field of Hastings, Marple passed into the hands -of Norman grantees, and in the days of the earlier Plantagenet Kings -formed part of the possessions of the barons of Stockport, being held -by them under the Earl of Chester on the condition of finding one -forester for the Earl’s forest of Macclesfield. The lands, with those -of Wyberslegh, in the same township, were, some time between the years -1209 and 1229, given by Robert de Stockport as a marriage portion to -his sister Margaret on her marriage with William de Vernon, afterwards -Chief Justice of Chester, a younger son of the Baron of Shipbrooke, who -through his mother had acquired the lands of Haddon, in Derbyshire; -and from that time Marple formed part of the patrimony of the lords -of Haddon until the death of Sir George Vernon, the renowned “King -of the Peak,” in 1567, a period of three centuries and a half, the -estates being then divided between his two daughters, Haddon with other -property in Derbyshire devolving upon Dorothy Vernon, the heroine of -the romantic elopement with Sir John Manners, the ancestor of the Dukes -of Rutland, whilst Marple and Wyberslegh fell to the lot of Margaret, -the wife of Sir Thomas Stanley of Winwick, the second son of Edward -Earl of Derby—that Earl of whom Camden says that “with his death the -glory of hospitality seemed to fall asleep.” Their son, Sir Edward -Stanley, of Tonge Castle, in Shropshire, having no issue, sold the -manor and lands of Marple in small lots to Thomas Hibbert,[5] chaplain -to Lord Keeper Bridgman, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Henry -Bradshaw, of Marple, and who was the grandfather of the celebrated -divine, Henry Hibbert. - -[Note 5: Thomas Hibbert was the direct ancestor of the Hibberts of -Birtles, and (until recently) of Hare Hill, near Alderley.] - -Some time about the year 1560 the Henry Bradshaw here named, who -was a younger son of William Bradshaw, of Bradshaw Hall, near -Chapel-en-le-Frith, the representative of an old Lancashire family of -Saxon origin, seated at Bradshaw, near Bolton, from a time anterior -to the Conquest, and which had been dispossessed and repossessed -of its estates by the Norman invaders, married Dorothy, one of the -daughters and co-heirs of George Bagshawe, of the Ridge, in the parish -of Chapel-en-le-Frith, a family that in a later generation numbered -amongst its members the eminent Nonconformist divine, William Bagshawe, -better known as the “Apostle of the Peak,” and became tenant of a -house in Marple called The Place, still existing, and forming part -of the Marple estate. By this marriage he had a son bearing his own -baptismal name, and, in addition, two daughters, Elizabeth, who became -the wife of Thomas Hibbert as already stated, and Sarah, who is said -by some genealogists—though on what authority is not clear—to have -been the wife of John Milton, the wealthy scrivener, of Bread Street, -London, and the mother of England’s great epic poet, whom John Bradshaw -in his will spoke of as his “kinsman John Milton.” - -In 1606, as appears by a deed among the Marple muniments, dated 7th -July, 4 James, Henry Bradshaw the elder, therein styled a “yoman,” -purchased from Sir Edward Stanley, for the sum of £270, certain -premises in Marple and Wyberslegh, comprising a messuage and tenement, -with its appurtenances, another tenement situate in Marple or -Wibersley, and a close commonly called The Place, the said premises -being at the time, as is stated, partly occupied by Henry Bradshaw -the elder and partly by Henry Bradshaw the younger, his son and -heir-apparent. The estate at that time must have been comparatively -small. Two years later (30th June, 1608), as appears by the Calendar -of Recognizance Rolls of the Palatinate of Chester, now deposited -in the Record Office, London, Henry Bradshaw, to further secure his -title, obtained an enrolment of the charter of Randal Earl of Chester, -granting in free-forestry Merple and Wibreslega, as they are there -called, with lands in Upton and Macclesfield, to Robert, son of Robert -de Stockport; and another enrolment of the charter of Robert de -Stockport, granting to William Vernon, and Margery his wife, the lands -of Marple and Wybersley, from which William and Margery the property -passed, as we have said, by successive descents to Sir Edward Stanley, -from whom Bradshaw acquired it. - -Henry Bradshaw the younger, following the example of his father, -also married an heiress, thus further adding to the territorial -possessions, as well as to the social status, of his house, his wife -being Catherine, the younger of the two daughters and co-heirs of -Ralph Winnington, the last male representative of a family seated for -seven generations at Offerton Hall, a building still standing near -the highroad midway between Stockport and Marple, though now shorn of -much of its former dignity. The registers of Stockport show that they -were married there on the 4th February, 1593. To them were born four -sons and two daughters. William, the eldest, died in infancy. With -Henry, born in 1600, and John, born in 1602, we are more immediately -concerned, for it is round them that the interest and the associations -of Marple chiefly gather. - -The elder Bradshaw, the founder of the Marple line, died in 1619-20, -when Henry, his son, who had then been a widower sixteen years, -succeeded to the family estates. No records of his private life have -been preserved, but it may not be unreasonably assumed that, after the -death of his wife, and as he did not remarry, he lived in comparative -retirement, leading the life of an unostentatious country gentleman, -improving his estate, and supervising the education of his children. -Two years after he had entered upon the possession of his inheritance, -that important functionary the Herald made his official visitation of -Cheshire, when the gentlemen and esquires of the county were called -upon to register their descents and show their claim to the arms -they severally bore; and it is worthy of note, as indicating his -indifference to, or disdain of, the “noble science,” that though, as we -have seen, of ancient and honourable lineage and entitled to bear arms, -Henry Bradshaw did not obey the Herald’s summons,[6] probably “feeling -assured,” as Macaulay said of the old Puritan, “that if his name was -not found in the Registers of Heralds, it was recorded in the Book of -Life; and hence originated his contempt for territorial distinctions, -accomplishments, and dignities.” - -[Note 6: Whilst the head of the Cheshire Bradshaws risked the -displeasure of the Herald by neglecting his summons, his kinsmen in -Lancashire, who were steady and decided Royalists, with more regard -for constituted authority, attended the Court, entered their descents, -and, in further proof of his right to the honourable distinction of -arms, John Bradshaw, of Bradshaw, produced a precious letter from Henry -Percy, the first Earl of Northumberland, K.G., the father of Hotspur, -to his “well-beloved friende” John Bradshaw, a progenitor who had -probably served and fought at Chevy Chase and elsewhere in the reign of -the second Richard.] - -Surrounded by home affections, Bradshaw appears to have taken little -interest in public affairs; though, as a strict Calvinist and -stern moralist, he could not but have looked with disfavour on the -republication of the “Book of Sports,” and the revival of the Sunday -wakes and festivals, in which religion and pleasure were so strangely -blended; nor, as an Englishman, could he have been an indifferent -spectator of the breach which was gradually widening between the King -and his people. - -A cloud was then gathering which presaged a great religious and -political tempest. The year in which Bradshaw lost his wife was that -which closed the long and brilliant reign of the last of the Tudor -sovereigns. James of Scotland succeeded—a King who reigned like a woman -after a woman who had reigned like a man. The Puritans in Elizabeth’s -time were comparatively insignificant in numbers, but the strictness -of the Queen’s ecclesiastical rule acted upon their stubborn nature, -and those who were averse to Episcopacy, and impatient of uniformity in -rites and ceremonies and the decorous adjuncts of a National Church, -grew formidable under James, and turbulent and aggressive after the -accession of Charles. The policy of Elizabeth gave a political standing -ground to Puritanism, and Puritanism gave to the political war in which -the nation became involved a relentless character that was all its -own. In 1634 was issued the writ for the levying of Ship-money—“that -word of lasting sound in the memory of this kingdom,” as Clarendon -calls it—a word which lit the torch of revolution, and for a period -of eleven years kept the country in almost uninterrupted strife. The -occasion was eagerly availed of by the discontented; pulpits were -perverted by religious fanatics, and violent appeals made to the -passions of the populace, who were preached into rebellion; while more -thoughtful, yet brave and strong-minded men, impressed with a stern, -unflinching love of justice, and a determination to maintain those -liberties they held to be their birthright, contended to the death -against “imposts” and “levies” and “compositions,” and against the -worse mockery of “loans” which no man was free to refuse, as well as -the despotism that more than threatened their common country. It was -a fatal time for England. Dignified by some high virtues, possessing -many excellent endowments both of head and heart, Charles yet lacked -sincerity, forethought, and decision, and the capacity required for -the wise conduct of affairs. The blame for the strifes and contentions -which arose does not, however, attach wholly to the sovereign, nor yet -to his subjects. The absolutism of the Tudors was, in a measure, the -cause of the sins of the Stuarts, and the sins of the Stuarts brought -about the miseries of the Rebellion, just as in turn the despotic rule -and grinding social tyranny of the Commonwealth period led to the -excesses of the Restoration. Charles was born out of season, and lived -too much in a world of his own ideas to comprehend the significance -of events that were passing around him. The twining of the Red and -White Roses upon the ensanguined field of Bosworth was followed by the -break-up of the feudal system, and the effacement of many of the old -landmarks of English society; a new class of landowners had sprung into -existence, eager for the acquirement of political freedom, and the king -was unable or unwilling to recognise the changed condition of things. -He inherited from his father inordinate notions of kingly power, and -he resolutely shut his eyes to the fact that he had to deal with an -entirely different state of public opinion. The power of the sovereign -had waned, but that of the people had increased; Parliament, while bent -upon abridging the ancient constitutional prerogative of the Crown, was -equally resolute in the extension of its own. The King persisted in -his determination to reign and govern by “divine right”—he refused to -yield anything—and in the fierce struggle which he provoked he fell. -Moderation was no longer thought of; the time for compromise was past; -the seeds of strife were sown and nurtured both by King and Parliament, -who, distrusting and wearied of each other, no longer cared for peace. -At length the storm burst. At Manchester, on the 15th July, 1642—a -month before the unfurling of the Royal standard at Nottingham—very -nearly upon the spot where now stands the statue of Cromwell, the first -shot was fired and the first blood shed in that great conflict which -drenched the country in civil slaughter. - -When the first shot was fired which proclaimed to anxious England -that the differences between the King and the Parliament were only to -be settled by an appeal to arms, the two sons of Henry Bradshaw had -attained to the fulness of manhood, Henry, the eldest, having then -lately completed his forty-second year, while John was his junior only -by two years. - -Henry Bradshaw, the third of the name, who resided at Marple, was -born, as previously stated, in 1600, and baptised at the old church at -Stockport on the 23rd June in the same year. Following with admirable -consistency the practice of his progenitors, he further added to the -territorial possessions of his house by marrying a rich heiress—Mary, -the eldest of the two daughters and co-heirs of Bernard Wells,[7] -of Holme, in the parish of Bakewell. The marriage settlement bears -date 30 Sep., 6 Charles I. (1631), and Mr. Ormerod, the historian of -Cheshire, says that he had bestowed upon him by his father-in-law the -hall of Wyberslegh, but this is evidently an error, for, as we have -previously seen, his father and grandfather between them purchased -Wyberslegh, along with Marple, from Sir Edward Stanley, a quarter of a -century previously, and the hall continued, as it had been from time -immemorial, appendant to that of Marple. It is more than probable, -however, that he took his young bride to Wyberslegh, and resided there -during his father’s lifetime, so that it would appear that the first -of the Bradshaws settled at Marple lived at The Place, where he died -in 1611, after which it ceased to be occupied as the family residence. -Henry, his son, resided at the hall, and the youngest of the three -occupied Wyberslegh until he succeeded to the family estate. Mary -Wells, by whom he had a son who succeeded as heir, and two daughters, -predeceased him, and he again entered the marriage state, his second -wife being Anne, daughter of George Bowdon, of Bowdon, in Cheshire, by -whom he had five sons and one or more daughters, Though by no means -insensible to the advantages accruing from the possession of worldly -wealth, it does not appear that he added materially to his temporal -estate by his second marriage. The Bowdons were a family of ancient -rank, who at one time owned one-fourth part of Bowdon, but their -estates had gradually dwindled away, and were finally alienated by sale -to the Booths of Dunham, in the early part of Elizabeth’s reign. - -[Note 7: This marriage is recorded on a brass to the memory of Bernard -Wells, affixed to the north wall of the chancel in Bakewell Church.] - -Inheriting from his father the Puritan sentiments of the age, Henry -Bradshaw carried those feelings with him into a more active arena. -Living in close neighbourship with Colonel Dukenfield, Edward Hyde, -of Norbury, Ralph Arderne, of Harden, Ralph Holland, of Denton, and -holding intimate relations with the Booths of Dunham, the Breretons of -Handforth, the Stanleys of Alderley, and other influential Presbyterian -families, their friendship doubtless helped to shape the part he took -in public affairs. When the storm which had been long gathering burst, -he took his stand with the Parliament against the King, and became -one of the most active officers on the side of the Commonwealth. He -served as sergeant-major in the regiment commanded by his neighbour, -Robert Dukenfield, and would, therefore, in all probability, take -part in the lengthened siege of “Mr. Tatton’s house of Whittenshaw -(Wythenshawe),” in the winter of 1643-4, as well as in the fruitless -attempt, a few months later, to defend Stockport Bridge against -Rupert and his Cavaliers, who were hastening to the relief of Lathom -House, in Lancashire, where the heroic Countess of Derby was bravely -defending her husband’s home against greatly superior forces. Though a -Cheshire man, he held a lieutenant-colonel’s commission in Assheton’s -Lancashire regiment, and subsequently was appointed to the command of -the entire militia within the Macclesfield hundred, in his own county. -He was present also with the Cheshire men at the final overthrow of -the Royalist army—the “crowning mercy,” as Cromwell phrased it—at -Worcester, Sept 3, 1651, where it was said he was wounded, but if so -the injury must have been only slight, for before the end of the month -he was acting as one of the members of the court-martial appointed -under a commission from Cromwell for the trial of the Earl of Derby. -After the disaster at Worcester, the Earl had accompanied the King -in his flight, until he was safe in the care of the Pendrells, when, -with Lord Lauderdale, Lord Talbot, and about 40 troopers, he started -northwards, in the hope of overtaking the remnant of the Scotch army, -but when near Nantwich the fugitives fell into the hands of Oliver -Edge,[8] a captain in the Manchester regiment, also returning from -Worcester. Quarter having been given by his captor, the Earl naturally -believed that he would be entitled to the immunities of a prisoner -of war, but he soon found himself under close confinement in Chester -Castle, of which Colonel Dukenfield was at the time governor. Cromwell, -having got his most formidable foe in his power, resolved to get for -ever rid of him by the shortest process that time and circumstances -admitted. The Earl was therefore at once brought for trial before -Bradshaw and the other members appointed on the court-martial, on the -charge of high treason in contravening an Act of Parliament passed only -a few weeks before, and of which, as his accusers were well aware, he -could have no knowledge, and, in defiance of the recognised laws of war -and the conditions on which he had surrendered, was pronounced guilty -and sentenced to be beheaded at Bolton. Dr. Halley, in his history of -“Lancashire Puritanism and Nonconformity,” says that Colonel Bradshaw, -notwithstanding that he had voted for the rejection of the Earl’s -plea; “earnestly entreated his brother, the Lord President, to obtain -a commutation of the punishment,” but, if he did, his efforts were -unsuccessful. Seacombe attributed the execution of the Earl to the -“inveterate malice” of (President) Bradshaw, Rigby, and Birch, which -originated, he says, as to Bradshaw, because of the Earl’s refusing -him the Vice-Chamberlainship of Chester;[9] Rigby, because of his -ill-success at Lathom; and Birch, in his lordship having trailed him -under a hay cart at Manchester on the occasion of the outbreak in July, -1642, by which he got, even among his own party, the epithet of “Lord -Derby’s Carter.” He adds that, “Cromwell and Bradshaw had so ordered -the matter that when they saw the major part of the House inclined to -allow the Earl’s plea, as the Speaker was putting the question, eight -or nine of them quitted the House, and those left in it being under -the number of forty, no question could be put.” The latter statement, -however, is hardly borne out by the _Commons Journal_,[10] which, under -date “14 October, 1651,” makes this brief mention of the reception of -the Earl’s petition:— - - Mr. Speaker, by way of report, acquaints the House with a letter - which he had received from the Earl of Derby; and the question - being put—That the said letter be now read, the House was divided. - The yeas went forth, Sir William Brereton and Mr. Ellis tellers - for the yeas, with the yeas, 22; Mr. Bond and Major-General - Harrison, tellers for the noes, with the noes, 16, so it passed in - the affirmative. A letter from the Earl of Derby, of the 11th of - October, 1651, with a petition therein enclosed, entitled, “The - Humble Petition of the Earl of Derby,” was this day read. - -[Note 8: Oliver Edge, to whom Lord Derby surrendered, resided at Birch -Hall Houses, in Rusholme. To his credit it should be said that, whilst -strictly faithful to his oath, he treated his illustrious captive with -the respect due to fallen greatness when conducting him and his friends -as prisoners to Chester. In one of his letters to his Countess, the -Earl speaks of Captain Edge as “one that was so civil to me that I, and -all that love me, are beholden to him.”] - -[Note 9: If so, this must have been in 1640, when the Earl, who was at -that time Chamberlain, gave the appointment (27 July, 14 Car. I.) to -Orlando Bridgeman, son of the Bishop of Chester, in succession to Roger -Downes, of Wardley Hall, near Manchester.] - -[Note 10: vii.—27.] - -In the administration of affairs in his own county, Colonel Bradshaw -took an active part. He was one of the commissioners for the -Macclesfield hundred for the sequestration of the estates of those -who retained Royalist opinions, or who refused to take the national -covenant, and his name appears first among the signataries to the -famous Lancashire and Cheshire petition to the Parliament, praying -for the establishment of the Presbyterian religion, and urging that -“the frequenters of separate conventicles might be discountenanced -and punished.” The petitioners who had previously pleaded conscience -having gained the ascendancy were now anxious to stifle freedom of -thought, and to exercise a tyranny over their fellow-men, justifying -the remark of Fuller, that “those who desired most ease and liberty for -their sides when bound with Episcopacy, now girt their own garments -closest about the consciences of others.” In those troublous times -marriage as a religious ceremony was forbidden, and became merely a -civil contract entered into before a justice of the peace, after three -“publications” at the “meeting place,” or in the “market place,” the -statute declaring that “no other marriage whatsoever shall be held or -accounted a marriage according to the laws of England.” Bradshaw, as a -county justice, officiated at many of these civil marriages, and his -neat and carefully-written autograph frequently appears in the church -books of the period, with his heraldic seal affixed (for, however he -might affect to contemn such vanities, he was yet careful to display -the armorial ensigns of his house when acting officially with his more -aristocratic neighbours), sometimes as appointing parish registrars, -and at others ordering the levying of church rates and sanctioning -the parish accounts, which at the time could not be passed without -magisterial confirmation. - -[Illustration] - -Colonel Bradshaw lived to see the fall of the Commonwealth, and the -overthrow of that form of government he had done so much to establish, -but he did not long survive the restoration of monarchy. After that -event had taken place, he was brought before the Lords Committee to -answer for the part he had taken in the court-martial on Lord Derby, -and committed to the custody of the Messenger of Black Rod. He appears, -however, to have been leniently dealt with, for, after submitting to -what reads very like an apology for his conduct, he was set at liberty, -and permitted to pass the remainder of his days in peace. Those days -were but few: the anxiety consequent upon the changed aspect of affairs -was too much for him—his spirit was broken, and he died at Marple a -few months after (11th March, 1661-2). On the 15th March, 1661-2, in -accordance with his previously-expressed desire, his remains were -laid beside those of his father and grandfather in the little chapel -belonging to his family, then standing on the south side of the chancel -of Stockport Church. - -It does not appear that a copy of his will, which was proved at -Chester, by the executor, 27th February, 1662, has at any time been -published, but the following abstract, made by Mr. J. Fred. Beever, and -contributed by him to “Local Gleanings,” appeared in the _Manchester -Courier_ of October 15, 1875:— - - 2 July 12 Car. II (1660) I Henry Bradshaw of Marple co. Chester - doe ... buried in my father’s grave in Marple Quire in the par. - Churche of Stockport if I depart this life in Cheshire ... my - sonne John Bradshawe ... all my lands in Bowden Medlarie (Bowdon - Edge?) and Mellor in the county of Darbie ... my sonne William - Bradshawe ... my lands in Chapel-le-Frith and Briggeworth - (Bugsworth?) co. Derby ... Godfrey Bradshawe, Francis Bradshawe - and Joseph Bradshawe, my three youngest sonnes ... all my lands - in Torkington co. Chester ... Anne my lovinge wife ... she having - a jointure out of my lands in Cheshire and Wibersley ... my sonne - and heire Henery Bradshawe ... all my bookes ... my twoe daughters - Barbara and Catharine, they being by their grandfather Wells and - his wife well provided for. To my daughter Dorothy ... £400, to my - daughter Rachel ... £500, to my youngest daughter Anne ... £400 - ... my said sonne Henery Bradshawe ... (the residuary legatee and - executor) ... my good friend Edward Warren, of Poynton esq.... - (overseer). - -Bradshaw was wont to lament that he had “a small estate and eleven -children.” The whole eleven, as well as his second wife survived him. -Among the family portraits at Marple was (and may be still) one of a -young maiden, said to be a daughter of the colonel. Round this lady -the glamour of romance has been cast, and a tradition tells the story -of her unhappy fate. In those times, when not unfrequently members of -the same family took opposite sides, when father contended with son, -and brother met brother in mortal conflict, Miss Bradshaw, with scant -regard for the religious and political principles of her house, had -formed an attachment for a young officer in the Royalist army, whose -family had in happier days been on terms of intimacy with her own. -Though he had espoused the cause of his sovereign, the Puritan colonel, -in consideration of former friendships, treated him with personal -kindness and welcomed him to his house. On one occasion, when entrusted -with the conveyance of despatches to the King, who was then with -his army at Chester, having occasion to pass near Marple, the young -cavalier halted and stayed the night with the family of his betrothed. -Mistress Bradshaw, with a woman’s intuitiveness, suspecting the nature -of his mission, and fearing the letters he was commissioned to deliver -might bode no good to her husband’s house, resolved, with the help of -a trusty waiting-maid, to secretly ascertain their contents. Having -done this, and found that her worst fears were realised, her next -thought was how to prevent their reaching the King’s hands without -awakening the suspicions of their bearer. Summoning to her councils -an old servitor of the family, it was decided to partially sever the -straps by which the saddle-bags containing the dreaded missives were -attached, so that the attendant, when guiding their bearer across the -ford, might detach and sink them in the Goyt, when they would be lost -for ever. On the early morrow the gay young soldier, having taken leave -of his lady-love, hastened upon his mission; the old retainer, who was -nothing loth to speed the parting guest, accompanying him towards the -river, but, giving a somewhat free interpretation to his instructions, -concluded that if it was desirable to get rid of the letters it might -be equally desirable to get rid of their bearer, and so, instead of -conducting him to the ford, he led him to the deepest part of the -river, which had become swollen with the storm of the previous night. -The young cavalier plunged into the stream, and in an instant both -horse and rider were swept away by the surging flood. Miss Bradshaw -witnessed the act of treachery from the window of her chamber, but was -powerless to prevent the catastrophe. She saw the fatal plunge, gave -one long piercing shriek, and fell senseless to the ground. Reason had -for ever left her. - -Such is the legend that has floated down through successive -generations, and still obtains credence with many of the neighbouring -villagers, who, with a fondness for the supernatural, delight to tell -how the shade of the hapless maid of Marple is sometimes seen lingering -at nightfall about the broad staircases and corridors of what was once -her home, or, as the pale cold moon sheds her silvery radiance on wood -and sward, wandering along the grassy margin of the river and by the -deep dark pool where her lover lost his life. Mr. Leigh has made the -incidents of this tradition the basis of one of the most pathetic of -his recently-published Cheshire ballads. Another writer on Marple has, -however, given a different version. He says the lady was Miss Esther -Bradshaw, and that her lover was “Colonel Sydenham, the Royalist -commander,” whom she ultimately married. It is a pity to spoil so -pretty a story, but strict regard for prosaic fact compels us to avow -our disbelief in it, and that for a twofold reason—(1) that Colonel -Sydenham was not a “Royalist,” but had been an active officer during -the war on the Parliament side; and (2) that Colonel Bradshaw never -had a daughter Esther. The story so circumstantially related rests, -we believe, on no better foundation than the once popular though now -almost forgotten romance of “The Cavalier,” written under the _nom de -plume_ of Lee Gibbons, by Mr. Bennett, of Chapel-en-le-Frith, some -sixty years ago. - -Henry Bradshaw, the Parliamentarian soldier, as the eldest surviving -son, inherited the family estates, while John, his younger brother, -was left to push his fortunes as best he could. Possessing much natural -shrewdness and ability, with no lack of energy and self-confidence, he -was content with the position, strong in the belief that - - The world’s mine oyster, - -and in the bitter struggle between monarchy and democracy he was quick -to avail himself of the opportunities which tended to his own wealth -and aggrandisement. - -He first saw the light in 1602, but the exact place of his birth has -not been ascertained. In an article in Britton and Brayley’s “Beauties -of England and Wales,” believed to have been written by Watson, the -historian of the Earls of Warren, it is stated that he was born at -Wyberslegh; but Mr. Ormerod, in his “History of Cheshire,” doubts the -probability of this, “inasmuch,” he says, “as the family only became -possessed of that seat by the marriage of his elder brother Henry with -the daughter of Mr. Wells,” but this, if we may venture to differ from -so deservedly high an authority, must be an error, for Wyberslegh, -which had for many generations been appendant to the hall of Marple, -was in the occupation of his father or grandfather when the Marple -property was purchased by them in 1606; it is not unlikely, therefore, -that the younger Bradshaw was residing at Wyberslegh at the time of -his son John’s birth. His baptism is thus recorded in the Stockport -register:— - - 1602. Dec. 10. John, the sonne of Henrye Bradshawe, of Marple, - baptized. - -At a later date some zealous Royalist has written in the margin the -word “traitor.” It has been said that his mother died in giving him -birth. This, however, is not strictly correct, though her death -occurred a few weeks after that event, the register of Stockport -showing that she was buried there January 24, 1603-4, and her son -Francis, who would seem to have been a twin with John, was baptised at -the same place three days later. - -Of the early life and habits of the future Lord President nothing -positively is known. From his will we learn that he received his early -classical education at Bunbury, of which school that staunch Puritan, -Edward Burghall, afterwards Vicar of Acton, was at the time master; -subsequently he was sent to Queen Elizabeth’s Free School at Middleton, -in Lancashire, then lately remodelled and endowed by Nowell, Dean of -St Paul’s, and, “as part of his thankful acknowledgment,” he at his -death bequeathed to each of these institutions £500 for “amending -the wages of the master and usher.” There is a very general opinion -that he was at King Edward’s Grammar School in Macclesfield also for -a time; though there is no evidence of the fact, this is by no means -improbable. Macclesfield was conveniently near to his home, and the -school had at that time obtained a high reputation from the ability and -scholarly attainments of at least two of its masters, John Brownswerd, -“a schoolmaster of great fame for learning,” as Webb says, “who living -many years brought up most of the gentry of this shire,” and Thomas -Newton, one of the most distinguished Latin poets of the Elizabethan -era; and some countenance is given to this supposition by the phrase in -his will, “I had _part_ of my educa’con” at Middleton and Bunbury. The -Macclesfield school at that time abutted upon the churchyard, and there -is a tradition that young Bradshaw, while with some of his playmates, -and in a boyish freak, wrote the following prophetic lines upon a -gravestone there:— - - My brother Henry must heir the land, - My brother Frank must be at his command, - Whilst I, poor Jack, will do that - That all the world shall wonder at. - -The authenticity of this production may very well be questioned, for, -however ambitious his mind, we can hardly suppose that this young -son of a quiet, unostentatious country gentleman could have had the -faintest glimmering of his future destiny any more than that his muse -was moved by prophetic inspiration. - -He served his clerkship with an attorney at Congleton, whence he -proceeded to London, and studied for some time at Gray’s Inn, of -which learned society he entered as a student for the bar in 1622, -and with such assiduity did he apply himself to his studies that in -later years Whitelock, in his “Memorials,” bore willing testimony -that he was “a man learned in his profession.” Having completed his -studies, he returned to Congleton, where he practised for some years, -and, taking an active part in the town’s affairs, was elected an -alderman of the borough—the house in which he resided, a quaint black -and white structure, having been in existence until recent years. In -1637 he was named Attorney-General for Cheshire and Flintshire, as -appears by the following entry on the Calendar of Recognizances Rolls -for the Palatinate of Chester: “13 Car. I., June 7. Appointment of -John Bradshawe as one of the Earl’s attorneys-at-law in the counties -of Chester and Flint, during pleasure, with the same fees as Robert -Blundell, late attorney there, received.” In the same year he was -chosen Mayor of Congleton, an office he is said to have discharged with -ability and satisfaction, being, as a local chronicler records, “a -vigilant and intelligent magistrate, and well qualified to administer -justice.” He certainly cannot be charged with indifference or lack -of zeal while filling this position, for the corporation books show -that he left his mark in the shape of “certain orders, laws, and -ordinances,” he set down “for the better regiment and government of -the inhabitants, and the preservation of peace and order.” These -regulations, which were of a somewhat stringent character, imposed -fines upon the aldermen and other dignitaries who neglected to provide -themselves with halberds, and to don their civic gowns and other -official bravery, when attending upon their chief, while the “freemen” -of the borough were left with little freedom to boast of. It is evident -that, Calvinist and Republican though he was, and a Puritan of the -most “advanced” school, Bradshaw, even at that early period of his -public career, had little liking for the severe simplicity affected -by his political and religious associates, the regulations he laid -down indicating a fondness for histrionic display and a love for -the trappings and pageantry of office. As might be supposed, a small -country town, the merry-hearted inhabitants of which were proverbial -for their love of bear-baiting and their fondness for cakes and sack, -was not a likely place to afford scope for the exercise of the talents -of so resplendent a genius, so, seeking a more active sphere, he betook -himself to the metropolis, where he continued to follow his profession. -The year in which Cromwell gained his great victory at Marston Moor was -that in which we find him for the first time employed in the service of -the Parliament, being joined (Oct., 1644) with Mr. Newdegate and the -notorious Prynne in the prosecution of the Irish rebels, Lords Macguire -and Macmahon, before the Commissioners of Oyer and Terminer, which -resulted in the rebel lords being condemned and executed. - -It is not unlikely that Bradshaw had made the acquaintance of Prynne -before he left Congleton, for the year of his mayoralty there was one -in which that “pestilent breeder of sedition,” as he was called, after -standing in the pillory with Bastwick and Burton, and having his ears -clipped, passed through Cheshire on his way to the prison at Carnarvon, -making what reads very like a triumphal progress, and creating no small -stir among the disaffected Puritans in the county, who regarded the -victim of a harsh and unwise persecution as a sufferer for the cause of -the true Gospel. His conductors treated him with much leniency—indeed, -on the whole, they seem to have had rather a pleasant outing, stopping -for two or three days at a time at the principal halting-places, and -enjoying themselves when and where they could. At Tarporley, Tarvin, -and Chester the offender was admitted to the houses of his friends, -and received visits from some of the more notable of the anti-Royalist -faction in the city and county, a procedure which drew down upon him -the episcopal wrath—Bridgeman, the Bishop, being greatly scandalised at -the idea of the “twice-censured lawyer and stigmatised monster,” as he -called him, being entertained in his own cathedral city “by a set of -sour factious citizens.” The complaint, it must be admitted, was not -without cause, for it seems the mayor and corporation began to waver -in their orthodoxy, and became slack in going to hear sermons at the -cathedral, so that the energetic prelate “could not have his eye upon -their behaviour” as he desired. Whether this was due to the pleasant -and moving discourses of Prynne, or that the sermons at the cathedral -were too dry and lifeless to suit the tastes of the Cestrians, is -not clear, but to remedy the evil Bridgeman had a brand new pulpit -erected in the choir, capacious enough for all the canons to preach -in at one time, had they been so minded; and, further, ordered all -other preachers in the city to end their discourses before those at -the cathedral began, in order that the civic authorities might have -no excuse for negligence in their attendance on sound doctrine, as -delivered within its walls. - -The manner in which Bradshaw conducted the prosecution of the Irish -rebels evidently gave satisfaction to his employers, and paved the -way to his future advancement; certain it is that, after this time, -he is frequently found engaged upon the business of the Parliament. -When so employed he was not a pleasant person to encounter, as poor -old Edmund Shallcross, the rector of Stockport—the parish in which -his boyhood was spent—had good reason to know. For the particulars of -this little incident in the life of the future judge, affording, as it -does, an interesting side glance of the state of religious feeling in -Marple when the Bradshaws were all-powerful, we are indebted to the -researches of that indefatigable antiquary, Mr. J. P. Earwaker. It -seems there had been a dispute of long standing between the Bradshaws -and Shallcross on the vexed question of the tithes of Marple, a -circumstance that in itself would no doubt be sufficient to satisfy -the rector’s Presbyterian neighbours when in authority that he was -“scandalous” and “delinquent.” Be that as it may, on the breaking out -of the war Shallcross was turned out of his living, and his property, -which included an extensive library, was confiscated. He appealed -to the Commissioners of Sequestrations, and among the State papers -which Mr. Earwaker has lately unearthed is an interesting series -of interrogatories relating to persons in Cheshire suspected of -delinquency, the following being the answer to those concerning the -parson of Stockport:— - - Edward Hill, of Stopforth (Stockport), glazier, knew Mr. - Shallcrosse, formerly minister at Stopforth, who about the - yeare 1641 refused to lett to farme the tythes of Marple to the - townsmen of Marple att their own rates, but offered them the same - at such rates as was conceived they might well gaine att. And - that aboute two yeares after Articles were exhibited against the - said Mr. Shallcrosse for delinquency, who thereupon appealed to - the Committee of Lords and Commons for sequestracons, and went - severall times to London about the same busines, and was once - goeing to have the same heard, and had a convoy of horse of the - Parliament’s partye, and some of the King’s partye came forth of - Dudley Castle, and (he) then was by them slayne. And this deponent - further saith that he was servaunt to the said Mr. Shallcrosse for - seaven yeares before his death, whoe did acquaint this examinante - that hee had found much opposition by Sergeant Bradshawe, whoe - then was solicitor for the Commonwealth. - - He also saith that the tythes of Stopforth are reputed to be - worth 400li. by the yeare or thereabouts, and saith that hee - hath heard generally reported that Sir William Brereton had a - power invested in him to place or displace such ministers as were - scandalous or delinquents. And he further saith that hee believed - if the said Mr. Shallcrosse had complied with the desires of the - said Mr. Bradshawe and his father and brother, that the said Mr. - Shallcrosse would not have been sequestrated. - -Bradshaw’s next step in advancement was in 1646, when, on the 6th -October, the House of Commons appointed him, in conjunction with Sir -Rowland Wandesford and Sir Thomas Bedingfield, Commissioners of the -Great Seal for six months, an appointment that was, however, overruled -by the House of Lords. From this time his rise was rapid, honours and -emoluments seeming to crowd upon him. On the 22nd February following -both Houses voted him to the office of Chief Justice of Chester, an -appointment that would amply compensate for the disappointment he had -experienced in Lord Derby’s previous refusal to bestow on him the -vice-chamberlainship of the city. On being relieved of his office as -one of the Commissioners of the Great Seal, he was named (March 18, -1647) as one of the judges for Wales, an office he appears to have held -conjointly with his post at Chester. Three months later we find him -again associated with Prynne, the two, with Serjeant Jermyn and Mr. -Solicitor St. John, being appointed by the Parliament to conduct the -proceedings against the intrepid Judge Jenkins, who, when impeached of -treason before the Commons, not only refused to kneel at the bar of the -House, but had the temerity to call the place “a den of thieves.” - -On the 12th October, 1648, as we learn from Whitelocke, Parliament, -in accordance with a recommendation of the Commissioners of the Seal, -ordered a new call of serjeants-at-law, and Bradshaw’s name is found -among those then voted to receive the coif. - -It has been suggested by a local writer that, in this, Parliament -had an ulterior object in view, the purpose of Bradshaw’s promotion -being to secure an efficient instrument for conducting the proceedings -against the Sovereign, which were then contemplated. This, however, -is extremely improbable, for Parliament, it should be remembered, was -averse to any extreme measure, and was, in fact, anxious to come to -terms with the beaten King, its agents being at the very time engaged -in negotiating with him the abortive treaty of Newport. But Cromwell -had determined that Charles’s life should be sacrificed, and the will -of the army and its guiding genius had become paramount, for a military -despotism was already usurping the powers of the State. The breach -between the army and Parliament was widening daily, and the great -struggle which was to decide the future destinies of England was at -hand. The army, flushed with victory, had returned from the destruction -of its enemies; conscious of its own power, it demanded vengeance on -the “chief delinquent,” as the King was called, and sent an expedition -to the Isle of Wight to seize his person, and convey him to Hurst -Castle. Meanwhile, the Commons had discussed the concessions made by -Charles, and by a majority of 140 to 104 had decided that they “were -sufficient grounds for settling the peace of the kingdom.” Scarcely -had the vote been recorded when a decisive blow was struck by the -army at the independence of Parliament, for on the following morning, -Colonel Pride, at the head of his regiment of foot, and accompanied -with a regiment of horse, blockaded the doors leading to the House -of Commons, and seized in the passage all those members who had been -previously marked on a list as hostile or doubtful, and placed them in -confinement, none being allowed to enter the House but the most furious -and determined of the known friends to “the cause.”[11] The obnoxious -element having been thus effectually got rid of, the sword waved openly -over the legislative benches, and the army in effect constituted the -government. The next day this remnant of the House—the “Rump,” as it -was thereafter designated—rescinded the obnoxious vote, and appointed -a day of humiliation, selecting Hugh Peters, Caryl, and Marshall -to perform the service. The “purge” of the Commons had secured the -certainty of concurrence in the wishes of the army, and accordingly, -on the 23rd December, a committee was appointed to prepare charges -for the impeachment of the King, and on the 28th an ordinance for his -trial was read. In order to give their designs some resemblance to the -form and principle of law, the House on the 1st January voted “that by -the fundamental law of the land, it is treason for the King of England -to levy war against the Parliament and kingdom.” This vote, when sent -up to the Lords for their concurrence, was rejected without a single -dissentient voice, a procedure that led the remnant of the Commons a -few weeks later to declare that “the House of Peers was useless and -dangerous, and ought to be abolished.” On the 4th January an ordinance -was presented for erecting a new High Court of Justice for the trial of -the King, which was read the first, second, and third time, assented -to, and passed the same day. The Commissioners named in it included -all the great officers of the army, four peers, the Speaker, and -principal members of the expurgated House of Commons. The twelve judges -unanimously refused to be of the commission, declaring its purpose -and constitution to be contrary to the principles of English law; -Whitelocke, who had received the coif at the same time as Bradshaw -and his colleague Widdrington, two of the most eminent lawyers of the -time, also refused to sit on the tribunal. The Commissioners met on -the 10th, and appointed Bradshaw, who was absent, their president. It -would seem to have been originally intended that he should only take a -subordinate part in the business, for on the 3rd January the committee -had decreed that Serjeants Bradshaw and Nichols, with Mr. Steel, should -be “assistants.” Steel acted as Attorney-General, but Nichols could not -be prevailed upon to give attendance. - -[Note 11: This extraordinary outrage, perpetrated in the name of -freedom and justice, has ever since been familiarly known as “Pride’s -Purge.”] - -It is not known with certainty whether Bradshaw was aware of the -intention to elect him president of the commission for the trial -of the King, but it is more than probable he had been informed of -what was contemplated, and he certainly cannot be said to have been -averse to the office, for undoubtedly he had resolution and courage -enough to decline it had he felt so disposed. He attended the court -in obedience to the summons on the 12th, and, when called to take the -place of president, after asking to be excused, submitted to the order -and took his place, whereupon it was ordered, “that John Bradshaw, -serjeant-at-law, who is appointed president of this court, should be -called by the name and have the title of Lord President, and that -as well without as within the said court, during the commission and -sitting of the said court.” Clarendon says that “when he was first -nominated he seemed much surprised, and very resolute to refuse it; -which he did in such a manner, and so much enlarging upon his own -want of abilities to undergo so important a charge, that it was -very evident he expected to be put to that apology. And when he was -pressed with more importunity than could have been used by chance, he -required time to consider of it, and said ‘he would then give his final -answer,’ which he did the next day, and with great humility accepted -the office, which he administered with all the pride, impudence, and -superciliousness imaginable.” - -[Illustration: PRESIDENT BRADSHAW.] - -Clarendon was evidently of opinion that he had been previously informed -of the position he would be asked to fill, and the “pride” spoken of -in the administration of the office was only in accord with that -fondness for display to which allusion has already been made. Suddenly -raised to a position of pre-eminence as the head of a tribunal wholly -unprecedented in the extent and nature of its assumed authority, he -was not the man to dispense with any of those outward manifestations -which might give dignity and impressiveness to his dread office. He -had 20 officers or other gentlemen appointed to attend him as a guard -going and returning from Westminster Hall; lodgings were provided -for him in New Palace Yard during the sittings of the court; and Sir -Henry Mildmay, Mr. Holland, and Mr. Edwards were deputed to see that -everything necessary was provided for him. A sword and mace were -carried before him by two gentlemen, 21 gentlemen that were near -carried each a partizan, and he had in the court 200 soldiers as an -additional guard. A chair of crimson velvet was placed for him in the -middle of the court, and a desk on which was laid a velvet cushion; -many of the commissioners, as Whitelocke says, donned “their best -habits,” and the President himself appeared in a scarlet robe, and -wearing his celebrated peaked hat, remaining covered when the King was -brought before him, though he expressed himself as greatly offended -that his Sovereign did not remove his hat while in his presence. - -Into the particulars of the trial we do not desire to enter—they are -matters which history has made known; nor do we wish to dwell upon -the incidents attendant upon it—the calm and dignified demeanour of -the ill-starred King; his denial of the authority of the court, and -consistent refusal to recognise a power founded on usurpation; the -ill-concealed vanity of the judge; the imposing pomp and glitter of the -regicidal court; the intrepid loyalty of Lady Fairfax, who startled -the commission by her vehement protest when the charge was made, and -the scarcely less courageous conduct of her companion, Mrs. Nelson; -the rancorous hatred displayed by the King’s accusers; the mockery of -proof; the refusal to hear the fallen monarch’s appeal; the revilings -of the excited soldiery; the expressions of sympathy of the people; or -the brutal blow bestowed upon the poor soldier who ventured to implore -a blessing on his Sovereign’s head—all these are recorded and are -embalmed in the hearts of the English people. The bloody episode which -will for ever darken our national annals was an event without precedent -in the world’s history. For the constitution of the court no authority -could be found in English law, it was illegal, unconstitutional, -and, in its immediate results, dangerous to liberty. Whatever might -be the faults of Charles—and they were many—his death was not a -political necessity, nor can it be justly said to have been the act -of the nation, for the voice of public opinion had never been heard, -and therefore the country must be exonerated of any participation by -approval or otherwise in the criminality of that unfortunate deed—it -was the act of a faction in the House of Commons, acting under the -influence of a faction in the army. In this momentous business Bradshaw -may have persuaded himself that he was performing a solemn act of duty -to his country, but, looked at in the light of after history, that act -can only be pronounced a criminal blunder. - -Tradition says that the warrant for the King’s execution was signed -in Bradshaw’s house[12] at Walton-on-Thames, a building still -standing near Church Street in that pleasant little town, though now -subdivided into several small tenements, and shorn of much of its -ancient splendour—his own signature, of course, appearing first on that -well-known document. - -[Note 12: Though now closed in by humbler dwellings, the house must have -been in Bradshaw’s time far away from any other building of equal size -and pretensions. There is a common belief in the neighbourhood that an -underground passage led from it to Ashley Park, where Cromwell, it is -said, at that time resided.] - -[Illustration: Autograph of John Bradshaw] - -Now, after a lapse of more than two centuries, and when the welfare of -the throne and the people are identical, we can afford to look back -upon the great tragedy in which Bradshaw played so profound a part -calmly and without bitterness of spirit. From the anarchy, the foulness -of the tyranny of those times, the nation, the Church, and the people -have emerged with a firm hold on better things. Prelacy, which had been -trampled under foot, and Presbyterianism, which became to Independency -much what Prelacy had been to Presbyterianism, have reappeared, but -the severe asceticism and religious fervour of the Puritan, and the -catholicity and breadth of view of the Churchman have commingled and -become elements of the national life, fruitful for good by reason that -they no longer come into violent collision with each other. - -When Bradshaw had brought his Sovereign to the block, he may be said to -have fulfilled the prediction of his early youth, for assuredly he had - - Done that - Which all the world did wonder at. - -He had accepted an office which sounder lawyers shrank from -undertaking, and had entitled himself to the gratitude of those who, -by compassing the death of the King, sought to accomplish their own -ambitious ends; and it must be admitted that those who benefited by -his daring were neither slow nor niggardly in rewarding him for his -services to the “cause,” for never was a royal favourite so suddenly -raised to a position of power, and wealth, and consequence, and never -was monarch more lavish in the favours bestowed upon a courtier than -was the newly-appointed Government in doing honour to and enriching its -legal chief. The Deanery House at Westminster was given as a residence -to him and his heirs, and a sum of £5,000 allowed to procure an -equipage suitable to his new sphere of life, and such as the dignity of -his office demanded. “The Lord President of the High Court of Justice,” -writes Clarendon, “seemed to be the greatest magistrate in England. -And, though it was not thought seasonable to make any such declaration, -yet some of those whose opinion grew quickly into ordinances, upon -several occasions declared that they believed that office was not to be -looked upon as necessary _pro hac vice_ only, but for continuance, and -that he who executed it deserved to have an ample and liberal estate -conferred upon him for ever.” - -As his office did not expire with the King’s trial, Parliament on -the 6th February allowed him to appoint a deputy to supply his place -at Guildhall, where he had sat as judge, and on the 14th of the same -month, when Parliament made provision for the exercise of the executive -authority by the appointment of a Council of State, he was selected by -the House as one of the thirty-eight members. Of this body Bradshaw -was chosen president, and his kinsman, John Milton, Latin secretary. -At the first meeting (March 10), if we are to believe our old friend -Whitelocke, he seemed “but little versed in such business,” and spent -much of the time in making long speeches. Two days afterwards he was -appointed Chief Justice of Wales, but he did not go there immediately, -for on the 20th of the same month he sat again as Lord President of -the Council, at whose discussions it would seem he was not disposed -to remain a mere passive instrument, for, as Whitelocke remarks, he -“spent much of their time in urging his own long arguments, which are -inconvenient in State matters.” “His part,” as he adds, “was only to -have gathered the sense of the council, and to state the question, not -to deliver his own opinion.” - -Whatever may have been his demeanour in the council, outside, at least, -the duties of his office were discharged with firmness and energy, as -the townsmen of Manchester had cause to know. When, in 1642, the town -was threatened with an attack by Lord Derby, the Presbyterians had -entrusted its defence to Colonel Rosworm, a German engineer, who had -been trained in the wars of the Low Countries, and who had agreed to -give his services for six months for the modest sum of £30. A faithful -and valuable servant he proved, though a provokingly ill-tempered one, -for he never ceased to bewail the beggarly remuneration he had agreed -to accept, or to rail at the “despicable earthworms,” as he termed -those who had offered it. As he refused to sign the national covenant, -that not being included in the contract, and being, as he thought, no -part of a soldier’s duty, his employers took an irreconcileable hatred -against him, and, when the danger was past, repudiated their share of -the bargain. Unable to obtain the pittance for which he had risked his -life, he left the town in disgust, and repaired to London to lay his -grievances before the Government, and implore their interference. As a -consequence, the following peremptory letter was addressed to the town -by Bradshaw, which no doubt had a salutary effect on the “despicable -earthworms,” whom the angry old soldier had charged with being -“matchless in their treachery, and setting the devil himself an example -of villainy”:— - - For the town of Manchester, and particularly for those who - contracted with Lieut.-Colonell Roseworme, these are. - - Gentlemen,—The condition of the bearer being fully made known, - and his former merit attested to us by honourable testimony, and - very well known to yourselves, himself also being by birth a - stranger, and unable to present his complaints in the ordinary - legall forme, give us just occasion to recommend him to you for - a thorough performance of what, by your contract and promise, is - become due unto him for his speciall service done to your town - and country, whereto we conceive there is good cause for you to - make an addition, and that there can be no cause at all for your - backwardness to pay him what is his due. - - As touching that which is otherwise, due to him from the State, - after some other greater businesses are over, he may expect to be - put in a way to receive all just satisfaction. In the meane time - we committ him and the premises to your consideration for his - speedy relief, and we doe require you to give us notice of your - resolutions and doings herein, within one month after the receipt - thereof. - - Signed in the name and by order of the Council of State appointed - by authority of Parliament. - - JO. BRADSHAWE, Pr. Sedt. -Whitehall, 7th July, 1649. - - -It must be confessed that the President, with all his “rare modesty” -and patriotism, was not so self-denying but that he looked sharply -after the main chance. On the 19th June, 1649, Parliament voted him a -sum of £1,000, and on the same day ordered that it should be referred -to a committee to consider how he was to be put into possession of the -value of £2,000 a year, to be settled as an inheritance upon him and -his heirs for ever. - -Wealth and honours were literally showered upon him, and for a time the -history of the Government was little else than a history of Bradshaw. -On the 30th June he was re-appointed to the office of Chief Justice -of Chester, Humphrey Macworth, of Shrewsbury, who afterwards acted as -President of the court-martial which tried Lord Derby, being named -as his deputy. On the 15th July a Bill passed through Parliament -settling £2,000 a year on him and his heirs, and nine days later (July -24th) another £2,000 per annum was granted to him and them out of the -sequestrated estates of the Earl of St Albans at Somerhill, in Kent, -and those of Lord Cottington in Wiltshire, the latter including the -famous Fonthill. This last-named grant was in all probability the one -referred to in the order of June 19, when a committee was ordered to -consider how an annual payment of that amount could be settled. - -Four days after these grants were made, an Act was passed constituting -him Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, an office that subsequently, -when others were abolished, was on his account specially retained, and -on the 2nd April, 1652, secured to him. His name appears on the list of -Justices of the Peace for his native county in 1650; in the same year -he was again named of the Council of State, and retained his office -of President. The following letter, extracted from the State papers, -is interesting as showing the relations existing between Bradshaw and -Cromwell, and the estimation in which he was held by the Lord General:— - - My Lord,—I return you my humble and heartie thanks for your - late noble and friendly letter, whereby I have the comfort and - assurance of your lordship’s faire interpretation of my past, - and (so I dare call them) well ment actions, which I shall not - desyre to account for or justify to any man lyving so soon as to - yourself; of whome I shall ever have that esteeme as becomes me - to have of one who daylie approves himself religion’s and his - countrey’s best friend, and who may justly challenge a tribute of - observance from all that syncerely wysh them well, in which number - I shall hope ever to be found. - - My Lord, I have (’tis true) taken the boldness to write some - few letters to you since your late departure hence, and I - have satisfaction enough that they were receyved, and are not - dyspleasing to you. Your applycation to the gentleman, named in - yours, who is of so knowne fytnesse and abylytie to procure you - effectuall returnes, was an act, in my apprehension, savouring - of your usuall prudence, and tending to the advantage of the - publique affayres committed to your trust and care; neither can - any wyse man justifie any charge of seeming neglect of others - in that respect. I am sorry your lordship hath bene put to any - expense of your so pretious tyme, for removing any such doubts; - but these my over carefull fryends, who have created your lordship - this trouble, have, I must confess, occasyonally contrybuted to my - desyred contentment, which is, and ever hath been, synce I had the - honour to be knowne unto you, to understand myself to be reteyned - and preserved in your good opinion. And if my faithfull endeavours - for the publique, and respects unto your lordship in everything - wherein I may serve you, may deserve a contynuance thereof, I - may not doubt still to find that happiness; and this is all the - trouble I shall give your lordship as to that matter. - - We are now beginning with a new councell another yeare. I might - have hoped, either for love or something els, to have been spared - from the charge, but I could not obtaine that favour; and I dare - not but submyt, where it is cleare to me that God gives the call. - He also will, I hope, give His poore creature some power to act - according to His mynd, and to serve Him in all uprightness and - syncerytie, in the way wherein He hath placed me to walk. - - My Lord, I have no more, but to recommend you and all your great - affaires to the guydance, mercy, and goodness of our good God, and - to subscrybe myself, in all truth of affection, - -Your lordship’s ever to be disposed of - JO. BRADSHAWE. - - Whytehall, 18 Feb., 1650. - - The customer who wronged Sir James Lidod is ordered to restore and - satisfie, and to come up to answer his charge, which, probably, - will fall heavy upon him. - - For his Excellency the Lord General Cromwell, These. - -Bradshaw acted as President of the Council of State in 1651, and again -in the year following. So far his success had been uninterrupted, and -as the supreme magistrate his power and influence was second only -to that of Cromwell himself. His authority was almost absolute. The -amiable Evelyn, in his diary, records that he could not witness the -burial of Dorislaus, “the villain,” as he writes, “who manag’d the -trial against his sacred Majesty,” until “I got a passe from the rebell -Bradshaw, then in great power;” and again, when he went to Paris with -only “an antiquated passe, it being so difficult to procure one of the -rebells without entering into oathes, which I never would do,” and he -had to bribe the officials at Dover, he found “money to the searchers -and officers was as authentiq as the hand and seale of Bradshawe -himselfe,” “where,” he adds, “I had not so much as my trunk open’d.” - -The very rapidity with which Bradshaw had attained to power made him -a formidable competitor with, if not indeed a dangerous rival to, the -man in whose goodwill he had said it was his “desyred contentment” “to -be reteyned and preserved;” and there can be little doubt that his -boldness and unflinching adherence to the principles he had espoused -brought about his own undoing, for it was not long before an incident -occurred which for ever alienated Cromwell’s friendship from him. The -occasion was one memorable in the annals of England—the dissolution of -the Long Parliament, on the 20th April, 1653. Finding the action of -the “Rump,” as it was called, inimical to his designs, Cromwell, who -seems to have begun to think that government by a single person was -desirable, went down to Westminster with a force of 300 men, broke up -the House, expelled the members, and, pointing to the mace, directed -Col. Worsley—Manchester’s first Parliamentary representative—to “take -away that bauble,” which having been done, he ordered the doors to be -locked, and then returned to his lodgings at Whitehall. And so, without -a struggle or a groan, unpitied and unregretted, the Long Parliament, -which for 12 years had under a variety of forms alternately defended -and invaded the liberties of the nation, fell by the parricidal hands -of its own children. - -Bradshaw, refusing to submit in silence to such a daring infringement -of the liberties of Parliament, resolved upon taking his place as head -of the Council of State the same afternoon, thinking, probably, that -his presence might deter Cromwell from committing any further acts of -violence; but the Lord General was not to be so easily diverted from -his purpose. Taking Lambert and Major-General Harrison with him, he -proceeded to the Council, and expelled its members in the same abrupt -and arbitrary manner that he had dismissed the Commons. Addressing -Bradshaw and those assembled with him, he said,— - - Gentlemen, if you are met here as private persons, you shall not - be disturbed; but if as a Council of State, this is no place for - you; and, since you cannot but know what was done at the House in - the morning, so take notice that the Parliament is dissolved. - -To which Bradshaw replied,— - - Sir, we have heard what you did at the House in the morning, - and before many hours all England will hear. But, sir, you are - mistaken to think that Parliament is dissolved, for no power under - heaven can dissolve them but themselves; therefore, take you - notice of that. - -The President’s spirited reply cost him Cromwell’s friendship, who, -though he continued to treat him with the outward manifestations of -respect, ever afterwards regarded him with feelings of distrust. -Exasperated though he was, Cromwell must have felt the justice of -the rebuke, for in a conference afterwards with his brother-in-law, -Desborough, he remarked that his work in clearing the House was not -complete until he had got rid of the Council of State, which, he said, -“I did in spite of the objection of honest Bradshaw, the President.” - -The Republican leaders, indignant at the forcible expulsion of the -Rump Parliament, denounced it as an illegal act, which undoubtedly it -was, but Cromwell was not the man to be bound by the ordinary laws of -constitutional liberty. The miserable remnant of the Parliament, it -must be admitted, had become a reproach; it had become supreme through -similar unconstitutional violence, and was itself violating its own -contract in refusing to vote its own dissolution. The spirit manifested -by Bradshaw has been likened to that of an ancient Roman; but whether -in the resistance he offered he was influenced by purely patriotic and -disinterested motives may be very well questioned, for it must not -be forgotten that he had looked with complacency on the illegal and -high-handed proceeding which had laid the Parliament at the feet of the -army, when that sharp medicine, “Pride’s Purge,” was administered—an -act of daring violence by virtue of which alone he held his office and -had acquired his wealth. - -Up to this time, as we have said, his career had been characterised by -uninterrupted success; but the uniform good luck which had hitherto -shown what daring could accomplish when upheld by an intelligent -head and dauntless heart, now forsook him. Cromwell, who was aiming -at arbitrary government in his own person, could not, on finding his -authority thus openly disputed by the President of the Council, but -have had misgivings that the man who had sufficient resolution to pass -sentence of death upon the King might not be unwilling, should occasion -arise, to perform the same office upon himself. It became necessary, -therefore, for the accomplishment of his plans that Bradshaw’s power -should be abridged; and though Parliament, on the 16th September, 1653, -enacted that the continuance of the palatinate power of Lancaster -should be vested in him, and he was also named one of the interim -Council of State that was to meet relative to a settlement of the -Government, he was no longer permitted to occupy an office of actual -power and authority. - -On the 16th December, 1653, Cromwell was inaugurated Lord Protector -of the Commonwealth. Bradshaw, who was a thorough Republican, and who -certainly had the courage of his convictions, was equally opposed to -unlimited power, whether exercised by the King or by the Protector, -at once set himself to counteract the authority of his former patron. -In the first Parliament of the Protectorate he sat for his native -county, but it was only for a very brief period, for scarcely had the -representatives of the people assembled than they fell to questioning -the Protector’s authority, when Cromwell, after surrounding the -House with his guards, administered a corrective in the shape of a -declaration promising allegiance to himself, which he required every -member to sign, shortly after which he dismissed them unceremoniously -to their homes. - -For a year and nine months England was left without a Parliament, the -supreme power being exercised by the Protector, and every one holding -office was required to take out a commission from him. This Bradshaw -refused to do, alleging that he held his office of Chief Justice of -Chester by a grant from the Parliament of England to continue _quamdiu -se bene gesserint_, and should therefore retain it, though willing to -submit to a verdict of twelve Englishmen as to whether he had carried -himself with that integrity which his commission exacted; and shortly -after this protest he set out on the circuit without any further -attempt being made to hinder him. His daring and firmness, as might be -expected, widened the breach and still further provoked the anger of -Cromwell, who wrote a letter to Major-General Bridge, at Middlewich, -requesting that he might be opposed by every means at the approaching -election at Chester. By some accident this letter fell into the hands -of Bradshaw’s friends, and was publicly read in the city. In spite of -this opposition he succeeded in securing his election, but, there being -a double return, neither representative took his seat. The Protector -had not only used his power against Bradshaw at Chester, but he also -succeeded in preventing his election for London, a position he had -aspired to. - -Cromwell and his Independents had gone beyond the Puritan Republicans, -who, joining with the Anabaptists, Fifth Monarchy men, and other -fanatics, protested against any earthly sovereignty. Plots for -restoring the Commonwealth were rife, and there is good reason to -believe that in some of these Bradshaw was implicated; certain it is -that he was in correspondence with Okey and Goodgroom, whom he assured -that “the Long Parliament, though under a force, was the supreme -authority in England.” - -The feeling of jealousy and distrust entertained by Cromwell and -Bradshaw for each other, though not openly avowed, became evident -to all, and Whitelocke says that in November, 1657, “the dislike -between them was perceived to increase.” These mutual jealousies were -not, however, to be of long continuance, for in less than a year the -grave had closed over the object of Bradshaw’s distrust. On the 3rd -September, 1658, the anniversary of his victories over the Scots at -Dunbar, and the Royalists at Worcester—his “Fortunate Day” as he was -wont to call it, Cromwell passed away, and his son and successor, even -had he been so disposed, was too weak to continue any very energetic -resistance. - -On Richard Cromwell’s accession, a new Parliament was called, when -Bradshaw was again returned to the House of Commons for Chester. Though -he did not scruple to take the oath of fidelity to the new Protector, -he, nevertheless, entered into active co-operation with Haslerig, Vane, -and other Republicans, in their opposition to the Government. This -Parliament came to an end on the 22nd April, 1659, the dissolution -having been forced by the officers of the army, and with it Richard -Cromwell’s power and authority were gone, and the Protectorate was at -an end. - -It is about this time that we discover the first indications of -Bradshaw’s health failing him. At the Easter assizes, in 1659, he was -lying sick in London, and unable to attend the Welsh circuit; and -as Thomas Fell, who had been associated with him—the Judge Fell, of -Swarthmoor in Furness, whose widow George Fox, the founder of the -Society of Friends, afterwards married—had died in September of the -previous year, John Ratcliffe, Recorder of Chester, was appointed to -act as his deputy _pro hac vice tantum_. - -That anomalous authority, the “Rump,” which the elder Cromwell had so -ignominiously expelled from the House of Commons, was, on the 17th May, -restored by the same power of the army that, six years previously, it -had been dismissed. Six days after, a Council of State was appointed, -in which Bradshaw obtained a seat, and was elected president; and -on the 3rd June following he was named, with Serjeants Fountain and -Tyrrel, a Commissioner of the Great Seal. His health, however, had -now seriously given way, and as he had been for some months suffering -from “aguish dystemper,” he asked to be relieved of the duties of -the office. For the following copy of a letter written at this time, -while he was lying sick at Fonthill—one of the few of Bradshaw’s which -have escaped destruction—the author is indebted to the courtesy of -that industrious labourer in the field of literature, the late Mr. -John Timbs, F.S.A., by whom it was transcribed from the original in -the possession of Mr. F. Kyffin-Lenthall, a descendant of “Speaker” -Lenthall, to whom it was addressed:— - - Honourable Sir,—I have, by Mr. Love, a member of this happie - P’liament, receyved the Howse’s pleasure touching myself in - relation to ye Great Seale, wherein, as I desire wth all humble - thankfulnes to acknowledge ye respect and favour done me in - honouring me with such a trust, so I should reckon it a great - happiness if I were able immediately to answer ye call and - personallie attend ye service wch at present I am not, laboring - under an aguish dystemper of about 8 months’ continuance; for - removing whereof (after much Physicke in vaine) according to - advyce on all hands, I have betaken myself to the fresh ayre, and - hope (though my fitts have not yet left me) to receive benefit and - advantage thereby. And for this I humbly begge ye Parliamts leave - and permission, if upon this just occasion they shall not in their - wysdome think fit otherwise to dyspence with me. In ye meane time - it hath been and is noe small addition to my other afflictions - that for want of health it hath not bene in my power according to - my Heart’s earnest desire to be serviceable in my poor measure to - the publiq. But by ye helpe of God when through his goodnes my - strength shal be restored (of wch I despayre not) I shal be most - free and willing to serve ye Parliment and Commonwealth in anie - capacity and that through dyvine assistance wth all diligence, - constancy and faithfulness, and to ye utmost of my power. - - Sir, I judged it my dutie to give this account of myself to ye - House, and humbly desyre by your hand it may be tendered to them; - for whom I daylie praye that God would blesse all their counsels - and consultations, and succeede all their unwearyed endevors for - ye happie setling and establishment of this latelie languyshing - and now revived Commonwealth upon sure and lasting foundations. - -Sir, I rest and am - Your humble Servant - JO. BRADSHAWE. - -(Fonthi) "ll in Wyltshire -... in 1659 -... scentis Respublica, Primo. - (Read June 9, 1659) - -For the Right Honble William Lenthall, Speaker - of ye Parliament of the Commonwealth - of England. These. - - Consider what it is we ask, and consider whether it be not the - same thing we have asserted with our lives and fortunes—_a Free - Parliament_. And what a slavery is it to our understandings, that - these men that now call themselves a Parliament, should declare - it an act of illegality and violence in the late aspiring General - Cromwell to dissolve their body in 1653, and not make it the - like in the garbling of the whole body of the Parliament from - four hundred to forty in 1648? What is this but to act what they - condemn in others? _A new free Parliament!_ This is our cry. - -On the 1st of August, Sir George Booth appeared in arms, and in a few -days was at the head of several thousand men. Through the influence of -Mr. Cook, a Presbyterian minister in Chester, he and his troops gained -admission to the city. Colonel Lambert, with a well-disciplined force, -was sent by the Parliament after them, and an engagement took place at -Winnington Bridge, near Northwich, when Sir George and his army—which -Adam Martindale likened to “Mahomet’s Angellical Cockes, made up of -fire and snow”—were completely routed. - -On the return of the victorious army to London a schism broke out -between the officers and the Parliament, which was followed by one of -those outrages upon the liberties of the Parliament with which the -country had become only too painfully familiar. Lambert and his troops -surrounded the House, which Lenthall, the Speaker, and the other -members were prevented by the soldiery from entering. Bradshaw felt -the insult, and, anticipating that the break-up of the House would be -followed by the dissolution of the Council of State, went the same -day, ill as he was, to the meeting, in the hope that he might serve -the cause of the Republic, and when Colonel Sydenham, the member for -Dorsetshire, and one of the Committee of Safety, in attempting to -justify the arbitrary act of the army by affirming, in the canting -phraseology of the day, that “a particular call of the Divine -Providence” had necessitated its having recourse to this last remedy, -Bradshaw, says Ludlow, “weak and attenuated as he was, yet animated -by his ardent zeal and constant affection to the common cause, stood -up, and, interrupting him, declared his abhorrence of that detestable -action, and told the Council that, being now going to his God, he had -not patience to sit there to hear His great name so openly blasphemed.” - -This was his last public act—the last office he was permitted to render -to the Commonwealth he had so long served, as he said, “with all -diligence,” for he passed out of the world a few days after, his death -occurring on the 22nd November, 1659, in his 57th year. His remains -were deposited with great pomp in the Sanctuary of Kings, from which, -however, they were soon to be ignominiously ejected. His funeral sermon -was preached by Mr. Row, who took for his text Isaiah lvii., 1. His -Republican spirit animated him to the last, for Whitelocke says that, -so little did he repent of his conduct towards his Sovereign, that “he -declared a little before he left the world, that if the King were to be -tried and condemned again, he would be the first man that should do it.” - -John Bradshaw married Mary, the daughter of Thomas Marbury, of Marbury, -Cheshire, by his first wife Eleanor, daughter of Peter Warburton, of -Arley, and he thus connected himself with some of the best families -in the county. This lady, who was some years his senior, predeceased -him without having borne any issue; and when the President died he -had not a child to continue his name or inherit the vast wealth he -had accumulated. The closing years of his life were for the most part -spent at his pleasant retreat at Walton-on-Thames, of which mention -has already been made; and there is very little doubt but that within -the wainscotted rooms of that quaint old mansion many and frequent -were the consultations touching the fate of England. A popular writer, -who visited the house some years ago, in describing it, says that an -aged woman, who then occupied a portion of the building, summed up her -account of it with the remark that “it was a great house once, but full -of wickedness; and no wonder the spirits of its inhabitants troubled -the earth to this day.” Though we are not of those who “see visions and -dream dreams,” and hold familiar converse with visitants from the world -of shadows, we may yet echo the remark of the writer referred to: “It -is trite enough to say what tales these walls could tell, but it is -impossible to look into them without wishing ‘these walls had tongues.’” - -The character of Bradshaw has been variously estimated and depicted in -every hue, though it would seem to have been little understood, for his -admirers have refused to see any defects in him, while those who abhor -his principles have denounced him as a “monster of men.” It does not -come within our province to offer any critical opinion on his life and -actions—to pronounce upon the purity of his motives or the sincerity -of his doings. His cousin Milton, who, however, can hardly be accepted -as an impartial witness, has written his eulogy in an eloquent passage -in the “Second Defence of the People of England;” and Godwin, in his -“History of the Commonwealth,” thus speaks of him:— - - An individual who was rising into eminence at this time was John - Bradshaw, the kinsman of Milton. He was bred to the profession - of the law, and his eloquence is praised by Lilburn. Milton, who - seems to have known him thoroughly, speaks of him in the highest - terms, as at once a professed lawyer and an admirable speaker, an - uncorrupt patriot, a man of firm and entrepid cast of temper, a - pleasant companion, most hospitable to his friends, most generous - to all who were in need, most peaceable to such as repented of - their errors. - -The same writer adds: “In December, 1644, he was appointed high sheriff -of his native county of Lancashire.” This last statement is an error -which has gained currency by frequent repetition. Bradshaw was not -a Lancashire man; and his namesake, who held the shrievalty of that -county by virtue of the ordinance of the 10th February, 1644, when -Parliament, exercising the Royal functions, assumed the powers of the -Duke of Lancaster, and who, in contravention of the Act of 28 Edward -III., retained it for four successive years, was the head of the line -of Bradshaw, in the parish of Bolton, and, therefore, only remotely -connected with the Marple stock. - -After the Restoration both Houses of Parliament decreed (4th December, -1660) that his body, with those of Cromwell and Ireton, should be -exhumed and drawn to the gallows at Tyburn, and there hanged and buried -beneath it. Evelyn, in his “Diary,” thus describes the revolting -spectacle he saw on the 30th January, the anniversary of the King’s -execution, and the “first solemn fast and day of humiliation to deplore -the sinns which so long had provok’d God against His afflicted Church -and people”:— - - This day (O the stupendous and inscrutable judgments of God!) - were the carcases of those arch rebells Cromwell, Bradshaw the - Judge who condemned his Majestie, and Ireton, sonn-in-law to the - Usurper, dragg’d out of their superb tombs in Westminster among - the Kings, to Tyburne, and hang’d on the gallows there from nine - in the morning till six at night, and then buried under that fatal - and ignominious monument in a deepe pitt; thousands of people who - had seene them in all their pride being spectators. Looke back at - Nov. 22, 1658 (Cromwell’s funeral) and be astonish’d! and feare - God and honour the King; but meddle not with them who are given to - change. - -It has been asserted, though without any apparent authority, that -Bradshaw was buried at Annapolis, in America, and Mr. St. John says the -following inscription was engraved on a cannon placed at the head of -his supposed grave:— - - Stranger! ere thou pass, contemplate this cannon, nor regardless - behold that near its base lies deposited the dust of John - Bradshaw, who, nobly superior to selfish regards, despising alike - the pageantry of courtly splendour, the blast of calumny, and - the terror of regal vengeance, presided in the illustrious band - of heroes and patriots who firmly and openly adjudged Charles - Stuart, tyrant of England, to a public and exemplary death, - thereby presenting to the amazed world, and transmitting down to - applauding ages, the most glorious example of unshaken virtue, - love of freedom, and impartial justice ever exhibited in the - blood-stained theatre of human action. Oh! reader, pass not on - till thou hast blessed his memory, and never, never forget that - rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God! - -The heads of the three regicides were undoubtedly placed upon -Westminster Hall, and Bradshaw’s and Cromwell’s remained fixed on the -spikes in 1684, when Sir Thomas Armstrong’s[13] was placed between them. - -[Note 13: Sir Thomas Armstrong, who had taken part in the Duke of -Monmouth’s rebellion, was executed on the judgment of the notorious -Jefferies, as an outlaw without trial, though his year had not expired.] - -Among the papers still preserved at Marple is the probate copy of -the President’s will, a lengthy abstract of which has been given -by Ormerod in his “History of Cheshire.” It bears date March 22, -1653, and there are two codicils appended, dated respectively March -23, 1653, and September 10, 1655. By it he bequeaths to his wife, -Mary Bradshaw, all his manors, lands, and hereditaments in Kent and -Middlesex for her life, as jointure in lieu of dower; and devises to -her, and her executors in case of her decease, his manors, &c., in -Kent, for the term of five years, to commence immediately after her -decease, with liberty in her lifetime to dispark the park at Somerhill, -for her subsistence, and for making provision for her kindred, “God -not havinge vouchsafed me issue.” He further devises his manors, &c., -in the counties of Berks, Southampton, Wilts, and Somerset, with his -reversions in Middlesex, in trust to his friend Peter Brereton, his -nephew Peter Newton (the son of his sister Dorothy), and his trustie -servant, Thomas Parnell, and their heirs, for the payment of his -debts, &c., for the payment of £100 per annum, for ten years after his -decease, to his nephew Henry Bradshaw, and £20 per annum to his cousin -Katherine Leigh, for life, with further trust to pay £300 per annum -to his brother Henry Bradshaw, until the estates settled by the will -descend to him; and also to expend £700 in purchasing an annuity for -“manteyning a free schoole in Marple, in Cheshire; £500 for increasing -the wages of the master and usher of Bunbury schoole; and £500 for -amending the wages of the schoolmaster and usher of Midleton schoole, -in Lanc’r (in which twoe schooles of Bunb’rie and Midleton I had part -of my educac’on, and return this as part of my thanfull acknowledgement -for the same). These two sums of £500 to be laid out in purchaseing -annuities.” Then follow a number of small bequests—an annuity of £40 -for seven years to Samuel Roe, his secretary, for maintaining him at -Gray’s Inn, and remunerating his assistance to his executors; £250 -to the poor of Fonthill, Stopp, Westminster, and Feltham; a bequest -of the impropriation of Feltham, for the use of a proper minister to -be established there; an annuity of £20 for providing a minister at -Hatch, in Wiltshire, charged on his estate there; legacies to his -chaplain, Mr. Parr, Mr. Strong, the preacher at the Abbey, and Mr. -Clyve, a Scottish minister; his houses and lodgings at Westminster -to the governors of the almshouses and school there; and the residue -of the estate to his brother Henry, excepting £100 to his niece -Meverell and her sister of the whole blood. The first codicil directs -his executors to sell the Hampshire estates and to fell timber not -exceeding the value of £2,000 on his estates in the county of Kent for -payment of his debts; and the sum of £50 “to my cozen Kath. Leigh who -now liveth with me;” and he further bequeaths all his law books, and -such divinity, history, and other books as his wife shall judge fit, -“to his nephew Harrie Bradshawe.” It may be mentioned that the library -thus bequeathed remained at Marple until the close of the last century, -when, after having been augmented by later generations of the family, -it was sold to Mr. Edwards, of Halifax. Subsequently it was offered -for sale by Messrs. Edwards, of Pall Mall, being then catalogued with -the library of Mr. N. Wilson, of Pontefract, and those of two deceased -antiquaries, the entire collection, according to a writer in the -_Gentleman’s Magazine_ (v. lxxxvi., part 1), being more splendid and -truly valuable than any which had been previously presented to the -curious, and such as “astonished not only the opulent purchasers, but -the most experienced and intelligent booksellers of the metropolis.” -The second codicil gives to his wife’s assignees seven years’ interest -in his Kentish estates after her death, confirms her right to dispark -Somerhill, dispose of the deer, and convert the same to the uses -of husbandry. It further confirms the Middlesex estates to her for -life, and gives her his house at Westminster, held on lease from the -governors of the school there, and directs that £1,000 due from the -State on account of his office of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, -and Chief Justice of Chester, Flint, Denbigh, and Montgomery, be -applied to discharge his debts. It annuls several legacies, and -bequeaths others, among them one of £10 to John Milton; appoints -a legacy of £5 each to all his servants living at the time of his -decease; and makes several additional legal provisions. The will was -proved in London, December 16, 1659, by Henry Bradshaw, the nephew—Mary -Bradshaw, the late wife and sole executrix of the testator, being then -dead, and Henry Bradshaw, the brother, having renounced execution. - -The will is interesting, as showing the extent to which the Lord -President had contrived to enrich himself out of the sequestrated -estates of obnoxious Royalists during the period of the usurpation. -Shortly before the Restoration his nephew Henry was ejected from -Fonthill by the heir of Lord Cottington, who recovered possession of -his ancestral home; and though he managed to secure a large proportion -of the property bequeathed by the will, the benevolent intentions of -the testator were in a great measure frustrated by the changes made in -the disposition of the estate after the return of Charles II. through -the operation of the Act of Confiscation. - -Bradshaw makes allusion in his will to the fact that “God had not -vouchsafed him issue.” Though no children were born to him by his wife, -he is said to have had “an illegitimate son, whose last descendant, -Sarah Bradshaw, married, in 1757, Sir Henry Cavendish, ancestor of -Lord Waterpark.” In the absence, however, of any substantial evidence, -the accuracy of this statement may well be questioned, for we can -hardly suppose the testator would have bequeathed so large a property -to his nephew, and have made no provision for his own offspring, -while permitting him to bear and perpetuate his name. Though the bar -sinister was the reverse of an honourable augmentation, the stigma -of illegitimacy did not attach so much in those days as now. Sir -Henry Cavendish, the ancestor of Lord Waterpark, who was himself -descended from an illegitimate son of Henry, the eldest son of Sir -William Cavendish, of Chatsworth, by his third wife, the renowned -“Bess of Hardwick,” married, August 5, 1757, Sarah (or, according to -some authorities, Mary) only child and heiress of Richard Bradshaw, -who, during her husband’s lifetime, was, in her own right, created -(15th June, 1792) Baroness Waterpark, of Waterpark, in Ireland; and -the supposition that John Bradshaw left an illegitimate son seems -to rest upon the statement made by Playfair, in his “British Family -Antiquities,” and reiterated by Burke, and still more recently in the -“Peerage” of Forster, that this lady was “lineally descended from the -Lord President Bradshaw.” - -Another member of the family employed in the public service during the -Commonwealth period was Richard Bradshaw. His name does not appear in -any of the pedigrees of the Marple line, nor has his identity been -established, though it is very probable he was a nephew of the Lord -President’s, and he was certainly present as one of the mourners at -his funeral. He held the office for some time of Receiver of the Crown -Revenues in Cheshire and North Wales, and was subsequently appointed -to the post of English Resident at Hamburg, whence he was transferred -to Russia, and other of the northern Courts. A great number of his -letters are given in Thurloe’s “State Papers,” and they are especially -interesting as showing the care taken to watch the movements of -Charles II., and the actions of the European Powers likely to render -him assistance in any attempt to recover the throne. In one of these -letters addressed on his return to England to Secretary Thurloe, and -dated from Axeyard, 1st November, 1658, requesting that the sum of -£2,188 0s. 9d. then due to him from the Government might be paid, some -curious circumstances are related in connection with his previous -official life. He says:— - - I am necessitated to acquaint your lordship, that in the yeare - 1648, I beinge then receiver of the crowne-revenue in North-wales - and Cheshire for the state, and cominge to London to passe - accomts, and pay in some money to Mr. Fauconberg the receiver - generall, my lodgings in Kinge Street, Westminster, was broake - into by theeves the very same day the apprentises riss in - London and came down to Whitehall; and £430 was taken fourthe - of a trunke in the chamber where I lay. Though it was a tyme - of great distraction, yet I used such meanes with the warrants - and assistants of Mr. Fauconbridge, as that I found out and - apprehended the fellows the next day, in which the messenger, - Captain Compton, was assistinge to me, whoe were tryed and - condemned at the sessions in the Old Bailey as Compton very well - knowes, being the sonnes of persons of note in Covent Garden. - The prosecution of them cost me above £100, besides the greatest - trouble that ever I had in my life aboute any businesse. But - before my accompte could be declared by the commissioners for - the revenue, whereon I expected allowance for that money, I was - commanded to Hamburg; and now being to settle these accompts in - the exchequer, to have out my ultimate discharge thence, I am told - that it is not in the power of the lords commissioners for the - treasury to give allowance thereof in the way of the exchequer, - without a privy seale to pardon that sume. Therefore I humbly - request that the £430 so taken may be included in the privy seal - with the £3,461 5s. 10d., and then the whole will be £3,891 5s. - 10d., which, if your lordship be satisfied with the accompts, I - pray that Mr. Milbey or Mr. Moreland may have your lordship’s - order to make ready for the seale. - -The riot referred to was no doubt that of the 9th of April, when, -in disregard of the strict Puritan orders in relation to religious -observances, the apprentices were found playing at bowls in Moorfields -during church time. They were ordered by the militia guard to disperse, -but refused, fought the guard, and held their ground. Being soon after -routed by cavalry, they raised the cry of “clubs,” when they were -joined by the watermen. The fight lasted through the night, and in -the morning they had got possession of Ludgate and Newgate, and had -stretched chains across all the great thoroughfares, their cry being -“God and King Charles.” The tumult lasted for forty hours, and was not -put an end to until they were ridden down by a body of cavalry from -Westminster. - -In his petition to the Council of State, praying to be paid the full -sum of £2,188 11s. 4d., Richard Bradshaw states that he had “suffered -the loss of £5,000 in the late wars of this nation, without any -reparation for the same, and for above seventeen years freely exposed -his life at home and abroad in the service of the State; that the same -was disbursed out of his affection to his country, whilst he resided as -public minister in foreign parts, and, if not paid, he should be now, -at his return, rent from his small estate, it being more than he hath -got in the service of the Commonwealth.” - -On the 9th March, 1659-60, the Council directed the amount to be paid, -and on the 12th his accounts were ordered for that purpose to be laid -before Parliament. It does not appear, however, to have been received, -for on the 23rd and 31st he is again found petitioning Thurloe on the -matter, and in the changes that were then taking place it is doubtful -if he ever got anything. Whether, as he feared, he was “rent from -his small estate” or not is not recorded, but it is evident that in -a pecuniary sense he was not so successful as his kinsman, the Lord -President; yet he was a man of much energy and ability, and his letters -give an interesting account of the political affairs of foreign Courts -at the time. He appears to have been continually short of money through -the Government remaining indebted to him, and this fact rather suggests -the idea that Cromwell, who had already broken with John Bradshaw, -desired to hold him as a kind of hostage, and keep him wherever he -chose to place him. - -With a portion of the wealth acquired under John Bradshaw’s will, -Henry, his nephew, in 1693, purchased Bradshaw Hall, in Lancashire, -which, as previously stated, had for many generations been the -residence of another branch of the family, that had then become extinct -in the male line. It is a singular fact that within a comparatively -short period, nearly all, if not all, the branches of the Bradshaw -family became extinct in the male line—the Bradshaws of Haigh, of -Bradshaw, and of Aspull, in Lancashire; of Bradshaw Edge, and of -Barton, in Derbyshire; and finally, as we shall see, of Marple, in -Cheshire, the latter by the death of the Lord President’s grand-nephew -in 1743. - -The subsequent history of the Bradshaws is soon told. Henry, who -inherited the patrimonial estates as well as the bulk of his uncle’s -property, married Elizabeth (erroneously called Magdalene in Ormerod’s, -Forster’s, and Burke’s pedigrees), one of the daughters and co-heirs -of Thomas Barcroft, by whom, on the death of her father in 1688, he -acquired the demesne of Barcroft, in Whalley parish, Lancashire, with -the hall, an ancient mansion dating from the time of Henry VIII. This -Henry made considerable additions to Marple, and erected a great -portion of the outbuildings, as evidenced by the frequent repetitions -of his and his wife’s initials - - B - H E - 1669 - -upon the hall and the stables. By his marriage he had three sons, -Henry, High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1701, who had to wife Elizabeth, -daughter of Richard Legh, of the East Hall, in High Legh, and died in -1724, without issue; Thomas, who died unmarried in 1743; and John, who -predeceased his brother, being also issueless; the estates, on the -death of Thomas, devolving upon the only daughter, Mary, who married -William Pimlot, and by him had two sons, the eldest of whom, John, -succeeded to the estates under a settlement made by his uncle, Thomas -Bradshaw, and had issue a daughter and only child, Elizabeth, married -to Lindon Evelyn, of Keynsham Court, county Hereford, Esq., M.P. for -Dundalk, whose only daughter and heir, Elizabeth, married, December -29th, 1838, Randall Edward Plunkett, Baron Dunsany, elder brother of -the present holder of that title. - -Mary Pimlot, surviving her husband, again entered the marriage -state, her second husband being Nathaniel Isherwood, of Bolton, by -whom she had two sons, Nathaniel, who, under his uncle’s settlement, -succeeded as heir to the Marple and Bradshaw estates on the death -of John Pimlot. He married Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Henry -Brabin, of Brabin’s Hall, in Marple, but died without issue in 1765, -when the property passed to his younger brother, Thomas Isherwood, -who married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Attercroft, of Gillibrand -House, near Blackburn, and by her had a son, who died in infancy, and -six daughters. She predeceased her husband; when he married for his -second wife Mary, daughter and heir of Thomas Orrell, of Saltersley, in -Cheshire. This lady, who died 18th May, 1797, bore him four sons and -five daughters. Thomas Bradshaw-Isherwood, the eldest son, succeeded, -but died unmarried 5th January, 1791, when the estates passed to Henry -Bradshaw-Isherwood, the second son, who also died unmarried January -26, 1801, the Marple and Bradshaw properties then devolving upon his -younger brother, John Bradshaw-Isherwood, born 19th June, 1776, who -married, at Bolton, October 19, 1812, Elizabeth, eldest daughter and -co-heir of the Rev. Thomas Bancroft, M.A., vicar of Bolton. In 1815 he -filled the office of Sheriff of Cheshire, and by his wife, who survived -him and died 1st April, 1856, he left, in addition to six daughters, -a son, Thomas Bradshaw-Isherwood, Esq., the present owner of Marple -and Bradshaw, born 10th February, 1820. Mr. Bradshaw-Isherwood, who -is a J.P. and D.L. for Cheshire, married 22nd July, 1840, Mary Ellen, -eldest surviving daughter of the late Rev. Henry Bellairs, M.A., rector -of Bedworth, in Warwickshire, and Hon. Canon of Worcester, one of the -heroes of Trafalgar, by his wife Dorothy Parker, daughter and co-heir -(with Mary, first wife of John, Earl of Strafford, distinguished for -his brilliant services in the battles of the Peninsula and at Waterloo, -and Sarah, wife of Captain Carmichael) of Peter Mackenzie, of Grove -House, Middlesex, descended from the Mackenzies, barons of Kintail. The -issue of this marriage is two sons, John Henry Bradshaw-Isherwood, -born 27th August, 1841, who married, in 1864, Elizabeth, daughter of -Thomas Luce, Esq., formerly member for Malmesbury, and Arthur Salusbury -Bradshaw-Isherwood, born 21st May, 1843. - -We have said sufficient to establish the claim of Marple to rank among -the most interesting of the historic homes of the Palatinate. The -building, which is a good example of the early Jacobean period, with -considerable additions of late seventeenth century work, has undergone -comparatively few changes, having happily escaped those coarse assaults -to which so many of our old mansions have been subjected by modern -renovators. So little is it altered that it would require no great -effort of the imagination to picture the momentous conferences of the -chiefs of Cheshire Nonconformity that were held within its walls, or to -re-people its sombre apartments with the buff-jerkined, jack-booted, -and heavily-accoutred troopers who followed Henry Bradshaw to the -field; indeed, we might almost fancy that the very chairs and tables -have remained undisturbed during the whole two centuries and more that -have elapsed since those eventful days. Of modern furniture there is -comparatively little, almost everything the house contains being of an -age gone by, and in keeping with its ancient character. - -As anything like a detailed description of the interior is beyond the -purpose and the limits of this sketch, we shall content ourselves with -pointing out the principal apartments and some of the more notable -objects they contain. The principal front is on the south side, -from which a porch, supported by stone columns, forming the central -projection from the house, gives admission to the entrance hall, an -apartment 40 feet long and 20 feet wide, lighted at each end by long -low mullioned windows. The floor is laid with alternate squares of -white stone and black marble, and the ceiling, which is flat, is -crossed by massive oaken beams. The want of elevation gives a somewhat -gloomy and depressing effect, and this is heightened by the coloured -glass in the windows, which further subdues the light. The furniture -is of black oak, bright with the rubbings of many generations; and -against the walls are disposed suits of mail, morions, corslets, and -implements of war that have no doubt done duty in many a well-fought -field. On the left of the entrance, leading from the hall, is the -library, twenty feet square, lighted on the south side by a mullioned -window, filled with stained glass, and having the armorial ensigns of -the Bradshaws and their alliances carved upon the wainscot. On the -same floor, and adjoining the library, is the dining-room, a spacious -apartment, thirty feet by twenty feet, with an oriel window at the -north end, commanding an extensive view of the valley of the Goyt -and the surrounding country. The walls of this room are hung with -portraits, and include several that are said to have been brought from -Harden Hall, and to have once belonged to the Alvanley family. Among -them is one of Queen Elizabeth, and others representing the Earls -of Essex and Leicester, Lord Keeper Coventry, Sir Roger Ascham, and -General Monk; there is also a portrait of one of the Dones of Utkinton, -hereditary chief foresters of Delamere, and of his wife, who stands by -his side. Close by the door, on the right of the entrance hall, is a -broad oaken staircase, with decorated balustrades, leading to the upper -chambers. The walls are hung with portraits, views, &c., and in one -corner we noticed an antique spinning-wheel, the property apparently -of some former spinster of the house. The first chamber we enter is -a small ante-room, wainscotted, with a fireplace composed of ancient -Dutch tiles, above which is a shield, with the arms of the Bradshaws -carved in relief, with the date 1665. A flight of circular steps leads -from this chamber to the drawing-room, which is immediately over the -dining-room, and corresponding with it in dimensions. The walls of this -apartment are hung with tapestry of Gobelins manufacture, the subjects -being Diana and her Nymphs, and Time and Pleasure. On the same floor -is another chamber, now occupied as a bedroom, which is interesting -from the circumstance that the black and white timber gable, the only -fragment apparently of the original structure remaining, is exposed to -view, showing where the projecting bay has been added when the house -was enlarged by Henry Bradshaw, the Lord President’s nephew, shortly -after the Restoration. Opposite the wainscotted ante-room before -referred to is a small tapestried bed-chamber, where tradition says the -Lord President first saw the light; and here is the very bed on which, -according to the same reputable authority, he slept—an antiquated -four-poster, very substantial and very elaborately ornamented, with a -cornice round the top, with the following admonitory sentences,[14] in -raised capitals, carved on three sides of it, though it is to be feared -the Lord President did not study them with much advantage:— - - HE THAT IS UNMERCIFUL, MERCY SHALL MISS; - BUT HE SHALL HAVE MERCY THAT MERCIFUL IS. - -And on the inside:— - - LOVE GOD AND NOT GOLD, - SLEEP NOT UNTIL U CONSIDER HOW U HAVE SPENT THE TIME; - IF WELL, THANK GOD; IF NOT, REPENT. - -[Note 14: At Bradshaw Hall, in Chapel-en-le-Frith, the ancient -patrimonial seat of the stock from which the Marple Bradshaws sprang, -there is on the landing of one of the staircases a similar inscription:— - - Love God and not gould. - - He that loves not mercy - Of mercy shall miss; - But he shall have mercy - That merciful is.] - - -There were formerly in this room, and may be now, a helmet, -breastplate, and pair of spurs that were supposed to have belonged -to John Bradshaw, but which are more likely to have been worn by his -elder brother Henry, the Parliamentarian soldier. On the window of the -same chamber is inscribed the well-known prophetic lines that John is -said to have written when a lad attending the Macclesfield Grammar -School. On the right of the entrance hall are two small chambers, of -comparatively little interest; and adjoining them is the servants’ -hall, the most noticeable feature in which is a moulding in stucco, -and here also is repeated the family arms—argent, two bendlets sable, -between as many martlets of the second; with the crest, a stag at gaze -under a vine tree fructed ppr., and the motto, “_Bona Benemerenti -Benedictio_.” A passage in the rear of the house communicates with a -door on the north or terrace front, on the lintel of which is carved -the date 1658. The outbuildings are extensive. They are partly of stone -and partly of brick, and with their quaint gables, pinnacles, and clock -tower form a very picturesque grouping. They are commonly supposed to -have been erected by “Colonel” Henry Bradshaw, for the accommodation of -his Roundhead troopers; but the idea is dispelled by the initials - - B - H E - -and the date, 1669, which may still be discerned—an evidence that they -were erected in more peaceable times by Henry, the Colonel’s son and -successor, who, as we have seen, married Elizabeth Barcroft, and became -heir to much of his uncle’s wealth. Altogether, the old place is a -deeply-interesting memorial of times now happily gone by. Its history -is especially instructive, and it is impossible to wander through its -antiquated chambers without recalling some of the momentous scenes and -incidents in the country’s annals. Happily, evil hands have not fallen -upon it. It is preserved with jealous care; and from the few changes -it has undergone we gather the idea—always a pleasant one—that here -antiquity is reverenced for its worth. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -OVER SANDS BY THE CARTMEL SHORE—WRAYSHOLME TOWER—THE LEGEND OF THE -LAST WOLF. - - -In that sequestered tract of country that stretches away from the -mountain to the main—from the mouth of the Kent to where the Duddon -flows down to join the sea, and extending from the majestic barrier -of the Lake country to the silvery shores of Morecambe Bay—the -wide estuary that divides the Hundred of Lonsdale and separates -the districts of Cartmel and Furness from the other parts of -Lancashire—there is a wealth of natural beauty and many an interesting -nook undreamt of by the ordinary tourist, who, following in the steps -of imitative sight-seers, rushes along the great iron highway to the -North, forgetting that the fairest spots in the world are reserved -for those who have the wisdom to seek out and earn their pleasures -for themselves. In that pleasant corner of Lancashire, mountain and -valley, moor and fell, blend together in happy relationship, presenting -a panorama of swelling hills, wood-clad knolls, and quiet secluded -hamlets within the bright setting of the shimmering sea. It is, as poor -John Critchley Prince was wont to sing:— - - A realm of mountain, forest-haunt, and fell, - And fertile valleys beautifully lone, - Where fresh and far romantic waters roam, - Singing a song of peace by many a cottage home. - -And where— - - Only the sound of the distant sea, - As a far-off voice in a dream may be, - Mingles its tale with the woodland tones, - As the sea waves wash o’er the tidal stones. - -[Illustration] - -But it is not for the lover of the picturesque alone that the district -offers more than ordinary attractions. There are few localities so -rich in records of the past, or surrounded by so many traditional -associations. In addition to the magnificent ruins of Furness, there is -the scarcely less interesting pile of Cartmel, one of the few priory -churches that England now possesses, and which only escaped destruction -in the stormy times of the Reformation by the inhabitants literally -buying off the King’s Commissioners. On Swarthmoor, “the German baron, -bold Martin Swart,” mustered “his merry men” when Lambert Simnel, the -pretender to the Crown, landed at Piel, in 1486, an escapade in which -we fear “Our Lady of Furness” was not altogether free from implication. -Here, too, is Swarthmoor Hall, once the home of Judge Fell; and close -by is the modest Quakers’ Chapel, the first built by George Fox, the -founder of the Society of Friends. Holker Hall has been for a century -and more the home of the Cavendishes, as it was previously of the -Lowthers and the Prestons. The little hamlet of Lindale has been made -the scene of one of the most charming of Mrs. Gaskell’s stories, and -almost within bow-shot is Buck Crag, sheltering beneath which is the -humble dwelling that for many a long year was the abode of Edmund Law, -the curate and schoolmaster of Staveley, the spot where the younger -Edmund Law, Bishop of Carlisle, and father of Lord Ellenborough, first -saw the light. - -Before the enterprise and skill of Brogden and Brunlees had bridged -the estuaries of the Kent and the Leven, and carried the railway from -Carnforth to Ulverston, the journey to Whitehaven and the western -lakes had to be made across the broad expanse of sand left by each -receding tide, and a perilous journey it was. In bygone days the -monks of Cartmel maintained a guide, paid him out of “Peter’s Pence,” -and, in addition, gave him the benefit of their prayers, which in -truth he often needed; and when their house was dissolved, “Bluff -King Hal” charged the expenses of the office upon the revenues of the -Duchy of Lancaster, so that the “Carter,” as he is now called, is an -old-established institution. There is no beaten pathway “Over Sands,” -for every tide removes the traces of those who have gone before, and -the channels are so constantly shifting that what yesterday might be -firm and solid to the tread, to-day may be only soft and treacherous -pulp. The locality has been oftentimes the scene of mourning and -sorrow, and many are the tales that are told of the “hair-breadth -’scapes” of those who have been overtaken by the “cruel crawling tide” -while journeying over the perilous waste. The old adage tells us that - - The Kent and the Keer - Have parted many a good man and his meear (mare). - -[Illustration: GRANGE-OVER-SANDS.] - -And the registers of Cartmel bear testimony to the fact that, of those -who now sleep peacefully in its “God’s Acre,” a hundred and twenty or -more have met their fate while crossing the shifty channels of this -treacherous shore. The poet Gray, writing in 1767 to Dr. Wharton, -relates a pathetic story of a family who were overtaken by a mist when -half way across and lost their way; and Edwin Waugh, in his pleasant, -gossiping way, tells how an ancient mariner, when asked if the guides -were ever lost on the sands, answered with grim _naïveté_: “I never -knew any lost. There’s one or two drowned now and then, but they’re -generally found somewhere i’th bed when th’ tide goes out.” When the -subjects of the Cæsars had established themselves here, the old Roman -General Agricola made a journey “Over Sands,” and the difficulties he -encountered are related by Tacitus the historian. Mrs. Hemans braved -the dangers, for in one of her letters she says: “I must not omit to -tell you that Mr. Wordsworth not only admired our exploit in crossing -the Ulverston Sands as a deed of ‘derring do,’ but as a decided proof -of taste. The Lake scenery, he says, is never seen to such advantage -as after the passage of what he calls its ‘majestic barrier.’” In the -old coaching days the journey began at Hest Bank, about three miles -from Lancaster, where the guide was usually in waiting to conduct the -travellers across, when a mixed cavalcade of horsemen, pedestrians, and -vehicles of various kinds was formed, which, following the coach, and -headed by the browned and weather-beaten “Carter,” slowly traversed -the trackless waste, the incongruous grouping suggesting the idea -of an Eastern caravan on its passage across the desert. If nothing -else, the journey had the charm of novelty and adventure, which in -some degree compensated for the hazard incurred; and the scenes of -danger and disaster witnessed have furnished the theme for more than -one exciting story, as “Carlyon’s Year” and the “Sexton’s Hero” bear -witness. But the romance of the sands is fast passing away. The guides -have now comparatively little to do, the perilous path is traversed -less and less frequently every year, so that ere long we shall probably -only hear of it as a traditional feature of the times when the name of -Stephenson was unknown and railways were only in the womb of time. - -On the western side of the Milnthorpe Sands, nestling at the foot of -the green slopes of Yewbarrow, with its whitened dwellings peeping -from their garniture of leaves, and its rock-strewn beach lipped by the -capricious sea, is the slowly-rising village of Grange, with its sands -and its sea, its pleasant walks and cheerful drives, all sheltered from -the north winds by the great Cartmel fells clustering at its back. A -place that lures you by the peaceful quietude that prevails, for here -Ethiopian serenaders and blind bag-pipers are unknown, and youthful -lazzaroni with white mice and pink-eyed guinea pigs are beings the -people wot not of. It is not “dressy,” nor is it fashionable in the -sense that Scarborough is, so that you can take your ease in your -inn without risk of being chilled by the freezing presence of Lord -Shingleton or my Lady Marina. The wandering creature who calls himself -a tourist, and is always in search of some new sensation, passes it by -as slow and unexciting, and the herd of holiday-makers who delight to -perform aquatic _poses plastiques_ once a year prefer to do so in such -over-crammed places as Southport, or that marine Babylon—Blackpool. -Nevertheless, it is a pleasant place to stay at when you have nothing -to do, and all the day to do it in; a retreat where you can shake off -those fancies associated with everyday life that cloud the brow and -spoil the digestion, and get rid of that - - Army of phantoms vast and wan - That beleaguer the human soul. - -But our present purpose is not to write a description of Grange, for -though it is a pleasant place to stay at it is also a pleasant place -to go away from—a convenient spot from whence little excursions can -be made to neighbouring places of interest and attraction, and this -time it is Wraysholme Tower, the ruined home of the once powerful -Harringtons, and the rocky promontory of Humphrey Head, where tradition -says the last wolf “in England’s spacious realm” was hunted down, that -attracts our wandering steps. - -As we slowly wend our way towards the upper end of the village, pausing -now and then to gaze across the broad expanse of Morecambe Bay to the -wooded shores on the Lancaster side, and the great fells that stretch -away in rear to join the pale blue hills of Yorkshire, we get sight of -an antiquated building with mullioned windows, now half buried in the -ground, which in former times served as a granary for the storage of -the rich harvests gathered by the fraternity of Cartmel, and hence the -name of “Grange” which has been given to the place. At an angle of the -road, near the higher end, is the church, erected some twenty years -ago through the persevering efforts of a lady resident. Keeping along -the level way, we come presently to a cross-road, and, turning sharply -to the left, pass the farmhouse where, for generations, the “Carters” -have resided. A few minutes’ walk along the railway line brings us to a -pleasant indentation in the shore, where Kent’s Bank, a tiny watering -place, with a trim hotel and cosy-looking villas, bright with flowers -and creeping plants, is striving to rival its more famous neighbour. In -a green nook by the sea is a pleasant mansion that occupies the site -of a more ancient structure, Abbot Hall, once the abode, as tradition -affirms, of the abbots of Cartmel, but, as there were no “abbots” of -that house, it is more likely to have belonged to the fraternity of -Furness, who, as we know, had lands here granted to them as far back as -1135. Mr. Stockdale, in his _Annales Caermoelensis_, suggests that it -was built for the convenience of the abbot when journeying from Furness -to his possessions in Yorkshire. He says:— - - No doubt the puisne monarch (the abbot) and his cavalcade would - travel, in making these journeys, in a stately, lordly, and - ostentatious way, and would pass along the narrow tracks from - the (Furness) Abbey to the Red Lane end, at Conishead Bank, with - more or less difficulty, and then, entering upon the sea sands, - would, in a short time, reach “the Chapel Island,” where, in the - little homely chapel, prayers would be earnestly offered up for - the safe passage of the remainder of the dangerous, though much - the smaller, Morecambe estuary. This needful duty having been - performed, the long cavalcade would slowly wend its way over the - creeks, gullies, and quicksands, till the opposite bank of the - estuary was gained, and then by the old Roman road called now - the Back Lane, to the town of Flookborough, and from thence to - Allithwaite, and by the very old road up and over the precipitous - hill to the abbot’s own comfortable and well-sheltered residence, - Abbot Hall.... As there has always been a tradition that there - was a chapel near Kirkhead and Abbot Hall—some remains of which, - even graves, it is said, existed in the last century—there can but - be little doubt that the abbot and his numerous suite would, after - their night’s rest at Abbot Hall, resort to this chapel and again - pray for a safe passage over the wild and dangerous Lancaster - estuary, eight or nine miles in width, not passed at this day, - even in the presence of a guide, with entire safety.[15] - -[Note 15: Upon the Abbot Hall estate are some lands which still bear the -name of Chapel Fields, in which, at three feet from the surface, -human skeletons have been exhumed. The spot may therefore with much -probability be assumed to have been the site of an oratory, where a -monk of the abbey officiated in offering up prayers for the safety of -such as crossed the sands, Kent’s Bank being the point from which they -would start upon their journey towards Lancaster.] - -A pleasant rural lane leads up from the station at Kent’s Bank to -Allithwaite, a little straggling village, the inhabitants of which -contrive to earn a scanty livelihood by fishing and “cockling” upon -the sands. Steep banks rise on each side, festooned with plumy -ferns and wild flowers, crested with spiked thorn-bushes, scrubby -hazels, and spreading ash-trees, that wave their shadowy branches -overhead. The honeysuckle spreads its delicious perfume around, and -as we saunter leisurely along the sunlight glints through the leafy -openings, shooting down long arrowy rays, that here brighten with -golden touches the gnarled and knotted stem of a sturdy oak, and there -light up a churlish bramble, like a woman’s radiant smile reflecting -its cheeriness upon some worthless Caliban. On the left is Kirkhead, a -lofty knoll, crowned with a prospect tower—Barrow’s summer-house, as -it is called—from the summit of which there is a view that well repays -the labour of ascent. Wraysholme’s ruined tower, whither we are wending -our way, is but a short mile distant, and as we have a long summer -afternoon before us, we may wander at our will. Having mounted the -breezy hill, we lie down on a cushion of soft grass at the foot of the -building to gaze upon the scene, listening the while to the wild bird’s -song and the hoarse melody of the fitful sea. - -The wide expanse of Morecambe Bay lies before us like an out-stretched -panorama, in which every jutting headland, every indentation, and every -crease in the green hills can be distinctly traced. Far below us a long -stretch of shore runs out; an old boat lies upon its side, chained to -a miniature anchor; children are disporting themselves round it, and a -few bare-legged fishermen are busy arranging their long nets, for the -tide is not yet in, though we can see where the crafty silent sea comes -stealing up from the south, each delicate wavelet, as it breaks upon -the yellow sand in a white line of surge, creeping nearer and nearer -to the beach. The softest of summer breezes plays upon the water, -breaking it into innumerable ripples that dance and glitter in the -mellow light. Here and there a few cloud shadows fleck the surface. A -soft summer haze, like an ocean of white mist, hangs in mid distance, -and where it lifts, shows little patches of the blue of heaven beyond. -A broad streak of light marks the line of the horizon where sea and sky -blend together. A solitary white sail glints in the blaze of sunlight, -one or two fishing boats with red-brown sails spot the sea with -colour, and far away a long line of black smoke shows where a steamer -is rapidly ploughing its way towards the Irish coast. Sheltering in -quiet beauty in the little cove below is Kent’s Bank, its buildings, -dwarfed by the intervening space, looking like a group of children’s -toys. Grange is hidden behind the projecting ridge of rock; but Holme -Island, with its pretty little marine temple, stands well out from the -shore, like an emerald gem in the flashing waters. Sheltering it from -the northern blasts, a range of rugged limestone rocks, all channelled -and weather-worn, and fringed with over-lapping trees, is seen; and -there, where a few puffs of white smoke gleam brightly against the deep -blue of space, a train is bearing its living freight across the broad -Milnthorpe Sands. Arnside Knott, with its shady background of wood, -thrusts up its huge form as a foil to quiet Silverdale, reposing by its -side; then, sweeping round in an irregular circle towards the east, we -have an ever-varying shore and an amphitheatre of intersecting hills, -now dark with shadow and now gay with the tints of the many-hued -vegetation, with Ingleborough and the great Dent Fells far, far beyond, -yet, in the pure atmosphere, seeming so near and so clear that we may -almost fancy we can see the purple heather blooming upon their sides. -Further south, bathed in a flood of sunshine, the battlemented keep of -Lancaster Castle comes full in sight, with its frowning gate-tower, -through which many an ill-starred wretch has doubtless trembled as he -passed, and where, upon its threshold, may be said yet to linger the -solemn footprints of mingled innocence and guilt—a stony relic that -calls to remembrance “Old John o’ Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster,” -and turns back the pages of the Book of Time to the turbulent days -which witnessed the fierce forays of the Northern hordes and the still -fiercer struggles of the rival Roses; and beyond the Castle, the green -knolls rising above the water-line in the direction of Heysham and -Sunderland—Cape Famine, as the people call it—looking like so many -islands in a sea of silver. - -Carrying the eye round to the west, a picture scarcely less beautiful -meets the gaze. The low-lying plain on the right—the Wyke,[16] as it -is called—has, within living memory, been reclaimed from the hungry -sea; and where was once old ocean’s bed there are now lush pastures, -and fields of waving grain that give promise of an abundant harvest. -Below us, peeping up from a clump of trees, are seen the ruined walls -of Wraysholme Tower, where the lordly Harringtons held sway, and -with which we shall make more intimate acquaintance by-and-by; and -near thereto Humphrey Head, looking like a monster couchant, thrusts -its huge form far out from the shore. The little village beyond is -Flookborough, and within half a mile is Cark, contiguous to which, -half hidden among the umbraged woods, is Holker, the favourite seat of -the Duke of Devonshire. Across the Leven sands we get a glimpse of -Chapel Island, a little sea-girt solitude, with the crumbling ruins of -its ancient sanctuary peeping through the gloom of the overshadowing -trees, where, in days of yore, the monks of Furness “their orisons and -vespers sung,” and offered prayers “for the safety of the souls of such -as crossed the sands with the morning tide.” Almost within bow-shot are -the rich woods and glades of Conishead; and further on, the old town of -Ulverston can be discerned, with the great rounded hill—the Hoad—in the -rear, on which the monument to the memory of its distinguished son, the -late Sir John Barrow, stands— - - On the gusty down, - Far seen across the sea-paths which he loved, - A beacon to the steersman. - -[Note 16: “Wyke” signifies a bay with a low shore; and the now fertile -plain, which includes some hundreds of acres, protected with deep -embankments and valve gates for the land streams, was reclaimed many -years ago through the enterprise of Mr. Towers, of Dudden Grove, and -the late Mr. Stockdale, of Cark.] - -At the extreme corner of the Furness shore, where the tall chimneys -shoot up and the thick smoke hangs like a pall, is Barrow, which -by the magic power of iron has been suddenly transformed from an -obscure fishing village into a busy and populous town, and the seat -of industrial and commercial activity. Reaching far out into the -sea is lonely wave-girt Walney, with its ruined castle—the pile of -Fouldrey—built on the foundation of the Vikings’ stronghold by the -monks of Furness as a defence against the marauding Scots—looming -darkly against the flashing waters. Black Comb, stern, bleak, and wild, -its gleaming summit breaking through the clouds, lifts its huge form -with frowning majesty above the dreary moors and storm-worn hills; -and, rearward, the eye wanders over the Coniston range to the Old Man, -and thence to Bowfell, the twin pikes of Langdale, and round towards -Skiddaw, where a succession of mighty headlands—the silent companions -of the mist and cloud—crowd one upon another until the dim outlines of -their giant peaks are lost in the blue infinity of space. - -Apart from its natural beauty and the pleasant prospect it commands, -Kirkhead is not without attractions for those who delight in -investigating the memorials of prehistoric times. On the steep -acclivities on the south side of the hill, mantled with ferns and -coarse weeds, and well-nigh hidden with trees and brushwood, is the -entrance to a natural opening or cavern in the limestone rock, 40 or -50 feet in length and about 20 feet high, which in the dim and shadowy -past has evidently been the abode of some primeval Briton. You can get -down to it by an inconvenient track from the top, but the better way -is by a path that winds round the base of the hill, through the scrub, -and along the edge of the meadow until you reach a heap of soil and -_débris_ left from previous explorations, when the entrance is seen -just above. In the excavations that have been made a skull and other -human remains have been discovered, with fragments of rude pottery, -implements of stone, and the bones of the red deer, wild boar, fox, and -other animals. Near the surface was also found a coin of the reign of -the Emperor Domitian (A.D. 84)—strong presumptive evidence that there -have been a succession of tenants, and some of them during the period -of Roman occupation. Repeated examinations have been made of this -primitive abode, and an account of its hidden mysteries will be found -in Dr. Barber’s “Prehistoric Remains.” - -Descending from our lofty eyrie, we pass through the little village of -Allithwaite, and then strike into a pleasant leafy lane on the left, -bordered with tall trees—oak, and ash, and beech—that look as green and -luxurious as if they were buried in some inland combe instead of having -had the sea breezes sweeping over them for many a long winter past. A -little rindle keeps us in pleasant companionship, sparkling here and -there in the deep shadow, and now and then we get glimpses of the level -waste of silver sand and the sea beyond, shining through the summer -haze. A few minutes’ walking and we come in sight of the crumbling -remains of Wraysholme Tower, the object of our present pilgrimage, -standing a little way back on the left of the road. A bright-eyed -youngster holds the gate open for us, with expectant glances, as we -pass through into the farmyard, in which the old weather-worn relic -stands, and the gladsome looks with which our modest _largesse_ is -received assure us that it is not unworthily bestowed. - -[Illustration: WRAYSHOLME TOWER.] - -The embattled tower or peel is all that now remains, and whatever of -other buildings there may have been have long since disappeared. Built -for defence, and as a place of refuge for men and cattle against the -incursions of Scottish marauders and enemies approaching from the Irish -Sea, it formed the strongest and most important feature of the original -structure; and even now, though dismantled and forlorn, and applied to -“base uses” its founders little dreamt of, with its thick walls, its -small jealous windows, and its gloomy apartments, it gives evidence of -purposed resistance to sudden intrusion, and shows that security rather -than convenience was the object of its builders—a lingering memorial -of those grim and stern old times ere order had spread and law had -superseded might, when even power could only feel secure when protected -by strongly-fortified walls, a - - Monument of rudest times, - When science slept entombed, and o’er the waste, - The heath-grown crag, and quivering moss of old - Stalk’d unremitted war. - -The tower in general form is a parallelogram, measuring about -forty-five feet by thirty; the strongly-grouted walls are surmounted -by an overhanging parapet, with a watch-turret projecting from each -angle, giving it the character of a fortalice—as, indeed, it was in the -troublous times when watch and ward and beacon lights were necessary -safeguards against sudden assaults. In an angle of the thick walls -is a spiral stone staircase, communicating with the upper chambers -and the roof—the latter, in its original state, having been flat and -covered with lead. The masonry, though of great strength, is plain -and of the simplest character, the only carved work being the small -square-headed windows in the upper stories, which have foliated lights, -divided by a mullion, and are apparently of later date than the main -structure, having probably been inserted about the close of the long -reign of Edward III. In one of these windows the arms and crests of the -Harringtons and Stanleys were formerly to be seen, but they were some -years ago removed for safety, and are now placed in a window of the -adjacent farmhouse. One of the small diamond panes has the well-known -Stanley crest—an eagle, with wings endorsed, preying upon an infant -in its cradle, with the addition of the fret or Harrington knot—_nodo -firmo_—at each angle. On another pane are the letters Q (the equivalent -of W) H, with the fret above and below—the initials being probably -those of Sir William Harrington, who, according to Dr. Whitaker, -fell mortally wounded on the plains of Agincourt, on that memorable -St. Crispin’s Day in 1415[17]. A third pane has depicted upon it an -eagle’s claw, a cognizance of the Stanleys, with a fleur de lis on each -side. - -[Note 17: This is an error on the part of the learned historian, for Sir -William Harrington’s death did not occur until 1450.] - -It is not known with certainty when Wraysholme was erected; but -probably it was not long after William Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke, -founded the Priory of Cartmel (1188); and it may have been intended -as a protection for the fraternity of that house, in the same way -that Piel Castle was for the security of the monks of Furness; but, -if so, the brotherhood did not enjoy a very lengthened tenure, for a -little more than a century after, it is found in the possession of the -great feudal family of the Harringtons of Aldingham, descended from -the Haveringtons or Harringtons of Haverington, near Whitehaven. Sir -Robert Harrington, the first of the name settled at Aldingham, which he -had acquired in right of his wife, had two sons, the younger of whom, -Michael Harrington had—8 Edward II. (1314-15)—a grant of free-warren in -Alinthwaite (Allithwaite), in which township Wraysholme is situated, -but the property eventually passed to the descendants of the elder -brother, Sir John, a great-grandson of whom, Sir William Harrington, -Knight of the Garter, was standard-bearer at the battle of Agincourt, -where he is erroneously said to have lost his life. This Sir William -married Margaret, daughter and heir of Sir Robert Neville, of Hornby -Castle, and by her had a son, Sir Thomas Harrington. - -[Illustration] - -In the fierce struggles of the Red and White Roses the Harringtons -ranged themselves on the side of the Yorkists, and suffered severely -in that internecine conflict Sir Thomas Harrington, who married a -daughter of the house of Dacre, and succeeded to the Hornby estates in -right of his mother, fell fighting under the standard of the White Rose -at Wakefield Green, and his only son, Sir John Harrington, received his -death-blow while fighting by his side on that memorable day (December -31, 1460), a day fatal to the House of York, and scarcely less fatal -to the victorious Lancastrians; for the cruelties there perpetrated -by the Black-faced Clifford were repaid with ten-fold vengeance at -Towton a few months later. Drayton, in his “Queen Margaret,” recounts -the butcher-work that Clifford did at Wakefield when the brave Richard -Plantagenet, Duke of York, and his son, the Earl of Rutland, fell -together—when - - York himself before his castle gate, - Mangled with wounds, on his own earth lay dead; - Upon whose body Clifford down him sate, - Stabbing the corpse, and cutting off the head, - Crowned it with paper, and to wreak his teene, - Presents it so to his victorious queene, - -and the “victorious queene,” the haughty Margaret of Anjou, in the -insolence of her short-lived triumph, gave the order,— - - Off with his head, and set it on York gates, - So York may overlook the town of York, - -Dr. Whitaker tells us that when the news reached Hornby that Sir Thomas -and Sir John Harrington, father and son, with their kinsman, Sir -William Harrington, Lord Bonville of Aldingham, were slain, the widow -of Sir Thomas withdrew to her daughter for consolation, but her son’s -widow, Matilda, a sister of the Black-faced Clifford, partaking, as it -would seem, of her brother’s hard nature, remained, and “was at leisure -to attend to business.” - -With Sir John’s death the male line of this branch of the Harringtons -terminated. He left two daughters, Anne and Elizabeth, his co-heirs, -then aged respectively nine and eight years. Their paternal uncle, -Sir James Harrington, took forcible possession of the estates and -claimed them as his own, but on an appeal to the Court of Chancery, he -was dispossessed and committed to the Fleet, when the wardship of the -two young heiresses and the custody of their inheritance were granted -to Thomas Lord Stanley, who considerately married the eldest, Anne, -to his third son, Sir Edward Stanley, the hero of Flodden Field, and -the youngest to his nephew, John Stanley, of Melling, the son of his -brother, the first Sir John Stanley[18] of Alderley, in Cheshire. - -[Note 18: By a curious error, which has been repeated in many of the -published pedigrees, this Sir John Stanley is represented as a base -son of James Stanley, Warden of Manchester, and afterwards Bishop of -Ely. Bishop Stanley’s son, who was also distinguished for his valour on -the field of Flodden, was Sir John Stanley, of Honford (Handforth), in -Cheadle parish. Cheshire.] - -Sir Edward Stanley, who eventually became the possessor of both -Wraysholme and Hornby, the former, as it would seem, having been -forfeited to the Crown by the attainder of his wife’s uncle, Sir James -Harrington, who, with his brother, Sir Robert, fought on the side of -Richard III. at Bosworth Field, had been a soldier from his youth up. -“The camp,” it is said, “was his school, and his learning the pike and -sword.” The lords of Wraysholme, with their retainers, had many a time -and oft set out to repel the Scots in their plundering raids across -the Border, but now they were called upon to meet the Scottish King -himself, who had entered England with a powerful army, and laid waste -some of the Border strongholds. Summoning his followers, the valiant -Stanley prepared himself for the field, when, as the old ballad tells -us,— - - Sir Edward Stanley, stiff in stour,[19] - He is the man on whom I mean, - With him did pass a mighty pow’r, - Of soldiers seemly to be seen. - - Most lively lads in Lonsdale bred, - With weapons of unwieldy weight, - All such as Tatham Fells had fed, - Went under Stanley’s streamer bright. - - * * * * * - - From Silverdale to Kent sand side, - Whose soil is sown with cockle shells, - From Cartmel eke and Connyside, - With fellows fierce from Furness Fells. - -[Note 19: Stour, _i.e_., fight.] - -He and his brave men marched forward until they came to “Flodden’s -fatal field,” when Stanley was entrusted with the command of the rear -of the English army, which he led so valiantly, and made such a sudden -and unexpected onslaught with his bowmen, that the Scots were put to -flight, leaving their King dead upon the field. Scott has enshrined -Stanley’s deeds at Flodden in imperishable verse, and few couplets are -more frequently quoted than that which tells us— - - “Victory!— - Charge, Chester, charge! On, Stanley, on!” - Were the last words of Marmion. - -Doubtless it was a gay day at Wraysholme when the stout Lancashire -lads, with their brave leader, returned to tell the tale of victory. -Henry VIII., keeping his Christmas at Eltham, the following year -(1514), commanded that Sir Edward Stanley, as a reward for his services -in having won the hill and vanquished those opposed to him, as also -that his ancestors bore the eagle as their crest, should there be -proclaimed Lord Monteagle, which was accordingly done, and by that -title he had summons to Parliament, and was made a Knight of the Garter. - -Sir Edward Stanley, Lord Monteagle, died in 1584, and about this time -the old peel of Wraysholme passed to the Dicconsons, a branch of the -family of that name seated at Wrightington, in Eccleston parish, for -in the following year “Richd. Dicconson, of Raisholme,” appears among -the _liberi tenentes_ in Cartmel parish, and the place continued in -the possession of this family for a century or more. In 1756 it was -purchased by John Carter, of Cart Lane, and given by him, in 1790, -to his daughter Dorothy, the wife of John Harrison, from whom it has -descended through the female line to the present possessor—Thomas Newby -Wilson, of Landing, Newby Bridge. - -The gloomy-looking old tower, in which the chivalrous and intrepid -Harringtons so long held sway, now only exhibits the melancholy -aspects of desertion and decay. It is used as an outbuilding to the -neighbouring farmhouse, and, though much dilapidated, tells more of -time, and time’s slow wasting hand, than of the ruinous havoc of -ruthless war. - -The glory has long passed away, for two centuries and more have rolled -by since it was in the heyday of its prosperity. It is now tenantless -and forlorn, its battlements are broken, its rooms are desolated, and -the wind whistles through the narrow casements that once were storied -with the heraldic achievements of its knightly owners. Old time has -pressed heavily upon it—may no ruder hand hasten its destruction! - -A little more than half a mile from Wraysholme Tower is Humphrey -Head, a huge mass of carboniferous limestone that thrusts its gaunt -form far out into the bay, dividing the Milnthorpe from the Ulverston -Sands. To the north it rises abruptly from the plain, here grim and -grey and lifeless-looking, and there decked with a rich embroidery -of lichens, moss, and trailing ivy, while the ledges of the rock are -covered with a thick vegetation of ash and hazel, the bright greenery -of which is in places relieved by the darker foliage of the yew that -here thrives luxuriously. Round towards the sea the steep acclivities -are all broken, channelled, and weather-worn, with scarcely a sign of -vegetation to relieve their general sterility; and huge heaps that -have been brought down by successive storms lie strewn about the shore -in picturesque confusion. The rocky cliff which rears its naked front -almost perpendicularly to a considerable elevation is not without its -tale of sorrow, as we gather from the following warning, inscribed upon -a block of limestone:— - - Beware how you these rocks ascend, - Here William Pedder met his end, - August 22nd, 1857. Aged 10 years. - -Near the top of the cliff is the Fairies’ Cave—a large cavernous -opening or recess formed by the shrinkage of the limestone; and at -the base is the Holy Well, a mineral spring famed for its curative -properties in Camden’s time, and which even within memory was resorted -to by the Cumberland miners, who came in large numbers to drink its -health-inspiring waters. The spring issues through a fissure in the -rock within a few feet of the ground, the flow being at the rate -of about a gallon a minute, continuing without variation through -the different seasons of the year. The water is perfectly clear and -colourless, and effervesces slightly on agitation—an indication of the -presence of free carbonic acid. Dr. Barber, who has written an account -of the spa, tells us the principal ingredients are the chlorides of -sodium and magnesium, and the sulphates of lime and soda; and that in -its chief characteristics it most resembles the waters at Wiesbaden -and the Ragoczy spring at Kissingen. Its celebrity would seem to have -arisen as much from its diluent powers as from its medicinal virtues; -and probably recent analyses, which have disclosed the fact that it -contains but a small proportion of solid ingredients, have broken -the charm with which traditional piety had surrounded it, and caused -the health-seeking pilgrims who formerly believed in its virtues to -seek elsewhere the refreshing and restorative draughts which nature -provides. The spring is now virtually abandoned; the cottage close by, -in which the high-priestess formerly resided, is tenantless and falling -to decay; but the key of the spring can be had from the neighbouring -farmhouse. - -Tradition gathers round this little corner of Lancashire, and the -shaping power of imagination has clothed it with the weird drapery of -romance—that - - Dubious light - That hovers ’twixt the day and night, - Dazzling alternately and dim. - -When the Harringtons established themselves here the wolf and the -wild boar roamed at large through the thick forests of Cartmel, and -among the legends and scraps of family history that have floated down -through successive generations is the story that on the eminence to -the north of Wraysholme the last wild boar was hunted down; from which -circumstance the hill has ever since borne the name of Boar Bank. It is -said, too, that, far back in the mist of ages, it was from Wraysholme -Tower a gallant company rode forth to hunt the last wolf “in England’s -spacious realm;” and that, after a long and weary chase, the savage -beast was tracked to its lair on the wooded heights of Humphrey Head, -and there transfixed by the spear of a Harrington. Tradition has been -well described as the nursing-mother of the Muses, and these bits of -legendary lore, which have been deeply rooted in the memories, and -for many a generation have delighted the firesides, of the Cartmel -cottagers, have inspired the pen of a local poet, who has told the -story of “The Last Wolf” in spirit-stirring verse. This interesting -ballad, though varying considerably from the current tradition, is -yet a valuable contribution to our Palatine anthology. Its great -length—seventy-five verses—prevents our giving it entire, but the -following passages will give an idea of the salient features of the -story:— - - The sun hath set on Wraysholme’s Tower, - And o’er broad Morecambe Bay; - The moon from out her eastern bower - Pursues the track of day. - - On Wraysholme’s grey and massive walls, - On rocky Humphrey Head, - On wood and field her silver falls, - Her silent charms are shed. - - No sound through all yon sleeping plain - Now breaks upon the ear, - Save murmurs from the distant main, - Or evening breezes near. - - * * * * * - - Within those walls may now be seen - The festive board displayed, - And round it many a knight, I ween, - And many a comely maid. - - For know that on the morrow’s dawn, - With all who list to ride, - Sir Edgar Harrington hath sworn - To hunt the country-side. - - A wolf, the last, as rumour saith, - In England’s spacious realm, - Is doomed that day to meet its death, - And grace the conqueror’s helm. - - And he hath sworn an oath beside, - Whoe’er that wolf shall quell - Shall have his fair niece for a bride, - And half his land as well. - -The “fair niece” is the orphan Lady Adela— - - For beauty famous far and wide, - -whose heart has previously been given to Sir Edgar’s son; but the -course of true love has been characterised by the proverbial absence -of smoothness, and the young knight, to escape his father’s wrath, has -betaken himself to the wars in Eastern lands. - -The night’s carousal draws to a close, and at break of day the -huntsman’s horn wakes the sleepers to a glorious chase, when - - Full threescore riders mount with speed, - -chief among whom, and the competitors for the fair Adela’s hand, are -the two knights, Laybourne and Delisle—the latter the long-lost son of -Sir Edgar, who has returned from the Crusades, and appears in disguise -and under an assumed name, though the old retainers, as they view the -stranger knight, know that - - The long-lost wanderer meets their sight, - Whate’er his name be now. - -The wolf, scared from his covert on Humphrey Head, leads the hunters -a long and exciting chase over Kirkhead, past Holker and Newby, and -across “the Leven’s brawling flood,” to the Old Man of Coniston. The -dogs are again upon the track, and the grisly beast is away through -“Easthwaite’s lonely deep,” through woodland, brake, and forest hoar, -“through Sawrey’s pass,” and on to the shores of Windermere, where, - - With one bold plunge, the mere he takes, - And, favoured by the wind, - The flabbing scent abruptly breaks, - And leaves his foes behind. - -But the “tireless bloodhounds” are once more upon the scent, the rival -knights follow in hot pursuit, and - - Away along the wooded shore - The chase betakes him now, - Beneath the friendly shade of Tower - And craggy Gummerhow. - - Then turn aside to Witherslack, - Where Winster’s waters range, - And thence to shingly Eggerslack, - And sand-surveying Grange. - -Then, with the instinct of despair, the brute makes for his old haunt -on Humphrey Head, as “evening shades appear.” Reaching a deep chasm -in the rock, wolf and hounds rush headlong to their destruction. -Laybourne’s horse rears at the “giddy brink,” but the “bold Delisle” -rushes madly on, crying— - - Adela! I’ll win thee now! - Or ne’er wend forth again. - -Delisle and his “Arab white” pursue their headlong course down the -rocky gulf— - - Awhile from side to side it leapt, - That steed of mettle true, - Then swiftly to destruction swept, - Like flashing lightning flew. - - The shingle in its headlong course, - With rattling din gave way; - The hazels snap beneath its force, - The mountain savins sway. - -By chance the Lady Adela happens to be riding by at the moment, upon -her “palfrey white”— - - When, lo! the wild wolf bursts in sight, - And bares his glistening teeth! - - Her eyes are closed in mortal dread, - And ere a look they steal, - The wolf and Arab both lie dead, - And scatheless stands Delisle! - -The Red Cross knight now reveals himself as the lost son of Sir Edgar. -The father welcomes the wanderer, and in fulfilment of his promise, -bestows “his fair niece for a bride.” The result may be anticipated. -The Prior of Cartmel, happening opportunely to be passing, “to drink -the Holy Well”— - - Sir Edgar straight the priest besought - To tarry for awhile; - Who, when the lady’s eye he caught, - Assented with a smile. - -The “Fairies’ Cave,” on Humphrey Head, served for the nonce as a -chapel, for - - The monk he had a mellow heart, - And, scrambling to the spot, - Full blithely there he played his part, - And tied the nuptial knot. - - And hence that cave on Humphrey Hill, - Where these fair deeds befel, - Is called Sir Edgar’s chapel still, - As hunters wot full well. - - And still the holy fount is there - To which the prior came; - And still it boasts its virtues rare, - And bears its ancient name. - - And long on Wraysholme’s lattice light, - A wolf’s head might be traced, - In record of the Red Cross Knight, - Who bore it for his crest. - - In Cartmel church his grave is shown, - And o’er it, side by side, - All graved in stone, lies brave Sir John - And Adela his bride. - -Such is “The Legend of the Last Wolf.” The supposed monument, “all -graved in stone,” still adorns the choir of Cartmel church. Beneath -the ponderous canopy the recumbent figures of the knight and his lady, -lying side by side, may still be seen, looking the very types of -chivalrous honour and conjugal felicity; and there for certainty is -the sculptured figure of the veritable wolf, reposing quietly at their -feet—confirmations strong as proofs of holy writ, although prosaic -antiquaries, disdaining the faint glimmerings of truth that only steal -through the haze of tradition, tell us, with irreverent disregard for -the poetry of romance, that the story is apocryphal; and further try to -shake our faith by affirming that the figures are those of the valiant -Harrington, who fell fighting for the White Rose at Wakefield, and his -wife, a daughter of the lordly house of Dacre. But we will not discuss -the identity of the departed knights, or the merits of their respective -claims to the battered effigies that have failed to perpetuate their -names—monuments that - - Themselves memorials need. - -High up on Humphrey Head the cave in which the nuptial knot was tied -still remains; and there, at the foot, is the Holy Well, the waters -of which flow as freely as they did in days of yore, though now only -imbibed when a chance wayfarer finds his way to this lonely seaside -nook, and quaffs a goblet to the memories of the - - Brave Sir John, - And Adela his bride, - -and the holy friar who made them one. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - AN AFTERNOON AT GAWSWORTH—THE FIGHTING FITTONS—THE CHESHIRE WILL - CASE AND ITS TRAGIC SEQUEL—HENRY NEWCOME—“LORD FLAME.” - - -If any reader wishes to obtain a brief respite from the busy life of -the “unclean city,” to get away from the noise of looms and spindles, -the smoke of factories and the smell of dyes, and to find within easy -distance of the great manufacturing metropolis a place of perfect quiet -and repose where he may feel that for all practical purposes he is “at -the world’s end,” let him by all means spend a summer afternoon in that -quaint little out-of-the-way nook, Gawsworth, and he will return to the -crowded mart with little inclination to cry out with the Roman Emperor, -“_Perdidi diem_.” Yet how few there are who have made acquaintance with -this _beau-ideal_ of a quiet rural retreat. The places which it is the -proper thing to visit, or “do,” as the phrase is, are all carefully -mapped out for our convenience; but the literary finger-posts afford -but little guidance to the true rambler, who knows that the fairest -spots are those which are oftenest overlooked. Gawsworth may be easily -reached from Alderley or Chelford; but perhaps the most convenient -starting point is Macclesfield, from which it is distant a short four -miles. - -Macclesfield does not present a particularly prepossessing appearance, -though it possesses much that is historically interesting, and -you may here and there see relics of mediæval times; but the long -centuries have wrought many changes in its condition, and those -changes can hardly be said to be from grave to gay. Its forest was -once the hunting-ground of kings. A royal palace occupied a site -very near to the present Park Lane, and in the Fourth Edward’s reign -Humphrey, Duke of Buckingham, had a princely residence there. The -town itself was walled, and though there is not now a single stone -remaining, the recollection of its fortifications is preserved in -the streets—Chestergate, Church Wallgate, and Jordangate—which form -the principal outlets from it. Notwithstanding that it once boasted -a royal owner, it now presents but a dingy and uninviting aspect, so -that we are little loth to leave its steep and tortuous streets, and -what Nathaniel Hawthorne would call its ugliness of brick, and betake -ourselves to the open country. - -On getting clear of the town, we enter upon a pleasant rural highway -that rises and falls in gentle undulations. Tall trees border the -wayside, which, as we advance, grow thicker, until we reach a double -line of spreading beeches that meet in an entanglement overhead, -and form a long shady avenue, through which a pleasant vista is -obtained. Now and then we meet a chance wayfarer and occasionally a -sleepy-looking carter with his team, but the road is comparatively -little frequented, and we almost wonder that with the limited traffic -it does not become grass-grown. Though it is quiet now-a-days, it was -lively enough in the old coaching times, when the “Red Rover” and the -“Defiance” were in the zenith of their popularity, and the tootling -of the guard’s bugle daily awoke the echoes to the inspiring notes of -the “British Grenadiers,” for it was then the great highway between -Manchester and the metropolis. But those days are changed, and our -dream of the past is rudely dispelled by the shrill whistle of the -“express” as it shoots along the edge of the Moss, leaving a long white -pennon of steam in its wake. - -As we journey on we get agreeable glimpses of the country, and the -varied character of the scenery adds to the charm. Below us on -the left stretches a broad expanse of bog—Danes Moss, as it is -called—commemorating some long-forgotten incursion of the wild -Scandinavian hordes— - - When Denmark’s raven soared on high. - -On the outskirts of the town is an old farmstead, called Cophurst, -on the site of which, as tradition sayeth, Raphael Hollinshead, the -chronicler, resided three hundred years ago. Close by is Sutton, once -the home of another Cheshire worthy—Sir Richard Sutton—“that ever -famous knight and great patron of learning,” as King, in his “Vale -Royal,” calls him, “one of the founders of Brazenose, in Oxford, where -by his bounty many of Cheshire youth receive most worthy education.” -The foreground is broken into picturesque inequalities, and in the -rear rises a succession of swelling hills, part of the great Kerridge -range—the stony barriers of the Peak country. Where the steep crags cut -sharply against the eastern sky is Teg’s Nose, famed for its gritstone -quarries. Further on, Shutling’s Low rears its cone-shaped peak to a -height of 1,660 feet, and behind we catch sight of the breezy moor, on -the summit of which stands that lonely hostelry, the Cat and Fiddle, -the highest public-house, it is said, to be found in the kingdom. The -great hill-slopes, though now almost bare of wood, once formed part -of the great forest of Macclesfield, in which for generations the -Davenports, as chief foresters, held the power of life and death over -the robber bands who in the old times infested it, as well as the -punishment of those who made free with the Earl’s venison; and they -not only held but exercised their rights, as the long “Robber Roll” -at Capesthorne still testifies. Though it has long been completely -disafforested, the memory of it still lingers. Forest Chapel, away up -in the very heart of this mountain wilderness, perpetuates the name, -and Wildboar Clough—Wilbor Clough, as the Macclesfieldians persist in -calling it—Hoglegh, and Wolfscote remind us of the former denizens -of these moorland wastes. Beyond Teg’s Nose a great gap opens in -the hills, and then Cloud End rears its rugged form—dark, wild, and -forbidding. From the summit, had we time to climb it, a charming -view might be obtained of the picturesquely varied country— - - Of farms remote and far apart, with intervening space - Of black’ning rock and barren down, and pasture’s pleasant face; - And white and winding roads that creep through village, vale, and glen, - And o’er the dreary moorlands, far beyond the homes of men. - -[Illustration: GAWSWORTH OLD HALL.] - -On the right the scenery is of a more pastoral character. Lawns and -meadows stretch away, and the eye ranges over the broad fertile plain -of Cheshire—over quaint sequestered nooks and quiet homesteads, and -old-fashioned villages, with here and there a grey church tower rising -in their midst; over well-tilled fields and daisied pastures, and -league upon league of cultivated greenness, where the thick hedgerows -cross and recross each other in a network of verdant beauty. The -crumbling ruins of Beeston Castle crowning the edge of a bold outlier -of rock, may be dimly discerned, with Peckforton rising close by its -side, and beyond, where a shadowy form reaches like a cloud across the -horizon, we can trace the broken outline of the Welsh hills, with Moel -Fammau towering above them all. - -Presently the battlemented towers of Gawsworth Church are seen peering -above the umbrage; then we come to a cross road, and, turning sharply -to the left, continue along a green old bosky lane, and past the -village school, close to which is a weather-worn memorial of bygone -days—the old wayside cross standing beneath a clump of trees, erected, -as old writers tell us, to “guide and guard the way to church,” and -the sight of which, with the surroundings, calls to remembrance Hood’s -lines on the symbol of the Christian’s faith:— - - Say, was it to my spirit’s gain or loss, - One bright and balmy morning, as I went - From Liège’s lonely environs to Ghent, - If hard by the way-side I found a cross, - That made me breathe a pray’r upon the spot— - While Nature of herself, as if to trace - The emblem’s use, had trail’d around its base - The blue significant Forget-me-not? - Methought, the claims of Charity to urge - More forcibly, along with Faith and Hope, - The pious choice had pitched upon the verge - Of a delicious slope, - Giving the eye much variegated scope;— - “Look round,” it whisper’d, “on that prospect rare, - Those vales so verdant, and those hills so blue; - Enjoy the sunny world, so fresh and fair, - But (how the simple legend pierced me thro’!)”— - “Priez pour les Malheureux.” - -For a short distance the road now descends, and near the bottom a bank -rises abruptly on the right, crowned with a plantation of oak and -larch—the “sylvan shade”—beneath which reposes the “breathless clay” -of the eccentric poet, wit, and player—Samuel Johnson—known by his -generation as “Lord Flame,” of whom we may have something to say anon. -A few yards further on is the new hall, or “New Buildings,” as it is -sometimes called, a plain brick house, the south wing only of which -has been completed, built in Queen Anne’s reign by that Lord Mohun who -brought the noted Cheshire will case to a sanguinary end, when he and -his adversary, the Duke of Hamilton, fell together in a duel in Hyde -Park, Nov. 15, 1712. At this point the view of Gawsworth opens upon -us, presenting one of the fairest pictures of quiet rural beauty that -Cheshire possesses. There is a dreamy old-world character about the -place, a sweet fragrance of the olden time, and a peaceful tranquillity -of the present; and the ancient church, the picturesque half-timbered -rectory, and the stately old hall, with the broad grass-bordered road, -the wide-spreading sycamores, and the old-fashioned fish ponds, in -the weed-grown depths of which every object, with the overarching sky -and the white clouds sailing therein are given back with distinct -vividness, impart an air of venerable and undisturbed respectability. -The place belongs so entirely to the past, and there seems such a -remoteness between the hoar antiquity of a scene so thoroughly old -English and the busy world from which we have just emerged, that we -almost hesitate to advance. - -[Illustration: GAWSWORTH CROSS.] - -There is no village, so to speak, the church, the parsonage, and the -two halls, with a cottage or two adjoining the church steps, being all -the buildings we can see; there is not even that usual and supposed to -be indispensable adjunct of an old English country village, the village -inn, the nearest hostelry being the Harrington Arms, an old coaching -house on the London road, a quarter of a mile or more away. The church, -a grey and venerable pile, with a remarkably well proportioned tower, -which exhibits some good architectural details of the perpendicular -period, stands in its graveyard, a little to the south of a broad -grass-grown road, upon a gentle eminence encompassed by a grey stone -fence that looks as ancient as the building itself. Tall trees -overshadow it—larch and fir—that rear their lofty spines from near the -water’s edge, and, yielding to the northern blasts, bend in graceful -curves towards the ancient fane. You can mount the steps and pass -through the little wicket into the quiet “God’s-acre,” and surely a -spot more suggestive of calm and serious thought is rarely witnessed. -Move slowly through the tall grass and round the green graves where - - The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep, - -Tread lightly upon the weather-stained and moss-grown stones that -loving hands have set up to keep alive the memories of those who sleep -beneath. Near the porch is the chamfered shaft of an ancient cross, -and close by two or three venerable yews cast their funereal shade. -One of them, an aged torso, is garlanded with ivy, and buttressed on -one side by a short flight of steps that have been built against it. -Its gigantic roots grasp the earth with a tenacity that time cannot -relax. It has lived through long centuries, and seen generation after -generation christened, married, and buried, and, though now hollowed -and decayed, the trunk still preserves some of that vitality that was -in its fulness when the valorous Fittons were in the heyday of their -power. - -Separating the churchyard from the road is an artificial lake or -fish-pond, one of a series of three or four, through each of which the -water flows in succession, and where, in the chivalrous days of the -knightly owners of Gawsworth, the water jousts and other aquatic games -took place. But those times of pomp and pageantry have passed away, -and the surface is now seldom ruffled save when occasionally a fish -rises, or a stately swan glides gracefully through the warm sunshine. -In its smooth mirror you can see the old grey tower, the projecting -buttresses, the traceried windows, and the embattled parapets of the -church, with their pleasant environment of green all clearly reflected, -presenting the appearance of an inverted picture; while the old -patrician trees that border the wayside bend over the glassy surface, -creating in places a vernal shade that Undine might delight in. - -On the opposite side is the Rectory, a picturesque old structure of -black and white timber work, “magpie” as the people call it hereabouts, -with quaint overhanging gables, grotesque carvings, and mullioned -windows, with small diamond panes—one of them, that lighting the hall, -a spacious apartment with an open timber roof, containing fragments of -heraldic glass that would seem to have formerly belonged to the church. -There is a wide entrance porch in the centre of the building, and over -the door, between two shields of arms, this inscription—“Syr Edward -Fytton, Knight, with my lady Mare ffyton, hys wyffe”—from which it has -been commonly assumed that the house was built by Sir Edward Fitton, -who married Mary, the daughter and co-heir of Guicciard Harbottle, of -Northumberland, and so would fix the time of erection in the reign -of Henry VIII. But this inscription originally belonged to another -building of later date than the Rectory, which, as we learn from some -verses preserved in Ashmole’s “Church Notes,” taken _circa_ 1654, was -erected by George Baguley, who was rector of Gawsworth from 1470 to -1497. - -The “old” Hall, the ancestral home of the Fittons, now occupied by -Lord Petersham, stands a short distance east of the church. Like -the Rectory, it is half-timbered and of the Elizabethan period, but -the building is now incomplete, a part having been taken down some -seventy years ago, though the original quadrangular form may still be -traced. In the rear, in what has been originally the courtyard, is a -curious octagonal oriel of three stories, each story overhanging the -one immediately below in a sort of telescope fashion. The windows are -filled with leaded panes arranged in a variety of shapes and patterns. -The principal front, which faces the road, has been rebuilt and painted -in imitation of timber-work. Over the principal entrance is a shield -of sixteen quarterings, representing the arms of the Fittons and their -several alliances, surrounded by a garter, on which is inscribed the -motto, “_Fit onus leve_”—a play upon the family name. There is also the -following inscription beneath— - - Hec scvlptvra finita fvit apvd - Villam Galviæ in Hibernia per - Richardvm Rany, Edwardo Fyton - Milite primo dn͞o presidente totius - Provinciæ Conatiæ et Thomoniæ. - Anno Domini 1570. - -In front of the hall is a grove of walnut trees, very patriarchs -of their kind; and adjoining is a large grassy amphitheatre, which -Ormerod, the Cheshire historian, has described as “a deserted pleasure -ground;” but, after careful examination, and with some show of -probability, pronounced by Mr. Mayer to be an ancient tilting ground, -where in times past the warlike Fittons amused themselves and their -Cheshire neighbours with displays of martial skill and bravery. - -Before we enter the church or view the hall, it may be well to glance -briefly at the earlier history of the place. Gawsworth, though now an -independent parish, was formerly included within the limits of the -great parish of Prestbury; and even at the present day the whole of the -townships which surround it—Macclesfield, Sutton, Bosley, North Rode, -Marton, Siddington, and Henbury—all owe ecclesiastical allegiance to -the mother church of that widespread parish. The original name, as we -learn from the Domesday survey, was _Gouersurde_. After the Conquest -it formed part of the possessions of the Norman Earls of Chester; one -of whom, Randle de Meschines, in the twelfth century, gave it to his -trusty follower, Hugh, son of Bigod, with the right of holding his -own courts, without pleading before the prefects at Macclesfield, in -consideration of his rendering to the earl annually a caparisoned -horse; and this Hugh, in accordance with the fashion of the age, -adopted the name of Gawsworth. Subsequently the manor seems to have -passed to Richard Aldford, whose daughter, Lucy, brought it in marriage -to the Orrebies, who held it free from all service save furnishing one -man in time of war to assist in the defence of Aldford Castle. They -retained possession until the reign of Edward I., when Richard, son of -Thomas de Orreby, dying without male issue, his only sister, Isabel, -who succeeded to the inheritance, and who had previously married in -succession Roger de Macclesfeld and Sir John de Grindon, Knight, both -of whom she survived, conveyed it on her marriage in 1316-17 to her -third husband, Thomas Fytton, a younger son of Edmund Fytton, of Bolyn -(Wilmslow); and thus Gawsworth became closely associated with a family -noted for their chivalrous exploits, and famous in the annals of the -county. - -Of the early history of this distinguished family—“Knights of a -long-continued Race and of great worth,” as Webb styles them—who for -so many generations held sway and practised a splendid hospitality in -Gawsworth, but few memorials have been preserved beyond the dry details -embodied in their _Inquisitiones post mortem_ in the Public Record -Office, and the inscriptions which still remain upon the sumptuous -monuments erected to their memory in the church which their pious -munificence reared. - -Thomas Fitton, who acquired the manor of Gawsworth by his marriage -with the heiress of Orreby, had a son also named Thomas, who married -Margaret, a daughter and co-heir of Peter Legh, of Bechton, and added -to the patrimonial estate half of the manor of Bechton and lands -in Lostock-Gralam, which he obtained in right of his wife. It was -during the lifetime of this Thomas that we find the first attempt -made to erect the chapelry of Gawsworth, which was then dependent -upon Prestbury, into a separate parish. At that time the Abbot of -St. Werburg’s, Chester, held the rectory of Prestbury, and in the -chartulary of his house it is recorded that in April, 1382, he conceded -to John Caxton, rector of Gawsworth, the privilege of burying his -parishioners on paying a moiety of the dues within ten days after each -burial, and with a proviso that any parishioner of Gawsworth might be -interred at Prestbury without any claim on the part of the rector of -Gawsworth. - -In explanation of the granting of this privilege it may be mentioned -that in those times, on the formation of a parish, the inhabitants -were required to perform their parochial rites at the mother church, -the “ealdan mynstre” of the parish. But as many parishes were of -considerable territorial extent, those resident in the remote hamlets -found it inconvenient to resort on all occasions to the mother church. -To provide for the spiritual requirements of the people in such -districts, private chapels or oratories, founded by the lords of the -soil, were allowed to be licensed in convenient situations. They were -frequently attached or immediately adjacent to the lord’s mansion, and -were designed more especially for his own accommodation and that of -his dependents; and Gawsworth, which is distant nearly six miles from -Prestbury, was of this class. To prevent such foundations trenching -upon the rights of the mother church, they were merely licensed for -preaching and praying, the ministration of the sacrament of baptism -and the performance of the right of burial being strictly prohibited. -These latter were the true parochial rites, and the grant of them to a -chapel or oratory severed its connection with the parish church, and -converted it into a parochial chapel, or, more strictly speaking, into -an independent church. - -But who was John Caxton, the parson of Gawsworth? The name is not -very frequently met with, and the thought suggests itself that he may -have been, and probably was, a kinsman of that William Caxton who, a -century later, set up his press in the precincts of Westminster Abbey, -and revolutionised the world by practising the art which Gutenberg had -invented. - -In 1391 Thomas Fitton was appointed one of a number of influential -persons in Cheshire who were constituted a commission to levy a subsidy -of 3,000 marks (£2,000) in the city of Chester, on account of the -King’s confirmation of the old charters belonging to that city. He died -in 1397, and was succeeded by his son, Sir Lawrence Fitton, then aged -22, who married Agnes Hesketh, a daughter of the house of Rufford, -in Lancashire. This Sir Lawrence, who held the lordship for the long -period of 60 years, fills no inconsiderable space in the annals of -the county. He was frequently one of the forest justices in eyre, the -assizes being then held in Macclesfield, and took an active part in the -stirring events of his time. When, in 1399, Richard the Second went -over to Ireland to avenge the death of Roger Mortimer, by chastising -the Irish chieftains who had risen in insurrection, he, in order to -increase the strength of his Cheshire guard by a fresh levy, issued -his orders to Sir Lawrence Fitton and others commanding them to summon -the best archers in the Macclesfield hundred between 16 and 60, and -to select a number to go to Ireland in his train, who were to be at -Chester on the morrow of the Ascension of our Lord for inspection by -the King’s officers. The King did not actually sail till the 4th of -June, when he was joined by Sir Lawrence Fitton, who, as appears by -an entry on the Recognizance Rolls of the palatinate, had protection -granted him on his departure; and at this time, under date June 5, -we find a licence to William Prydyn, parson of Gawsworth, Robert de -Tounley, John Tryket, and Matthew del Mere to act as his attorneys and -to look after his affairs while absent in Ireland on the King’s service. - -“When the shepherd is absent with his dog the wolf easily leaps into -the fold.” So says the proverb, and Richard had unpleasant experience -of the truthfulness of it, for scarcely had he loosed his sails before -some of the more discontented of his nobles at home were plotting for -his overthrow. - -Within a month of his departure Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Hereford, -the only son of old John of Gaunt, who had been banished the kingdom, -landed at Ravenspur, near Hull—as Shakspere writes— - - The banish’d Bolingbroke repeats himself, - And with uplifted arms is safe arrived - At Ravenspurg, - -and before the end of July was at the head of a large army in the wolds -of Worcestershire. It was not until towns and castles had been yielded -to the invader that the King received intelligence of the insurrection, -for the winds had been contrary, and by the time he landed at Milford -the revolution was virtually accomplished. Ill news does not always -travel apace, and in these days, when the trembling wire speeds the -message through air and sea, it seems difficult to realise the thought -of a rebellion stalking through England unchecked for weeks without -the news reaching in the sister isle him whom it most immediately -concerned. On reaching England, Richard started for Chester, where he -had many friends and his power was strongest. At Flint he was delivered -by the perfidious Percy into the hands of Bolingbroke, thence he was -taken to Chester, and afterwards conveyed to London and lodged in -the Tower, when, after having resigned the crown, he was formally -deposed—an act that was followed by his removal to Pontefract, where, -according to common report, he was murdered by Sir Piers Exton and -his assistants, though it is more likely he was allowed to perish of -starvation. - -Whether Fitton was one of those who hastened to pay court to the -usurper, and in a bad game elected to adhere to the winning side, -is not clear, but he must have quickly accommodated himself to the -changed state of affairs, and to have gained the confidence of -Bolingbroke—“King Henry of that name the Fourth.” - -Scarcely was Richard dead when a great revulsion in public feeling -occurred, old hatreds and jealousies were revived, and those who had -clamoured most for his death now exclaimed— - - Oh, earth, yield us that King again, - And take thou this; - -and the usurping Henry, who had dreamed only of the throne as a bed of -roses, found himself between the fell spectres conscience and insatiate -treason. In Wales, where Richard had possessed a strong attachment, -Owen Glendower raised the standard of revolt, renounced allegiance -to the King, and claimed to be the rightful Prince of Wales, when he -was joined by young Harry Percy, the Hotspur of the famous ballad -of _Chevy Chase_. To meet this new danger, Prince Henry, Falstaff’s -Prince Hal—“the nimble-footed mad-cap Harry, Prince of Wales,” who was -also Earl of Chester, and lived much in the county, joined his forces -to those of his father, and on the 11th January, 1403-4, we find him -directing a writ to Sir Lawrence Fitton, requiring him to repair “to -his possessions on the marches of Wales, there to make defence against -the coming of Owen Glendower, according to an order in Council enacting -that, on the occasion of the war being moved against the King, all -those holding possessions on the marches should reside on the same for -the defence of the realm,” and the Recognizance Rolls show that a few -days later the Lord of Gawsworth was appointed on a commission “to -inquire touching those who spread false rumours to the disquiet of the -people of the county of Chester, and disturbance of the peace therein, -also to array all the fencible men of the hundred of Macclesfield.” - -In 1416, when, after the victory at Agincourt, Henry V. was preparing -for his second expedition to France, with the design of claiming the -crown, Sir Lawrence Fitton, with Sir John Savage, Knight, Robert de -Hyde, Robert de Dokenfield, and John, the son of Peter de Legh, was -appointed collector of the subsidy in the Macclesfield hundred, part -of the 3,000 marks granted to the King by the county of Chester; and -in 1428, with other influential Cheshire knights and gentry, he was -summoned to the King’s Council at Chester, with regard to the granting -of a subsidy to the King (Henry VI.) His death occurred on the 16th -March, 1457, when he must have been over 80 years of age, and his -inquisition was taken 37 Henry VI. (1459), when his grandson Thomas, -then aged 26, was found to be his next heir. As previously stated, -he had to wife Agnes Hesketh. This lady died in 1422, and he would -appear to have re-married, for in the inquisition taken after his death -mention is made of “Clemencia, his wife,” who is said to be then alive. - -During his long life a movement was taking place in the Church which -brought about a great change in religious thought and action, and in -which Wycliffe, the rector of Lutterworth, may be said to have been -the chief actor. The rapacity of the monks was securing or had secured -for themselves the larger portion of the livings of the country, the -parishes being handed over to the spiritual care of vicars, with the -small tithes as a miserable stipend. In this manner the rich rectory of -Prestbury had been appropriated to the Abbey of St. Werburg, Chester; -and possibly it was this circumstance, as much as his own personal -convenience, which induced Caxton, acting under the influence of his -patron, the father of Sir Lawrence Fitton, to seek to detach the chapel -of Gawsworth from the mother church of Prestbury. Having accomplished -this, Sir Lawrence Fitton would seem to have set about the erection of -a building more suited to its increased importance as a parish church, -and an examination of the building points to the conclusion that the -greater portion of the fabric was erected during his lifetime, as -evidenced by the architectural details of the building, as well as -by the shields of arms displayed on different parts of the tower, -representing the alliances of the family, the latest impalement being -the coat of Mainwaring, intended to commemorate the marriage of his son -Thomas with Ellen, daughter of Randle Mainwaring, of Over Peover, which -would seem to fix the date between the years 1420 and 1430, and not in -the reign of Edward III., as generally supposed. In the Cheshire Church -Notes, taken in 1592, there is preserved an account of a window to the -memory of Sir Lawrence Fitton and his wife, which formerly existed in -the church at Gawsworth. He is represented as in armour, and kneeling -with his wife before desks in the attitude of devotion; on his surcoat -were displayed the arms of Fitton, and on the lady’s mantle those of -Hesketh; behind the knight were eight sons, and in rear of the lady -four daughters, and underneath the inscription, “_Orate pro bono statu -Laurencii ffitton milit’ et Agnet’ uxor ejus cum pueris suis_.” - -By his wife Agnes Sir Lawrence Fitton had a son Thomas, who, as stated, -married Ellen, daughter of Randle Mainwaring, of Over Peover, and -their names were in like manner commemorated by a window, which has -now disappeared, comprising three panes, one representing Sir Randle -Mainwaring and his wife Margery, daughter of Hugh Venables, Baron of -Kinderton, kneeling before desks; the second, Thomas Fitton and seven -sons; and the third, his wife and six daughters, all kneeling, and -the inscription, “_Orate pro a’iabus Thomæ ffitton, filii Laurencii -ffitton, et Elene ux’ ejus, et om’ puerorum suorum, qui istam fenestram -fieri fecerunt_.” - -Thomas Fitton pre-deceased his father, leaving a son, also named -Thomas, who succeeded as heir on the death of his grandfather in 1457, -he being then 25 years of age. This Thomas inherited the martial -spirit of his ancestors, and took his share in the fierce struggle of -the White and Red Roses, which destroyed the flower of the English -nobility, and impoverished and well-nigh exhausted the country—“that -purple testament of bleeding war”— - - When, like a matron butcher’d of her sons, - And cast aside some common way, a spectacle - Of horror and affright to passers by, - Our bleeding country bled at every vein! - -He was present in the sanguinary encounter at Bloreheath, near Drayton, -on that fatal 23rd July, 1459—St. Tecla’s Day—when Lord Audley and the -Lancastrians were defeated, and was knighted on the field; and there is -on the Cheshire Recognizance Rolls, under date April 29th, 38-9 Henry -VI. (1460), the record of a general pardon granted to Thomas Fitton and -Richard Fitton, late of Gawsworth; William, son of Lawrence Fitton, -late of Gawsworth; Edward, brother of Thomas Fitton, late of Gawsworth; -some of their kinsmen of the Pownall stock, and other Cheshire -gentry, with a long list of residents in Gawsworth, the retainers of -the Fittons—names that are still familiar in the neighbourhood—“in -consideration,” as it states, “of the good service of the said Thomas -Fitton, Knight, and his adherents at Blore-heth.” His name also occurs -under date June 10, 1463, with those of John de Davenport, of Bramhall; -Hugh Davenport, of Henbury; and Christopher Davenport, of Woodford, in -the appointment of collectors of a subsidy for the King (Edward IV.) in -the Macclesfield Hundred. He married Ellen, daughter of Sir Peter Legh, -of Lyme, but this lady, who predeceased him, bore him no issue. He died -April 27, 1494, when the estates devolved upon his brother and next -heir, Edward Fitton, then aged 60 years. This Edward, by his marriage -with Emmota, the daughter and sole heiress of Robert Siddington, had at -that time acquired possession of two parts of the manor of Siddington, -which had been held by his wife’s family for many generations on the -tenure of rendering a red rose yearly, and thus he added materially to -the territorial wealth and influence of the Gawsworth house. Though -there is no absolute evidence of the fact, there is yet good reason to -believe that the south porch of Gawsworth Church was added or rebuilt -by this Edward Fitton, one of the carved decorations being a rose, in -the leaves of which may be discerned two heads, evidently intended to -represent Henry VII. and his Queen, who, by their marriage, had united -the rival houses of York and Lancaster, and so terminated the long and -bitter War of the Roses. - -Edward Fitton died 15th February, 1510-11, leaving, with other -issue, a son John, who succeeded as heir, and who, as appears by the -inquisition taken after his father’s death, was then 40 years of age. -He had married, in 1498, Ellen, daughter of Sir Andrew Brereton, the -representative of a family that had been seated at Brereton from the -time of William Rufus. By her he had, with other issue, a son Edward, -who succeeded at his death, which occurred on the Sunday after St. -Valentine’s Day, 1525. In the Cheshire Church Notes already referred -to, mention is made of a memorial window formerly existing on the south -side of Gawsworth Church, containing the arms of Fitton quartering -those of Siddington and Bechton, with the inscription underneath: -“_Orate pro a’iabus Edwardi ffitton et Emmotæ uxis suæ, et pro a’iabus -Johannis ffitton, et Elene ux’ sue ... et Roberti Sedyngton et Elene -uxoris sue_;” and there was also formerly in one of the windows of -the south aisle of Wilmslow Church, as we learn from Mr. Earwaker’s -“East Cheshire,” a representation of John Fitton and his wife. The -drawing made by Randle Holmes shows the figure of a knight kneeling on -a cushion and wearing a tabard of arms, the coat being that of Fitton -of Gawsworth; and lower down is a knight kneeling, with his tabard -of arms quarterly—(1) Orreby, (2) Siddington, (3) Bechton, and (4) -Fitton. Behind him kneel eight sons; opposite, also kneeling, is his -wife, wearing an heraldic mantle representing the arms of Brereton, -with a shield containing the same coat above her head; and behind her, -kneeling, six daughters. The inscription had then disappeared, but -it is clear that the first figure was intended for Edward Fitton of -Gawsworth, whilst the other represented his son John, and his wife, -Ellen Brereton, and their children. - -On the death of John Fitton, in 1525, the family estates devolved upon -his eldest son Edward, who received the honour of knighthood, and -in the 35th Henry VIII. (1543-4) held the shrievalty of the county. -He married Mary, the younger daughter and co-heir of Sir Guiscard -Harbottle, a Northumberland knight, and by her had five sons and six -daughters. He died on February 17, 1548, and on his inquisition, which -was taken the same year, Edward Fitton, his son, then aged 21 years, -was found to be his heir. - -Edward Fitton, who succeeded to the Gawsworth estates on the death of -his father, in 1548, was born 31st March, 1527; and when only 12 years -of age had been united in marriage with Anne, one of the daughters of -Sir Peter Warburton, of Warburton and Arley, the lady being a month -younger than himself. He was one of the foresters of Macclesfield, and -was exempted from serving upon juries and at the assizes, in accordance -with the terms of a writ dated 29th March, 5 and 6 Edw. VI. (1532), -addressed to the sheriff of the county. Eight years after his coming -in possession of the patrimonial lands, as appears by letters patent -bearing date 3 and 4 Philip and Mary (1556-7), he, in conjunction with -William Tatton, of Wythenshawe, who in 1552 had espoused his eldest -sister, Mary, obtained a grant from the Crown of Etchells, part of the -confiscated estates of Sir William Brereton, together with Aldford -and Alderley, the property being subsequently partitioned; Aldford -and Alderley remaining with Sir Edward, whilst Etchells passed to his -son-in-law, William Tatton. - -Subsequently his name occurs in the palatine records, with those of -William Davenport, Knt., and William Dokenfield and Jasper Worth, -Esquires, as collectors of a mise in Macclesfield, in 1559-60. - -The influential position which the Fittons held in their own county -was due, as we have seen, not less to their martial bearing than to -their successful marriages, and it was this chivalrous spirit which was -ever a characteristic of the stock that led to their being frequently -employed in the public service. In the person of Sir Edward Fitton the -ancient fame of the family was well sustained. In 1569, the year in -which Shane O’Neill, the representative of the royal race of Ulster, -was attainted in Parliament—that daring chief of a valorous line, whose - - Kings with standard of green unfurl’d, - Led the Red-branch knights to danger; - Ere the emerald gem of the western world - Was set in the crown of a stranger— - -when Ireland was in a state of anarchy and confusion—when the Desmonds -and the Tyrones were trying the chances of insurrection rather -than abdicate their unlicensed but ancient chieftainship, and the -half-civilised people were encouraged in their disobedience to the -law by the mischievous activity of the Catholic clergy, who had been -forcibly dispossessed of their benefices, and therefore wished to -free themselves from the English yoke—Sir Edward Fitton was sent over -to Ireland by Queen Elizabeth to fill the difficult and responsible -post of first Lord President of the Council within the Province of -Munster and Thomond—an office he held for a period of over three -years. His position can hardly be said to have been an enviable one, -for the country at that time had become so wasted by war and military -executions, and famine and pestilence, that two years previously Sir -Henry Sidney, the viceroy, in his letters to Elizabeth, described the -southern and western counties as “an unmeasurable tract, now waste and -uninhabited, which of late years was well tilled and pastured.” He -adds,— - - A more pleasant nor a more desolate land I never saw than from - Youghall to Limerick.... So far hath that policy, or rather lack - of policy, in keeping dissension among them prevailed, as now, - albeit all that are alive would become honest and live in quiet, - yet are there not left alive in those two provinces the twentieth - person necessary to inhabit the same. - -And the description is confirmed by a contemporary writer—a Cheshire -man, by the way, whose early life was spent in the neighbourhood of -Gawsworth (Hollinshead)—who thus expresses the truth with hyperbolical -energy:— - - The land itself, which before those wars was populous, well - inhabited, and rich in all the good blessings of God, being - plenteous of corn, full of cattle, well stored with fruits and - sundry other good commodities, is now become waste and barren, - yielding no fruits, the pastures no cattle, the fields no corn, - the air no birds, the seas, though full of fish, yet to them - yielding nothing. Finally, every way, the curse of God was so - great, and the land so barren, both of man and beast, that - whosoever did travel from one end unto the other he should not - meet any man, woman, or child, saving in towns and cities; nor - yet see any beast but they were wolves, the foxes, and other like - ravenous beasts. - -On the dissolution of the Council in September, 1572, Sir Edward Fitton -returned to England; but remained only a few months, when he was -appointed (March, 1573) Treasurer for the War and Vice-Treasurer and -Receiver-General in Ireland. He appears to have taken up his abode in -Dublin, where in January of the following year he lost his wife. She -was buried in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, in that city, January, 1573-4; -and in the MSS. of Bishop Sterne there is preserved the following -curious account of the ceremonial observed on the occasion of her -funeral:— - - “The order in the presyding for buriall of the worshypful Lady - Fitton, on Sonday, bein the 17 day of January, Anno 1573. - - First, serteyne youmen to goo before the penon with the armes - of Syr Edwarde Fytton, and his wyfe’s dessessed; and next after - them the penon, borne by Mr. Rycharde Fytton, second son to Syr - Edw. Fytton and Lady, his wyfe dessessed; and sarten gentillmen - servants to the sayd Syr Edw. Fytton; then the gentill-hossher - and the chapplens, and then Ulster Kyng of Armes of Ierland, - weyring his mornyng goune and hod, with hys cote of the armes - of Ynglande. And then the corpes of the sayd Lady Fytton, and - next after the corps the lady Brabason, who was the principal - morner, bein lyd and assysted by Sir Rafe Egerton, knyght, and - Mr. Fran. Fytton, Esq., brother to the said Syr Edwarde, and next - after her, Mistress Agarde, wyfe to Mr. Fran. Agarde; then Mrs. - Chalenor, wyfe to Mr. John Chalenor; then Mrs. Dyllon; then Mrs. - Bruerton, being the other III murners. Then Syr Edward Fytton - goying bytwene the Archebysshoppe of Dublin and the Bishop of - Methe; then Sir John Plunkett, Chefe Justice of Ireland; then - Master Dyllon, beying the Chefe Baron; then Mr. Fran. Agard and - Mr. John Chalenor, wyth other men to the number of XIII gentylmen; - then sarten other gentyllwomen and maydens, morners, to the nomber - of VIII; and then the Mayor of Dublyn, wyth his brytherne, the - Schyreffes and Aldermen; and the poure folks VI men on the one - syde of the corse and VI women on the other syde. And so coming - to the cherche of St. Patryke, where was a herse prepared, and - when they cam to the herse, the yomen stode, halfe on the one side - and halfe on the other, the penon berer stood at the fette of the - corps; then the corps was layd upon a payer of trestels within the - herse, and then the III morners were brought to their places by - Ulster Kyng of Armes aforesaid, and the cheffe morner was brought - to her place at the hede of the corps, and so the herse was closd; - and the tow assystants set uppon tow stowles without the rayles, - and then sarvyce was begon by the Bysshope of Methe, and after - sarvyce there was a sermon made, and the sermon endyd, the company - went home to the house of the sayd Sir Edw. Fytton; and the corpse - was buryed by the reverent father, the Bysshop of Methe, and - when the corpse was buryed, the clothe was layd again upon the - trestylls wythin the herse, which was deckyed with scochyens of - armes in pale of hys and her armes, and on the morow the herse was - sett over the grave and the penon sett in the wall over the grave. - And Ulster Kyng of Armes had V yardes of fyne blake clothe for - his lyvery, and 50s. sterling for hys fee, and the herse with the - cloth that was on the corse wyth all the furnyture there of the - herse.” - -It may be mentioned that the claim of Ulster King of Arms to the costly -materials of which the hearse was composed was disputed by the Vicars -Choral of St Patrick’s, and the matter was not settled until 1578, when -a decision was given in favour of the former by the Lord Deputy of the -Council. Sir Edward Fitton died July 3, 1579, and his remains were -interred by the side of those of his wife, the memory of both being -perpetuated in an inscription on a sepulchral brass still remaining in -St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, on which is engraved the figure of -a man with nine children behind him, and, opposite, a woman with six -children behind her, all kneeling. The inscription which is below is as -follows:— - - Glorify thy name, hasten thy - Kingdome; Comforte thy flock; - Confound thy adversaries; - - Ser Edward ffitton, of Gausworth, in the counte of Chester, in - Englande, knight, was sent into Ireland by Quene Elizabeth, to - serve as the first L President of her highnes Counsell within - the province of Connaght and Thomonde, who landing in Ireland on - the Ascention day, 1569, Ao. R. R. Elizabeth XI. lyued there in - the rome aforesaid till Mighellmas, 1572, Ao. Elizabeth XIIIIº.; - and then, that Counsell being dissolued, and he repayring - into England, was sent over againe in March next following as - Threasaurer at Warres, Vice-treasaurer, and general receyvor - within the realme of Ireland, and hath here buried the wyef of - his youth, Anne, the seconnd daughter of Sir Peter Warburton, of - Areley, in the county of Chester, knight, who were born both in - one yere, viz., he ye last of Marche, 1527, and she the first - of May in the same yeare; and were maried on Sonday next after - Hillaries daye, 1539, being ye 19 daye of Januarie, in the 12 yere - of their age, and lyued together in true and lawfull matrymonie - just 34 yeres; for the same Sonday of ye yere wherein they were - maried, ye same Sondaie 34 yeres following was she buried, though - she faithfully departed this lyef 9 daies before, viz., on the - Saturdaie, ye 9 daie of Januarie, 1573; in which time God gave - them 15 children, viz., 9 sonnes and six daughters; and now her - body slepeth under this Stone, and her soul is retourned to God - yt gave yt, and there remayneth in kepinge of Christe Jesus, her - onely Saviour. And the said Ser Edward departed this lyef the - thirde daie of July, Ao. Dni. 1579, and was buried the xxi daie - of September next folowing; whose fleshe also resteth under the - same stone, in assured hope of full and perfect resurrection to - eternall lyef in ioye, through Christe his onely Saviour; and the - said Ser Edward was revoked home into England, and left this land - the ---- day of ---- Anno Domini being the ---- yere of his age. - -At the east end of the north side of Gawsworth Church there is a -replica of this inscription, with the figures of Sir Edward and Lady -Fitton, and their fifteen children. - -A younger brother of Sir Edward was Francis Fitton, who in 1588 married -Katherine, the Countess Dowager of Northumberland, one of the four -daughters and co-heirs of John Neville Lord Latimer. His portrait was -formerly to be seen in the “new” hall at Gawsworth, with a long and -curious inscription surrounding it, recording some of the alliances of -the family. - -Sir Edward Fitton, as stated, died July 3, 1579. His inquisition was -taken the following year, when his son, Sir Edward Fitton, Knight, -then aged 30, was found to be his heir. He was probably at the time -in Ireland, for it was not until April 24, 25 Elizabeth (1583), that -he had livery of his lands. In 1602, as appears by an indenture dated -June 20 in that year, he sold the manor of Nether Alderley, which had -been acquired by his father, to Thomas Stanley, ancestor of the present -Lord Stanley of Alderley. Sir Edward filled the office of President -of Munster, in Ireland, and died in 1606, leaving, by his wife Alice, -daughter and sole heir of John Holcroft, of Holcroft, in Lancashire, -with other issue, a son, Sir Edward Fitton, born 29th November, 1572, -who was created a Baronet in 1617. He died May 10, 1619, being then -aged 47, and was buried at Gawsworth, where a sumptuous monument was -erected to his memory by his wife, “the Lady Ann Fytton,” daughter and -co-heir of James Barratt, of Tenby, in Pembrokeshire, Esq., with the -following extravagant effusion inscribed on a panel below:— - - Least tongves to fvtvre ages shovld be dvmb, - The very stones thvs speak abovt ovr tomb. - Loe, two made one, whence sprang these many more, - Of whom a King once prophecy’d before. - Here’s the blest man, his wife the frvitfvl vine, - The children th’ olive plants, a gracefvll line, - Whose sovle’s and body’s beavties sentence them - _Fitt-ons_ to weare a heavenly Diadem. - -Lady Ann Fitton survived her husband many years. Her will bears date -January 31, 1643-4, but the date of probate has not been ascertained. -In it she bequeaths several small legacies to her grandchildren and -others, appoints her daughter, Mrs. Lettice Cole, sole executrix, and -her two grandchildren, William, Lord Brereton, and Charles Gerard, -supervisors. She died 26th March, 1644, and was buried at Gawsworth. - -On the death of Sir Edward the family estates passed to his son, also -named Edward, who was baptised at Gawsworth, August 24th, 1603, and -must, therefore, have been under age on his accession to the property. -In October, 1622, he married Jane, daughter of Sir John Trevor, of Plâs -Teg, in Denbighshire, by whom he had a daughter, Margaret, who died -in infancy. Lady Fitton died June, 1638, and was buried at Gawsworth, -when Sir Edward again entered the marriage state, his second wife being -Felicia, daughter of Ralph Sneyd, of Keel, in Staffordshire. Concerning -this second marriage there is the following curious entry in the -Corporation books of the borough of Congleton:— - - 1638. Paid for an entertainment for Sir Edwd. Fitton, of - Gawsworth, his bride, father, and mother-in-law, on their - first coming through the town, and divers other gentlemen who - accompanied him and his bride, on their going to Gawsworth to - bring his lady. He sent his barber two days before to the mayor - and aldermen, and the rest, to entreat them to bid them welcome - -12s. 4d. - -The civic authorities of Congleton were noted for their hospitality, -and we may therefore assume that little “entreaty” was required on -the part of the “barber” to secure a cordial welcome for the Baronet -and his bride. We are not told what the entertainment consisted of, -but no doubt the cakes and sack for which the old borough had even -then long been famous entered largely into the festivities, though -the amount charged does not suggest the idea of any very extravagant -convivialities. - -Sir Edward was soon called by the stern duties of the times from the -enjoyment of domestic life. Clouds were gathering upon the political -horizon which heralded a tempest; the seeds of civil war had been -sown, and soon King and Commons were arrayed against each other, -neither caring for peace, for if the olive branch was held out it was -stripped of its leaves, and appeared only as a dry and sapless twig. -In the great struggle between Charles and the Parliament the owner -of Gawsworth espoused the cause of his Sovereign, and distinguished -himself in several military engagements. He raised a regiment of -infantry for the King’s service from among his own tenantry and -dependents, of which he had the command; and the good people of -Congleton, not wishing to have the tranquillity of their town disturbed -by the quartering of his troops in it, in the hope of avoiding the -inconvenience proferred him their hospitality, as one of the entries in -the Corporation accounts shows:— - - 1642. Wine gave to Colonel Fitton, not to quarter 500 soldiers on - the town - -3s. 4d. - -Colonel Fitton fought in the battle at Edgehill, where the two armies -were first put in array against each other, and was also present with -the King at the taking of Banbury, as well as in the operations at -Brentford and Reading. He afterwards took part with Prince Rupert in -the storming of Bristol, and when that city—exceeded only by London -in population and wealth—was, after a terrible slaughter, surrendered -(July 27, 1643) by Nathaniel Fiennes to the arms of its sovereign, he -was left in charge of the garrison, and died there of consumption in -the following month, at the early age of 40. His body was removed to -Gawsworth for interment, and the occasion of its passing through the -town of Congleton is thus referred to in the accounts:— - - Paid for carrying Sir Edwd. Fitton through the town, and for - repairing Rood-lane for the occasion - -4s. 0d. - -In the south-east angle of Gawsworth Church there is a large monument -to the memory of Sir Edward, his first wife, and their infant daughter, -placed there by his second wife, who survived him, and afterwards -re-married Sir Charles Adderley. It consists of an arch resting upon -pillars, beneath which is an altar-tomb supporting the effigies of -Sir Edward and his wife, and that of their infant daughter. A tablet -containing a long Latin inscription, formerly affixed to the south -wall, beneath the canopy, has in recent years been removed to the east -wall of the chancel. - -Sir Edward left no surviving issue, a circumstance which gave rise to -almost endless contentions between the kinsmen of his name and their -cousins—the Gerards. Lawsuit followed lawsuit; long and rancorous were -the proceedings in the “Great Cheshire Will Case,” as it was called; -and the fierce struggle, which began in one century with forgery, -followed by seduction and divorce, was ended in the next, when the -husbands of the two ladies who claimed to be heiresses were slain by -each other in a murderous duel in Hyde Park. Immediately after the -death of Sir Edward Fitton, Penelope, Anne, Jane, and Frances, his -four sisters—married respectively to Sir Charles Gerard, Knight; Sir -John Brereton, Knight; Thomas Minshull, Esquire; and Henry Mainwaring, -Esquire—entered upon possession of the estates; but, after long -litigation, they were ejected by William Fitton, son of Alexander, -second surviving son of Sir Edward Fitton, Treasurer of Ireland, who -claimed under a deed alleged to have been executed by Sir Edward, -settling the estates upon himself, with remainder in succession to his -sons, Edward and Alexander, the latter of whom succeeded him in the -possession, and he obtained three verdicts in his favour. One of the -sisters of Sir Edward Fitton—Penelope—had married Sir Charles Gerard, -of Halsall, in Lancashire, and by him had a son, Sir Charles Gerard, -created Lord Brandon in 1645, and Earl of Macclesfield in 1679. Lord -Brandon was one of the notable gallants at the profligate Court of -Charles II. He held the office of Gentleman of the Bedchamber, and -was also Captain of the Guards—the latter a commission which he -relinquished for a douceur of £12,000 when the King wanted to bestow -the dignity upon his illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth. He kept -up a large establishment in London, surrounded by trim gardens, the -remembrance of which is perpetuated in the names of the streets that -now occupy the site—Gerard Street and Macclesfield Street, in Soho. His -wife, a French lady, brought herself into disfavour at Court through -indulging in the feminine propensity of allowing her tongue to wag too -freely in disparagement of the notorious courtesan, Lady Castlemaine, -as we learn from an entry in “Pepys’s Diary”:— - - 1662-3. Creed told me how, for some words of my Lady Gerard’s - against my Lady Castlemaine to the Queene, the King did the other - day apprehend her in going out to a dance with her at a ball, when - she desired it as the ladies do, and is since forbid attending the - Queen by the King; which is much talked of, my lord her husband - being a great favourite. - -On the restoration of the King, nineteen years after the death of Sir -Edward Fitton, and thirty after the entail had been confirmed, as -alleged by a deed-poll, Lord Gerard produced a will which would be -looked for in vain in the Ecclesiastical Court at Chester, purporting -to have been made in his favour by his mother’s brother, Sir Edward -Fitton. Hot, fierce, and anxious was the litigation that followed, and -in 1663 a small volume was printed at the Hague, entitled, “A True -Narrative of the Proceedings in the several Suits-in-law that have -been between the Right Honourable Charles, Lord Brandon, and Alexander -Fitton, Esqr., published for general satisfaction, by a Lover of -Truth.” Fitton pleaded the deed-poll, but Gerard brought forward one -Abraham Grainger, then confined in the Gate House, who made oath that -he had forged the name of Sir Edward to the deed under a threat of -mortal violence, whereupon the Court of Chancery directed a trial to -determine whether the deed-poll was genuine or not. The forgery was -admitted by Grainger, and corroborated by other witnesses, who deposed -that they had heard Fitton confess that Grainger had forged a deed for -him, for which he had paid him £40. The judgment of the Court was given -in favour of Gerard, and the deed declared to be a forgery. - -The strangest part of the story remains. Grainger, impelled either -by remorse or the desire to escape a heavy penalty by acknowledging -the smaller offence, made a written confession setting forth that he -had perjured himself when he swore that he had forged the name of -Sir Edward, and had been compelled to do so by the threats of Lord -Gerard. Pepys, who had a strong dislike to Lord Gerard, refers to the -circumstance in his “Diary”:— - - My cosen, Roger Pepys, he says, showed me Grainger’s written - confession of his being forced by imprisonment, &c., by my Lord - Gerard, most barbarously to confess his forging of a deed in - behalf of Fitton, in the great case between him and my Lord - Gerard; which business is under examination, and is the foulest - against my Lord Gerard that ever anything in the world was, and - will, all do believe, ruine him; and I shall be glad of it. - -The anticipations of the gossiping diarist were not, however, realised. -The confession, being unsupported by evidence, was discredited, and -Fitton, who was adjudged to be the real offender, was fined £500 and -committed to the King’s Bench. - -Alexander Fitton, who was thus dispossessed of the property, lingered -in prison until the accession of James II., when, having embraced the -Romish faith, he was released from confinement and taken into favour -by the King, who made him Chancellor of Ireland, and subsequently -conferred upon him the honour of knighthood and created him Lord -Gawsworth. He sat in the Irish Parliament of 1689, where he appears to -have been actively employed in passing Acts of forfeiture of Protestant -property, and attainder of Protestant personages. On the abdication of -James he accompanied him into exile, where he remained, and, dying, -left descendants who, it is to be feared, benefited little from the -tutelar dignities his sovereign had conferred upon him. - -The whimsical _finesse_ of the law, which wrested from Alexander Fitton -the lands owned for so many generations by his progenitors and bestowed -them upon the Gerards, though it added wealth, did not convey peace -or contentment to the successful litigants. Their history during the -brief period they owned the Gawsworth estates partakes much of the -character of a romance in real life, but it is one that is by no means -pleasant to contemplate. Charles Gerard, on whom the barony of Brandon -and the earldom of Macclesfield had been successively conferred, died -in January, 1693-4, when the titles and estates devolved upon his -eldest son, who bore the same baptismal name. Charles, the second earl, -was the husband of the lady who, by her adulterous connection with -Richard Savage, Earl Rivers, and as the heroine of the famous law case -that followed upon the birth of the celebrated but unfortunate poet, -Richard Savage, acquired an unenviable notoriety even in that age, when -profligacy formed such a prominent characteristic of society. - -The Countess of Macclesfield, under the name of Madame Smith, and -wearing a mask, was delivered of a male child in Fox Court, near Brook -Street, Holborn, by Mrs. Wright, a midwife, on Saturday, the 16th -January, 1697-8. The earl denied the paternity, and satisfactorily -proved the impossibility of his being the father of the son borne by -his countess; who, on her side, narrated a stratagem she had devised, -whereby the disputed paternity could not be denied. The stratagem was -not unknown in the licentious comedies of the time, but no credit was -given to it in this case; and thus the honour of Gerard was saved -from being tainted by the bastard of Savage. A divorce was granted -in 1698; but the law deemed the earl to be accountable, through his -own profligacy, for the malpractices of his wife, and decreed that he -should repay the portion he had received with her in marriage. With -this amount she married Colonel Brett, the friend of Colley Cibber, by -whom she had a daughter, Ann Brett, the impudent mistress of George -I., her illegitimate offspring by Lord Rivers—Richard Savage, whom she -disowned—being educated at the cost of her mother, Lady Mason. It has -been alleged that Savage was an impostor, and this opinion was held by -Boswell, the biographer of Dr. Johnson, who says: “In order to induce a -belief that the Earl Rivers, on account of a criminal connection with -whom Lady Macclesfield is said to have been divorced from her husband -by Act of Parliament, had a peculiar anxiety about the child which she -bore to him, it is alleged that his lordship gave him his own name, -and had it duly recorded in the register of St Andrew’s, Holborn. I -have,” he adds, “carefully inspected that register, and I cannot find -it.” That Boswell should have failed in the discovery is explained by a -reference to “The Earl of Macclesfield’s Case,” presented to the House -of Lords in 1697-8, from which it appears that the child was registered -by the name of Richard, the son of John Smith, and christened on -Monday, January 18th, in Fox Court, and this statement is confirmed by -the following entry in the register of St. Andrew’s, Holborn:— - - Jany., 1696-7. Richard, son of John Smith and Mary, in Fox Court, - in Gray’s Inn Lane, baptized the 18th. - -Notwithstanding the discredit that has been thrown upon Savage’s story, -there can be little doubt of its truth. It was universally believed at -the time, and no attempt was ever made by the countess to contradict -or to invalidate any of the statements contained in it. Moreover, he -was openly recognised in the house of Lord Tyrconnell, a nephew of -the Countess of Macclesfield, with whom he resided as a guest for two -years, and he was also on terms of acquaintance with the Countess of -Rochford, the illegitimate daughter of Earl Rivers by Mrs. Colydon.[20] - -[Note 20: In a tavern brawl, in 1727, Savage had the misfortune to kill -a Mr. James Sinclair, for which he was tried and condemned to death. -His relentless mother, it is said, endeavoured to intercept the royal -mercy; but he was pardoned through the influence of Queen Caroline, and -set at liberty. He afterwards addressed a birthday ode to the Queen, in -acknowledgment of which she sent him £60, and continued the same sum to -him every year.] - -The Earl of Macclesfield did not long survive the granting of his -divorce. He was sent as Ambassador to Hanover, and died there, November -5, 1701, when the title devolved upon his younger brother, Fitton -Gerard, who died unmarried in the following year, when the Earldom -of Macclesfield became extinct, the estates then passing under the -will of the second earl to his niece and co-heiress, the daughter of -his sister, Charlotte Mainwaring, married to Charles, Lord Mohun, -son of Warwick, Lord Mohun, by Philippa, daughter of Arthur, Earl of -Anglesey. The preference thus shown offended the Duke of Hamilton, who -had married the daughter of another niece, Elizabeth, daughter and -sole heiress of Digby, Lord Gerard—by his wife, the Lady Elizabeth -Gerard—the heir-general of the Macclesfield family, who felt himself -injured by this disposition of the property. A lawsuit to determine -the validity of Lord Macclesfield’s will was commenced, much jealousy -and heart-burning followed, and eventually the two disputing husbands -brought their feud to a sanguinary end in the memorable duel which -proved fatal to both. - -The circumstances of this tragic affair are recorded in Dean Swift’s -“History of the Four Last Years of Queen Anne,” published in 1758, -and are more fully detailed in “Transactions During the Reign of -Queen Anne,” published in Edinburgh in 1790, by Charles Hamilton, a -kinsman of one of the combatants. It appears that upon the return of -Lord Bolingbroke, after the peace of Utrecht, and the suspension of -hostilities between Great Britain and France, the Duke of Hamilton, -long noted for his attachment to the Stuarts, and the acknowledged -head of the Jacobite party, was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary -and Plenipotentiary to the Court of France. Previous to his departure -he wished to bring to a close the Chancery suit which had been -pending between Lord Mohun and himself. With that view he, on the -13th November, 1712, attended at the chambers of Olebar, a Master in -Chancery, where his adversary met him by appointment. In the course of -the interview, Mr. Whitworth, formerly the steward of the Macclesfield -family, gave evidence, and, as his memory was much impaired by age, the -duke somewhat petulantly exclaimed, “There is no truth or justice in -him,” upon which Lord Mohun retorted, “I know Mr. Whitworth. He is an -honest man, and has as much truth as your grace.” This grating remark -was allowed to pass unnoticed at the time, but Lord Mohun afterwards -meeting with General Macartney and Colonel Churchill, both violent -men, and declared partisans of the Duke of Marlborough, who had then -been removed from the command of the army by the party to which the -Duke of Hamilton was attached, it would seem that the offending person -was induced by them to challenge the person offended. Preliminaries -having been arranged, the combatants met in Kensington Gardens, Hyde -Park, on the morning of the 15th November—the duke attended by his -relative, Colonel Hamilton, and Lord Mohun by General Macartney. In a -few moments the affair was ended, and when the park keepers, alarmed by -the clashing of swords, rushed to the spot whence the sound proceeded, -they found the two noblemen weltering in their blood—Lord Mohun was -already dead, and the Duke of Hamilton expired before he could be -removed. Nor had the combat been limited to the principals alone. The -seconds had crossed swords and fought with desperate rancour. Colonel -Hamilton remained upon the field, and was taken prisoner, but Macartney -fled to the Continent. Colonel Hamilton subsequently declared upon -oath, before the Privy Council, that, when they met upon the ground, -the duke, turning to Macartney, said, “Sir, you are the cause of this, -let the event be what it will.” To which Macartney replied, “My lord, I -had a commission for it.” Lord Mohun then said, “These gentlemen shall -have nothing to do here.” Whereupon Macartney exclaimed, “We will have -our share.” To which the duke answered, “There is my friend—he will -take his share in my dance.” Colonel Hamilton further deposed that when -the principals engaged, he and Macartney, as seconds, followed their -example; that Macartney was immediately disarmed; but that he (Colonel -Hamilton), seeing the duke fall upon his antagonist, threw away the -swords, and ran to lift him up; and that, while he was employed in -raising the duke, Macartney, having taken up one of the swords, stabbed -his grace over Hamilton’s shoulder, and retired immediately. - -A prodigious ferment was occasioned by this duel, which assumed a high -political character. Neither of the combatants were men who could lay -claim to any great admiration on the score of integrity or principle. -Lord Mohun had, in fact, been long known as a brawler, and had -acquired an infamous reputation for his share in the murder of William -Mountford, the player, before his own door, in Howard Street, Strand. -The Duke of Hamilton, as we have said, was the recognised head of the -Jacobite faction, whilst his antagonist, Lord Mohun, was a zealous -champion of the Whig interest. The Tories exclaimed against this event -as a party duel, brought about by their political opponents for the -purpose of inflicting a vital wound on the Jacobite cause, then in the -ascendant, by removing its great prop before his departure to the Court -of France. They affirmed that the duke had met with foul play, and -treated Macartney as a cowardly assassin. That the allegation was well -founded may be doubted, for all the evidence points to the conclusion -that both sets of antagonists, seconds as well as principals, were -so blinded by the virulence of personal hatred as to neglect all the -laws both of the gladiatorial art and the duelling code, and assailed -each other with the fury of savages. A proclamation was issued by the -Government offering a reward of £500 for the apprehension of Macartney, -and £300 was offered in addition by the Duchess of Hamilton. After -a time Macartney returned, surrendered, and took his trial, when -he was acquitted of murder, and found guilty of manslaughter only. -Subsequently he was restored to his rank in the army, and entrusted -with the command of a regiment. After the accession of George I. he was -in great favour with the Court of Hanover, and was employed in bringing -over Dutch troops on the occasion of the insurrection in England, which -ended in the capitulation at Preston of the Earls of Derwentwater and -Nithsdale, and other English and Scottish lords and gentlemen. - -The Gawsworth property, which Lord Mohun had acquired by his first -wife, Charlotte Mainwaring, he bequeathed by will to his second wife, -Elizabeth, daughter of Dr. Thomas Lawrence, first physician to Queen -Anne; and the Lady Mohun, who thus became possessed of the estates, -which she held in trust, directed that at her death they should -be sold, and the proceeds, after the payment of certain specified -bequests, applied to the use of her two daughters by her first husband, -Elizabeth Griffith, wife of Sir Robert Rich, Bart., and Ann Griffith, -wife of the distinguished soldier and statesman, William Stanhope, who, -in recognition of his public services, was elevated to the peerage, -Nov. 20, 1729, by the title of Baron Harrington, and subsequently -raised to the dignities of Viscount Petersham and Earl of Harrington. -Lord Harrington in 1727 purchased the manor from his wife’s trustees, -and thus passed into the family of Stanhope an estate with which they -had no connection by blood or by alliance. From the first Earl of -Harrington the property has descended in regular succession to the -present owner, Charles Augustus Stanhope, the eighth earl. - -A curious feature in connection with the Old Hall of Gawsworth, and -one strongly suggestive of the warlike spirit of its former owner, -is the ancient tilting ground in the rear of the mansion. Ormerod, -the historian, was of opinion that this relic of a chivalrous age had -been a pleasure ground; but Mr. Mayer, the honorary curator of the -Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, who made a careful survey -some years ago, shows, with much probability, that it was intended -for jousts and other displays of martial skill and bravery. The -“tilt-yard,” the form of which may still be very clearly traced, is -about two hundred yards in length and sixty-five in width, surrounded -on three of its sides by a steep embankment or mound, sixteen yards in -width. Within this enclosure the lists were arranged and the barriers -erected, and here the knights, with pointless lances or coronels in -rest, assembled to perform the _hastiludia pacifica_ or peaceable -jousts for the amusement of the ladies and other spectators who -occupied the embankment. - -At the further end of the long flat is a raised circular mound, with -a base twenty-five yards square, on which was placed the tent of the -Queen of Beauty, who, surrounded by her attendants, could overlook -the whole field, and to her the successful competitors were heralded -to receive at her hand the prize or guerdon to which their chivalrous -skill had entitled them. Near to this mound is a smaller piece of -ground, about fifty-seven yards in length, with three rows of seats -cut out of the bank, on three of its sides, and one row on the fourth, -that nearest the throne of the “Queen of Beauty.” This, Mr. Mayer -surmises, was intended for battles by single combat with the sword and -quarter-staff, for wrestling, and other athletic displays; where, also, -at Christmastide, and at wakes and festivals, the mummers practised -their rude drolleries; where, too, the itinerant bards sang their -rugged and unpolished lays in glorification of the achievements of the -Cheshire warriors of ancient days, and where - - Minstrel’s harp poured forth its tone - In praise of Maud and Marguerite fair. - -The level ground is divided by a small stream that flows through the -middle, and the flat space beyond, which is hemmed in by a mound -similar to that surrounding the “tilting ground,” is supposed to have -been used for such games as football, leap-frog, prison-bars, and -foot-racing, in which the people generally participated. Here, too, -is a raised circular earthwork, corresponding with the lady’s mound -already referred to, where it is probable the awards were made and the -prizes distributed to the successful competitors. The stream, after -passing by the eastern end of the Old Hall, empties itself into the -uppermost of the series of lakes before referred to, which are divided -from each other only by a narrow strip of land, and where, as has been -said, in days of yore the water jousts took place. - -Taken altogether, in the tilting ground, with its raised terraces -for spectators—the court, which formed the arena for quarter-staff, -wrestling, and similar games of strength—and the lakes or ponds, used -for water jousts and other aquatic sports—we have one of the most -remarkable, as well as one of the most complete, memorials to be found -in the North of England illustrative of the manners and customs of our -forefathers—of the military pomp and pageantry, and those displays -of prowess, skill, daring, and strength, which in the reigns of the -Plantagenet and Tudor Kings the English gentry so much encouraged, and -the common people so greatly delighted in—the relic of an age the most -chivalrous and the most picturesque in our country’s history, when -there was no lack of heroism and brave hearts and noble minds, when men -ruled by the stern will and strong arm, and through successive ages -fought the battle of England’s liberties, and laid the foundations of -the freedom we enjoy. The place seems to belong so entirely to a bygone -age that imagination wings her airy flight to those remote days, and -in fancy’s eye we re-people the Old Hall, when - - Every room - Blazed with lights, and brayed with minstrelsy; - -and call up in each deserted nook and shady grove the figures of those -who have long ago returned to dust. We can picture in imagination the -time when these grass-grown terraces were thronged with a gay company -of gallant youths and fair maidens, of stern warriors and sober -matrons, assembled to witness the princely entertainments provided by -the proud owners of Gawsworth. We see the barriers set up, and hear -the braying of the trumpets, and the proclamations of the heralds; we -see the knights, with their attendant esquires, mounted upon their -well-trained steeds, with their rich panoply of arms and plumed and -crested casques, and note the stately courtesy with which each, as he -enters the arena, salutes the high-bred queen of the tournament; we -hear the prancing of horses, the clang of arms, the shock of combat, -and the loud clarions which proclaim to the assembled throng the names -of the gallant victors. But the days of tilt and tournament have passed -away, the age of feudalism has gone by, and in the long centuries of -change and progress that have intervened, time has mellowed and widened -our social institutions, and raised the lower stratum of society to -a nearer level with the higher. Yet, while we boast ourselves of the -present, let us not be unmindful of what we owe to the past, for those -times were instinct with noble and true ideas, and with Carlyle we may -say that, “in prizing justly the indispensable blessings of the new, -let us not be unjust to the old. The old _was_ true, if it no longer -is.” The glories of Gawsworth are of the past. The old mansion is still -to be seen, and the silent pools, the deserted terraces, the forlorn -garden grounds, and the stately trees still remain as representatives -of the once goodly park and pleasaunce, but those who here maintained -a princely hospitality, and bore their part in those splendid -pageantries, are sleeping their last sleep. We may not lift the veil -which hides their secret history, or reveal much of the story of their -hopes and fears, their perils by flood and field, and their deep feuds -and still deeper vengeances. Their graven effigies and gaudily-painted -tombs are preserved to us, but - - The knights’ bones are dust, - And their good swords rust, - Their souls are with the just - We trust. - -In this quiet, out-of-the-way nook, amid these old landmarks, an -afternoon will be neither unpleasantly nor unprofitably spent. We -may learn something of English history, and of the historic figures -which played their parts in our “rough island story.” Our thoughts -and fancies will be stirred anew, and our sense of patriotism will be -nothing lessened by the contemplation of the relics of that past on -which our present is securely built - -Any notice of Gawsworth would be incomplete that did not make mention -of the remarkable series of fresco paintings that were discovered -during the work of restoring the church in the autumn of 1851. At -that time the fabric underwent a thorough repair, and the remains of -coloured ornamentation in the timber-work of the roof led to the belief -that the same method of decoration had been applied to the surface -of the walls. Accordingly a careful examination was made, and on the -removal of the whitewash and plaster some curious and interesting -examples of mediæval art were discovered; but, unfortunately, no effort -was made at the time to preserve them. Happily, however, before their -destruction careful copies were made by a local artist, Mr. Lynch, -which have since been published as illustrations to a work he has -written. The three principal frescoes represented St. Christopher and -the Infant Saviour; St. George slaying the Dragon; and the Doom, or -Last Judgment. From the details they would appear to have been executed -in the early part of the fifteenth century—probably about the time -the tower was built and some important additions made to the main -structure, which, as previously stated, would be between the years 1420 -and 1430. - -At the period referred to, St. Christopher had come to be regarded as -a kind of symbol of the Christian Church, and the stalwart figure of -the saint wading the stream with the Infant Jesus upon his shoulder -was a favourite subject for painting and carving in ecclesiastical -buildings. The Gawsworth fresco is especially interesting, from the -circumstance of its being an exact _fac-simile_ (except that it is -reversed) of the earliest known example of wood engraving, supposed to -be of the date 1423—an original and, as is believed, unique impression -of which was acquired by Lord Spencer, and is now preserved in the -Spencer library. The second picture represents St. George on horseback, -armed _cap-à-pie_, brandishing a sword with his right hand, whilst -with the left he is thrusting a spear into the mouth of the dragon. In -the distance is the representation of a castle, from the battlements -of which the royal parents of the destined victim witness the fray, -whilst the disconsolate damsel is depicted in a kneeling attitude. -The knight’s armour and the lady’s costume furnish excellent data in -fixing the time when the work was done. The third subject—the Last -Judgment—occupied the space between the east window and the south -wall. It was in three divisions, representing heaven, hell, and earth, -and from the prominent position it occupied was no doubt intended -to be kept continually before the eyes of the worshippers, that, to -use the words of the Venerable Bede, “having the strictness of the -Last Judgment before their eyes, they should be cautioned to examine -themselves with a more narrow scrutiny.” - -Among the rectors of Gawsworth was one who added lustre to the place, -but whose name is, curiously enough, omitted from the list given in -Ormerod’s “Cheshire”—the Rev. Henry Newcome, M.A., who held the living -from 1650 to 1657, when he was appointed to the chaplaincy of the -Collegiate Church at Manchester. Newcome was born in November, 1627, -at Caldecote, in Huntingdonshire, of which place his father, Stephen -Newcome, was rector. In January, 1641-2, both his parents died, and -were buried in one coffin, when Henry removed to Congleton, where his -elder brother Robert had recently been appointed by the Corporation -master of the Free School. The circumstance is thus referred to in his -“Autobiography”:— - - I was taught grammar by my father, in the house with him; and when - my eldest brother, after he was Batchelor in Arts, was master - of the Free School at Congleton, in Cheshire, I was in the year - 1641, about May 4, brought down thither to him, and there went to - school three quarters of a year, until February 13, at which time - that eloquent and famous preacher, Dr. Thomas Dodd, was parson at - Astbury, the parish church of Congleton, where I several times - (though then but a child) heard him preach. - -Newcome entered at St. John’s, Cambridge, May 10, 1644, and began -to reside in the following year. In 1646 he was a candidate for the -mastership of a Lincolnshire grammar school, but failed in obtaining -the appointment—a disappointment he bore with much stoicism. In -September, 1647, he was nominated to the mastership of the Congleton -School, and in the February succeeding he took his degree of B.A. - -From his boyhood he seems to have had a fondness for preaching, and -the inclination grew with his years. His first sermon was delivered at -a friend’s church (Little Dalby) in Leicestershire; and on settling -down at Congleton, as he tells us, “he fell to preaching when only -20 years old.” He was appointed “reader” (curate) to Mr. Ley, at -Astbury, and preached sometimes in the parish church and sometimes at -Congleton. At first he “read” his sermons and “put too much history” -into them, whilst “the people came with Bibles, and expected quotations -of Scripture.” Before he had attained the age of 21 he entered the -marriage state, his wife being Elizabeth, daughter of Peter Mainwaring, -of Smallwood, to whom he was married July 6, 1648. He speaks of himself -as rash in taking this step at so early an age, but admits that it -turned to his own good, and he dwells on the excellent qualities of -his wife. It was indeed not only a happy, but in a worldly sense an -advantageous match, as by his alliance with the Mainwarings he became -connected with some of the most influential families in the county, and -to their interest he undoubtedly owed his preferment to Gawsworth. He -was ordained at Sandbach in August, 1648, the month following that of -his marriage, and began his ministerial labours at Alvanley Chapel, in -Frodsham parish, to which place he went for many weeks on the Saturday -to preach on the following day; but before the close of the year he -had settled at Goostrey, where he officiated for a year and a half. It -was whilst residing here that he received the startling intelligence -of the trial and execution of Charles I., for, under date January 30, -1649, he writes: “This news came to us when I lived at Goostrey, and a -general sadness it put upon us all. It dejected me much (I remember), -the horridness of the fact; and much indisposed me for the service -of the Sabbath next after the news came.” Newcome, though a zealous -Presbyterian, was a scarcely less zealous Royalist, and boldly avowed -his abhorrence of the murder of the King. - -Shortly after this event his name was mentioned in connection with the -then vacant rectory of Gawsworth, and an effort was made, through the -interest of the Mainwaring family, to secure his induction under the -Broad Seal. Under the Usurpation Independency was in the ascendant, and -“Dame ffelicia ffitton,” the widow of Sir Edward Fitton, in whom the -patronage of Gawsworth had been vested, was then included in the list -of delinquents whose estates were to be sequestered for loyalty to the -sovereign. Eventually the instrument of institution under the Broad -Seal was obtained. It bears date November 28, 1649, and the opening -sentence sets forth that, “Whereas, the rectory of the parish church -of Gawsworth, in the county of Chester, is become void by the death -of the last incumbent, and the Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal -of England have presented Henry Newcome, a godly and orthodox divine, -thereunto. It is therefore ordered,” &c. Considerable demur was made, -however, to the appointment, and the people locked the church doors -against their new minister; but eventually, as we are told, “it pleased -God to move upon the people when I thought not of it, and they came -(some of the chief of them) over to Carincham on February 12th, and -sent for me, and told me they were desirous to have me before another; -and so were unanimously consenting to me, and subscribed the petition, -not knowing that the seal had come.” - -The obstacles to this induction having been removed, Newcome and -his family took up their abode in the pleasant old rectory-house at -Gawsworth, April, 1650, and on the 14th of the month he preached his -first sermon to his new flock from Ezekiel iii., 5. - -[Illustration: THE REV. HENRY NEWCOME.] - -There are several incidents recorded in his “Autobiography” which throw -light on the life and habits of the youthful divine at this period. -Thus he writes:— - - Whilst living here (Goostrey) my cousin, Roger Mainwaring, would - needs go to Gawsworth (the park being then in the co-heirs’ - possession) to kill a deer, and one he killed with the keeper’s - knowledge; but they had a mind to let the greyhound loose, and to - kill another that the keeper should not know of, partly to hinder - him of his fees and partly that it might not be known that he had - killed more than one. I was ignorant of their design; but had - the hap to be one of the two that was carrying the other little - deer off the ground, when the keeper came and only took it and - dressed it, as he had done the other, and sent it after them to - the alehouse where the horses were. But I remember the man said - this word, that “_priests should not steal_.” I have oft after - thought of it, that when I was parson at Gawsworth, and that - tho’ Edward Morton, the keeper, was sometimes at variance with - me, he never so much as remembered that passage to object against - me; which, though I could have answered for myself in it, yet it - might have served the turn to have been retorted upon me when the - Lord stirred me up to press strictness upon them. But the Lord - concealed this indiscretion of mine, that it was never brought - forth in the least to lessen my authority amongst them. - -It is pleasant to reflect that while Newcome was residing in his snug -parsonage at Gawsworth, he was visited by his brother-in-law, Elias -Ashmole, the learned antiquary and founder of the Ashmolean Museum at -Oxford, who spent some time with him at the rectory and rambled thence -into the Peak country. They had married sisters; Ashmole, who was -Newcome’s senior by ten years, having had to his first wife Eleanor, -daughter of Peter Mainwaring. This lady died in 1641, and in 1649 -Ashmole married Lady Mainwaring, the widow of Sir Thomas Mainwaring, -of Bradfield, who died in 1668; and the same year he again entered the -marriage state, his third wife being Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William -Dugdale, Norroy, and afterwards Garter King of Arms. Ashmole, in his -“Diary,” thus refers to his visit to Gawsworth and his ramble in the -Peak:— - - 1652. - - Aug. 16.—I went towards Cheshire. - - " 28.—I arrived at Gawsworth, where my father-in-law, Mr. - Mainwaring, then lived. - - Sept. 23.—I took a Journey into the Peak in search of plants and - other curiosities. - - Nov. 24.—My Good Father-in-law, Mr. Peter Mainwaring, died at - Gawsworth. - -Oddly enough, Ashmole nowhere makes mention of Newcome’s name in his -“Diary,” but Newcome himself refers to the visit in one of his letters -to his brother-in-law, preserved among Ashmole’s MSS. in the Bodleian -Library, and printed by Mr. Earwaker in his “Local Gleanings,” where, -speaking of the Theatrum Chymicum he had lent to Hollinworth, the -author of “Mancuniensis,” he says, “It was with him when you were with -me at Gawsworth, and I then sent for it home.” - -Puritan though he was, Newcome was by no means of a soured or morose -disposition, nor so rigid in his notions as were some of his southern -brethren. He was fond of amusement within reasonable limits, and his -experiences he relates with charming candour and impartiality. Indeed, -sometimes his hilarity was a little too exuberant. “I remember,” he -says, “this year (1650), when the gentlewomen from the hall used to -come to see us, I was very merry with them, and used to charge a -pistol I had, and to shoot it off to affright them.” Notwithstanding -his liveliness of disposition, he set himself determinedly against the -vices to which some of his parishioners were addicted. Drinking and -swearing seem to have been prevalent, and he records how, one Sabbath -evening, at the house of Lady Fitton, a Mr. Constable,— - - A known famous epicure ... told the lady there was excellent ale - at Broad [heath—what this place was does not appear], and moved - he might send for a dozen, some gentlemen of his gang being with - him. I made bold to tell him that my lady had ale good enough in - her house for any of them; especially, I hoped, on a Sabbath day - she would not let them send for ale to the alehouse. The lady took - with it, and in her courteous way told him that her ale might - serve him. But notwithstanding, after duties, he did send; but - durst not let it come in whilst I staid.... At last I took leave; - and then he said, “Now he is gone! Fetch in the ale.” - -“My lady” was the beautiful and youthful Felicia Sneyd, the second -wife, and then widow of Sir Edward Fitton, who resided at the hall, -her jointure house. In all Newcome’s efforts to improve the spiritual -condition of his parish Lady Fitton warmly joined; the Sacrament, which -hitherto had been discontinued, was with her co-operation revived. -She offered herself to the minister for instruction, and instituted -family prayers twice a day in her house, which Newcome for a while -read; and we gather from several passages that the fascination and -dignified bearing of the youthful widow greatly attracted the divine -of twenty-three. It was not long, however, before he had occasion to -describe another and more painful scene. Lady Fitton, as has been -previously stated, re-married Sir Charles Adderley; and on the 20th -January, 1654, Newcome writes she “was in lingering labour.” - - I had been at Congleton, and was just come home; and they came - shrieking to me to pray with Lady Fitton; she did desire it, it - should seem. I went as fast as I could; but just as I came the - fit of palsy took her. We went to prayer in the gallery for her - again and again. Mr. Machin[21] came in, and he helped me to pray. - We prayed there two or three times over. We begged life for mother - and child, very earnestly at first. After we begged either, what - God pleased. After the night we were brought to beg the life of - the soul, for all other hopes were over. The next day I went, and - prayed by her i’ th’ forenoon. I was much afflicted to see her - die, as in a dream, pulling and setting her head clothes as if she - had been dressing herself in the glass; and so to pass out of the - world. A lovely, sweet person she was; but thus blasted before us, - dyed Jany. 21 (1654), just after evening service. She was buried - the next day, at night.... Sir C. Adderley was removed, and all - manner of confusion and trouble came upon the estate, Mr. Fitton - and the co-heirs striving for possession, which begat a strange - alteration in the place. - -[Note 21: John Machin was then minister of Astbury, and an intimate -friend as well as neighbour of Newcome’s.] - -Lady Fitton, “a very courteous, respectful friend to me while she -lived,” as Newcome observes, lies near the east end of the church of -Gawsworth, close by the communion rails, and near to the stately tomb -of her first husband, on which she is described as “_nulli secundam_.” -In her death Newcome lost a good friend, for the living of Gawsworth -was very poor, and, finding it difficult to equalise the wants of a -growing family and the supplies of a small stipend, he was led to -consider the expediency of removing to some other and more lucrative -charge. His labours had been by no means confined to his own parish. On -the contrary, he devoted a good deal of his time to ministerial work -in other places. The fame of the wonderful young preacher spread to -the larger towns, and those who had heard him once wished to hear him -again. Among other places, he had visited Manchester, and preached in -the Old Church during the sickness of Richard Hollinworth. It was only -on one Sunday, but the generosity of the town brought him considerable -relief at the moment that the necessities of his family were pressing -inconveniently upon him. As Dr. Halley tells us, the relief produced -an effect the contributors did not intend, as it induced him, when -contemplating his removal, to remain in Gawsworth, where Providence had -so unexpectedly relieved him of his anxieties by their liberality. He -painted his rectory-house, parted off a little study from his parlour, -and spent what he could of his friends’ bounty in smartening his home -and making it pleasant and comfortable. - -Newcome was not allowed to remain long in undisturbed tranquillity in -his quiet parsonage. On the 3rd November, 1656, Mr. Hollinworth died; -four days later a meeting of the “Classis” was held at Manchester to -nominate to the vacancy. Three persons were mentioned as suitable—Mr. -Meeke, of Salford; Mr. Bradshaw, of Macclesfield; and Mr. Newcome, -of Gawsworth—but the feeling was so unanimous in favour of Newcome -that nothing was said about the other two. Friday, December 5th, was -fixed for the election; but here a difficulty occurred. Newcome had -spent a Sunday at Shrewsbury as well as at Manchester. He had preached -at “Alkmond’s, and the people of Julian’s” (there were no saints in -Puritanical times) “set their affections” upon him while ministering -in the neighbouring church, and by a curious coincidence, on the same -day that he received intelligence of the arrangement at Manchester -he received letters from the people of “Julian’s,” from the Mayor of -Shrewsbury, and from three of its ministers, entreating him to accept -their invitation. On the Sunday preceding the election at Manchester -he preached in the Old Church, and, as he tells us, “the women were so -pleased that they would needs send tokens,” which amounted to seven -pounds. This gave great dissatisfaction to the proud Salopians, who -were evidently afraid the young preacher might not be proof against the -fascinations of the “Lancashire Witches,” and so they “gave him a very -unhandsome lash” for being drawn away from them by “women’s favours.” -Angry contentions arose, Richard Baxter was asked to interfere, and -a conference was suggested, but the good folks of Shrewsbury were -resolved upon securing the services of Newcome, and would not agree -to arbitration, or listen to any other proposition. They were doomed, -however, to disappointment, and, in opposition to the advice of Baxter, -Newcome, on the 24th of December, made choice of Manchester. - -His removal from Gawsworth was a sorrowful time both for himself and -his rustic congregation. The sight of the wagons sent to remove his -furniture overwhelmed him with sorrow, and when the time came for -leaving the old rectory, he says, “I was sadly affected, and broken -all to pieces at leaving the house. I never was so broken in duty as -I was in that which I went into just when we were ready to go out of -the house;” and he adds, “I prayed the Lord the sin of the seven years -might be forgiven us, and that we might take a pardon with us.” On his -arrival in Manchester he was welcomed with extraordinary manifestations -of friendship and pleasure, and many of the townspeople went out to -Stockport to meet him. - -This “prince of preachers,” as he has been called by his friends, -continued his ministrations in the Church at Manchester until the -passing of the Act of Uniformity, when, unable to conform to the -discipline of the Church, he withdrew from her communion, to the -great grief of his people, by whom he was greatly beloved. On the -passing of the Act of Toleration, at the accession of William of -Orange, the wealthy Presbyterians of Manchester gathered round their -favourite divine and built him a tabernacle on the site of the present -Unitarian Chapel in Cross Street—the first erected for the use of the -Nonconformist body in the town. He was not long permitted, however, to -continue his ministrations, his death occurring on the 17th September, -1695, little more than a year after the opening of the “great and fair -meeting house.” - -The church in which Newcome ministered, and where rest the bones of so -many of the “Fighting Fittons,” well deserves a careful examination. -Let us bend our footsteps towards the ancient fane. It is a fair and -goodly structure—small, it is true, but presenting a dignified and -pleasing exterior— - - Beauty with age in every feature blending. - -The bold, free hand of the old English architect is seen in every -detail—in the deep mouldings, the varied tracery, and the quaintly -grotesque carvings, where burlesque and satire and playful fancy have -almost run riot. The restoring hand of the modern renovator—Sir -Gilbert Scott—is also visible; but what he has done has been well done, -and, if we except the interesting examples of mediæval art to which -reference has already been made, everything that was worth retaining -has been carefully preserved. Though erected at different times, the -general features harmonise and point to the conclusion that nearly the -whole of the existing fabric was erected in the period extending from -the end of the 14th to the middle of the 15th centuries. - -The nave, which is three bays in length, is undoubtedly the oldest -part, and the point at which it originally terminated is clearly -shown by the diagonal projection of the angle buttress which still -remains. The chancel appears to have superseded an older foundation -of smaller dimensions. It is of equal width with the nave, and, in -fact, a continuation of it, and both are covered in with a timber -roof of obtuse pitch, with elaborately moulded and ornamented beams -and rafters. The external walls of both the nave and chancel are -surmounted by an embattled parapet, relieved at intervals with -crocketted pinnacles, that are carried above the edge of the parapet -wall as a termination to each buttress. There being no clerestory or -side aisles, the windows are unusually lofty. They are of pointed -character, with traceried heads and mouldings, terminating in -curiously-carved corbels, that have afforded scope for the humorous -fancy of the mediæval masons. On the south side is an open porch with -stone seats, that has at some time or other been added to the original -structure, as evidenced by the fact that the greater portion of the -buttress has been cut away where it is joined up to the main wall. -It has coupled lights on each side, with hood mouldings, the one on -the west terminating in a curiously-carved corbel, representing a -rose with two heads enclosed in the petals, an evidence that this -part of the fabric must have been built shortly after the union of -the rival houses of York and Lancaster, in the persons of Henry VII. -and Elizabeth the eldest daughter of Edward IV. The tower is well -proportioned, and, rising gracefully as it does above the surrounding -foliage, forms a conspicuous object for miles around. It is remarkable -for the armorial shields, 14 in number, carved in relief, in stone, on -each face. These insignia are especially interesting to the antiquary -and the genealogist, as showing the alliances of the earlier lords -of Gawsworth. They include the coats of Fitton, Orreby, Bechton, -Mainwaring, Wever, Egerton, Grosvenor, and Davenport, as well as those -of Fitton of Bollin, and Fitton of Pownall, and there is one also -containing the arms of Randle Blundeville, Earl of Chester, with whom -the Fittons appear to have been connected. - -The interior of the church is picturesque and well cared for, and -the garrulous old lady who brought us the keys looks upon it with an -affection that is not diminished by the serving and tending of many -long years. It is an interesting specimen of an old English house of -worship. As you cross the threshold a host of memories are conjured up, -and you feel that you are in the sanctuary where in times past have -communed, and where now rest, the remains of a line famous in chivalry, -the members of which, in their day and generation, did good service -to the State. The seats are low and open, and the appearance has been -greatly improved by the removal of the heavy cumbrous pews with which -until late years it was filled. At the east end, within the chancel -rails, are the effigies and stately tombs of the Fittons already -described. The shadows of centuries seem to fall on the broad nave, -while the slanting rays of the westering sun, as they steal through the -tall windows, brighten the elaborate figures of the knights in armour, -and bring out the colouring of gown and kirtle, where their stately -dames are reposing by their side. During the restorations some of them -were removed from their original positions, and shorn of their original -canopies, as the inscription upon a tablet affixed to the north wall -testifies. Near the centre of the aisle is a plain marble slab with a -brass fillet surrounding it, on which is an inscription commemorating -the marriage and death of Thomas Fitton of Siddington, the second son -of Sir Edward of Gawsworth, by his wife Mary, the daughter of Sir -Guiscard Harbottle. - -After our brief survey we passed out through the western door into the -churchyard. The sun was circling westwards over the woods, a warm -haze suffused the landscape, and the shadows were lengthening over the -hillocks and grass-grown mounds in the quiet graveyard. As our cicerone -turned the key in the rusty wards of the lock and turned to depart, -a robin poured out its wealth of song in the neighbouring copse, a -fitting requiem to the expiring day. We stood for a moment looking -through the trees at the picturesque old parsonage. What a lovely -spot!—the spot of all others that a country clergyman might delight to -pass his days in. Well might good Henry Newcome be “sadly affected and -broken all to pieces” at leaving it. - -Another celebrity connected with Gawsworth, though of a widely -different character to Henry Newcome, deserves a passing notice—Samuel -Johnson, popularly known by the title of “Lord Flame,” and sometimes by -the less euphonious _sobriquet_ of “Maggotty Johnson.” This eccentric -character was well known in his day as a dancing master, to which -he added the professions of poet, player, jester, and musician. He -appears to have been among the last of the paid English jesters, those -professional Merry Andrews whose presence was considered indispensable -in the homes of our wealthier forefathers—their duty being to promote -laughter in the household, and especially at meals, by their ready -wit and drollery. Johnson was frequently hired out at parties given -by the gentry in the northern counties, where he had licence to bandy -his witticisms, and to utter or enact anything likely to enliven -the company or provoke them to laughter. “Lord Flame” was the name -of a character played by him in his own extravaganza, entitled -“Hurlothrumbo, or the Supernatural,” a piece which had a lengthened -run at the Haymarket in 1729. It is upon this burlesque that his fame -chiefly rests. After much patient labour he succeeded in getting it -on the London boards. Byrom records the circumstance in his “Journal” -under date April 2, 1729:— - - As for Mr. Johnson, he is one of the chief topics of talk in - London. Dick’s Coffee-house resounds “Hurlothrumbo” from one - end to the other. He had a full house and much good company on - Saturday night, the first time of acting, and report says all - the boxes are taken for the next Monday.... It is impossible to - describe this play and the oddities, out-of-the-wayness, flights, - madness, comicalities, &c. I hope Johnson will make his fortune - by it at present. We had seven or eight garters in the pit. I saw - Lord Oxford and two or more there, but was so intent on the farce - that I did not observe many quality that were there. We agreed - to laugh and clap beforehand, and kept our word from beginning - to end. The night after Johnson came to Dick’s, and they all got - about him like so many bees. They say the Prince of Wales has been - told of “H,” and will come and see it.... For my own part, who - think all stage plays stuff and nonsense, I consider this a joke - upon ’em all. - -On the same day, in a letter to Mrs. Byrom, he writes— - - Mrs. Hyde must let her brother teach (dancing), for - “Hurlothrumbo,” as the matter stands, will hardly be quitted while - it brings a house, and consequently more money, into the author’s - pocket, than his teaching would do of a long time. - -The play was afterwards published with a dedication to Lady Delves, -and an address to Lord Walpole. The former, while remarkable for its -extravagant panegyrism, is interesting from its reference to many of -the local female celebrities of the time. It is as follows:— - -To the Right Honourable the Lady Delves. - - Madam,—When I think of your goodness, it gives me encouragement - to put my play under your grand protection; and if you can - find anything in it worthy of your Praise, I am sure the - _super-naturals_ will like it. I do not flatter when I say your - taste is universal, great as an Empress, sweet and refined as Lady - _Malpas_, sublime as Lady _Mary Cowper_, learned and complete - as Lady _Conway_, distinguished and clear as Mrs. _Madan_, gay, - good, and innocent as Lady _Bland_. I have often thought you - were a compound of the world’s favourites—that all meet and - rejoice together in one: the taste of a _Montague_, _Wharton_, or - Meredith, Stanhope, Sneid, or Byrom; the integrity and hospitality - of _Leigh_ of _Lime_, the wit and fire of _Bunbury_, the sense of - an Egerton, fervent to serve as _Beresford_ or _Mildmay_, beloved - like _Gower_. If you was his rival, you’d weaken the strength of - that most powerful subject. I hope your eternal unisons in heaven - will always sing to keep up the harmony in your soul, that is - musical as Mrs. Leigh, and never ceases to delight; raises us in - raptures like _Amante Shosa_, _Lord Essex_, or the sun. If every - pore in every body in Cheshire was a mouth they would all cry out - aloud, _God save the Lady Delves!_ That illuminates the minds of - mortals, inspires with Musick and Poetry especially. - -Your most humble servant, LORD FLAME. - -The prologue was written by Mr. Amos Meredith, of Henbury, near -Macclesfield, and, at the urgent request of its author, Byrom was -induced to write the epilogue. Johnson’s subsequent career was marked -by many whims and oddities, and even death was not permitted to -terminate his eccentricity, his very grave being made to commemorate it -for the amusement or pity of future generations. As we have previously -stated, he is buried in a small plantation of firs near the road, and a -short distance from the New Hall, in accordance with a request he had -made to the owner in his life-time. His remains are covered by a plain -brick tomb, now much dilapidated, on the uppermost slab of which is the -following inscription:— - -[Illustration] - - Under this stone - Rest the remains of Mr. SAMUEL JOHNSON, - Afterwards ennobled with the grander Title of - LORD FLAME, - Who, after being in his life distinct from other Men - By the Eccentricities of his Genius, - Chose to retain the same character after his Death, - and was, at his own Desire, buried here, May 5th, - A.D. MDCCLXXIII., Aged 82. - Stay thou whom Chance directs, or Ease persuades, - To seek the Quiet of these Sylvan shades, - Here undisturbed and hid from Vulgar Eyes, - A Wit, Musician, Poet, Player, lies - A Dancing Master too, in Grace he shone, - And all the arts of Opera were his own; - In Comedy well skill’d, he drew Lord Flame, - Acted the Part, and gain’d himself the Name; - Averse to Strife, how oft he’d gravely say - These peaceful Groves should shade his breathless clay; - That when he rose again, laid here alone, - No friend and he should quarrel for a Bone; - Thinking that were some old lame Gossip nigh, - She possibly might take his Leg or Thigh. - -On the west side of his tomb a flat stone has been placed in later -years, on which some rhyming moralist has sought to improve on his -character, in a religious point of view, in a lengthy inscription which -says more for the writer’s sense of piety than his regard for prosody:— - - If chance hath brought thee here, or curious eyes, - To see the spot where this poor jester lies, - A thoughtless jester even in his death, - Uttering his jibes beyond his latest breath; - O stranger, pause a moment, pause and say: - “To-morrow should’st thou quit thy house of clay, - Where wilt thou be, my soul?—in paradise? - Or where the rich man lifted up his eyes?” - Immortal spirit would’st thou then be blest, - Waiting thy perfect bliss on Abraham’s breast; - Boast not of silly art, or wit, or fame, - Be thou ambitious of a Christian’s name; - Seek not thy body’s rest in peaceful grove, - Pray that thy soul may rest in Jesus’ love. - O speak not lightly of that dreadful day, - When all must rise in joy or in dismay; - When spirits pure in body glorified - With Christ in heavenly mansions shall abide, - While wicked souls shall hear the Judge’s doom— - “Go ye accursed into endless gloom,” - Look on that stone and this, and ponder well: - Then choose ’twixt life and death, ’twixt - Heaven and Hell. - -Poor Johnson! His last whim has been gratified: his “breathless clay” -reposes beneath the “sylvan shade” that in life he so much delighted -in. The thrush and the blackbird sing their orisons and vespers -there; the fresh and fragrant breeze sweeps by; and the nodding trees -that rustle overhead cast a verdant gloom around, that is brightened -only where the warm sunlight steals through the intricacy of leaves -and dapples the sward with touches of golden light. May no rude or -irreverent hand disturb his resting-place, or “old lame gossip” share -his sepulchre. - -[Illustration: John Dee, the Wizard Warden] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE COLLEGE AND THE “WIZARD WARDEN” OF MANCHESTER. - - -Of those who make up the mighty tide of human life that daily sweeps -along the great highway of traffic between the Manchester Exchange and -the Victoria Railway Station, how few there are who ever give even a -passing thought to the quaint mediæval relic that stands within a few -yards of them—almost the only relic of bygone days that Manchester now -possesses—the College. Pass through the arched portal into the great -quadrangle, the College Yard as it is called, and what a striking -contrast is presented. Without, all is noise and hurry and bustle; -within, quietude and seclusion prevail. The old place is almost -the only link that connects the Manchester of the present with the -Manchester of yore; and surely it is something to feel that within this -eager, striving, money-getting Babylon there is a little Zoar where you -may escape from the turmoil, and the whirl, and the worry of the busy -city, and, forgetting your own chronology, allow the memory to wander -along the dim grass-grown aisles of antiquity, recalling the scenes -and episodes and half-forgotten incidents that illustrate the changes -society has undergone, and show how the past may be made a guide for -the present and the future. - -A wealth of interest gathers round this old time-worn memorial, and -its history is entwined with that of the town itself. That lively and -imaginative antiquary, Whitaker, has striven to prove that upon its -site the subjects of the Cæsars erected their summer camp, but the -story, it must be confessed, rests on but a slender foundation. There -is little doubt, however, that the Saxon thegn fixed his abode here, -and dispensed justice according to the rude fashion of the times—which -means that he did what seemed right in his own eyes, and hanged those -who ventured to question the propriety of his proceedings. The Norman -barons who succeeded him, the Gresleys and the La Warres, the men who -bore themselves well and bravely at Crecy, Agincourt, and Poictiers, -held their court here for generations, until good old Thomas La Warre, -the last of the line, the priest-lord as he has been called—for he held -the rectory as well as the barony of Manchester—gave up his ancestral -home as a permanent residence for the warden and fellows of the ancient -parish church which he caused to be collegiated. But the splendid -provision he bequeathed was not long enjoyed by the ecclesiastics -for whom it was intended. In 1547, when the minor religious houses -were suppressed, the college was dissolved, and the lands, with the -building of the College House, reverted to Edward VI., who granted them -to Edward Earl of Derby, subject to the payment by him of some small -pensions and other charges. On Queen Mary’s accession the Church was -re-collegiated, and the deeds of alienation in part recalled. But the -College House and the lands pertaining to it were never recovered, -though some of the wardens were considerately allowed by the Stanleys -to occupy part of the premises that had belonged of right to their -predecessors. - -In the eventful times which followed, the building experienced many and -various vicissitudes. At the time the fierce struggle between Charles -I. and the Parliament began a part was used as a magazine for powder -and arms, for we read that when the Commission of Array was issued Sir -Alexander Radcliffe, of Ordsall, and his neighbour Mr. Prestwich, of -Hulme, two of the commissioners nominated in the King’s proclamation, -attended by the under sheriff, went to Manchester “to seize ten barrels -of powder and several bundles of match which were stowed in a room -of the College.” During the troublous times of the Commonwealth the -building was in the hands of the official sequestrators, as part of -the forfeited possessions of the Royalist Earl of Derby; and at that -time the monthly meetings of the Presbyterian Classis, the “X’sian -consciensious people” as they were called, were held within the -refectory. A part of the building was transformed into a prison, and -another portion was occupied as private dwellings. In 1650, as appears -by a complaint lodged in the Duchy Court of Lancaster, “a common -brewhouse” was set up on the premises, the brewers claiming exemption -from grinding their malt at the School Mills, to which by custom the -toll belonged, on the plea that the brewhouse was within the College, -the old baronial residence, and therefore did not owe such suit and -service to the mills. - -About the same time a portion of the College barn (between the prison -and the College gatehouse) was converted into a workhouse, the first -in Manchester, having been acquired by the churchwardens and overseers -in order that it might be “made in readiness to set the poor people -on work to prevent their begging.” Another part was used for the -purposes of an Independent church, the first of the kind in the town, -and which would appear to have been set up without “waiting for a -civil sanction.” The minister was John Wigan, who at the outset of his -career had been episcopally ordained to Gorton, which place he left -in 1646, and fixed his abode at Birch, where, we are told, “he set up -Congregationalism.” This brought him in collision with the “Classis.” -Subsequently he left Birch, entered the army, became a captain, and -afterwards a major. The church which he founded in the College barn is -alluded to by Hollinworth. How it came to be established here would -be inexplicable but for the explanation Adam Martindale gives of the -matter. He says:— - - The Colledge lands being sold, and the Colledge itself, to Mr. - Wigan, who now being turned Antipædobaptist, and I know not what - more, made a barne there into a chappell, where he and many of - his perswasion preached doctrine diametrically opposite to the - (Presbyterian) ministers’ perswasion under their very nose. - -Wigan had contrived to attract the notice of Cromwell, and “received -some maintenance out of the sequestrations.” Whether with this and -from pillage and plunder while with the Republican army he obtained -money enough to purchase the lease of the College is not clear, but his -conduct during the later years of his life does not present him in a -very favourable light. During his time a survey of the College property -was made, and it then comprised:— - - Ye large building called ye College in Manchester, consisting of - many rooms, with twoe barnes, one gatehouse, verie much decayd, - one parcell of ground, formerly an orchard, and one garden, now in - ye possession of Joseph Werden, gent., whose pay for ye same for - ye use of ye Commonwealth—tenn pounds yearly. There is likewise - one other room in ye said College Reserved and now made use of - for publique meetings of X’sian consciensious people (_i.e._, the - Classis). - -Neither the sequestrators nor Mr. Wigan were at much pains to preserve -the fabric of the College while it was in their hands. The building and -outhousing fell into decay, and became ruinous; and there is little -doubt this interesting relic would have disappeared altogether but -for the timely interposition of one of Manchester’s most worthy sons. -Humphrey Chetham, a wealthy trader, who had amassed a considerable -fortune, conceived the idea of founding an hospital for the maintenance -and education of poor boys, and also the establishing of a public -library in his native town. He entered into negotiations with the -sequestrators for the purchase of the College, then, as we have seen, -in a sadly dilapidated condition, for the purpose. Owing to some -dispute, the project remained for a time in abeyance, but it was never -entirely abandoned; and in his will Chetham directed that his executors -should make the purchase, if it could be accomplished. After his death -this was done, the building was repaired, and from that time to the -present, a period of more than two hundred years, it has continued to -be occupied in accordance with the founder’s benevolent intentions. -Thus has been preserved to Manchester one of its oldest and most -interesting memorials. - - Many and strange vicissitudes of fate - Those time-worn walls have seen. The dwelling once - Of servants of the Lord; in stormy days, - The home of Cromwell’s stern and armèd band, - A barracks and a prison! Now it stands - A lasting monument of Chetham’s fame, - Unto posterity a boon most rich— - A refuge for the child of poverty, - A still secluded haunt for studious men, - The college of a merchant. - -Though a mighty change has been wrought in the surroundings, the -ancient pile looks pretty much the same as it must have done three -centuries ago, when Warden Dee, who then occupied it, was casting -horoscopes and practising alchemy, and when Drayton saw it, and in his -“Polyolbion” made the Irwell sing— - - First Roche, a dainty rill.... - And Irk add to my store. - And Medlock to their much by lending somewhat more; - At Manchester they meet, all kneeling to my state, - Where brave I show myself. - -The Irwell and the Irk still mingle their waters round the base of -the rocky precipice on which the College stands, but alas for the -daintiness or bravery of either! - -As you enter the spacious courtyard a long, low, monastic-looking -pile with two projecting wings meets the eye, presenting all that -quaintness and picturesque irregularity of outline so characteristic of -buildings of the mediæval period, with scarcely a feature to suggest -the busy life that is going on without its walls. On the right is the -great arched gateway giving admission from the Long Mill Gate, and -which in old times constituted the main entrance. At the opposite or -north-western angle is the principal entrance to the building itself. -As you pass through the low portal you notice on the right the great -kitchen, large and lofty and open to the roof, with its fireplace -capacious enough to roast an ox; adjoining is the pantry, and close -by that most important adjunct the buttery. On the other side of the -vestibule, and separated from it by a ponderous oaken screen, panelled -and ornamented, and black with age, is the ancient refectory or dining -hall, where the recipients of Chetham’s bounty assemble daily for their -meals and chant their “_Non nobis_.” It is a spacious apartment, with a -lofty arched roof and wide yawning fireplace, preserving not merely the -original form and appearance but the identical arrangement of the old -baronial and conventual halls. In pre-Reformation times this was the -chief entertaining room, and its appearance suggests the idea that in -those remote days the ecclesiastics of Manchester loved good cheer, and -were by no means sparing in their hospitalities. At the further end, -opposite the screen, may still be seen the ancient daīs, raised a few -inches above the general level of the floor, on which, in accordance -with custom, was placed the “hie board,” or table dormant, at which sat -the warden, his principal guests and the chief ecclesiastics ranged -according to their rank above the salt, whilst the inferior clergy -and others were accommodated at the side tables—the poor wandering -mendicant who, by chance, found himself at the door, and being admitted -to a humble share of the feast, taking his position near the screen, -and thankfully fed, like Lazarus, with the crumbs that fell from the -great man’s table. - -At the further end of the vestibule you come upon the cloisters -surrounding a small court, and note the crumbling grey walls and -vaulted passages of this the most perfect and most characteristic -portion of the original building. - -Just before reaching the cloisters, you ascend by a stone staircase, -guarded by massive oak balusters, that leads up to the library, where, -as “Alick” Wilson sings— - - Booath far and woide, - Theer’s yards o’books at every stroide, - From top to bothum, eend and soide. - -They are disposed in wall cases extending the length of the corridors, -and branching off into a series of mysterious-looking little recesses, -stored with material relics of the past, old manuscripts, and treasures -of antiquity and art of various kinds, each recess being protected -from the encroachments of the profane by its own lattice gate. Here - - The dim windows shed a solemn light, - -that is quite in keeping with the character of the place, and as you -pass along you marvel at the plenteous store of ponderous folios -and goodly quartos, in their plain sober bindings, that are ranged -on either side, and you reflect upon the world of thought and the -profundity of learning gathered together, until the mind becomes -impressed with a feeling of reverence for the mighty spirits whose -noblest works are here enshrined. - -Until late years this gloomy corridor was at once a library and museum. -High up on the ceiling, on the tops of the bookcases and in the window -recesses, were displayed a formidable array of sights and monsters, as -varied and grotesque as those which appalled the heart of the Trojan -prince in his descent to hell—skeletons, snakes, alligators, to say -nothing of the “hairy man,” and such minor marvels as Queen Elizabeth’s -shoe, Oliver Cromwell’s sword, - - An th’ clog fair crackt by thunner-bowt, - An th’ woman noather lawmt nor nowt. - -Formerly, at Easter and other festivals, crowds of gaping holiday -folk thronged the College, and gazed with vacant wonderment at the -incongruous collection, while the blue-coated cicerones, to the -discomfort of the readers, in sonorous tones bawled out the names of -the trophies displayed, concluding their catalogue with an account -of the wondrous wooden cock that is said (and truly) to crow when -it smells roast beef. But the quietude is no longer broken by these -inharmonious chantings—the strange collection has been transferred -to a more fitting home, and the scholar may now store his mind with -“the physic of the soul” and hold pleasant intercourse with antiquity -without being rudely recalled to the consciousness of the present by -such startling incongruities. - -At the end of the corridor a heavy oaken door admits you to the -reading-room, a large square antique chamber, with arched ceiling and -panelled walls, and a deeply-recessed oriel opposite the door, that -by the very cosiness of its appearance lures you to stay and drink -“at the pure well of English undefiled.” In the window lighting this -pleasant secluded nook is a shield on which the arms of the benevolent -Chetham are depicted in coloured glass—arms that gave him much trouble -to obtain, and the cost of which led him to facetiously remark that -they were not depicted in such good metal as that in which payment for -them was made, to which Lightbowne, his attorney, assented, sagely -observing, “there is soe much difference betwixt Paynter’s Gould and -Current Coyne,” a conclusion the correctness of which we will not stay -to dispute. No doubt it was the thought that he had “paid for his -whistle” that led the careful old merchant to adopt the suggestive -motto, “_Quod tuum tene_.” The furniture corresponds with the ancient -character of the room. In one corner is a carved oak buffet of ancient -date, with a raised inscription, setting forth that it was the gift -of Humphrey Chetham. There are ponderous chairs, with leather-padded -backs, studded with brass nails; and still more ponderous tables, one -of which we are gravely assured contains as many pieces as there are -days in the year. Over the fireplace, surmounted by his coat of arms, -is a portrait of the grave-visaged but large-hearted founder, with -pillars on each side, resting on books, and crowned with antique lamps, -suggestive of the founder’s desire to diffuse wisdom and happiness by -the light of knowledge; and, flanking them, on one side is a pelican -feeding its young with its own blood, and on the other the veritable -wooden cock already mentioned; antique mirrors are affixed to the -panelling; and dingy-looking portraits of Lancashire worthies gaze at -you from the walls—Nowell and Whitaker, and Bolton and Bradford, with -men who have reflected lustre upon the county in more recent times, -not the least interesting being the two portraits lately added of the -venerable president of the Chetham Society, and that indefatigable -bibliopole, the late librarian, Mr. Jones. - -On the ground floor, beneath the reading-room, is an apartment of -corresponding dimensions, which at present more especially claims our -attention. It is commonly known as the Feoffees’ room; but in bygone -days it was appropriated to the use of the wardens of the College. It -is a large, square, sombre-looking chamber, with a projecting oriel -at one end, and small pointed windows, with deep sills and latticed -panes, that, if they do not altogether “exclude the light,” are yet -sufficiently dim to “make a noonday night.” As you cross the threshold -your footsteps echo on the hard oak floor—all else is still and silent. -A staid cloistered gloom, and a quiet, half monastic air pervades the -place that carries your fancies back to mediæval times. The walls for a -considerable height are covered with black oak wainscotting, surrounded -by a plaster frieze enriched with arabesque work. The ceiling is -divided into compartments by deeply-moulded beams and rafters that -cross and recross each other in a variety of ways, all curiously -wrought, and ornamented at the intersections with carvings of fabulous -creatures and grotesque faces. On one of the bosses is a grim-visaged -head, depicted as in the act of devouring a child, which tradition -affirms is none other than that of the giant Tarquin, who held -threescore and four of King Arthur’s knights in thraldom in his castle -at Knot Mill, and was afterwards himself there slain by the valorous -Sir Lancelot of the Lake, who cut off his head and set the captives -free; all which forms a very pretty story, though we are more inclined -to believe that the mediæval sculptor, thinking little and caring less -for Tarquin or the Arthurian knights, merely copied the model of some -pagan mason, and reproduced the burlesque figure of Saturn eating one -of his own children.[22] On one side of the room is a broad fireplace, -with the armorial ensigns of one of the Tudor sovereigns behind, and -those of the benevolent Chetham on the frieze above. The whole of the -furniture is in character with the place—quaint, old-fashioned, and -substantial. Shining tall-backed chairs are disposed around the room, -and in the centre is a broad table of such massiveness as almost to -defy the efforts of muscular power to remove it. - -[Note 22: In the church of Mont Mijour there is a bracket on which -is carved a head devouring a child, closely resembling the one in -the warden’s room of the College, and supposed to be intended for a -caricature of Saturn.] - -A special interest attaches to this sombre-looking chamber from the -circumstance that tradition has associated it with the name of Dr. -Dee, the “Wizard Warden” of Manchester, and that here Roby has laid -the scene of one of his most entertaining Lancashire Legends. In this -“vaulted room of gramarye,” it is said, our English “Faust” had his - - Mystic implements of magic might, - -practised the occult sciences, cast his nativities, transmuted the -baser metals to gold, and, as the common people believed, held familiar -intercourse with the Evil One, and did other uncanny things. But of Dee -and his doings we purpose to speak anon. - -The wardenship of Dr. Dee forms a curious chapter in the ecclesiastical -history of Manchester, and at the same time presents us with a -humiliating picture of the condition of society in the golden days -of the Virgin Queen. It has been said that witchcraft came in with -the Stuarts and went out with them; but this is surely an injustice -to the memory of Elizabeth’s sapient successor, for the belief in -sorcery, witchcraft, enchantment, demonology, and practices of a -kindred nature were widely prevalent long ere that monarch ascended the -English throne. Henry VIII., in 1531, granted a formal licence to “two -learned clerks” “to practise sorcery and to build churches,” a curious -combination of evil and its antidote; and ten years later he, with -his accustomed inconsistency, issued a decree making “witchcraft and -sorcery felony, without benefit of clergy.” - -The belief in these abominations was not confined to any one class -of the people, or to the professors of any one form of faith. On the -contrary, Churchmen, Romanists, and Puritans were alike the dupes of -the loathsome impostors who roamed the country, though each in turn -was ready to upbraid the others with being believers in the generally -prevailing error, and not unfrequently with being participators in -the frauds that were practised. The great and munificent Edward, -Earl of Derby, “kept a conjuror in his house secretly;” and his -daughter-in-law, Margaret Clifford, Countess of Derby, lost the favour -of Queen Elizabeth for a womanish curiosity in “consulting with wizards -or cunning men.” The bishops gave authority and a form of licence to -the clergy to cast out devils; Romish ecclesiastics claimed to have -a monopoly of the power; and the Puritan ministers, not to be behind -them, tried their hands at the imposture. - -Education had then made little progress, and the men of Lancashire, -though the merriest of Englishmen, were as ignorant and superstitious -as they were merry. Nowhere was the belief in supernatural agency more -rife than in the Palatinate. The shaping power of the imagination had -clothed every secluded clough and dingle with the weird drapery of -superstition, and made every ruined or solitary tenement the abode of -unhallowed beings, who were supposed to hold their diabolical revelries -within it. The doctrines of necromancy and witchcraft were in common -belief, and it is doubtful if there was a single man in the county who -did not place the most implicit faith in both. Hence, Queen Elizabeth, -if it was not that she wished to get rid of a troublesome suitor, may -have thought there was a fitness of things in preferring a professor -of the Black Art to the wardenship of Manchester; believing, possibly, -that one given to astrology, and such like practices, could not find -a more congenial home than in a county specially prone, as Lancashire -then was, to indulge in _diablerie_ and the practice of alchemy and -enchantment. - -A brief reference to the earlier career of Dr. Dee may not be -altogether uninteresting. According to the genealogy drawn up by -himself, he belonged to the line of Roderick the Great, Prince of -Wales. His father, Rowland Dee, who was descended from a family settled -in Radnorshire, carried on the business of a vintner in London; and -there, or rather at Mortlake, within a few miles of the city, on -the 13th July, 1527, the future warden first saw the light. After -receiving a preliminary education at one or two of the city schools, -and subsequently at the Grammar School of Chelmsford, he entered St. -John’s College, Cambridge, being then only fifteen years of age; and -during the five years he remained there he maintained, with unflinching -strictness, the rule “only to sleepe four houres every night; to allow -to meate and drink (and some refreshing after), two houres every day; -and,” he adds, “of the other eighteen houres, all (except the tyme -of going to and being at divine service) was spent in my studies -and learning.” On leaving the University he passed some time in the -Low Countries, his object being “to speake and conferr with some -learned men, and chiefly mathematicians.” He made the acquaintance of -Frisius, Mercator, Antonius Gogara, and other celebrated Flemings; -and on his return to England he was chosen to be a Fellow of King -Henry’s newly-erected College of Trinity, and made under-reader of the -Greek tongue. His reputation stood very high, and his mathematical -and astronomical pursuits, in which he was assisted by some rare and -curious instruments—among them, as we are told, an “astronomer’s staff -of brass, that was made of Gemma Frisius’ divising; the two great -globes of Gerardus Mercator’s making; and the astronomer’s ring of -brass, as Gemma Frisius had newly framed it,” which he had brought -from Flanders—drew upon him among the common people the suspicion of -being a conjuror, an opinion that was strengthened by his getting up -at Cambridge a Greek play, the comedy of “Aristophanes,” in which, -according to his own account, he introduced “the Scarabeus his flying -up to Jupiter’s pallace, with a man and his basket of victualls on -her back; whereat was great wondring, and many vaine reportes spread -abroad of the meanes how that was affected.” Though causing “great -wondring,” and seeming at that time too marvellous to be accomplished -by human agency, it was in all probability only a clumsy performance, -and much inferior to the ordinary transformation scene of a modern -pantomime. The “vaine reportes,” however, led to Dee’s being accused of -magical practices, and he found it expedient to leave the University, -having first obtained his degree of Master of Arts. In 1548 he went -abroad and entered as a student at Louvain, where his philosophical -and mathematical skill brought him under the notice of some of the -continental _savants_. Apart from his intellectual power, he must in -his earlier years have possessed considerable charms both of person and -manner, for he contrived to gain friends and win admiration wherever he -went. He was consulted by men of the highest rank and station from all -parts of Europe, and before he left Louvain he had the degree of Doctor -of Laws conferred upon him. - -On quitting that University, in 1550, he proceeded to Paris, where -he turned the heads of the French people, who became almost frenzied -in their admiration of him. He read lectures on Euclid’s Elements—“a -thing,” as he says, “never done publiquely in any University of -Christendome,” and his lectures were so fully attended that the -mathematical school could not hold all his auditors, who clambered -up at the windows and listened at the doors as best they could. A -mathematical lectureship, with a yearly stipend of 200 crowns, and -several other honourable offices were also offered him from “five -Christian Emperors,” among them being an invitation from the Muscovite -Emperor to visit Moscow, where he was promised an income at the -Imperial hands of £2,000 a year, his diet free out of the Emperor’s -kitchen, and to be in dignity and authority among the highest of the -nobility; but he preferred to reside in his native country, and, -foregoing these inducements, he returned to England in 1551. - -The fame of his marvellous acquirements had preceded him, and on -his arrival he was presented by Secretary Cecil to the young King, -Edward VI., who granted him a pension of 100 crowns a year, which -was soon “bettered,” as he says, by his “bestowing on me (as it were -by exchange) the rectory of Upton-upon-Seaverne,” in Worcestershire, -and to this was added the rectory of Long Leadenham, in Lincolnshire. -Though holding these two benefices, it is somewhat remarkable that Dee -does not appear to have ever been admitted to Holy Orders. There is no -very clear evidence that he at any time occupied his Worcestershire -parsonage, but he must have been resident for a while at Long -Leadenham, for at that place a stone has been found inscribed with his -name and sundry cabalistic figures, indicating that he had at some time -lived in the parish. If he ever resided at Upton-upon-Severn he must -have found an uncongenial neighbour in Bishop Bonner, who then held the -living of Ripple—for the one was visionary, sensitive, and unpractical, -and the other stern, cruel, and unscrupulous, while on religious and -political questions their views were as wide apart as the poles. - -On the 6th of July, 1553, Edward VI. finished his “short but saintly -course,” and the solemn sound then heard from the bell-towers of -England, while it announced the fact of his decease, crushed the hopes -of Dee, for a time at least, and in a proportionate degree raised the -expectations of Bonner. Mary had not been many months upon the throne -before Dee was accused of carrying on a correspondence with Princess -Elizabeth’s servants and of compassing the Queen’s death by means -of enchantments. He was cast into prison and tried upon the charge -of high treason, but acquitted; after which he was turned over to -Bonner to see if heresy might not be proved against him. Christian -martyrdom, however, was not in Mr. Dee’s vocation, and so, after -six months’ detention, on giving satisfaction to the Queen’s Privy -Council, and entering into recognisances “for ready appearing and -good abearing for four months longer,” he was set at liberty August -19, 1555, to find that during his incarceration his rectory had been -bestowed upon the Dean of Worcester, Bonner having detained him in -captivity in order that he might have the disposal of his preferment. -The following characteristic letter, written about this time, and -addressed from the Continent (endorsed “fro Callice to Bruxells”), has -been recently unearthed from among the Marian State papers by that -painstaking antiquary, Mr. J. Eglinton Bailey, F.S.A., and printed in -Mr. Earwaker’s “Local Gleanings:” - - My dutye premysed unto youre good L’rdshype as hyt apperteynethe. - This daye abowt iiij of the clocke at after noone my L. - Chawncelare (Gardyner) taketh his Jorneye toward England havynge - rather made a meane to a peace to be hereafter condyscendyd unto, - than a peace at thys tyme yn any pointe determyned. In England - all ys quyete. Souch as wrote trayterouse l’res (letters) ynto - Germany be apprehendyd as lykewyse oothers yt dyd calculate ye - kynge and quene and my Lady Elizabeth natyvytee, wherof on Dee and - Cary and butler, and on ooyr of my Lady Elezabeths ... ar accused - and yt they should have a famylyare sp(irit) wch ys ye moore - susp’ted, for yt fferys on of ther a(ccu)sers-hadd ymedyatly upon - thaccusatys bothe hys chyldr(en) strooken, the on wth put deathe, - thother wth blyndnes. Thys trustynge shortly to doe youe yn an - ooyr place bettre servyce I bed yowr good Lordshype most hartily - to farewell. Wryte ffro Cales ye viijth of June. - -Yowr Lordshyps most asured - THO. MARTYN. - -Happily for Dee, Mary’s reign was not of long duration, and on the -accession of Elizabeth he was at once restored to the sunshine of Royal -favour and courted by the wealthy and the great. He was consulted -by Lord Robert Dudley, afterwards Earl of Leicester, by the Queen’s -desire, respecting “a propitious day” for her coronation, and he says,— - - I wrote at large and delivered it for Her Majesty’s use, by the - commandment of the Lord Robert, what in my judgment the ancient - astrologers would determine on the election day of such a time as - was appointed for Her Majesty to be crowned in. - -At the same time he was presented to the Queen, who made him great -promises, not always fulfilled—amongst others, that where her brother -Edward “had given him a crown she would give him a noble.” - -Dee was a great favourite with Elizabeth, who could well appreciate -his intellectual power, coupled as it was with some personal graces. -She frequently visited him at his house to confer with him and to have -peeps at futurity; and nothing perhaps better illustrates the faith the -“Virgin Queen” had in his astrological powers than the circumstance of -her consulting him, as other virgins in less exalted stations consult -“wise men,” upon the subject of her matrimonial projects, and also that -she had her nativity cast in order to ascertain if she could marry with -advantage to the nation. The credulous Queen placed the most implicit -confidence in Dee’s predictions. She was full of hope that the genius -and learning which had already worked such wonders would accomplish yet -more, and that he would eventually succeed in penetrating the two great -mysteries—the Elixir Vitæ and the Philosopher’s Stone—those secrets -which would endue her with perpetual youth and fill her treasury with -inexhaustible wealth. - -The fame of the English seer became more and more widely spread. -Invitations poured in upon him from foreign courts, and his visits to -the Continent became frequent. In 1563 he was at Venice; the same year, -or the one following, he was at Antwerp, superintending the printing of -his “Monas Hyeroglyphica.” An original copy of this work is preserved -in the Manchester Free Library. Casauban acknowledges that, though -it was a little book, he could extract no reason or sense out of it. -Possibly he was one of those who, as Dee says, “dispraised it because -they understood it not.” Let us hope Dee’s patron was more fortunate, -for she had the advantage of reading it under the guidance of its -author, in her palace at Greenwich, after his return from beyond seas. -The book is dedicated to the Emperor Maximilian, to whom Dee presented -it in person, being at the time, as there is some reason to believe, on -a secret mission, for Lilly says, “he was the Queen’s intelligencer, -and had a salary for his maintenance from the Secretaries of State.” - -After his return, he was sent for on one occasion, “to prevent the -mischief which divers of Her Majesty’s Privy Council suspected to be -intended against Her Majesty, by means of a certain image of wax, with -a great pin stuck into it, about the breast of it, found in Lincoln’s -Inn Fields,” and this, we are told, he did “in a godly and artificial -manner.” In 1571 he again went abroad, and while returning became -dangerously ill at Lorraine, where the Queen despatched two English -physicians “with great speed from Hampton Court,” to attend him, “sent -him divers rareties to eat, and the Honourable Lady Sydney to attend on -him, and comfort him with divers speeches from Her Majesty, _pithy_ and -_gracious_.” On his return he settled in the house which had belonged -to his father, at Mortlake, in Surrey, a building on the banks of the -Thames, a little westward of the church. Here for some time he led a -life of privacy and study, collecting books and manuscripts, beryls and -magic crystals, talismans, &c., his library, it is said, consisting of -more than 4,000 volumes, the fourth part of which were MSS., the whole -being valued at the time at more than £2,000. - -In his “Compendious Rehearsall” there is a curious account of a visit -which Elizabeth, attended by many of her Court, made to his house at -Mortlake:— - - 1575 10 Martii.—The Queens Majestie, with her Most honourable - Privy Councell, and other her lords and nobility, came purposely - to have visited my library; but finding that my wife was within - four houres before buried out of the house, her Majestie refused - to come in; but willed me to fetch my glass so famous, and to shew - unto her some of the properties of it, which I did; her Majestie - being taken downe from her horse (by the Earle of Leicester, - Master of the horse, by the Church wall of Mortlak), did see - some of the properties of that glass, to her Majestie’s great - contentment and delight, and so in most gracious manner did thank - me, &c. - -The glass is supposed to have been of a convex form, and so managed as -to show the reflection of different figures and faces. - -On the 8th October, 1578, the Queen had a conference with Dee, at -Richmond, and on the 16th of the same month she sent her physician, -Dr. Bayly, to confer with him “about her Majestie’s grievous pangs -and paines by reason of toothake and the rheum, &c.;” and before the -close of the year he was sent a journey of over 1,500 miles by sea and -land, “to consult with the learned physitions and philosophers (_i.e._ -astrologers) beyond the seas for her Majestie’s health recovering and -preserving; having by the right honourable Earle of Leicester and Mr. -Secretary Walsingham but one hundred days allowed to go and come in.” - -After his return, Elizabeth honoured him with another visit, as appears -by the following entry in his “Diary”:— - - 1580. Sept. 17th.—The Quene’s Majestie came from Rychemond in her - coach, the higher way of Mortlak felde, and when she came right - against the Church she turned down toward my howse; and when she - was against my garden in the felde she stode there a good while, - and then came ynto the street at the great gate of the felde, - when she espyed me at my doore making obeysciens to her Majestie; - she beckend her hand for me; I came to her coach side, she very - speedily pulled off her glove and gave me her hand to kiss; and to - be short, asked me to resort to her court, and to give her to wete - when I cam ther. - -In less than a month he received another visit from his patron, when -the shadow of death was over his house; for his mother, who shared the -house at Mortlake with him, had expired a few hours before the arrival -of the Royal party. This time Elizabeth seems to have come less to -please herself than to comfort her favourite:— - - Oct. 10th.—The Quene’s Majestie, to my great comfort (_hora - quinta_), cam with her trayn from the court, and at my dore - graciously calling me to her, on horsbak, exhorted me briefly to - take my mother’s death patiently; and withall told me that the - Lord Threasorer had gretly commended my doings for her title, - which he had to examyn, which title in two rolls, he had browght - home two hours before; she remembred allso how at my wive’s death - it was her fortune likewise to call uppon me. - -The “title” alluded to had reference to the doubts Elizabeth affected -to have as to her right to rule over the new countries that were at -the time being discovered by her gallant sea captains, when, to ease -her scruples, she had desired Dee to give her a full account of the -newly-found regions. This he did in a few days, producing two large -rolls, which he delivered to the Queen “in the garden at Richmond;” and -in which not only the geography, but also the history, of the English -colonies throughout the world was given at length. Dee must have made -a liberal draught upon his imagination in producing such a work; and -Elizabeth, credulous as she was, could hardly have looked upon his -account of Virginia or Florida or Newfoundland as trustworthy history. -She wished to believe it, however, and therefore signified her gracious -approval of Dee’s production, much to the disgust of Burleigh, who in -the Queen’s presence openly expressed his disbelief; and when, four -days later, Dee attended at the Lord Treasurer’s house, he refused -to admit him, and when he came forth, as he says, “did not, or would -not, speak to me, I doubt not of some new grief conceyved.” On further -examination of the writings, Burleigh’s misgivings may have been -removed, or, as is much more likely, deeming it unwise to provoke a -quarrel with one whom the Queen delighted to honour, he strove to make -amends for his discourtesy, for he sent Dee a haunch of venison three -weeks after. Though the breach was healed, the scholar’s fear of the -Lord Treasurer was not altogether dispelled, if we may judge from a -dream with which he was troubled shortly afterwards, when, as he says— - - I dreamed that I was deade; and afterwards my bowels were taken - out. I walked and talked with diverse, and among other with the - Lord Threasorer, who was come to my house to burn my bones when I - was dead, and thought he looked sourely on me. - -Mr. Disraeli, in his “Amenities of Literature,” rightly estimated the -character of the “Wizard Warden” of Manchester when he remarked that -“the imagination of Dee often predominated over his science—while both -were mingling in his intellectual habits, each seemed to him to confirm -the other. Prone to the mystical lore of what was termed the occult -sciences, which in reality are no sciences at all, since whatever -remains occult ceases to be science, Dee lost his better genius.” -Casaubon maintains that throughout he acted with sincerity, but this -may be very well doubted. It is true that until he dabbled in magical -arts he gave most of his time and talents to science and literature, -but in the later years of his life he laid aside every pursuit that did -not aid in his alchemical and magical studies, and rapidly degenerated -into the mere necromancer and adventurer. Conjuror or not, he sported -with conjuror’s tools; and when in the ardour of his enthusiasm he -claimed to hold intercourse with angelic beings whom he could summon -to his presence at his will, and boasted the possession of a crystal -given him by the Angel Uriel, which enabled him to reveal all secrets, -he naturally subjected himself to suspicions which, as he afterwards -lamented, “tended to his utter undoing.” - -Many of the incidents of his life are recorded in his “Private Diary,” -edited for the Camden Society by Mr. J. Orchard Halliwell, and the -portion relating to the period of his wardenship of Manchester has -since been edited from the autograph MSS. in the Bodleian Library, with -copious notes, and the errors of the Camden edition corrected by Mr. J. -Eglinton Bailey. This journal gives a curious insight into the private -life and real character of the strange yet simple-minded writer, -relating, as it does with much circumstantial detail, his family -affairs, his labours and rewards, and his trials and tribulations. -There are notes of the visits paid to him by great people; of his -attendances at Court; entries of those who consulted him as to the -casting of their nativities; particulars of moneys borrowed from time -to time (for, though he received large fees and presents, he was almost -continuously in a state of impecuniosity); and the ordinary small talk -of a common-place book. On the 15th June, 1579, his mother surrendered -the house at Mortlake to him, with reversion to his wife and his -heirs. On the 5th February in the preceding year he had married, as -his second wife, a daughter of Mr. Bartholomew Fromonds, of East -Cheam, a fellow-worker in alchemical pursuits, the lady being 23 years -of age and Dee 51. They do not appear to have had many sympathies -in common. She was a strong-minded, shrewd, managing woman, with a -somewhat vixenish temper, who exercised considerable influence over -her visionary and unpractical husband, and kept him in awe of her, -though not sufficiently to restrain his reckless expenditure on books, -manuscripts, and scientific instruments. Occasionally he complains of -her irritability, but it must be confessed that, with her domestic -cares, the worry of her “mayds,” the sickness of her children, and the -difficulty she had in getting from her mystical husband sufficient -money for the needful expenses of her household, the poor woman had -anxieties enough to try the most enduring patience and sour the -sweetest temper. On one occasion he writes: “Jane most desperately -angry in respect of her maydes;” at another time he puts up a prayer -to the angels that she may be cured of some malady that so she may “be -of a quieter mind, and not so testy and fretting as she hath been.” -And again, “Katharin (a child under eight years) by a blow on the eare -given by her mother did bled at the nose very much, which did stay for -an howre and more; afterward she did walk into the town with nurse; -upon her coming home she bled agayn.” - -Though Dee was much noticed and flattered by Elizabeth, the preferment -she so often promised him was slow in coming; perhaps it was that the -calculating Queen wished to ascertain the full value of his horoscope, -which could be only done by the efflux of time, though, if the -prosperity of her reign depended upon the day he had chosen for her -coronation, she then had abundant proof of his magical skill. Dee was -beginning to lose heart, his finances were getting low, he was in the -usurer’s hands, and his pecuniary obligations were disquieting him. At -this time came the crisis of his life. In 1581 he formed the disastrous -friendship with Kelly, whom he took into his service as an assistant in -his alchemical and astrological labours. - -This individual, whose dealings in the Black Art would fill a volume, -was a crafty and unscrupulous schemer—a clever rogue, who, without a -tithe of the learning or genius of Dee, contrived to work upon his -credulity to such an extent that Dee believed him to have the power of -seeing, hearing, and holding “conversations with spirituall creatures” -that were invisible and inaudible to Dee himself. Kelly, who was -nearly thirty years the junior of Dee, having been born in 1555, “left -Oxford,” says Mr. John Eglinton Bailey, in his admirable notes to the -reprint of Dee’s “Diary,” “abruptly to ramble in Lancashire,” and -for some delinquencies, coining it is said, had his ears cut off at -Lancaster. Mr. Bailey says that he had been a lawyer, and Lilly states -on the authority of his sister that he had practised as an apothecary -at Worcester. Of a restless, roving, and ambitious disposition, he was - - Everything by turns, and nothing long. - -It was his practice to raise the dead by incantations, and to consult -the corpse for the purpose of obtaining a knowledge, as he pretended, -of the fate of the living. Weever, in his “Ancient Funeral Monuments” -(p. 45), says that upon a certain night in the park of Walton-le-Dale, -near Preston, with one Paul Wareing, of Clayton Brook, he invoked one -of the infernal regiment to know certain passages in the life, as also -what might be known of the devil’s foresight of the manner and time -of the death, of a young nobleman in Wareing’s wardship. The ceremony -being ended, Kelly and his companion repaired to the church of Walton, -where they dug up the body of a man recently interred, and whom, by -their incantations, they made to deliver strange predictions concerning -the same gentleman, who was probably present and anxious to read a -page in the book of futurity. This feat, which was no doubt performed -by a kind of ventriloquism, is also mentioned by Casaubon. It is not -said when the circumstance occurred, but a local historian, anxious -to supply the omission, gives the date August 12, 1560, and says that -Dee was present. This, however, must be an error, for Kelly could then -have been only five years of age, and Dee did not make his acquaintance -until long afterwards. - -Kelly was a notorious alchemist and necromancer long before Dee became -associated with him, and after the unfortunate intimacy commenced he -acted as his amanuensis, and performed for him the office of “seer,” -by looking into the doctor’s magic crystal,[23] a faculty he himself -did not possess, and hence he was obliged to have recourse to Kelly for -the revelations from the spirit world. It would seem, therefore, that -“mediums” are by no means a modern invention. Dee says he was brought -into unison with him by the mediation of the Angel Uriel, and their -dealings and daily conferences with the spirits are fully recorded in -Casaubon’s work, entitled, “A True and Faithful Relation of what passed -for many years between Dr. John Dee and some Spirits.” They had a black -spectrum or crystal—a piece of polished cannel coal, in which Kelly -affirmed the Angels Gabriel and Raphael, and the whole Rosicrucian -hierarchy, appeared at their invocation—and hence the author of -“Hudibras” says,— - - Kelly did all his feats upon - The devil’s looking-glass—a stone; - Where playing with him at bo-peep - He solved all problems ne’er so deep. - -[Note 23: Dee’s magic crystal, or show stone, was preserved at -Strawberry Hill until that famous collection was dispersed. A -correspondent in _Notes and Queries_ (2nd S., No. 201) says that John -Varley, the painter, well known to have been attached to astrology, -used to relate a tradition that the Gunpowder Plot was discovered by -Dr. Dee with his magic mirror; and he urged the difficulty, if not the -impossibility, of interpreting Lord Mounteagle’s letter without some -other clue or information than hitherto gained. In a Common Prayer -Book, printed by Baskett in 1737, is an engraving of the following -scene: In the centre is a circular mirror on a stand, in which is -the reflection of the Houses of Parliament by night, and a person -entering carrying a dark lantern. Next, on the left side are two men -in the costume of James’s time, looking into the mirror—one evidently -the King, the other evidently, from his secular habit, not the doctor -(Dee), but probably Sir Kenelm Digby. On the right side, at the top, -is the eye of Providence darting a ray on the mirror; and below are -some legs and hoofs, as if evil spirits were flying out of the picture. -The plate is inserted before the service for the 5th November, and -would seem to represent the method by which, under Providence (as is -evidenced by the eye), the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot was at that -time seriously believed to have been effected. The tradition must have -been generally and seriously believed, or it never could have found its -way into a Prayer Book printed by the King’s printer.] - -When an incantation was to take place, “The sacred crystal was placed -on a sort of altar before a crucifix, with lighted candles on either -side, and an open Psalter before it,” and prayers and ejaculations -of the most fervid description were intermingled with the account -taken down at Kelly’s dictation of the dress and hair, as well as the -sayings and movements, of the angels. Dee was infatuated with his new -acquaintance, and every experiment he suggested was tried, at whatever -cost, and hence it was not long before Kelly’s weak and credulous dupe -found himself in straitened circumstances. It was at this time that the -Earl of Leicester, the Queen’s favourite, proposed dining with him at -Mortlake and bringing Albert Lasque, the Palatine of Sieradz, who was -then in England, with him, when Dee had to explain that he could not -give them a suitable dinner without selling some of his plate or pewter -to procure it. Leicester mentioned the circumstance to the Queen, who -speedily helped her old favourite out of the difficulty by sending him -“forty angells of gold.” He thus relates the circumstance:— - - Her Majestie (A. 1583 Julii ultimo) being informed by the right - honourable Earle of Leicester, that whereas the same day in the - morning he had told me, that his Honour and Lord Laskey would dyne - with me within two daies after, I confessed sincerely unto him, - that I was not able to prepaire them a convenient dinner, unless - I should presently sell some of my plate or some of my pewter for - it. Whereupon her Majestie sent unto me very royally, within one - hour after, forty angells of gold, from Syon, whither her Majestie - was new come by water from Greenewich. - -At the same time he makes the following entry in his “Diary”:— - - Mr. Rawlegh his letter unto me of hir Majestie’s good disposition - unto me. - -the writer being Sir Walter Raleigh, who was then in great favour with -Elizabeth, and himself a patron of Dee’s. - -The visit of Count Lasque was an important event in Dee’s career. The -Polish noble was accounted of great learning, and fond of “occult -studies.” He paid frequent visits to the house at Mortlake, where he -was admitted to the _séances_ of the English magician, and became much -impressed with his learning and professed knowledge of the mystical -world. When the time came for Lasque to return he suggested that -Dee should go out with him to Poland, with his wife and children, -accompanied by Kelly and his wife and brother, and their servants. -When in his castle at Sieradz they could make their experiments in -undisturbed seclusion. Seeing no prospect of the fulfilment of the -promises made to him at home, and being hampered with debt, Dee, who -was then in his 57th year, was nothing loth to try his fortune abroad -once more. They left in September, and it was six years before any of -them again set foot on English soil. The departure is thus recorded in -the “Diary”:— - - Sept. 21st (1583).—We went from Mortlake, and so to the Lord - Albert Lasky, I, Mr. E. Kelly, our wives, my children and familie, - we went toward our two ships attending for us, seven or eight myle - below Gravessende. - -The period of their residence abroad was a chequered one, and many -and extraordinary were their adventures and experiences, alternating -between honour and discredit—between luxury and distress. For many -months they were hospitably entertained by Count Lasque while engaged -in their researches for the Philosopher’s Stone, but finding that -they spent more gold than they were able to produce he got tired, and -persuaded them to pay a visit to Rudolph, King of Bohemia, who, though -a weak and credulous man, soon became conscious of the imposture that -was being practised, and passed them on to Stephen, King of Poland, -at Cracow, but he declined to have anything to do with them, and the -Emperor Rudolph refused to pay their expenses, or further encourage -their experiments, though he permitted them to reside at Prague, and -occasionally to appear at Court, until they were banished from the -country at the instigation of the Pope’s Nuncio, who stigmatised them -as “notorious magicians.” Dee lamented the “subtill devises and plotts” -laid against him, and pathetically added, “God best knoweth how I -was very ungodly dealt withall, when I meant all truth, sincerity, -fidelity, and piety towardes God, and my Queene, and country.” - -The old man had surrendered himself entirely to Kelly. Under his -iniquitous influence he degenerated into a mere necromancer, and was -sinking more and more into discredit. On leaving Bohemia the two -adventurers found an asylum in the Castle of Trebona, whither the -Count of Rosenberg had invited them, and where, for a time, they were -maintained in great affluence, owing, as they affirmed, to their -discovery of the secret of transmuting the baser metals into gold. -Kelly would seem to have learned some secrets from the German chemists -which he did not reveal to his employer, but by their possession -contrived to increase his influence over him, while he himself had -recourse to the worst species of the magic art for the purposes of -avarice and fraud. It was while at Trebona that Kelly produced the -wonderful elixir, or Philosopher’s Stone, in the form of a powder, -which Lilly, in his “Memoirs,” says he obtained from a friar who -came to Dee’s door. With this “powder of projection,” or “salt of -metals,” as it was variously called, they were enabled to coat the -baser metals with silver or gold, and would seem to have hit upon the -process which, a century and a half later, Joseph Hancock introduced -into Sheffield—that of electro-plating. Among other transmutations -they converted a piece of an old iron warming pan, by warming it at -the fire, into (or covered it with) silver, and sent it to Queen -Elizabeth.[24] Why, when they were about it, they did not “transmute” -the whole pan is not stated, but it would seem they were not able -to work the discovery easily or quickly enough to make it pay, for -heart-burnings, jealousies, and disputations arose, and quarrels became -of frequent occurrence. At one time Kelly got such a hold upon his dupe -as to persuade him that it was the Divine will that they should have -their wives in common; then a rupture occurred between the ladies, who, -however, became reconciled to each other, and we have the entries in -the Diary— - - April 10th (1588).—I writ to Mr. Edward Kelly and to Mistress - Kelly ij charitable letters requiring at theyr hands mutual - charity. - -And— - - May 22nd.—Mistris Kelly received the sacrament and to me and my - wife gave her hand in charity; and we rushed not from her. - -Peace was restored, but it must have been of short duration, for we -find a few months later— - - July 17th.—Mr. Thomas Southwell of his own courteous nature did - labor with Mr. Edmond Cowper, and indirectly with Mistress Kelly, - for to furder charity and friendship among us. - -[Note 24: Ashmole, in his MS., 1790, fol. 58, says, “Mr. Lilly told me -that John Evans informed him that he was acquainted with Kelly’s sister -in Worcester, that she showed him some of the gold her brother had -transmuted, and that Kelly was first an apothecary at Worcester.”] - -True to his sordid and scheming nature, Kelly, who had become a -full-blown knight, contrived to possess himself of the greater part of -Dee’s treasures—“the powder, the bokes, the glass, and the bone”—and -then, having no longer any need of the old man’s co-operation, took -himself off to earn elsewhere a success that, however, proved only -very short-lived, for it was not long before, being detected in some -knavery, he fell into disgrace, and was immured by the Emperor Rudolph -in one of the prisons of Prague. Queen Elizabeth hearing of him, sent a -messenger—Captain Peter Gwinne—secretly for him to return; but he was -doomed to end his days in a foreign land, for in an attempt to escape -from one of the windows of the castle he fell to the ground, and was so -bruised and shattered that he died in a few hours—his elixir, it would -seem, not being sufficient to communicate immortality to its possessor. - -Forsaken by his companion, Dee resolved on returning to England. -Elizabeth, who had heard of the doings of the two adventurers, and -being, moreover, much impressed with the silvered piece of the -warming pan, sent the doctor friendly messages desiring his return, -with letters of safe conduct, and Lord Rosenberg, who had welcomed -the coming, was now no less hearty in speeding his parting guests, -an attention that is not surprising when it is remembered that for -two years or more he had had quartered upon him two families who -maintained somewhat questionable relations, and lived upon anything -but friendly terms with each other—two quarrelsome women, a whole bevy -of turbulent and unruly children, and a staff of servants that were -continually causing disquiet by their “unthankfulnesse” and discontent; -to say nothing of a brace of conjurors who crowded his castle, or, at -least, were believed to, with imps, hobgoblins, and ghostly visitants -of various kinds, and who there practised all sorts of _diablerie_. -The count made him magnificent promises, and gave him a present of -money; and we can quite believe that he and those about him were not -very much overcome when Dee and his household divinities left Trebona -Castle and turned their faces homewards. They travelled with great pomp -and state, having “three new coaches made purposely for my foresaid -journey,” “twelve coach horses,” “two and sometymes three waines,” -with “twenty-four soldiers,” and “four Swart-Ruiters,” as a guard -of honour; the “total summe of money spent” being £796—well-nigh -sufficient for a royal progress. On November 19, 1589, the Dees -“toke ship by the Vineyard,” and December 2nd “came into the Tems to -Gravesende.” They landed the following day, and on the 19th the doctor -was “at Richemond with the Queen’s Majestie,” when, according to -Aubrey, who received the information from Lilly, he was very favourably -received. - -Though Dee and his family “cam into the Tems” on the 2nd December, it -was not until Christmas Day that they again entered upon possession -of the old home at Mortlake. And a comfortless coming home and a -sorrowful Christmas Day must have been that 25th of December, 1589. -Courted by “Christian Emperors,” Dee had lived long enough to realise -the value of the aphorism which says “Put not your trust in princes!” -Feeble with years, broken in health, and overwhelmed by his losses -and disappointments, the old man chafed and became fretful; while his -comparatively youthful spouse—for Jane Dee was then in the prime of -womanhood—was becoming increasingly irritable under the increasing -cares of a growing family, and the difficulties she experienced in -obtaining even decent food and raiment for them. - -On reaching their once pleasant abode on the banks of the Thames, they -found it dismantled and in part dilapidated. While abroad, silvering -his old warming-pan and dreaming dreams of inexhaustible wealth, Dee -had little dreamed of what was going on at home. Scarcely had he -and his quondam associate reached the castle of Count Lasque than -Nicholas Fromonds, his brother-in-law, who had been left in charge -of the old house, and was to occupy it as tenant, “imbezeled,” sold, -and “unduly made away” his furniture and “household stuff;” and a -noisy rabble, believing that the old man had dealings with the devil, -broke in, ransacked the whole place, and destroyed nearly everything -that remained. Scarcely anything was left. 4,000 volumes, including -the precious manuscripts, that had taken more than 40 years to get -together, and had cost him £2,000, an enormous sum if we consider the -value of money at that time, were scattered; though, through the -efforts of his friends, some of them were afterwards recovered, as -he said, “in manner out of a dunghill, in the corner of a church, -wherein very many were utterly spoyled by rotting, through the raine -continually for many years before falling on them, through the decayed -roof of that church, lying desolate and wast at this houre.” The “rare -and exquisitely-made instruments mathematicall,” the “strong and -faire quadrant of five foote semi-diameter;” the two globes, on one -of which “were set down divers comettes, their places and motions;” -the sea compasses; the magnet-stone “of great vertue;” the “watch -clock,” which measured the “360th part of an hour,” were all purloined, -“piecemeal divided,” or “barbarously spoyled and with hammers smit in -pieces.” Harland and Wilkinson, in their “Lancashire Folk-Lore,” say -that when the house was attacked, “it was with difficulty Dee and his -family escaped the fury of the rabble;” but this is a mistake, for, -as previously stated, they were at the time beyond the seas, and in -blissful ignorance of what was taking place. - -Dee’s affairs were now in a deplorable condition. The destruction of -his library was a terrible calamity. He was involved in debt, his -creditors were becoming clamorous, and, as he laments, “the usury -devoureth me, and the score, talley, and booke debts doe dayly put me -to shame in many places and with many men.” His old friend and patron, -the Queen, who had not yet lost faith in his astrological powers and -discoveries, sent him in the year following his return “fiftie poundes -to keep Christmas with,” and promised him another “fiftie poundes” -out of her “prevy purse.” Many other friends sent him presents, in -all about £500; but he was still struggling in poverty, and craving -for some lucrative office, that he might free himself from his -difficulties. In his distress he memorialised the Queen, through the -Countess of Warwick, earnestly requesting that commissioners might be -appointed to inquire into and decide upon his claims. His indebtedness -then amounted to nearly £4,000, and the story he tells of the shifts -he had recourse to, to save his family from “hunger starving,” is -truly pathetic. He had been constrained, he says, “now and then to -send parcells of furniture and plate to pawne upon usury,” and when -these were gone, “after the same manner went my wife’s jewells of gold, -rings, braceletts, chaines, and other our rarities, under thraldom of -the usurer’s gripes, till _non plus_ was written upon the boxes at -home.” Upon the report the Queen “willed the Lady Howard to write some -words of comfort to his wife, and send some friendly tokens beside;” -she further sent through Mr. Candish (Cavendish) her “warrant by word -of mowth to assure him to do what he would in philosophie and alchemie, -and none shold chek, controll, or molest him,” and as a mark of her -regard, on two occasions, “called for him at his door” as she rode by. - -About this time a domestic difficulty of a different nature occurred. -Dee’s nurse became “possessed,” and he had to try his skill in -exorcising what he believed to be the evil spirit, though, as the -result showed, with indifferent success. The incident is thus referred -to in his “Diary”:— - - Aug. 2nd, 1590.—Nurs her great affliction of mynde. - - Aug. 22nd.—Ann my nurse had long byn tempted by a wycked spirit: - but this day it was evident how she was possessed of him. God is, - hath byn, and shall be her protector and deliverer! Amen. - - Aug. 25th.—Anne Frank was sorowful, well comforted, and stayed in - God’s mercyes acknowledging. - - Aug. 26th.—At night I anoynted (in the name of Jesus) Anne Frank, - her brest with the holy oyle. - - Aug. 30th.—In the morning she required to be anoynted, and I did - very devowtly prepare myself, and pray for vertue and powr, and - Christ his blessing of the oyle to the expulsion of the wycked; - and then twyse anoynted, the wycked one did resest a while. - - Sep. 8th.—Nurse Anne Frank wold have drowned hirself in my well, - but by divine Providence I cam to take her up befor she was - overcome of the water. - - Sep. 29th.—Nurse Anne Frank most miserably did cut her owne - throte, afternone abowt four of the clok, pretending to be in - prayer before her keeper, and suddenly and very quickly rising - from prayer, and going toward her chamber, as the mayden her - keeper thowt, but indede straight way down the stayrs into the - hall of the other howse, behinde the doore did that horrible act; - and the mayden who wayted on her at the stayr fote followed her, - and missed to fynd her in three or fowr places, tyll at length she - hard her rattle in her owne blud. - -Dee tried hard to regain the parsonages and endowments of Upton and -Long Leadenham, of which Bonner had many years previously dispossessed -him, but he was “utterly put owt of hope for recovering them by the -Lord Archbishop and the Lord Threasorer.” Elizabeth had, on one -occasion, promised him the deanery of Gloucester, but objection was -raised on the ground of his not being in Holy Orders; subsequently he -had the promise of some small advowsons in the diocese of St David’s; -but the promise which was pleasant to the bear was roken to the hope. -Failing these, he applied for reversion of the mastership of the -Hospital of St. Cross, at Winchester. The Queen and the Lord Treasurer -were favourably disposed, and Mr. J. Eglinton Bailey, in his admirable -notes, to which we have before made reference, cites a Latin document -which he found among the State Papers, dated May, 1594, being a grant -to Wm. Brooke, Lord Cobham, K.G., of the next advowson of the hospital -of Holyrood, near Winchester, of the Queen’s gift, by the vacancy of -the See, to present John Dee, M.A., on the death or resignation of Dr. -Robert Bennett, the then incumbent. Bennett, however, did not die, or -did not resign in reasonable time, for Dee never got installed; or it -may be that the Archbishop (Whitgift) had interposed, for a month after -the “grant” just mentioned, we find in the “Diary” an entry in which -he thus gives vent to his feeling of mortification and disappointment, -after an interview with the Primate:— - - June 29th, 1594.—After I had hard the Archbishop his answers and - discourses, and that after he had byn the last Sonday at Tybald’s - (Theobald’s) with the Quene and Lord Threaserer, I take myself - confounded for all suing or hoping for anything that was. And so - adieu to the court and courting tyll God direct me otherwise! The - Archbishop gave me a payre of sufferings to drinke. God be my help - as he is my refuge! Amen. - -When Dee ceased to supplicate, his wife took up the parable, and with -much more satisfactory results. On the 7th of December, in the same -year, we read:— - - Jane, my wife, delivered her supplication to the Quene’s Majestie, - as she passed out of the privy garden at Somerset House to go to - diner to the Savoy, to Syr Thomas Henedge. The Lord Admirall toke - it of the Quene. Her Majestie toke the bill agayn, and kept (it) - uppon her cushen; and on the 8th day, by the chief motion of the - Lord Admirall, and somewhat of the Lord Buckhurst, the Quene’s - wish was to the Lord Archbishop presently that I should have Dr. - Day his place in Powles (_i.e._, the Chancellorship of St. Paul’s). - -Possibly the Queen or the Archbishop, or both, were getting wearied -with the constant appeals of their tedious and egotistical suitor, for -a month later occurs the entry:— - - 1595. Jan. 8th.—The Wardenship of Manchester spoken of by the Lord - Archbishop of Canterbury. - - Feb. 5th.—My bill of Manchester offered to the Quene afore dynner - by Sir John Wolly to signe, but she deferred it. - - April 18th.—My bill for Manchester Wardenship signed by the Quene, - Mr. Herbert offring it her. - -And so the magician of Mortlake was commissioned to minister among the -Lancashire witches, and an exceedingly unpleasant time he had of it, as -we shall presently see. - -Though the appointment was made, the patent was not yet sealed. Dr. -Chadderton did not actually relinquish the wardenship of Manchester -until the confirmation of his election to the see of Lincoln, May 24, -1595. Immediately after appears the entry in the “Diary”:— - - May 25th, 26th, 27th.—The Signet, Privy Seale, and the Great Seale - of the Wardenship. - -The old man was evidently too poverty-stricken to pay the fees, for he -significantly adds, “£3 12s. 0d. borrowed of my brother Arnold.” - -At last the long-hoped-for preferment was secured, and the Warden elect -at once began to prepare for removal to his new sphere of duty. Though, -as before stated, the building of the College had been acquired by the -Earls of Derby, under the Confiscating Act of Edward VI., the Wardens -continued to reside there. On the 11th June Dee “wrote to the Erle of -Derby his secretary abowt Manchester College;” and on the 21st June he -makes the entry:— - - The Erle of Derby his letter to Mr. Warren for the Colledge. - -Mr. Warren being apparently the agent of the Earl, and the “secretary” -previously mentioned. Having thus put matters in train for the -occupation of his new home, he set about the letting or disposal of the -old one, for we read:— - - July 1st.—The two brothers, Master Willemots, of Oxfordshere, - cam to talk of my howse-hyring. Master Baynton cam with Mistress - Katharyn Hazelwood, wife to Mr. Fuller. - -Meantime the Manchester people, and more especially the fellows of -the College, were curious to know something about the new Warden, -of whom rumour had said so many strange things. On the 12th July he -records that “Mr. Goodier, of Manchester, cam to me;” and on the -28th July he received “a letter from Mr. Oliver Carter, Fellow of -Manchester College,” of whom we shall have more to say by-and-by. Mr. -Goodier, it may be presumed, was not altogether uninfluenced by worldly -considerations in thus paying his respects at Mortlake. The worthy -burgher was a man of some consequence in his way, and much given, it -is said, to the improvement of his temporal estate. He resided at the -“Ould Clough House,” a building adjacent to the College, “over anendst -the church,” as the Court Rolls of the day describe it, had served as -senior constable, and had also filled the more important office of -borough-reeve. He had, moreover, farmed the tithes of the Warden and -Fellows, and seems to have made a somewhat wide interpretation of his -lease, for shortly before he had prosecuted one of the Fellows for -withholding the surplice fees, which he claimed to have of right. It -is not unlikely, therefore, he had an ulterior object in journeying to -London and offering his civilities to Dee. A year or two before, he had -married a rich widow, Katharine, the relict of Ralph Sorrocold, and the -mother of John Sorrocold, at whose house, the Eagle and Child, opposite -Smithy Door, John Taylor, the “water poet,” when on his “Pennyless -Pilgrimage,” lodged, and whose wife he immortalised in his homely -rhymes— - - I lodged at the Eagle and the Child, - Whereat my hostess (a good ancient woman) - Did entertain me with respect not common. - - * * * * * - - So Mistress Saracole, hostess kind, - And Manchester with thanks I left behind. - -On the 31st July, the “very virtuous” Countess of Warwick, who -had proved her friendship for Dee by urging his claims upon the -consideration of the Queen, did this evening, as he says— - - Thank her Matie in my name and for me for her gift of the - Wardenship of Manchester. She took it gratiously, and was sorry - that it was so far from hers; but that some better thing neer hand - shall be ffownd for me; and if opportunitie of tyme wold serve, - her Matie wold speak with me herself. - -It is significantly added that “the firstfruits were forgiving by her -Matie,” which was fortunate, as it saved him the necessity of borrowing -money to pay them. Her Majesty, however, never found the “opportunitie -of tyme” to speak with her aged _protégé_, and Dee eventually left -without the satisfaction of a parting interview. - -Dee’s prospects were now brightening, and, though late in the evening -of life, there was again a prospect of sunny weather. Misfortunes, it -is proverbially said, seldom come singly—the same rule, it would seem, -holds good in regard to prosperity—for scarcely had Dee obtained his -preferment when Providence added to his domestic bliss. A daughter -was born unto him (he was now in his 69th year), and the christening, -as may be supposed, was a great affair, the sponsors, who by the -way, all appeared by deputy, being the Lord Keeper—Sir Christopher -Hatton, it has been said, but more probably another Cheshire man, Sir -Thomas Egerton, afterwards Lord Chancellor, for Hatton had been in his -grave four years or more—Lady Mary Russell, Countess of Cumberland, -the mother of the stout-hearted Lady Anne Clifford, Dowager Countess -of Pembroke and Montgomery, of famous memory; and the Lady Frances -Walsingham, widow of Sir Philip Sidney, and the wife of the unfortunate -Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, whom Elizabeth, in 1601, beheaded. - -The time of the new Warden was now much occupied in visiting and -receiving visits. On the 13th, and again on the 22nd of September, -he was the guest of the Earl of Derby at Russell House, and on -the 9th Oct. he “dyned with Syr Walter Rawlegh, at Durham House,” -in the Strand. On the 25th Oct. we find him urging “Mr. Brofelde, -Atturny-General, for som land deteyned from the Coll.” (ege). Then come -the entries,— - - Nov. 8th.—My goods sent by Percival toward Manchester. - - Nov. 26th.—My wife and children all by coach toward Coventry. - -Coventry was on the road towards Manchester. Finally, we have the great -mathematician himself following in their wake— - - 1595-6. Feb. 15.—I cam to Manchester a meridie nova 5. - -The severance from old scenes and old associations must have been -a painful one. It could only have been dire necessity that induced -the vain and pedantic philosopher to forsake the pleasant vicinity -of Richmond; to leave the courtly gallants and the staid and erudite -_savants_ who had frequented his modest “mansion” to settle down -among the hard-headed, but uncultured and unappreciative people of -Manchester—to immure himself in a place that must have been even less -attractive then than it was a century or more after when Brummell’s -regiment was ordered there, and the Beau sold out rather than submit to -the infliction of being quartered in it. Abroad Dee had been welcomed -wherever he had gone, and received with all the state and courtly -ceremonial due to one of such prodigious learning. At Mortlake he -had enjoyed the sunshine of royal favour, had been honoured with the -frequent visits of the Queen and her Ministers, and accustomed to the -friendship and society of such polished wits as Walsingham and Raleigh, -and Cavendish and Sir Philip Sidney— - - Sidney, than whom no gentler, braver man - His own delightful genius ever feigned, - -And whom Spenser, in his “Shepheards’ Calendar,” named— - - The President - Of noblenesse and chivalree. - -At Manchester he had to deal with a rude, boisterous, and uncultivated -people, who openly reviled him—a rough metal that all his incantations -and alchemical skill could not transform into refined gold; and withal -he had to contend with a body of clergy who abhorred the unlawful arts -he was supposed to practice, and who treated him in consequence with -implacable hatred. Of a truth his position was not an enviable one. - -Lancashire was at that time the great scene of religious conflict—the -battle-ground of angry polemics and fiercely-contending factions. -It was accounted as more given to Romanism than any other county -in England, and in the rural districts the Protestant cause seemed -rather declining than advancing. Dr. Chadderton, who preceded Dee in -the Wardenship, had carried on a vigorous persecution of those who -still adhered to the unreformed religion, the more obstinate of whom -he imprisoned in the New Fleet, a building adjoining his residence in -the College. He had further hit upon an ingenious way of convincing -these recusants of the error of their ways—as they would not attend -church to hear the sermons preached by the Puritanical Fellows he gave -orders to his clergy to read prayers in the apartments where they were -confined, especially at meal times, so that they had the pleasant -alternative of taking theological nourishment with their food or going -without victuals altogether. Chadderton’s Protestantism had been -intensified by his exile during the Marian persecutions, and as Dee had -been deprived of his rectories of Upton and Long Leadenham, and had -suffered imprisonment at the hands of Bonner, it was not unreasonably -believed that he would follow in the steps of his predecessor, and be -no less zealous in hunting up seminary priests, and punishing those -who resorted to their secret masses. But Dee’s church principles were -not particularly pronounced. Devoted to mathematical and scientific -pursuits, he did not greatly concern himself with either Popish or -Puritan theology; preaching was not in his line, and he cared little -for those controversial sermons which only provoked strife between the -professors of the old and the new faith, and excited bitterness in -the minds of all. He was content to leave the Papists to the watchful -care of the powerful Earl of Derby and their opponents to do as they -pleased, provided they gave him no trouble. His colleagues were greatly -angered at his lack of zeal, and interminable quarrels were the -consequence. - -Saturday, the 20th of February, 1596, was a great day in Manchester, -and one to be held in remembrance. The church bells filled the air with -their clanging melodies, and the groups of curious onlookers at the -church stile and in the grass-grown graveyard denoted that something -unusual was astir. And there was, for the great philosopher whose -marvellous skill had astonished half the Courts of Europe, and about -whom rumour had told so many curious tales, was come to preside over -the ancient College, and direct the ecclesiastical affairs of the -parish, and on that raw February morning was to be installed in his -office. Manchester had never seen such a Warden before, and has not -seen such another since. The ceremony, we are told, was gone through -with “great pomp and solemnity.” Of those assisting at it were Edmund -Prestwich, of Hulme; Richard Massey, the representative of a family of -some consequence living “in the Milnegate, neere unto a street comonly -called Toad-lane;” George Birch, of Birch, in Rusholme, the brother -of Robert Birch, one of the Fellows, and nephew of William Birch, -who at one time had been the Warden of the College; Ralph Byrom and -Thomas Byrom, wealthy traders of the Kersal stock; Ralph Houghton, -another trader; Henry Hardy, and Richard Nugent, who afterwards became -a benefactor to the town, but whose bequest, through the negligence -of trustees, has long since been lost. Dr. Hibbert mentions these -names, though he does not give his authority. Dee, however, was fond -of ostentation and display, and we may be sure would omit nothing -that would impart dignity and importance to the proceedings. We are -not told which of the Fellows were present. Nowell, who was then in -his 90th year, would be too old and infirm to undertake the toil of a -journey from London; but the bold and outspoken Puritan divine, Oliver -Carter, would of a certainty be in his place; and probably with him -would be his equally zealous coadjutor, Thomas Williamson; though both -must have been greatly exercised in spirit at the thought of God’s -heritage being lorded over by one of such questionable antecedents. -Humphrey Chetham had not then amassed a fortune, and acquired fame as a -reformer of ecclesiastical abuses. He was only in his sixteenth year; -but he may have been, and very likely was, among the spectators, and in -his young mind may have wondered how and by what mysterious influences -so valuable a preferment had fallen to one who, not having obtained -ordination, had not even received authority to preach. - -The Manchester as Dee saw it must have presented a very different -aspect to the Manchester of to-day. Leland, who had visited the place -sixty years previously, described it, in his “Itinerary,” as “the -fairest, best builded, quickest, and most populous town in Lancashire,” -which, by the way, was not saying very much, seeing that, as compared -with other parts of the kingdom, the county was thinly-peopled and -ill-cultivated, and the neighbourhood of the town little else than -extensive moors, mosses, and quagmires, where the stranger rarely -adventured himself, and so “very wild and dangerous” that Bishop -Downham pleaded its inaccessibility as a reason for seldom or never -visiting it. The extent of the town proper could have been little more -than that of an inconsiderable village of the present day, for though, -unfortunately, there is no plan of it as then existing, the enumeration -of the streets in the old Court Rolls of the manor enables us to form a -tolerably accurate estimate of its limits. Within a few hundred yards -of the Church the whole of the business of the place was located, and -what was then town was but a congeries of crooked lanes and devious -by-ways, with quaint black and white half-timbered dwellings standing -on either side in an irregular, in-and-out, haphazard sort of way, and -some very much inclined to “stand-at-ease,” yet rendered picturesque -by their very irregularity and their innumerable architectural caprices -and fantasies, their queer-looking and curiously-carved gables, their -oddly-projecting oriels and cunningly-devised recesses, and the varied -and broken sky-lines of their roofs, so different to those dull, dreary -uniformities of brick the present generation is compelled to gaze upon. -Deansgate, Market Sted Lane, and Long Millgate were the principal -streets. These stretched irregularly towards the open country, and from -them a few narrow intricate lanes branched off in the direction of the -Church and the College. On the east and south sides of the churchyard -were then, as now, several public-houses, where the bride ales and -wedding feasts were held, and to restrain the extravagances of which -numerous sumptuary laws had to be enacted. Round the Market Sted were -the shops and “stallings” of the principal traders, who, clad in their -own fustian, measured out their manufactured wares and sent out their -pack-horsemen, with tingling bells, to sell them wherever and whenever -they could find a buyer. Here also were located the “booths” in which -the Portmotes and the Courts Leet and Baron of the manorial lords were -held, and contiguous thereto were the Pillory, the Whipping Post, -and the Stocks, where rogues and dishonest and drunk and disorderly -townsmen were punished. On the north side of the church—Back o’th’ -Church, as it was called—between the churchyard and the College gates, -stood the bull oak, where bulls were usually baited. The butts for -archery practice, where every man between 16 and 60 had to exercise -himself in the use of the good yew bow, were on the outskirts of -the town, one being on the south side, where Deansgate merged into -Aldport Lane, and the other, at Collyhurst, on the north. The cockpit -stood on what was then called the “lord’s waste,” the vacant land in -the rear of the Market Sted, which still retains the name of Cockpit -Hill. Hanging Ditch was, as its name implied, a ditch, part of the old -moat or fosse connecting the Irwell and the Irk, down which the water -still flowed at a considerable depth below the footway, Toad Lane and -Cateaton Street being but a continuation of it. Over this old and then -disused watercourse was a stone bridge, the arch of which may still -be seen—the Hanging Bridge, so named from the drawbridge which had -preceded it, where officers were stationed to see that horses and cows -did not pass over into the churchyard. Near the bridge was the smithy, -which gave the name to Smithy Door and Smithy Bank. In Smithy Door, -near the entrance to the Market Sted, was the town pump or conduit, -fed from a natural spring, near the top of the present Spring Gardens, -where the good wives of the town went for their water, and waited their -“cale” till they got it, gossiping and quarrelling with each other the -while. At the foot of Smithy Bank was Salford Bridge—the only bridge -over the Irwell connecting the two towns—a structure of three arches, -and so narrow that foot-passengers had occasionally to take refuge in -little recesses while vehicles passed along. In the centre of it was -the dungeon, which in earlier days had served the purpose of a chapel. -Withy Grove was in truth a group of withies, the old “Seven Stars,” and -a few other dwellings, being all that existed to give the character of -street. At the higher end was Withingreave Hall, the town house of the -Hulmes of Reddish, progenitors of William “Hulme the Founder,” with its -gardens, orchard, and outbuilding, and beyond a pleasant rural lane led -on to Shudehill. Market Sted Lane, a narrow and tortuous thoroughfare, -extended no further than the present Brown Street, Mr. Lever’s house, -which occupied the site of the White Bear, standing in what was then -the open country. The picturesque old black and white houses that -bordered each side had their pleasant gardens in rear; and beyond, -towards Withy Grove in one direction and Deansgate in the other, were -meadows and pasture fields. In one of those fields, on the south side, -was the mansion of the Radcliffes, surrounded by a moat that gave -the name to Pool Fold, and which was oftentimes the scene of much -mob-justice and very much misery, for here was placed the ducking-stool -for the punishment of scolds and disorderly women,— - - On the long plank hangs o’er the muddy pool, - That stool, the dread of ev’ry scolding quean. - -From its frequent use we may suppose that in those days the female -portion of the community were neither very amiable nor very virtuous. -Long Millgate ran parallel with the Irk, an irregular line of houses -with little plots of garden behind forming the boundary on each side, -and a little way up a rural lane, shaded with hedgerow trees, branched -off on the right, known as the Milner’s Lane—the present Miller Street. -The Irk, a pure and sparkling stream, was noted for its “luscious -eels.” The Masters of the Grammar School had the exclusive fishery -rights from Ashley Lane to Hunt’s Bank, and the Warden and Fellows -of the College might have envied them their monopoly had they not -themselves been able to obtain their Lenten fare from the equally clear -and well-stocked waters of the Irwell, which then glided pleasantly -by, innocent of dyes and manufacturing refuse. Altogether the place -presented more the semi-rural aspect of a country village than an -important town, as Leland represented it to be. Picturesque, it is -true, yet it possessed many unpleasant features withal. The streets -and lanes were ill-paved and full of deep ruts and claypits, for every -man who wanted daub to repair his dwelling dug a hole before his -door to obtain it. The eye, too, was offended by unsightly cesspools -and dunghills that were to be seen against the Church walls, on the -bridges, and, in fact, at every turn. - -[Illustration: THE COLLEGE, MANCHESTER.] - -Though some of the more remote parts of the parish were barren and -uncultivated, the immediate environments of the town were characterised -by much that was exceedingly beautiful, with a wilder sort of -loveliness, increased by the natural irregularities of the surface, -and the great masses of foliage, part of the old forest of Arden, that -extended far away. On the north, Strangeways Park, with its umbraged -heights, its sunny glades, and shady dingles, stretched away towards -Broughton, Cheetham, and Red Bank. Near thereto was Collyhurst Park, -with the common, on which the townsmen had the right to pasture their -pigs, and where the town swine-herd daily attended to his porcine -charge; and the deep sequestered clough through which the Irk wound -its sinuous course, its surface chequered by the shadows of the -overhanging hazels and brushwood; and beyond, the extensive chase of -Blackley, with its deer leaps, and its aërie of eagles, of herons, and -of hawks. On the south was the stately old mansion of Aldport, standing -in a park of 95 acres, occupying the site of Campfield and Castlefield, -and reaching down to the banks of the Irwell, with the great parks of -Ordsal and Hulme on the one side and those of Garratt and Ancoats on -the other. - -It can hardly be said that among the inhabitants a very high state of -civilisation prevailed. If thrifty and industrious, they were certainly -not very refined, nor blessed with “pregnant wits,” as good Hugh Oldham -affirmed, nor yet remarkable for their moral excellence. Boisterous -and laughter-loving, they delighted in outdoor games and uproarious -sports,—the wild merriment of the day being oftentimes followed by -the wilder merriment of the evening. Bull-baiting, wrestling, and -cock-fighting were the leading diversions, “unlawful gaming” and -“lewdness” were frequently complained of, and the ale-houses, to -which the more dissolute resorted, were the scenes of riots and feuds -that not only caused annoyance and scandal to the more well-disposed, -but endangered the public peace to a greater degree than we can now -easily conceive. Under such circumstances it is hardly surprising that -they should have entertained little reverence for their spiritual -pastors, many of whom, by the way, were only a degree less ignorant and -disorderly than themselves, for in those days the curate of Stretford -kept an ale-house, the rector of Chorlton eked out a scanty subsistence -by doing a little private pawnbroking, while the parson of Blackley was -“passing rich” on a stipend of £2 3s. 4d. a year. - -Such was the Manchester of which Dee had become the ecclesiastical -head. However apathetic he may have been as to the spiritual affairs -of the parishioners committed to his care, he was by no means wanting -in energy when his own temporal interests were concerned. Scarcely had -he taken up his abode at the College than we find him entertaining at -dinner two influential tenants—Sir John Byron, of Clayton, and his -son, and bargaining with them about the price of hay before the grass -was actually grown. A month later he records the “possession taking -in Salford,” and he quickly found himself in litigation with the -College tenants of some of the lands there. The tenants were a source -of trouble, and oftentimes disturbed the even tenor of his way, while -the collecting of his tithes was not unfrequently a cause of anxiety -also. He complains of being “occupied with low controversies, as with -Holden of Salford, and the tenants of Sir John Biron, of Faylsworth,” -of “much disquietnes and controversy about the tythe-corn of Hulme,” of -the “Cromsall corne-tyth” being “dowted of and half denyed,” and then -“utterly denyed,” and of his riding to Sir John Byron “for a quietnes,” -and “to talk with him abowt the controversy between the Colledg and -his tenants.” Notwithstanding these unhappy disputations he had some -pleasant days. Thus, on the 26th June (1596), as he tells us— - - The Erle of Derby, with the Lady Gerard, Sir (Richard) Molynox - and his lady, dawghter to the Lady Gerard, Master Hawghton, and - others, cam suddenly uppon (me), after three of the clok. I made - them a skoler’s collation, and it was taken in good part. I - browght his honor and the ladyes to Ardwyk grene toward Lyme, as - Mr. Legh his howse, 12 myles of, &c. - -Dee was eager for sympathy and approval of his favourite schemes and -pursuits, and, being a man of the world, he knew the value of such -friendships. As he was, moreover, given to hospitality, there is little -doubt the “skoler’s collation” would be as sumptuous as the College -larder would afford. A few days later (July 5) he was visited by Mr. -Harry Savill, the antiquary, and Mr. Christopher Saxton, the eminent -chorographer, who had come to make a survey of the town; and on the -following day, Dee, with Saxton and some others, rode over to Hough -Hall, in Withington, the mansion of Sir Nicholas Mosley, who had in -the same year become the purchaser of the manor of Manchester. The -survey was completed on the 10th July, and on the 14th Saxton “rode -away.” It is much to be regretted that no copy of Saxton’s work, so -far as is known, has been preserved; for an authentic plan of the town -in Elizabeth’s reign would be a valuable addition to the topographical -records of Manchester, and would enable us to see exactly what -progress was made in the extension of the town between that time and -the Commonwealth period, when another survey—the earliest reliable one -extant—was taken. - -Before the close of the first year of his Wardenship, Dee was invited -to exercise the power he was commonly believed to possess of casting -out devils; but he prudently declined. About two years previously five -members of the household of Mr. Nicholas Starkey, of Cleworth, in -Leigh parish, became demoniacally possessed, through the influence, -as was said, of a conjuror named Hartley. Margaret Byrom, of Salford, -who happened to be on a visit at Cleworth, became infected with the -malady. This occurred on the 9th January, 1596-7; and at the end -of the month she returned to her friends at Salford, when Dee was -importuned to deliver her from the evil spirit which tormented her. -The Warden, however, refused, telling her friends he would practise no -such unlawful arts as they desired; but, instead, advised they should -“call for some godlye preachers, with whom he should consult concerning -a public or private fast,” and at the same time he sharply rebuked -Hartley for following his contraband calling. Possibly the failure -of his previous attempt to exorcise the spirit in the case of “Nurse -Anne Frank” had induced a wholesome prudence on his part, though his -refusal made him unpopular with his parishioners, who were offended -at his withholding the relief they believed it was in his power to -give, and his Puritan colleagues took advantage of his unpopularity to -make his life miserable. Oliver Carter, who had held his fellowship -for more than a quarter of a century, and had become the recognised -head of the Presbyterian faction in the district, was chief among the -malcontents, and a sore thorn in the side the doctor found him. Carter -disliked alchemical philosophers as much as he hated Popish recusants, -and denounced the Warden’s intercourse with the spirit world as a -scandal upon the Church. The Presbyterian Fellow had little respect -for lawfully-constituted authority, and his open resistance in matters -of ceremony had aforetime brought him in collision even with the -cautious and temperate Bishop Chadderton, who had found it necessary -to enforce some little submission to ecclesiastical law. It is not -surprising, therefore, that he should have shown little regard for the -authority of the new comer, whom he looked upon as a Court spy, and -detested accordingly. He was a continuous source of annoyance, and his -contumacious demeanour, his “impudent and evident disobedience in the -Church,” and persistent obstructiveness are frequently complained of, -thus— - - Jan. 22, 1579.—Olyver Carter’s thret to sue me with proces from - London, &c., was this Satterday in the church declared to Robert - Cleg. - - Sept. 25.—Mr. Olyver Carter his impudent and evident disobedience - in the church. - - Sept. 26.—He repented, and some pacification was made. - - Nov. 14.—The fellows would not grant me the £5 for my howse-rent, - as the Archbishop had graunted; and our foundation commandeth an - howse. - - July 17, 1600.—I willed the fellows to com to me by nine the next - day. - - July 18.—They cam. It is to be noted of the great pacification - unexpected of man which happened this Friday; for in the forenone - (betwene nine and ten), when the fellows were greatly in doubt - of my heavy displeasure, by reason of their manifold misusing of - themselves against me, I did with all lenity enterteyn them, and - shewed the most part of the things that I had browght to pass at - London for the colledg good, and told Mr. Carter (going away) that - I must speak with him alone. Robert Leghe (one of the four clerks) - and Charles Legh (the brother of Robert, and receiver) were by. - Secondly, the great sute betwene Redich (Redditch) men and me was - stayed, and Mr. Richard Holland his wisdom. Thirdly, the organs - uppon condition were admitted. And, fourthly, Mr. Williamson’s - resignation granted for a preacher to be gotten from Cambridge. - -Reconciliation was thus effected, but it was not long before there was -a renewal of hostilities, for, under date Sept. 11, we find— - - Mr. Holland, of Denton, Mr. Gerard, of Stopford (Stockport), Mr. - Langley, &c., commissioners from the Bishop of Chester, authorised - by the Bishop of Chester, did call me before them in the Church - abowt thre of the clok, after none, and did deliver to me certayne - petitions put up by the fellows against me to answer before the - 18th of this month. I answered them all codem tempore, and yet - they gave me leave to write at leiser. - -Amid these harassing anxieties and unseemly disputations with the -unruly Fellows, Dee’s alchemical studies were not neglected. He had -secured another medium in the place of Kelly—Bartholomew Hickman, -who turned out to be nearly as great a knave, though not nearly half -so clever as his predecessor, and, losing confidence, Dee discharged -him and burnt all the records of what he had seen and heard in the -wonderful show-stone. The next day Roger Kooke, who had previously been -in the service of the philosopher, and to whom he had revealed “the -great secret of the elixir of the salt of metals,” offered “the best of -his skill and powre, in the practises chymicall.” He was quickly set -to work, but young Arthur Dee finding by chance among his papers what -seemed a plot against the father, he was charged with the conspiracy, -when Dee cried, “_O Deus libera nos a malo!_ All was mistaken, and -we are reconcyled godly;” and he again dreamed of his “working the -philosopher’s stone.” He would appear, however, to have subsequently -parted with Kooke, for before his death Hickman had been restored to -favour. - -Though devoted to scientific pursuits, it must not be supposed that -the Warden neglected his official duties, or that he was by any means -unmindful of the secular interests of the Collegiate body. His business -exactitude and active zeal in this direction, however, did not always -meet with the approval of his neighbours, or at least of such of them -as happened to be tithe-farmers or College tenants. In May of the year -following his induction we find him with his curate, Sir Robert Barber -(clerics commonly affected the prefix of “Sir” in those days), Robert -Tilsey, the parish clerk, and “diverse of the town of diverse ages,” -making a careful perambulation of the bounds of the parish with the -view of determining its exact limits, a procedure that somewhat alarmed -Mr. Langley, the rector of the adjoining parish of Prestwich, who smelt -litigation in Dee’s anxiety “for avoiding of undue encroaching of any -neighbourly parish, one on the other.” On another occasion he was -careful to note that— - - At midnight (January 22, 1599), the College gate toward Hunt’s - Hall did fall, and some parte of the wall going downe the lane— - -the “lane” being the narrow passage that led from the north side -of the church, by the venerable tree where bulls were baited, and -past the prison to Irk Bridge, then known as Hunt’s Bank, a name it -retained until modern times, when it was superseded by the present -Victoria Street. The gate-house, which, as before stated, was at one -time used as a workhouse, stood on this, the westerly side of the great -quadrangle, the gates opening into Hunt’s Bank. Though they have long -since disappeared, the evidences of their former existence may still be -traced in the wall. - -After an absence in London he paid an official visit to the Grammar -School, where he “fownd great imperfection in all and every of -the scholers, to his great grief,” a record that must be taken as -reflecting on Dr. Cogan, the head master, whose time appears to have -been divided between the teaching of youth and the practice of physic. -In August, 1597, the “Erle and Cowntess of Derby” having taken up their -abode at Aldport Lodge, Dee entertained them at “a banket at my lodging -at the Colledge hora 4½.” There are many other entries of visits from -distinguished personages, among them Sir Urian Legh, of Adlington, -the reputed hero of the ballad of “The Spanish Lady;” Sir George -Booth, sheriff of Cheshire; Mr. Wortley, of Wortley. Probably, also, -Camden, the historian, for it is recorded that when that distinguished -antiquary visited the town, Dee pointed out to him the inscription of -some Roman remains at Castle Field, attributable to the Frisian cohort, -which occupied the station there. While dispensing his hospitalities -the poor old man was suffering from lack of money, his financial -difficulties being as great as ever, and we find him raising loans on -the security of his diminished stock of plate, &c.— - - Feb. 17, 1597.—Delivered to Charles Legh the elder (the receiver - of College before referred to), my silver tankard with the cover, - all dubble gilt, of the Cowntess of Herford’s gift to Francis her - goddaughter, waying 22oz., great waight, to lay to pawne in his - own name to Robert Welshman, for iiijli tyll within two dayes - after May-day next. My dowghter Katherin and John Crocker and I - myself were at the delivery of it and waying of it in my dyning - chamber—it was wrapped in a new handkercher cloth. - -Many similar transactions are recorded—indeed, he appears to have been -continually borrowing money from his friends, and almost as frequently -lending his books to them. Dee was certainly not one of those who -believe that “imparted knowledge doth diminish learning’s store,” for -he was ever ready to place his literary treasures at the service of -others, and frequent entries occur of his lending rare and valuable -works to those he thought capable of understanding and appreciating -them. - -It was some little relief to him when, on the 2nd December, 1600, his -son Arthur had a grant of the chapter clerkship, though before he could -pay £6 for the patent he - - Borrowed of Mr. Edmund Chetham, the schoolmaster (the uncle of - Humphrey, the founder) £10 for one yere uppon plate, two bowles, - two cupps with handles, all silver, waying all 32oz. Item, two - potts with cover and handells, double gilt within and without, - waying 16oz. - -The Warden’s pecuniary embarrassments kept him in discredit with his -parishioners, who naturally looked with disfavour upon an ecclesiastic -that did not pay his debts, especially when, as they believed, it -required only a very little closer intimacy with the evil one to enable -him to do so. The fellows maintained their hostility, his neighbours -became more and more unfriendly, the urgency of his creditors was -oppressive, and on every hand he was assailed with suspicions of -sorcery. The nine years he was in Manchester was the most wretched -portion of his life. Unable to bear the odium attaching to him, he -petitioned King James that he might be brought to trial, “and by -a judicial sentence be freed from the revolting imputations” his -astrological and other inquiries had brought upon him; but Elizabeth’s -wary successor, who detested his mysteries, would have nothing to say -to him. Weary with the struggle, he quitted Manchester in November, -1604, and once more sought shelter in the house at Mortlake. Of the -closing years of his chequered life little is known, but that little -is sad enough. The friends of former years had died or forgotten him, -and the new generation of Court favourites left him to pass his few -remaining days in poverty, sickness, and desolation. After all his -tricks and conjurations the once haughty philosopher was reduced to -such miserable straits that he oftentimes had to sell some of his books -before he could obtain the means wherewith to purchase a meal. The -prediction of the Earl of Salisbury that he “would shortly go mad” was -nearly being realised, for in the midst of his poverty, and while on -the very verge of the grave, he resumed his occult practices, in which -he was aided by the formerly discarded Bartholomew Hickman. At last, -in poverty and neglect, wearied and worn out, the miserable wreck of -an ill-spent life, he, in 1608, passed away at the advanced age of 81, -and was buried in the chancel of the church at Mortlake without any -tombstone or other memorial to preserve his name. - -[Illustration: MORTLAKE CHURCH.] - -Of the numerous family that had once gathered round his hearth few -remained at the time of his dissolution, death or estrangement having -removed nearly all. His son Michael had died in infancy. His busy, -shrewish wife died on the 23rd March, 1605. Of the other seven children -Katherine was the only one who clung to him to the last. Rowland, on -completing his studies at the Manchester Grammar School, obtained -an exhibition at Oxford, but of his subsequent career nothing is -known, nor, with the exception of Arthur, can we trace anything of -the after-history of the others. Arthur, his first-born, resided in -Manchester for some time, and subsequently practised as a physician. -He married Isabella, one of the daughters of Edmund Prestwich, of -Hulme Hall, and afterwards was chosen physician to Michael III., the -first Czar of Russia, and for many years he resided in that country, -where his wife died, July 6, 1634, after having borne him 12 children. -Returning to England, he was sworn physician to Charles I., and located -himself at Norwich, where he continued to reside until his death, -September, 1651. Anthony à Wood, in his _Athenæ_, mentions that Arthur -Dee, when an old man, spoke in full confidence of his father’s goodness -and sincerity, and affirmed that in his youth, when he had initiated -him in some of his mystical pursuits, he had seen enough to satisfy him -that he had discovered many marvellous secrets, and only lacked the -means to make them available. The son may not have been altogether an -impartial witness, but it would be unfair to judge the father by the -standard of the present day. - -Dee lived in an age when everybody believed in the occult sciences, -and in the power of summoning visitants from the world of shadows by -incantations and other mysterious means. Half a century before his -death he had been pre-eminent for his learning, his eloquence, and -his scientific attainments, and he was undoubtedly one of the great -lights of his era. Camden styled him _nobilis mathematicus_, and he -may fairly be accounted the prophet of the arts which Bacon and Newton -were afterwards to reveal. A ripe scholar, well skilled in chemistry, -mathematics, and mechanics, and the master of the whole circle of the -liberal arts as then understood— - - He sought and gathered for our use the true. - -He was one of the first who accepted the theory of Copernicus, and he -successfully performed the labour of correcting the Gregorian calendar. -He was, moreover, a good linguist, an earnest antiquary, and a diligent -searcher of those records which tend to elucidate the history of the -country, and to him is due the credit of first suggesting the formation -of a “National Library,” for the preservation of those ancient writings -in which lie “the treasures of all antiquity, and the everlasting -seeds of continual excellency.” Paradoxical as it may seem, there -was with the splendour and universality of his genius much childlike -simplicity; and his credulous confiding nature often exposed him to the -iniquitous arts of those about him; while his reckless extravagance, -his love of ostentatious display, his debts, and his carelessness of -the method which brought relief, kept him in continuous disquiet. He -was part of the age in which he lived in that he was fond of alchemy, a -believer in the divining-rod, and a devout practitioner of the astral -science; but it is to be feared that his straitened circumstances -sometimes prompted him to have recourse to tricks and artifices that -his better judgment condemned. He was a strange mixture of pride and -gentleness, of goodness and credulity. He discoursed learnedly with -foreign philosophers, tended his little folks in their sicknesses, -and soothed them in their childish griefs and sorrows; gazed into the -glittering depths of his magic mirror and smiled good temperedly at his -shrewish wife’s scoldings; dispensed his hospitalities and gossiped -freely with the aristocratic personages who sought his society, and -pawned his property to pay for their entertainment; contended with -an archbishop and sought peace with the irrepressible Carter and his -unruly associates; but we willingly forget the weaknesses and the -foibles of the man when we remember the genius and the learning of -the philosopher. With all his failings Dee possessed much kindness of -heart, and though Manchester may not have been greatly advantaged by -the ecclesiastical supervision of the “Wizard Warden,” he was yet, in -many respects, much to be preferred to the needy Scotch courtier whom -King James appointed as his successor. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration: BEESTON CASTLE.] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -BEESTON CASTLE. - - -The traveller who has ever journeyed in the “Wild Irishman” between -that hive of industry, Crewe, and the ancient city upon the Dee, will -have noticed upon his left, midway between the two places, a bold -outlier of rock that rises abruptly from the great Cheshire plain, with -the ivy-covered remains of an ancient castle perched upon its summit. A -better position for a fortress it is difficult to conceive. It looks as -if nature had intended it as a place of defence; and evidently Randle -Blundeville, the crusader Earl of Chester, thought so, when, in those -stormy days in which the Marches were the constant scene of struggle -and strife, and - - Like volcanoes flared to heaven the stormy hills of Wales! - -he chose it as the site for one of his border strongholds. - -Avoiding, for the nonce, the “Irishman,” we will avail ourselves of the -more convenient, if more common-place, “Parliamentary,” as it enables -us to alight at Beeston—for that is the place to which our steps are -directed, and almost within bowshot of the relic of ancient days, of -which we are in search. Beeston is not a town—it can hardly be called a -village even, the houses are so few, and neighbourhood there is none. -The little unpretentious railway station is innocent of hurry and -bustle, and seems almost ashamed of disturbing the rural tranquillity; -the Tollemache Arms, a comfortable hostelrie standing below the -railway, opens its doors invitingly; a peaceful farmstead or two, -surrounded by verdant pastures and fields of ripening corn, with here -and there a cleanly whitewashed cottage, half hidden among the trees -and hedges, are almost the only habitations we can see. - -A few minutes’ walk along a sandy lane, that winds beneath the trees -and across the sun-bright meadows, where cattle are pasturing and -haymakers are tossing the fragrant grass, brings us to the foot of the -castle rock. The huge mass of sandstone lifting its unwieldy form above -the surrounding greenery seems to dominate the entire landscape. Few -landmarks are more striking, and, as you draw near, the hoary time-worn -ruin crowning the summit, and looking almost gay and cheerful in the -fresh morning sunlight, reminds you, only that the water is wanting, of -those picturesque strongholds that crest the rocky heights along the -lonely reaches of the Rhine— - - High from its field of air looks down - The eyrie of a vanished race; - Home of the mighty, whose renown - Has passed and left no trace. - -On the north-easterly side the hill rises slopingly, but towards the -south and west it shoots up abruptly from the plain, presenting a mass -of jagged perpendicular rock three hundred and sixty feet in height. -Seen from the distance, it looks as if it had been upheaved by some -convulsive effort of Nature, and then toppled over, the foundations -standing up endways. Keeping to the left, we ascend by a path steep -and rough, and stony withal. Brushwood and bracken, and the wild, old, -wandering bramble border the way; and now and then a timid sheep rushes -out from some shady nook and gazes wonderingly at us as we go by. The -turf in places is short and slippery, for the rabbits keep it closely -cropped; and were it not for a fragment of jutting rock, or the branch -of a tree that occasionally proffers its friendly aid, we should find -the ascent at times difficult and toilsome. Little more than half way -up we come to the outer line of the fortifications, where a small lodge -has been erected, through which we gain admission into the dismantled -interior. - -The ruin is complete, and at the first glance presents only the -appearance of crumbling masses of shapeless masonry, that, having -outlived the necessities which called them into existence, time has -clothed with saddest beauty. The ivy spreads its roots and clings with -fond tenacity, the long grass waves, and the nettles grow in rank -profusion; yet the remains are so far perfect that the searching eye of -the archæologist can readily discern their purpose, determine the plan, -and reconstruct in every detail. The outer ballium, which is pierced by -a few embrasures, extends in the form of an irregular semicircle round -the sloping sides, and where the cliff is not perpendicular, about -five or six acres being comprehended within the area. The entrance is -so narrow that only one or two persons can pass through at a time—a -feature that indicates the rude and lawless period of its erection, -when strength and security were the chief objects aimed at. It has been -guarded by a square tower, and the remains of seven other towers or -bastions, mostly round, and similar in appearance to the Moorish towers -which became so general in England after the return of the barons -from the Crusades, occur at irregular intervals. The court itself is -a large, rough pasture, broken and uneven. A pair of kangaroos are -disporting themselves among the moss-grown fragments, and a few deer -are quietly browsing upon the green turf; but there is no picturesque -assemblage of ruins, or trace of any previously-existing building, -though it was once a busy hive of life and work. Nothing now remains -but a few weedy heaps of masonry, the shattered keep, and the small -inner bailey which occupies the highest and most inaccessible part of -the rock, covering an area an acre in extent. - -The keep was formerly protected and is still separated from the outer -court by a broad, deep moat, hewn out of the solid rock, that extends -round two sides and terminates near its precipitous edge. It is now -dry and partly choked with weeds and rubbish, and a path has been -made across where formerly a drawbridge only gave access. The great -barbican, though roofless and forlorn, is imposing even in its decay, -and gives a distinct impression of its former strength and solidity. -It was proof against bows and arrows, battering rams, and similar -engines of primitive warfare, and, ere “villainous saltpetre had been -dug out of the bowels of the harmless earth,” must have been, barring -treachery from within, absolutely impregnable. The round towers that -flank the entrance are clothed with the greenest and darkest ivy, that -mingles with and seems to form part of the ruined mass to which it -clings so lovingly, making it more picturesque than it could ever have -been in the days of its proud and pristine splendour. The walls are of -immense thickness, and on the face of each, near the top, where the -ashlar-work has not been destroyed, a kind of arcade ornament may still -be discerned. An early English arch unites the two towers, and beneath -it we can see the grooves wherein the portcullis used to descend to bar -the ingress and egress of doubtful or suspected visitors. The entrance, -like that to the outer court, is very narrow; passing through, a few -steps cut out of the sandstone rock, and which have been worn by the -tread of many generations, lead to the inner court or bailey, environed -on two sides by lofty walls, from which project great bastions that -have for centuries braved the winter’s wrath and rejoiced in the -summer sunshine. The interior is now a vacant space, except for the -few fragments of masonry that serve to indicate what once was there. -This was the citadel, so to speak. In it was the home of the lordly -owner of the castle (and scant and rude enough it must have been), -the outer court being used as the quarters for the garrison. Here we -are shown the well-house and the famous well from which, in bygone -days, the occupants drew their supply of water, and which now forms -an object of attraction to wondering visitors. It is a remarkable -work, and says much for the perseverance and skill of those who made -it. The depth is said to be no less than 366 feet—nearly double that -of the well at Carisbrook—the water, it is believed, being level -with Beeston Brook, which flows near the foot of the castle rock. A -tradition was widely prevalent, and is still believed in many a rustic -home in the locality, that a great amount of treasure lies buried at -the bottom, having been cast in it during a time of peculiar exigence -by one of the earlier lords of Beeston; but the story may be dismissed -as resting upon no better foundation than the shaping power of the -imagination. There is no water in it, nor has there been for years, -owing to the drainage below, and for a long time it was choked with -rubbish; but some five-and-thirty or forty years ago it was cleared -out to the very bottom, when the only treasures discovered were an old -spade and a fox’s head. We peer into the darksome vault, but the gloom -is impervious; then the janitor produces a frame with a few lighted -candles upon it, which he lets down by a rope and pulley. As it slowly -descends the light gradually diminishes until it becomes a mere speck, -and we are enabled to form some idea of the amazing depth to which the -rock has been excavated. Having done this, he will, if it will add to -your pleasure and you are ready to listen, give you his version of -Beeston’s history—lead you where nobles and high-born dames have held -their banquets; show you the iron rings to which, in bygone days, the -troopers fastened their horses; and then relate with circumstantial -detail the legend of the lost treasure, and tell you how, long, long -ago, a trusty servitor was let down to the bottom of the well in the -hope of recovering it, and that when he was wound up again he was -speechless, and died before he could reveal the mysteries he had seen. - -For the boldness and beauty of its situation Beeston may be fairly said -to be unrivalled, and from the wide extent of country it commands it -must, in the days of watch and ward, have been admirably adapted either -for the purposes of offence or defence. From the summit of the glorious -old relic we can sweep the whole arch of the horizon, from the pale -blue hills of Wales on the one hand, to the brown heathy wastes that -once formed part of the great forest of Macclesfield on the other. The -palatinate which boasts itself the Vale Royal of England is usually -reckoned a flat county, and this is in a great measure true, for league -upon league of broad, flat, fertile meadows spread before us, but -the eye as it ranges into the distance passes over a rich variety of -undulating country. Above the round-topped woods of Delamere we catch -sight of the eminence on which the Saxon city of Eddisbury once stood, -and the bold promontories of Frodsham and Halton guarding the shores -of the Mersey; eastwards are seen the umbraged heights of Alderley, -and further to the right the range of hills that form the barrier of -the county, and separate it from the Peak district of Derbyshire; -while more to the south, where a cloud of smoke hangs lazily upon the -landscape, is Crewe, the great central point of railway enterprise and -railway industry. Gleaming in the warm sunshine upon the left we note -the stately tower of Chester Cathedral rising proudly above the humbler -structures that, like vassals, gather round, and we recall the stormy -times when from its walls, on that sad September day, the ill-fated -Charles the First, after a fitful gleam of prosperity, saw his gallant -cavaliers borne down by the stern soldiers of Cromwell’s army on Rowton -Moor, a disaster that turned the fortunes of the King and sealed the -fate of Beeston. In rear one can look down the wide estuaries of the -Dee and the Mersey, and along the great western horn of Cheshire, as it -stretches away towards the Irish Sea. More to the left the mountains -of Wales loom darkly and mysteriously, as distant mountains always do, -and spread along the line of the horizon until their further summits, -softened by the mellowing haze of distance, can hardly be distinguished -from the azure dome above; the bold form of Moel Fammau may be seen -rising conspicuously, and when the day is clear those who are blessed -with a keen eyesight may, it is said, discern even the peak of Snowdon, -seeming to touch the far-off western sky. - -Glorious is the prospect that spreads around. What a wealth of pastoral -loveliness lies before us, everywhere exhibiting the signs of fertility -and cultivation. All within the limits is a green and beautiful expanse -made up of copse and lea, of level meadow breadths and cattle-dappled -pastures, that rejoice in the warm sunshine, with little hamlets and -villages and shady lanes, old manor houses and churches—the monuments -of the past mingling with the habitations of contemporary life and -activity. Natural beauty is everywhere, and the eye is delighted with -its variety of extent. After leisurely contemplating the scene the -mind is enabled to occupy itself with the details. We can note the -exquisite contrasts of colour and the coming and going effects of the -cloud-shadows as, wafted by the softest of summer zephyrs, they slowly -chase each other over the woods and verdant glades. The slumber of a -summer day lies profoundly as a trance upon the scene. The lowing of -the kine in the neighbouring meadows, the harsh note of the corncrake, -and the soft dreamy call of the cuckoo are the only sounds that break -upon the ear. Bunbury twinkles through its screen of leaves far below -us, and we can discern the tower of the venerable church where lie the -bones of some of the lords of Beeston, and where still may be seen the -sumptuous monuments that perpetuate their names. In front, and almost -at our feet, is the Chester and Ellesmere Canal, glistening like a line -of liquid silver, and the railway, over which the iron horse glides -swiftly every day, running parallel with it, types of the past and -present modes of travel. The white road that crosses them both leads up -to Tarporley, where there is an ancient church (or rather was, for in -the last few years it has been almost entirely rebuilt), and several -monuments that well deserve inspection. Close by is Utkinton, for many -a generation the home of the proud family of the Dones, hereditary -chief foresters of Delamere, one of whom, John Done, the husband of -that proverbial exemplar of unsurpassable perfection, the fair Lady -Done,[25] in 1617 ordered so wisely the sports of James the First, -when that monarch took his pleasure and repast in the forest, that, as -the author of _The Vale Royal_ tells us, he “freely honoured him with -knighthood and graced his house at Utkinton with his presence;” but the -house which he graced by his presence was made the scene of revelry and -pillage by the soldiers of his son, the hall being plundered, and the -plate, jewels, and writings taken away by the Royalist forces shortly -after the breaking out of the civil war. - -[Note 25: “As fair as Lady Done” is a well-known Cheshire proverb. -Pennant (“Tour from Chester to London, 4 ed., p. 8”), referring to this -lady, who was the daughter of Sir Thomas Wilbraham, of Woodhey, says -that “when a Cheshire man would express super-eminent excellency in one -of the fair sex he will say, ‘There is a Lady Done for you.’”] - -On the western side the view is singularly impressive. The rock is -perpendicular, its ruggedness being softened only by the ferns and -mosses that have attached themselves to the clefts and crevices, -and the shrubs and trees that grow out from the gaping stones. You -look down from the giddy height on to the road immediately beneath, -where the little homesteads and cottages seem reduced to lilliputian -dimensions, and the laden waggon going by looks no bigger than a toy. -Carrying the eye round towards the south, the Broxton hills come in -view; nearer is the lofty height of Stanner Nab; and then, separated -only by a narrow valley, the most prominent feature in the whole -landscape, the richly-wooded eminence of Peckforton, surmounted by the -castle, with its great round keep and broken and picturesque line of -towers and turrets, that Lord Tollemache built some five-and-thirty -years ago as a reproduction of the fortified stronghold of the early -Edwardian period. - -The historical associations of Beeston impart a deeper interest to the -beauty of its natural surroundings. Its annals run back to the time -of Randle Blundeville—Randle the Good, as he is sometimes called—the -most famous of the Cestrian Earls. This Randle succeeded to the earldom -on the death of his father, Hugh Cyveliock, in 1187, and shortly -afterwards married the Lady Constance, widow of Geoffry Plantagenet, a -younger son of Henry II., the mother of the young Prince Arthur whom -King John cruelly put to death—a lady from whom he was afterwards -divorced. They were turbulent times in which he lived, and he bore his -full share in the stirring events that were then occurring; but, though -one of the most powerful nobles of the land, his power was generally -exercised in the interests of his legitimate sovereign. When Richard -the Lion-hearted, returning from his encounters with the infidel in -Palestine, was detained a captive in Austria, and the treacherous -John, to whom he had committed the care of the kingdom, basely sought -to appropriate the crown, Earl Randle and his knights and retainers, -with Earl Ferrars and others, besieged his castle of Nottingham, and -valorously maintained the cause of the absent King. After Richard’s -death, when John had succeeded to the throne, he remained loyal to him -as he had done to his predecessor, though he had the courage to rebuke -him for violating the wives and daughters of the nobility. Afterwards -we find him taking part in that ever memorable council which assembled -on the greensward of Runnymede, “encircled by the coronet of Cooper’s -Hill,” which secured the rights of the people of England, and the Great -Charter that still remains the foundation of their liberties, when— - - England’s ancient Barons, clad in arms, - And stern with conquest, from their tyrant King - (Then render’d tame), did challenge and secure - The charter of our freedom. - -When that memorable June day had waned—when the Great Charter had -been won, and the thoughtful night which followed had passed—when men -began to think that the pledges so readily given would be as readily -violated, and that concessions extorted could only be maintained by -force of arms, Randle Blundeville remained faithful to his faithless -King, and defended his cause against the Barons and the Dauphin of -France, to whom they had traitorously offered the English crown. - -The great Earl was then in the plenitude of his power, and when the -tyrant John had paid the penalty of over-indulgence in peaches and new -cider, he proved himself a firm and faithful champion of his son, the -young King Henry, and, with Earl Pembroke, was mainly instrumental in -securing him upon his father’s throne, and by that means releasing -England from the dominion of a stranger. When the kingdom had settled -into peace, having assumed the cross in fulfilment of a vow he had -previously made, the Earl betook himself to the Holy Land:— - - To chace the Pagans in those holy fields - Over whose acres walk’d those blessèd feet - Which, many hundred years before, were nail’d - For our advantage on the bitter cross. - -He remained absent for about two years, during which time he assisted -in the taking of Damietta; and immediately on the return from his -crusading expedition he set about the erection of the Castle of -Beeston, for the greater security of his palatinate against the -incursions of the brave but troublesome Welsh, with whom he had -previously had many encounters, bringing to his aid that Saracenic -style of architecture he had found so well adapted for defence, and -which is so admirably represented in the ivy-coloured walls and -bastions of Beeston. - -Randle Blundeville was a famous warrior, and withal a mighty castle -builder, for, in addition to re-edifying the castle of Deganwy, on -the Conway, which had been partially destroyed during the numerous -conflicts with Prince Llewelyn, he built the castles of Beeston in -Cheshire, and Chartley in Staffordshire. He also founded and endowed -the Abbey of Grey Friars, in Coventry, and a religious house on the -banks of the Churnet, near Leek, to which latter, at his wife’s -desire, he gave the name of Dieu-la-cresse—“May God increase it”—and -transferred to it the Cistercian brotherhood of the Abbey of Poulton, -near Chester, who had found their home there too circumscribed, and -probably uncomfortably near the Welsh Marches—an act of piety he had -been directed to perform, as the old monkish legends declare, by his -grandfather in a vision. He believed in dreams, and he appears to -have had equal faith in the piety of the monks, for it is recorded -of him that, being overtaken in a storm at sea when returning from -his crusading expedition, and the ship being in danger of sinking, he -refused to lend a helping hand in righting it until midnight, when, -as he affirmed, the monks of Dieu-la-cresse would be supplicating -Heaven on his behalf; and that, consequently, God would then give him -strength. The ship was saved, and, as their prayers had evidently -availed so much, it may be assumed that the brethren of Dieu-la-cresse -were a more than usually righteous fraternity. - -The castles of Beeston and Chartley were both commenced in the same -year (1220), and to defray the cost of their erection the Earl “took -toll throughout all his lordships of all such persons as passed by the -same, with any cattel, chaffre, or merchandize.” The reason for the -erection of Beeston is not far to seek. The Welsh were troublesome -neighbours, for though the Red King and the English-born Henry—the -“Lion of Justice,” as he was called—had tried to unite their country -with England, they had been neither exterminated nor enslaved, and for -long years— - - All along the border here - The word was snaffle, spur, and spear. - -In these border struggles Earl Randle found himself on one occasion -shut up in the castle of Rhuddlan—then called Rothelent—to which he had -retreated, and hard pressed by his foes. At this time his constable -of Cheshire, that doughty warrior Roger Lacy, baron of Halton, whose -fierceness had earned for him the sobriquet of “Hell,” happening to be -at Chester, hastily mustered all the beggars, minstrels, debauched men, -harlots, and other disorderly characters who were then assembled at the -fair, and with this tumultuous company marched to his master’s rescue. -The Welsh, who were as much alarmed at the sight of such a multitude -as the French were at the sight of Talbot, raised the siege and fled; -and the Earl, returning in safety, in reward and in memory of such -welcome service, conferred upon his trusty follower the government and -licensing of all beggars, vagrants, strollers, and minstrels within the -limits of his earldom, a privilege which Lacy in turn bestowed upon -his steward, Hugh Dutton; and the Duttons of Dutton, his successors, -continued to exercise the right until the passing of the Vagrant Act, -a few years ago—the custom being for them or their deputies to ride -through the streets of Chester to St. John’s Church every year, with -the minstrels of Cheshire playing before them; after which their -licenses were renewed. After this adventure, peace was concluded (1222) -between the Earl and Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, which was happily -cemented by the marriage in the same year of Randle’s nephew and heir, -John Scot, Earl of Huntingdon, with Llewelyn’s daughter Helen. - -Randle Blundeville, after having held the earldom for the long period -of fifty-two years, died at Wallingford on the 26th Oct. 1232, and -was buried at St. Werburg’s, Chester, his heart being deposited in -the Abbey of Dieu-la-cresse. Having no issue, his sister’s son, John -the Scot, succeeded; but he bore rule only five years, dying in 1237, -having, as was commonly believed, been poisoned by his wife, the Welsh -princess. - -That amiable lady not having borne him any children, his vast -possessions should by right have devolved upon his sisters; but King -Henry, being unwilling, as he said, “that so great an inheritance -should be divided among distaffs,” considerately took the earldom into -his own hands, and gave them other lands instead. In this transaction -there is little doubt but that the King got the best end of the -bargain, though it might have been better for his grandson if the -“distaffs” had been left in undisturbed possession of their property; -for in that case it is more than probable England would not have had to -deplore the defeat at Bannockburn which made Scotland a nation. - - Maidens of England, sore may ye mourn, - For your lemans ye have lost at Bannockburn. - -Of the sisters of John Scot, Margaret, the eldest, was the grandmother -of John Baliol, who became a competitor for the crown of Scotland. -Isabella, the second sister, by her marriage with Robert le Brus, the -Lord of Annandale, had a grandson—the brave and heroic Robert Bruce—the -“Bruce of Bannockburn,” and the idol of the Scottish people. - -After Henry the Third had assumed the Earldom of Chester the castle -of Beeston was left to the charge of castellans, and the people of -Cheshire had a sorry time of it; for David, the son of Prince Llewelyn, -endeavoured to cast off the English yoke, and long and bloody were -the struggles for freedom on the one hand, and for dominion on the -other—the county being overrun and ravaged alternately by friends and -enemies until nearly every rood of land was soaked with the blood -of the combatants. In the attack made by the King in 1245 the whole -borderland was laid waste, and the wyches or salt-pits were destroyed. -Eleven years later the county was plundered and desolated by the -Welsh; and in the year 1256 the young Prince Edward, to whom Henry had -two years previously assigned the Principality, made his first progress -into Cheshire, when his castle of Beeston was placed in the charge of -Fulco de Orreby. This year was an eventful one, for before its close -the Welsh again arose in insurrection, when Prince Edward was compelled -to retire; but the King marched an army to his support, wasting the -harvest as he advanced, and well-nigh depopulating the county, when, as -the ancient chronicler, Matthew Paris, records, “the whole border was -reduced into a desert, the inhabitants were cut off by the sword, the -castles and houses burnt, the woods felled, and the cattle destroyed by -famine.” - -The day was not far distant when Beeston was to be wrested from its -royal possessor, and find itself garrisoned by the soldiers of a -rebellious subject The struggle between the Crown and the Barons had -commenced, and was continued under varying circumstances; but the -Sovereign was eventually borne down by the union of ambitious nobles. -The rival armies met at Lewes, and in that hollow which the railway now -traverses, on the 14th of May, 1264, the King saw his army defeated -by the valorous Simon De Montfort, Earl of Leicester, aided by the -forces of the Welsh Prince Llewelyn, and he himself, with his son -Prince Edward and the King of the Romans, made prisoners. The next day -a treaty, known as the _mise_ of Lewes, was entered into; but the King -and his son were detained as hostages until all matters in dispute -should be settled. In this forced peace Edward was compelled, by a deed -executed at Woodstock, December 24, 1264, to surrender his Earldom -of Chester, and with it his castle of Beeston, to the victorious De -Montfort, in whom the administration of the realm was then virtually -vested. - -The victory was short-lived; but it had a result that will be ever -memorable, for immediately after, De Montfort summoned a great council -of the nation—the first in which we distinctly recognise the Parliament -of England; for he not only called together the barons, prelates, -and abbots, but also summoned two knights from each county, two -citizens from each city, and two burgesses from each borough. Thus was -the democratic element—the foundation of the House of Commons—first -introduced; and, as the Poet Laureate sings, England became - - A land of settled government, - A land of just and old renown, - Where freedom slowly broadens down, - From precedent to precedent. - -De Montfort was now in the fulness of his power; but his elevation -was dangerous for himself. His natural and acquired superiority -provoked the jealousy of those around him, and brought about his own -destruction. As when the light is brightest, so the shadow is ever -darkest, and his success was the ultimate cause of his downfall. The -Parliament which sprang out of the turbulence of civil war assembled -on the 26th January, 1265; and in the month of May following Prince -Edward, thanks to the fleetness of his horse, having effected his -escape from Hereford, where he had been in “free custody,” placed -himself at the head of a numerous army, the loyal barons being speedily -in arms. Gloucester, Monmouth, and Worcester, were successively taken; -De Montfort’s son was defeated at Kenilworth; and then the victorious -Royalists advanced to Evesham, to give battle to the father, who was -posted there. The contest, which lasted until night, was marked with -unusual ferocity; no quarter was asked or given; the Avon was crimsoned -with the blood of the slain; and, to add to the horrors, while the -dreadful carnage was going on, the air was darkened, and a storm such -as England has rarely witnessed burst over the combatants. Drayton, in -his “Polyolbion,” describes the horrors of that dreadful day— - - Shrill shouts, and deadly cries, each way the air do fill, - And not a word was heard from either side but “kill!” - The father ’gainst the son, the brother ’gainst the brother, - With gleaves, swords, bills, and pikes were murdering one another. - The full luxurious earth seems surfeited with blood, - Whilst in his uncle’s gore th’ unnatural nephew stood; - Whilst with their charged staves the desperate horsemen meet— - They hear their kinsmen groan under their horses’ feet, - Dead men and weapons broke do on the earth abound; - The drums bedash’d with brains do give a dismal sound! - -On the fatal 4th of August, 1265, the narrow bridge at Evesham afforded -little chance of escape from the slaughter of Edward’s horsemen, and -when the storm was over, and the sun had gone down, the pale moon on -that warm summer night glittered on the corslet of the gallant Simon -de Montfort, whose mangled body was stiffening upon the gory sward, to -be sent off on the morrow to the wretched widow as a testimony of the -Royalist success; his eldest son, Henry de Montfort, lay stretched by -his side, and but for the determined bravery of a few devoted fellows, -who bore his wounded form away upon their shields, Guy, the youngest, -would have shared their fate. Such was the ghastly end of one of the -lords of Beeston—the champion of English liberties and the originator -of our representative Parliament. - -When it became known that Prince Edward was in the field, his Cheshire -adherents at once took up arms; and on the Sunday following his -escape from Hereford James de Audley and Urian de St Pierre possessed -themselves of Beeston, and held it in the name of the King; and as -soon as the fight at Evesham was ended, the youthful conqueror, with -his victorious army, marched proudly through the undulating country -and along the great northern road to his Cheshire stronghold with the -wounded Guy de Montfort, Humphrey de Bohun, and Henry de Hastings, as -captives; and where, on his arrival, Lucas de Tanai, whom the elder -De Montfort had made Justiciary of Chester, and Simon, the Abbot of -St. Werburg’s, came to surrender the city of Chester, which had then -withstood a ten weeks’ siege, and to bespeak the royal clemency for -themselves. The whole of De Montfort’s possessions, including the -earldom of Chester, and with it the castle of Beeston, were forfeited -by his rebellion, and reverted back to the crown; and on the 27th -August, twenty-three days after the great battle, the Prince granted a -charter, confirming to the barons of Cheshire all the privileges which -Randle Blundeville had previously bestowed upon them. - -Once more the royal ensign with the golden lions waved above the -battlements of Beeston; a garrison was left in charge, but, the country -having become tranquillised, the gallant Edward went to win fresh -laurels beneath the sunnier skies of Palestine. In 1269 he took the -cross at Northampton, and, accompanied by some of the more powerful -nobles, set out for the Holy Land, stormed the city of Nazareth, gained -several victories over the Moslems, and displayed a personal prowess -equal to that of the lion-hearted Richard, and a military skill that -was infinitely greater. At Acre he escaped the poisoned dagger of -the treacherous Saracen by the devotion of his queen, who sucked the -poison from the wound at the risk of her own life—so, at least, the old -chroniclers affirm, and we are not inclined to reject so touching a -story, even though it may have come to us from a Spanish source. While -on his journey homewards he received the tidings of his father’s death, -but, instead of returning immediately, he made a triumphal progress -through Italy, crossed the Alps, and proceeded to the Court of France, -where he narrowly escaped death through the treachery of the Count of -Chalons. - -On arriving in England he was crowned at Westminster with Eleanor his -wife, August 19th, 1274. The hospitalities of his coronation were -scarcely over ere he set about the accomplishment of the great scheme -he had resolved upon—the union of the whole island of Britain in one -compact monarchy—Wales, his old battle-ground, then presenting a -tempting opportunity for commencing the work of conquest. Llewelyn, the -Welsh prince, though he promised fealty to the English crown, refused -to appear at the coronation, whereupon Edward repaired to Chester, -summoned his friends, and prepared to march against the Principality. - -Beeston becomes once more the scene of bustle and excitement; mail-clad -warriors are hurrying to and fro; the pennons of the knights, gay -with their distinctive blazonings, flutter in the breeze; lance and -spear, and helm and burgonette, gleam brightly in the sunlight—and -the echoes of the stern old fortress are again aroused by the sounds -of martial preparation; for an army has been levied and all are eager -to advance. Llewelyn was summoned to meet the King at Chester, but -refused; he was again summoned to attend the Parliament at Westminster, -and again he declined to appear; his lands were then declared forfeit, -and Edward led his invading host into his territory. Conscious of their -inability to withstand their more powerful neighbours in the field, -the Welsh retired to the mountain fastnesses, which had many a time -and oft enabled their ancestors to hold their own against their Saxon -and Norman oppressors; but, Edward having successfully penetrated to -the very heart of the country, Llewelyn was compelled to submit to the -hard terms the victor thought fitting to impose, which, by the way, -left only to the vanquished prince the sovereignty of Anglesey and the -district of Snowdon. - -Unhappily for Llewelyn, he put faith in the prophecy of Merlin, -the native bard and necromancer, which, it is alleged, foretold -that he should be the restorer of Brutus’s Empire in Britain. His -compatriots chafed under the usurped dominion, and maintained a dogged -resistance to the invaders. In hope of the fulfilment of the wizard’s -prognostications, Llewelyn availed himself of the fancied security of -England to break out into open insurrection. The castle of Hawarden -was surprised, and the governor, Roger de Clifford, carried off a -prisoner; the border castles of Rhuddlan and Flint were besieged; and -then, leading his forces down into the lowlands, the English intruders -were driven back across the Marches. Elated by his successes, he then -marched into Radnorshire, where, after passing the Wye, his army was -defeated by Edward Mortimer, and Llewelyn himself, while bravely -endeavouring to retrieve the misfortune, met the death he had so -ardently sought for; David, his brother, lord of Denbigh, was at the -same time made prisoner, and executed as a traitor. Such was the end of -Llewelyn, the great hero of Wales, and her last prince; and with his -end expired the government and distinction of the Welsh nation, after -long centuries of warfare maintained by its sons for the defence and -independence of their homes— - - Such were the sons of Cambria’s ancient race— - A race that checked victorious Cæsar, aw’d - Imperial Rome, and forced mankind to own - Superior virtue, Britons only knew, - Or only practised; for they nobly dared - To face oppression; and, where Freedom finds - Her aid invok’d, there will the Briton die! - -At this time (1283) Edward held his court at Rhuddlan, and to appease -the conquered people hit upon the politic, though dangerous, expedient -of promising them for their prince a native of the Principality, who -never spoke a word of English, and whose life and conversation no man -could impugn. By this bold manœuvre he succeeded in obtaining their -submission, and he fulfilled his promise to the very letter; for he -removed his Queen Eleanor to Carnarvon, which was then so far completed -as to allow of her reception, and there, on the 24th of April, 1284, -she gave birth to a son—Edward of Carnarvon, the victim of Berkeley -Castle, and the subject of Marlowe’s tragedy—who was created Prince of -Wales—a title the heirs to the crown have ever since retained. - -The sanguinary extirpation of Cambrian independence, while ultimately -a blessing to the native race, was also a good thing for those who -dwelt within the borderland of Cheshire, inasmuch as it spared their -country from a continuance of the bloodshed and devastation it had been -subjected to during the centuries of struggle between the Saxon and -the Celt. The land had rest, and for a hundred years or more from that -time Beeston is found to occupy but a comparatively small space in the -chronicles of the kingdom. - -The power wielded by the first Edward fell from the feeble grasp of -his son and successor. In the fifth year of that unfortunate monarch’s -reign we find the custody of the castle being transferred from John de -Serleby to John de Modburly, who appears to have been acting as the -deputy of Sir Robert de Holland, the head of the great feudal house of -that name in Lancashire, who, in the same year, by the king’s favour, -had been appointed his Chief Justice of Chester and custodian of his -castles of Chester, Rhuddlan, and Flint, and three years later Holland -was re-appointed to the same office. This Sir Robert, who had married -a great-granddaughter of that paragon of beauty, if not of chastity, -Rosamond Clifford—the “Fair Rosamond” of mediæval romance—founded the -Benedictine Priory at Up-Holland, in his own county; he was held in -great esteem by Thomas of Woodstock, Earl of Lancaster, the king’s -cousin, who made him his secretary, and he was in that earl’s retinue -on the occasion of the rising of the barons to remove the De Spencers -from the royal councils, for which act his estates were forfeited after -the defeat at Boroughbridge in 1222, when the Earl, himself, was made -prisoner and conveyed to Pontefract, where, to satisfy the vindictive -favourites of the king, he was beheaded. - -During the protracted reign of Edward III. and the long French wars, -in which the Cheshire men, under the immediate eyes of the king and -his son, the Black Prince, won so much renown, several castellans were -appointed in succession, though it does not appear that the castle was -at any time the scene of active military operations. On the death of -Edward, his grandson, Richard, the eldest son of the Black Prince, who -was then only eleven years of age, succeeded to the throne, to find, as -many others have done, what it is to be— - - Left by his sire, too young such loss to know, - Lord of himself, that heritage of woe. - -A “heritage of woe” truly, for his reign, from the beginning to its -close, was one of continuous anarchy and disturbance. On the 23rd -November, 1385, we find him appointing John Cartileche janitor of his -castle of Beeston for life, in the room of Sir Alan Cheanie, who had -then only lately died. The appointment was made under the king’s seal, -and about the same time Richard himself paid a visit to the chief city -of his palatinate—the object, no doubt, being to ingratiate himself -with his Cheshire friends, and, that being so, it is probable Beeston -was on the same occasion graced with his presence. Loyalty to the crown -was a strong characteristic of the Cheshire men, a feeling that was -no doubt strengthened by the many marks of royal favour their county -had received from its earls, in whom they recognised their titular -sovereigns; hence the intimate relations which existed between the king -and the palatinate. When the Duke of Gloucester assembled a body of -men in order that he might retain control of the youthful sovereign, -Richard hastened to Chester and called out his loyal Cheshire guard; -and when, in 1397, by what in modern times would be called a _coup -d’état_, he determined on overthrowing the regency and recovering the -power which Gloucester and his cabal of nobles had deprived him of, and -in furtherance of that object had summoned a Parliament to meet him at -Westminster in September, he, to guard against any possible resistance -on the part of the disaffected nobles, surrounded the house with a -guard of two thousand of his Cheshire archers, each wearing as a badge -the white hart lodged, the cognisance of his mother, the “Fair Maid of -Kent,” which Richard had then adopted. - -The power thus regained was wielded neither wisely nor well. On the -death of John o’ Gaunt, in 1399, Richard, to replenish his exhausted -exchequer, seized his possessions into his own hands, leaving to the -banished son of “time-honoured Lancaster,” the youthful Bolingbroke, -nothing but the empty title. This arbitrary abuse of power naturally -inflamed the resentment of Bolingbroke, who resolved upon accomplishing -the king’s dethronement, and it was not long before the opportunity -offered for putting his scheme into execution. While the unsuspecting -Richard was leading the Cheshire bowmen among the bogs and thickets of -Ireland, in order to quell the insurrection and punish the murderers of -Mortimer, Bolingbroke, taking advantage of his absence, embarked with a -small retinue and landed “upon the naked shore of Ravenspurg,” a place -on the Humber, where, at a later date, Edward IV. landed on a similar -errand, with an excuse plausible as that of the duke whose exploit he -imitated. He quickly mustered a force of 60,000 men; towns and castles -surrendered to him; and before Richard could return the invader had -virtually made himself master of the kingdom. When he did arrive, there -being no army to receive him, seven loyal Cheshire men, John Legh of -Booths, Thomas Cholmondely, Ralph Davenport, Adam Bostock, John Done -of Utkinton, Thomas Holford, and Thomas Beeston, each with seventy -retainers, became his body guard, wearing his cognisance of the white -hart upon their shoulders, and keeping watch over him day and night -with their battle-axes. - -This would appear to have been the occasion when, according to Stow, -Beeston was chosen by the king, on account of its strength and -the usually loyal feelings of the county, for the custody of his -treasures, when jewels and other valuables said to be worth 200,000 -marks (£133,333) were deposited in it for safety. The castle was -then garrisoned by a force of a hundred men; but it says little for -their valour that, without striking a blow, they surrendered it to -the victorious heir of Lancaster, who, anticipating Richard’s advance -towards his trusty friends in Cheshire, where his power was strongest, -and wishing to intercept his communications, had marched through -Gloucester, Hereford, and Ludlow to Shrewsbury, crying havoc and -destruction to Cheshire and Cheshire men as he went; and who was then -at Chester, where he had caused to be beheaded that loyal and loving -subject, Sir Piers Legh, the founder of the house of Legh of Lyme—a -Cheshire worthy who had been the companion in arms of the Black Prince, -and whose name is still perpetuated in the inscription which one of his -descendants placed in the Lyme Chapel, in Macclesfield Church— - - Here lyethe the bodie of Perkyn a Legh, - That for King Richard the death did die, - Betrayed for righteovsnes; - And the bones of Sir Piers, his Sonne, - That with King Henrie the Fift did wonne - In Paris. - -The hapless king, finding his power gone and his castles of Carnarvon, -Beaumaris, and Conway destitute of provisions, gave himself up to -Percy, Duke of Northumberland, who conveyed him to Flint, whither -Bolingbroke repaired from Chester to receive him. Thence the fallen -monarch was removed to Chester; but he could only have remained a day -or two, for on the 21st August he was at Nantwich, a prisoner on his -way to the Tower, having on the morning of that early autumn day passed -with his captors beneath the frowning walls of Beeston, so lately lost -to him. The close of that sad journey of triumph and humiliation has -been thus described by our greatest dramatist:— - - Then, as I said, the duke, great Bolingbroke— - Mounted upon a hot and fiery steed, - Which his aspiring rider seemed to know, - With slow but stately pace kept on his course, - While all tongues cried—“God save thee, Bolingbroke!” - You would have thought the very windows spake, - So many greedy looks of young and old - Through casements darted their desiring eyes - Upon his visage; and that all the walls, - With painted imag’ry, had said at once— - “Jesu preserve thee! Welcome, Bolingbroke!” - Whilst he, from one side to the other turning, - Bare-headed, lower than his proud steed’s neck, - Bespake them thus—“I thank you, countrymen!” - And thus still doing, thus he pass’d along. - -Alas, poor Richard! Where rides he the while? - - As in a theatre, the eyes of men, - After a well-grac’d actor leaves the stage, - Are idly bent on him that enters next, - Thinking his prattle to be tedious; - Even so, or with much more contempt, men’s eyes - Did scowl on Richard. No man cried, “God save him;” - No joyful tongue gave him his welcome home; - But dust was thrown upon his sacred head; - Which with such gentle sorrow he shook off— - His face still combating with tears and smiles, - The badges of his grief and patience— - That had not God, for some strong purpose, steel’d - The hearts of men, they must perforce have melted, - And barbarism itself have pitied him. - But Heaven hath a hand in these events, - To whose high will we bound our calm contents; - To Bolingbroke are we sworn subjects now, - Whose state and honour I for aye allow. - -Ere many moons had waxed and waned the humbled and wretched king, who -had resigned his crown to the usurper, fell beneath the murderous -battle-axe of Piers Exton, “within the guilty closure of the walls” of -Pontefract, that— - - Bloody prison, - Fatal and ominous to noble peers; - -and very near the spot where, less than sixty years before, Sir Robert -Holland’s patron, the “good Earl of Lancaster,” had yielded up his life. - -In the fierce struggle between the Red and White Roses—that “convulsive -and bleeding agony of the feudal power” which destroyed the flower of -the English nobility, and well-nigh exhausted the nation—we hear little -of Beeston, though the victorious Bolingbroke’s son, the “nimble-footed -madcap Harry, Prince of Wales,” lived much of his time within the -palatinate, and the Cheshire men figured prominently in the stirring -events of those stirring times. - -In 1460, when the compromise was made by which the “meek usurper” was -to retain the crown for the remainder of his life, and Richard of York -become heir at his death, we find an entry on the Patent Rolls granting -to him the Principality of Wales and the Earldom of Chester, in which -Beeston is included in the recital of the manors and castles considered -as appendages to the earldom. The honours and possessions thus acquired -were not, however, to be long enjoyed, for before the close of the year -Henry’s Queen—Margaret of Anjou—refusing to acquiesce in an arrangement -that set aside the claims of her son, took up arms on his behalf, and, -aided by some of the most devoted supporters of the Lancastrian cause, -marched northwards. The opposing forces met on Wakefield Green on the -31st December, 1460. The army of the White Rose was completely routed, -and Beeston’s lately designated lord, the Duke of York, and his son, -the Earl of Rutland, fell together—butchered, it is said, in cold blood -upon the field by the black-faced Clifford. - -The grant of 1460 is the last occasion on which mention is made of -Beeston as an ordinary fortified stronghold. When Henry of Richmond -came out of the field of Bosworth, a victor, he planted the heel of -the sovereign upon the necks of the nobles, and destroyed their power -by putting down their retainers. He freed their lands from the burden -of supporting an army of the State; but, while doing so, he succeeded -in breaking up the feudal system. From that time the decay of Beeston -may be said to date, and the old fortress must have soon begun to -show signs of dilapidation, for Leland, in his _Genethliacon Eadverdi -Principis_ written in 1548, describes it as being then in a shattered -and ruinous condition. In the reign of Elizabeth the site was alienated -from the Earldom of Chester, and given by the Queen to her dancing -Chancellor, “the grave Lord Keeper,” Sir Christopher Hatton, who -subsequently conveyed it to the manorial lords of Beeston; and so it -again became attached to the manor from which it had originally been -severed. In this way it became part of the possessions of that famous -Cheshire hero, Sir George Beeston—a veteran soldier who had borne -himself bravely and well in the siege of Boulogne and the fight at -Musselburg, and whose warlike spirit was not even subdued by age, for -it is recorded that in the glorious victory over the Spaniards at the -time of the Armada, when he was nearly ninety years old, he displayed -such gallantry that Elizabeth knighted him for his achievements. The -brave old knight closed a life of honour in 1601, being then 102 years -of age, and was buried at Bunbury, where his recumbent effigy upon -an altar-tomb beneath a pointed arch may be seen, with a long Latin -inscription above it in which his services to his country are recorded. -The granddaughter of Sir George Beeston conveyed the manor and castle -in marriage to William Whitmore, of Leighton, Esquire, from whom it -descended through the Savages to Sir Thomas Mostyn, who died in 1831, -when the property passed by sale to the present Lord Tollemache. - -For more than a generation Beeston remained uncared for, and ceased to -have any significance as a military station. Under the vigorous rule -of the Tudor sovereigns there had been no incursion or civil commotion -that rendered a display of strength and resistance necessary, and it -was not until the great outbreak of the seventeenth century, when -almost every considerable mansion in Cheshire was garrisoned for king -or Parliament, that it was again put into a state of defence and made -to undergo the ordeal of a protracted siege. At the beginning of 1643 -Sir William Brereton, the Parliamentary commander, who had occupied -Nantwich with a force of 2,000 or 3,000 men, found himself menaced by -Sir Thomas Aston, who at the time was holding the fortified city of -Chester on behalf of the King, and had attacked and pillaged Middlewich -and other places. Under such circumstances, Beeston, offering as it -did so many natural advantages, was too important a station to be -neglected, and accordingly on the night of the 21st February (1642-3), -300 of the Parliamentary soldiers climbed the hill, and established -themselves in possession, not, however, without some opposition, for it -is recorded that on the same night they were met by the horse of the -array on Te’erton (Tiverton, the adjoining township) townfield, where -one of Colonel Mainwaring’s officers was slain on the Parliamentary -side, and a few others of the King’s, who were buried at Tarporley. -The first work of the Puritan garrison was to repair and strengthen -the fortifications, and put the castle in such a condition as would -secure its holders against attack. The contest between sovereign -and subject continued throughout the year, with varying results. In -November, General Brereton, at the head of the Cheshire and Lancashire -forces, marched into Wales, but hearing of the arrival (at Parkgate, -probably) of Royalist reinforcements from Ireland, hastily fell back -upon Nantwich. His retreat would seem to have disheartened the garrison -at Beeston, for within three weeks Captain Steel, the commandant, -surrendered the castle, without the semblance of a struggle, to Captain -Sandford, an Irish officer, who, with eight men, had a little before -daybreak on the morning of the 13th December (1643) crept up the hill, -and got possession of the upper ward. The story of the capture is told -with much circumstantiality in the “Diary” of Edward Burghall, the -Puritan schoolmaster of Bunbury, and subsequent vicar of Acton:— - - December 13th.—A little before day, Captain Sandford (a zealous - Royalist), who first came out of Ireland with eight of his - firelocks, crept up the steep hill of Beeston Castle, and got into - the upper ward, and took possession there. It must be done by - treachery, for the place was most impregnable. Captain Steel, who - kept it for the Parliament, was accused, and suffered for it; but - it was verily thought he had not betrayed it wilfully; but some - of his men proving false he had not courage enough to withstand - Sandford to try it out with him. What made much against Steel was - he took Sandford down into his chamber, where they dined together, - and much beer was sent up to Sandford’s men, and the castle after - a short parley was delivered up, Steel and his men having leave - to march with their arms and colours to Nantwich, but as soon as - he was come into the town the soldiers were so enraged against - him that they would have pulled him to pieces had he not been - immediately clapped in prison. There was much wealth and goods in - the castle, belonging to gentlemen and neighbours, who had brought - it thither for safety, besides ammunition and provisions for half - a year at least, all which the enemy got. - -Six weeks after, as we learn from the diarist, Steel was “shot to -death, in Tinker’s Croft, by two soldiers, according to judgment -against him. He was put into a coffin, and buried in the churchyard. -He confessed all his sins,” it is added, “and prayed a great while, -and, to the judgment of charity, died penitently.” The stern Puritans -could scarcely have given a milder judgment, for the dining together -and regaling of Sandford’s men with “much beer” must have told greatly -against the recreant Steel. - -The surrender of Beeston was a great blow to the revolutionary -cause. The neighbouring country now lay at the mercy of Lord Byron -and the Royalist troops, who ravaged the entire district. Crewe Hall -capitulated; the halls of Dorfold and Doddington surrendered without -offering any resistance; Middlewich was captured, and on the 17th -January, 1644, an assault was made on Nantwich, when, after some busy -days of hard fighting, Captain Sandford met a soldier’s death, within -a day or two of that on which poor Steel was led out to execution. -The siege continued for more than a week, when Fairfax, fresh from -his victories in Yorkshire, with Colonel Monk, who afterwards played -so prominent a part in bringing about the Restoration, came to the -relief of the beleaguered town, and the Royalists gave way to superior -numbers. They were, however, left in undisturbed possession of Beeston -until the 20th October following, when “the council of war at Nantwich -hearing that the enemy at Beeston were in want of fuel and other -necessaries layed strong siege to it.” For nearly five months the siege -was continued, when Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice arrived with a -considerable force, relieved the invested garrison on the 17th March, -and two days later plundered Bunbury and burnt Beeston Hall. Scarcely -had they departed than, as we learn from the “Diary,” the Puritan -soldiers again appeared:— - - 1645, April.—The Parliament again placed forces round Beeston - Castle, where they began to raise a brave mount with a strong - ditch about it, and placed great buildings thereon, which were - scarce finished but news came that the king and both the princes - (Maurice and Rupert) with a strong army were coming towards - Chester. The Parliament army marched towards Nantwich, leaving the - country to the spoils of the forces in Chester and Beeston Castle. - -The garrison thus relieved sallied out on the 4th June, and made an -unsuccessful attack on Ridley Hall. Ten days after came the disastrous -defeat at Naseby, which put the Parliamentarians in possession of -nearly all the chief cities of the kingdom. Three anxious months -passed, and then (September 24th, 1645), the unhappy monarch, standing -upon the leads of the Phœnix Tower on Chester walls, witnessed the -fluctuating progress of the last effort on Rowton Moor for the -maintenance of the Royal power, saw his gallant kinsman, the Earl -of Lichfield, with many gentlemen besides, fall dead at his feet, -and all that had hitherto survived of his broken remnant of a host -either taken prisoners or driven in headlong rout and ruin from the -fatal field. “Thenceforth the king’s sword was a useless bauble, less -significant than the ‘George’ upon his breast.” - -[Illustration: THE PHŒNIX TOWER, CHESTER.] - -With the loss at Chester vanished the last hope of Charles. Three weeks -after, the castle of Beeston was delivered up to Sir William Brereton, -the garrison, though at times subjected to the severest privations, -having bravely held it for the space of nearly a year. Burghall thus -tells the tale of the surrender:— - - November 16th.—Beeston Castle, that had been besieged almost a - year, was delivered up by the Captain Valet, the governor, to Sir - William Brereton; there were in it 56 soldiers, who by agreement - had liberty to depart with their arms, colours flying, and drums - beating, with two cart loads of goods, and to be conveyed to - Denbigh; but 20 of the soldiers laid down their arms, and craved - liberty to go to their homes, which was granted. There was neither - meat nor drink found in the castle, but only a piece of a turkey - pie, and a live peacock and a peahen. - -The heroic defence of the castle by the Royalist garrison, and their -long endurance, even after their cause had become hopeless and all -chance of succour had disappeared, presents a remarkable contrast to -the meek surrender of Captain Steel and his three hundred Puritan -soldiers to Sandford’s gallant little band of cavaliers. In the spring -of the following year the old fortress, which had withstood the -batterings of time and been so often exposed to the storms of war in -the troubled reigns of the Plantagenets, but which had never yielded to -assault, was dismantled, and since then it has gradually sunk into its -present state of extreme but picturesque decay. - -Since the days of the Stuarts little historical interest has attached -to it. Its glories are of the past. Its palmy days are over—for it has -outlived the needs that called it into being, and survives only to show -us how men lived and acted in those stern times when they knew no other -law than that which Wordsworth speaks of— - - The old good rule, the simple plan, - That they should get who have the power, - And they should keep who can, - -and when even power could only feel secure when defended by iron -force. We love our country with love far brought from out the historic -past—the past on which the present is securely built—and we cherish the -relics of its ancient chivalry and romance, but the spirit of the age -is opposed to the revivication of feudal customs and feudal prejudices. -The time when it was only possible for men to hold their own by length -and strength of arm has gone by never again to return. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -WHALLEY AND ITS ABBEY—MITTON CHURCH AND ITS MONUMENTS—THE -SHERBURNES—THE JESUITS’ COLLEGE, STONYHURST. - - -Whalley—the Field of Wells, as our Saxon forefathers called it—is -one of the most picturesque, as also one of the most interesting -villages in Lancashire. It is the centre, too, of a district which -almost claims to rank as classic ground. Few places possess greater -charms from a scenic point of view, or a higher interest from the -historical associations attaching to them. The parish to which it -gives name covers a wide extent of territory. Originally, before the -great parishes of Blackburn, Chipping, Mitton, Rochdale, Ribchester, -and Slaidburn had been carved out of it, it embraced an area of four -hundred square miles; and even now it is accounted the largest parish -within the diocese, being equal to about one-ninth of the whole county. -Well might the chief ecclesiastics of this, the oldest Christian -edifice in Lancashire, dignify themselves in old times with the -imposing title of “Deans” of Whalley, though the magnitude of their -domain was surely not a sufficient justification for their setting at -naught the decrees of Holy Church, and the vows of celibacy it imposed, -by perpetuating a race of priests who married and transmitted their -offices from father to son for successive generations: a state of -things that continued until the Council of Lateran not only forbade but -disannulled such marriages, and so destroyed the constitution by which -the church of Whalley had been governed for nearly five hundred years. - -A more charmingly diversified country than that of which this quiet -little pastoral village is the centre it is difficult to conceive. -Within the wide range of vision it commands we may note the type of -almost every stage of civilisation the country has passed through. -Though a railway viaduct, lofty as the Pont du Gard, bridges the -Calder, and a tall chimney or two may here and there be seen, the -virgin features of the country have as yet been happily but little -scarred by the intrusion of manufacturing industry. The wild breezy -moors and the wooded cloughs and dingles retain much of their primitive -character, while the fair and fertile valley still bears evidence -of the patient labour of the monks in redeeming the soil from its -primeval barrenness. Every object that can beautify or adorn the -landscape is there in picturesque variety, charming by the very order -of Nature’s disorder. The Ribble, winding its way towards the sea, as -it flows by Ribchester, reminds us of the days when the Roman held -dominion—when the subjects of the Cæsars built their fortresses and -reared their stately temples, and their chief, Agricola, taught the -naked and woad-stained Britons the science of agriculture and the arts -of civilisation. The quaint Runic crosses standing in the churchyard, -weathered and worn with the blasts of twelve hundred years, serve -as memorials of the time when Edwin, the Saxon king of Northumbria, -embraced the doctrines of the Cross, and the great missionary Paulinus -brought the glad tidings to our pagan forefathers dwelling in this -remote corner of Lancashire; for tradition affirms that on this spot -the Gospel of Peace and Love was proclaimed in those ancient days. - - There stands the messenger of truth; there stands - The legate of the skies, his theme divine, - His office sacred, his credentials clear; - By him the violated law speaks out - Its thunders, and by him, in strains as sweet - As angels use, the Gospel whispers peace. - -And the venerable church—“the white church under the Leigh,” as it -was anciently designated—that peeps above the enshrouding foliage, is -doubtless the successor of a pagan temple, for it was then the fashion -to convert the edifices of the old religion to the purposes of the new. -The ruined keep of Clitheroe Castle, crowning the limestone rock that -rises abruptly from the plain, carries the mind back to the times of -the stout Norman earls, when men ruled by the stern will and the strong -arm, and vigilant sentinels upon the watch-towers looked afar for the -blaze of the baleful fires that should warn them of the approaching -foe. Within a short two miles of the stately stronghold of the Lacies -are the dilapidated remains of Waddington Hall—a house which, though -it escaped the fiercer tide of politics and strife, is yet associated -with the period when England was drained of its best blood by the -Wars of the Roses; for it was at Waddington, which had for a time -afforded him an asylum, that the “meek usurper,” Henry VI., after the -disastrous fight at Hexham, in 1464, was betrayed into the hands of -his enemies, and, though he escaped for a moment, he was caught ere he -could cross the Ribble at Brungerley hipping-stones, and given up to -the vengeance of his successful rivals, for which act of perfidy his -captor, Thomas Talbot, was rewarded by the Yorkist Edward with grants -of land. He did not, however, long enjoy them, for when the White Rose -of York drooped before Henry of Richmond on the Field of Bosworth, -the same Talbot experienced one of the common reverses of war, and -had to surrender his ill-gotten gains. Westward, lying among the tall -trees, where the sharp corner of Yorkshire runs in between the Hodder -and the Ribble, is Little Mitton Hall, another relic of the past that -serves to tell the story of the changing life of our great nation, and -to show how the frowning fortress gradually softened into the stately -mansion when order spread as law succeeded might, and time had widened -and mellowed our social institutions. The giant form of Pendle Hill, -sloping upwards from the green valley, with its wild gorges, where the -old forest of Bowland formerly stretched its length, its broad turfy -swamps, its sombre masses of blackened rock, and its bleak ridges of -“cloud-capped” desolation overshadowing the verdant landscape, conjures -up humiliating memories of the credulity, the ignorant superstition, -and the revolting practices which obtained for merry-hearted Lancashire -so unenviable a reputation in the golden days of the virgin queen and -her successor, the vain and weak-minded James— - - Pendle stands - Round cop, surveying all the wild moor-lands, - And Malkin’s Tower, a little cottage, where - Report makes caitiff witches meet, to swear - Their homage to the devil, and contrive - The deaths of men and beasts. - -The genius of superstition that fills the mind with - - Shaping fantasies that apprehend - More than cool reason ever comprehends, - -still lingers, and the voices of tradition may occasionally be heard -in the embowered gloom of its solitary cloughs and dingles; but under -the disenchanting influences of steam Pendle has lost much of that -weird character of wonder and fear with which the shaping power of the -imagination had enshrouded it, though it still retains much of its wild -and uncultivated character, and there are spots that remain almost as -savage and unfrequented, if not as much feared, as in the days of the -“British Solomon,” when its secluded hollows and heathery wastes were -commonly believed to be the scenes of midnight feasting and diabolical -revelries, and everything and everybody were supposed to be under the -evil influence of decrepit hags who had sworn to do the devil service, -and were endowed by the Prince of Darkness with the power to work -destruction on man and beast. Happily, in these days, a gentler species -of witchcraft prevails. Though the spells of the Lancashire witches -are as potent as ever, they are exercised without fear of judge or -jury. Few escape the fascinations, and, it may be added, still fewer -desire to do so. But Pendle has other associations than those with -which the pedantic Master Potts and Harrison Ainsworth have made us -familiar. It was upon its broad peak that George Fox, the founder of -the Society of Friends, received his “first illumination.” There, as he -tells us in his _Journal_, “the Lord let me see in what places He had -a great people to be gathered together;” and then he adds, “As I went -down I found a spring of water in the side of the hill, with which I -refreshed myself, having eaten or drunken but little for several days -before.” The spring is still there, and to this day is known in the -neighbourhood as George Fox’s well. - -Wiswall, uprising in peaceful serenity upon the skirts of Pendle, -calls to remembrance the conflict between monarchy and monasticism—the -“Pilgrimage of Grace,” and the penalty that Paslew, the last abbot of -Whalley, paid for his share in that uprising—the destruction of himself -and the house over which he had so long presided, for it was upon a -gallows erected in front of Wiswall Hall, the place of his birth, -and in sight of the abbey, which had then passed into profane hands, -that Paslew was ignominiously hanged. A flat gravestone, in the north -aisle of Whalley Church, marks the last resting-place of the ill-fated -ecclesiastic. A floriated cross and a chalice, the emblems of his -office, are carved upon it, with the simple and touching inscription— - - Jhu fili dei miserere mei - J P - -[Illustration] - -Well might he ask pity from above, for, poor man, in the days of -his adversity he found none below. Let us hope, however, that the -malediction which tradition says the dying man pronounced upon those -who should despoil his house has lost its force, if it ever had any, -and that a Braddyll and an Assheton may now step across his grave -without risk of destruction. - -But the glory of Whalley is the famous abbey, with which Whitaker’s -history has made us so familiar. Though it is now only a picturesque -ruin— - - A pile decayed, - ... in cunning fashion laid, - Ruined buttress, moss-clad stone, - Arch with ivy overgrown, - Stairs round which the lichens creep, - The whole a desolated heap— - -there yet remains much to delight the eye. The groined gateway -shrouded in the gloom of a stately avenue of limes, the spacious -hospitium, the cloister court, with its beautifully-decorated arches, -the chapter-house, the abbot’s lodgings, the refectory, and the huge -kitchens, with their capacious fire-places, may still be seen, but -the crowning feature of all, the glorious conventual church, with its -choir and its transepts, has disappeared, a small fragment of the walls -and the foundations of its mighty pillars alone remaining. Corbel and -capital, mullion and transom, broken columns and fragments of masonry -lie strewn about, some half buried in the rank grass and nettles, -telling the story of its former magnificence. Until recent years, when -it was blown down in a storm, an ancient cherry tree that must have -been in its prime when Whalley was in the fulness of its glory, grew in -one of the courts, contributing its fair white blossoms to the summer -beauty. There you can see where the monks sat in the sanctuary; that -grass-grown court was their cemetery; yonder is the nameless tomb of a -forgotten abbot; and that arch, with a span of nearly eighteen feet, -marks the resting-place of another. Verily, the monks of Whalley were -as splendid in their obsequies as in their hospitalities. The floor is -carpeted with turf, and the walls are canopied by the heavens; ivy, -the flower of ruin, lends its melancholy charm, and the clustering -masses that uphold the crumbling buttresses spread their garniture of -green to hide the signs of decay, and mock the greyness of time with -a decoration that lasts but for a season. As you wander about seeking -for the best points of view, or musing upon the fallen fortunes of the -house, you will gaze again and again upon the broken arches and the -empty windows, and think - - How many hearts have here grown cold, - That sleep these mouldering stones among; - How many beads have here been told; - How many matins have been sung. - -A spot more suited to the contemplative mind you will rarely see. -Sequestered, solemn, still, the calm tranquillity is in perfect keeping -with the sepulchre of human greatness, and the mind brooding upon -the past overleaps the boundaries of centuries. In this spot orisons -and vespers have been sung; the low sweet music of the Litany of the -Cross has rolled; through the “long drawn aisle and fretted vault” -the pealing organ has swelled the anthem’s note; and where now the -sod is shaded by the overhanging verdure the funeral procession has -often passed, the white-robed monks chanting awhile the soul-stirring -“_Supplicante parce Deus_.” The following lines seem so applicable to -the place that we make no apology for transcribing them:— - - Around the very place doth brood - A strange and holy quietude, - Where lingers long the evening gleam - And stilly sounds the neighbouring stream. - - I know not if it is the scene, - Bosom’d in hills by the ravine, - Or if it is the conscious mind - Hallows the spot and stills the wind, - And makes the very place to know - The peace of them that sleep below, - Investing Nature with the spell - Of that strange calm unspeakable. - - Methinks that both together blend - To hallow their calm peaceful end— - The thoughts of them that slumber there - Seem still to haunt the holy ground; - And e’en the spot and solemn air - Themselves partake that calm profound. - Methinks that He who oft at even - Brings stillness o’er the earth and heaven, - Till mountains, skies, and neighbouring sea - Blend in one solemn harmony, - Hath caused e’en Nature’s self to grace - This sweet and holy resting-place. - -Amid the venerable and peaceful shade we seem again to hear - - Litanies at noon, - Or hymn at complin by the rising moon, - When, after chimes, each chapel echoed round, - Like one aerial instrument of sound, - Some vast harmonious fabric of the Lord’s, - Whose vaults are shells, and pillars tuneful chords; - -and we are almost tempted to forget the errors of the monks, and to -think only of them as the precursors of a simpler and purer religion. -In the seclusion of their solitary lives they laboured earnestly and -with prayerful zeal, for with them _laborare est orare_ was no idle -expression. They threw the fervour of their souls into their work, and -dispensed their hospitalities with a lavish hand; but they taught no -liberty, and preached no freedom, to a Christian world. The knowledge -they cherished most was as a lamp beneath a bushel—it kept all in -darkness but themselves. Better that their system should pass away, and -that their houses should be dismantled and left only to beautify and -adorn the landscape, than that we should have a return to their sensual -pageantry and pent-up learning. - -Many stories are related of the doings and misdoings of the brotherhood -at Whalley in those far-off days; but the legend that they disturbed -the peace of the fair anchorites who had their habitation in the -hermitage close by the great gate of the abbey must surely be a fable, -though tradition affirms that the lady hermits were not always spotless -in their lives, and a more trustworthy authority records that one of -them, Isold de Heton, a fair widow, who, in the first transports of her -grief, had vowed herself to Heaven, led a disorderly life there, to the -scandal of the abbey and the prejudice of the morals of the fraternity. -Here is the story of the profane doings of this dissolute votaress, as -set forth in the representation made to that paragon of virtue, King -Henry the Eighth, of blessed memory:— - - Be it remembered that the please and habitacion of the said - recluse is within place halowed and nere to the gate of the seyd - monastre, and that the weemen that have been attendynge to the - seyd recluse have recorse dailly into the seyd monastre for the - levere of brede, ale, kychin and other things; the whych is not - accordyng to be had withyn such religyous plases: and how that - dyvers that been anchores in the seyd plase have broken owte and - departed: and in especyal how that now Isold of Heton is broken - owte, and so levying at her owne liberte by this two yere and - mor, like as she had never been professyd; and that dyvers of the - wymen that have been servants there, have been misgovernyd and - gotten with chyld within the seyd plase halowyd, to the great - displeasuance of hurt and disclander of the abbey aforeseyd, &c. - -On this report the pious Henry, as in duty bound, suppressed the little -hermitage, and cast its inmates upon the world. - -The Calder still flows on bright and clear as it did of yore; but -the glories of the abbey of Whalley have for ever passed away, and -the roofless ruined walls serve only to remind us of the days of the -old Catholicism; whilst across the valley, crowning a thickly-wooded -eminence that rises from the slopes of Longridge Fell, we can see the -tall towers of Stonyhurst, which may be said to typify the new—for the -monasticism which Henry so ruthlessly rooted out has been revived in -a new form in the stately mansion which once formed the home of the -Sherburns. To that seminary of learning, the college of the fathers of -the Society of Jesus, and the _alma mater_ of so many of the Catholic -gentry of England, let us now bend our steps, taking in the way the -little hamlet of Mitton, and its ancient church, in which so many of -the former lords of Stonyhurst repose. - -Leaving the village of Whalley at the upper end, we pass beneath the -viaduct, and continue along a pleasant rural high road that winds away -to the right in sweetest solitude. The tall hedgerows are fresh with -their summer foliage, and fragrant with the odours of the honeysuckle, -the sweetbriar, and the wealth of floral beauty that spreads around. -Now and then we get a glimpse of the Calder, flowing “with liquid lapse -serene,” here coming out of the verdant shade, and there going into it -again, and murmuring its admiration of the scene in a perpetual song of -joyousness. Presently the trees thicken, and through the openings we -look over a country serenely pastoral in its character, with its wooded -bluffs, its level holms, and wide-spreading pastures, through which the - - Cold springs run - To warm their chilliest bubbles in the grass. - -Behind us rises Whalley Nab, with the old abbey nestling at its foot; -the wooded heights above Wiswall, Billinge Hill, and the bleak, -cloud-mottled heights of the majestic Pendle. In mid-distance the -broken keep of Clitheroe Castle gleams in the mellow light, and just -below the tower of Clitheroe Church may be discerned. Sweeping round -towards the north, Waddington Fell, Bleasdale Moor, and the wooded -heights of Bowland Forest come in view; and, far beyond, the shadowy -peaks of Pennygent and Ingleborough, reminding us of the old saw— - - Pendle Hill and Pennygent and Little Ingleborough, - Are three such hills as you’ll not find by searching England thorough. - -Nearer we see the woods about Whitewell, a spot dear to every lover of -the gentle craft, and to the artist a very storehouse of scenic beauty; -the opening shows where the Hodder flows down to add its tributary -to the Ribble; further westward we have the huge form of Longridge -Fell stretching across the landscape, with Kemple End, and the wooded -eminence rising from its lowest spur, on which stands the stately hall -of Stonyhurst. - -A little more than half an hour’s walking brings us to Mitton, a -pleasant little rural hamlet occupying a narrow tapering strip of land -that runs in between the two rivers, the Hodder and the Ribble, and -very near the point where the latter is joined by the Calder. As the -old distich reminds us— - - The Hodder, the Calder, the Ribble and rain - All meet in a point on Mitton’s domain. - -The rivers keep us in pleasant companionship, but, happily, the rain -is absent. Before we cross the Ribble we get sight of the ancient hall -of Little Mitton, lying among the trees; on the left a gabled mansion -built by the Catteralls in the days of the seventh Henry, which, though -it has been modernised and part rebuilt in recent years, still retains -its spacious entrance hall, with the original arched timber roof, -the exquisitely carved oaken screen, and the gallery above. With the -exception of the great hall at Samlesbury it is the finest room in -any house in the country, and its erection must well-nigh have laid a -forest prostrate. Well might Whitaker express the hope that “it might -never fall into the hands who have less respect for it than its (then) -owner; and that no painter’s brush or carpenter’s hammer might ever -come near it, excepting to arrest the progress of otherwise inevitable -decay.” Thomas Catterall, the last of the name who held Little Mitton, -granted the manor in 1579 to his daughter Dorothy, and her husband, -Robert Sherburn, a younger son of the house of Stonyhurst, and their -grandson, Richard Sherburn, in the reign of Charles the Second, sold -it to Alexander Holt, of the ancient family of Holt of Grislehurst. -Subsequently it passed by purchase to John Aspinall, Esq., and his -grandson, Ralph John Aspinall, Esq., of Standen Hall, the late High -Sheriff of Lancashire, is the present possessor; Mr. John Hick, -formerly M.P. for Bolton, being the occupant. - -The village of Milton is finely embosomed among tufted trees upon a -slope that rises gently from the valley, watered by the Ribble and its -tributary streams, and is as thoroughly picturesque and “old English” -as you would wish to see. As you approach, the grey embattled tower -of its venerable church peeping above the umbrage forms a pleasing -object, but its appearance does not improve on a closer acquaintance, -for the hand of the spoiler has been busy, and a coating of coarse -stucco effectually conceals the ancient masonry. It should be said, -however, that a good deal has been done in recent years to atone -for the tasteless barbarism of bygone churchwardens, and Nature has -lovingly aided in the work by spreading a mantle of living green so as -to hide many of the tasteless deformities. The church is a small and -unpretending structure, though of considerable antiquity, some parts -dating as far back as the reign of the third Edward, and probably -it occupies the site of a still earlier building. The tower is of -much later date, and like many other old churches the exterior, by -its architectural diversities, gives ample proof of alterations and -“improvements” at distant periods. The churchyard delights you by its -placid beauty, and the little hamlet sleeping peacefully at the foot is -in perfect harmony with the scene. When we entered the enclosure the -doors of the church were fastened, but the sexton, who was pursuing his -vocation in the corner of the graveyard, offered to bring the keys and -show us whatever was worth seeing. - -The interior has been lately restored, and the old timber roof of -the nave, which was previously hidden by a flat plaster ceiling, has -been again exposed to view. There are also some remains of ancient -carving, carefully preserved, and an oaken screen separating the nave -from the chancel that well deserve inspection. The lower portion -belonged originally to Cockersand Abbey, the monks of that house being -patrons of Mitton; and it was removed to its present position when -the fraternity was dissolved. The fragment of an inscription still -remaining shows that it was made in the time of William Stainford, and -this helps us to fix the date, as Stainford was abbot of Cockersand -from 1505 to 1509. One peculiarity noticeable is that, unlike other -churches, you have to descend into the chancel from the nave by a -few steps, an arrangement necessitated by the natural formation of -the ground, which declines considerably towards the east. Within the -chancel is an old oak chest, bound with iron, and triple-locked, with -the date 1627 carved upon it. On the top is a copy of Burkett’s -“Expository Notes on the New Testament,” a paraphrase on the Book of -Common Prayer, and one or two other theological works fastened with -chains—the village library of former days, as the inscription in one of -them testifies: “_Ex Libris Ecclesiæ Parochialis de Mitton 1722_.” - -But the great feature of Mitton, and that which most attracts the -attention of visitors, is the Sherburn Chapel, the mausoleum of the -former lords of Stonyhurst. It is situated on the north side of the -chancel, from which it is separated by a parclose screen, and is -remarkable as containing an assemblage of recumbent figures and other -family memorials such as very few old country churches can boast. - -It was erected on the site of the ancient chantry of St Nicholas by -Sir Richard Sherburn, of Stonyhurst, who died in 1594, as appears by -his will, which expressly directs that his body shall “be buryed at -my parish church of Mitton, in the midest of my new quere.” His tomb -is the oldest in the chapel, and upon it are the recumbent figures -in alabaster, life size, of the knight and “Dame Maude, his wife,” a -daughter of Sir Richard Bold, of Bold, who predeceased him. The body -of the tomb is enriched with heraldic shields representing the family -alliances, and there are some panels of figures. The inscription, -which is in old English characters, describes Sir Richard as “master -forrester of the forest of Bowland, steward of the manor of Sladeburn, -Lieutenant of the Isle of Man, and one of Her Majesty’s Deputy -Lieutenants.” He commenced the building of the present mansion of -Stonyhurst, or rather the rebuilding, for it stands on the site of -an older house, a portion of which still exists, employing in the -decoration some of the stone carvings from the neighbouring Abbey of -Whalley, among them being noticeable two shields of arms, one bearing -the cognisance of the Lacies, the founders of that house. Sir Richard -lived during the eventful reigns of the Tudor sovereigns, and he seems -to have accommodated himself very happily to the varying circumstances -of those stirring times, conforming without scruple to the religious -changes which occurred in the days of Henry, Edward, Mary, and -Elizabeth, and to have succeeded in making considerable additions -to his patrimonial estates the while. His friend and contemporary, -Edward, Earl of Derby, told George Marsh, the Bolton martyr, that the -true religion was that which had most good luck, and this article of -faith Sir Richard Sherburn very rigidly maintained. He succeeded to -the family estates on the death of his father, Thomas Sherburn, in -1536, and two years later, being then only 15 years of age, he married -his first wife, the daughter of Sir Richard Bold. He was nominated -one of the commissioners for the suppression of the religious houses -in the reign of Henry VIII., and for the sale of the chantry lands -in that of Edward VI., and in 1544 he had the honour of knighthood -conferred upon him for his bravery at the burning of Leith. In the -first year of Edward VI., when a writ of Parliamentary summons was -re-issued to Lancaster, Liverpool, Wigan, and Preston, he was returned -as member for the last-named borough, and in the first Parliament of -Mary’s reign he was returned as knight of the shire for the county -of Lancaster, and shortly afterwards was nominated high steward and -master forester of the Forest of Bowland, where he gave evidence of his -faith in the excellency of the game laws by “vigorously prosecuting -various individuals for unlawfully hunting deer and other game within -the forest.” In the reign of Elizabeth he was associated with the Earl -of Derby, the Bishop of Chester, Sir John Radcliffe, and Sir Edward -Fitton in executing the penal laws against those who adhered to the -Romish faith, and in 1581 he was appointed by Cecil, Lord Burleigh, -along with other commissioners, to compound with the tenants who had -obtained fraudulent leases of the tithes and other properties of the -College of Manchester. Four years later he was one of the Lancashire -magistrates who promulgated an order against the profanation of the -Sabbath by “wakes, fayres, markettes, bayre-baytes, bull-baits, ales, -May-games, resortinge to alehouses in tyme of devyne service, pypinge, -and dauncinge, huntinge, and all maner of vnlawfvll gamynge.” In 1588, -on the occasion of the threatened invasion by Spain, he was one of -the eighty loyal gentlemen of Lancashire who formed themselves into -an association for the defence of Queen Elizabeth against “Popish -conspiracies,” and from the “intolerance and insolence” of the Papacy. -Baines says that he was allowed by Elizabeth, as an especial favour, to -have his chapel and his priest at Stonyhurst, but the accuracy of this -statement may very well be doubted, for it is more than probable, as -the late Canon Raines observed in the “Stanley Papers,” that “at this -time, and long afterwards, the family held the Reformed faith, nor does -it appear when they became absorbed by the Church of Rome.” Under his -munificent hand the splendid mansion of Stonyhurst arose, but death -overtook him before he had completed his work. He died July 26th, 1594, -leaving to his son and heir, Richard, among other things, “all my armor -at Stonyhurste, and all my iron to build withall, so that he fynishe -the buildinge therewith now already begonne—the leade, buildinge, -stone, and wrought tymber.” - -The monument perpetuating the names of this Richard, the “fynisher” -of Stonyhurst, and his first wife, Katharine, daughter of Charles, -Lord Stourton, is affixed to the north wall of the chapel. The pair -are represented as kneeling before a faldstool or litany desk, with -their hands uplifted, as if in prayer, the figures strongly thrown out -and gorgeously coloured. The man wears a full skirted jerkin and the -Elizabethan ruffs, and his wife is habited in a long gown with a hood -falling over the top of her head. The inscription records that he was -Captain of the Isle of Man for fifteen years, and that his wife died -there in childbed of twins, “and their lieth intomb’d.” In the panel -beneath is a carving in _alto relievo_, representing the twins in bed -with their nurses watching over them. - -Richard Sherburn again entered the marriage state, his second wife -being Ann, daughter of Henry Kighley, and widow of Thomas Hoghton, -of Hoghton Tower; but this lady, who died at Lea, October 30th, -1609, bore him no issue. He died in 1629, at the advanced age of -eighty-three, and was in turn succeeded by a son, also named Richard, -whose altar-shaped tomb, on which are the recumbent figures of himself -and his wife, bears a lengthy inscription recording the family history -for four generations. “He was,” it states, “an eminent sufferer for his -loyal fidelity to King Charles I. of ever blessed memory.” He lived to -see the restoration of the Stuarts, and died February 11th, 1667, aged -eighty-one years. - -Another altar-tomb, on which lie the recumbent effigies of a knight -and his lady, is to the “pious memory” of Richard Sherburn, son of -the last-named, and his wife Isabel, daughter of John Ingleby, of -Lawkeland, in Yorkshire. The inscription, among other things, records -that “he built the almshouse and school at Hurst Green, and left divers -charitable gifts yearly to the several townships of Carleton, Chorley, -Hamilton, and Lagrim, in Lancashire; Wigglesworth and Guisely in this -(York) county; departing this life (in prison for loyalty to his -sovereign), at Manchester, August 16th, A.D., 1689, in the 63rd year -of his age. He, like many other of the Catholic gentry of Lancashire, -being devoted to the family of the expatriated James by hereditary -attachment and personal affection, looked upon the exiled monarch as -a martyr to his religious convictions, and could not therefore be -persuaded that he was absolved from his allegiance or at liberty to -transfer it to the Prince of Orange.” The inscription on his tomb -adds—“The said Isabel (his wife), by whom, at her own proper charge, -these four statues were erected, died April 11th, 1663, whose mortal -remains are together near hereunto deposited.” - -As the “four statues,” _i.e._, of Richard Sherburn and his wife, and -his father and mother, were not erected until 1699, thirty-six years -after the lady’s death, it may be assumed that she bequeathed the funds -“necessary to defray” the cost of their erection. Whitaker, in his -“History of Whalley,” remarks that the two male figures on these tombs -are probably the latest instances (that is, of former days) of cumbent -cross-legged statues in the kingdom, and this is probably so, as it -has been commonly supposed that the latest recumbent monumental figure -is that enshrined in Westminster Abbey, and erected in 1676, to the -memory of William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle. The effigies at Mitton -were executed by Stanton, the well-known lapidary, at a cost, it is -said, of £253. - -There is another monument to the memory of Richard Sherburn, eldest son -of the Richard just named, who succeeded on his father’s decease, but -enjoyed the estates only for a few months, his death occurring April -6th, 1690, when, having no issue, the Stonyhurst possessions devolved -upon his brother Nicholas, who had had the dignity of a baronetcy -conferred upon him by Charles II. during the lifetime of his father. He -was the last of the name who resided at Stonyhurst, and died without -surviving male issue December 16th, 1717. His monument was placed -beside those of his ancestors by his only surviving daughter and heir, -Maria Winifred Francesca, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. The inscription, -which is said to have been written by the duchess herself, is perhaps -unsurpassed in prolixity and extravagant adulation, and deserves to -be noted as a specimen of the way in which great families were wont, -a couple of centuries ago, to glorify themselves in their own charnel -houses, forgetting that of the long laudatory inscriptions which family -pride had made fashionable, - - One half would never be believed, - The other never read. - -Here it is:— - - This monument is to the sacred and eternal memory of Sir Nicholas - Shireburn and his lady. Sir Nicholas Shireburn, of Stonyhurst, - Bart., was son of Richard Shireburn, Esq., by Isabel his wife, - daughter of John Inglesby, of Lawkeland, Esq. Nicholas Shireburn - had by his lady, whose name was Katharine, third daughter and - co-heir to Sir Edward Charleton, of Hesleyside, in Northumberland, - Bart., by Mary, eldest daughter and co-heir of Sir Edward - Widderington, of Cartington, in Northumberland, Bart., three - children; the eldest, Isabella, died the 18th of October, 1688, - and is buried at Rothburgh, in Northumberland, in the quire - belonging to Cartington, where Sir Nicholas then lived; a son - named Richard, who died June 8th, 1702, at Stonyhurst; another - daughter named Mary, married May 26, 1709, to Thomas, Duke of - Norfolk.—Sir Nicholas Shireburn was a man of great humanity, - sympathy, and concern for the good of mankind, and did many - good charitable things whiles he lived; he particularly set his - neighbourhood a spinning of Jersey wool, and provided a man to - comb the wool, and a woman who taught them to spin, whom he kept - in his house, and allotted several rooms he had in one of the - courts of Stonyhurst, for them to work in, and the neighbours - came to spin accordingly; the spinners came every day, and span - as long a time as they could spare, morning and afternoon, from - their families. This continued from April, 1699, to August, 1701. - When they had all learn’d, he gave the nearest neighbour each - a pound or half a pound of wool ready for spinning, and wheel - to set up for themselves, which did a vast deal of good to that - north side of Ribble, in Lancashire. Sir Nicholas Sherburn died - December 16, 1717. This monument was set up by the Dowager Duchess - of Northfolk, in memory of the best of fathers and mothers, and in - this vault designs to be interr’d herself, whenever it pleases God - to take her out of this world. - - Lady Sherburn was a Lady of an excellent temper and fine - sentiments, singular piety, virtue, and charity, constantly - imployed in doing good, especially to the distressed, sick, poor, - and lame, for whom she kept an apothecary’s shop in the house; - she continued as long as she lived doing great good and charity; - she died Jan. 27th, 1727. Besides all other great charities which - Sir Nicholas and Lady Sherburn did, they gave on All Souls’ Day a - considerable deal of money to the poor; Lady Sherburn serving them - with her own hands that day. - -Of a truth man is a noble animal—splendid in ashes and pompous in the -grave! - -There is yet another inscription from the pen of the dowager duchess, -to the memory of her second husband:— - - In this vault lies the body of the Hon. Peregrin Widderington. - The Hon. Peregrin Widderington was youngest son of William, Lord - Widderington, who died April 17th, 1743. This Peregrin was a - man of the strictest friendship and honour, with all the good - qualities that accomplished a fine gentleman. He was of so amiable - a disposition and so ingaging that he was beloved and esteemed - by all who had the honour and happiness of his acquaintance, - being ever ready to oblige and to act the friendly part on all - occasions, firm and steadfast in all his principles, which were - delicately fine and good as could be wished in any man. He was - both sincere and agreeable in life and conversation. He was born - May 20th, 1692, and died Feb. 4th, 1748-9. He was with his brother - in the Preston affair, 1716, where he lost his fortune, with his - health, by a long confinement in prison. This monument was set up - by the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, in memory of the Hon. Peregrin - Widderington. - -Though careful to record the descent as well as the “good qualities” -and “delicately fine principles” of the amiable Peregrin, her -grace, whose grammar, by the way, is somewhat obscure, has curiously -enough, while perpetuating the fact of her previous marriage, omitted -all mention of her relationship to the dear departed, and has thus -inadvertently done an injustice to his memory as well as to her own, -for ill-natured people have wickedly suggested that their union never -had the sanction of a priest, and that, as the old sexton assured -William Howitt when he visited Mitton nearly half a century ago, the -“accomplished fine gentleman” was only a “tally husband,” a belief that -still prevails in many a cottage home in the district. The “Preston -affair,” so delicately alluded to, was the occasion when the old -Pretender, the Chevalier de St. George, made the rash and abortive -attempt to recover the Crown of England by an appeal to civil war, and -a portion of the rebel army, headed by the ill-fated Lord Derwentwater -and General Foster, penetrated as far south as Preston, where it was -met by the King’s forces, under Generals Wills and Carpenter, and -compelled to surrender; when no fewer than seven lords and 1,500 men, -including officers, were made prisoners, among them being the Hon. -Peregrin Widderington and his father, William, Lord Widderington, -the latter of whom was impeached before the House of Lords for high -treason, but afterwards reprieved and pardoned. The Widderingtons, like -the Sherburns, had for successive generations been devotedly attached -to the Stuart cause, the Lord Widderington of a former day having lost -his life at Wigan Lane on the 25th August, 1651, while bravely fighting -by the side of Lord Derby and the gallant Sir Thomas Tyldesley. - -As previously stated, Sir Nicholas Sherburn was the last of the name -who resided at Stonyhurst. In his time considerable additions were -made to the mansion. He rebuilt the principal front, placed the two -eagle-crowned cupolas on the summits of the old battlemented towers, -dug out the ponds in front of the hall, and laid out the gardens -in the stiff fantastic Dutch style then fashionable; but before he -had completed the work he had the misfortune to lose his only son, -Richard Francis, a youth of nine years, who, as tradition affirms, -was poisoned with eating yew berries gathered in the dark avenue at -Stonyhurst—the fruit of - - Some dark, lonely, evil-natured yew, - Whose poisonous fruit—so fabling poets speak— - Beneath the moon’s pale gleam the midnight hag doth seek. - -The untimely death of his heir so affected Sir Nicholas that he -abandoned his design, quitted Stonyhurst, and never returned. A -monument to the memory of the ill-starred boy adorns the chapel at -Mitton, and among the floral decorations upon it is a bunch of yew -berries; beyond this there is no evidence of the cause of death -save the tradition which has been handed down through successive -generations, and is still implicitly believed by the village gossips. - -On the death of Sir Nicholas Sherburn, in 1717, the baronetage became -extinct, and the extensive possessions of his house, in default of -a male heir, passed, in accordance with the provisions of his will, -dated August 9th of that year, after the decease of his widow, to his -only daughter, Maria Winnifred Francesca, wife (first) of Thomas, -eighth Duke of Norfolk, and (secondly), as already stated, of the Hon. -Peregrin Widderington. The duchess died without issue September 25th, -1704, and was buried, in accordance with her expressed desire, at -Mitton, when the estates reverted to the issue of her aunt Elizabeth, -sister of Sir Nicholas Sherburn, who had married William, son and heir -of Sir John Weld, of Lullworth Castle, in Dorsetshire. Edward Weld, -the grandson by this marriage, was the first to inherit the property, -and from him the estates passed in 1761 to his eldest son, Edward -Weld, Esquire, who had to his second wife Mary Anne, youngest daughter -of William Smyth, Esquire, of Brambridge, in Hampshire, who survived -him, and in her second widowhood, as the relict of Thomas Fitzherbert, -of Swinnerton, was privately married to “the first gentleman of -Europe”—George, Prince of Wales, afterwards George the Fourth. On the -death of Edward Weld, the first husband of Mrs. Fitzherbert, in 1775, -without issue, the property passed to his only surviving brother, -Thomas Weld, of Lullworth, who in 1794, when through the fury of the -French Revolution the Jesuits were driven from their college at Liege, -granted that body a lease of the Stonyhurst estate, and subsequently -the property became theirs by purchase. - -Looking upon these magnificent memorials—this blazonry of human -greatness—and contrasting the achievements of the sculptor’s art as -here displayed with the bare simplicity and, until recent years, we -might have said meanness, of the sanctuary itself, from which they -are only separated by an open screen, it is difficult to avoid the -conclusion that the proud Sherburns were more concerned for the -perpetuation of their own greatness than for the honour and glory -of God. Infinitely more appropriate is the humble and prayerful -ejaculation we found graven upon the stone of poor Abbot Paslew, at -Whalley, than this ostentatious chronicling of the virtues of poor -frail humanity. - -Having spent some time in the examination of the Sherburn Chapel we -stepped out into the quiet graveyard, among the grass-grown hillocks -where the “rude forefathers” tranquilly repose, and— - - Their name, their years, spelt by th’ unletter’d muse, - The place of fame and elegy supply. - -Underneath one of the windows on the north side, half hidden in docks -and nettles, we noticed the cumbent figure of a knight in armour -sculptured in stone, the counterpart of one of those we had seen -inside. There is a curious tradition connected with it. It is said that -when the effigies of the Sherburns came down from London they were a -good deal talked of in the neighbourhood. A village stonemason hearing -of the sum they had cost, and piqued at the want of appreciation of his -own skill, declared that he could have done the work equally well. This -was repeated at the hall, when the man was sent for, questioned, and -ordered to make good his boast. This he did by producing the imperfect -copy now in the churchyard, and the story adds that the Sherburns -gave him £20 in acknowledgment of his skill. On the south side of the -church yard is the circular carved head of an ancient cross that was -dug up by a former clerk; there are also several curious gravestones, -including one to the memory of an ecclesiastic, Thomas Clyderhow, the -same, probably, whose curious will, made in 1506, or rather the copy -of it, is preserved in the Townley MSS. Many members of the great -family of Talbot, as well as that of Winckley, have here found a -resting-place, and altogether Mitton is full of interest, as well from -its associations as from the secluded beauty of its situation. - -But we have loitered long by the way—who would not loiter in such a -pleasant old-world nook?—and must now betake ourselves to Stonyhurst. - -[Illustration] - -From the silent resting-place of the Sherburns to their old ancestral -home the walk is little more than a couple of miles, and a pleasanter -bit of country is rarely traversed. Half a mile brings you to the -banks of the Hodder, where a noticeable feature meets the eye that -brings to remembrance the “twa brigs of Ayr.” At this point two bridges -bestride the river, which, by the contrast in their appearance, not -inaptly symbolise the difference between the old times and the new. -One, that by which we cross, is a comparatively modern erection, with -parapet walls and bold projecting piers; the other, which is placed -a hundred yards or so lower down, is a primitive-looking structure -of ancient date, extremely narrow, as most old bridges are, and now -only serving as a footpath to the cottages close by, though rendered -picturesque by the profuse growth of ivy and weeds upon it. The old -bridge, however, possesses more than a passing interest, and may fairly -claim to rank as one of the historic sites of Lancashire; for it was -here that Cromwell held a council of war with General Ashton, on the -16th August, 1648, when the Scots had penetrated into Lancashire, -and there was a general fear that they might reach London, in which -case the hopes of the Parliamentarians would be crushed. The Duke of -Hamilton had at the time entered the county with a large force; and -Sir Marmaduke Langdale, with another army, acting in concert, was -moving in a parallel direction. The Roundhead troopers, under General -Lambert, being insufficient in number to arrest their progress, -withdrew into Yorkshire; when Cromwell, who had just succeeded in -reducing Pembroke, marched northwards, and, forming a junction with -Lambert at Knaresborough, hastened into Lancashire to attack the -invaders. On the 16th August he arrived at the little bridge over -the Hodder, where he met Major-General Ashton, with a Lancashire -force; and, after consultation with him, determined upon the plan of -operations—the result, as is well known, bringing victory to the arms -of the invincible Ironsides and overwhelming disaster to the Royalist -cause. That night the future Lord Protector was an unbidden guest at -Stonyhurst, and was, doubtless, more free than welcome. Tradition still -points to the old oak table near the entrance, on which it affirms that -Cromwell slept, while his men bivouacked in the grounds,[26] though the -accuracy of the story may well be doubted, for the stern warrior was -hardly likely to put up with so indifferent a couch when the “Papist’s -house” afforded so much better accommodation. The next morning he -marched with his followers towards Preston, forced the bridge, and in -a conflict which lasted several hours completely routed Hamilton’s -army, the waters of the Ribble and the Darwen being crimsoned with the -lifeblood of the combatants. It was Charles’s last appeal to arms, and -when intelligence of the disaster reached him in the Isle of Wight he -told Colonel Hammond, the governor, that “it was the worst news that -ever came to England.” For the king it was; for there is little doubt -that Cromwell’s victory hastened the action of the Republicans, and -precipitated that event which the world has ever since condemned. - -[Note 26: In his despatch to the Speaker of the House of Commons, -Cromwell says: “That night quartered the whole army in the field by -Stonyhurst Hall, being Mr. Sherburn’s house, a place nine miles distant -from Preston;” and Captain Hodgson, an officer who accompanied him, -writes: “We pitched our camp at Stanyhares Hall, a Papist’s house, one -Sherburn’s.”] - -[Illustration] - -But we are wandering from our story, and more peaceful scenes await -us. As we approached the Hodder the sun shone full and strong, and -flashed and glittered upon its rippling surface, broken at the time -into innumerable wavelets where the full-uddered kine were plunging and -wading in the shallows to cool themselves after the heat of the bright -summer day. Half a mile or so up the river, half hidden among the -trees on the hillside, we catch sight of the Hodder Place, or Hodder -House, as it is sometimes called—a kind of novitiate or preparatory -school in connection with the seminary at Stonyhurst. After crossing -the river, our road lay along a wild old wandering lane that winds away -to the left, rising and failing in a succession of gentle eminences, -filled with quiet nooks, whose vernal shade tempts you to relax your -speed and while away the passing hours in listless contemplation of -the wealth of beauty that Nature, with lavish hand, has spread around. -Then a steep ascent occurs, and as we mount the stony and intricate -path we look through the tangled vegetation to the green links of -undulating woodland and the distant hills that swell gently into the -blue of infinite space, and now and then get a glimpse of the tall -towers and dome-crowned cupolas of Stonyhurst shooting above the rich -umbrage that environs them. Then another climb, and we are in front of -the old mansion of the Sherburns, though, in truth, it now presents a -different aspect to that it must have done when Sir Nicholas “set his -neighbourhood a spinning of Jersey wool,” and my Lady Sherburn—playing -the part of Lady Bountiful—“kept an apothecary’s shop in the house,” -and distributed her alms to her poorer neighbours “with her own hands.” - -Before venturing upon a description of the building, let us refer for a -moment to the account which Dr. Whitaker, in his “History of Whalley,” -gives of the circumstances that led the disciples of Ignatius Loyola -to establish a seminary in this picturesque corner of busy, practical -Lancashire:— - - On the north-west border of the county is the ancient seat of - the Shireburn family. After the death of Sir Nicholas Shireburn, - Bart., in 1720, it was possessed by his daughter Mary, Duchess of - Norfolk, till 1754. It then became the property of Edward Weld, - Esq., of Lullworth Castle, Dorset, whose son, the late Thomas - Weld, Esq., converted it, in 1794, into a college, or house of - education, for young pupils of the Roman Catholic religion. - This gentleman’s benevolent view was to facilitate the means - of religious and literary instruction for persons of his own - persuasion, who had now lost all the resources which the British - transmarine colleges and seminaries had afforded during two - hundred years. He had received his education among the English - Jesuits abroad, and he had witnessed the violent seizure and - ejection of his old masters from their College of St. Omer, which - was perpetrated by the French Parliament of Paris in 1762. This - college was one of the principal houses of education which the - British Catholics had formed on the continent, while the severity - of the penal laws prohibited such institutions in their own - country. The English fathers of the society, not disheartened by - persecution, proceeded to form new establishments, for the same - purpose of education, in the Austrian Netherlands, and again in - the city of Liege; and they were dislodged, pillaged, and ejected, - with similar injustice and violence, by the governments which - admitted the suppression of their order, by Pope Clement XIV. in - 1773, and finally, by the revolutionary armies of France in 1794. - In their uttermost distress they took advantage of the humane - lenity of our Government, which allowed them to settle and to open - schools for pupils of their own religion, under security of the - oath of civil allegiance which was prescribed by the Act of 1791. - Under the immediate protection of Thomas Weld, Esq., the gentlemen - expelled from Liege by the French conducted the small remnant of - their flourishing seminary to Stonyhurst; and, in the course of - twenty-one years, by unremitting industry, they have improved it - into a distinguished seminary and house of education, of which - they justly acknowledge Thomas Weld, Esq., as the founder and - principal benefactor. It is filled at present (1816) by more than - two hundred and fifty students of the Roman Catholic religion, - sent thither from most parts of the world; and their established - reputation for good order and regularity has justly procured for - them the countenance and favour of their neighbours. - -An amusing story is related of the eagerness of the students of Liege -to get possession of their new quarters in Lancashire. Tradition says -that the last person to quit the college at Liege was George Lambert -Clifford, and that he was the first to enter the new institution at -Stonyhurst. Another student, Charles Brooke, was equally anxious for -the honour; and when they came in sight of the building both ran at -their utmost speed down the avenue. Brooke reached the entrance first; -but Clifford, arriving almost at the same moment, and seeing a window -open, scrambled through it, and so entered the building while his -competitor was waiting for admission by the ordinary way. - -In addition to that from Mitton, there is another road by which -Stonyhurst may be reached, leading up from Hurst Green—a little village -near the bottom of the hill, half a mile away, and past the cemetery. -The approach is by a broad avenue of spreading trees, a quarter of a -mile in length, the vista being terminated by the principal front of -the mansion, half revealed through the leafy screen, and which gains -in importance and architectural effect by its natural surroundings. At -the end of the avenue the road is flanked on each side by an ornamental -sheet of water, part of the old pleasure grounds as laid out in the -stiff and formal fashion prevalent in the time of the last Sherburn; -and, beyond, a dwarf wall is carried across, forming the boundary of -the court. In the centre is an ample gateway, with ornamental gateposts -on each side; and from this point the entire front of the mansion, in -all its stately proportions, appears in view. - -[Illustration: STONYHURST.] - -As previously stated, Sir Nicholas Sherburn made considerable additions -to the old home; but was prevented from carrying out to their fullest -extent the plans he had prepared, through the untimely death of his -only son. The work, however, which he left undone has been completed on -an even more extensive scale by the present owners. A college church -and other buildings have also been erected to meet the requirements of -the institution; and altogether the place presents a much more imposing -appearance than it could at any time have done during its occupancy by -the Sherburns. The chief feature in the main façade is the entrance -tower, which forms the central compartment, and is advanced slightly -from the line of the main structure. It is a handsome erection, -essentially Italian in character, though exhibiting some details of the -late Tudor type, and is ascribed, though erroneously as we believe, to -Inigo Jones. The basement is occupied by an arched portal, forming the -chief entrance, and is surmounted by an ornamental cornice supported on -each side by double-fluted columns, above which is a carved escutcheon, -with the arms of the Sherburns quartered with those of the Bayleys—the -family through whom they acquired the Stonyhurst property. The “red -hand” of Ulster is also displayed—an evidence that the shield must -have been placed there in the time of Sir Nicholas Sherburn, he being -the only member of the house who had the baronetcy. The three upper -stories are each pierced with a square window, mullioned and transomed -and flanked with coupled columns, similar to those on the basement. An -embattled parapet surmounts the structure, and in the rear rise two -octagonal towers, covered with dome-like cupolas crowned with eagles. -These latter were erected in 1712 for the modest sum of £50, as -appears by the “artickles of agreement” made in that year and still -preserved among the Stonyhurst muniments. From the entrance tower -two wings extend, one on each side, both being similar in style and -dimensions, though they are of different dates; that on the south being -coeval with the tower itself, whilst the one on the north was erected -so recently as 1842. From the south-west angle a corridor extends at -right angles, connecting the main building with the chapel, a handsome -Gothic edifice in the florid or perpendicular style of architecture, -erected in 1835, from the designs of Mr. Scoles, of London, and -resembling very much in external aspect that splendid monument of -mediæval art—the chapel of King’s College, Cambridge. - -The recollection of the doings of the order which at one time exercised -such a powerful influence over the cabinets and councils of Europe, if -it did not create a feeling of awe, at least induced one of curiosity -to see the system pursued in what has been the _alma mater_ of so many -members of that notable fraternity. Though we had omitted to provide -ourselves with that customary “open sesame,” a letter of introduction, -our request to see over the establishment was at once courteously -complied with. - -Passing beneath the great arched portal and along a corridor on the -left we were ushered into a waiting-room the walls of which are hung -with a series of views, engravings, and photographs representing -the hall of Stonyhurst at different periods of its history. The -attendant then led the way into a paved court directly opposite the -principal entrance. It is quadrangular in form, and from it you can -note the general disposition of the buildings, their architectural -characteristics, and the difference between the old and the new work. -The additions harmonise and exhibit a striking unity with the general -features of the pile, while possessing the conveniences required by -the present occupants. Altogether it conveys the idea of the ancient -baronial hall erected when the manor house had disengaged itself from -the castle, and law having succeeded to the reign of the strong hand, -beauty and ornament were considered more than strength and resistance. -The south side is the more ancient, the greater part having been -erected during the lifetime of Sir Nicholas Sherburn, though there are -some remains of a still earlier date. There are unmistakable evidences, -however, of substantial repairs having been made at the time the house -was transferred to the Jesuit Fathers, and the leaden waterspouts bear -the date 1694, the year they acquired possession. A handsome oriel -projects from the main wall, and beneath is a doorway giving admission -to the range of apartments on this side of the building; there are also -indications of several other doors that formerly existed, but in the -rearrangement of the interior they have been built up. The north wing, -which has been added in recent times, is of corresponding form and -dimensions, though much plainer in detail, its severity of character -almost approaching to baldness. - -Entering by the door beneath the oriel on the south side we pass into -a corridor that runs the entire length of the wing. At the western end -is an antiquated apartment lighted by a five-light pointed window with -traceried head, the old chapel or domestic oratory of the Sherburns, -but now used for school purposes. Quitting this room we are next -conducted through a series of corridors, galleries, and apartments, -a detailed description of which is not only beyond our purpose but -would be wearying to the reader. Among them is a room deserving of -especial notice—the refectory—the banquetting hall of the former -lords of Stonyhurst, which, though it has been extended at one end -and subjected to other alterations, still retains many of its ancient -features unimpaired. It is a spacious apartment, ninety feet by -twenty-seven feet, with two recessed oriels and a fireplace capacious -enough to roast an ox. It is fitted up in a style harmonising with its -ancient characteristics, and is very suggestive of the abundance and -lavish hospitality that were here displayed in bygone days; when the -“two-hooped pot” was indeed a “four-hooped pot,” and fell felony it was -to drink small beer. The floor is of marble, arranged in lozenge-like -patterns, and a raised daïs or platform of the same material extending -across the southern end terminates in the oriel recesses before -referred to. The walls have the addition of a dado of oak and an -elaborately ornamented frieze in relief. Across the northern end is -a gallery protected by an open balustrade, adorned in front with the -head and antlers of the moose deer and other trophies of the chase, and -having the following inscription carved beneath:— - - QUANT JE PUIS. HUGO SHERBURN ARMIG, ME FIERI FECIT. ANNO DOMINI - 1523. ET SICUT FUIT SIC FIAT. - -Over the fireplace is the Sherburn coat of arms, with the motto, -“_Quant je Puis_,” and the date, MDCLXXXIX. A large number of portraits -are placed against the walls, many of them those of distinguished -alumni of Stonyhurst, while others are again commemorated by their -heraldic shields in painted glass placed in the two oriel windows. At -one end of the room is a large painting, the “Immaculate Conception,” -which is said to be an original of Murillo. - -Contiguous to the great dining-room is the library and museum, -which may be reckoned among the chief attractions of the place. The -library certainly contains a remarkably fine collection of works, -including many of extreme rarity and value. There are about thirty -thousand volumes in all, and the collection of ancient MSS., missals, -black-letter books, and examples of early typography are especially -interesting. Upon shelves reaching from floor to ceiling, in galleries -and recesses, upon tables and in glass cases, and, in short, in every -nook and corner, are these literary treasures displayed. A world of -thought, a mighty mass of intellectual matter, is spread about, before -which the haughty Aristarch himself, without any consciousness of -humiliation, might have doffed “the hat which never veiled to human -pride.” Every school of thought, every department of literature is -represented; here are sombre-looking folios of ancient date that -scholars of the old English school might well delight in, and there, -dapper duodecimos of the present age to gratify the taste of the modern -dilettante reader whose platonic love of literature is influenced more -by the external vanities—the gold and glitter without than the solid -thought within. Among these curiosities of book-craft, and especially -deserving of note, is a copy of Caxton’s “Boke of Eneydos” (1490), a -translation of a French novel partly based upon the Æneid of Virgil, -which provoked the anger of Gavin Douglas, who savagely attacked Caxton -for translating a book from the French, professing to be a translation -of Virgil when it had nothing to do with it— - - Clepaud et Virgil in Eneados - Quihilk that he sayes of French he did translait. - It has nothing ado therewith, God wate, - Nor na mare like than the Devil and Sanct Austin. - -There is also an imperfect copy of that remarkable work, the “Golden -Legend”—the first attempt to render hagiology amenable to the laws -of reason and decency, and which from its containing a translation -into English of the whole of the Pentateuch, and a great part of the -Gospels, became one of the principal instruments in preparing the way -for the Reformation. The first edition of the work was printed by -Caxton in folio 1483-4, the Stonyhurst copy is of the date 1493, and -must, therefore, be the third, the one generally accepted as having -issued from the press of Wynkyn de Worde, and of which only nine copies -are known to exist. A singularly interesting relic, screened in a -glass case, is a small prayer-book which tradition affirms to be the -identical one that Mary Queen of Scots carried with her to the scaffold -when she was beheaded. It is said to have been given by her confessor -to the library at Douay; subsequently it was transferred to the college -at Liege, from which place it found its way to Stonyhurst when its -owners removed there. It is remarkable for the sharpness and beauty -of the type, which bears a close resemblance to the court-hand of the -Tudor period, as well as for the richness of the binding. The cover is -of crimson silk velvet, embossed, with the words “Maria” and “Regina” -in silver gilt capitals, with the arms of France and England quartered, -and a crown, rose, and pomegranate. If this book ever belonged to the -Queen of Scots there is good reason to believe that it must previously -have been owned by her kinswoman and namesake, Mary of England, for -the reason that the pomegranate was the emblem of Spain, and one of the -badges of Catherine of Arragon, and Mary herself used as a device the -pomegranate and rose combined. - -Another feature of the library is the collection of ancient illuminated -missals, the largest and probably the most beautiful in the kingdom. -There is also a copy of the Gospel of St. John, believed to have been -transcribed in the seventh century, and said to have been found in -the tomb of St. Cuthbert in Durham Cathedral, and a MS. copy of the -Homilies of Pope Gregory, attributed to Simon, Abbot of St Albans, in -the twelfth century. In another room is the valuable collection of -books presented to the college in 1834 by the Lady Mary Ann, widow of -James Everard, tenth Lord Arundell of Wardour, and numbering about five -thousand volumes. - -The contents of the museum at Stonyhurst are many and varied; some are -ancient, some modern, some of great historic interest, and some, it may -be said, of little or no interest at all. To learn what they are we -must yield ourselves and listen _auribus patulis_ to the descriptions -of our courteous cicerone, who is familiar with the history and uses -of each and all. Here we find displayed the cap, rosary, seal, and -reliquary of that impersonation of goodness and incorruptibility, Sir -Thomas More, and near it a fragment of chain mail taken from one of the -dusky warriors of King Theodore; porphyry from the ruins of ancient -Carthage, and pistols that played a part in the fight at Navarino; -chips from the cedars of Mount Lebanon, and prize cups of silver -awarded to shorthorns of the Stonyhurst breed, for be it known that -Papal bulls are not the only ones with which the Jesuit Fathers at -Stonyhurst have concerned themselves. Now our attention is drawn to the -seals of James the Second and Fenelon, and to a quaint old jewel case -of lapis lazuli once possessed by Queen Christina of Sweden; and anon -to the tobacco pouch of a Sioux Indian; next we are shown a huge rusty -key that belonged to the far-famed abbey of Bolton, and an antique -gold ring turned up by the plough near Hoghton Tower some years ago -with the arms of Langton on the seal, and the motto “_De bon cuer_” on -the inner side, and that, for aught we know, may have been dropped at -the time of that lawless foray in 1589 which cost Thomas Hoghton, the -builder of Hoghton Tower, his life, and lost the manor of Lea to the -proud family of the Langtons. Here is a bit of masonry brought from one -of the Holy Places, and there a bullet taken from the body of a British -soldier at Sebastopol. Indian bows and arrows, swords, spears, and -other implements of warfare are exposed to view, with grim relics from -Waterloo, the Crimea, and Lucknow, that call up mingled memories of -bloodshed and bravery. Many of the curiosities are deposited in glass -cases to protect them from the touch of the vulgar or profane; there -are ivory carvings of wonderful workmanship; crucifixes, triptychs, and -devotional tablets; ancient bronzes, Papal medals, seals, and coins of -every nation under the sun, sufficient in number and variety to turn -the head of a numismatist and set the student of history a-thinking of -the changes the whirligig of time has brought about, and the dynasties -that have risen and passed away since they received the impresses they -still display. - -From the library we return through the dining-hall to an apartment -named, from its proportions, the Long Room, occupied chiefly as a -museum of natural history. Tables run the entire length, filled with -geological and mineralogical specimens illustrative of every epoch -in the world’s history; precious stones of every hue; fossil remains -and skeletons of creatures of various kinds; delicately-tinted -shells, and eggs of every shape and size; butterflies, beetles, and -birds the splendour of whose plumage would defy the painter’s art to -imitate, many of them the gift of a former student of the college, -the distinguished naturalist and genial, hospitable, and cultivated -gentleman, Charles Waterton. Another room is fitted up with mechanical -appliances, models of steam engines, &c., and adjoining it is one -devoted to the purposes of a laboratory. - -One of the great attractions of the place is the Sodality Chapel, -as it is called, devoted to the use of the students whilst “saying -their office,” small, but a very marvel of architectural skill and -decorative art. As we pass through the ante-chapel our attention is -arrested by a large plaster model of Auchterman’s celebrated sculpture, -the Dead Christ supported by the Virgin, placed there to commemorate -the services of Father Clough, who for a period of twelve years was -rector or principal of the college. The Sodality Chapel was erected -in 1856 from the designs of Mr. C. A. Buckler, of Oxford. It is -Gothic in character of the 15th century period, and is remarkable for -the elaborate carving and sculpture, and the profuse decoration in -polychrome displayed. There is an apsidal termination lighted by three -two-light windows with oak traceried panelling carried round; the altar -has wreathed columns of alabaster, and the reredos is of stone and -alabaster, with a statue of the Virgin in the centre, surmounted by a -richly-decorated canopy. The windows are filled with stained glass, -the work of Hardman, of Birmingham. Close to this beautiful example of -Gothic art is the Community Chapel, in which the students attend mass -every morning. - -As previously stated, there is another church connected with the -institution, St Peter’s, erected nearly half a century ago, and of much -larger dimensions, being intended for the use of the neighbourhood as -well as that of the inmates of the college. It will accommodate about -1,500 worshippers, and, considering the date of its erection, will bear -favourable comparison with many of the Gothic structures of more recent -years. Painting, carving, and sculpture have been freely employed, -with everything that could add to that architectural effect the love -of which forms so distinguishing a feature of the Roman Church. -The interior, with its spacious nave, its “long drawn” aisles, its -lofty arches, and its elegant oak-panelled roof, has a very imposing -appearance. The high altar has a reredos behind, rich in carving, and -above is a magnificent window divided into five lights with a traceried -head, and subdivided by double transoms into fifteen compartments, -each filled with the image of one of the apostles or saints in stained -glass, while the storied windows of the clerestory “shoot down a -stained and shadowy stream of light.” Within the sanctuary are two -niches occupied with statues of SS. Peter and Paul, and we also noticed -two coloured frescoes, the work of Wurm and Fischer, of Munich, the one -representing Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the order, administering -the communion to his first missionary companions, and the other, St. -Francis Xavier, “the apostle of India and Japan,” who threw around -the society the lustre of poetry in action, and “the mists of the -wonderful, if not the dignity of historic heroism,” preaching to the -Indians, some of whom are represented as breaking their idols in his -presence. - -The college chapel, as we have said, is situated near the south-west -angle of the main structure. Occupying very nearly a corresponding -position at the north-west side is the hospital, connected with the -main building by a broad corridor, the walls of which are hung with -portraits and engravings. - -Any notice of Stonyhurst would be incomplete that did not make mention -of the gardens and pleasure grounds. Though somewhat diminished in -size by the additions made from time to time to the college buildings, -they remain pretty much in the same stiff and formal style in which -they were laid out a couple of centuries ago. They are pleasant in -themselves and pleasantly situated, commanding as they do a widespread -view of the surrounding country, a country rich in everything that -can beautify or adorn the landscape. A curious feature noticeable is -the lofty, solid, well-trimmed walls of yew which extend in various -directions. Though more remarkable for their quaintness than their -natural beauty, they furnish a pleasant shade for the students, -and have a certain air of antiquity that well accords with the -surroundings. In one part of the grounds is a large circular bowling -green, on the edge of which is placed the Roman altar found among some -rubbish in the neighbourhood in 1834, and evidently the one found at -Ribchester which Camden saw in 1603. It originally bore an inscription -setting forth that it was dedicated by a Captain of the Asturians to -the mother-goddesses, but this can now only in part be deciphered, the -greater portion of the lettering having become obliterated by exposure -to the weather. The following is Camden’s rendering:— - - DEIS MATRIBVS - M. INGENVI - VS. ASIATICVS - DEC. AL. AST. - SS. LL. M. - -Within the garden is a capacious circular basin, in the centre of -which, on a square pedestal, is the figure of a man in chains, said -to be that of Atilius Regulus; and near thereto is the observatory, -a building consisting of a central octagon and four projecting -transepts, fitted up with every necessary scientific appliance. The -kitchen gardens are on the south-east side, and eastward of them is -the famous “Dark Walk,” a long avenue of firs, cedars, and yews, very -patriarchs of their kind, that meet overhead, and impart a green tinge -to everything around, creating a solemn and mysterious gloom, fitted -for reflection and the meditations of the religious devotee—a solemn, -cool, and shady retreat—a very grove of Academe, and the place of all -others to dream away a summer afternoon. These trees must have budded -and flourished through long centuries of time; successive generations -of Sherburns have paced beneath their vernal shade; here the tender -tale, the word that sums all bliss, the— - - Sweet chord that harmonises all - The harps of Paradise, - -has doubtless oft been breathed to the fair daughters of the house; and -here, if tradition is to be believed, the last scion of the Sherburns -plucked the poisonous fruit that terminated a long and illustrious race. - -The college at Stonyhurst has accommodation for 300 students, and we -were informed at the time of our visit that, including the pupils at -the Hodder House, about 250 were receiving instruction. It does not -come within our province to enter into the scholastic arrangements of -the place or the educational course pursued, and the domestic life of -the establishment is a subject too lengthy for our notice. It may be -said, however, that everything which efficient teaching can accomplish -is done; everything that skill and ingenuity and means can provide in -the shape of scientific and mechanical appliances to aid the efforts -of the teacher is there. As you pass along the corridors, and through -the halls and classrooms, you are struck with the quietude, the order, -and the perfect discipline which prevail. Morality among the students -is maintained by the strictest supervision, and equal care is bestowed -in the development of their mental powers, with the natural result -that the institution has earned the fullest confidence of its Catholic -patrons, while its pupils have given proof of the excellence of their -training by their scholarly attainments, and the distinctions so many -of them have earned in the competition for honours at the examinations -of the London University. The life at Stonyhurst is one in which -teacher and taught are in kindly sympathy with each other, and where -associations are formed productive of quiet happiness to the one and -joy and gladness to the other. - -After our perambulation of the college we lingered for some time in -the gardens enjoying the prospect from the high ground, looking across -the broad fertile valleys of the Ribble and the Calder to the bleak -ridges of Pendle and the wooded heights of Bowland Forest. Daylight -was melting away into the soft warm haze of a summer eve, deepening in -splendour the woods and meads and darkening hills beyond. A peaceful -calm pervaded the scene, the stillness being only broken as now and -then some feathered warbler trilled out its evening lay, or the wind -rustled with plaintive cadence through the trees that waved sleepily -overhead, making a dreamy lullaby. Then, as the sun circling towards -the glowing west, and the chapel bell summoning the collegiates -to vespers, warned us of the approach of night, we bade adieu to -Stonyhurst, and, descending by a steep path that winds round the edge -of a thick wood, were soon wending our way along the quiet old country -lanes to our quarters at Whalley. - -[Illustration: ADLINGTON HALL.] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -ADLINGTON AND ITS EARLIER LORDS—THE LEGHS—THE LEGEND OF THE SPANISH -LADY’S LOVE—THE HALL. - - -Cheshire, says Speed, in his “Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain” -(1606), “may well be said to be a seed-plot of gentilitie and the -producer of many most ancient and worthy families.” Smith says that -“it is the mother and nurse of gentility of England;” and, if we -may believe the author of “The Noble and Gentle Men of England,” it -contains at the present day a larger number of old county families than -any other English shire of equal size. “Cheshire, Chief of Men,” or, as -it is versified, - - Cheshire, famed for chief of men, - High in glory soars again, - -is a popular proverb in the palatinate, though Grose maliciously -insinuates that the Cheshire men fabricated the proverb themselves. If, -however, Menestrier’s definition of a gentleman, that he must be one -“_de nom d’armes et de cir_,” holds good, then the men of Cheshire may -pride themselves upon a lineage unsurpassed by the gentry of any other -county. Among those who have brought renown, the Leghs have ever held a -foremost place, and have proved themselves the worthy compeers of the -Grosvenors, the Egertons, the Davenports, and other of the valiant men -of Cheshire whose names are - - Writ in the annals of their country’s fame. - -Adlington, the ancestral home of one of the older branches of this -widespread family, is a pleasant old mansion, possessing, besides its -own particular attractions as a good specimen of the half-timbered -manor house of bygone days, much that is interesting in its memories -and associations. It lies, too, in the midst of a spacious park, -prettily feathered with woodlands, and environed with much rural -beauty, so that it is altogether a pleasant place to spend a summer day -in—a spot where you may find enough to occupy your thoughts without -satiety or weariness. - -The railway carries you within a hundred yards or so of the park-gates. -A roadside inn—the Unicorn’s Head—(the crest of the Leghs), and a few -picturesque cottages, with cunningly devised porches of open rustic -work, and little plots of garden in front, gay with flowers of every -hue—tall lilies and roses that sway their heads in the passing breeze, -and sweet-scented creepers that trail around and half hide the little -old-fashioned windows—constitute what there is of village. Close by -the station, and abutting upon the high-road, is the old smithy. As we -go by, the smith is hard at work, the sparks fly merrily, and under -the ponderous strokes of his hammer the anvil rings as melodiously as -it did a hundred years ago, when, on a bright morning, Handel, while -taking a constitutional with his host, Charles Legh, of Adlington, -listened to it and first conceived the idea of the “Harmonious -Blacksmith,” the score of which he wrote down immediately on his return -to the hall, where it was long preserved. The park, which is well -stocked with deer, is of considerable extent, varied and picturesque, -and marked by much unrestrained beauty; for Art and Nature seem both -to have stopped short of “improvement,” and to have given Time the -opportunity of softening the harsh outline of man’s labours. It is not -too tamely kept, however, nor yet too rigidly subjected to rule, the -open lawns and broad sunny glades being chequered with clumps of wood -and sturdy trees— - - Whose boughs are moss’d with age, - And high top bald with dry antiquity, - -whilst through the grassy meads and beneath the woodland shade, -pranked with a thousand silvery shapes of beauty, the freakish Deane— - - A gentle stream, - Adown the vale its serpent courses winds, - Seen here and there through breaks of trees to gleam, - Gilding their dancing boughs with noon’s reflected beam, - -as it hastens on to mingle its waters with the Bollin, and unite with -it in helping the Mersey to do honour to the British Tyre. It is a -lovely summer day, with just sufficient breeze to cool the overheated -atmosphere, and give a pleasant and invigorating freshness to it; -the sunbeams are dappling the rich sward with their playful and -ever-changing patches of light, and the air is balmy with the odours -of the new-mown hay. The lark carols joyously in the bright blue sky, -the insects are busy in the tall grass, and the lowing of the kine in -the distant meadows, the merry song of the haymakers spreading out -the fresh-cut swaths, and the creaking of the waggon as it bears its -fragrant load to the stackyard, blending together, make a rustic music -delighting to the heart of him who loves the sounds of country life. - -As we leisurely wend our way along the broad gravelled path we have -time to note the more prominent features of the surrounding country; -and assuredly there are few localities in the county where the scenery -is more agreeably diversified, the prospect embracing— - - Hill and dale, and wood and lawn, - And verdant fields, and darkening heath between, - And villages embosomed soft in trees. - -A long line of stately chestnut trees bounds one side of the walk. -Eastward the view is limited by a range of undulating eminences -that stretch along the line of the horizon, dark, shadowy, and -lonely-looking, in places, a kind of mountain wall—the outwork, so to -speak, of the Peak hills beyond—with upland pastures and sweet verdant -slopes, green where the grass has been newly mown, and tinged with -yellow where the grain is ripening in the bright August sunshine, -showing where man has encroached upon Nature’s wild domain, and what -good husbandry has won from the bleak wastes that once formed part of -the great forest of Macclesfield. Hidden from view in a green, cup-like -hollow in the hills is the “lordly house of Lyme,” that calls up -memories of the deeds at Crescy, in which the flower of the Cheshire -chivalry were engaged; for it was in acknowledgment of the seasonable -aid Sir Thomas Danyers rendered to the “Boy Prince,” when on that -bloody field his Royal father bade him “win his spurs and the honour of -the day for himself,” that Richard the Second bestowed the fair domain -of Lyme upon Sir Piers Legh, a younger son of the house of Adlington, -who had wed Sir Thomas’s daughter. Just above the hall the “Knight’s -Low” lifts its tree-crowned summit; tradition hovers around it, and -tells us that far back in the mist of ages a knightly owner of Lyme -there found his resting-place. - -Peeping out from the thick umbrage on the adjacent height we get a -glimpse of the modern mansion of Shrigley—the successor of an ancient -house that for full five centuries and a half was the abode of the -once famous, though now extinct, family of Downes; the chiefs of which -held the hereditary forestership of Downes and Taxal, in the Royal -forest of Macclesfield, with the right of hanging and drawing within -their jurisdiction, and further claimed the privilege of holding the -King’s stirrup when he came a-hunting in the forest, as well as of -rousing the stag for his amusement; in allusion to which office they -bore a white hart upon their shield of arms, with a stag’s head for -crest. But Shrigley has other associations. In more recent times the -name was identified with an outrageous case of abduction—the carrying -off and pretended marriage of the youthful heiress of that pleasant -domain by the notorious adventurer, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, in 1826. -Below, where the great break occurs in the mountainous ridge, and the -hills look as if riven asunder by the stroke of a giant’s hand, lies -the little town of Bollington, where the cotton trade has established -itself, and the tall chimneys—the “steam towers,” as Crabbe calls -them—do their best, though in a small way, it is true, to detract from -the natural beauties of the landscape. The hill which terminates the -ridge nearest to us bears the name of the Nab, and the one that bounds -the opposite side of the defile, the summit of which is crowned with -a whitewashed summer-house that gleams brightly in the sunshine, is -popularly known as White Nancy. With White Nancy the Kerridge hills, -famed for their freestone quarries, come in view. The name (Cær Ridge) -suggests the idea that the Romans had a camp or minor station in the -vicinity, and the opinion is strengthened by the fact that one of their -highways led eastwards over the rocky ridge. - -Southwards, near the foot of the Kerridge range, lies the old and -somewhat dingy-looking town of Macclesfield, the view of which is, -however, happily shut out by intervening plantations and the eminence -on which stands Bonishall, for a time the residence of Lord Erskine, -the grandson of the distinguished Lord Chancellor, and occupying -the site of an older house, where, in the days of the Virgin Queen, -a branch of the Pigots of Butley, had their abode. Round towards -the right, through the openings in the dark belt of trees, the long -crescent-like sweep of Alderley Edge is seen rising sheer from the -plain to a considerable elevation, and extending a couple of miles or -so, with its rough projecting rocks full of changeful picturesqueness -of indentation, and rich in their exquisite variety of form and -colour. The steep slopes are clothed with vegetation and crested with -a miniature forest of pines and fir trees that mingle their dark-hued -verdure with the brighter foliage of the oak and the birch, making a -little fairyland of woodland beauty, the natural charm of which is -heightened by the cloud-shadows gliding slowly across. With a keen eye -Stormy Point can be discerned standing out a mass of sombre crag, in -striking contrast to the scenery around. The Beacon close by reminds -us of the troublous times when our grandfathers were in daily dread of -invasion, and erected this signal that they might pass the warning on -should their Gallic neighbours put foot on British soil. The Edge is -not without its tale of wonder, nor will it lose the recollection of -it while the sign of “The Wizard” adorns the neighbouring hostelry, or -“The Iron Gates” that of its rival. But we are not now concerned with -the legend of the countless milk-white steeds or the nine hundred and -ninety-nine slumbering knights—“the wondrous cavern’d band”— - - Doom’d to remain till that fell day, - When foemen marshall’d in array, - And feuds intestine shall combine - To seal the ruin of our line. - -Our walk has brought us to the lawn in front of the mansion, but before -we enter let us take a glance at the past history of the house and its -possessors. - -Before the days of Duke William, the Norman conqueror, Adlington formed -part of the demesne of the Saxon Earl of Mercia. The name is supposed -by some authorities to be derived from the Saxon words _adeling_ -(noble), and _ton_ (a town), but in the Doomsday Book it is written -Edulvintone, signifying Edwin’s town, the inference being that Edwin, -then Earl of Mercia, a grandson of Earl Leofric and that fair Lady -Godiva whose memory the good people of Coventry delight to honour, had -a residence here, and this is the more probable origin. The account -in the great Norman survey is summed up in the word “Wasta,” from -which it is clear that the district had at that time been devastated -or laid waste by the invaders, and the reason of this is not far to -seek, though the story is not without a spice of romance. Edwin and -his brother Morcar, Earl of Northumberland, were two of Harold’s chief -generals at the battle of Hastings. Knowing the power and influence -they possessed throughout the country north of the Trent, William set -himself diligently to discover the means of effecting their overthrow. -The Saxons generally were more impassioned than politic, and Edwin, -having conceived an affection for the conqueror’s daughter, Adela, -consented to abdicate his position as a condition of obtaining that -princess’s hand. As far as a Norman word could bind she was given to -him, whereupon he laid down his arms and undertook to pacify and to -bring over to the invader nearly a third of the kingdom. Immediately -he had done so the treacherous William, feeling himself secure, broke -the promise he had given and refused to accept him for his son-in-law. -Stung with the insult thus offered to himself and his house, Edwin -and his brother flew to arms, and roused their countrymen into open -revolt. The brave Saxons entered into a solemn league and covenant to -expel the foreigners from their soil, or perish in the attempt. Famine, -pestilence, and war did their worst. The Normans devoted themselves -on the one hand to havoc, ruin, and desolation; while on the other, -the outraged Saxons dealt death around them wherever they had the -power. The foreigner was bent upon extermination, and between him and -the native Saxon no intercourse existed save that of revenge and a -rivalry as to which should inflict the greatest amount of injury upon -the other. As a consequence, the country was drenched with slaughter -and made the scene of violation, rapine, and murder. In the bloody -conflict no place suffered more than this part of Cheshire, the -frequent occurrence of the phrase “Wasta” in the survey evidencing the -destruction accomplished by fire and sword. After fruitless struggles, -Edwin, with a small band of followers, fled towards Scotland, but -being overtaken near the coast he turned upon his pursuers. A fierce -resistance was made, in which he was slain, when his head was cut off -and sent as a trophy to the victorious William, and so perished the -first owner of Adlington of whom history has furnished us with any -particulars. - -On the death of Edwin the manor with other of his possessions were -given by the Conqueror to that pious profligate, Hugh d’Avranches, -surnamed Lupus, whom he had created Palatine Earl of Chester, and -who, being more concerned for the pleasures of the chase than the -cultivation of the soil, appears to have retained Adlington in his own -hands as a hunting seat, for in the Norman Survey it is mentioned as -then having no less than seven “hays” (deer-fences or enclosures in -which deer could be driven) and four aeries of hawks. It remained in -the possession of the Norman earls until the time of John Scot, the -seventh and last, who died without male heirs, when Henry the Third, -with somewhat indistinct ideas with regard to _meum_ and _tuum_, -took the earldom into his own hands, deprived Earl John’s sisters of -their heritage, and so sowed the seeds of discontent that produced a -plentiful crop of troubles for King Henry’s grandson when he succeeded -to the crown. - -Immediately after this high-handed procedure Adlington is found in -the possession of Hugh de Corona, who would appear to have held it -by a grant direct from the Crown, for a Crown rental was payable for -the manor for centuries. He also held the superior lordship of Little -Neston-cum-Hargrave, in the Hundred of Wirral, as well as lands in -Penisby, in the same hundred, formerly belonging to the hospital of St. -John, at Chester. By his wife Amabella, daughter of Thomas de Bamville, -of Storeton, near Chester, he had, in addition to a son, Hugh, two -daughters—Sarah, to whom he gave his lands in Penisby, and Lucy, who -became the wife of Sir William Baggaley, or Baguley, according to the -modern orthography, whose monumental effigy has lately been placed in -the old hall at Baguley.[27] In 1316 Hugh de Corona gave the whole of -his manors of Parva Neston and Hargrave, excepting a third part of the -same held in dower by his wife Lucy, and the tenements held in dower -by Margaret, his mother, to John de Blount, or Blound, citizen of -Chester, in consideration of an annual payment of ten marks; by another -charter, executed about the same time, he granted the reversion of the -said third part to the said John, and in the same year the grantee -was released from the payment of the ten marks, and an amended grant -of the manors “in fee simple” was made to him, with the exception of -the dower estates. On the 15th March, 10 Edward II. (1316-17), Thomas -de Corona appeared in the Exchequer at Chester, and prayed that these -three grants might be enrolled, and they now appear on the Plea Rolls, -together with a separate one granting the reversions. Finally, in the -27 Edward III., Thomas de Corona, the grandson of Hugh, quit-claimed to -John, son of John de Blound, all title to the manors. - -[Note 27: The mutilated effigy of Sir William Baggaley, after being -discarded from the church at Bowdon and lost for several generations, -was, some years ago, discovered by Mr. John Leigh, of Manchester, and -the author, affixed to a wall in the garden of a house at Mill Bank, -Partington, near Warrington. It was subsequently acquired by Mr. T. -W. Tatton, and removed by him to its present position in the hall at -Baguley. An account of it was given in the _Manchester Courier_, March -13, 1866.] - -Having in this way completely alienated the Wirral estates, -Adlington seems to have been made the chief abode of the Coronas. -Lucy, the daughter of Hugh de Corona, who became the wife of Sir -William Baggaley, had a son, John, who died without issue, and two -daughters—Isabel, who married Sir John de Hyde, and Ellen, who -became the wife of John, son of Sir William Venables, of Bradwell, -Knight, younger brother of Sir Hugh Venables, Baron of Kinderton, -but who assumed the surname of Legh, the maiden name of his -mother, Agnes de Legh, as also of the place (High Legh) where he -was born and resided until he became the possessor by purchase of -Knutsford-Booths-cum-Norbury-Booths, from William de Tabley, 28 Edward -I., 1300. - -Hugh de Corona, the second of the name who resided at Adlington, had a -son, John, who inherited the estates, and was in turn succeeded by his -son, Thomas de Corona, who died unmarried in the reign of Edward III., -when the male line of the family became extinct. By a deed executed in -the early part of Edward II.’s reign, this Thomas granted to John de -Venables, _alias_ Legh, and Ellen de Corona, or Baggaley, his wife, all -his part of the manor and village of Adlington, excepting the lands -which Margaret, his mother, and Lucy, the widow of his grandfather, -Hugh de Corona, the second of the name, had in dower; and by another -charter, dated 9 Edward II., he gave to the said John Legh and Ellen, -his wife, all the rest of his lands in Adlington previously held in -dower by his mother and grandmother. Thus John de Legh became lord of -Adlington, and on the paternal, as his wife Agnes de Legh was on the -maternal side, founder of the house of Legh of Adlington, a house that -has held possession of the manor for an uninterrupted period of more -than five centuries and a half. - -John de Legh, who acquired the lordship of Adlington by his marriage -with Agnes de Corona, could boast a lineage as ancient and honourable -as that of the Conqueror himself. When the subjugation of England was -accomplished the Norman invader was enabled to reward his faithful -followers out of the numerous forfeitures that had accrued through -the fruitless insurrections of Earl Edwin and the other Saxon nobles. -Hugh d’Avranches, or Hugh Lupus, as he was more generally designated, -from the wolf’s head which he bore for arms, and which may have been -given as symbolical of his gluttony, a vice Oderic says he was greatly -addicted to, though he does not appear to have been with the invading -army at Hastings, having followed the victor in the succeeding year, -was largely instrumental in establishing William upon the English -throne. In acknowledgment of his services, as well as for his valour in -reducing the Welsh to obedience, he had conferred upon him in 1070 the -whole of the fair county of Cheshire, “to hold of the King as freely -by the sword as the King himself held the realm of England by the -crown”—he was, in fact, a Count-Palatine, and all but a king himself. -Thoroughly appreciating the conditions of his tenure, he, in order the -more effectually to secure it, divided his palatinate into eight or -more baronies, which he distributed among his warlike followers upon -the condition of supporting him with the sword as he was in turn to -support the King. He also established his officers as well as his own -courts of law, in which any offence against the dignity of “the Sword -of Chester” was as cognisable as the like offence would have been at -Westminster against the dignity of the Royal crown.[28] - -[Note 28: The “Sword of Chester” is now preserved in the British -Museum. The last instance of the exercise of the Earl’s privileges was -in 1597 when the Baron of Kinderton’s Court tried and executed Hugh -Stringer for murder.] - -One of the eight barons created by Hugh Lupus was Gilbert, a younger -son of Eudo, Earl of Blois, and a first cousin of the Conqueror. -He was one of the combatants at Hastings, where he received the -honour of knighthood for his valour in the field, and he afterwards -rendered important services against Edgar Atheling, as well as in the -subjugation of the Welsh, for which welcome aid Earl Hugh rewarded him -with considerable estates in the newly-acquired county, and he chose -Kinderton as the seat of his barony. Like his patron, he was devoted -to the pleasure of the chase, and from that circumstance acquired the -name of Venables _(Venator abilis)_, which some of his descendants -have retained to the present day, in the same way that another Norman -chieftain, a nephew of Hugh Lupus, and a mighty hunter withal, took the -name of Grosvenor—Gilbert _Le Gros venor_—which is now perpetuated by -the ducal house of Westminster. - -Gilbert Venables, Baron of Kinderton, who was a widower at the time of -the Norman Conquest, again entered the marriage state, his second wife -being Maud, the daughter of Wlofaith Fitz Ivon, another Norman soldier, -who had the lordship of Halton, near Daresbury, conferred upon him by -the gift of his brother Nigell, Baron of Halton. This lady bore him in -addition to a son, William, who succeeded to the barony of Kinderton, -and a daughter, Amabella, who became the wife of Richard de Davenport, -a second son, Thomas Venables, whose exploits, if that most respectable -authority, tradition, is to be believed, rivalled those of the mythical -champion, St George, and that more modern hero, More of More Hall, who— - - With nothing at all, - Slew the Dragon of Wantley. - -Here is the story as veraciously recorded by an ancient chronicler -in the Harleian MSS. (No. 2,119, art. 36) In the time of this Thomas -Venables, it says, “Yt chaunced a terrible dragon to remayne and -make his abode in the lordshippe of Moston, in the sayde countye of -Chester, where he devowred all such p’sons as he lay’d hold on, which -ye said Thomas Venables heringe tell of, consyderinge the pittyfull and -dayly dystruction of the people w’thowte recov’ie who in followinge th’ -example of the valiante Romaynes and other worthie men, not regarding -his own life, in comparison of the commoditie and safeguard of his -countrymen, dyd in his awne p’son valiantlie and courragiouslie set on -the saide dragon, where firste he shotte hym throwe with an arrowe, and -afterward with other weapons manfullie slew him, at which instant tyme -the sayd dragon was devowringe of a child. For which worthy and valiant -act was given him the Lordshippe of Moston by the auncestors of the -Earle of Oxford, Lord of the Fee there. And alsoe ever since the said -Thomas Venables and his heires, in remembrance thereof, have used to -bear, as well in theire armes, as in their crest, a dragon.”[29] The -old chronicler has omitted to give us a description of this wonderful -creature, but doubtless it bore a close resemblance to the monster of -Wantley, whose appearance is thus pourtrayed in the “Percy Reliques”:— - - This Dragon had two furious Wings, - Each one upon each Shoulder, - With a sting in his Tayl - As long as a Flayl, - Which made him bolder and bolder. - He had long Claws, - And in his Jaws, - Four and Forty Teeth of Iron, - With a Hide as Tough as any Buff, - Which did him round Inviron. - - Have you not heard that the Trojan Horse - Held seventy men in his Belly! - This Dragon was not quite so big, - But very near, I’ll tell ye. - Devour did he, - Poor children Three, - That could not with him grapple; - And at one Sup - He eat them up, - As one should eat an Apple. - -[Note 29: The Venables, Barons of Kinderton, bore for their crest a -wivern (_i.e._, dragon), with wings endorsed, gules, standing on a fish -weir, or trap, devour-a child, and pierced through the neck with an -arrow, all ppr.] - -The sixth in direct descent from the first Baron of Kinderton was Sir -William Venables, who, by his wife Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas -Dutton of Dutton, had two sons, Sir Hugh, who inherited the barony, and -Sir William, to whom his father gave the lordship of Bradwall, near -Sandbach. This William was twice married, his second wife being Agnes, -daughter and heir of Richard de Legh, of the West Hall, near Knutsford, -and the widow of Richard de Lymme. By her he had John Venables, who, as -previously stated, assumed his mother’s maiden name of Legh. He became -the owner by purchase of Norbury Booths, and married some time previous -to 1315 Ellen de Corona, who inherited the Adlington estates under the -settlement of her grand-nephew, Thomas de Corona. Four sons were born -of this marriage, three of whom became the founders of distinct houses: -John, ancestor of the Leghs of Booths; Robert, to whom, at the death of -his mother in 1352, the manor of Adlington reverted under the Corona -settlement, and who thus became progenitor of the Leghs of Adlington, -Lyme, Ridge, Stoneleigh, Stockwell, &c.; William, founder of the line -of Isall in Cumberland, and from whom descended Sir William Legh, -Bart., Lord Chief Justice of England; and Peter de Legh, who in right -of his wife Ellen, daughter and heir of Philip de Bechton, acquired -the Bechton estates, which were in turn conveyed by his two daughters, -Margaret and Elizabeth, to their respective husbands, Thomas Fitton, of -Gawsworth, and John de Davenport, of Henbury. - -Robert de Legh, who succeeded to the manor of Adlington on the death -of his mother in 1352, had a commission as a justice in eyre for -Macclesfield, and was also appointed a steward of the manor and forest -of Macclesfield. He was twice married, his first wife being Sibilla, -the daughter of Henry de Honford, of Honford (Handforth), by whom he -had, in addition to two daughters, Robert, who succeeded as heir to the -Adlington estates, and Hugh, who predeceased him. His second wife was -Maud, the daughter and heir of Adam de Norley of Northleigh, of the -manor of that name, near Wigan, Knight. This lady, who is said to have -been his second cousin, and very young at the time of her marriage, -bore him two sons in his old age, Peter or Piers, and John. Peter, who -was born about the year 1361, married in 1388, Margaret, the daughter -and heiress of that famous Cheshire hero, Sir Thomas d’Anyers, who -distinguished himself at the battle of Crescy[30] by taking prisoner -the Count de Tankerville, chamberlain to the King of France, and -rescuing the standard of the Black Prince when it was in danger of -being captured, in acknowledgment of which services his daughter -afterwards received a Royal grant of the manor of Lyme Handley, and, -with her husband, became progenitor of the Leghs of Lyme and the Leghs -of Ridge. John de Legh, the younger son by the second marriage, was -keeper of Macclesfield Park prior to 1395, and was sometimes designated -John de Macclesfield. He was living in 1399, and had issue. - -[Note 30: It has been frequently stated that Peter Legh, the first of -Lyme, also fought at Crescy; but he was not born until fifteen years -after that famous victory.] - -Robert de Legh died at Macclesfield, about the year 1370. Before his -death his wife Maud, who survived, conveyed to him all her estates -in trust for their son, Piers Legh, who, at the time of his father’s -death, was a child of nine years. Six years after the death of Sir -Robert the name of his widow was unpleasantly associated with a charge -of fraud, as appears by the Chamberlain’s accounts at Chester, she -being indicted with one Thomas le Par, who possibly may have been more -active in the matter than herself, with fabricating, in the name of -Adam de Kingsley, the trustee, a false settlement of the Broome estates -within Lymm in fraud of the heir and in favour of her youngest son, -John, and his heirs male; and with having, through such false charter, -unjustly retained possession of the land for six years after her -husband’s death. The issue of the indictment is not recorded; but it -is clear that if she had succeeded her act would have given to her son -John a considerable estate, to the disadvantage of his elder brother. - -Robert de Legh, who inherited the manor of Adlington on the death -of his father, _circa_ 1370, was, in 1358, in the retinue of Edward -the Black Prince in the war in Gascony; and there is an entry in the -Palatinate Rolls at Chester that he, with William de Bostock and -Hugh, son of Thomas le Smyth, of Mottram, entered into a recognisance -indemnifying the chamberlain for any moneys that might be due to two of -the Cheshire archers who were serving under him while with the prince. -In 1360-61, as appears by the Recognisance Rolls, he had granted to -him the custody of the lands in Cheshire lately belonging to Henry de -Honford, then deceased, with the wardship and marriage of his daughter -and heiress, Katherine. In 1382, Joan, Princess of Wales, the widow -of the Black Prince, and the once “Fair Maid of Kent,” gave to him -and William del Dounes a lease for twelve years of her part of the -town of Bollington, with the water-mill there, on a payment of eight -marks yearly. He appears to have succeeded his father in the office -of bailiff of the manor of Macclesfield, and to have held it until -1382, when his half-brothers, Peter and John, were appointed in his -stead. He died on the 9th November, 1382, leaving by his wife Matilda, -daughter of Sir John Arderne, of Aldford, Knight, a son, Robert, born -at Roter-le-Hay, and baptised at Audlem on the 2nd March, 1361-2, and -then aged 20; and two daughters—Margery, who became the wife of Thomas -de Davenport, of Henbury, and Katherine, who married Reginald Downes. - -Robert de Legh made proof of age on the 3rd March, 1382-3. On the 13th -May following he had livery of his father’s lands, and on the 18th June -he had also, as heir of his mother, livery of what pertained to her as -one of the heirs of Alina, daughter of Robert Daa, whose lands were -then in the king’s hands. In 1385, or thereabouts, he married Isabel, -daughter and heir of Sir Thomas de Belgrave, Knight, who brought him -the manor of Belgrave, with several other estates in Cheshire and -Flintshire. With these, and the lands in Hyde, Stockport, Romiley, -and Etchells, the inheritance of his mother, the influence and social -importance of the family were largely increased, while Robert de Legh -himself, by the active part he took in the service of his country, -as well as in the administration of the affairs of his own county, -attained to considerable distinction, and well sustained the honour and -dignity of his house. In July, 1385, shortly after his marriage, he had -protection of his lands guaranteed to him on his departure to Scotland -in the King’s service, the occasion being the expedition headed by -Richard in person, following upon the invasion of John of Gaunt, which, -however, terminated without any trial of strength in battle, for while -the English army proceeded northwards, took Edinburgh, and marched -towards Aberdeen, wasting the country as it advanced, the Scotch, -with their French allies, in turn entered Cumberland and Westmorland, -burning and plundering as they went on every side. In the succeeding -year Robert de Legh had the honour of knighthood conferred upon him, -and shortly after (September 26, 1386), on the threatening of a French -invasion, he, with Robert de Grosvenor, Knight, Reginald del Dounes, -and William de Shore, had protection granted on his departure for -the coast, there to stay for the safe custody of those parts and the -defence of the realm. In 1389 a contention arose between Sir Robert and -his kinsmen Peter, of Lyme, and John, his brother, a renewal probably -of a former dispute, touching the manner in which they should discharge -their several offices within the hundred of Macclesfield, when Sir -Robert with his sureties entered into recognisances to the King for one -thousand marks, to keep the peace towards Peter and John Legh, they at -the same time entering into counter-recognisances of the same amount -to keep the peace towards Sir Robert. He and Peter de Legh, of Lyme, -having been entrusted with the custody of John, the son and heir of -William Launcelyn, during his minority, an order was made to them in -1392, as appears by the Recognisance Rolls, to deliver possession of -all his inheritance to the said John on his making proof of age; at -the same time a like order was made with reference to Thomas, son and -heir of William Voil, who, while under age, had been in their custody, -and in the same year a commission was issued to Sir Robert, jointly -with Peter Legh, to arrest all malefactors and disturbers of the peace -within the hundred of Macclesfield. On the 12th October, 1393, John -de Massey, of Tatton, Sheriff of Cheshire, having been attainted, a -commission was issued to Sir Robert Legh and others, directing them to -arrest him and Thomas Talbot, Knight, and convey them to the castle -of Chester, and two days afterwards another commission was issued -appointing Sir Robert de Legh sheriff of the county during pleasure, -in the place of Massey. In 1394, when Richard the Second proceeded -to Ireland to quell the revolt which had broken out among the native -chiefs, taking with him four thousand knights, and thirty thousand -archers, including many of the noted Cheshire bowmen, we find Sir -Robert Legh, of Adlington, accompanying him, he being in the train of -Thomas, Earl of Nottingham; before his departure license was given to -William de Shore, William de Prydyn (afterwards rector of Gawsworth), -and Henry Marchall, to act as his attorneys during his absence. On the -23rd September, 1396, a commission was issued appointing him one of the -King’s justices for the three hundreds of the eyre of Macclesfield; -on the 12th February following he was a second time made Sheriff of -Cheshire; six months later (August 20th, 1397) he had a grant of an -annuity of £40, the King retaining him in his service for life; and -as a further mark of his sovereign’s favour he had conferred upon him -on the 4th October following the office of Constable of the Castle of -Oswaldestre (Oswestry) for life, with £10 yearly and the accustomed -fees. In 1398 he was again named one of the justices for the three -hundreds of the eyre at Macclesfield, and on the 20th August in the -following year, when the banished Bolingbroke, taking advantage of -the King’s absence in Ireland, had returned to England, raised the -standard of insurrection, and eventually compelled the humbled and -wretched Richard to renounce the crown, John de Legh, of Booths, one -of the seven gallant Cheshire men who had met the King on his landing -in Wales, submitted himself to the usurper, when Sir Robert de Legh of -Adlington and Sir John Stanley became sureties in £200 for his good -behaviour. Unlike his relative of Lyme, Peter Legh, who remained true -to his sovereign to the last, and at Chester sealed his loyalty with -his life, as his monumental inscription in Macclesfield old church -still testifies, and whose name Daniel thus perpetuates— - - Nor thou, magnanimous Legh, must not be left - In darkness, for thy rare fidelity— - To save thy faith—content to lose thy head, - That reverent head, of good men honoured— - -Sir Robert of Adlington elected to join the winning side, and repaired -to Shrewsbury, where he made his submission to the victorious -Bolingbroke, and afterwards joined with Sir James Booth and other -Cheshire men in furthering his cause. In this it must be admitted the -lord of Adlington showed as little gratitude as loyalty, for it was -only a few short months before that he had been retained and pensioned -by the king, and made constable or keeper for life of Oswestry Castle, -with an adequate salary; and had, moreover, been honoured in receiving -his sovereign as his guest during the sitting of the Parliament at -Shrewsbury, the occasion being the memorable one when Bolingbroke -charged the Duke of Norfolk with treason to his liege lord the king. -After Richard’s deposition and the accession of Bolingbroke as Henry -IV., Sir Robert was made one of the conservators of the peace for the -hundred of Macclesfield, and about the same time had a confirmation -of the letters of the 20th August, 1397, granting him the annuity of -£40 for life. Hugh le Despencer, Knt., having in 1401 been appointed -steward of Macclesfield, and surveyor, keeper, and master of the -forests of Macclesfield and Mara, and all other of the Prince’s forests -in Cheshire for life, Sir Robert de Legh was appointed by him to act -as his deputy. In the follow-year (Oct 16, 1402) he was again named one -of the justices for the three hundreds of the eyre at Macclesfield, -and at the same time a commission was issued to him and the other -justices, directing them to inquire into the doings of certain -malefactors and disturbers of the peace in the hundred of Macclesfield -of whose enormities the Prince (as Earl of Chester) had been informed. -After the battle of Shrewsbury, in which the valorous Hotspur lost -his life, Henry, who had found the throne of an usurper only a bed of -thorns, had to direct his arms against the obnoxious Glendower, and -the young Prince of Wales, then only seventeen years of age, who was -appointed to head the expedition, issued his precept (11th January, -1403-4) to Sir Robert Legh and others “to hasten to his possessions -on the Marches of Wales, there to make defence against the coming of -Owen Glendower, according to an order in council, enacting that, on -the occasion of war against the King and the kingdom of England, all -those holding possessions on the Marches nearest to the enemy should -reside on the same for the defence of the realm.” This order, however, -would seem to have been countermanded, for in an old MS. account of -the family, beautifully written on vellum, and still preserved at -Adlington, it is stated that on the breaking out of the revolt in -the north of England, when the Earl of Northumberland, the Earl of -Nottingham, Lord Bardolf, and Scrope, Archbishop of York, confederated -to place the Earl of March on the throne, Sir Robert Legh received a -summons from the Prince of Wales, as Earl of Chester, countermanding -one previously issued, and “requiring him to attend him (the Prince) -in person at Warrington on Thursday the next, or on Friday at Preston, -or on Saturday at Skipton-in-Craven, with 100 defensible, honest, able -bowmen, in good array for war, to go with him thence to his father the -King, then on his journey to Pontefract.” This was on the 26th May, 6 -Henry IV. (1405), and it is the last occasion on which Sir Robert’s -name occurs in connection with any important movement, for three years -later (August, 1408) he brought to a close a short but very active and -eventful life, being then only forty-seven years of age. - -Sir Robert Legh, of Adlington, made his will on the 9th August, 1408, -and he must then have been _in extremis_, for he died before the 18th, -and was buried, in accordance with his expressed desire, in the Church -of St. Mary de la Pree, near Northampton. Among other things, he -directed the payment of 14 marks (£9 6s. 8d.) to a priest celebrating -in the church of Prestbury for two years—probably the priest serving -at one of the chantry altars there. The inquisition taken after his -death is interesting as showing the extent of the family possessions -at that time. They included the whole of the manor of Adlington, a -moiety of the manor of Hyde, the manor of Belgrave, 40 acres of land -in Eccleston, 12 messuages and 20 acres of land in Stockport, three -messuages and 20 acres of land in Romiley, one messuage and 20 acres -of land in Cheadle, one messuage in Macclesfield, one messuage and -three acres of land in Rainow within the forest of Macclesfield, two -messuages and two acres of land in Bollington, one messuage and 10 -acres of land in Budworth, in the Fryth (the forest of Delamere), one -messuage and 10 acres of land in Tyresford, two messuages and two -acres of land in Kelsall, one messuage and 20 acres of land in Legh, -four salt pits, four shops and land in Northwich, three messuages in -Chester, one messuage and 20 acres of land in Warford, two messuages -and 40 acres of land in Mottram Andrew, one messuage and 20 acres of -land in Fulshaw, and the third part of one messuage and two acres of -land in Mottram-in-Longdendale. By his wife, Elizabeth Belgrave, he -had two sons—Robert, who inherited Adlington, and Reginald, of Mottram -Andrew, who built the tower and south porch of Prestbury church, as -the inscription on his sepulchral slab in the chancel there, which -may still be seen, testifies,[31] and two daughters. The name of his -second wife is not known with certainty, but she did not long wear the -trappings of widowhood, for on the 28th February, 1409-10, as appears -by an enrolment on the Recognisance Rolls in the Record Office, she had -a pardon granted to her for marrying Richard de Clyderhow without the -licence of the Earl of Chester. - -[Note 31: It is somewhat remarkable that though the Leghs have been -settled in the parish for more than five centuries, and have been -patrons of the church for many generations, there is not a single -monumental inscription or other memorial of them in the church, -excepting that of Reginald Legh, of an earlier date than the one of -Charles Legh, who died in 1781.] - -Robert Legh, who succeeded as lord of Adlington, though he was only -twenty-two years of age at the time of his father’s death, did not long -enjoy possession of the property. Dr. Renaud, relying apparently on the -MS. at Adlington, says that he died in 1410, but this statement, as we -shall hereafter see, is inaccurate. Shortly after he entered upon his -inheritance, a dispute arose between him and the Grosvenors, of Eaton, -touching their respective rights to certain lands at Pulford and other -places in the neighbourhood of Chester, under the settlement of Robert -Legh’s maternal grandfather, Thomas de Belgrave, and his wife, who was -heiress of Pulford. Eventually the two disputants, with their relations -and friends, on the 14th April, 1412, repaired to the “Chapel” at -Macclesfield—the old church of St Michael—when a very remarkable -ceremony took place, which is thus recorded in the pages of Ormerod:— - - A series of deeds relating to these lands having been publicly - read in the chapel, it was stated that Sir Robert de Legh, Isabel, - his wife, and Robert de Legh, their son and heir, having claimed - them, it had been agreed, in order to settle their differences, - that Sir Thomas Grosvenor should take a solemn oath on the body of - Christ, in the presence of 24 gentlemen, or as many as he wished. - Accordingly Robert del Birches, the Chaplain, whom Robert de Legh - had brought with him, celebrated a mass of the Holy Trinity, and - consecrated the Host, and after the mass, having arrayed himself - in his alb, with the amice, the stole, and the maniple, held - forth the Host before the altar, whereupon Sir Thomas Grosvenor - knelt down before him whilst the settlements were again read by - James Holt, counsel of Robert de Legh, and then he swore upon the - body of Christ that he believed in the truth of these charters. - Immediately after this Sir Lawrence de Merbury, sheriff of the - county, and 57 other principal knights and gentlemen of Cheshire - affirmed themselves singly to be witnesses of this oath, all - elevating their hands at the same time towards the Host. This - first part of the ceremony concluded with Sir Thomas Grosvenor - receiving the sacrament, and Robert Legh and Sir Thomas kissing - each other in confirmation of the aforesaid agreement. Immediately - after this, Sir Robert publicly acknowledged the right to all - the said lands was vested in Sir Thomas Grosvenor and his heirs, - and an instrument to that effect was accordingly drawn up by - the notary, Roger Salghall, in the presence of the clergy then - present, and attested by the seals and signatures of the 58 - knights and gentlemen. - -The historian of Cheshire, in commenting upon the pomp and circumstance -attending the settlement of this family dispute, remarks: “Seldom will -the reader find a more goodly group collected together, nor will he -easily devise a ceremony which will assort better with the romantic -spirit of the time, and which thus turned a dry legal conveyance into -an exhibition of chivalrous pageantry.” - -Robert Legh inherited the martial spirit of his father, and was not -long, after he had succeeded to the estates, in seeking an opportunity -to display his prowess. In 1415, Henry V., having revived the old claim -to the crown of France, determined upon an invasion of the French -King’s dominions, whereupon Robert Legh engaged himself to join in -the expedition, and accordingly, on the 18th July, protection of his -lands whilst abroad in the retinue of the King was granted him. The -force mustered at Southampton early in August, and on the 11th of the -month the fleet, consisting of 1,400 vessels, with 6,000 men-at-arms -and 24,000 archers, an army of picked men, strong of limb and stout of -heart, caring little for the abstract justice of the cause for which -they were to fight, content to know that they would receive their due -share of the “_gaignes de guerres_,” set sail. On the 14th, the force— - - A city on the inconstant billows dancing, - -arrived in the Seine, and landed near the fortified town of Harfleur, -which surrendered on the 22nd September. Henry’s army had, however, -to contend with a more powerful foe than the French. Disease made -frightful ravages in his camp, the poisonous miasma of the marshes of -Harfleur carrying off in those few weeks fully five thousand of the -besiegers. On the 7th October the remnant of the army advanced, and on -the 25th the splendid victory of Agincourt was achieved. Robert Legh, -however, was not permitted to share in the glories of that memorable -day, he having died of the pestilence five days after the surrender -of Harfleur, and an inquisition by virtue of a writ of _diem clausit -extremum_, dated 16th October, 1415, was taken. - -He was succeeded by his only son, also named Robert, who, though then -only five years of age, boasted the possession of a wife, he having, -in accordance with the fashion of the time, and well nigh before he -could quit his cradle, been wedded to Isabel, one of the daughters of -Sir John Savage, of Clifton, Knight, who was entrusted with the custody -of his lands during his minority. On the 16th October, 3 and 4 Henry -V. (1416), Robert Legh’s young widow petitioned for and had livery of -dower, and shortly after she became the wife of William Honford, of -Chorley, a younger brother of Sir John de Honford, of Handforth. - -On the 4th May, 1431, Robert Legh made proof of age, when his mother’s -second husband, William Honford, “aged 60 and upwards,” was one of the -witnesses, and testified “that the said Robert was born at Adlynton, -and baptized in the church at Prestbury, the Tuesday on the feast of -the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (March 25, 1410), and was -aged 21 on the feast of the Invention of the Holy Cross (May 3) then -last past; and that he, William, was present at Prestbury the day when -Robert Hyde, his godfather, came to the church at Prestbury with the -said Robert.” (Earwaker.) - -The name of Robert Legh appears among those who on the 3rd March, -1435-6, were summoned to attend the Council of the boy King Henry VI. -at Chester, when he and the others then assembled, in the name of the -whole community of the county of Chester, granted to the King a subsidy -of 1,000 marks (£666 13s. 4d.); and on the 28th May, in the same year, -he with Robert de Honford, Knight, Robert Massy of Godley, and John -Pygot were appointed collectors of the subsidy within the hundred -of Macclesfield. In March, 1441-2, a further subsidy of 3,000 marks -(£2,000) having been granted by the county, Robert Legh was again -deputed, with the others named, to collect the same within the hundred. - -In the MS. account of the Legh family, preserved at Adlington, and -to which reference has already been made, it is said that, in 1447, -Robert de Legh obtained a licence from the Bishop of Coventry “to keep -a chaplain to perform mass and other divine offices in any of his -manor houses within the diocese for the term of thirty years, without -prejudice to the curate of the place, on which licence a domestic -chapel was built at Adlington.” The chapel thus erected stood in the -park, within a few hundred yards of the front of the present mansion, -and on the site known at the present day by the name of the Chapel -Field. - -The first connection of the Leghs with the manor of Prestbury dates -from 1448, when the manor with the great and small tithes, which had -previously been leased to the Pigots, of Butley, were demised by -the Abbot of St Werburgh’s, Chester, to Robert Legh for thirty-nine -years, together with the Heybirches and Ewood, and also the advowson -of the church of Prestbury, and all other rights and appurtenances -belonging to it and the manor, the vicar’s endowment excepted—one -of the conditions being that the lessee should provide a fit and -proper chaplain to celebrate divine service in the chapel of Poynton, -within the parish of Prestbury, during the continuance of the lease, -a condition, however, that was not always observed, for in 1500 the -tithes of Poynton were sequestrated in consequence of the omission or -neglect to fulfil the condition named. Some dispute having subsequently -arisen, a new lease was granted in 1461, which was renewed in 1493. -This last expired in 1524, and in the year following another lease -was granted for forty years. On the 9th March, 1462 (2 Edward IV.), -the King, as Earl of Chester, granted to Robert Legh a licence to -enclose and impark a certain wood called Whiteley Hay and Adlington -Wood, and also a place called Whiteley Green, with liberty to hold the -park so enclosed and imparked to him and his heirs for ever. The place -remained enclosed until the early part of the last century, when it -was disparked, and a tract of land more conveniently near the hall -applied to the purpose. In 1478 his mother, Matilda, who had survived -her first husband sixty-three years, and had also outlived her second -husband, William de Honford, died. She must have been very old, for -in the inquisition taken after her death her son Robert was said to -be sixty-eight years of age. He had livery of the lands held by her -in dower, but did not long enjoy possession of them, for his death -occurred on the 21st January following. As already stated, he had been -married in his infancy to Isabella, daughter of Sir John Savage, of -Clifton. This lady predeceased him, and he afterwards married Isabella, -a daughter of Sir William Stanley, of Stanley, Stourton, and Hooton, -who, according to the Adlington MS., was within the prohibited degrees, -being of the blood of his first wife, and, consequently, it was thought -prudent, if not indeed necessary, to make the marriage valid, to obtain -a dispensation from the Pope. - -On the death of Robert Legh, his eldest son, who bore the same name, -and who was then fifty years of age, and married to Ellen, daughter -of Sir Robert Booth, of Dunham Massey, Knight, succeeded to the -patrimonial lands. Two years afterwards, a quarrel having arisen -between Edward IV. and James III. of Scotland, which resulted in the -breaking off of the marriage treaty between the English Princess Cicely -and the son of the Scottish King, and the resumption of hostilities -between the two countries, a commission was issued (November 18, 1480) -to Robert Legh, and other persons therein named, requiring them to -array the fencible men of the hundred before the Christmas following, -and to command the same to be in readiness in warlike attire to attend -upon the Earl of Chester on three days’ notice; and on the 15th January -following another commission was issued to the same persons, requiring -them to communicate with the gentlemen of the hundred to determine the -number of horsemen, with their harness, that could be raised in their -households, and to make a return before the Wednesday next before the -Feast of the Purification. A third commission was issued to them in -May, 1481, to array the fencible men of the hundred between the ages of -sixteen and sixty, and to appoint a certain day for the same to depart -“_pro viagio dicti partes nostri versus partes socie_.” Mr. Earwaker -cites a deed from which it appears that on the 6th December, 1483, John -Legh, a younger brother of Robert, a priest in orders, and then rector -of Rostherne, and Douce or Dulcia, his sister, granted to the said -Robert all their right and title to the manor and church of Prestbury. - -The fierce struggle of the Red and White Roses destroyed the power and -weakened the influence of the English nobility and their feudatory -chiefs by sweeping away the heads of the principal families. Their sun -went down when the stout Earl of Warwick, the renowned “King-maker,” -lay weltering in his gore upon the field at Barnet; Tewkesbury -extinguished their hopes; and the fight at Bosworth ended a contest -which, in the field and on the scaffold, had cost the lives of more -than sixty princes of the royal family, above one-half of the nobles -and principal gentlemen, and above a hundred thousand of the common -people of England. Fortunately for themselves, the lords of Adlington -passed harmless through that eventful period. It does not appear that -Robert Legh took any very active part in the protracted struggle -between the rival houses of York and Lancaster. The Lyme Leghs had -plucked the “pale and maiden blossom” and given their verdict “on the -White Rose side,” but there is reason to believe that, in the closing -years of his life at least, the sympathies of Robert Legh were on the -side of the Red Rose of Lancaster. It may be that, like the kinsmen of -his father’s second wife, the Stanleys of Lancashire, he believed that -to be “the true policy which had the most success,” and, like them, -have been a faithful adherent of the party of “good luck.” Certain it -is that the great and exhausting quarrel between these rival houses, -which brought death and destruction to so many an English home, left -his house with unimpaired estates and undiminished power; but he -did not long survive the close of that unhappy struggle, his death -occurring on the 8th December, 1486, when he must have been sixty-eight -years of age. By his wife, whom he predeceased, and who died in 1504, -he had Thomas Legh, who succeeded as his heir, four younger sons, and -one daughter. - -Thomas Legh was thirty-five years of age when he entered upon his -inheritance, and he had then been married about seven years, his wife -being Katharine, daughter of Sir John Savage, of Clifton, and sister of -Thomas Savage, Archbishop of York, the founder of the Savage chantry in -Macclesfield church, and of Ellen Savage, who married Sir Piers Legh, -of Lyme. - -Two years after the victory at Bosworth, which gave the crown of -England to Henry of Richmond, a desperate effort was made by the -friends of the fallen tyrant, Richard III., to secure the throne for -the impostor Lambert Simnel, and when the new King’s crown was in peril -at the battle of Stokefield, Thomas Legh’s relative, Piers Legh, of -Lyme, drew his sword and fought valiantly to defend it. In November of -that year (1487) a subsidy was voted to the King by his loyal subjects -in the county of Chester, and the name of Thomas Legh, of Adlington, -occurs _inter alia_ among those authorised to collect the portion due -from the hundred of Macclesfield. - -In 1498 he obtained a licence from the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry -to have mass and other divine offices performed by a fit chaplain in -the chapel situated within his manor of Adlington—a renewal, it would -seem, of the privilege conceded to his grandfather, Robert Legh, in -1447. When Henry’s eldest son, Arthur, Prince of Wales, succeeded to -the earldom, he was at great pains to guard against any encroachment -affecting the “sword and dignity of Chester,” and with that object -made a searching inquiry as to the authority in which many of his -feudatories exercised their privileges. Among them Thomas Legh, in -1499-1500, had a _quo warranto_, requiring him to show cause why he -claimed to have a park at Whiteley Hay and to hold a court-leet, &c. He -replied, setting forth the grant made by Edward IV. to his grandfather; -he further pleaded right of free-warren in all his Cheshire -possessions, and claimed the assize of bread and ale, the punishing of -scolds by the cucking-stool, of bakers by amercement or the pillory, -and brewers by judgment of the tumbrell, and to have amercements and -fines for trespasses, offences, and effusions of blood in affrays -presented within the leet to be assessed by the jury. The answer must -have been deemed satisfactory, for no further action appears to have -been taken against him in the Earl’s court. - -If we may judge from some of the enrolments on the Recognisance Rolls, -Thomas Legh must have been a somewhat turbulent subject, and have been -frequently at variance with his neighbours and friends. Impatient -of the dilatory and uncertain processes of the law, he sometimes -had recourse to the simpler and less tardy method of taking the -adjustment of his differences into his own hands, a mode of procedure -that occasionally brought him into trouble, and subjected him to the -inconvenience of having to find sureties for his good behaviour. -He oftentimes appeared in the legal arena, and not unfrequently -his quarrels were with his wife’s father, Sir John Savage, who was -then residing at the park at Macclesfield, the custody of which had -been granted him by King Henry in acknowledgment of his services at -Bosworth. Thus, on the 14th November, 1488, he was required to enter -into a recognisance of 1,000 marks that he and all his children and -servants would keep the peace towards Sir John Savage, sen., knight, -and on the same day he entered into another recognisance of the like -amount that he, his children, and servants would keep the peace towards -Nicholas Davenport, of Woodford, and his servants. On the 28th April, -1489, he again gave sureties in two sums of 1,000 marks each that -he would keep the peace towards his father-in-law, Sir John Savage, -his children, and servants, and Nicholas Davenport, of Woodford, -his children, and servants, and at the same time he entered into a -further recognisance of £200 to keep the peace towards Hamo Ashley, -Esq. Whatever may have been the cause of the difference with his -father-in-law, it was a long time before the variance was composed, for -on the 20th April, 1490, he again appeared in the law courts, when he -was required to find sureties in 1,000 marks to keep the peace towards -him. On the 11th May, 1495, he and his brother, John Legh, of Lawton, -entered into recognisances of 1,000 marks each to abide the award of -Hamnet Massy and others named, touching all disputes between the two -brothers and Nicholas Davenport and William Honford, of Davenport -and Honford, at the same time entering into recognisances for the -same amounts. The arbitration must have been very protracted, for -the recognisances and counter recognisances were renewed on the 12th -April, 1496, again on 9th September in the same year, and a third time -on the 19th June, 1498. On the 8th June, 1501, Thomas Legh was again -required to give sureties, this time in £100, to keep the peace towards -John Carter and Robert Rokeley; and on the 19th September, 1502, he -entered into recognisances of £100 to keep the peace towards Richard -Phillips, chaplain. He either lacked prudence, or his neighbours must -have been more than ordinarily litigious, for it was not long before -he was again involved in a suit, this time at the instance of Robert -Walls, the representative of a family located at Adlington. He appears -to have been then outlawed in error, for on the 5th March, 1st and 2nd -Henry VIII., proceedings were taken against Roger Downes and others for -restitution of goods seized under the outlawry. In July of the same -year he entered into recognisances to the Earl of Chester to keep the -peace towards his neighbour, Sir John Warren, of Poynton. - -In the Calendar of Warrants, removed from Chester to the Public Record -Office, London, there is one dated at Ludlow Castle, 1st April, 12th -Henry VII., 1497, appointing the Bishop of Lincoln, the Bishop of -Lichfield and Coventry, and others named, a commission to levy money -in the counties of Chester and Flint, to aid the King in repelling the -unprovoked invasion of James IV. of Scotland, who, in violation of -the treaty of 1493, had raised an army in support of Perkin Warbeck -and crossed the borders, spoiling and plundering the country. The -Parliament which assembled at Westminster in January of that year had -granted him £120,000 under certain restrictions, and on the 6th April, -Thomas Legh, and other loyal men of Cheshire, assembled at Chester, -and in the name of the county granted him a further sum of 1,000 marks. -Four days later a commission was issued to Thomas Legh and others to -array the fencible men of the hundred before the 1st May following, for -the purpose of aiding in the war against the Scotch. Henry VII., in the -indulgence of his inordinate passion for money, had frequent recourse -to a system of benevolences or contributions, apparently voluntary, -though, in fact, extorted from his wealthier subjects, and also to -the granting of subsidies—“reasonable aids,” as they were called. In -1501, on the occasion of the marriage of Arthur, Prince of Wales, with -Katharine of Arragon, afterwards the unhappy queen of Henry VIII., -a subsidy was granted by the county of Chester, and Thomas Legh was -appointed with others to collect the portion due from his own hundred. - -When Henry of Richmond came out of the field of Bosworth a victor -it was to rule over a nation weak and impoverished, and bleeding at -every vein. The sword had vied with the axe, and the nobles had shown -themselves too powerful for the comfort or security of the monarch. -To destroy their influence the King determined upon the suppression -of their retainers—virtually the rent of the lands granted in -knights’ service, thus freeing their properties from the burden of -supplying the armies of the State. In this way peace and good order -were re-established, and an end put to those intestine wars which had -well-nigh exhausted the country. Though the Leghs had not suffered -to any appreciable extent from these internal broils, it is more -than probable that less attention had been paid to their ancestral -home than would have been the case had public affairs been in a more -settled state. With the return to a more peaceful order of things they -had leisure to add to the beauty and convenience of their permanent -home. Architecture marks the growth and development of human society, -and the progress of refinement as well as the changes society had -undergone rendered alterations at Adlington necessary for the comfort -and convenience of the inmates. Thomas Legh, if he did not rebuild the -house, remodelled and greatly enlarged it; and much of the traceried -panel-work forming part of the ancient screen, as well as other carved -work still remaining, was no doubt executed during his time. In -commemoration of his work, he caused his name and that of his wife, -with the date, to be affixed in carved Lombardic letters— - - =Thomas Legh & Catarina Sauage uxor ejus= - =Ao. Doi. Mo cc/ccc Vto R. R. H. bij., xx.= - -The inscription appears over the high-place at the west end of the -great hall, and was probably replaced in the last century during the -occupancy of Charles Legh. - -Thomas Legh died August 8, 1519, leaving, with other issue, a son, -George Legh, then aged 22 years, who succeeded as his heir. - -“Better marry over the mixen than over the moor” has ever been a -favourite proverb with the men of Cheshire; and the heads of the house -of Legh evidently believed in the soundness of the advice it conveyed, -for, from the time their Norman progenitor first settled in the county, -they had been content to mate within their own shire. The first of -the manorial lords of Adlington to depart from this long-established -custom was George Legh, who, in 1523, married the daughter of a -Huntingdonshire squire—Joan, daughter of Peter Larke, and a sister of -that Thomas Larke on whom Cardinal Wolsey had bestowed the rich rectory -of Winwick, in Lancashire—and it can hardly be said that the departure -added much to the reputation of his house, the supposed antecedents of -the lady having given rise to no inconsiderable amount of scandal. It -is said that, previous to her marriage with Thomas Legh, Joan Larke -had been the mistress (not the illegitimate daughter, as a recent -writer has unnecessarily sought to disprove) of Cardinal Wolsey. The -statement is evidently made on the authority of one of the “Articles -of Impeachment” against Wolsey presented to Parliament by a committee -of the House of Lords, December 1, 1529, and quoted in Lord Herbert of -Cherbury’s “Life of Henry VIII.” The story is a curious one, and, if -true, reflects little credit either upon the Cardinal or his frail -companion. The accusation is embodied in the 38th article— - - That the sd Cardinal did call before him Sir Jno. Stanley, kt., - which had taken a farm by convent seal of the Abbot and Convent of - Chester; and afterwards by his power and might, contrary to right, - committed the said Sir Jno. Stanley to the prison of Fleet by the - space of one year, until such time as he compelled the sd Sir Jno. - to release his convent seal to one Leghe, of Adlington, which - married one Lark’s daughter, which woman the sd lord cardinal - kept and had with her two children; whereupon the sd Sir John - Stanley, upon displeasure taken in his heart, made himself monk in - Westminster, and there died. - -The story, it must be confessed, has much improbability about it; -and may, as has been suggested, have been prompted by feelings of -malice against the fallen ecclesiastic. Certain it is, the charge was -not pressed to a direct issue. Whatever may have been the relations -existing between Wolsey and the wife of Thomas Legh, there is no doubt -that in the short interval between the expiry of the lease of the -Prestbury tithes, in 1523-4, and the granting of a new one by the Abbot -of St Werburg, in the following year, a dispute had arisen between -George Legh and Sir John Stanley respecting them. It is not improbable -that the latter had endeavoured to steal a march upon his neighbour by -securing a lease of a portion of them to the disadvantage of the Leghs, -who, as we have seen, had been farmers of the impropriate rectory for a -lengthened period, and that the Cardinal, who is known to have been a -patron of the Larkes, was then appealed to with a view of inducing the -monks of Chester to grant George Legh a renewal of the privileges his -family had so long enjoyed. If so, the appeal was unsuccessful, for in -1524-5 a new lease for forty years was granted, which was subsequently -renewed. - -Sir John Stanley was a natural son of James Stanley, warden of -Manchester, and afterwards Bishop of Ely, a younger son of that Thomas, -Lord Stanley, who placed the crown of the vanquished Richard upon the -head of the victorious Richmond on the field of Bosworth. He commanded -his father’s retainers at the battle of Flodden Field, in 1513, when -his uncle, Sir Edward Stanley, afterwards created Lord Monteagle, led -the forces of Lancashire and Cheshire, and Sir Edmund Savage, mayor of -Macclesfield, and so many of the burgesses of that town were slain; -and on that occasion by his valour in the field won his golden spurs. -He married Margaret, the only daughter and heir of William Honford, of -Honford, by his wife Margaret, daughter of Sir John Savage, and was -consequently closely allied to the Leghs of Adlington. In 1528 he and -his wife prayed for a divorce in order that they might severally devote -themselves to a religious life, and be quit of the world for ever. The -divorce was granted, and he became a monk of Westminster, where he -died; his wife also entered a religious house, but must have abandoned -her intention of becoming a recluse, for she afterwards married Sir -Urian Brereton, by whom she had a family, who through her inherited -the Honford estates. Though Sir John assumed the cowl and tonsure of -a monk, it is hardly credible, even supposing the story of Wolsey’s -arbitrary exercise of power to have been true, that he forsook the -society of his wife, retreated from the world, and disappeared in the -shadow of the cloister “from displeasure taken in his heart” upon a -matter of such comparatively little moment, and occurring four or five -years previously. - -A recent writer, in an account of Adlington, says that Sir John Stanley -“was himself an ecclesiastic and warden of Manchester;” that his claim -“was espoused by the Bishop of Ely, his father;” and that “the battle -seems in reality to have been fought between the powerful Bishop of -Ely on the one hand, and the yet more powerful Cardinal on the other.” -These statements are entirely erroneous. Sir John, in early life, -had embraced the profession of arms; as a soldier he had earned his -knighthood by bravery on the field; and, being married, he would by the -canons of the Church be disqualified from holding an ecclesiastical -preferment, while, as a fact, his father, the Bishop of Ely, had been -in his grave eight or nine years when the dispute respecting the -Prestbury tithes arose. - -George Legh died on the 12th June, 1529, at the early age of -thirty-two. His will was only made on the day preceding his decease, -and the broad lands of Adlington were transmitted to his only son, -Thomas Legh, then an infant two years of age. His wife survived -him, and was remarried to George Paulet, brother of the Marquis of -Winchester, and she with her second husband appear to have resided -at Adlington during the minority of the heir, for in a return of the -clergy serving at the various chapels of ease within the parish of -Prestbury there occurs the name of Sir James Hurst, a stipendiary -priest, paid by George Pollet (Paulet), and apparently serving in -the chapel at Adlington. By an unaccountable error Thomas Legh, of -Adlington, has been confounded with another personage of the same name, -who, as one of the commissioners under Sir Thomas Cromwell, took an -active part in the suppression of the religious houses. The mistake -will be apparent when it is remembered that at the time (1536) that -worthy was denouncing monachism and despoiling the monks of their lands -and houses Thomas Legh, of Adlington, was only in his ninth year, and -before he had attained to manhood the great and lesser monasteries had -been swept away. - -Whilst he was in his minority he had been united in marriage with -one of the younger daughters of the great house of Grosvenor—Mary, -the daughter of Robert Grosvenor, of Eaton, the direct ancestor of -the present Duke of Westminster. It is not known with certainty how -the match was brought about, but in those days the lord of the fee -was entitled to the wardship of the heir, with the right to put up -his or her hand to sale in marriage; and if Richard Grosvenor, as -is not unlikely, had the wardship of the Adlington estates, he may -have thought the alliance a desirable one for a younger member of his -numerous family. It was to avoid the evil arising from this feudal -practice that so many early marriages were in former times resorted -to, parents being oftentimes prompted to seek an eligible match for -their heirs while under age to free them from the exactions and other -consequences of wardship—a circumstance that could have been little -understood by the President Montesquieu, when he cast the sneer upon -our country in saying there was a law in England which permitted girls -of seven years of age to choose their own husbands, and which, he -added, was shocking in two ways, since it had no regard to the time -when nature gives maturity to the understanding, nor to the time when -she gives maturity to the body. Mary Grosvenor survived her husband -and remarried Sir Richard Egerton, of Ridley, Knight, with whom she -appears to have resided at Adlington during the minority of the son by -her first husband. She had the manor and tithes of Prestbury settled -upon her as dower; and in 1558 her second husband is found attending a -meeting in the church at Prestbury, and acting there in the capacity of -warden—an office then held in much higher esteem than at the present -day. The lady deserves to be held in special remembrance by the men -of Cheshire, from the circumstance that she is generally believed to -have superintended the education and taken a kindly interest in the -well-being of a notable Cheshire worthy, who attained the highest -honours of the peerage, Richard Egerton’s base-born son by Alice -Starke, of Bickerton—Thomas Egerton, Viscount Brackley, Lord Keeper and -Chancellor of England, ancestor of the great Duke of Bridgewater, as -well as of the present Earl of Ellesmere—a worthy who, if precluded by -the circumstances of his birth from deriving honour from an illustrious -ancestry, reflected on them, his descendants, and his county the -lustre of a name brighter than any other its annals can boast. It -is pleasant to think that some of the earlier years of the great -Chancellor were spent within the old house at Adlington, and that the -generous-hearted lady to whom he owed so much was not forgotten when -he had attained to distinction, and she in her old age had become the -victim of religious persecution.[32] She died in 1599, having survived -her first husband for the long period of fifty-one years. In her will, -dated 18th October, 1597, she appoints the Lord Keeper Egerton, whom -she designates her “wellbeloved sonne,” one of her executors, and -bequeaths to him “one ringe of Goulde having thereon a Dyamond.” She is -buried at Astbury, where her altar-tomb, with a recumbent effigy upon -the top, may still be seen. - -[Note 32: Lady Egerton, who remained a firm adherent of the ancient -faith, is frequently named in the prosecutions for recusancy under the -severe statutes of Elizabeth, but appeals for mitigation were often and -successfully made through, as would seem, the influence of the Lord -Keeper Egerton.] - -Thomas Legh, the first husband of Mary Grosvenor, did not long enjoy -possession of the ancestral domains, his death occurring at Eaton, May -17, 1548, the year in which he attained his majority. The only issue -by his marriage was a son, Thomas, aged one year at the time of his -death, so that the broad lands of Adlington were once more held in ward -through the infancy of the heir. - -On the 21st April, 1548, three weeks before his death, Thomas Legh -granted to his wife’s eldest brother, Thomas Grosvenor, of Eaton, all -the lands which his family had held in Belgrave from the time of the -marriage of Sir Robert Legh with the heiress of Sir Thomas Belgrave, -_circa_ 1385; and four days later he settled the remainder of his -estates, including “the Hall of Adlington,” in trust for the benefit of -himself and his wife and his heirs in tail male. - -Sir Urian Brereton, who married the widow of Sir John Stanley, the -quondam recluse, seems to have acquired, with the lady, Sir John’s -craving for the Prestbury tithes, for in 1538, during the minority of -Thomas Legh the elder, he obtained from the Abbot of St. Werburg’s, in -the names of himself and John Broughton, the reversion of the lease of -the manor and advowson, to commence on the expiry of the one for 40 -years renewed to George Legh in 1524; and this reversion was afterwards -purchased by Richard and John Grosvenor, the brothers of Mary, the -wife of Thomas Legh, in trust, and to prevent their alienation from -the other Adlington properties. But a great revolution in religious -thought and action was then gradually gaining strength and power, -and the day was near at hand when the monks and their system were to -be overthrown. On the dissolution of St. Werburg’s Abbey the manor -and advowson of the church of Prestbury were granted to the Dean and -Chapter of the newly-founded Cathedral of Chester. They did not, -however, long enjoy possession; William Clyve, the third dean, and two -of the prebendaries, were confined in the Fleet by procurement of Sir -Richard Cotton, of Werblington, comptroller of the King’s household, a -Hampshire knight, who appears to have shared the acquisitive properties -of his elder brother, Sir George Cotton, another courtier and favourite -of the King, who had had conferred upon himself the dissolved abbey and -the greater part of the demesne of Combermere, in Cheshire, and who, -in other ways, had increased his worldly possessions out of the spoils -of the religious houses. While in the Fleet, under intimidation, as -was alleged, the dean and canons granted to Sir Richard (20th March, -1553), for ever, most of their lands on the payment of a yearly rental; -he in turn, on the 28th July, 1555, re-conveyed the manor and advowson -of Prestbury to Richard and John Grosvenor, who, in 1559, are found -presenting to the vicarage. The validity of the grant to Cotton was -subsequently disputed, and on the Cheshire Recognisance Rolls, under -date January 13th, 5 and 6 Elizabeth (1563-4), there is the enrolment -of a complaint exhibited by Richard and John Grosvenor. Eventually the -feoffees surrendered to the Crown; on the 19th December, 1579, the -whole of the lands formerly held by the abbey were granted by Elizabeth -to Sir George Calveley, Knight, George Cotton, Hugh Cholmondeley, -Thomas Legh, Henry Mainwaring, John Nuthall, and Richard Hurleston, -Esquires, and their heirs for ever; and, by another indenture, dated -6th August, 1580, the counterpart of which is preserved among the -Adlington charters, these fee farmers, after reciting the grant of -Elizabeth, for divers good causes and considerations them specially -moving, demised and quit-claimed to Thomas Legh and his heirs the -rectory, church, and manor of Prestbury, with the appurtenances, -excepting the certain messuages, tenements, and hereditaments, with the -appurtenances and the tithes, oblations, and obventions, of Chelford -and Asthull (Astle). They have since continued in the possession of the -Leghs, and have descended with their other estates. - -Thomas Legh had a long minority, and it was a fortunate thing for him -that in those early years of his life he had a good mother, who, with -the aid of her powerful kinsmen, was able to guard his estates and -protect him from undue taxation. On the 16th March, 1567-8, he obtained -livery of his father’s lands, he being then of full age. He had, -five years previously (29th June, 1563), being then in his sixteenth -year, married, at Cheadle, Sybil, the youngest daughter of Sir Urian -Brereton, of Honford, by his first wife, Margaret, daughter and heir of -William Honford, and widow of Sir John Stanley, a marriage that it may -be fairly assumed happily terminated the long-standing disputes between -the two houses respecting the tithes of Prestbury. - -Following the example of his father-in-law, who rebuilt the hall of -Handforth, Thomas Legh, in 1581, rebuilt, or at all events, greatly -enlarged, the house at Adlington, as the following inscription, in -black-letter characters, over the entrance porch leading from the -court-yard testifies:— - - =Thomas Leyghe esquyer who maryed Sibbell doughter to Sir Urian - Brereton of hondforde knight, and by her had Issue four sonnes & - fyue doughters, made this buyldinge in the yeare of or lorde god - 1581 And in the raigne of our soveyraigne lady Queene Elizabeth - the xxiijth.= - -In 1587 Thomas Legh had the shrievalty of Cheshire conferred upon him. -The time was one of considerable excitement and no little anxiety, for -scarcely had he entered upon the duties of his office than news came -that the “Invincible Armada,” so long threatened and so long deferred, -had unfurled its sails, and was then actually advancing towards the -English coast. The spirit of patriotism was aroused; Roman Catholic and -Protestant united as one man to repel the haughty Spaniard, and the -Queen issued a proclamation to her sheriffs and others, urging them -by every consideration of social and domestic security to call forth -the united energies of their respective counties, in common with the -country in general, to resist the meditated attack. Thomas Legh, who -was then in the prime of manhood, was not likely to be idle on such -an occasion, and doubtless he acted with much the same spirit that -Macaulay’s sheriff did when the signal fires announcing the approach -of the enemy flashed along the southern coasts,— - - With his white hair unbonneted, the stout old sheriff comes, - Behind him come the halberdiers, before him sound the drums; - His yeomen round the market cross make clear an ample space, - For there behoves him to set up the standard of Her Grace. - And haughtily the trumpets peal, and gaily dance the bells, - As slow upon the labouring wind the royal blazon swells. - -In the later years of his life Thomas Legh added considerably to -the patrimonial lands. Towards the close of the century, when the -Butley estates, which had been held for so many generations by the -Pigots, were partitioned among three co-heiresses, he acquired by -purchase the manor and a moiety of the lands, which descended with -the Adlington property until the present century. On the 20th April, -1596, an enrolment was made, as appears by the Cheshire Records, at the -instance of Dame Mary Egerton, his mother, then a widow, of a covenant -by which he undertook to convey the mansion house of Adlington, with -other properties, to her use for life, and afterwards to himself with -successive remainders in fee tail to his sons Urian, Thomas, and -Edward, and his daughter, Maria Legh, and his right heirs for ever. In -the same year his eldest son, Urian Legh, brought distinction to the -family by his gallant bearing at Cadiz, where he earned for himself the -honour of knighthood, an event respecting which we shall have more to -say anon. Proud as the father must have felt at his son’s conspicuous -bravery, the pleasure must have had its alloy when, in the following -year, he had the misfortune to lose his younger son, Ralph, who was -slain by the insurgents in an attack upon Newry, in Ireland; and, to -add to his sorrow, in the next year, 1598, he lost another son, Thomas -Legh, who, with his commander, Sir Henry Bagnall, was killed in the -disastrous attempt to relieve the fortress of Blackwater,—the most -signal defeat ever experienced by an English force in Ireland,—when -Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, who had been for some time in -insurrection against the English rule, was besieging it, and who had, -at the same time, burned down the castle of Kilcoleman, where - - Amongst the coolly shade - Of the green aldars, by the Mulla’s shore, - -the “Faery Queen” had been written, and its gifted author, Edmund -Spenser, was then residing. - -Thomas Legh died at Adlington on the 25th January, 1601-2, in the -fifty-fifth year of his age, and was buried at Prestbury, on the -following day, as the parish registers show. The same year his widow -caused a memorial window, a portion of which still remains, though in -a very mutilated condition, to be placed in the church, on which is a -shield of arms, with several quarterings, representing the alliances of -the two families. Beneath is this inscription:— - - ORATE PRO BONO STATV THOMÆ LEYGHE DE ADLINGTON ARMIGERI ET SIBILLA - VXORIS SVÆ VNI’ FILIORVM VRIANI BRERETON DE HANDFORD MILITIS - DEFVNCTI QVI HANC FENESTRAM FIERI FECERVNT IN ANNO DOMINI 1601. - -She survived her husband eight years, and was buried at Prestbury, -February 19th, 1609-10. - -Sir Urian Legh, who succeeded as heir on the death of his father, in -1602, was born at Handforth in 1566, and was, consequently, in his -thirty-sixth year when he entered upon his inheritance. As we have -seen, he had early embraced the profession of arms, and in the service -of his country had already won renown. It was the time when Elizabeth’s -sea captains, Howard and Essex, and Raleigh and Drake, were adding to -the national laurels by their achievements on the main, justifying -the witty and well-timed impromptu which one of the courtiers gave -when lament was made that England was then under the rule of a queen, -instead of that of a king,— - - O fortune! to old England still - Continue such mistakes, - And give us for our Kings such Queens, - And for our dux such Drakes. - -In 1596, when Philip of Spain was preparing for a second invasion of -England, Howard, the Lord Admiral, with his characteristic daring and -love of adventure, urged that, instead of waiting for the enemy’s -attack, a blow should be struck at Spain herself, by destroying the -fleet before it could leave her harbours. The more cautious Burleigh -counselled the less hazardous policy, but was overruled by the dashing -and impetuous Devereux, Earl of Essex, who, with Howard and Raleigh, -was eventually entrusted with the command of the expedition. Young -Urian Legh could not remain a laggard when such opportunities for -distinction offered; leaving the bower and the tilt yard for the -Spanish main, and the saddle of the war horse for the deck of the war -ship, he joined the expedition, and on the 1st of June, the fleet, -then lying at Plymouth, loosed its sails and bore away towards the -shores of Spain, arriving before Cadiz on the 12th. Essex, whose -impetuosity could brook no restraint, and who had, moreover, a bitter -aversion to the tyrant Philip, was so eager for action that he threw -his hat into the sea in the exuberance of his delight. The attack was -commenced on the following day, and with such fury that the Spanish -Admiral’s ship and several others were blown up with all their crews -on board, whilst the few vessels which were not either sunk or burned -were run on shore, the English admiral refusing to accept a price for -their release, declaring that “he came to burn and not to ransom.” -This daring and successful enterprise was followed up by an attack on -the strongly-fortified town of Cadiz. The impetuous Essex threw his -standard over the wall, “giving withal a most hot assault unto the -gate, where, to save the honour of their ensign, happy was he that -could first leap down from the wall, and with shot and sword make way -through the thickest press of the enemy.” The daring of the leader -called forth the courage of his followers. The town was captured on -the 26th June, and six hundred and twenty thousand ducats were paid as -a ransom for the lives of the inhabitants. The heir of Adlington took -the leading part in the attack, and displayed such conspicuous bravery -that the Earl knighted him upon the spot. The display of British valour -on the occasion has been justly described by Macaulay (“Essays,” -art. “Lord Bacon,”) as “the most brilliant military exploit that was -achieved on the continent by English arms during the long interval -which elapsed between the battle of Agincourt and that of Blenheim.” - -Sir Urian Legh stands out with marked individuality in any record of -the house of Adlington. The Leghs have ever looked with pardonable -pride upon the doughty deeds of their warlike ancestor, and the feeling -has been nothing lessened by the romantic incident which tradition has -linked with his name. He is commonly believed to have been the hero of -the old legendary ballad,—“The Spanish Lady’s Love,” written by Thomas -Deloney immediately after the return from Spain, and reprinted by the -Percy Society from “The Garland of Goodwill”— - - Will you hear a Spanish lady, - How she wooed an English man? - -The story is that, while with Essex in Spain, a captive maid, “by birth -and parentage of high degree,” was so overcome by Sir Urian’s kindness -that she conceived an ardent attachment towards him, and when he was -about to return, the amorous and high-born beauty, flinging aside -the trammels of country and kin, begged that she might be allowed to -accompany him and share his lot in life—a request the gallant Cheshire -man, after urging many other objections, was compelled to refuse, for -the best of all reasons—he had already a wife. - - Courteous ladye, leave this fancy, - Here comes all that breeds the strife; - I in England have already - A sweet woman to my wife; - I will not falsify my vow for gold nor gain, - Nor yet for all the fairest dames that live in Spain. - -To which the disappointed lady magnanimously replies— - - Ah! how happy is that woman - That enjoys so true a friend! - Many happy days God send her! - Of my suit I make an end. - On my knees I pardon crave for this offence, - Which did from love and true affection first commence. - - Commend me to thy loving lady, - Bear to her this chain of gold, - And these bracelets for a token; - Grieving that I was so bold. - All my jewels in like sort bear thou with thee, - For they are fitting for thy wife, but not for me. - -It has been stated by some writers that the ballad has reference -not to Sir Urian Legh, but to Sir John Bolle, of Thorpe Hall, in -Lincolnshire, the representative of a family remotely connected in -a later generation with the Leghs of Adlington; while Dr. Percy, in -his introductory remarks, inclines to the opinion that the original -was either a member of the Popham family or Sir Richard Leveson, of -Trentham, in Staffordshire, an ancestor of the Duke of Sutherland. -The legend has doubtless some foundation in fact, though the _actores -fabulæ_ may be phantoms; it should, however, be said that, until recent -years, when they were removed to Shaw Hill, in Lancashire, the Leghs, -in proof of the identity of their kinsman with the hero of Deloney’s -ballad, were able to show the veritable “chain of gold” and the casket -in which through long generations it had been carefully preserved as -an heirloom of the family. A half-length portrait of Sir Urian hangs -upon the staircase at Adlington. It has been taken when he was in the -fulness of manhood, and represents him as fresh complexioned, with a -regular and rather handsome cast of features, suggesting the idea that -comeliness of face and figure blended with courage and courtesy,—the -characteristics of an old English gentleman. He wears a black felt hat -with jewelled front, a black gown with vandyked and richly embroidered -points, and round his neck a gold chain of many links that hangs down -almost to the waist—whether the one given him by the “Spanish Lady” or -not we will not undertake to say. In one corner of the picture is a -shield of six quarters, and in the opposite corner this inscription:— - - SIR URIAN LEGH OF ADLINGTON IN THE COUNTY OF CHESTER KNIGHT WHO - WENT WITH ROBERT DEVEREUX EARL OF ESSEX TO THE SIEGE OF CADIZ AND - WAS BY HIM KNIGHTED IN THE FIELD FOR HIS GREAT SERVICES IN TAKING - THAT TOWN IN 1575 (SHOULD BE 1596). HE MARRIED MARGARET DAUGHTER - OF SIR EDMUND TRAFFORD IN THE COUNTY OF LANCASTER KNIGHT BY WHOM - HE HAD FOUR SONS AND THREE DAUGHTERS. - -On succeeding to his inheritance Sir Urian appears to have settled -down to the discharge of his duties as a country gentleman, and to -have applied himself to the further improvement of his patrimony, -which he managed with so much thrift and care that before the close -of the century he was able to make an addition to the family estates -by the purchase of the lands and hall of Foxwist, in Butley township, -from William Duncalf, whose ancestors had been resident there for more -than three centuries, and in 1603 he built the Milne House, which long -afterwards continued to be used as the dower house of the family. In -1613, the year following that in which Cecil died and the notorious -Carr, a raw Scotch lad, was made Prime Minister, he was entrusted -with the shrievalty of the county, and in local affairs he appears -to have taken an active part, his bold and clearly defined autograph -being of frequent occurrence in the parochial records. He was a man -of some culture, had had the advantage of a university education, -having matriculated at Oxford, and in his private life he would seem -to have had a sweet fancy, turning to literature in the absence of -action, for in the inventory of his effects, taken after his death, it -is mentioned that there were in his closet at Prestbury “his bookes -valued at xvjli.” He affected the society of men of letters: Dee, the -“Wizard Warden” of Manchester, in his “Diary,” under date April 22nd, -1597, records that he was visited at his residence in the College by -Sir Urian Legh and his brother (Edward Legh, probably, for the other -brothers, Thomas and Ralph, were at the time in Ireland engaged in the -suppression of O’Neill’s rebellion), a Mr. Brown, and Mr. George Booth, -of Dunham, then Sheriff of Cheshire. - -[Illustration] - -On the 6th of September, 1586, ten years before the affair at Cadiz, -Sir Urian Legh was united in marriage to Mary, one of the daughters -of Sir Edmund Trafford, of Trafford, Knight, that “hunter out and -unkeneler of those slie and subtil foxes Iesuites and semenarei -Priests.” The guests who graced the ceremony by their presence must -have formed a goodly company, for William Massie, the rector of -Wilmslow, who preached a sermon on the occasion, speaks of it as being -delivered “before the right honourable the most noble Earle of Derby, -and the right reuerend father in God the B(ishop) of Chester with -diuerse Knightes and Esquires of great worship at the solemne marriage -of your (Sir Edmund Trafford’s) daughter, a modest and vertuous -Gentlewoman, married to a young gentleman of great worship and good -education.” - -Sir Urian Legh died at Adlington on the 2nd June, 1627, and two days -afterwards, as the registers show, he was buried at Prestbury. - -It is somewhat singular that Thomas Newton,[33] the famous Cheshire -poet, who sang the glories of Essex and Drake in Latin verse, should -have remained silent upon the daring deeds of his quondam friend and -neighbour, Sir Urian Legh, leaving the “Water Poet,” John Taylor, to -record in rhyme the virtues of the hero of Cadiz. Taylor was a guest -at Adlington some time before the close of the century, and in his -“Pennilesse Pilgrimage” describes the reception he met in a manner that -recalls Ben Jonson’s lines in praise of the daily hospitalities at -Penshurst:— - - This weary day, when I had almost past, - I came vnto Sir Urian Legh’s at last. - At _Adlington_, neer _Macksfield_, he doth dwell, - Belou’d, respected, and reputed well. - Through his great loue, my stay with him was fixt, - From Thursday night till noone on Monday next. - At his own table I did daily eate, - Whereat may be suppos’d did want no meate. - He would have giu’n me gold or siluer either, - But I with many thankes receiued neither. - And thus much without flattery I dare sweare, - He is a knight beloued farre and neere. - First, he’s beloued of his God aboue, - (Which loue he loues to keep beyond all loue), - Next with a wife and children he is blest, - Each hauing God’s feare planted in their brest. - With faire Demaines, Reuennue of good Lands, - He’s fairely blest by the Almightie’s hands. - And as he’s happy in these outward things, - So from his inward mind continuall springs - Fruits of deuotion, deedes of Piety, - Good hospitable workes of Charity; - Iust in his Actions, constant in his word, - And one that wonne his honour with the sword. - He’s no Carranto, Cap’ring, Carpet Knight, - But he knowes when and how to speake and fight. - I cannot flatter him, say what I can, - He’s euery way a compleat Gentleman. - I write not this for what he did to me, - But what mine eares and eyes did heare and see, - Nor doe I pen this to enlarge his fame, - But to make others imitate the same. - For like a Trumpet were I pleased to blow, - I would his worthy worth more amply show, - But I already feare haue beene too bold, - And craue his pardon, me excusd to hold. - Thanks to his Sonnes and seruants euery one, - Both males and females all, excepting none. - -[Note 33: Thomas Newton, before his removal into Essex, resided at Park -House, in Butley, little more than a mile distant from Adlington. His -mother, Alice Newton, in her will, dated December 22, 1597, leaves “one -spurill ryall or XVs. in money to each of the right worshipful Thomas -Legh, of Adlington, and Sybell, his wife,” the testatrix’s “worshipful -good frendes;” and she also appoints “the right worshipful Thomas Legh, -of Adlington aforesaid, Esquire,” overseer, earnestly entreating him to -assist and direct her executors.] - -Sir Urian Legh, as we have said, died in 1627; and his eldest son, -Thomas, was approaching the meridian of life when he succeeded as heir -to the family estates. It was a memorable epoch in English history, -for in that year Buckingham, the King’s favourite, by his inglorious -expedition to France, had brought dishonour on his country’s arms, and -was impeached in Parliament; and in the following year the Commons, -before they would grant the supplies necessary to retrieve the -disaster, extorted from Charles the Petition of Rights, confirming -the liberties that were already the birthright of Englishmen—a -measure which, had it been accepted by its authors as final, would -have spared the country the calamities of civil war. Thomas Legh -had married in his father’s lifetime (1610) a rich heiress, one of -the daughters of Sir John Gobert, of Boresworth, in Leicestershire; -with whom he acquired considerable property, including the estate of -Clumber,[34] forming part of the royal manor and forest of Sherwood, -which subsequently passed into the possession of the Pelham-Clintons, -Dukes of Newcastle; so that by the time he came into his patrimony he -had added considerably to the territorial possessions as well as to the -social status of his house. On the death of Sir John Gobert, dame Lucy, -his widow, appears to have resided with her daughter and son-in-law at -Adlington, and to have remained with them up to the time of her death -in 1634. In 1628-9 Thomas Legh was chosen to fill the office of high -sheriff of the county, a distinction that was again conferred on him in -the year 1642-3. The year of the second appointment was a portentous -one, for the seeds of civil strife which had been sown in previous -years had ripened, and King and Commoner—sovereign and subject—were -then placing themselves in open array against each other. The Royalists -of Cheshire, though in a minority, were prompt in obeying the King’s -summons. Thomas Legh, in whom the blaze of youth was then sinking into -the deep burning fire of middle age, for fifty summers had passed over -his head, at once placed himself at the disposal of his sovereign, and -had a colonel’s commission in the Royalist army; Thomas, his eldest -son, had a lieutenant-colonel’s commission; whilst his four younger -sons—John, Charles, Peter, and Henry—and his brother Urian, who had -previously been in the wars in the Low Countries, had also commissions. - -[Note 34: A recent writer says (_Contributions towards a History of -Prestbury, p. 102_): “Clumber appears to have been sequestrated from -the Leghs during the Civil War, and never restored.” This is not -quite accurate, for Thomas Legh, who died in 1687, by his will, dated -20th August, 1686, bequeathed to his younger son, Richard Legh, and -his heirs for ever, “all that mannour or capitall messuage called -Clumber, in the county of Nottingham, and all buildings, tenements, and -hereditaments in Clumber aforesaid.”] - -The attempt to maintain the neutrality of the county by the Treaty -of Pacification, as it was called, having failed, the commission of -array was issued, requiring the receivers to see that the tenantry and -others in their respective districts were mustered and properly armed -and accoutred, and each of the hostile parties set to work to procure -military stores in anticipation of approaching conflict. The King’s -troops were at Chester under the command of Sir Thomas Aston, and the -Parliamentarians, led by Thomas Legh’s relative, Sir William Brereton, -of Honford, established themselves at Nantwich, which subsequently -became the scene of important military operations. In March, 1643, the -rival forces met at Middlewich, when an engagement took place in which -the Royalists were defeated, Sir Edward Mosley, of Manchester, and -several Cheshire men of mark being made prisoners; but Sir Thomas Aston -and Colonel Legh, who was present with him and at the time sheriff, -being more fortunate, succeeded in making good their escape. Before -the close of the year the Royalists suffered a series of reverses. At -Nantwich they sustained a defeat at the hands of General Fairfax; on -the 4th of February, 1643-4, Crewe Hall was attacked and taken; three -days later Doddington Hall shared the same fate; in the same month -Adlington was besieged by a force under Colonel Duckinfield, and a few -days after its surrender Mr. Tatton’s house at Wythenshawe, was also -stormed and taken. - -The probability of an attack on their home must have been foreseen by -the Leghs, and, consequently, the house was put in a state of defence -on the outbreak of hostilities, and stores of provisions and ammunition -for the use of the garrison collected in anticipation of any attack -that might be made upon it. Colonel Legh appears to have been absent -at the time of Duckinfield’s assault, being probably with the King’s -forces in some other part of the country, and the defence, therefore, -fell to the lot of his eldest son—a brave scion of a brave ancestry, -who must have conducted it with considerable energy and judgment, for -the garrison held out a whole fortnight, notwithstanding that the siege -was carried on with a good deal of vigour. The attacking party appear -to have encamped on the south side of the hall, and the assault must -have been made from that direction, for the door on the south front -is pierced in several places where the bullets and cannon shot passed -through. The garrison, by their obstinate bravery, must have won the -respect of their assailants, for, unlike the case of Biddulph, which -surrendered a week afterwards, when quarter for life only was granted, -the defenders of Adlington when they did capitulate (Feb. 14) had full -leave to depart. Burghall, the Puritan vicar of Acton, thus records the -circumstance in his “Diary”:— - - Friday, February 14th.—Adlington House was delivered up, which was - besieged about a fortnight, where was a younger son of Mr. Legh’s - and 140 souldiers, which had all fair quarter and leave to depart, - leaving behind them, as the report was, 700 arms and 15 barrels of - powder. - -By an order of the Parliament, dated March 18, 1643, Sir William -Brereton, of Honford, Thomas Legh’s second cousin, and then -major-general of the Cheshire forces, entered upon possession and -seized the family estates into his own hands, so that the owner of -Adlington could hardly say of Sir William what, according to the old -ballad, his kinsman Lord Brereton said when he espied him on the hill -overlooking Biddulph— - - Yonder my uncle stands, and he will not come near, - Because he’s a Roundhead and I am a Cavalier. - -The house was pillaged, though the fabric itself does not appear to -have sustained any very serious injury considering the quantity of -powder that was burned and the efforts that were expended upon it. -Shortly afterwards it was retaken and held for the King, but it must -have been stormed and taken a second time by the Parliamentarian -soldiers, for when Colonel Legh’s widow appealed to Sir William -Brereton to be allowed to occupy the hall, and to have a portion of her -late husband’s estates assigned to her for the maintenance of herself -and children, the request was denied, so far as the occupancy of -the house was concerned, on the plea that as Adlington Hall had been -garrisoned twice against the Parliament it was not judged fitting it -should be ventured a third time. - -Colonel Legh’s active zeal in the Royalist cause made him so obnoxious -to the Parliament party that in the preliminary propositions for the -abortive Treaty of Uxbridge he was specially named as one of those -to be excluded from the councils of his sovereign, and from holding -any office or command from the crown under pain of forfeiture of his -estates and the penalties attaching to high treason. The stipulation -was unnecessary, for before the commissioners had assembled he had -entered into his rest. It is not known with certainty when or where his -death occurred; the Prestbury registers for this period are imperfect, -and no entry of burial can be discovered; it is not unlikely, however, -that he found an unknown grave at some place distant from his home -where he may have lost his life in the service of the King. - -His widow took up her abode at the Miln House—the picturesque old black -and white gabled structure, now occupied as a farmhouse, standing near -the railway midway between Adlington and Prestbury, built in the time -of Sir Urian Legh—which she held in jointure. She could hardly have -been as uncompromising a Royalist as her husband, for in a petition -to the committee for compounding with “delinquents,” praying that she -might be allowed to compound for her deceased husband’s estates, she -sets forth that “she had long before the death of her husband misliked -the course of the enemy (_i.e._, the Royalists) in the parts where she -resided, and had departed thence into the Parliament’s quarters, where -she had ever since remained and conformed herself to all the orders of -Parliament.” The statement was no doubt made in good faith, for some -little time after Thomas Legh’s death she married an ardent Republican, -who had been as active in furthering the Parliament’s interest in -Lancashire as her first husband had been in defending that of the King -in Cheshire—Sir Alexander Rigby, of Middleton-in-Goosnargh, a lawyer, -statesman, magistrate, and colonel, and eventually one of the barons of -the Exchequer. Rigby, who represented Wigan in the Long Parliament, -was head and heart and hand and almost everything else of importance -in Lancashire; his activity was unwearied; his energy irrepressible, -and his influence unbounded. He was engaged in every important action; -he commanded at the siege of Lathom, the fight in Furness, the capture -of Thurland Castle, and the defence of Bolton-le-Moors; and he was -nominated one of the King’s judges, but declined to act, the only -occasion in his life, it is said, in which he hesitated to do his worst -against royalty. Dr. Halley, in his “Lancashire Puritanism,” describes -him as “rash, impetuous, rude, haughty, severe, implacable; admired -by many, esteemed by few, and loved by none,” and the same writer -adds, “he is said to have contrived a scheme and bargain by which the -Royalist masters of three Cambridge colleges—St. John’s, Queen’s, and -Jesus’—were to be sold for slaves to the Algerines.” - -[Illustration: SIR ALEXANDER RIGBY.] - -The “insolent rebell, Rigby,” as Charlotte Tremouille, the heroic -Countess of Derby, designated him when he was besieging Lathom House, -though possessed of only a small estate, was connected by birth and -marriage with many of the best families in Lancashire; he was also -closely allied with the Leghs, of Adlington, having married for his -first wife Lucy, the daughter of Sir Urian, and sister of Thomas Legh, -so that he stood in the relationship of brother-in-law to his second -wife. - -The marriage of their mother with the “insolent rebell” could hardly -have been viewed with much satisfaction by the sons, who were all -fighting on the side of the ill-fated Charles, and, therefore, -accounted “delinquents,” one of them being specially mentioned as “very -active against the Parliament” and continuing “extreamelie malitious,” -though, in other respects, it was fortunate, as Rigby’s influence as -a member of the House of Commons in the Parliament interest was no -doubt used in protecting the estates from the more ruinous exactions to -which they would otherwise have been subjected, as well as the illegal -challenges which might have wrested them absolutely from their rightful -owners. - -Sir Alexander Rigby died in 1650, having caught the gaol fever of -the prisoners while on circuit at Croydon, and some time after his -widow, who appears to have had a penchant for matrimony, again -entered the marriage state, her third husband being John Booth, of -Woodford, in Over, the uncle of Sir George Booth, of Dunham Massey, -the head of the Presbyterian interest in Cheshire. John Booth was -also a staunch Puritan; like the knight in “Hudibras,” he had ridden -out “a-colonelling” in the interest of the Parliament, and may have -been the identical Puritan whom “Drunken Barnaby,” when on his “Four -Journeys to the North of England,” saw and thus immortalised:— - - I came to Over—O, profane one— - And there I saw a Puritane one, - A-hanging of his cat on Monday - For killing of a mouse on Sunday. - -The marriage with John Booth could not have been a very felicitous -one, for, according to Sir Peter Leycester, husband and wife lived -apart from each other. She resided at the Miln House, and died there in -February, 1675-6, and was buried at Prestbury. By her first husband, -Thomas Legh, she had five sons, all of whom served in the Royalist -army, one of them, John, losing his life in the war; and seven -daughters, one of whom, Margaret, became the second wife of the eldest -surviving son of her mother’s second husband, Alexander Rigby the -younger, who, like his father, was an active soldier on the Parliament -side, and the representative for Lancaster in the House of Commons in -1658. - -At the time of Colonel Legh’s death, in 1644, his eldest son and -heir, Thomas Legh, was a prisoner of war at Coventry, having been -captured in the engagement at Stafford in May in the preceding year, -where he was detained until June, 1645, when he was exchanged for his -brother-in-law, Alexander Rigby,[35] who had been taken prisoner during -the siege of Lathom House. He had then been married some few years, -his wife being Mary, the daughter of Thomas Bolles, of Osberton, in -Nottinghamshire. - -[Note 35: According to Colonel Fishwick it was Urian Legh, the uncle of -Thomas, who was exchanged for Alexander Rigby the younger.—_History of -Goosnargh_, p. 148.] - -Civil war has ever a devouring and insatiable maw, and in those days of -political trouble and disturbance, when hostile armies were marching -and counter-marching through the country, neither persons nor property -were safe. It was the time— - - When nobles and knights so proud of late, - Must pine for freedom and estate, - -especially if they were suspected of having any political partialities, -whether on the “malignants” or the “roundheads” side. The Leghs were -all active partisans, and no family in Cheshire sustained heavier -losses or endured greater hardships in defending what they believed -to be the rights of their sovereign. While Thomas Legh was a prisoner -at Coventry his young wife petitioned the sequestrators that some -provision might be made for her, and eventually she had allotted to -her a small portion of her husband’s lands. In June of the following -year she again memorialised the sequestrators that her husband might be -allowed to compound for his estates, pleading that since his release -he had foreborne to repair to the enemy’s quarters, and setting forth -the miseries which she and her children were enduring, being destitute -of the means of livelihood until relieved. Mr. Legh also presented a -petition praying that he might be allowed to compound, when a statement -of his “delinquencies” and a report upon his estates was submitted, -which is preserved among the State papers in the Record Office. The -charges exhibited against him were— - -(1.) That he led a company of musquetiers into Adlington Hall when it -was first garrisoned against the Parliament, and brought some who were -well affected to the Parliament prisoners into the garrison, and kept -them there till they compounded with him. - -(2.) That he bore arms in that garrison; was governor of it; and gave -directions to the inferior commanders therein. - -(3.) That he refused to deliver up the said house to Colonel -Duckinfield for the use of Parliament. - -(4.) That he went from that garrison to Shrewsbury, thence to Chester, -and thence to other garrisons of the enemy, and that he associated -himself and held intercourse of intelligence against the Parliament -with them. - -On the 10th March, 1645-6, the Committee of Sequestrators agreed that -Thomas Legh should be permitted to compound on payment to them of the -sum of £2,000. This amount having been secured he, in July, obtained -his discharge, and in the succeeding year sued out a pardon under the -great seal for himself and his three surviving brothers, Charles, -Peter, and Henry (John having been killed in action), who had also been -admitted to compound. But his troubles were not yet ended. In November, -1648, he was required by the commissioners to settle the tithes of -Bosley in Prestbury parish, valued at £56 a year, in trust for the -minister of Bosley, the following being the minute of the Commissioners -of Augmentation:— - - _Thomas Leigh_, of Adlington, in ye said countie (Cheshire), by - deeds dated ye 16th of November, A.D. 1648, hath settled ye tithes - of _Prestbury_, of ye value of £56 per ann. upon George Booth, - Esq., in trust for ye minister of _Boseley_, and his successors - for ever. Consideration £560. - -Before the close of the year, in pursuance of an order of Parliament, -he was ordered to pay £220, being an assessment of one-twentieth part -of the estate. Subsequently he was required to furnish a particular -account of his real and personal estate, which being done, it was -submitted to Major-general Worsley and the Commissioners then assembled -at Middlewich, in February, 1655. - -In November, 1656, he had the misfortune to lose his wife, who had -borne him a family of six sons and four daughters. She was buried at -Prestbury, November 22, and at the very time she lay dead his estate -was again decimated and himself secured. Whereupon he presented a -petition to the Lord Protector, alleging that he had behaved peaceably -under the then government, and praying that he might no longer be -looked upon as an enemy, but might partake of the Protector’s grace and -favour. The petition was referred to Worsley and the Commissioners for -securing the peace of the county, who in January, 1656-7, reported that -since his composition he had behaved peaceably and respectably to the -Parliament party, soldiers and friends, and had not been concerned in -any plots against the Protector or Parliament to their knowledge; that -he had constantly paid all taxes for the use of the Commonwealth; had -sent forth such forces, both horse and foot, for the service of the -late Parliament as required; and had, moreover, offered his personal -assistance for them at the battle of Worcester; and, finally, that -they considered him a person capable of favour. From this time he -appears to have been left in undisturbed possession of his property. He -survived these troublous times, and lived to see the overthrow of the -Commonwealth and the restoration of monarchy in the person of Charles -the Second. In 1662 he was nominated sheriff of his native county—the -only recognition he ever received of the losses sustained and the great -services which he and his family had rendered to the cause of the -Stuarts. Fortunately for his house, those losses were in some measure -made up from another source. In the year in which he served the office -of sheriff his late wife’s mother, Dame Mary Bolles, who, in 1635, -had been created a baroness in her own right, the only instance of -such a creation, died, leaving property, to the value, it is said, of -£20,000 to be divided between her two sons-in-law, Sir William Dalston -and Thomas Legh—in the case of the latter a welcome addition to an -estate which during the usurpation had been so greatly impoverished. -The fortune thus acquired he seems to have employed in improving and -extending his territorial possessions, for about the year 1669 he -is found purchasing from Sir Thomas Brereton the old manor-house of -Handforth, which one of his progenitors, Urian Brereton, erected in -1557, and subsequently (1681) he became the owner, also by purchase, -of lands in Newton, adjoining Butley, that have since descended with -the other Adlington properties. Thomas Legh survived all his brothers, -and died in December, 1687, being then in his seventy-third year. -In accordance with his expressed desire, his remains were “decently -buried amongst his Ancestors in the Chancell of the parish church of -Prestbury.” - -[Illustration] - -Thomas Legh, the third of that name, was in his forty-fourth year when -he succeeded to the Adlington estates—those in Leicestershire and -Nottinghamshire passing under his father’s will to his two surviving -brothers, Edward and Richard. Shortly after the Restoration (1666) -he chose himself a wife from the historic house of Maynard—Johanna, -the daughter, and eventually heir, of the distinguished statesman -and lawyer, Sir John Maynard—a match that must have brought him -considerable wealth, and have added to his social influence. Sir -John had been an active member of the Long Parliament, in which he -distinguished himself as one of the prosecutors of Strafford and Laud, -but afterwards, for his opposition to the violent acts of the army and -the unconstitutional proceedings of Cromwell, he was twice committed -to the Tower. At the conference between the Lords and Commons at the -time of the Revolution he displayed considerable ability, and warmly -advocated the abdication of James II. He was appointed one of the -Commissioners of the Great Seal in 1689, being then eighty-seven years -of age. He had frequently to submit to the coarseness of Jeffries’ -ribald tongue. On one occasion, when addressing the court, that unjust -dispenser of justice interrupted him with the rude remark, “Mr. -Serjeant, you’ve lost your knowledge of law; your memory is failing -you through age.” “It may be so,” responded Maynard, “but I am sure I -have forgotten more law than your lordship ever knew.” And it is said -of him that when William III., alluding to his great age, remarked that -he must have outlived all the lawyers of his time, he happily replied, -“Yes, and if your highness had not come over to our assistance I should -have outlived the law itself.” - -Political prudence was not always a distinguishing characteristic of -the lords of Adlington, and Thomas Legh does not seem to have profited -greatly by his father’s and grandfather’s experiences of political -partisanship, for he contrived to get himself involved in the troubles -which fell upon Cheshire in 1683, the year of the notorious Rye House -Plot, when he was suspected of conspiring with others to place the Duke -of Monmouth upon the throne. - -Monmouth, who had been expatriated, had returned a year or two -previously to find himself hailed as the “Protestant Duke,” and exalted -into a popular hero. He made a partisan progress through Cheshire, -with the view of ingratiating himself with the men of the county; -while at Chester, courting popularity, a violent “No Popery” mob broke -into the Cathedral, and, amongst other outrages committed upon the -contents of the sacred building, wholly destroyed the painted glass of -the east window of the Lady Chapel, broke up the organ, and knocked -the ancient font to pieces. Enquiries were instituted as to those who -were believed to sympathise with the action of Monmouth, when Thomas -Legh’s name was included in the list of persons, who, being suspected, -it was deemed expedient should give security for their good behaviour. -He must, however, have regained the Royal favour, for he retained his -commission as colonel of militia, and the year following that in which -he entered upon possession of his patrimonial lands he was honoured -with the shrievalty of the county. He did not live long to enjoy the -estates, having met his death by an accident on the 6th April, 1691, as -thus recorded in a MS. diary, preserved at Tabley:— - - 1691, April 6th.—Col. Legh, of Adlington, layning on a raile in - Adlington, whch breaking he fell and broak his neck and dyed. - -His wife, who survived him several years, resided at the Miln House, -in Adlington, and died about November, 1700. The bulk of her personal -property was, in accordance with her directions, invested in the -purchase of lands for the benefit of her second surviving son, Robert, -who married Mary, daughter of Sir Richard Standish, of Duxbury, and -settled at Chorley, in Lancashire, on the lands purchased under his -mother’s will. Thomas Leigh, by his wife had, _inter alia_, Anne, -his co-heiress, who became the wife of Thomas Crosse, of Crosse Hall -and Shaw Hill, in Lancashire, by whom she had a son, Richard Crosse, -of Shaw Hill, who, through failure of direct male heirs, eventually -succeeded to the Adlington estates, and took the name and arms of Legh -by Royal license. - -Thomas Legh, who died in 1691, was succeeded in the estates by his -eldest son, John, who was then thirty-two years of age, having been -born in 1668. Two years after he entered upon his inheritance (July, -1693) he married Isabella, the daughter of Robert Robartes, Viscount -Bodmin, and granddaughter of the first Earl of Radnor. During his time -some important additions were made to the family estates. In the year -of his marriage he purchased from William Sherd, of Sherd and Disley, -the descendant of an old companion in arms of his grandfather, the -estate of Sherd-fold, on the confines of Adlington; three years later -he purchased Hope-green from Edward Downes, and in 1696 he acquired -the property known as “Day’s Tenement,” in Prestbury. In 1705 he was -nominated sheriff of the county, and he appears to have succeeded his -father as colonel of the militia, in which capacity he was called -upon to aid in suppressing the political disturbances that arose in -Lancashire on the occasion of the Hanoverian succession. - -At the dine of Queen Anne’s death, in 1714, the country was divided -into two powerful factions, a large number of the people, with that -old English feeling of which we see traces even yet, preferring as -their monarch the son of an English king to the son of a petty foreign -prince. The flames of rebellion were kindled, and a determined effort -was made to restore the direct succession to the throne, in the -person of the Chevalier de St. George, the eldest son of James II., -and a half-brother of the deceased queen. On the 10th June, 1715, the -birthday of the Chevalier, a Jacobite mob, headed by “Tom” Syddall, -a peruke maker, attacked the Nonconformist Chapel in Cross Street, -Manchester—the only dissenting place of worship at that time in the -town—smashed in the doors and windows, pulled down the pulpit and -pews, and carried away everything portable, leaving only the ruinous -walls; and, a few days later, sacked and destroyed the meeting-houses -at Blackley, Monton, and Greenacres. In October of the same year the -Earl of Derwentwater and General Foster, with the Earls of Wintoun, -Nithsdale, and Carnwath, and Lords Widdrington and Nairne, raised -the standard of the Pretender, and, with a small army, crossed the -border, passed through Kendal and Lancaster, and as far as Preston—that -“Capua” of Scotchmen, as it has been called—on their way south. In the -last-named town, if we are to believe the Jacobite journalist, Peter -Clarke, they were so fascinated by the good looks and the gay attire -of the Lancashire witches that “the gentleman soldiers from Wednesday -to Saturday minded nothing but courting and feasting.” While they were -thus “courting and feasting” the news of their advance reached General -Willes, who was then in command of the garrison at Chester, and he at -once set out to attack them, passing through Manchester on his way. -Finding a strong Jacobite feeling existing there, he caused several of -the more influential leaders of the faction to be secured, and disarmed -the others, leaving a troop behind him to overawe the disaffected. -Before leaving he wrote to the Earl of Cholmondeley, the lord -lieutenant of Cheshire, urging him to send on the militia while he with -his regular forces marched against the insurgents, and in the “Memoires -of the family of Finney, of Fulshaw,” written by Samuel Finney in -1787, it is recorded that in October a warrant from three of the -deputy lieutenants was directed to John Legh, of Adlington, or, in his -absence, to John Finney, his captain-lieutenant, requiring them to give -notice to the constables of Macclesfield Hundred to order all persons -charged with any foot soldiers to send on the same by the 17th of the -month, “every Soldier to appear compleatly armed with musket, bayonet -to fix in the muzel thereof, a Cartooch Box, and Sword, to bring pay -for two days, and the Salary for the Muster Master. Every Muskateer to -bring half a pound of powder, and as much (sic) Bullets, and the said -Constables to appear and make returns.” On the 27th October another -warrant was issued requiring them to assemble the forces at Knutsford -on the 7th November, when, as we are told in the “Memoires,” “having -exercised their appointed time, and the Rebells advancing, the Regiment -was ordered to advance northwards and secure the town of Manchester, -whilst Generals Willes and Carpenter advanced with the horse to attack -the Rebells at Preston. When,” it is added, “the Cheshire Regiment was -advanced to the Top of Deansgate, the Entrance of the Town, they made -a Halt to wait for Billets from the Constables, which were so long in -coming and the Weather extremely wet and cold, and the road Miry, that -both Officers and Men grew so impatient that a messenger was despatched -to the Constables to tell them that if they did not immediately send -them Billets they would fire the Town; this had an immediate good -Effect; they soon got into warm quarters. The King’s Head in Salford -fell to the share of Sir Samuel Daniel, Coll. Legh, and Captain Finney, -intimate Friends, and jolly brave Fellows, who, instead of saying their -prayers and going to bed like good Folks, expecting to be killed next -day, sat drinking, laughing, and taking Spanish Snuff till the morning, -when they expected to come soon into action; but Willes and Carpenter -soon eased them of that trouble, by forcing the Town of Preston.” - -Mr. Legh’s military experiences were not of a very sanguinary -character, and this appears to have been the last occasion in which -he was employed in any soldierly capacity. He died in 1739, and on -the 12th December was buried in the family vault at Prestbury, having -had in addition to a son Charles, who succeeded, two daughters, who -pre-deceased him; Elizabeth, who died unmarried, and was buried at -Westminster, August 20th, 1734, and Lucy Frances, second wife of -Peter Davenport (afterwards Sir Peter), of Macclesfield, who died in -November, 1728, leaving an only daughter her sole heiress, Elizabeth -Davenport, who became the wife of John Rowlls, of Kingston, in Surrey, -Receiver-General, who afterwards assumed the surname of Legh. - -Charles Legh, who succeeded as heir on the death of his father, John -Legh, in 1739, was born at Adlington, September 17, and baptised at -Prestbury, October, 1697, so that he must have been in his forty-fourth -year when he entered upon his inheritance. He had then been married -some years, his wife being Hester, daughter of Robert Lee, of Wincham, -in Bucklow Hundred, who by the death of her brothers, Robert and Clegg -Lee, and her sister, Elizabeth, without issue, became heir to the manor -of Wincham. - -In earlier years the Leghs had evinced their piety by important -additions made to their parish church, as well as by the erection of -a chapel on their estate for the convenience of their more immediate -dependents; and Charles Legh, on first coming into his patrimony, -applied himself to the work of enlarging the old church of Prestbury by -the rebuilding of the north aisle and the Legh chapel, to the cost of -which he was the chief contributor. He could not, however, have felt -much appreciation of the beauties of the original design, or he would -not have replaced a Gothic structure with the unsightly, barn-like -erection which has happily within the present year been superseded by -one of more ecclesiastical character. - -The following year was one of considerable excitement, for it was -that in which Prince Charles Edward, the Young Pretender, renewed the -attempt to recover the throne of his ancestors—the fatal ’45. On the -28th November the rebel army reached Manchester, which, as the story -goes, was taken by “a sergeant, a drum, and a woman;” three days later -the march towards London was resumed, Macclesfield being chosen as -the terminus of the first day’s journey. The Prince marshalled his -forces in two divisions, and, leading one of them, forded the Mersey -at Stockport, and then marched through the level country, by way of -Woodford, Adlington, and Prestbury, to Macclesfield. The story is -told that as they were passing through Adlington they came up with a -carter, named Broster, returning from Stockport, who was forthwith -“pressed” into the service and ordered by the soldiers to convey their -baggage to Macclesfield. Among the chattels put into Broster’s cart -was a heavy chest evidently containing treasure, the money possibly in -which the Manchestrians had been mulct, and which poor James Waller, -of Ridgefield, the borough-reeve, had been compelled to gather in. The -darkness of a December night had fallen upon the scene by the time they -approached Prestbury, and, the baggage guards not being over vigilant, -Richard Broster watched his opportunity and made the most of it when it -came. Suddenly turning up a bye-lane, he whipped his horses briskly, -and succeeded in reaching his home at Old Hollin Hall Farm, near -Bollington, before he was missed; arrived there, the box was quickly -tipped into the yard pit as a hiding-place from the troopers who might -be sent in search of the lost treasure, and there it lay until the -rebels had started upon their march to Derby, when it was fished up.[36] - -[Note 36: It is said that in the cellar at Old Hollin Hall there is a -stone bench with this inscription graven upon it:—“This must stand here -for ever—Richard Broster, 1757.”] - -Though the Leghs of Lyme, who were suspected of favouring the cause -of the Pretender, might not be able to wipe out altogether from their -hearts the old Stuart affection, their kinsman of Adlington could not -have had much sympathy either for the young Chevalier or the cause he -represented, or, if he had, his Jacobitism must have been under the -control of a very cautious possessor, and not so demonstrative as to -imperil his personal and family interests, for when Joseph Ward, the -Vicar of Prestbury, preached a sermon on the occasion of the “General -Thanksgiving” for the suppression of the “unnatural rebellion” it was -published, as by the title-page appears, “at the request of Charles -Legh, of Adlington, Esquire.” - -In 1746 Mr. Legh added to his territorial possessions by the purchase, -from Thomas Pigot, of the estate of Bonishall, which for several -generations had been the residence of a younger branch of the Pigots -of Butley, the representative of which had then migrated to Fairsnape, -near Preston, and from that time Bonishall has descended to the -successive owners of Adlington with the other estates of the family. In -the following year Mr. Legh had the shrievalty of Cheshire conferred -upon him, a dignity that, as we have seen, had been enjoyed by his -ancestors in six consecutive generations previously. He does not, -however, appear to have devoted much attention to public matters, -preferring to reside upon his own estate and there discharge the duties -devolving upon him as a country gentleman. In the later years of his -life he occupied his time in remodelling, and in part rebuilding, the -home of his fathers; in doing so, however, it is to be regretted that, -influenced by the then prevailing fancy for works of classic type, he -was led to adopt a style so much at variance with the character of the -original structure, and which, outwardly at least, robbed it of its -most picturesque and interesting features. In commemoration of his work -he inscribed his own name and that of his wife with the year of its -completion, 1757, upon the frieze of the portico, and on the pediment -above affixed a shield of arms—Legh quartering Corona, with Lee of -Wincham, on an escutcheon of pretence. - -While engaged in the re-edification of his house the barony of -Kinderton became extinct, when Mr. Legh set up a claim to be considered -heir male of the family, in right of his descent from Gilbert Venables, -the first baron, and, as such, entitled to bear the Venables coat -without any mark of decadence. The claim was never admitted, but -Mr. Legh assumed the arms notwithstanding, and, in assertion of his -supposed right, caused them to be placed conspicuously in the hall at -Adlington, and also on the chancel screen in the church at Prestbury, -where they may still be seen. - -Unlike his mother, who, if we may judge from the directions she gave -respecting her funeral, had as little respect for the blazonments of -chivalry and that ancient and respectable guild, the College of Arms, -as Macaulay’s old Puritan who wished to have his name recorded in the -Book of Life rather than in the Register of Heralds, Mr. Legh had a -great fondness for heraldry, and was much given to the study of the -“noble science.” - - The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, - -was with him no meaningless phrase, and before he began the rebuilding -of the south front of his mansion he had been at considerable pains to -adorn the interior of the great hall of Adlington with the armorial -ensigns of his progenitors and the families with which they had -severally become allied, like the lord of Gray’s “ancient pile” at -Stoke-Pogeis, upon - - The ceiling’s fretted height - Each panel in achievements clothing. - -The fine series of armorial shields which still appear were painted -under his directions, and are in place of a series, one hundred and -eighty-one in number, which were affixed shortly after the rebuilding -of the mansion by Thomas Legh, in 1581,[37] about which time that -assiduous worthy, William Flower, Chester Herald, and subsequently -Norroy King of Arms, was corresponding with and enjoying the friendship -and hospitality of the owner of Adlington, and his kinsman, Sir Peter -Legh, of Lyme. - -[Note 37: In the Chetham Library there is a curious MS. folio volume -purchased at the sale of the Adlington Library in 1846, and now known -as the “Adlington MS.” On the fifth page from the end is written, -“_Finis, Quod sum non curo quod ero spero Thomas Leyghe_.” Thomas Legh, -it would seem being the compiler. Among other interesting matters -relating to Cheshire which it contains are “The Armes of Gentlemen as -they be placed over the Chimney in Adlington Hall, 1611.”] - -In 1758, the year following the rebuilding of the south front of -Adlington, Charles Legh’s only son, Thomas Legh, was united in marriage -with Mary, daughter of Francis Reynolds, of Strangeways, Manchester, -who represented Lancaster in Parliament for the long period of -forty-five years, and the sister of Thomas and Francis Reynolds, who -inherited successively the barony of Ducie of Tortworth. The young -couple took up their abode at Wincham, which had come to Thomas Legh’s -mother by inheritance, and there he died, in his forty-first year, -on the 15th June, 1775, without surviving issue—thus terminating a -line which had maintained an unbroken succession for more than four -centuries. His widow survived him for the long period of forty-three -years, her death occurring March 26, 1818. - -Charles Legh is said to have been somewhat autocratic and austere in -his bearing, and to have ruled his little kingdom with a strong hand, -dispensing justice in a summary fashion, and not scrupling at times -to administer correction to the refractory with his own hand. Many -curious stories concerning him are related and still find credence in -the cottage homes around Adlington. There is a tradition that it was -his daily practice to perambulate the boundaries of his domain with -the object of discovering and expelling any marauder or sturdy rogue -who might be prowling about his lands. Notwithstanding these little -peculiarities, he kept up a style of true old English hospitality, and -was greatly esteemed and respected by his neighbours. With his fondness -for heraldry, he united a love of music; and he had, moreover, some -claim to rank as a poet, though his muse, it must be confessed, was -at times a little halting. When Handel[38] was in the zenith of his -popularity he was for some time a guest at Adlington, and there is a -common belief that while there he composed his charming piece, “The -Harmonious Blacksmith,” in response to a request made by his host for -an original composition, the melody being suggested by the natural -music of the smiths plying their vocation at Hollinworth smithy, -close by the park gates.[39] The original score is said to have been -preserved at Adlington until the sale of the library in 1846, but the -music is undoubtedly a variation of an old French air. There is also -preserved in the drawing-room at Adlington a hunting song written by -Charles Legh, and set to music by Handel, which may find a fitting -place in the anthology of the county:— - -[Note 38: A story is told respecting the great composer which, as it -associates his name with Cheshire, we may be excused for repeating. As -is well known, his masterpiece, the _Messiah_, was first performed in -Dublin, in 1741. While on his way there he was detained for a time at -Chester, the wind being unfavourable for his embarkation at Parkgate. -Wishing to employ the time in trying some pieces in his new oratorio, -he inquired for some one who could read music at sight, and a printer, -named Janson, who had a good bass voice, was recommended to him as one -of the best musicians attached to the cathedral. A time was fixed for a -private rehearsal at the Golden Falcon, where Handel was staying; but, -alas! on trial of the chorus in the _Messiah_, “And with His stripes we -are healed,” poor Janson after repeated attempts, failed so egregiously -that Handel let loose his great bear upon him; and, after swearing in -four or five different languages, cried out, in broken English, “You -schauntrel! Tit not you dell me dat you could sing at soite?” “Yes, -sir,” replies the printer, “and so I can; but not at _first sight_!” -Handel on this burst out laughing, and the rehearsal, it is said, -proceeded no further.] - -[Note 39: According to another version, it was at Edgeware, and not at -Adlington, that Handel heard the anvil sounds which suggested the -“Harmonious Blacksmith.” The great composer dwelt at Canons, the guest -of the Duke of Chandos, within three quarters of a mile of Edgeware, -and was for three years the organist of Little Stanmore Church. The -authority for the Edgeware or Little Stanmore version rests mainly on -local tradition and the following inscriptions:—On the organ of Little -Stanmore Church: “Handel was organist of this church from the year -1718 to 1721, and composed his oratorio of ‘Esther’ on this organ.” -On a tombstone in the churchyard: “In memory of William Powell, the -‘Harmonious Blacksmith,’ who was buried 27th February, 1780, aged 78 -years. He was parish clerk during the time the Immortal Handel was -organist of this church.” Powell was a blacksmith at Edgeware smithy. -[Information obligingly communicated by J. Oldfield Chadwick, Esq.]] - -HUNTING SONG. - - _The words by Charles Legh, Esq._ _Set by Mr. Handel._ - - The morning is charming, all Nature is gay! - Away, my brave boys, to your horses, away; - For the prime of our pleasure and questing the hare, - We have not so much as a moment to spare. - - _Chorus of the Hunters._ - - Hark! the merry loud horn, how melodious it sounds - To the musical song of the merry-mouth’d hounds! - - In yon stubble field we shall find her below, - So ho! cries the huntsman; hark to him, So ho! - See, see, where she goes, and the hounds have a view! - Such harmony Handel himself never knew. - Gates, hedges, and ditches to us are no bounds, - But the world is our own while we follow the hounds! - - Hold, hold! ’tis a double; hark! hey, _Tanner_, hey! - If a thousand gainsay it, a thousand shall lie; - His beauty surpassing, his truth has been try’d— - At the head of a pack an infallible guide. - To his cry the wild welkin with thunder resounds - The darling of hunters, the glory of hounds! - - O’er high lands and low lands and woodlands we fly, - Our horses full speed and the hounds in full cry; - So match are their mouths and so even they run, - As the tune of the spheres and their race with the sun. - Health, joy, and felicity dance in the rounds, - And bless the gay circle of hunters and hounds! - - The old hounds push forward, a very sure sign - That the hare, though a stout one, begins to decline. - A chase of two hours or more she has led; - She’s down, look about ye; they have her; ’ware dead. - How glorious a death, to be honoured with sounds - Of the horn, with a shout to the chorus of hounds! - - Here’s a health to all hunters, and long be their lives! - May they never be cross’t by their sweethearts or wives - May they rule their own passions, and ever at rest, - As the most happy men be they always the best! - And free from the care the many surrounds, - Have peace at the last when they see no more hounds! - -Hunting was a favourite pursuit of Mr. Legh’s. In Prestbury churchyard, -near the lych gate, is a flat stone, with an inscription recording the -death of one of his huntsmen, and a couplet, which he no doubt wrote.— - - Here lye the Remains of Thomas Bennison, - Head Huntsman many years to Charles Legh, - of Adlington, Esq. He died the 17th of February, - in the year of our Lord 1768. Aged 75. - - The Joys of his Heart were good Hounds and good Nappy, - Oh! wish him for ever still more and more Happy. - -On the 26th July, 1781, Mr. Legh, who had attained the ripe age of 84, -was removed by death, and on the 3rd August his remains were committed -to the family vault which he had himself erected at the east end of the -north aisle of Prestbury Church. His wife survived him some years. By -her will, which bears date September, 1787, the manor of Wincham passed -to her second cousin, Colonel Edward Townshend, of Chester, whose great -grandson, Edward Townshend, Esq., is the present possessor. - -By the death of Charles Legh without surviving issue the direct -succession ceased, and the manor and dependencies of Adlington reverted -to his niece Elizabeth, the only child of Lucy Frances Legh, by her -husband, Sir Peter Davenport, who was then married to John Rowlls, -of Kingston. She assumed, by royal licence, the surname of Legh, as -did also her eldest son John, who had married Harriet, daughter and -co-heir of Sir Peter Warburton, of Arley. He pre-deceased his mother, -and, his two sons dying in infancy, the estates, with the exception -of Butley Hall and some lands adjacent, which were alienated to his -daughter Elizabeth Hester, who married, in 1800, Thomas Delves, third -son of Sir Thomas Delves Broughton, Bart., and died in 1821, reverted -in 1806, on the death of Mrs. Elizabeth Rowlls Legh, to Richard -Crosse, of Shaw Hill, Lancashire, great grandson of Robert, the third -son of Thomas Legh, of Adlington, who took the name and arms of Legh -by royal licence. He served the office of sheriff of Lancashire in -the succeeding year, and died on the 11th August, 1822, at the age -of sixty-eight, leaving by his wife Anne, only surviving daughter of -Robert Parker, of Cuerden, who pre-deceased him, two sons and three -daughters. Thomas (Crosse) Legh, the eldest son, succeeded to the broad -lands of Adlington; the Lancashire estates of Shaw Hill, Chorley, and -Liverpool devolving upon his younger brother, Richard Townley Crosse, -who died, unmarried, February 27, 1825, when they reverted to his -sister Anne Mary, married to Thomas Bright Iken, of Leventhorpe House, -Yorkshire, who assumed the name of Crosse, the father of the present -possessor. - -Thomas Crosse Legh, of Adlington, was accidentally drowned in crossing -the river at Antwerp, April 25, 1829, being then only thirty-six years -of age. By his wife, Louisa, daughter of George Lewis Newnham, of New -Timber, Sussex, who survived him, and married, May 12, 1830, the Hon. -Thomas Americus, third Lord Erskine, the grandson of the distinguished -Lord Chancellor of that name, he had, with other issue, Charles Richard -Banastre Legh, the present representative of this ancient stock. _Esto -perpetua._ - -As previously stated, the hall of Adlington stands in the midst of an -undulating and well-timbered park, from the higher parts of which the -views are extensive and pleasingly diversified. It is a remarkably -fine example of the ancient manorial residence of the time when the -power of the feudal chief had waned and the great landowners were -no longer under the necessity of cooping themselves up in their -fortified strongholds—a type of building that is rapidly passing out of -existence, and, with the exception of the part rebuilt in the middle -of the last century, furnishes an excellent illustration of a style -of architecture which, if not altogether peculiar to, was certainly -nowhere else practised so commonly or on so extensive a scale as -in Cheshire and Lancashire. The timber-work is remarkable for its -strength and solidity, an evidence that our forefathers were by no -means economists in the use of their building materials; and, though -the lighter ornaments of architecture which give grace and beauty to -the more stately fabrics of brick and stone raised in other parts of -the country, may not be apparent, there is yet a rude magnificence and -ingenuity of construction, as well as excellence of decoration, that -make it well deserving of examination. - -The principal front has a southward aspect; it is the latest built -and most pretentious part of the mansion, but, withal, the least -interesting. It is of brick, with a portico of four columns in the -centre, surmounted by a frieze, bearing the inscription, “Charles and -Hester Legh, 1757,” with a pediment above, in which is a shield with -the Legh arms quartered with those of Corona, and an escutcheon of -pretence over all on which is the coat of Lee of Wincham. - -On entering, the first thing that meets the eye is the ponderous oaken -door, thickly studded with iron nails and black with age, which stirs -the fancy with images of the strife with Roundhead and Cavalier, for it -bears abundant evidence of the rude assaults of Colonel Duckinfield’s -troopers in the shot-holes with which it is pierced in several places. -Over the door within the vestibule is written, _Sic vos nunc vobis -mellificatis apes_, one of the four lines by which Virgil exposed the -imposture of Bathyllus. At the further end of the corridor we enter the -courtyard, on the opposite side of which is the great hall, one of the -finest in the county, if, indeed, it has its equal, with its projecting -porch, its long lofty windows, its high-pitched roof, and quaint -chequer work of black and white. Over the doorway as we enter we notice -the old black letter inscription which Thomas Legh placed when, as he -tells us, he “made this buyldinge in the year of or lorde god 1581.” - -The “hall” itself is an admirable and almost perfect specimen of the -period when that apartment constituted the chief feature of every -mansion, serving not only as an audience chamber on occasions of -state and ceremony, but as the place where the owner and his family, -with his guests and dependents, assembled daily at the dinner hour, -and where, in fact, the public life of the household was carried on. -Though perhaps not so large as in some of the baronial mansions of -the country, it is yet a noble apartment, and sufficiently spacious -for the hospitalities which in bygone days the lords of Adlington -maintained. It occupies the entire height of the building, the form -being that of a parallelogram, and, being the master feature of the -house, is superior in architectural adornment, as well as in the -amplitude of its dimensions, to any of the other rooms. The floors are -laid with polished oak, and the walls, which are elaborately carved -and ornamented, support a roof of dark oak acutely pointed and open -to the ridge piece. The framework of this roof is divided by massive -principals into bays, the collar braces being so arranged as to -form a series of fine Gothic arches, springing from bold projecting -hammer-beams that terminate in carved figures of angels holding -heraldic shields, each being in turn connected by a hammer-brace -with the main timbers of the walls. The daïs, or high place, which -undoubtedly had its position at the further end, and where the master -and mistress with their chief guests sat above the salt, as Chaucer -relates in his “Marriage of January and May”— - - And at the feste sitteth he and she - With other worthy folk upon the deis - -has disappeared, and the screen which separated the lower end from -the passage communicating with the buttery and the kitchener’s -department has been subjected to considerable alterations, though the -original form may be distinctly traced, and much of the exquisitely -ornamental panel work remains, though now well-nigh hidden from view. -These panels, though mutilated in places, are deserving of careful -examination; the design of the tracery is very beautiful, and the -carving, where not broken, remains almost as sharp and as fresh as -the day it left the workman’s hands, save that time has given that -sombre tint which so well harmonises with the ancient character of the -house. Above the screen a gallery, the front of which is ornamented in -arabesque work, extends the entire width of the apartment; in it is an -organ elaborately painted and decorated, which, from the two shields -of Corona and Robartes on the top, would appear to have been erected -during the occupancy of John Legh, who married Isabella Robartes, and -died in 1739, and no doubt it was at this time the original screen was -subjected to so much injury. In addition to the organ gallery there -are two small side galleries near the opposite end, each lighted by a -dormer window, to which, in time past, the ladies of the household and -the more honoured guests could retire to witness the revelries of the -assembled retainers below. - -Though it can no longer be said that— - - With heraldry’s rich hues imprest - On the dim window glows the pictured crest - -for every trace of the “storied pane” has disappeared, the want of -this species of decoration is in some measure compensated for by the -remarkable series of armorial shields with which the upper end of the -hall is adorned. At this end the roof is coved and divided into square -panels, each panel containing the arms of one of the Norman Earls of -Chester, the barons of their court, or of some Cheshire family with -whom the Leghs could claim kindred. There are eight rows of panels in -all. The upper ones contain the heraldic insignia of the seven Norman -Earls of Chester in their successive order; immediately beneath are the -arms of the eight Norman baronies—Halton, Montalt, Nantwich, Malpas, -Shipbrooke, Dunham, Kinderton, and Stockport; and below these again, -and separated by an elaborately carved oak cornice, the coats of the -chief Cheshire families, including those with which the Leghs are -allied—fifty-four in all. In the centre is placed an achievement of -arms—quarterly (1) Corona impaling Venables (for Legh, of Adlington), -(2) Honford, (3) Arderne, and (4) Belgrave; over all an escutcheon -of pretence bearing the coat of Legh of Wincham, with a crescent for -difference. Beneath is the motto _Da gloriam Deo_, and, to give effect -to his work, the artist, with scant regard for the laws of heraldry, -has added a couple of unicorns as supporters; honourable accessories -which it was not in the power of Garter King or even the Earl Marshal -himself to bestow. On the knots of the framework of the panels is an -inscription in single letters carved in relief— - -THOMAS LEGH & CATARINA SAVAGE UXOR EIUS - CC - AO DOI MO CCC VTO R.R.H. vij., xx. - -The walls on the west and north sides are adorned with paintings of -scenes from the “Æneid”—the one on the west end, which occupies the -entire width, representing Hector taking leave of Andromache, and -those on the north Venus presenting Æneas with armour, and Andromache -offering presents to Ascanius. The wall spaces on each side of the -organ at the west end are similarly decorated, one representing St. -Cecilia and the other a figure playing upon the harp. - -Nash, in his “Ancient Mansions,” has given a characteristic view of -this glorious old banquetting room, and it requires little stretch of -the imagination to picture it as it must have appeared in its pristine -state in the days of bluff King Hal and the maiden Queen—of Thomas Legh -who built it, and his son, the valorous Sir Urian, when banners gay -with many a proud device floated overhead; when the huge fire blazed -cheerfully upon the halpas, and the long windows shed a profusion of -light and dyed the pavement with the reflected hues of the heraldic -cognisances with which they were dight; when the walls were draped -with richest arras, and the screen, wrought with all the nicety of -art, was hung with arms and armour—halberds, bills, and partisans, -and the spreading antlers of deer captured in many a memorable chase; -to re-people it with the departed forms of sturdy warriors and sober -matrons, of gallant youths and lovely maidens; to see again the figures -and faces of those who have long ago returned to dust, and listen in -imagination to the lusty laugh and the jocund song of the nameless men -who, at the trumpet call of “boot and saddle,” were ready to mount and -ride away wherever their lord might lead, - - Alike for feast or fight prepared, - Battle and banquet both they shared, - -Giving the rein to fancy, we may see the stately owner with his -dependents seated at the well-spread table, and hear the thrice-told -tale, while - - flagons pass along the board, - Filled to the brim with foaming ale; - And goblets flash with ruby wine, - And merrily speeds the glad wassail. - -The hall was proverbially the place of festivity, and many a scene of -jocund mirth and roystering revelry, unrestrained by the laws which -modern civilisation imposes, has, doubtless, here been witnessed, as -the nut-brown ale, the mead and the sack, the Malmsey, and the Rhenish, -the mazer-bowl, and the highly-spiced claret cup passed from hand to -hand, and the “top beam of the hall” was enthusiastically toasted as -symbolising the health of the lordly owner, whose armorial ensigns -occupied that elevated position, for - - Merry swith it is in halle - When the berdes waveth alle. - -On the north side of the hall, near what was the “high-place,” a -doorway communicates with the dining-room and some of the principal -apartments, and also with the staircase leading to the drawing-room -and the corridor which extends the entire length of the south front; -but these parts of the mansion have been greatly modernised, and, with -the exception of the dining and drawing rooms, remodelled by Charles -Legh about the middle of last century, and in each of which are some -exquisite carvings, said to be by Grinling Gibbons,[40] but more -probably the work of Sephton, which well deserve examination, do not -call for any special description. - -[Note 40: Gibbons, of whom Horace Walpole said “there was no instance -of a man before who gave to wood the loose and airy lightness of -flowers, and chained together the various productions of the elements -with a freer disorder natural to each species,” died in 1721, and, -while there is good reason for supposing that the reconstruction of -the dining and drawing rooms was affected at a later date, Sephton -was certainly employed by Charles Legh, and it is more than probable -that the carvings at Adlington were his work. Possibly, the close -resemblance which these productions of the chisel bear to the -well-known works of the great artist led to their being attributed to -Gibbons.] - -In 1846 a large portion of the contents of Adlington, including many -family portraits by Vandyke, Lely, and Kneller; books, manuscripts, and -curiosities, were sold by auction. Some of the books and manuscripts -are now in the Chetham Library, and others were purchased for the -Portico in Manchester. Fortunately many of the family portraits -have since been recovered and restored to their original positions, -among them being the one of Sir Urian Legh already referred to, and -a large-sized picture in the dining-room by Cornelius Janssens; a -full length of Thomas Legh, the Royalist soldier, and his wife Mary, -daughter of Thomas Bolles. - -Apart from its memories, its traditions, and its associations as the -home of an ancient Cheshire stock, Adlington possesses a deep interest -as an example of old English domestic architecture. Whilst retaining -many of the more striking and important of its ancient features -comparatively unimpaired, it marks the growth and development of human -society, and expresses the needs and ideas of changeful centuries, the -varied and somewhat rude magnificence of the Tudor and Stuart periods -and the classic forms of the earlier Georgian era mingling in curious -contrast, and carrying the mind rapidly through a long series of years. -Happily, within the present century the house has been subjected to -but little change or innovation, and has escaped, in a great degree, -the evil influences of “renovators” and “improvers.” It is one of the -comparatively few old places that have remained to the descendants of -the ancient worthies by whom they were erected, and we may venture to -indulge the hope that as it has endured for centuries past, so for -centuries to come it may be preserved a genuine relic of mediæval -England—a monument and a memorial of what men call “the good old times.” - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration: KERSALL CELL.] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -THE BYROMS—KERSALL CELL—JOHN BYROM—THE LAUREATE OF THE -JACOBITES—THE FATAL ’45. - - -In the township of Lowton, within the limits of the ancient and -far-reaching parish of Winwick, and a short distance from the little -town of Leigh, is an old-fashioned building of no great architectural -pretensions, erected apparently in the reign of one of the Stuart -kings, and now in the occupancy of a farmer. Byrom Hall, for that is -the name, stands upon the site of an earlier structure, described in -ancient writings as a manor house, though there is no evidence that -the reputed manor ever enjoyed manorial privileges, and gave name in -times past to a family ranking with the smaller gentry, who could boast -a line of succession reaching as far back as the time of the second -Edward. The Byroms of Byrom, notwithstanding their ancient lineage, do -not appear to have ever attained to any very great distinction, or to -have held any very important offices in the county; they married and -were given in marriage among the best families of the shire, and they -maintained the outward evidences of gentility by the use of armorial -ensigns, but how or when those were acquired is not clear, and it is -somewhat singular that they did not attend at any of the Herald’s -visitations to justify their right to the use of them, or to register -their descent, at least not until September, 1664, when, in answer to -the summons of Sir William Dugdale, Norroy King of Arms, Edward Byrom -attended at Ormskirk, and on behalf of his elder brother, Samuel Byrom -of Byrom—the grandfather of a certain “Beau” Byrom who wasted his -substance in riotous living, and less than half a century afterwards -parted with his patrimonial lands—registered a pedigree of five -generations. - -In the reign of Henry VII., when the Wars of the Roses were ended, -and the people had settled down to more peaceful pursuits, a cadet of -the family, Ralph Byrom, repaired to Manchester, established himself -in trade, and throve apace by transactions which in those days were -accounted considerable. - -From the earliest period Manchester had exhibited an aptitude for -manufacture. Kuerden tells us that as far back as the reign of Edward -II. there was a mill for the manufacture of woollen cloths, and in -the succeeding reign the industry and wealth of the town were greatly -promoted by the encouragement given to a number of Flemish artisans who -were induced to leave their homes in Flanders and settle in Lancashire, -where they revealed the secrets of their craft to the peasantry of -the neighbourhood, and thus planted the sapling of that industry -which, taking root, flourished and gradually spread through the -Lancashire valleys, the fulling mills and dyeworks then established in -Salfordshire being the auspicious beginnings of that vast manufacturing -industry which has enriched the kingdom and made Manchester the -commercial capital of the Empire. - -The old chronicler, Hollinworth, quoting an ancient writer, says -that in 1520 “there were three famous clothiers living in the north -countrey, viz., Cuthbert of Kendal, Hodgkins of Halifax, and Martin -Brian, some say Byrom, of Manchester. Every one of these kept a greate -number of servants at worke, spinners, carders, weavers, fullers, -dyers, shearemen, &c., to the greate admiration of all that came into -their houses to beehould them.” Whether Hollinworth’s authority is -historically correct, or the persons he names only fictitious, certain -it is that at that time Manchester was “a greate cloathing towne;” the -Byroms had become noted as one of the great trading families, and took -their places with the Galleys, the Beckes, the Pendletons, and other of -the merchant princes of the day. - -Adam Byrom, of “Saulforde, merchaunt,” as he is styled, the son of -Ralph, who first settled in the neighbourhood and diverged into trade, -was, with one exception, the largest merchant in the Salford Hundred, -and in 1540 was assessed by the commissioners of Henry VIII. at a -larger amount even than Sir Alexander Radcliffe, of Ordsall, who was -accounted the great magnate of the district. Manchester was even then -a thriving and prosperous mercantile town. Mills had been placed on -the waters of the Irwell and its affluent streams, and “Manchester -Cottons,” as they were called, and which, be it known, were then and -for a hundred years to come Lancashire woollens, were carried on -pack-horses to London and Hull, and were frequently sent to the great -fairs at Amsterdam, Frankfort, and to other foreign marts. So important -had the trade become that it was found necessary, after a year’s -experience, to repeal the statute bestowing upon the town the privilege -of sanctuary, and to send the sanctuary men, who by their idleness -and other enormities were “prejudicial to the wealth, credit, great -occupyings, and good order” of the place, to Chester, which, being -poor, was less likely to suffer by the presence of such thriftless and -disorderly characters— - - Cantabit vacuus coram latrone viator. - -The wealth which Adam Byrom acquired in his business was at different -times invested in the purchase of lands, &c., in Salford, Darcy Lever, -Ardwick, Bolton-le-Moors, and other places, including the chief -messuage or manor-house called Salford Hall, in which he resided. He -appears to have been a free-trader in principle, and opposed to the -feudal monopolies that were then in vogue, for it is recorded in the -Kalendar of Pleadings that he prosecuted William Arram, the mayor of -Preston, claiming exemption from the payment of tolls and other imposts -in the fairs and markets of Salford and Preston. This worthy died on -the 25th of July, 1558. His wife, a daughter of one Hunt, of Hunt’s -Hall—the Hunt’s Bank, probably, of later days—bore him six children, -three sons and three daughters; and it is a noteworthy fact that -the two elder sons, George and Henry, died within a month of their -father’s demise. George, the first-born, was succeeded by his eldest -son, Ralph, then a child of three years of age. One of his daughters -was Margaret Byrom, the ill-fated victim of the memorable case of -supposed witchcraft in 1597, of which mention has been made in our -notice of Dr. Dee, the Wizard Warden of Manchester, who was solicited -by her friends to cast out the devil with which it was believed John -Hartley, a conjuror, had possessed her, while staying on a visit at the -house of Nicholas Starkey, of Cleworth. - -It is, however, with the descendants of Henry, the second son of -Adam Byrom, the “merchaunt,” that we are at present more immediately -concerned. This Henry had in his father’s lifetime been united in -marriage with Mary, one of the daughters of Thomas Becke, a wealthy -trader in the town, an alliance that introduces us to quite a group of -Manchester worthies. The Beckes had been for years engaged in trade, -and numbered among them some of the earliest benefactors of Manchester, -and some of her most generous churchmen. Isabel, the widow of Robert -Becke, and the mother, probably, of Henry Byrom’s father-in-law, at -her own cost erected the conduit in the market-place, the first “water -works” in Manchester, conveying the water in pipes from a natural -spring at the upper end of the town, which gave name to the present -Spring Gardens and Fountain Street. Her father was Richard Bexwyke, -another opulent merchant, who founded the Jesus Chantry on the south -side of his parish church—the one which his descendant Henry Pendleton, -in 1653, gave to the parishioners of Manchester for the purpose of -a “free” public library, the first of the kind in the town, if not, -indeed, in the kingdom; he also restored the choir and nave of the -church, erected the beautifully carved stalls on the north side of -the choir, and founded a grammar school, which one of his chantry -priests was to teach. It is probable that he was the husband of Joan -Bexwyke, the sister of Bishop Oldham, who, with Hugh Bexwyke and Ralph -Hulme (ancestor of William Hulme, the “Founder,”) was named in the -first charter of feoffment of the Manchester Free Grammar School, the -three being, in fact, not only trustees, but special benefactors and -co-founders in the endowment, if not in the first erection, of the -Manchester school, which absorbed the original foundation of Richard -Bexwyke. Another of these Bexwykes, Roger, a son or nephew of the -Richard just named, married Margaret, the sister of John Bradford, the -“martyr,” a “worthy” whose name Lancashire men will always revere; -and it is recorded that this Roger attended Bradford at the stake at -Smithfield, but he was prevented by the brutal violence of one of the -officials from helping to soothe the martyrs last agonies. - -Henry Byrom left two sons—Robert, who succeeded as heir, but died -unmarried in May, 1586, when the property passed to his younger -brother, Lawrence. Of this representative of the family but little is -known. He was in infancy at the time of his father’s decease, and he -was yet only young when he became heir to his brother, and succeeded -to an inheritance that seems to have involved him in no small amount -of litigation—generally with his own kinsmen, and for the purpose of -adjusting differences respecting properties bequeathed by his father -and grandfather. Ultimately, an agreement was come to, as appears by -the following deed, dated 13th December, 1586:— - - Be yt knowne to all men by these p’sents that wee Raphe Byrom (a - cousin of Lawrence), of Salford, in the countye of Lancaster, - gent.; Richard Hunte of the same Town, gent.; Adam Byrom - (another cousin), of the same Town, gent.; and Raphe Houghton, - of Manchester, in the countie afforesaid, gent.; for dyvers - good causes and consideracons vs movinge Have Remysed, &c., and - quyteclaymed vnto Lawrence Byrom, of Salfforde afforesaid, gent.; - &c. All and all maner of accons, sutes, querells, trespasses, &c. - by reason of any Lease made unto us of confidence and truste by - Roberte Byrom (the elder brother of Lawrence and then deceased) to - us, &c. ffrom the beginning of the worlde till this p’sent daye - except onlie for the Release or discharge of one Obligacon of a - thousande poundes made &c. by Lawce. to Ralfe & Adam 3 Maye 28 - Eliz. that the sayde Lawrence B. shall not alter the state tayle - made by Henry Byrom, father of the said Robte B. & Lawrence B. - Witnessed by “William Radclyffe” and “Roberte Leighe.” Dated 13 - Dec., 29 Eliz. (1586).[41] - -[Note 41: Local Gleanings (Lancashire and Cheshire), V. ii. p. iii.] - -The late Canon Parkinson, in his notes on the “Private Journal of John -Byrom,” says that “after an unsettled life, and a too keen sense of his -own infelicity, at least towards the close of his earthly struggles, -he found at last a haven of rest in the Collegiate Church, being -buried there June 26, 1598. There was,” he adds, “more than ordinary -sorrow in his family on that day, and probably some ground for his -son not appearing at the Herald’s Visitation in 1613, as well as for -his own Christian name not being borne by any of his descendants.” -The appearance at the Visitation (Richard St. George’s) was scarcely -necessary, for on the same occasion Adam, the son of Ralph (Lawrence -Byrom’s cousin), entered a pedigree of six generations, claiming -descent from Ralph, “second sonne to Byrom of Byrom,” the first -occasion on which any pedigree of the family had been entered, and at -the same time he asserted his claim to and was allowed the arms borne -by the Byroms of Byrom—Argent, a chevron between three porcupines, -sable, a crescent for difference, with a porcupine, sable, charged with -a crescent for crest. - -Edward Byrom, the son who succeeded him, married, about the year -1615, Ellen, the daughter of Thomas Worsley, of Carr in Bowdon, an -alliance that brought him in relationship with the Worsleys, of Platt -in Rusholme, of which family was the distinguished Parliamentarian -soldier, Major-general Charles Worsley, returned as the first -representative for Manchester in Cromwell’s Parliament of 1654. Like -his progenitors, he was engaged in trade, and carried on an extensive -business as a “linen draper,” a phrase that meant a good deal more in -those days than it does now. In local affairs he took an active part, -and in 1638-9 his name occurs on the Court Leet Rolls as one of two -constables of the town. His lot was cast in troublous times. Unlike his -contemporary, Humphrey Chetham, he seems to have escaped the attentions -of the money-seeking functionaries of Charles the First. Greatness was -not thrust upon him, and he had not, as Chetham had, to pay smart for -refusing to take upon himself the “honour” of knighthood—a distinction -in those days of doubtful value. - -Manchester had oftentimes been the scene of conflict. Roman and -Saxon, Dane and Norman, had each in turn striven for supremacy; but -well nigh six hundred years had elapsed since the tranquillity of the -inhabitants had been disturbed by the presence of contending armies. -The day, however, was near at hand when the sounds of war were once -more to be heard, and that of war the most unnatural; when members -of the same family, and often the same blood, were to contend with -each other in deadly strife. When the storm burst, and the struggle -between Charles and the Parliament began, the Byroms of Salford and -the Byroms of Manchester, with whom the recollection of the vexatious -lawsuits of Lawrence Byrom had not yet died out, ranged themselves -on opposite sides. The Byroms of Salford, like those of the parent -house, took up arms on behalf of the King, John Byrom receiving a -commission as sergeant-major in the regiment of Lancashire militia -commanded by Colonel Roger Nowell, of Read, for which, and other -acts of delinquency, his estates were seized by the Commissioners of -Sequestration, when he was obliged to compound for them by the payment -of £201 16s. 6d.; his brother, Edward Byrom, being at the same time -required to pay £2 6s. 8d. - -Edward Byrom, the representative of the Manchester stock, though in -earlier life a contributor to the building of Trinity Church, in -Salford, and accounted a moderate Churchman, was strongly inclined to -Presbyterianism, and, with two of his sons, William and John, took an -active part in promoting the cause of the Parliament. Manchester was at -the time the great stronghold and rallying point of the Puritan party, -and it is worthy of note that it was here the first blood was shed in -that unhappy conflict. When the town was in peril of assault from Lord -Strange’s (afterwards Earl of Derby) forces, Heyricke, the Puritan -warden, engaged the services of a German engineer, John Rosworm, who -had served in the Low Countries, and happened at the time to be in the -town ready to be employed by either party, and bargained with him to -superintend the defences for six months for the modest sum of thirty -pounds. Edward Byrom, “Sergeant Mr. Beirom the elder,” as he is -called, served under Rosworm, and it is recorded that he was the means -of discovering a villainous plot of certain individuals to seize and -plunder the town, through which the chief conspirators were apprehended -and their designs frustrated.[42] At a later date, when Cromwell had -been appointed “Lord Protector of the Commonwealth,” and had summoned -a Parliament to meet on his “fortunate day,” September 3, 1654, the -anniversary of the battles of Dunbar and Worcester, we find “Sergeant” -Byrom among those of the witnesses to the return of “Charles Worsley, -of Platt,” his wife’s kinsman, as the first member for Manchester. This -appears to have been his last official act, and his death occurred -shortly after. His wife, Ellen Worsley, bore him three sons and eight -daughters. John, the second son, was a zealous Puritan, and held a -lieutenant’s commission in the Parliamentarian army; his military -experiences were, however, cut short by an accident which cost him his -life, almost immediately after the outbreak of the war, and which is -thus recorded in a chronicle of the time:— - - 1642, October.—The two and twentieth day store of powder came in - (to Manchester) and the foure and twentieth day some (more powder) - coming was stayed. The joy of this last supply was sadly tempered - with the accidentall, but mortall, wound of a skilful and active - souldier.[43] - -[Note 42: Ormerod’s Civil War Tracts, p. 238.] - -[Note 43: Lancashire’s Valley of Achor, p. 123.] - -The “skilful and active soldier”—John Byrom—who was in his -twenty-second year, was buried in the Collegiate Church, October 31, -1642. - -William Byrom, the eldest son, who succeeded as heir to his father, -was an active Presbyterian, and an elder in the Manchester Classis. -In 1656 he was one of the chief inhabitants who elected Richard -Radcliffe, of Pool Fold, as the representative of Manchester in the -Commonwealth Parliament in the place of Worsley, who was then dead. -Edward Byrom, the youngest of the three sons, was twenty-eight years -of age at the time of his father’s death, and had been then married -only a few months, his wife being Ellen, the daughter of John Crompton, -of Halliwell. He inherited the Puritan principles of his father -and grandfather, and was one of those who, on the death of Richard -Hollinworth, signed the invitation to Henry Newcome to supply the -vacancy, and, with his brother William, accompanied the deputation to -Newcome’s quiet little parsonage at Gawsworth to entreat the famous -preacher to comply with the wishes of the Church at Manchester. - -This Edward was the first of the family who resided at Kersall Cell, -a house occupying the site of a religious settlement that originally -formed part of the possessions of the Cluniac monks of Lenton, and -which had been confiscated to the Crown in the reign of Henry VIII. -After its suppression the place, with the manor, had been granted -to Baldwin Willoughby, who, in 1540, sold it to Ralph Kenyon, of -Gorton, and he in turn conveyed it, eight years afterwards, to Richard -Siddall, of Slade Hall, an old black and white house still standing in -Burnage-lane, Rusholme. The estate remained in the possession of the -Siddals until 1613, when it was alienated by Richard Siddal’s great -grandson, George Siddal, who seems to have been the spendthrift of his -family. - -Edward Byrom made his will on the 14th June, 1668, being then, as he -states, “sick and weak of body,” and he must have died within a day or -two, for on the 18th June in the same year he was laid to rest with his -fathers in the Collegiate Church. By his wife he had a family of six -children, four of whom died in infancy, two sons only surviving, Edward -and Joseph Byrom. - -Joseph Byrom, the younger son, was largely engaged in trade, and, in -1703, served the office of borough reeve. He acquired considerable -wealth in his business, and with the profits thus made he, on the 10th -July, 1710, purchased from Samuel Byrom, of Byrom, the “Beau Byrom” -before referred to, “the manor, demesne and hall of Byrom,” the ancient -house of his progenitors, and it has continued in the family ever -since. - -Edward Byrom, the eldest son, took up his abode at Kersall, and he had -also a house at Hyde’s Cross, which, with Withy Grove—Within Greave, -as it was called—was then a pleasant outskirt, and the fashionable -quarter of Manchester. In 1680 he married Dorothy, daughter of Captain -John Allen, of Redvales, near Bury, and granddaughter of the Rev. -Isaac Allen, rector of Prestwich, by whom he had, in addition to seven -daughters, two sons, Edward, who, on his death in 1611, succeeded as -heir, and John Byrom, the famous poet and stenographer. - -The men of seclusion were by no means insensible to the beauties of -Nature, but, on the contrary, in the selection of the sites for their -religious houses usually displayed considerable judgment— - - The cunning rooks, - Pitched, as by instinct, on the fattest fallows— - -and Hugo de Buron was no exception, for he must have been imbued with -the feeling so characteristic of the monkish fraternity when, in the -days of Ranulph Gernons, he withdrew himself from the world and settled -as a solitary recluse in the quiet secluded hermitage on the banks -of the Irwell, which afterwards became an appendage of the Cluniac -monastery of Lenton, in Nottinghamshire, and, in turn, the home of -the opulent Manchester merchant, Edward Byrom, and his descendants. -Fairer spot than that which Hugh de Buron chose it would be difficult -to conceive, or one better suited for a life of monastic seclusion. It -was then remote from the haunts of men, the atmosphere was not dimmed -by the smoke of innumerable chimneys, nor the broad stream polluted -with the abominations of countless manufactories. With its breezy -moor and low wooded hills, its ferny hollows and forest avenues, and -its wide shimmering river gliding swiftly yet silently along, and -heightened in beauty by the noble oaks and stately elms that feathered -down almost to the water’s edge, it was just the place where the soul -might commune with itself, and feed on thoughts and fancies ever new -and ever beautiful. A place where the purest and noblest impulses -might be awakened and the mind stirred to many a holy thought and -deed—where in leaf and blossom, in wood and water, might be discovered -the parallelism between the Great Artificer’s work and His precepts, -or, as Charles Kingsley puts it, “The work of God’s hand, the likeness -of God’s countenance, the shadow of God’s glory.” - - It stood embosomed in a happy valley, - Crowned by high woodlands, where the Druid oak - Stood like Caractacus, in act to rally - His host, with broad arms ’gainst the thunderstroke. - -After the Reformation, when this little sanctuary passed into lay -hands, a house was built upon the site—a picturesque black and white -structure with projecting oriels, quaint mullioned windows, and gabled -roofs, and here Edward Byrom took up his abode when he attained to -manhood, for he was a youth of but twelve summers when his father died; -to this house he took his youthful bride, Dorothy Allen, in 1680, -and here many of his children were born. He had another house, as -already stated, at Hyde’s Cross, and, besides this, his burgage shop -or place of business in the market stead opposite the Cross, to which -he afterwards added a stall, as appears by the following entry on the -court rolls of the manor of Manchester:— - - 1692, May 16th.—Stallinged and installed Edward Byrom, of - Manchester, milliner, in one stall, stallinge, or standing roome - at or neare the Crosse, in the Market Place, in Manchester - aforesaid, formerly in the possession of Francis Rydings, - deceased, being next to Robert Pelton’s, towards the Crosse, - conteyning in breadth two yards, and length three yards. - -The spot thus indicated was in close proximity, if not, indeed, -actually in front of the shop—the quaint black and white structure -in the Market Place, which has been for many years a licensed house, -and is now known as the “Wellington.” The building has ever since -continued in the possession of the family, the present owner being Mr. -Edward Byrom, who assumed that name in lieu of Fox on his succeeding at -her death to the property of his godmother, Miss Eleanora Atherton, -the great granddaughter of Edward Byrom’s distinguished son, John -Byrom. The “milliner’s” business was in reality that of a mercer or -haberdasher. It must have prospered, for subsequently the two adjoining -stalls were absorbed; and it would seem to have been carried on after -Edward Byrom’s death by his youngest daughter, Phœbe, for in Mrs. -Raffald’s “Directory” for 1773 the name occurs, “Miss Phœbe Byrom, -milliner, 1, Shambles,” and in that for 1781, “Miss Phœbe Byrom, -milliner, Market Place.” The lady, who was five years younger than her -brother John, died on the 20th February, 1785, at the ripe old age of -88. - -It seems strange in these days to read of a merchant or trader having -a stall in the Market Place, but the mode in which business was -conducted in the earlier years of the last century was very different -to that with which the present generation is familiar. Dr. Aikin, in -his “Description of the Country Round Manchester,” says that “When the -trade began to extend, the chapmen used to keep gangs of pack-horses, -and accompany them to the principal towns with goods in packs, which -they opened and sold to shopkeepers, lodging what was unsold in small -stores at the inn. The pack-horses brought back sheep’s wool, which -was bought on the journey and sold to the makers of worsted yarns at -Manchester or to the clothiers of Rochdale, Saddleworth, and the West -Riding of Yorkshire.” When at home the trader was invariably in his -warehouse or place of business at six o’clock in the morning; at seven -he and his children and apprentices had a “plain breakfast” together, -the “plain breakfast” being “one large dish of water pottage, made -of oatmeal, water, and a little salt, boiled thick and poured into a -dish.” “A pan or basin of milk” was placed by the side, and each, using -a wooden spoon, dipped first into one and then into the other. The -shops in the Market Place which were occupied by clothiers, mercers, -and the better class of tradesmen were for the most part open to the -street, and a loose stall or standing in front, where their wares could -be more advantageously displayed, was not thought at all derogatory. - -In the “Private Journal and Literary Remains of John Byrom,” edited -for the Chetham Society by the late Canon Parkinson, we have pleasant -glimpses of the daily doings of the worthy linen-draper or milliner, as -he was indifferently styled, Edward Byrom, and an admirable picture of -the habits and modes of life in the household of a well-to-do trader -as well as of the literary and social characteristics of the better -class of people in Manchester a century and a half ago. Edward Byrom -had a numerous family—seven daughters, six of whom died unmarried, -and, in addition, two sons. Edward, the eldest son, who was brought up -to the business which had been carried on with so much success for so -many generations, was born March 4, 1686-7. John was baptised at the -Collegiate Church, 29th February, 1691-2, and was his junior therefore -by about five years. Having, as good old Bishop Oldham expressed -it, much “pregnant witte,” he was trained for one of the learned -professions, and in due course was sent to Chester and placed under -the tuition of his relative, the eminent schoolmaster, Mr. Francis -Harper, preparatory to his being entered at Merchant Taylors’—then -famous as a seminary of learning—in which it was expected that his -father’s influence with the city traders would secure him admission. -He proceeded from Chester to London in January, 1707-8, and in the -following month he writes to his father:— - -London, Feb. 1707/8, - - Hond. Sir [such was the form in which a young gentleman addressed - his “governor” in the days of Queen Anne] I received yours in - answer to mine of the 10th and 27th inst. Our feast was on - Tuesday last; the boys went to school, had wine and biscuit, then - walked to Bow Church, where one Mr. Dunstan preached on Prov. - xix. 8; from thence they walked to Leathersellers’ Hall, where - the gentlemen had a feast. The boys who were my schoolfellows at - Chester came up soon to London, which turned to their advantage. - I think it not prudence to go to University too soon, both for - Mr. Ashton’s opinion, and because I believe that when they come - there they are expected to know enough of school learning so as to - read authors, compose exercises, &c., with their own help and the - instruction of a tutor. I cannot have the opportunity of seeing - the Register Book till doctor’s day, which will be about Easter, - when I shall take particular notice how I stand as to election; in - the meantime strive to improve myself in virtue, knowledge, and - learning. We went to Bow Church on Sunday to hear the Archbishop - of York.—I am your dutiful son, - -J.B. - -In another letter he writes:— - - My master is very kind to me, and never yet spoke a cross - word to me, and I think I never gave him occasion, which is - an encouragement and satisfaction to me, and I will strive to - preserve it. - -Young Byrom’s progress in the classics was so satisfactory that in -1709 he was admitted a pensioner of Trinity College, Cambridge, and in -a letter, dated 14th May in that year, he gives his father a detailed -account of the examination and the circumstances attendant upon his -election. His career at the university was anxiously watched by his -father, whose letters, many of which have been preserved, contain many -admonitions and much excellent advice. Thus, apparently in response to -a request for a copy of Locke’s great work, he writes, - - I have not Mr. Locke’s book of “Human Understanding,” it is - above my capacity; nor was I ever fond of that author, he being - (though a very learned man) a Socinian or an atheist, as to which - controversy, I desire you not to trouble yourself with it in your - younger studies. I look upon it as a snare of the devil, thrown - among sharp wits and ingenious youths to oppose their reason to - revelation, and because they cannot apprehend reason, to make them - sceptics, and so entice them to read other books than the Bible - and the comments upon it. - -In another letter he says:— - - I lately brought home Mr. Melling and Mr. Worsley from evening - prayers to drink a dish of tea in your remembrance ... good son, - look now before you to consider how precious your time is, and - how to improve yourself, to consider the design and end proposed - in your education, to fit you for sacred orders, which ought most - considerately to be undertaken ... whatever books you read, be - sure to read Dr. Hammond upon the Psalms and Lessons, with Dr. - Whitby every day; it is not every young scholar hath them, but - you have, and shall want no necessary thing I can buy you. I was - reading, the other evening, the 2nd lesson; Hebrews vi., 7, 8, - made a deeper impression on my mind now, after receiving the holy - sacrament on Good Friday and Easter day, than I ever noted in - them before, which may be applicable to you. In your case, when - the good education bestowed upon youths designed for the ministry - bringeth forth herbs meet for them to whom it is dressed, it - receiveth God’s blessing; but if thorns and briars, &c. Reading - this, I applied it so on you, who I then thought of, but on myself - as in my own case. - -No wonder that with such counsel from such a father, the young -undergraduate should have become imbued with a spirit of piety that -influenced every action of his future life. But that father was soon to -be taken from him. In August, 1711, Edward Byrom, whose health had been -failing for some time, passed away at the comparatively early age of -fifty-five, and on the twenty-first of the same month was laid to rest -by the side of his fathers in the Jesus chantry, then called the Byrom -chapel, in the old church of Manchester—the church in which in life he -had so often delighted to worship. - -In December, 1711, young Byrom took his B.A., and in his exuberant -joy he thus writes from Cambridge to his confidential friend, John -Stansfield, the assistant manager of his late father’s place of -business in London, whom he frequently commissioned to purchase books -for him:— - - I would fain have nothing hinder the pleasure I take in - thinking how soon I shall change this tattered blue gown (the - undergraduate’s gown, which was then, as now, blue) for a black - one and a lambskin, and have the honourable title of Bachelor of - Arts. BACHELOR OF ARTS! John, how great it sounds! the Great Mogul - is nothing to it. Ay, ay, sir, don’t pride yourself upon your fine - titles before you have them. Are you sure of your degree? Can you - stand the test of a strict examination in all these arts you are - to be bachelor of? Has not one of your blue gowns been stopped - this week for insufficiency in that point already, and do you hope - to escape better? Why, sir, you say true, but I will hope on, - notwithstanding, till I see reason to the contrary.—Yours, J. B. - -The “black gown,” the “lambskin,” and the “honourable title” were -gained notwithstanding, and the vacation which followed was spent by -the young Bachelor of Arts with his widowed mother and sisters in his -Lancashire home at Kersall. His sister, Sarah (Mrs. Brearcliffe), in a -letter to John Stansfield, writes— - - Brother John is most at Kersall: he goes every night and morning - down to the water side and bawls out one of Tully’s orations in - Latin, so loud they can hear him a mile off; so that all the - neighbourhood think he is mad, and you would think so too if you - saw him. Sometimes he thrashes corn with John Rigby’s men, and - helps them to get potatoes, and works as hard as any of them. He - is very good company and we shall miss him when he is gone, which - will not be long to now; Christmas is very near. - -From orating on the banks of the Irwell, and “threshing corn with John -Rigby’s men,” Byrom returned to his studies at Cambridge. His lively -and cheerful disposition made him popular with his brother collegians, -and secured for him many friendships. He was, too, a welcome visitor -in the house of the master of Trinity, Dr. Richard Bentley—the great -Bentley; one of his most intimate associates was the doctor’s nephew, -“Tom,” and he was also on friendly terms with the doctor’s young and -fascinating daughter, Joanna—“Jug,” as she was familiarly called—if, -indeed, they did not entertain something more than friendly feelings -towards each other. In July, 1714, we find him writing to his old -friend Stansfield as to his prospects of a fellowship, and in the -following month he writes to his brother Edward, who was then in -London:— - - I have wrote to Mr. Banks to desire his interest at fellowships, - but must leave it to you to direct it and send it to him. - -It was about this time that his passion for poetry first manifested -itself. He had before (August 17, 1714), under the signature of “John -Shadow,” contributed a paper to the _Spectator_ on the subject of -dreams, which elicited a complimentary editorial note from Addison. -This was followed on the 6th October in the same year by his pretty -pastoral, “Colin and Phœbe,” prefaced by another complimentary note, -which at once brought him into general notice:— - - My time, O ye muses, was happily spent, - When Phœbe went with me wherever I went, - Ten thousand sweet pleasures I felt in my breast; - Sure never fond shepherd like Colin was blest! - But now she has gone, and has left me behind, - What a marvellous change on a sudden I find! - When things were as fine as could possibly be, - I thought ’twas the spring, but alas! it was she. - -The poem, which comprises ten stanzas, at once became generally -popular; it was his first production in verse, and gained the -admiration of Chalmers and the praise of Bishop Monk, the latter -pronouncing it “one of the most exquisite specimens in existence.” It -is commonly supposed that the Phœbe of the pastoral was Bentley’s witty -and accomplished daughter, “Jug,” who, Bishop Monk says, “from her -earliest youth captivated the hearts of the young collegians,” and for -whom Byrom is said, though without any evidence, to have conceived a -passion. It is more than likely that he wished to attract the attention -of Bentley, who was an ardent admirer of the _Spectator_, and who, -finding in its columns a poem of such merit from one of his own college -might be induced to use his influence in obtaining for the author the -fellowship which Byrom so much desired. Certain it is that he got the -fellowship he had previously despaired of, and did not gain the hand -of Bentley’s daughter, that young lady a few years afterwards becoming -the wife of Dr. Dennison Cumberland, afterwards Bishop of Clonfert -and Killaloe, the issue of the marriage being Richard Cumberland, the -well-known dramatic writer. - -The year following his election to a fellowship of his college (1714) -Byrom proceeded to his master’s degree. The ardent aspirations of -his father that he should enter the Church were not, however, to be -realised, for in 1716 he was obliged by the statutes of his college to -vacate his fellowship in consequence of his declining to be admitted to -holy orders. The reason of this is not very clear, but it is evident -from his correspondence that he had then become strongly imbued with -Jacobitism, and, in the unsettled state of society consequent upon -the Hanoverian succession and the determined efforts that were made -to restore the crown to the exiled Stuarts, he may have felt a desire -to be free from the obligations his ordination vows would impose. Be -that as it may, he visited the continent in 1717, and remained for -some time in seclusion. There was some mystery about his movements -at the time, and it has been surmised that his retirement was not -altogether unconnected with politics, if, indeed, it was not for the -actual purpose of fomenting another Jacobite insurrection. During his -stay he met with Malebranche’s “Search after Truth,” and some pieces -of Mademoiselle Bourignon, the consequence of which was that he became -strongly impressed with the visionary philosophy of the former, and -the enthusiastic extravagance of the latter. He resided for a while -at Montpelier, where he applied himself to the study of medicine. His -brother Edward, writing to him on the 17th August, 1717, says:— - - I hope you have improved yourself in physic since your being there - (Montpelier). I would gladly have you employ yourself that way, - and you need not doubt of encouragement here. Not one person but - ourselves knows where you are, but we think now to let our friends - know that you are studying physic at Montpelier.... You may save - yourself any trouble of inquiring after Mr. Roberts, for he is in - these parts, but thinks himself excepted out of the act of grace, - as are all persons who have gone beyond seas, or all who have been - with the Pretender. - -While away there was a probability of the librarianship of the Chetham -Library falling vacant, a post which Byrom was rather anxious to -obtain, though the emoluments were very small. In a letter to his -brother, written from Montpelier, January 3, 1718, he writes:— - - My wife (his youngest sister Phœbe, whom he playfully spoke of by - that name) writes me word that Mr. Lesley, your library keeper, - is going to die; that the feoffees ask if I will have the place. - I could like it very well, but I suppose it tied to certain - engagements which I do not like so well; I suppose the feoffees - (are) at liberty to give it to one _in_ or _out_ of orders, but - whether he must take the oaths or no depends not upon them. If I - may be as I am, I shall be glad to visit the skeleton. You all - invite me home very kindly, and in spring I think to come to you - by way of Paris, if you know of no other by any of the ports. I - have nothing should tempt me from your company at present but the - occasion of a little insight into physic in this place. - -The “insight” having apparently been obtained, he returned to England, -and on the 3rd May he writes a hurried note to his brother from -Cambridge. - - The post is this moment going out, so I run to the coffee-house - to return you an answer in haste to yours, and let you know that - I should be very willing to have the library, and am very much - obliged to you for your pains in engaging the feoffees; if you can - be sure of it, let me know further; it will be better worth while - than staying for a doubtful chance of a fellowship whose profit - will be slow in coming; besides, ’tis in Manchester, which place I - love entirely. - -Whether admission to orders was a condition, or the taking the oaths an -obstacle, is not clear, but, though Byrom returned to Manchester, he -did not succeed to the office. - -The prospect of the librarianship of Chetham’s Library was not the -only inducement for Byrom to settle in his native town. His uncle, -Joseph Byrom, had a pretty daughter, then blooming into womanhood, who -had made an impression on his susceptible heart, and, in short, the -ardent young Jacobite, who awhile before had penned verses in praise of -Bentley’s fascinating daughter— - - Moving all nature with his artless plaints, - -fell in love with his cousin; but the course of true love was ruffled -by the proverbial obstructions. The young lady’s favour was quickly -gained, but her father’s approval was not so easily secured, and that -is scarcely to be wondered at. Byrom at the time had not settled down -to any profession; his prospects were doubtful; he had been obliged -to seclude himself on account of his political proclivities; and -had, moreover, come to be accounted an eccentric and somewhat dreamy -philosopher, infected with the mysticism of the French school. The -practical, hard-headed Manchester merchant could, therefore, hardly -look upon him as an eligible suitor or a promising husband for a young -lady destined to inherit the ancestral home of the Byroms. Everything, -however, comes to him who can wait. Byrom did wait; and eventually -the obdurate parent yielded, and gave his consent to, if he did not -actually express approval of, the match; and on Valentine’s Day, -1720-1, at the old church, the young couple were united, the bride -having just completed her twenty-first year, and Byrom being then in -his twenty-ninth. - -Chalmers, in his biography of Byrom, represents the marriage as a -clandestine one. He says the lady’s father “was extremely averse to the -match, and when it took place without his consent, refused the young -couple any means of support; and, as a means of supporting himself and -his wife, Byrom had recourse to the teaching of shorthand writing.” -But this is an error, as evidenced by a passage in a letter addressed -by the bride’s elder sister, Anne Byrom, to Mr. Stansfield, under date -February 18, 1720-1, four days after the wedding:— - - I received yours last week, and designed answering it by first - post, but could not have an opportunity, we having been pretty - much engaged this week; for on Tuesday last sister Elizabeth was - married to Dr. Byrom, with consent of father and mother, and the - wedding kept here, and we having had a deal of company. - -His sister here designates him “Dr.” Byrom, and the prefix to his name -was through life commonly accorded by his friends and acquaintance. -He does not appear ever to have taken a degree entitling him to it, -though in one of his letters written from Montpelier he styles himself -“Dr. of Physic.” There is a common belief that he practised medicine in -Manchester; but this was only upon rare occasions, chiefly among the -poor and the members of his own family; and he threw physic to the dogs -when he applied himself to the perfecting of his system of shorthand. -Shortly after his marriage he became the occupant of a house belonging -to Mr. Hunter, standing at the corner of Hanging Ditch, and what is -now the lower end of Cannon Street, but then called Hunter’s-lane, and -here his family resided for many years. His journal affords pleasant -glimpses of his home life and surroundings at this time:— - - October 5, 1722.—This day we came to Mr. Hunter’s house. Saturday, - 6th.—Laurenson’s wife died. Sister Ellen ill. Sorted my papers - all morning. Mr. Hooper came about one to ask me to go to Holme - (Hulme Hall). I followed ’em thither; Mr. M. and R. and Mrs. H. - Malyn. Dr. Mainwaring there. We bowled, read Haddon’s verses on - the eclipses, &c. Mr. Leycester came, and Mr. Kate. - -[Illustration] - -The Mr. Hooper here referred to was the recently-appointed librarian to -Chetham’s Library, and the chaplain to Lady Anne Bland, of Hulme Hall, -lady of the manor of Manchester. Massey Malyn was a son of Dr. Malyn, -who had acquired by his marriage the Sale Hall Estate, in Cheshire, and -was himself the rector of Ashton-upon-Mersey; Robert Malyn, his younger -brother, was an undergraduate of Cambridge; Peter Mainwaring was a -well-known medical practitioner in the town, who subsequently married -one of the sisters and co-heiresses of Massey Malyn; and John Haddon -was the rector of Warrington. Hulme Hall was at that time the centre -in which gathered the wit and learning and intellectuality of the -neighbourhood. Lady Anne Bland, the widowed owner, and the foundress -of St. Ann’s, was accounted the leader of fashion among the Hanoverian -and Whig party, and the rival of Madam Drake, who carried the palm -among the Jacobite and Tory fashionables; the former deeming it not -inconsistent with her dignity to resent the exuberant display of Stuart -tartan at the newly-built Assembly-rooms, in King Street, by arraying -her party in orange-coloured ribbons, and dancing a minuet with them -by moonlight in the open street. Byrom was always a welcome guest at -Hulme, where his sprightliness and epigrammatic humour was highly -appreciated, and with the pious, if somewhat imperious, owner he was, -in spite of his Jacobite proclivities, an especial favourite. He was a -frequent worshipper at St. Ann’s, the “new church” as it was called, in -contradistinction to the “old” or parish church, oftentimes occupying -Lady Bland’s seat, and occasionally going back to tea with her in her -own coach:— - - 1725.—Wednesday, Twelfth-day (January 6th), went to the new church - in the morning with Beppy (his eldest daughter Elizabeth, then - a child of three years), and sat in Lady Bland’s seat; dined at - Father Byrom’s; called to see the Wild Irishman in Smithy-door. - - Tuesday, 12th,—Young Tarboc called on me, and we went to Hulme to - take the inscription off the stone (a Roman altar found in Castle - Field). I came home with Lady Bland in the coach, and went with - Mr. Cattel and Mr. Brettargh to dinner. I went to Hulme again with - young Tarboc. - - Wednesday.—Lady Bland sent to invite me to the dancing to-night. - I walked to Hulme in the evening, when I found them dancing. We - came home between twelve and one in Lady Bland’s coach and father - Byrom’s chariot, which sister Ann had ordered. - - Sunday.—New church; sat with Mr. Mynshull (of Chorlton Hall); took - leave with Dr. Malyn, Mr. Chetham, and Lady Bland. - -It is pleasant to think that at this time, when in Manchester -political and religious feeling was at fever heat, and the place had -become little else than a hot-bed of contending factions, there was a -disposition to observe the amenities of life, and people of the most -conflicting political opinions were able to meet in social intercourse -with every appearance of complaisant good humour. - -When Byrom married he obtained the consent of his bride’s father, -but he obtained little else; his own means were scanty, and with the -increasing demands of an increasing family he was compelled to follow -some occupation as a means of earning a livelihood. While pursuing -his studies at Cambridge he had invented a system of shorthand, the -leading principle of which was to denote the different sounds of -language by strokes of the shortest and simplest form. Reporting, as -a profession, was all but unknown, but in private life stenography was -much more generally practised than at the present time, especially -among students and the better educated members of society, who, before -the age of cheap literature, had recourse to it to reduce the labour -of frequent transcription. Cypher-writing had long been in vogue, the -“Diary” of Pepys being a notable illustration, but the system which -Byrom introduced was the first that was based upon any clearly defined -principle, and, though now out of date, may be said to be the parent of -all subsequent and “improved” systems. Unfortunately for him the men -of Manchester a century and a half ago thought more of looms than of -literature, and were more intent on manufactures than on metaphysics; -hence the place afforded little scope for the practice of the art -which he had invented. London was a more promising field, and during -several years he made lengthened visits to the metropolis, where he -met with very encouraging support, his patrons and pupils including -some of the most eminent statesmen and divines of the day—the Duke of -Devonshire, the Archbishop of York, Lord Chesterfield, Lord Hartington, -Hoadley, Bishop of Salisbury, Horace Walpole, Pope, and others of equal -celebrity. In his Journal he records:—“Proposals printed May 27, 1723, -for printing and publishing a new method of shorthand;” and on the 30th -January, 1724, he writes to his wife:— - - I told you I was to see the Archbishop of York. I did so on - Tuesday morning, and talked with him and his son about our art. - They entered into the notion of it very readily, and his grace - promised to recommend it wherever he had an opportunity. New - proposals are now printing off, dated February 1st, 1724, that is, - Saturday, on which day I intend to advertise in the _Daily Post_, - _Evening Post_, and _London Journal_. They are the same as the old - proposals, only Mr. Leycester’s (of Toft) approbation is added to - Mr. Smith’s. Now the thing receives a formal publication I shall - see what I am likely to expect from my friend Mr. Public, and - whether he will have a true relish for clever things or no. - -“Mr. Public” had the desired “relish,” and the “clever things” obtained -for their inventor the honour of admission into the Royal Society. - - “Thursday, March 19th (1724).—This day I was admitted Fellow of - the Royal Society by Sir Hans Sloane, and Mr. Robert Ord at the - same time. He and I went there together, gave Mr. Hawkshee two - guineas, and signed bond to pay fifty-two shillings a year.” - -Byrom found a competitor in the person of a Mr. James Weston, who -claimed to be the inventor of a superior method of stenography, and the -journalist thus writes of his “furious antagonist”:— - - Mr. Hooper and Jo. Clowes have been to pay Mr. Weston a visit, - and we have had good diversion with the account of it.... He - describes me seven foot high,[44] tolerably dressed in a tie-wig, - spent my fortune, and a little light-headed, and showed ’em all - his challenge, and how he had frightened me from dispersing my - proposals publicly, but seemed at the bottom to be plaguily - afraid. He says I come to Dick’s coffee house almost every night - when he intends to come and challenge me before the company; when - he does, I shall let you know in what manner he (de)molishes me. - -[Note 44: Byrom was of unusual stature; on one occasion he records -having met with a Mr. Jefferson, who was “taller than I by measuring,” -the only instance, it would seem, of his having met with such a person.] - -During his visits to London Byrom became associated with the leading -literary and political characters of the day—with Sir Hans Sloane, -Bentley, the great Newton, the Wesleys, and others—over whom his -great intellectual ability and ceaseless industry, blended as it -was with a high tone of religious and moral feeling, enabled him to -exercise considerable influence. His “Journal,” in which from day -to day he records the trifling occurrences of his life, contains -many references to his literary friends, and embraces a variety of -information interesting as illustrative of the manners and habits of -the age. In his long absences, however, he never forgot the ties of -home and family. His letters addressed “To Mrs. Eliz. Byrom, near the -Old Church, in Manchester,” relating his daily doings, are full of -entertaining gossip, and couched in terms of the fondest endearment. -Here is a passage taken at random:— - - Kent’s Coffee House, May 20, 1729.—I am sorry to hear of Nelly’s - being so ill and weakly; but I am not able to add anything to the - care which you take of her by any physic of mine. The diet of - children is the only thing to look after.... My dearest love, as - thou takest all possible care of thy infants, make not thyself - uneasy about them; but secure thine own health for the sake of - them, and thy most affectionate husband and friend. - -A week later he writes:— - - I promise myself that you are all pretty well at Kersall and - Nelly better, not having any letter last post.... Prithee let the - children have some sort of things that will keep the sun off ’em. - Why should one let their faces be spoiled when a little custom - might prevent it? Oh, dear! that I was with ye all. I long to jump - into Kersall river. - -If he could revisit his dearly-loved haunt at Kersall he would find the -river now not quite so inviting. - - * * * * * - -In one of his letters to Mrs. Byrom he speaks of meeting with -Whitefield, the great preacher and founder of the Calvinistic -Methodists, who had then just returned from a visit to the American -settlement of Georgia, when it was proposed to sing a hymn; and he -remarks, “If I was to sing with ’em, it must (be) nearer homeward than -Georgia. The tune that I should sing would be something like this, I -believe:— - - Partner of all my joys and cares, - Whether in poverty or wealth, - For thee I put up all my pray’rs; - Well heard if answer’d by thy health. - - Long absence, cruel as it is, - Content still longer to endure, - If ought conducive to thy bliss - The tedious torment could procure. - - Joyous or grievous my employ, - Absence itself would give relief, - Could I but give thee all the joy, - And bear myself alone the grief. - - Lost in this place of grand resort, - Though crowds succeeding crowds I see, - Quite from the city to the court— - ’Tis all a wilderness to me! - - Amidst a world of gaudy scenes - Around me, glittering, I move; - I wander, heedless what it means, - Bent on the thoughts of her I love. - - Still I usurp that sacred sound - Too often and too long profan’d; - When shall I tread the happy ground - Where love and truth may be obtained? - - Let me and my beloved spouse, - With mutual ardour, strive to quit - False, earthly, interested vows, - And Heaven into our hearts admit. - - There let th’ endearing hope take place, - Though parted here to meet above - In a perpetual chaste embrace, - United, Jesu! in thy love!” - -It was during the time of these visits to London that the wordy war -arose between the admirers of Handel and his great Italian rival -Bononcini, which Byrom ridiculed in a witty epigram that will remain -famous for all time:— - - Some say compared to Bononcini - That Mynheer Handel’s but a ninny. - Others aver that he to Handel - Is scarcely fit to hold a candle; - Strange all this difference should be - ’Twixt Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee. - -Its publication created quite a sensation in the literary world; the -wits of the day attributed it to Swift, and he has been often credited -with it in later times. Handel’s biographer, M. Victor Schoelcher, -thus refers to it—“Swift, who admired nothing, and who had no ear, -wrote an epigram upon the subject,” and adds, “the angry injustice of -the nobles” who were in league against the great composer was “far -preferable to the empty eclecticism of the Dean of St Patrick’s.” The -question of authorship is, however, easily disposed of by a reference -to Byrom’s journal, in which, writing under date, Saturday, June 5, -1725, he says:— - - “We went to see Mr. Hooper, who was at dinner at Mr. Whitworth’s; - he came over to us to Mill’s Coffee House, told us of my epigram - upon Handel and Bononcini being in the papers.... Bob came - to supper; said that Glover had showed him the verses in the - _Journal_, not knowing that they were mine.” - -And so the years went round. The summer months he usually spent with -his family and kindred in Lancashire; looking in now and then at the -“College;” discussing learnedly with Dr. Deacon, Clayton, Thyer, and -other of the local _literati_; paying court to Lady Bland; spending -the day with “Mother Byrom” at Kersall; dining with “brother Byrom -at the Cross” (Edward Byrom’s, in the Market Place); “drinking a -dish of tea with sister Brearcliffe” at her stately house in Spring -Gardens; or taking an evening walk “after sermon by the river side by -Strangeways with Mr. Leycester and Dr. Mainwaring;” for Strangeways -Walk, as it was called, was then a pleasant tree-shaded lane, with -the pleasaunce belonging to Hunt’s Bank Hall, the residence of Mr. -Clowes, and the stately woods of Strangeways Park on the one hand, and -verdant meadows and pastures reaching down to the banks of the pure -and sparkling Irwell on the other. In London his time was pretty well -occupied with his pupils, the brief intervals of leisure being spent in -social intercourse with his Lancashire and Cambridge friends, writing -epigrams, disputing on religious doctrines, attending meetings at the -(Royal) “Society,” “making merry at the Mitre,” and lamenting the -shortcomings of his laundress. - -The practice of reporting was not then universally popular, and Byrom -occasionally met with a humorous adventure. “Orator” Henley, whom Pope -has immortalised— - - The great restorer of the good old stage, - Preacher at once and zany of his age. - -objected to his sermons being reported on the ground that “he might -have his discourses printed against him.” He threatened to turn out -the “chiel amang them takin notes,” and when Byrom would not desist, -even when the “manager” offered to return the shilling he had paid -for admission, “went on so much faster than usual that he took the -only way to stop me,” thus effectually getting rid of the unwelcome -attentions of the inexorable shorthand writer. On another occasion -when Byrom exercised his talents in assisting the High Church party -to oppose the application to Parliament for an Act to establish a -workhouse in Manchester for the employment of the poor, a scene -occurred which is best related in his own words. A subscription had -been raised in the town to defray the cost of erection, and it was -proposed that the house should be managed by twenty-four guardians, -eight to be nominated by the Whigs, eight by the Tories, and the -remainder by the Presbyterians. Dr. Peploe, the Whig Bishop of Chester, -who was also warden of Manchester, undertook to present the Bill for -forming the guardians into a corporation; but the Tory and High Church -party offered a strong opposition to the scheme. Through some delay -the measure was defeated in the first session of Parliament, and -on being reintroduced in the succeeding year it was opposed by Sir -Oswald Mosley, of Ancoats, who, fearing that his interests as lord of -the manor might be prejudiced, had, in the meantime, caused a large -building to be erected for the purpose near Miller’s Lane—the present -Miller Street. Byrom, whom the Whigs denounced as an incendiary and -threatened to pull to pieces, was very active in supporting the Tory -opposition, and gave evidence before the Commissioners. He appears on -the same occasion to have occupied himself in taking shorthand notes, -when the scene occurred which he thus describes in a letter dated -February 20, 1731:— - - I must tell you to get another petition ready to offer to the - House that a body may write shorthand in the cause of one’s - country. I have ventured to stand the threats of a complaint - and the danger of a committee in defence of that natural right - of exercising the noble art which I have acquired. At the last - committee but one I was threatened by a Scotch knight (Sir James - Campbell) whom I provoked to execution of his said valiant - threatening yesterday, for in the midst of Serjt. Darnel’s reply - out he comes at the instigation of one Brereton, and suddenly and - loud pronounces these terrible words—_To oadur, oardur, I speak - to oadur; I desair to knaw if any mon shil wrait here that is - nut a clairk or solicitur?_ and an universal silence ensuing I - was going to speak for myself but a member of my acquaintance - winking that I had better not, I repressed my rising indignation. - Nobody said anything to the knight’s query, only Sir Ed. Stanley - (M.P. for the county of Lancaster, and afterwards eleventh Earl of - Derby) hinted that there was no great harm done; and my friend the - serjeant himself said that the gentleman was famous for writing - shorthand, and for his part he was under no apprehension by his - taking down anything he should say, and so returned to his matter; - and the apparition of danger vanished; but if these attacks upon - the liberty of shorthand men go on I must have a petition from all - countries where our disciples dwell, and Manchester must lead ’em - on. - -On the 12th May, 1740, Byrom’s elder brother, Edward, the “Brother -Byrom at the Cross,” died unmarried, when John, the poet and -stenographer, became the head of the family and owner of the estates at -Kersall. - -Mr. Espinasse, in the first of his admirable series of “Lancashire -Worthies,” says that Byrom’s biographers “do not give the precise date -of the death of his elder brother, Edward.” The information is supplied -in the stenographer’s “Shorthand Journal,” in which occurs this entry:— - - May 12th (1740).—Edward Byrom, of Kersall, elder son of Edward - Byrom, of Manchester, and Dorothy, daughter of John Allen, of - Redivales, near Bury. He was born March 4th, 1686, and died May - 12th, 1740. - -By his acquisition of the family estates at Kersall, Byrom was placed -in a position of comfortable independence, and able to relax from the -drudgery of teaching shorthand, though it was some time before he could -be induced to withdraw from London and its pleasant society to settle -down in quiet retirement in Manchester. Two years after this addition -to his fortune he received the welcome intelligence from Lord Morton -that the crowning act of all his anxieties—the Act securing to him for -a period of twenty-one years the exclusive right of publishing his “Art -and Method of Shorthand”—the nation’s testimony to the merits of the -system—had passed the House of Lords and received the royal assent; an -Act which, singular to say, appears to have been obtained without any -cost. - -From this time his journeyings to London became less and less frequent, -and his life seems to have been passed for the most part in his native -town in a calm round of social and domestic enjoyment, his playful -fancy finding vent in squib and pasquinade, and in sparkling epigrams, -an easy and unshackled style of versification for which he had a -special aptitude. Not the least popular of his effusions was the one -directed against the farmers or tenants of the Grammar School Mills, -Messrs. Yates and Dawson, who had involved the town in the costs of a -lawsuit because the inhabitants had refused to observe the old feudal -monopoly and grind all their corn, grain, and malt at the mills:— - - Here’s Bone and Skin, - Two millers thin, - Would starve the town, or near it, - But be it known - To Skin and Bone - That Flesh and Blood can’t bear it. - -The point of the epigram was in the allusion to the professions of -Yates and Dawson, _Skin_ being Joseph Yates, a barrister, the father of -Sir Joseph Yates, one of the Judges of the Common Pleas; and _Bone_, -Dr. Dawson (Byrom’s relative), a well-known medical practitioner in -the town, and the father of the ill-fated “Jemmy Dawson,” the hero -of Shenstone’s pathetic ballad. He also, on the occasion of the -Pretender’s visit to Manchester, wrote the lines which have since -become almost as famous as his epigram on Handel and Bononcini:— - - God bless the King! I mean the faith’s defender; - God bless (no harm in blessing) the Pretender; - But who Pretender is, or who is King, - God bless us all—that’s quite another thing. - -The period was one of great political excitement. The men of -Manchester, who a century previously had barricaded their town and -defied the soldiers of Charles the First, became jubilant on the -restoration of monarchy in the person of his son, and, to prove their -loyalty, caused the conduit in the market place to flow with claret -and the gutters to swell with strong beer; their sons were noted for -their Jacobite proclivities, and nowhere did the young Pretender -receive a heartier welcome than in the old Puritan town where, as has -been said by a popular writer (Dr. Halley), “the orange plumes seemed -to have grown pale and faded into white feathers before the bright -colours of the Stuart tartan.” The barbarous severities with which -the rebellion of 1715 was crushed had only served to perpetuate and -increase the feeling of bitterness against the Whig Government, and -this feeling was intensified by the religious feuds that sprang up in -the town. The Tories and High Churchmen, though they had taken the oath -to King George and desired to maintain the Protestant succession, were -for the most part Jacobites, while the Low Churchmen and Nonconformists -were staunch partisans of the house of Brunswick—the one proclaimed the -divine right of kings, and the other was equally zealous in upholding -the “Glorious Revolution.” - -Byrom’s intimate friend, Dr. Deacon, a nonjuring minister, who had -incurred the suspicions of the Government through his supposed -connection with the former rebellion, and on that account had removed -to Manchester, where he combined the profession of theology with the -practice of physic, assembled a congregation of nonjurors at his house -in Fennel Street, adjoining the present “Dog and Partridge”—the “Schism -Shop,” as it was irreverently called—while Joseph Owen, a fierce -Presbyterian polemic, declaimed with angry invective against the clergy -of the “Old Church” for their alleged sympathy with the nonjuring -divine. The quarrel became fiercer than ever, and the coarse sermons of -Owen were answered by the satire and clever epigrams of Byrom:— - - Leave to the low-bred Owens of the age - Sense to belye and loyalty to rage, - Wit to make treason of each cry and chat, - And eyes to see false worship in a hat. - -Meetings of the rival factions were regularly held at the different -taverns in the town, the “Angel” in Market Street Lane being the -head-quarters of the Whigs, and the “Bull’s Head,” opposite Phœbe -Byrom’s in the Market Place, the resort of those disaffected to the -reigning family; “John Shaw’s,” too, a “public” in the Old Shambles, -kept by a veteran trooper, who in his campaigns abroad had acquired -the art of brewing punch of unrivalled quality, and who was as famed -for the discipline and the autocratic rule he maintained as for the -excellence of the beverage he brewed, received under its hospitable -roof the more thorough-going Church and King men and supporters of -the Stuart cause.[45] Byrom was a frequent attender at the convivial -gatherings at “John Shaw’s,” and the only portrait of him in the -later years of his life that has been preserved, was one taken by -stealth by his friend Dorning Rasbotham, “after spending an evening at -Shawe’s Coffee House,” prefixed to the Leeds edition of his poems, and -reproduced in Gregson’s “Fragments.” - -[Note 45: “John Shaw’s” eventually assumed the character of an organised -club, and after an uninterrupted career of a century and a half it -still remains in a flourishing state, and is as convivial in its “green -old age” as in the days when John Shaw cracked his whip, and with loud -voice and imperative tone exclaimed, “Eight o’clock, gentlemen, eight -o’clock,” and his serving maid, Molly, followed with her mop and bucket -ready to expedite the movements of the loiterer, should the cracking -of the whip have failed to “speed the parting guest.” The club has an -official staff elected annually and with much mock formality, and what -Dr. Johnson calls “obstreperous merriment,” and the members, who are -true “Church and Queen” men, assemble once a month under the shadow -of the “Mitre” to discuss punch and politics, and drink old wine, and -the traditional old toasts, omitting, however, the very suggestive one -of the King “over the water.” Among the most treasured relics in the -possession of the club, and which now adorn the room where the members -assemble, are the original portraits in oil of the autocratic and -inflexible John and Molly Owen, his prime minister, and factotum—the -Hebe of the house, and the veritable china bowl in which John brewed -his seductive compound.] - -Byrom’s pen was ever at the service of his political friends, and -the “Laureate of the Jacobites,” the “Master Tool of the Faction,” -as he was indifferently styled, was more than a match for his Whig -antagonists. Imbued, however, with strong religious feelings, there -was little of bitterness in his compositions; the shaft of ridicule -was never envenomed, his playful wit and genial good-humoured satire -telling with far greater effect than the coarse and angry invectives -with which he was at times assailed. If he was ready to lampoon a foe, -he never lacked the courage to rebuke a friend. This is evidenced by -his well-timed admonition against swearing, “addressed to an officer -in the army,” Colonel Townley, the commander of the regiment raised in -Manchester in the service of the Pretender:— - - O that the muse might call, without offence, - The gallant soldier back to his good sense, - His temp’ral field so cautious not to lose; - So careless quite of his eternal foes. - Soldier! so tender of thy prince’s fame, - Why so profuse of a superior name? - For the King’s sake the brunt of battles bear; - But, for the King of King’s sake do not swear. - -In his early youth Byrom had manifested strong Jacobite tendencies, -but in the interval between the two rebellions—the Sacheverel riots -of ’15 and the rising of ’45—his political opinions, if in no degree -modified, had become much less demonstrative, and his Jacobitism was -under the control of a possessor sufficiently cautious to prevent its -imperilling his family interests or endangering his personal safety. -His daughter “Beppy” was then a young lady of three-and-twenty; -following her father’s example she had set up a diary, and some of -the entries in her journal, with a letter written by Byrom to his -kinsman and friend, Mr. Vigor, furnishes the most circumstantial and -entertaining accounts of the Pretenders visit to Manchester extant. -The doctor’s gossiping daughter was an ardent Jacobite, though a very -prudent one, her sentimental devotion to the Stuart cause being most -pronounced when personal danger was remote, the fair young diarist -having little scruple in designating the wearers of the white cockade -“rebels” when peril was at hand. For all that, her “Diary” is very -entertaining. Apart from the vivid portraiture of the excitement and -consternation into which the Manchestrians were thrown by the presence -of the rebel army, it is impossible to read it without feeling that you -are listening to the sprightly chat of the lively and unsophisticated -writer. - -On Tuesday, the 25th of November, news came that Prince Charles -Edward had marched his forces into Lancashire. The town was in a -state of great excitement. The Presbyterians and Whigs deemed it -prudent to get out of the way; the militia, which had been very -valiant before the approach of the rebels, followed the example; the -wealthier householders removed their families into the country; and -even furniture and provisions were conveyed to places of more assured -safety. On the afternoon of Friday, the 28th, Sergeant Dickson, a -dashing young Scotchman, with his sweetheart and a drummer, entered -the town and proclaimed the Chevalier King; and on the following -morning the Prince with the main body of his army joined them, and -encamped in St. Ann’s Square. “Manchester,” says Ray, in his “History -of the Rebellion,” “was taken by a sergeant, a drum, and a woman, who -rode to the market cross on horses with hempen halters on, where they -proclaimed their King.” Here is “Beppy” Byrom’s version: - - Tuesday (November) 28.—About three o’clock to-day came into - town two men in Highland dress, and a woman behind one of them - with a drum on her knee, and for all the loyal work that our - Presbyterians have made they took possession of the town, as one - may say, for immediately after they were ’light they beat up for - volunteers for P(rince) C(harles).... They were directly joined by - Mr. J. Bradshaw, Mr. Tom Sydall, Mr. Tom Deacon, Mr. Fletcher, Tom - Chaddock; and several others have listed, about 80 men by eight - o’clock, when my papa came down to tell us there was a party of - horse come in. He took care of me to the Cross, when I saw them - all. It is a very fine moonlight night.... My papa and uncle are - gone to consult with Mr. Croxton, Mr. Fielden, and others how to - keep themselves out of any scrape, and yet behave civilly (a very - prudent procedure in such a crisis). All the justices fled, and - lawyers too, but coz. Clowes. - - Friday, 29th.—They are beating up for the P.; eleven o’clock we - went up to the Cross to see the rest come in; then came small - parties of them till about three o’clock, when the P. and the - main body of them came; I cannot guess how many.... Then came - an officer up to us at the Cross, and gave us the manifesto - and declarations. The bells they rung, and P. Cotterel made a - bonfire, and all the town was illuminated, every house except Mr. - Dickinson’s (the house in Market-street-lane, where the Prince - took up his quarters, and thenceforward known as the Palace). My - papa, mama, and sister, and my uncle and I walked up and down - to see it. About four o’clock the King was proclaimed, the - mob shouted very cleverly, and then we went up to see my aunt - Brearcliffe, and stayed eleven o’clock making St Andrew’s crosses - for them; we sat up making till two o’clock. - -Colonel Townley, a member of the great Catholic family of that name, -who had arranged for the Prince’s reception in Manchester, and had -engaged several of the principal residents for officers, speedily -mustered and enrolled a regiment in the service of the Prince. Each -recruit received a white St Andrew’s cross, which cost little, and -a _promise_ of five guineas, which, as they were never paid, cost -less. In the next entry the enthusiastic young Jacobite describes her -impressions of the “yellow-hair’d laddie,” and the way in which her -father made homage to him:— - - Saturday, 30th (St. Andrew’s Day).—More crosses making till twelve - o’clock; then I dressed up in my white gown and went up to my aunt - Brearcliffe’s, and an officer called on us to go see the prince. - We went to Mr. Fletcher’s and saw him get a horseback, and a noble - sight it is [no wonder that amid such excitement the young lady - got a little “mixed” in her moods and tenses]. I would not have - missed it for a great deal of money. His horse had stood an hour - in the court without stirring, and as soon as he got on he [_i.e._ - the horse, not the prince] began a dancing and capering as if he - was proud of the burden, and when he rid out of the court he was - received with as much joy and shouting almost as if he had been - King, indeed I think scarce anybody that saw him could dispute it. - As soon as he was gone the officer and us went to prayers at the - old church at two o’clock by their orders, or else there has been - none since they came. Mr. Shrigley read prayers; he prayed for the - King and Prince of Wales, and named no names. Then we called at - our house and eat a queen cake, and a glass of wine, for we got - no dinner; then the officer went with us all to the Camp Field - to see the artillery; called at my uncle’s and then went up to - Mr. Fletcher’s, stayed there till the prince was at supper, then - the officer introduced us into the room, stayed awhile and then - went into the great parlour where the officers were dining, sat - by Mrs. Stark(ey); they were all exceeding civil and almost made - us fuddled with drinking the P. health, for we had had no dinner; - we sat there till Secretary Murray came to let us know that the - P. was at leisure and had done supper, so we were all introduced - and had the honour to kiss his hand; my papa was fetched prisoner - to do the same [another testimony to the doctor’s discretion], as - was Dr. Deacon; Mr. Cattell and Mr. Clayton [two of the Old Church - clergy who were less cautious] did it without; the latter said - grace for him; then we went out and drank his health in the other - room, and so to Mr. Fletcher’s, where my mamma waited for us (my - uncle was gone to pay his land tax) and then went home. - - December 1st.—About six o’clock the P. and the foot set out, - went up Market-street Lane and over Cheadle ford; the horse was - gathering together all forenoon; we went up to the Cross to see - them, and then to Mr. Starkey’s, they were all drawn up in the - Square and went off in companies, Lord Elcho’s horse went past - Baguley. - -What follows is matter of history. - - The Stuart, leaning on the Scot, - Pierced to the very centre of the realm, - In hopes to seize his abdicated helm. - -The Pretender’s cause was soon lost, the progress of his army being -as brief as it was disastrous. Hearing, on their arrival at Derby, -that the Duke of Cumberland with an army of veterans was in the -neighbourhood, and distrusting the skill of their own officers, they -returned northwards, their vanguard reaching Manchester on the 9th of -December, where the regiment which Colonel Townley had raised only -a few days before was disbanded, though some of the more resolute -supporters of the Prince pushed on to Carlisle, where, after a feeble -effort to hold the city, they were compelled to surrender. Chaplain -Coppock was executed in the border city, wearing his canonicals; ten of -the others, including a son of Dr. Deacon, and the adjutant, Syddal, -whose father had given up his life in the same cause thirty years -previously, and Beppy Byrom’s cousin, Jemmy Dawson, were executed -on Kennington Common. The heads of Deacon and Syddal were sent to -Manchester and fixed upon spikes on the top of the Exchange,[46] to be -reverenced by friends and execrated by foes, an exhibition that called -forth the following lines:— - - The Deel has set their heads to view, - And stickt them upon poles; - Poor Deel! ’twas all that he could do - Since God has ta’en their souls. - -[Note 46: In the accounts of the Constables of Manchester occurs this -entry—1745. Sept. 18: Expenses tending the sheriff this morn, Syddal’s -and Deacon’s heads put up, £00, 01, 06.] - -In Manchester the suppression of the rebellion of ’45 was hailed with -delight by the partisans of the house of Brunswick; the church bells -rang throughout the day, bonfires blazed at night, and orange-coloured -ribbons were flaunted in the streets as gaily as the Stuart tartan had -been only a few months before. That day must have been a sorrowful one -for Byrom and his enthusiastic daughter, for they could hardly have -escaped the insults of the Hanoverian mob when Dr. Deacon’s house was -attacked and that of poor widow Syddal demolished. - -The ill-feeling engendered by these events was of long duration, -and the toast of “The King” was not unfrequently a cause of angry -disputation. The adherents of the exiled dynasty continued their -meetings, though they usually assembled in secret, and their movements -were carefully watched by the local authorities, suspected persons -being required to take the oath of allegiance to the reigning monarch -and abjure Popery and the Pretender. Some of the more prominent -sympathisers took alarm and fled, among them being Clayton, the -chaplain of the Collegiate Church, who was said to have offered public -prayers for Prince Charles in one of the streets of Salford. Byrom, in -describing this period, says— - - We ourselves were many of us fugitives; and had we not met with - some kind asylum towns, might have wandered among the inhospitable - hills, like the present mountaineer rebels. - -His Journal shows that at this time he was frequently away from -Manchester, and not unfrequently endeavouring through the influence of -his former patrons to obtain a mitigation of the punishment of such of -the Manchester rebels as had survived the thirst of Whiggish vengeance, -but were yet undergoing imprisonment. Thus he wrote to his wife (June -18, 1748):— - - On Friday the 10th of June I had been asked to meet Mr. Folkes at - Mr. Ch. Stanhope’s, where I found likewise Lord Linsdale, D(uk)e - of Mountague, and Mr. Stanhope’s brother, Lord Harrington, with - whom we passed the dinner and an hour or two after very agreeably. - They asked me a great many questions about the Pretender, and - circumstances when he was at Manchester, &c., and I told them what - I knew and thought without any reserve, and took the opportunity - of setting some matters in a truer light than I suppose they had - heard them placed in, and put in now and then a word in favour - of the prisoners, especially Charles D, (Charles, youngest son - of Dr. Deacon, who had acted as secretary, and superintended the - recruiting of the Manchester regiment). They were all very free - and good natured, and did not seem offended with anything that - I took the liberty to enlarge upon. When Mr. Folkes came away, - about seven o’clock, I came with him, and he said that what had - passed might possibly occasion young D.’s liberty, that they were - not violent in their tempers, and that he took notice that they - listened very much to what I had been telling them of Manchester - affairs. I was much pleased with the openness of conversation - which we had upon several subjects; and as Mr. St(anhope) had - made me promise him some verses that I had lately writ, I added - a Latin copy to his brother the Viceroy of Ireland, which I - brought him yesterday, for he had sent a servant for me to dine - with again, and then we had Lord Harrington, Lord Baltimore, D. - of Richmond and a lady—Lady Townshend—and somebody else—oh, Sir - John Cope. The Duchess of R. should have been there, but the - Duke made an excuse for her. As we had a lady, however, and one - (as Mr. St. had hinted to me) of great wit and politeness, who - stayed the afternoon, complaisance to her turned the conversation - upon suitable subjects, so that I could not well introduce the - fate of Ch. D. &c. before the D. of R. who is one of our present - kings,[47] as I wanted to do. Mr. St. had read the Latin verses - and given them before dinner, and the Duke might have seen them if - he would, but the lady and the Latin did not suit politely enough, - and there was no urging anything untimely, or else I could have - been glad to have heard what he would have said about the lot of - the imprisoned.... One can only try as occasion offers, what mercy - can be got from trying. - -[Note 47: The Duke of Richmond was at the time one of the Lords -Justices for the administration of the Government during the absence of -George II.] - -He did try, and on the 23rd July he again writes:— - - I have heard nothing new about Ch. Deacon. I sent him (Mr. - Stanhope) a copy of the petition representing his case, and some - further urging of my own. By a report not being made, I understand - that the judges have made no report, which I am surprised at if - that be the real meaning. - -In a subsequent letter (August 4, 1748) to his “Dear Dolly” (his -younger daughter, Dorothy, then a maiden of 18) he sends a translation -of the verses, that young lady, as he says, not being “so book-learned -as to understand them in the original.” They are as creditable to the -heart as to the head of the writer for the evidence they afford of his -unswerving fidelity to a friend in adversity. The following lines are a -fair specimen:— - - Three brothers—I shall only speak the truth— - Three brothers, hurried by mere dint of youth, - Precautious youth, were found in arms of late, - And rushing on to their approaching fate. - - One, in a fever, sent up to be tried, - From jail to jail, delivered over, died; - Sick and distressed, he did not long sustain - The mortal shocks of motion and of pain. - - * * * * * - - The third was then a little boy at school. - That played the truant from the rod and rule; - The child, to join his brothers, left his book, - And arms, alas! instead of apples took. - - Now lies confined the poor unhappy lad— - For death mere pity and mere shame forebad— - Long time confined, and waiting mercy’s bail. - Two years amidst the horrors of a jail. - - I spare to mention what, from fact appears. - The boy has suffered in these fatal years; - Pity, at least, becomes his iron lot; - What ruin is there that a jail has not? - - He is my countryman, my noble lords, - And room for hope your genius affords; - Be truly noble; hear my well-meant prayer. - And deign my fellow citizen to spare. - -In the letter accompanying the English verses, he says:— - - I have not such good hopes as I had of the young boy being set at - liberty upon whose account they were made; he has some enemies - or other that have represented him in so ill a light that I much - question at present if he will meet with the favour which has been - so long expected except affairs shall take a turn with relation to - him (other) than I was told they had done. But I am not sorry I - have spoken my thoughts about him as opportunity offered. - -On “Prince Charles’s Birthday” (November 30th), he writes to his -daughter Beppy:— - - Mr. Nanny, a Welsh gentleman, told me he had heard that Ch. Deacon - was set at liberty; but such a world of false reports have gone - about him that I can only wish this may prove true. - -And on the 3rd of January following, writing to his wife, he remarks:— - - I was taken ill so that I could not go into Southwark to - enquire after Charles Deacon as I thought of, nor have I had - any opportunity since, nor can I learn anything of the truth or - falsehood of the report of his going abroad. - -The report was unfortunately but too true, for the _Gentleman’s -Magazine_ (v. xix., p. 41) records that on the 11th January Charles -Deacon, with William Brettargh, also of the Manchester regiment, were -conveyed from the new gaol, Southwark, to Gravesend, for transportation -during life. - -With the expatriation of this hapless youth may be said to have closed -the darkest and most sorrowful page in Manchester’s annals. In that -sanguinary chronicle of ruthless savagery there was perhaps no more -melancholy episode than the misfortunes of the nonjuring divine of -Fennel Street, who lost three of his sons in the Pretender’s cause. -Thomas Theodorus, the eldest, as already stated, was executed, and his -head fixed on the Manchester Exchange; Robert Renatus died in prison -while awaiting trial, and Charles Clement, as we have seen, was sent -beyond seas. The father passed into his rest on the 16th February, -1753. He lies in the north-east corner of St. Ann’s Churchyard, where -his raised altar-tomb may still be seen with an inscription setting -forth that he was “the greatest of sinners and most unworthy of -primitive bishops.” - -There is a tradition current that the heads of Thomas Deacon and -Tom Syddal, after being exposed for some time on the Exchange, -were one night surreptitiously removed by Mr. Hall, a son of Dr. -Richard Edward Hall, who resided in a large house at the top of King -Street, and that they were secretly buried in the garden behind his -residence. This garden with the rookery in it, which reached down to -the present Chancery Lane, existed within the recollection of the -present generation, and it is said that on the death of Mr. Hall’s -last surviving sister, Miss Frances Hall, in 1828, the grim relics of -mortality were by her expressed desire exhumed and buried in St. Ann’s -Churchyard. It was to Dr. Hall, the father, whilst paying his addresses -to the lady whom he afterwards married, that Byrom sent the following -epigram:— - - A lady’s love is like a candle snuff, - That’s quite extinguished by a gentle puff; - But, with a hearty blast or two, the dame, - Just like a candle, bursts into a flame. - -It was very shortly after the event just related that Byrom received -the first intimation of his son’s having formed an attachment for the -lady who became his wife, Eleanor, daughter of William and sister -of Domville Halsted, of Lymm, the representatives of an ancient and -honourable family in Cheshire, who had been owners of the Domville -moiety of Lymm from the time of Edward III., when it was inherited from -Agnes de Legh, the common ancestress of the Domvilles, Halsteds, and -the Leghs of Adlington and Lyme. The letter written on the occasion to -Mrs. Byrom is so thoroughly characteristic of the man that we make no -apology for reproducing it:— - -Tuesday night, Feb. 28, 1748-9. - - My dearest love: I received this afternoon the potted hare from - Mr. Wilkinson, which Tedy mentioned in his last letter, together - with thy letter concerning Miss Halsted. &c., which has thrown me - into a great but really very loving concern, for the consequence - of an affair in which the family happiness so much depends. As I - am quite a stranger to the young lady, and have no remembrance of - having ever seen her, I cannot judge how I should like her person - and behaviour; but for my beloved son’s sake, I should wish her - possessed of every qualification that might justly be agreeable - to thee, his sisters, uncle, aunts, and friends, as well as to - himself. I guess by the contents of thy letter that he has made - his addresses to her, and his Aunt A. (Mrs. Byrom’s sister Anne) - has given her a good character, which does not seem to amount to - any absolute approbation; his uncle, too, seems neither for it nor - against it; what his aunts say of it, thou dost not hint at, by - which I presume that they suppose that he is determined himself, - and they would not disoblige him by making any objection to his - choice. For my part, if my son be inclined to marry, I can only - wish that he may make a proper choice; but whether he has or not, - it is not in my power to determine, nor in my will to oppose his - inclination, without cause, for I love him too well not to consent - with great readiness to anything that others of his friends who - heartily interest themselves in his happiness should approve - of; but at present their approbation seems only to be negative, - and his uncle’s “What will his father say to it?” does not seem - to impart any great encouragement. His father would gladly hope - that his son, in a thing of this consequence, might so behave as - to please all his relations, and thereby acquire a title to his - father’s approbation, who, considering him as the only youth of - the name at present, would wish them all to assist, encourage or - prevent him as their love and judgment shall find occasion to show - itself in his favour. As to fortune, report but seldom lessens it, - though it has hardly much increased it, I suppose, in Miss H.’s - case; but as to that, though it is undoubtedly a very prudential - consideration, yet the qualities which the lady herself may or - may not have, may make her a good wife with less than she has, - or a bad one with a great deal more. I am full of wishes, hopes, - and fears, and can think of nothing else at present than to refer - myself to thy sentiments, which I wish thee to give me, and my son - to be so much master of himself as to act on this occasion with - all necessary discretion. I wish that whenever he marries he may - meet with one that he may have as just reason to love, honour, and - cherish as his father has his Valentine, whom he begs to take all - possible (care) of a life and health so dear to him, who is, with - hearty prayers to God for her and hers—hers and theirs. - -J. BYROM. - - To Mrs. Eliz. Byrom, near the Old Church in Manchester, Lancashire. - -With the exception of an occasional journey to London, and a visit -now and then to his _alma mater_, Cambridge, the remaining portion -of Byrom’s life was passed in comparative quietude, sometimes at the -pleasant rural retreat at Kersall, “that quiet place of yours,” as -his loving sister Phœbe, in one of her letters, styles it, and where, -as she says, she “was very glad to be a bit from the hurry of the -market place;” but oftener enjoying the society and pleasant gossip -of his friends in the snug parlour of his comfortable dwelling at -the corner of Hunter’s Lane—that quaint black and white house with a -curious raised walk in front, the outlines of which the pencil of that -industrious antiquary, Thomas Barrit, has happily preserved to us. The -struggles of his earlier years gave a zest to the comforts of domestic -life, and in his _otium cum dignitate_ he whiled away the hours, -poetising on subjects grave and gay; now and then ridiculing with good -humoured banter some Presbyterian zealot or recalcitrant Whig, though -always in a spirit calculated to soften asperity; and occasionally -retaliating upon his Hanoverian opponents in some _jeu d’esprit_ -or sparkling epigram, to the great delight of the _beaux-esprits_ -who met in social intercourse at the Bull’s Head—a house that still -remains, and the gruff countenance of whose ancient sign may yet be -seen over the archway leading to the inn-yard and the old-fashioned -and much-frequented parlour. The great truths of Christianity had from -his earliest years made a deep impression on his mind, and many of his -writings are characterised by strong religious feeling; indeed, it -was the spirit of piety breathed into his poems that led to his being -accounted a mystic by the mere lukewarm professors, a reproach that -was, however, undeserved. His religion was without gloom, and by no -means inconsistent with the maintenance of habitual cheerfulness. His -utterances are marked by a manly, nervous style; his imagination was -fertile, and his imagery happily conceived, though there is sometimes -a lack of smoothness that suggests the idea that his effusions were -hastily penned—the impromptu utterances of the man of genius with the -happy facility of versification. Some of his pieces—the once popular -“Three Black Crows[48]” for example—were written for the annual -speech days at the Free Grammar School; he was, too, the first writer -who employed as a literary vehicle the broad, racy vernacular of -Lancashire, which in later times has been used with such signal success -by Bamford, and Waugh, and Brierley. One of the happiest specimens of -the playfulness of his muse was the poetical epistle “On the Patron -Saint of England,” addressed to Lord Willoughby, the President of the -Society of Antiquaries, and which Samuel Pegge, the antiquary, was at -such pains to refute; but perhaps the one by which he will be best -remembered is the ever popular Christmas hymn, “Christians, Awake,” -which John Wainwright, the organist of the “Old Church,” at Manchester, -set to music, the tune being called after his native town, “Stockport.” - -[Note 48: It has been frequently stated that the story of the “Three -Black Crows” was inspired by the London edition, but in a recent -communication to the Manchester Literary Club, Mr. John Evans has -proved conclusively, from a letter in Byrom’s own handwriting, that it -was founded on a story related to him by Dr. John Taylor.] - -Byrom outlived most of the friends of his youth, and maintained the -natural cheerfulness of his disposition throughout his last lingering -illness until, in the words of his obituary notice, “the scholar, the -critic, the gentleman, became absorbed in the resigned Christian.” -He died at the old house at Hanging Ditch, on the 26th September, -1763, having attained the ripe old age of 72, and three days later -his remains were interred in the Byrom Chapel, on the south side of -the “Old Church.” Strangely enough, there is no monument or other -sepulchral memorial to mark his resting place or perpetuate his name; -the register of burials is the only record, and that is brief indeed:— - - 1763.—September 29. Mr. John Byrom. - -A tribute to his memory in Latin verse from the pen of his friend -and correspondent, William Cowper, of Chester, M.P., appeared in the -newspapers of the time, of which the following is a translation:— - - No, much-loved friend! this breast can never lose - The dear remembrance of thy pleasing form, - Thy gentle manners, and thy placid mien; - The smile of innocence, th’ unstudied grace - Of honest countenance, th’ high-season’d wit, - The copious stores of conversation sweet, - Which to my ravish’d ears so oft supplied - Luxurious banquet, whilst th’ indulgent flow - Of thy rich genius filled my thirsty mind. - But who can tell the gifts of innate worth, - The bosom beating to the cries of woe, - The heart of soft benignity, wherein - True honour, piety, and faith have fix’d - Their everlasting mansion? Who can trace, - Alas! the portrait of such excellence - In any other mortal mind but thine? - -In violation of the “Woollen Act,” a statute made famous by the -allusions of Pope and Dryden, he was buried “in a shirt, shift, sheet, -or shroud not made of sheep’s wool,” and, consequently, a direction was -issued by “John Gore Booth, Esquire, one of his Majesty’s Justices of -the Peace,” to the constables of Manchester to levy the sum of £6 by -distress and sale of his goods and chattels. - -Mrs. Byrom survived him several years, and died on the 21st December, -1778, at the age of 78; of his children three died in infancy, and -three survived him—two daughters and a son. Elizabeth—Beppy, as she was -familiarly called—the first-born, and the gossiping chronicler of the -fatal ’45, died in 1801, her sister Dorothy having died three years -previously, both unmarried. Edward Byrom, the eldest and only surviving -son, succeeded as heir. Of this worthy son of a worthy sire we need say -little; his biography has been undertaken by an able writer, and with -such a congenial theme as the projected “Memorials of St. John’s” we -may rest assured that the accomplished editor of the “Old Church Clock” -will do ample justice to his memory. He was born on the 13th June, -1724, and baptised at the old church on the 24th of the same month. On -the death of his uncle, Edward Byrom, in 1740, he became devisee in -fee of his estates, and in the spring of 1750 he added to his worldly -wealth the fortune he acquired by his marriage with Miss Halsted, -already referred to, a marriage that, in accordance with the fashion of -the times, is thus chronicled in the _Chester Courant_ of the 6th March -in that year:— - - A few days ago, Mr. Edward Byrom, son of Dr. Byrom, was married - to Miss Halsted of Limm, co. Cest., a lady of great merit and a - handsome fortune. - -He took up his abode in the large detached house in Quay Street, now -occupied by Dr. Blackmore, and which continued to be the residence -of his grand-daughter, Miss Atherton, up to the time of her death, -in 1870. Mr. Grindon, in his pleasant volume, “Manchester Banks and -Bankers,” says: “There is a legend that he removed thither on account -of the delicate health of his little Nelly, the atmosphere of Quay -Street being purer than that of the town,” and he adds, “the house -was obviously intended to be the first of a row. Mr. Byrom preferred -that it should stand alone, arranging also for the preservation in -perpetuity of the meadow in front, which served as a playground for -the children.” The house was Mr. Byrom’s own, and in all probability -its erection was begun by his uncle, Edward Byrom, shortly before his -death, for in the “Shorthand Journal” there occurs the entry:— - - 1741.—Thursday, August 11th or 12th. Dined at new house in Quay - Street; ... We came from Macclesfield yesterday—Mrs. Byrom, Beppy, - Dolly, David and I. - -The neighbourhood was then unbuilt, and formed a pleasant suburb of -Manchester, but with the increase of trade the tide of population -spread in that direction; new streets were laid out, houses were built, -and the locality became what might be called the “Court-end.” The house -has survived the mighty changes that time has wrought; it stands alone, -as it did in Byrom’s days; the remnant of the old garden and orchard -are there, and the “meadow” in front still struggles to look green, but -its sylvan beauties are only a memory of the past. - -With the increase of the population came the necessity for a new -church, and on the 28th April, 1768, Edward Byrom laid the foundation -stone of St. John’s—so named in compliment to his father—which was -consecrated on the 7th June in the following year. Little more than -two years later he joined Messrs. Sedgwick, Allen, and Place, in -establishing the first bank in Manchester, the doors of which were -opened on the 2nd December, 1771, under the style of Byrom, Sedgwick, -Allen, and Place. It occupied the site of Messrs. Hunt and Roskell’s -shop in St. Ann’s Square, and the name is perpetuated in Bank Street, -leading from it. Less than seventeen months after, Edward Byrom was -laid to rest, his death occurring on the 24th April, 1773, at the early -age of forty-nine. Under his will the Quay Street property passed to -his daughter Ann, who became the wife of Henry Atherton, of the Middle -Temple, the issue of the marriage being an only daughter, the estimable -and much-honoured Miss Eleanor Atherton, the foundress of Holy Trinity -Church, in Hulme, and the last representative in a direct line of the -Byrom family, who died at the old home in Quay Street, on the 12th -September, 1870, at the age of eighty-eight. In accordance with the -provisions of her will, the greater portion of her property, including -the Kersall estates, passed to her godson, Mr. Edward Fox, who, in -accordance with her expressed desire, assumed the name and arms of -Byrom—the arms John Byrom was so proud of, and of which he made such -frequent mention in his Journal:— - - Some sire of ours, beloved kinsfolk, chose, - The hedge-hog for his arms; I would suppose - With aim to hint instruction wise, and good, - To us descendants of his Byrom blood. - I would infer, if you be of this mind, - The very lesson that our sire design’d. - - * * * * * - - At last the hedge-hog came into his thought, - And gave the perfect emblem that he sought. - This little creature, all offence aside, - Rolls up itself in its own prickly hide, - When danger comes; and they that will abuse, - Do it themselves, when their own hurt ensues. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -HALL-I’-TH’-WOOD—THE STORY OF SAMUEL CROMPTON, THE INVENTOR OF THE -SPINNING MULE. - - -There is much truth in the remark that it is more in the lives of -England’s worthies than in the lives of England’s warriors that we -may discover the true secret of England’s greatness. Yet, of those -master-spirits who by their inventive genius, their patient industry, -and indomitable perseverance have been the greatest benefactors to -their country, and who, on that account, deserve ever to be held in -honoured remembrance, how many have had to battle with untoward fate, to - - Wage with fortune an eternal war, - Checked by the scoff of Pride, by Envy’s frown, - And Poverty’s unconquered bar. - -Of such men was Samuel Crompton, the inventor of the spinning mule, -whose mechanical achievement may be said to have laid open the prospect -of unbounded wealth to the industrious of his native shire, and to have -wrought in Lancashire changes well-nigh as wondrous as any recorded in -the fictions of Eastern romance. - -[Illustration: HALL-I’-TH’-WOOD.] - -Hall-in-the-Wood, or Hall-i’-th’-Wood, according to the vernacular, -the ancient dwelling-place in which Crompton spent his toilsome days -and thoughtful nights—the shrine to which our present pilgrimage is -directed, and which deserves to be hallowed as one of our sacred -temples—is situated in the midst of scenery strangely at variance with -the associations the name calls forth; for though, with Firwood, -the Lower Wood, the Oaks, and other places of similar designation -immediately adjacent, it recalls the sylvan beauty of former days, -so complete has been the disafforesting that, with the exception of -the blighted and blackened relics of a sturdy oak or stately elm here -and there dotting the landscape, scarce a remnant remains of the -old forest that once formed its pleasant environment. Yet withal, -if the surroundings have lost much of their picturesqueness and are -not altogether lovely, they are under their present aspect far more -suggestive of the manufacturing enterprise, the permanent utility, -and the universal good which is the natural outcome of Crompton’s -invention, than they would have been had they retained their pristine -beauty. Nature has been effectually displaced by industry. From -the steep cliff on which stands his ancient home a thousand tall -chimneys may now be seen, filling the atmosphere with volumes of thick -dun-coloured smoke that hang like a pall and drop down soot instead of -fatness. The once fair and fertile country is absolutely covered with -mighty factories and hives of busy industry, in which tens of thousands -of the population find employment. On every hand the ear is assailed -with the din and rattle of machinery, and wherever the eye can reach it -encounters nothing but steam and smoke and the outward indications of -active labour. - -[Illustration] - -The Hall, which is located in the township of Tonge, and distant about -a couple of miles from Bolton, is an interesting specimen of the old -English mansion of the earlier Tudor period; and, though time has made -sad havoc among its beauties and peculiarities, it has happily escaped -the assaults of “improvers,” and even in its dilapidated and forlorn -condition may, in an antiquarian sense, be said to retain its original -features comparatively unimpaired. It stands near the edge of a bold -rocky steep that rises abruptly from the Eagley Brook—a tributary of -the Irwell, that separates the townships of Sharples and Tonge—and -commands an extensive view of the surrounding country. It is an -irregular pile—a house with many gables—and has evidently been erected -at two distinct periods—the older part being in the black and white -half-timbered style so frequently met with in the old manor houses of -Lancashire and Cheshire; while the more modern portion, though also -boasting considerable antiquity, is of stone, with a two-storeyed -projecting porch of the same material, erected in 1648, as the date -with the initials - - N - A A - -over the doorway clearly indicates. The mansion does not, however, -appear ever to have made any great pretensions to stateliness, -though its possessors were a family boasting considerable ancestral -dignity, and one of them, in his pride of lineage, placed his heraldic -achievements in an elaborately ornamented panel in one of the rooms, in -order that his friends might note his honourable descent. The earliest -portion is said, with some show of authority, to date as far back as -the year 1483. For some time it was owned by the Brownlows; and over -the fireplace in one of the rooms may still be seen the initials of -Lawrence Brownlow, with the date 1591, and it is said that an ancient -oak bedstead which was removed many years ago from Hall-i’-th’-Wood -to Huntroyde has the same initials carved upon it. This part of the -house, as we have said, is of timber and plaster, or “post and petrel,” -as it is locally designated; the walls being composed of a framework of -massive timber, with the interstices filled with plaster, and worked -in divers quatrefoil and diaper-like patterns. The main structure -comprises a long and lofty oblong block, with a short bay projecting -at right angles from the further end. The upper chambers overhang the -lower, and these again have an overhanging roof springing from a coved -cornice; another instance that the mediæval architects who planned -and carried out these erections were by no means insensible to the -advantage of a varied outline producing that picturesque irregularity -which, without any unnecessary sacrifice of domestic comfort, is so -favourable to external beauty, as well as to the effect produced by a -judicious combination of light and shade—a style infinitely preferable -to the dull, dreary uniformities of brick put up in the present day, -and which, were it only revived in its original beauty, would enable -us to dispense with those Italian forms that were only introduced to -satisfy the craving for foreign importations. - -Time wrought changes; with the increase of refinement came the -necessity for increased accommodation, when, to give additional -elbow-room and keep pace with the requirements of the age, the old -house, instead of being demolished, as would be the case now-a-days, -was added to, a more pretentious structure of stone, with mullioned -windows and parapets with ball ornaments, being joined up to it, -and from this portion the square porch, which exhibits the same -architectural features, projects. The date and the initials show that -it was erected by Alexander Norris, son and heir of Christopher Norris, -of Tonge-with-Haulgh, whose daughter and heiress, Alice, in 1654, -conveyed the place in marriage to John Starkie, of Huntroyde; their -descendant in the sixth generation, Le Gendre Nicholas Starkie, of -Huntroyde, Esq., being the present possessor. John Starkie must have -been an old man when he married, for his death occurred eleven years -later at the age of 77, when Alice Starkie, his widow, returned to -Hall-i’-th’-Wood and spent the remainder of her days there, amid the -scenes of her childhood. - -After the death of Mrs. Starkie the mansion seems to have remained -unoccupied, and subsequently to have been divided into small tenements -and let to humble occupants, who attached small import either to its -antiquity or the associations connected with it, content if only they -could keep the roof over their heads; and, as may be anticipated, -during those vicissitudes, it was suffered to fall into a state of -decay, until the inroads of dilapidation became only too painfully -visible both within and without. - -[Illustration: STAIRCASE: HALL-I’-TH’-WOOD.] - -The greater portion of the mansion is and has been for many years -in the occupancy of a farmer, Mr. James Bromiley, but a part of the -old black and white structure has been divided and subdivided into -numerous tenements that are now let to small cottagers. The occasion -of our visit was a pleasant autumn afternoon, and proceeding, as we -had been previously advised, from the Oaks Station, a pleasant walk of -a few minutes over the high ground brought us to the picturesque and -interesting old relic. The request to view the interior was readily -complied with, the good woman of the house cheerfully accompanying -us through the wainscoted parlours and contracted passages, and -thence, by a quaintly-carved black oak staircase, with massive and -highly-decorated balusters and pendants, that leads to the upper -chambers and the vacant lofts above, giving us every facility we -could desire in examining the antiquated dwelling. The dining-hall, a -well-proportioned room, is on the ground floor, but that which most -attracts attention is the chamber above—the only one which seems to -have been treated with any degree of respect—Crompton’s room, the -one in which he worked, in which he had his rude bench and still -ruder tools, where he matured his plans and constructed his primitive -models, where for years he laboured on with anxious hope and enduring -perseverance, and where at length—just one hundred years ago—he -triumphed, giving to his country the invention which has so largely -contributed to its wealth and prosperity. The room is now occupied as a -sleeping apartment, but in other respects it is little changed since -the great inventor’s day. It has been subjected to many whitewashings, -but the old ornamental plaster cornice still remains; the old heraldic -escutcheon of the Starkies may still be seen; and there too is the -spacious window with its double row of leaded lights extending the -entire width, out of which Crompton must so often have wistfully gazed. -The attic storey possesses but comparatively little interest, and -exhibits only a labyrinth of dark and intricate passages, with small -chambers and secret hiding places leading off in every direction. It -was here that Crompton, in 1779, on the very eve of the completion -of his machine, concealed the various parts after he had taken it to -pieces for safety against the dreaded attack of the machine-breaking -rioters of Blackburn, who had driven poor Hargreaves, the inventor -of the Jenny, from his home, destroyed nearly every machine within -miles of Blackburn, and who, it was feared, would extend their riotous -proceedings to Crompton’s invention before it had been even put in -actual work. The principal entrance to the hall is on the south side, -by an arched doorway, over which is a square panel with the initials -and date already mentioned. Above this, and separated by a bold -moulding, is a porch-chamber, lighted on three sides by square windows, -mullioned and transomed, over one of which is a lozenge-shaped -sun-dial. Evil days have unhappily fallen upon the building. Where -repairs have been attempted they have been made by slovenly hands, and -unseemly patches mar the effect of its general appearance; but even -in its present condition of neglect and approaching ruin it exhibits -much that is architecturally interesting. Apart, however, from such -considerations, surely the associations that gather round make it -a public duty to protect it from further injury, so that it may be -preserved to future generations as a memorial of one of Lancashire’s -worthiest sons and one of England’s greatest benefactors. - -[Illustration] - -Crompton, though himself of humble parentage, could claim a long and -respectable lineage, his progenitors, who derived their patronymic from -the hamlet of Crompton in Prestwich parish, ranking among the better -class of yeomen, and the parent line asserting its gentility by the -use of armorial ensigns. His parents resided at Firwood, a farm in the -same township, and distant about half a mile from Hall-i’-th’-Wood, -that had been owned by their family for several generations, but -which Crompton’s grandfather had mortgaged to the Starkies, and the -father, unable to redeem, had finally alienated to them, continuing the -occupancy, however, for some time as tenant, and combining with the -business of farming that of carding, spinning, and weaving on a small -scale whenever the intervals of farming and daily labour permitted. -The couple were honest, hardworking, and religious, but fortune was -unpropitious, and during the later years of the elder Crompton’s life -they appear to have been going down in the world. It was at the farm -at Firwood, on the 3rd of December, 1753, that Samuel Crompton first -saw the light. Shortly after his birth his parents forsook the old home -and took up their abode at a cottage near Lower Wood, in the immediate -vicinity. Their stay there was but short, for three or four years -after, they removed to the neighbouring mansion of Hall-in-the Wood, a -part of which had been assigned to them by Mr. Starkie, who had become -the possessor of Firwood, for the old mansion had, even at that date, -been divided into separate holdings, and confided by its owner to the -care of somewhat needy occupants. - -George Crompton, the father, died shortly after, at the comparatively -early age of thirty-seven, from, as is said, a cold taken while -helping gratuitously in his over hours to build the organ-gallery -in All Saints’ Church, Bolton, where he worshipped; and his widow, -Betty Crompton, as she was familiarly called, was left to struggle -for a livelihood for herself and three children—Samuel, who was then -a child of five years, and two girls. She was a woman of superior -attainments, industrious, managing, and, withal, strong-minded; -energetic in her action, but possessing, with a good deal of outward -austerity of manner, much innate goodness of heart. Her good management -and business-like habits gained her the confidence and respect of her -neighbours, who manifested their appreciation of her abilities by -electing her to the office of overseer of the township, an appointment -which, though perfectly legal, was of unusual occurrence in days -when “Women’s Rights” were unthought of; one of the reasons which -induced her to accept the office being the desire to compel her son -to discharge the duties, which he disliked excessively. Mrs. Crompton -abode at the hall after her husband’s death, and continued his business -with energy and thrift, the produce of her dairy being held in high -repute in the neighbourhood, whilst the bees in her old-fashioned -garden supplied her with another marketable commodity, added to which -she had acquired local fame for her excellent make of elderberry wine, -a beverage she hospitably dispensed among her friends and visitors. -As may be supposed, she ruled her household with a firm hand, and -believing in the wisdom of the proverb that to “spare the rod” is -to “spoil the child,” she manifested her fondness for her boy by a -frequent application of the birch to the unappreciative youngster’s -breech—as he was wont to say in after years, her practice was to -chastise him, not for any particular fault, but because she loved him -so well, a mode of training certainly not the best calculated to enable -a lad of a naturally diffident and sensitive disposition to engage -in the rough battle of life or to make his way successfully in the -world. The widow Crompton, notwithstanding, had many good qualities. -She did, as she believed, her duty to her fatherless child, and gave -him the best education in her power. School boards and board schools -were then only in the womb of time, but Lancashire had many excellent -schoolmasters, and of the number was William Barlow,[49] who kept a -school at the top of Little Bolton, a pedagogue who worthily upheld the -value and dignity of the mathematical sciences, and, on that account, -was reputed among his neighbours to be “a witch in figures.” Under -his tuition young Crompton was placed, and, being of a meditative and -retiring disposition, he took kindly to his studies, made satisfactory -progress, and was accounted well educated for his station in life. - -[Note 49: The author is informed by Dr. Crompton, the grandson of the -Inventor of the Mule, that Barlow engraved the plate for Arkwright’s -bill-heads. The plate itself was found a few years ago amongst a heap -of old brass at Messrs. Peel’s foundry in Ancoats, and some impressions -were then taken from it.] - -Of his two sisters little or nothing is known, but residing under -the same roof was a lame old uncle, his father’s brother, Alexander -Crompton; a character in his way, whose peculiarities could hardly fail -to have an influence on the mind of the nephew. Like the rest of the -family, Uncle Alexander was strict in his religious observances, but -being afflicted with lameness was unable to leave his room, in which, -in fact, he lived and worked and slept, to attend the services of the -sanctuary, and so he compensated himself for the deprivation in a -manner that was as original as it was humble and respectful:— - - On each succeeding Sunday [says Crompton’s faithful biographer, - Mr. French], when all the rest of the family had gone to service - at All Saints’ Chapel, Uncle Alexander sat in his solitary room - listening for the first sound of the bells of Bolton Parish - Church. Before they ceased ringing, he took off his ordinary - working-day coat and put on that which was reserved for Sundays. - This done, he slowly read to himself the whole of the Morning - Service and a sermon, concluding about the same time that the - dismissal bell commenced ringing, when his Sunday coat was - carefully put aside,—to be resumed again, however, when the bells - took up their burthen for the evening service, which he read - through with the same solitary solemnity. - -Such was the household then occupying one of the wings of the rambling -old mansion. Mrs. Crompton found no happiness in repose; ever doing -and ever having much to do was her manner, and that was assuredly the -fate of her son. From his earliest childhood the hours that should -have been spent in harmless pastime were occupied in rendering such -assistance as he could on the farm, or in the humble manufacturing -operations carried on in the house, whilst his mother was bargaining -and fighting with the outer world. He was put to the loom almost as -soon as his legs were “long enough to touch the treddles,” and when his -day’s task was done he was sent to a night school in Bolton to improve -his knowledge of algebra, mathematics, and trigonometry. The poor -weaver-lad had no playmates or associations with the outer world; he -lived a life of seclusion, and his only companion in his brief moments -of leisure was his fiddle. His father had been enthusiastically fond of -music, and at the time of his death had begun the construction of an -organ, leaving behind him a few oak pipes and the few simple tools with -which he had made them. The amateur organ-builder’s son inherited the -father’s taste, and made himself a fiddle—the first achievement of his -mechanical genius. This was the companion of his solitude, and in after -life his solace in many a bitter disappointment. - - With this musical friend [says French] he on winter nights - practised the homely tunes of the time by the dim light of his - mother’s kitchen fire or thrifty lamp; and in many a summer - twilight he wandered contemplatively among the green lanes or by - the margin of the pleasant brook that swept round her romantic old - residence. - -And so passed the years of his adolescence—a virtuous, reserved, and -industrious youth. The help and stay of a widowed mother—who, if a -strict disciplinarian, yet devoted her best energies to the well-being -of her family—shunning society, having no companions, and working -diligently at his solitary loom, Crompton, if he found little leisure -for amusement had at least abundance of time to think, and a thinker he -became to his country’s advantage. - -While young Crompton was assiduously assisting his widowed mother, -labouring at his loom by day and amusing himself with his fiddle by -night, some of the artisans of his own county were exercising their -inventive faculties on the rude appliances of their handicraft, for -up to that time there had been little or no improvement on the art -of Penelope in spinning and weaving—the distaff was still in common -use, every thread being spun singly by the fingers of the spinner, and -the machinery in vogue, if by such a name it could be called, was as -primitive as that used by the Hindoo. Practical observation enabled -them to elaborate their mechanical contrivances step by step, and so a -series of progressive inventions followed each other. The invention of -the fly-shuttle by Kay, of Bury, and the spinning jenny by Hargreaves, -of Blackburn, gave a great impetus to the cotton manufacture, for by -the former the productive power of the loom was greatly increased, -whilst by the latter the supply of weft kept pace with the requirements -of the weaver, but the mule was the real pivot on which its subsequent -prosperity turned. - -The spinning jenny of Hargreaves is believed to have been invented -in the year 1764. It was kept a secret for some time, but before the -close of the decade it had got into pretty general use in Lancashire, -and was at that time so far perfected that a child could work with it -eight spindles at one time. In 1769, Crompton, who was then a lad of -sixteen years, spun on one of Hargreaves’s machines the yarn which -he afterwards wove into quilting, but the machine had many palpable -imperfections; the yarn which it turned off had less tenacity than -that produced by the old-fashioned single-thread wheel, and much time -was lost in piecing the ever-breaking thread; but in Crompton’s case -the appointed task had to be got through, whatever difficulties might -arise, for Mrs. Crompton was inexorable, and to avoid the maternal -reproaches much time had to be given to the loom that might otherwise -have been spent in pleasant companionship with the fiddle. For five -long years the poor weaver lad led this lonesome, uneventful, all work -and no play sort of life; no wonder, then, that he became reserved, shy -and uncompanionable. For five long years he struggled on, following the -dull, unremitting round of labour on his wearisome treadmill, without -one single ray of cheering hope to brighten the gloom of his monotonous -existence, when his ingenuity was driven to make such improvements in -the spinning machine as would ultimately relieve him of the annoyances -he was subjected to. - -The time was not propitious for inventors. Hargreaves had been -persecuted and ruined by the populace, and Arkwright had to remove to -Nottingham to escape the popular animosity. Manufacturers were jealous -lest their craft should be endangered, and workmen, in their ignorant -prejudice against the introduction of new machines, resolved upon -their destruction, while, by the common people, those who effected -improvements were accounted “conjurors,” a name of reproach given -to those who were supposed to possess unnatural skill, and to hold -commerce with the powers of darkness. - -It was in 1774, when he was in his twenty-first year, that the first -faint conception of the mule floated through Crompton’s brain. The yarn -spun by Hargreaves’s jenny could only be used for “weft,” by reason of -its lacking the firmness and tenacity required in the long threads or -“warp,” while that produced from Arkwright’s water frame was too coarse -for the manufacture of muslins and other delicate fabrics in imitation -of those imported from India. Crompton proceeded silently with the task -he had set himself, even the members of the household having little -idea of the way in which he occupied his time in the hours stolen from -sleep when his day’s work was done. Indeed, it was the system of night -work that first drew the attention of his family and neighbours to his -proceedings. “Strange and unaccountable sounds,” says the authority we -have previously quoted, “were heard in the Old Hall at most untimely -hours, lights were seen in unusual places, and a rumour became current -that the place was haunted.” On investigation the young mechanical -genius was found to be the ghost that had caused so much trouble and -alarm to the good people of the locality. - -Crompton’s difficulty was increased by the fewness of his tools—those -he possessed being such as his father had used in his rude attempts at -organ building, supplemented by a clasp knife, which is said to have -done excellent service; some others he purchased with such cash as he -could spare from his slender earnings, and the money he received for -his services at the Bolton Theatre, where, during the season, he was -content to fiddle for the scanty pittance of eighteenpence a night. -Five years of silent, secret, unremitting labour were spent in the -realisation of his idea. Wanting in mechanical knowledge, destitute -of proper tools, and having to learn the use of the imperfect ones -he could procure, it is matter for surprise that in five years he -succeeded in making his machine practically useful. His experiences at -this time he thus relates in a MS. document he circulated about seventy -years ago: - - The next five years had this addition added to my labour as a - weaver, occasioned by the imperfect state of cotton spinning, - viz., a continual endeavour to realise a more perfect principle - of spinning; and though often baffled, I as often renewed the - attempt, and at length succeeded to my utmost desire at the - expense of every shilling I had in the world. - -Neither poverty nor want of mechanical skill was permitted to hinder -him. After much trembling and fretting from impecuniousness on the -one hand, and the inquisitiveness of interlopers on the other; after -matchless patience and unflinching perseverance; after many failures -and disappointments, success at length crowned his efforts; his dream -had become a reality, the mule[50] was an accomplished fact. In that -same year, 1779, just as he was about to test its merits by putting it -into actual work, an outbreak occurred among the Lancashire spinners -and weavers; the riotous proceedings which had driven Hargreaves from -his home were renewed, and while the storm was raging Crompton, fearing -the mob might wreak their vengeance upon his wheel, prudently took it -to pieces and hid the parts away in the cocklofts of the old hall. The -incident is thus described by a recent writer:— - - Crompton was well aware that his infant invention would be still - more obnoxious to the rioters than Hargreaves’s jenny, and appears - to have taken careful measures for its protection or concealment - should they have paid a domiciliary visit to the Hall-in-the-Wood. - The ceiling of the room in which he worked is cut through, as - well as a corresponding part of the clay floor of the room above, - the aperture being covered by replacing the part cut away. - This opening was recently detected by two visitors, who were - investigating the mysteries of the old mansion; but they could - not imagine any use for a secret trap-door until, on pointing - it out to Mr. Bromiley, the present tenant, he recalled to his - memory a conversation he had had with Samuel Crompton during one - of his latest visits to the Hall many years ago. Mr. Crompton - informed Mr. Bromiley that once, when he was at work on the mule, - he heard the rioters shouting at the destruction of a building at - “Folds” (an adjoining hamlet), where there was a carding engine. - Fearing that they would come to the Hall-in-the-Wood and destroy - his mule, he took it to pieces and put it into a skip which he - hoisted through the ceiling into the attic by the trap-door, - which had, doubtless, been prepared in anticipation of such a - visit, and which now offers a curious evidence of the insecurity - of manufacturing inventions in their early infancy. The various - parts were concealed in a loft or garret near the clock, and there - they remained hid for many weeks ere he dared to put them together - again. But in the course of the same year the Hall-in-the-Wood - wheel was completed and the yarn spun upon it used for the - manufacture of muslins of an extremely fine and delicate texture. - -[Note 50: The machine was at first, from the place of its birth, called -the “Hall-i’-th’-Wood Wheel,” and sometimes, from the fineness of the -yarn it produced, the “Muslin Wheel,” but subsequently it became more -generally known as the “Mule,” from the circumstance of its combining -the principles of the two inventions of Hargreaves and Arkwright to -produce a third much more efficient than either.] - -Having succeeded to his utmost desire in solving the problem on which -during five eventful years of his life his mind had been absorbed, -Crompton had leisure to turn his thoughts in another direction, and -the first thing he did was to take to himself a wife. He had made the -acquaintance of an amiable and excellent woman, Mary Pimlott, the -daughter of a quondam West India merchant, who had come down in the -world and, as was said, had died of a broken heart; and on the 16th -of February, 1780, the young couple were married in the old church at -Bolton. Mary Pimlott is described as being a handsome dark-haired woman -of middle age and erect carriage, and possessed of remarkable power in -the perception of individual character. She was, moreover, a “spinster” -in the true sense of the word. On her father’s death she had gone to -reside with friends at Turton, near Bolton, where ample and profitable -employment could be obtained in spinning, and it is said that her -expertness in the art first attracted young Crompton’s attention. - -The newly-married pair began housekeeping in a small cottage attached -to the old hall, Crompton at the same time retaining one or more -workrooms in the mansion where he and his young wife pursued their -humble occupation, producing from the new wheel a yarn which both -for fineness and firmness astonished the manufacturing community. It -does not seem ever to have entered the mind of the young inventor to -patent his machine. Accustomed to a quiet, secluded life, without -any expensive habits or enjoyments, his highest ambition appears to -have been to keep his invention to himself and to work on in his -own simple way in his own home after the fashion of the time, for -it was then the idyllic period of cotton manufacturing, organised -labour in huge factories being virtually unknown. But the fame of -Crompton’s yarn spread; the new wheel was an unmistakable success, -and gave promise of realising for its inventor an ample fortune. It -was at once seen that the much-admired muslins that had been imported -from India, and for which extravagant prices were paid, could now be -produced by the English manufacturer, and at a greatly diminished -cost. Crompton had his own price, and orders for the wonderful yarn -poured in upon him; the demand was urgent and pressing, and his house -was literally besieged with manufacturers anxious to obtain supplies -of the much-coveted material, and still more anxious to penetrate the -secret of its production, for it soon became noised abroad that he -had discovered some novel mode of spinning. People from miles round -gathered about his house, anxious to solve the mystery; all kinds -of stratagems were practised to obtain admission to his workroom; -and when denied, some actually obtained ladders, clambered up to the -window of his chamber, and peeped in to satisfy their curiosity. To -protect himself from this kind of observation Crompton set up a screen, -and then an inquisitive individual, more adventurous than the rest, -secreted himself in one of the cocklofts of the hall, and remained -there for days watching the operations going on through a gimlet hole -he had bored in the ceiling. - -There is a well-authenticated tradition that at this time Arkwright, -who a few years before had erected a cotton mill at Cromford, -in Derbyshire, the nursing place, as it has been called, of the -factory opulence and power of Great Britain, made his way to the -Hall-in-the-Wood, and contrived to gain access to the house with the -object of inspecting the machine of which such wonderful tales were -told while the inventor was away collecting rates for his mother, -who, as we have said, filled the office of overseer for the township. -Arkwright was then in the full tide of his success, and it was an -unfortunate circumstance for Crompton that they did not meet. If they -had it would probably have led to an arrangement whereby the simple, -guileless inventor might have reaped the reward of many years of -patient toil and personal sacrifice. - -Had Crompton possessed a tithe of the energy and resources of the -average Lancashire man he would have triumphed, but, unhappily for -himself, these were just the qualities he lacked, and his diffidence -and childlike simplicity made him an easy victim in the hands of -unscrupulous and crafty traders. Had he bestirred himself there is -no reason to doubt but that some capitalist would have been ready to -advance the means to patent his invention, but his shyness and morbid -sense of independence forbade him to ask for help or co-operation. What -Arkwright and Peel did he might have accomplished; but, instead of his -succeeding to opulence, he allowed others to reap where he had sown. -His very success was the cause of his misfortunes. He was unable to -carry on his work in undisturbed privacy, and his moody and sensitive -nature could not bear the annoyance to which he was perpetually -subjected by prying intruders. It was the crisis in his life. -Tormented, worried, driven almost to distraction, he, in a weak moment, -yielded to the advice of a well-intentioned but unwise counsellor, and -surrendered his invention to an ungrateful community. When relating -the story to Mr. G. A. Lee, and Mr. John Kennedy, of Manchester, some -years afterwards, Mr. Lee having remarked that “it was a pity he had -not kept the secret to himself,” he replied “that a man had a very -insecure tenure of property which another could carry away with his -eyes.” He says in the MS. before referred to:— - - During this time I married, and commenced spinning altogether. - But a few months reduced me to the cruel necessity either of - destroying my machine altogether or giving it up to the public. - To destroy it I could not think of; to give up that for which I - had laboured so long was cruel. I had no patent nor the means of - purchasing one. In preference to destroying it I gave it to the - public. - -He says he “gave it to the public,” and virtually he did; for, though -it was professedly for a consideration, he derived little or no -benefit, and only found that he had been made the victim of the greed, -and meanness, and sordid treachery of those whom, in his simplicity, -he had trusted. Yielding to the deceitful promises of his townsmen and -others, he was induced to surrender his much coveted secret on the -faith of an agreement that, as it turned out, had no validity in law, -and which some of the signatories were base enough to repudiate. The -following are the terms in which it was drawn up:— - -Bolton, November 20th, 1780. - - We whose names are hereunto subscribed have agreed to give - and do hereby promise to pay unto Samuel Crompton, at the - Hall-in-the-Wood, near Bolton, the several sums opposite to our - names as a reward for his improvement in Spinning. Several of the - principal Tradesmen in Manchester, Bolton, &c., having seen his - Machine approve of it, and are of opinion that it would be of - the greatest utility to make it generally known, to which end a - contribution is desired from every wellwisher of trade. - -The total sum subscribed was £67 6s. 6d., but even of this miserable -amount only about £50 was actually paid, “as much by subscription,” -says Crompton, “as built me a new machine with only four spindles more -than the one I had given up [for he had not only surrendered his secret -but the original machine with it]—the old one having forty-eight, the -new one fifty-two spindles.” Never, certainly, was so much got for so -little, and a touch of infamy was added to the merciless transaction by -a fact which Crompton thus records:— - - Many subscribers would not pay the sums they had set opposite - their names. When I applied for them I got nothing but abusive - language to drive me from them, which was easily done; for I never - till then could think it possible that any man could pretend one - thing and act the direct opposite. I then found it was possible, - having had proof positive. - -These men, as has been truly said, saved their miserable guineas -at the expense of their honesty and honour. The treatment to which -he was subjected made a lasting impression on his mind. His very -integrity increased his mortification at the dishonesty of those he -had so generously trusted; his disposition—never a buoyant or cheerful -one—was soured, and during the remainder of his life he was moody and -mistrustful. While hundreds of manufacturers were accumulating colossal -fortunes out of the results of Crompton’s skill and ingenuity, the man -himself, while so abundantly enriching them, was not able to gather -even the smallest grains of the golden harvest, and, but for his energy -and frugality, might have lapsed into absolute poverty, a martyr -of mechanical invention and another illustration of the scriptural -paradox, “Poor, yet making many rich.” - -[Illustration: OLDHAMS.] - -It was a bitter disappointment to Crompton to find that the promises so -pleasant to the ear were broken to the hope, that he had, in fact, been -tricked into giving up the invention that had cost him so many years of -anxious thought and toil to a host of selfish manufacturers who were -making fortunes out of his simple trust. He became moody, suspicious, -and distrustful of everything and everybody; but if he doubted the -world he never lost heart in himself. Deprived of his just reward, -he removed from the Hall-in-the-Wood to Oldhams, a small cottage -across the valley near Astley Bridge, in Sharples, and distant about -a mile and a half from Bolton. Here he farmed a few acres, kept three -or four cows, and, still adhering to the common Lancashire custom, -combined the business of a farmer with that of a manufacturer, and in -one of the upper chambers of his house erected his newly-constructed -machine. Familiar with the principles of his mule, he was naturally -more skilful in the working of it than others; his wife, too, was an -expert in spinning, and the yarn they spun was the best and finest in -the market, and brought the highest prices; it was supposed, therefore, -that he must have made some improvements in his machine, and, as a -consequence, he was again pestered with inquisitive visitors anxious to -discover the secret of his success, when, to protect himself from the -unwelcome intrusion, he is said to have contrived a secret fastening to -the door in the upper storey where he worked at the mule. - -About this time Crompton invented a new carding-engine, and, anxious -to extend his operations, he set up as an employer of labour, but -the result was not satisfactory, for the people he engaged to spin -under him were continually being bribed to enter the service of other -masters, who hoped in this way to gain a knowledge of his secrets, so -that eventually he was obliged to fall back upon the labours of his own -household, and broke up the carding-engine, remarking that “the devils -should not have that.” He says:— - - I pushed on, intending to have a good share in the spinning line, - yet I found there was an evil which I had not foreseen and of much - greater magnitude than giving up the machine, viz., that I must be - always teaching green hands, employ none, or quit the country; it - being believed that if I taught them they knew the business well, - so that for years I had no choice but to give up spinning or quit - my native land. I cut up my spinning machines for other purposes. - -Whilst residing at Oldhams, Crompton received a visit from Sir (then -Mr.) Robert Peel, the first baronet, his object being to offer the -inventor a lucrative appointment in his own manufactory, with the -prospect of a future partnership, but Crompton’s natural infirmity -of temper and his quickness to take offence opposed a barrier to his -own advancement. He had a prejudice against Peel on account of some -imaginary affront,[51] and so the offer that might have led to his -lasting comfort and prosperity was declined. - -[Note 51: Peel had bought one of the machines with the intention of -causing drawings of it to be made. The affront was that on the occasion -of his (Peel’s) visit to Crompton’s house, he had tendered the Inventor -sixpence in consideration of his trouble in showing him the machine.] - -By this time the mule had become the machine chiefly employed for fine -spinning, not only round Bolton but in the manufacturing districts of -England, Scotland, and Ireland, and its general appropriation soon -changed the neighbourhood of which Manchester was the centre from a -country of small farmers to one of small manufacturers. Houses on the -banks of streams whose currents would drive a wheel and shaft were -eagerly seized upon; sheds were run up in similar situations; the clank -of wheels and the buzz of spindles were heard in once solitary places -in the valleys running off from the Irwell and upon the small streams -that flowed down from the barren hills. Crompton’s mules, worked by -hand, “were erected in garrets or lofts, and many a dilapidated barn or -cowshed was patched up in the walls, repaired in the roof, and provided -with windows to serve as lodging room for the new muslin wheels,” as -they were called. - -So great was the impetus given to manufacture by the invention of the -mule that, within less than six years of its introduction, the number -of inhabitants in Bolton had doubled; whilst in the neighbouring town -of Bury, which had “its cotton manufacture originally brought from -Bolton,” the increase was even more rapid. In order to provide for his -increasing family, and, as is said, to escape the annoyance of his -being re-elected overseer, Crompton, in 1791, removed from his pleasant -little farm at Oldhams to a house in King Street, Bolton, where he -enlarged his spinning operations, filling the attics over his own -dwelling and those of the two adjoining houses with additional mules -and machinery for manufacturing purposes—his elder boys being now able -to assist him in his handicraft. - -Five years later he had the misfortune to lose the loving and faithful -partner of his joys and sorrows. She had been long ailing, and on the -29th of May, 1796, he followed her remains to their last resting place -in the old churchyard at Bolton. It is stated that when he returned -from the funeral he sat down broken-hearted and in utter despair; it -must have been a sorrowful day for him, for she left him with a family -of eight young children. Two of them were lying sick at the time in -their cradles, and one died a short time after. The death of his wife -made a deep impression on his mind and character. From his childhood -he had been imbued with strong religious sentiments, and being of a -naturally thoughtful and dreamy disposition, his religion was of a -somewhat mystical kind; hence it is not surprising that he should have -been led to withdraw from the communion of the Church of England and -embrace the tenets of that amiable and philosophic teacher, Emanuel -Swedenborg, who at that time had many followers in the town of Bolton. -Crompton became a zealous member of the New Jerusalem Church, “taking -entire charge of the psalmody,” and occupying his leisure hours in -composing hymn-tunes for the choir, which was wont to assemble on -Sunday evenings at his house to practise. - -He struggled manfully to maintain his young family in comfort and -respectability, but he was comparatively helpless in the conduct of -business, and altogether unfitted to deal with the practical affairs of -life. He wrote on one occasion:— - - “I found to my sorrow I was not calculated to contend with men - of the world; neither did I know there was such a thing as - protection for me on earth! I found I was as unfit for the task - that was before me as a child of two years old to contend with a - disciplined army.” - -When he did attempt to transact business, to such an extent was this -weakness of character manifested that, as is said by his biographer— - - “When he attended the Manchester Exchange to sell his yarns and - muslins, and any rough-and-ready manufacturer ventured to offer - him a less price than he had asked, he would invariably wrap up - his samples, put them into his pocket, and quietly walk away.” - -His countenance was not sufficiently bronzed to enable him to contend -successfully with the chafferers on ’Change. Like Watt, who declared -he would rather face a loaded cannon than settle an account or make -a bargain, he hated that jostling with the world inseparable from -the conduct of extensive industrial or commercial operations; but, -unlike Watt, he was not fortunate enough in the great crisis of his -life to have met with a Boulton who had the quickness of perception -to determine when to act and the energy of purpose to carry out the -measures which his judgment approved. - -It was not until 1800, twenty years after the invention of the mule, -that any real attempt was made to recompense him for the sacrifices -he had made, and for the inestimable benefits he had conferred upon -the community in general and the district in which he laboured in -particular. To Manchester belongs the credit of originating the -movement. Two manufacturers there, Mr. John Kennedy, one of the -founders of the great cotton-spinning firm of M’Connel and Kennedy, -and Mr. George Lee, of the firm of Philips and Lee, appreciating -the talents of the struggling inventor, started a subscription for -the purpose of providing a comfortable competence for him in his -declining years. The time was not opportune, and their efforts were -in consequence only partially successful. It was the year in which -Napoleon’s overtures for peace were haughtily and offensively rejected -by Lord Grenville; the war with France had imposed additional burdens -upon the people, who were already suffering from a prolonged depression -of trade; the scarcity caused by a deficiency in the harvest was -commonly regarded as a consequence of the war; the country was on the -brink of famine; mobs paraded the streets, and the Habeas Corpus Act -had to be suspended to avoid the social danger to which a continuance -of the rioting must of necessity lead. Comparatively few subscriptions -were received; the kindly effort stuck fast, and eventually it had to -be abandoned.[52] Between four and five hundred pounds was all that -could be realised, and that was handed to Crompton, who sunk it in -his little manufacturing establishment for spinning and weaving. His -biographer says— - - As a consequence of this additional capital, he soon after rented - the top storey of a neighbouring factory, one of the oldest in - Bolton, in which he had two mules—one of 360 spindles, the other - of 220—with the necessary preparatory machinery. The power to - turn the machinery was rented with the premises. Here also he was - assisted by the elder branches of his family, and it is our duty, - though a melancholy one, to record that the system of seducing - his servants from his employment was still persisted in, and - that one at least of his own sons was not able to withstand the - specious and flattering inducements held out by wealthy opponents - to leave his father’s service and accept extravagant payment for - a few weeks, during which he was expected to divulge his father’s - supposed secrets and his system of manipulating upon the machine. - -[Note 52: It is pleasant to note that while so many of those in his own -locality who had so largely profited by Crompton’s labour either -refused to help or gave only very grudgingly, the one who had suffered -most by the success of the mule, Richard Arkwright, of Cromford -(the second of the name), whose water frame had in a great measure -been superseded by it, contributed £30, at the same time generously -acknowledging the merits of the invention.] - -Aided by the mule the cotton manufacture prodigiously developed itself. -The tiny rill which issued from the Hall-i’-th’-Wood had become swollen -into a mighty river, carrying wealth and prosperity along its course; -and he who had started the stream looked not unreasonably to obtain -some small share of the riches that were borne upon its bosom. With -this hope, he was induced in 1807 to address a letter to Sir Joseph -Banks, the then president of the Royal Society, in which he modestly -set forth his grievances, and, describing himself as “a retired man -in the country, and unacquainted with public matters,” requested the -society’s advice “to enable him to procure from Government or elsewhere -a proper recompense for his invention.” There had been some mistake -in the address of the letter. It, however, eventually found its way -to the Society of Arts, where the application was discussed; but, to -Crompton’s great disappointment, nothing more came of it. - -Four years later he made a survey of all the cotton districts in -England, Scotland, and Ireland, and obtained an estimate of the number -of spindles then at work on his principle. On his return he laid the -results of his inquiries before his friends, Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Lee, -with the suggestion that Parliament might “grant him something.” It -was proved that 4,600,000 spindles were at work upon his mules, using -upwards of 40,000,000 pounds of cotton annually; that 70,000 persons -were engaged in the spinning, and 150,000 more in weaving the yarn -so spun, and that a population of full half a million derived their -daily bread from the machinery his skill had devised. This statement, -as was afterwards found, fell far short of the actual facts, for it -did not include any of the numerous mules used in the manufacture of -woollen yarn. The claim was indisputable. With the data before him Mr. -Lee entered fully into the case. A Manchester solicitor, Mr. George -Duckworth, of Duckworth and Chippindall, Princess Street, offered his -gratuitous help, and drew up a memorial to Parliament on his behalf -which was signed by most of the principal manufacturers in the kingdom -who were acquainted with his merits. In February, 1812, Crompton -proceeded to London with this memorial, and obtained an interview -with one of the Lancashire members; and, through the influence of -powerful friends who appreciated his merits and sympathised with his -misfortunes, he was enabled to place his memorial before Mr. Spencer -Perceval, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who appears to have taken -a favourable view of his claim. The matter was referred to a select -committee, of which Lord Stanley, the great-grandfather of the present -Earl of Derby, was chairman. Evidence was given in favour of the -inventor, and, among other information given, it was stated by Mr. Lee -that at that time the duty paid upon cotton imported to be spun by the -mule amounted to not less than £350,000 a year. The committee reported -favourably, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer was ready to propose -a vote of £20,000, when Crompton’s usual ill-luck intervened in a -very shocking manner. It was the afternoon of the 11th May, 1812, and -Crompton was standing in the lobby of the House of Commons, conversing -with Sir Robert Peel and Mr. John Blackburne, one of the members for -Lancashire, when one of them observed, “Here comes Mr. Perceval.” The -group was instantly joined by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who -addressed them with the remark, “You will be glad to know I mean to -propose £20,000 for Crompton. Do you think it will be satisfactory?” -Hearing this, Crompton moved off from motives of delicacy, and did not -hear the reply. He was scarcely out of sight when there was a great -rush of people—Perceval had been shot dead by the madman Bellingham. -The frightful catastrophe had in an instant deprived the country of -a valuable minister, and lost to Crompton a patron and £15,000. When -the new Government had been formed the matter was again brought before -the House, and on the 26th of June, on the motion of Lord Stanley, it -awarded him £5,000, a sum altogether inadequate for the services he -had rendered, as well as out of all proportion to the rewards which -Parliament had previously given to other inventors. In an article which -appeared some years afterwards in the _Edinburgh Review_[53], the -paltriness of the award was severely commented upon. The reviewer said:— - - To make a lengthened commentary on such a proceeding would be - superfluous. Had the House of Commons refused to recognise Mr. - Crompton’s claim for remuneration they would, whatever might - have been thought of their proceedings, have at least acted - consistently. But to admit the principle of the claim, to enter - into an elaborate investigation with respect to the merit and - extensive application of the invention, and then to vote so - contemptible a pittance to the inventor, are proceedings which - evince the most extraordinary niggardliness on the part of those - who have never been particularly celebrated for their parsimonious - disposition towards individuals whose genius and inventions have - alone enabled Parliament to meet the immense expenses the country - has had to sustain. - -[Note 53: Vol. xlvi., p. 16, 1827.] - -With the £5,000, or rather with such portion of it as he received—for -there were considerable deductions for fees and other charges—Crompton -entered into various commercial speculations; but the fickle goddess -did not smile on any of them. Anxious to place his sons in some -business, he fixed on that of bleaching, and rented a works at Over -Darwen; his eldest and youngest sons, George and James, being admitted -as partners. But the unfavourable state of the times, the inexperience -and mismanagement of his eldest son, a bad situation, and a tedious -and expensive lawsuit with the landlord conspired in a very short time -to put an end to this establishment. He was also engaged in cotton -spinning and manufacturing, in connection with his sons Samuel and -John; but they disagreed, Samuel withdrawing from the concern and -going to Ireland, leaving his father to carry it on with such help as -John could give him. The only business in which he may be said to have -been at all successful was that of a cotton merchant, which he carried -on in conjunction with his favourite son, William, and a Mr. Wylde. The -firm eventually extended its operations to cotton spinning; but young -Crompton disliking this branch of the business, the partnership was -dissolved, the father and son retiring. The latter afterwards began -business on his own account in Oldham, but the fate of the family -followed him. He was unsuccessful; a fire consumed his stock, a lawsuit -grew out of the fire; and finally, in 1832, he was carried off by an -attack of cholera. - -Left almost alone in the world, with old age creeping upon him, his -sons dead or dispersed, and his only daughter—then a widow—for his -housekeeper, Crompton carried on his small original business without -assistance, “spending much of his time in devising the mechanism -proper for weaving new patterns in fancy muslins.” But his lack of -business capacity and inability to cope with the common-place incidents -of ordinary life destroyed his chances of success, and that unhappy -fatality which had accompanied him through life still dogged his -steps. To use his own words, he was “hunted and watched with as much -never-ceasing care as if he was the most notorious villain that ever -disgraced the human form; and if he were to go to a smithy to get -a common nail made, if opportunity offered to the bystanders, they -would examine it most minutely to see if it was anything but a nail.” -His patterns were pirated by his neighbours, who reproduced them in -fabrics of inferior quality, and thus they were enabled to undersell -and beat him out of the market. As he advanced in years his means -became more and more straitened, and he was beginning gradually to -drift into a state of poverty when, in 1824, Messrs. Hicks & Rothwell, -of Bolton, his old friend, Mr. Kennedy, of Manchester, and some other -sympathisers, unasked and unknown to Crompton, who had then reached -his 72nd year, made a second subscription to purchase a life annuity, -and the sum raised yielded a payment of £63 a year. He did not, -however, live long to enjoy it. Wearied and worn out with cares and -disappointments, but to the last retaining the esteem of his friends -and the respect of all who knew him, he died by the gradual decay of -nature at his house in King-street, Great Bolton, on the 26th June, -1827, at the age of seventy-three, and a few days later his body, -followed by many voluntary mourners, was committed to the dust in the -churchyard of Bolton, where a modest flagstone thus perpetuates his -name:— - - Beneath this stone are interred the mortal remains of Samuel - Crompton, of Bolton, late of Hall-i’-th’-Wood, in the township - of Tonge, inventor of the spinning machine called the Mule; who - departed this life the 26th day of June, 1827, aged 72 years.[54] - -[Note 54: The age recorded on his gravestone is clearly an error, -Crompton having been born on the 3rd December, 1753, so that he must -have been in his 74th year.] - -Such is the sad and simple story of the inventor of the spinning mule. -Though his life was passed in comparative obscurity and neglect, -and he was allowed to end his days in poverty, the name of Samuel -Crompton will be held in honoured remembrance so long as the cotton -trade endures, for it is to Crompton’s mule more than to any other -invention we owe that vast Lancashire industrialism which has been -the source of untold benefits to his native shire, and has so greatly -increased the power and wealth of the nation at large. Looking at the -splendid results which his genius accomplished, it must ever be a -cause of regret that Lancashire men did so little for him who did so -much for them. In the various relations of life Crompton was in all -things upright and honourable; he had his failings like other men, but -they were those which arose from his simple and unsuspecting nature, -and such as should excite commiseration rather than condemnation. -The weak point in his character, and that from which nearly all his -troubles and misfortunes arose, was the absence of those faculties -which enable a man to hold equal intercourse with his fellows. His -morbid sense of independence made him averse to the very appearance of -favour or patronage, and to ask for even that which was his due was -always at the cost of acute pain. His manners and actions were at all -times guided by a natural politeness and grace, as far from servility -as rudeness. By those who knew him in the strength and fulness of -his manhood he is described as having been handsome and singularly -prepossessing in appearance, and this description is borne out by his -portrait, which displays the lineaments of a well-formed head and face -that strongly suggests the idea of the thoughtful philosopher and the -true gentleman. - -Though Crompton’s memory remained long neglected, a succeeding -generation has happily done something to remove the stain of -ingratitude, and to atone in some measure for the shortcomings of -his contemporaries. The late Mr. Gilbert James French, a man of -energy, intelligence, and culture, first aroused his fellow townsmen -to a better appreciation of the value of Crompton’s achievements. In -two lectures he delivered to the members of the Bolton Mechanics’ -Institute, and in the handsome volume subsequently issued—“The Life and -Times of Samuel Crompton”—a work to which we are indebted for some of -the facts here recorded, Mr. French gave a very circumstantial account -of the great inventor’s career; not content with this tribute to his -memory, he set about obtaining subscriptions for the purpose of doing -honour to Crompton’s name. A sum of £2,000 was raised, and on the 24th -Sept., 1862, a bronze statue of the inventor of the mule by Calder -Marshall, with bas reliefs of Hall-i’-th’-Wood, and Crompton at work -upon his machine, was presented with much pomp and circumstance and -many outward manifestations of rejoicing to the Corporation of Bolton. -In this tardy recognition of his services Bolton has done something -to efface the reproach which the ingratitude of a former generation -had stamped upon the town. But Crompton has a more fitting as well -as a more enduring monument in those outward indications of active -industry which now surround his humble dwelling-place, and borrowing -the oft-repeated line from Wren’s monument in St. Paul’s, it may be -said—_Si monumentum requiris—circumspice_. - -The old dilapidated mansion in which his earlier years were passed -still remains. His name has given it an historic importance it never -before possessed. To Lancashire men it should be as a very Mecca, and -it can never be looked upon with feelings other than those of the -deepest interest, for it may be truly said that here the prosperity -of the nation hung in suspense as the thoughts and expedients of -Crompton’s mind came and went, trembled, grew firm, and finally -triumphed; and assuredly in no corner of England is the memorable -couplet more strongly emphasised than in this now forlorn and -weather-beaten abode:— - - Peace hath her victories - Not less renowned than war. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -INDEX. - - - _Abbott Hall_, 83-4 - - Adderley, Charles, 128, 145-6 - - _Adlington_, 283-360 - - Agarde, Francis, 123 - - _Agecroft Hall_, 2 - - Agincourt, Battle of, 90, 305 - - _Alderley_, 218 - - _Alderley Edge_, 287 - - Aldford, Lucy, 112 - - " Richard, 112 - - Allen, Dorothy, 370-1 - - " Isaac, 270 - - " John, 370, 389 - - _Allithwaite_, 83-4, 88, 91 - - Anjou, Margaret of, 92, 235 - - Arderne, John, 297 - - " Matilda, 297 - - " Ralph, 31 - - Arkwright, Richard, 424, 427, 435 - - _Arnside Knot_, 85 - - Armstrong, Thomas, 64 - - Arragon, Katharine of, 312 - - Arram, William, 363 - - Arthur, Prince, 220 - - Arundell and Wardour, Lady, 275 - - " " Lord, 275 - - Ashley, Hamo, 310 - - Ashmole, Elias, 144 - - Ashton, Mr., 373 - - " Major-General, 264 - - Aspinall, John, 252 - - " Ralph John, 252 - - _Astley Bridge_, 431 - - Aston Thomas, 330 - - Atheling, Edgar, 293 - - Atherton, Eleanor, 372, 405-6 - - " Henry, 406 - - Attercroft, Elizabeth, 71 - - " Thomas, 71 - - Audley, James, 227 - - " Lord, 119 - - - Baggaley, William, 290, 291 - - Bagnall, Henry, 321 - - Bailey, J. Eglington, 170, 176-7, 187 - - Baliol, John, 224 - - Baltimore, Lord, 398 - - Bamville, Amabella, 290 - - " Hugh, 290 - - " Thomas, 290 - - Bancroft, Elizabeth, 7, 70-1, 75 - - " Thomas, 70-71 - - Banks, Mr., 376 - - " Joseph, 436 - - Barber, Dr., 96 - - " Robert, 204 - - Bardolf, Lord, 204 - - Barlow, William, 420 - - Barratt, James, 125 - - Barrit, Thomas, 402 - - _Barrow_, 87 - - Barrow, Sir John, 87 - - Baxter, Richard, 147 - - Bayley, Dr., 173 - - Baynton, Master, 189 - - _Beaumaris Castle_, 234 - - Bechton, Elizabeth, 295 - - " Ellen, 295 - - " Margaret, 295 - - " Philip, 295 - - Becke, Isabel, 364 - - " Mary, 364 - - " Robert, 364 - - " Thomas, 364 - - Bedingfield, Thomas, 43 - - _Beeston Brook_, 216 - - " _Castle_, 107, 213-241 - - Beeston, George, 236 - - " Thomas, 233 - - Beever, John F., 35 - - Belgrave, Elizabeth, 302 - - " Isabel, 298 - - " Thomas, 298, 303, 318 - - Bellairs, Henry, 71 - - " Mary Ellen, 71 - - Bellingham, Edward, 437 - - Bennett, Mr., 37 - - Bennett, Robert, 187 - - Bennison, Thomas, 350 - - Bentley, Joanna, 376-7 - - " Richard, 376-7, 384 - - _Berkeley Castle_, 230 - - Bexwyke, Hugh, 364 - - " Joan, 364 - - " Richard, 364-5 - - " Roger, 365 - - _Billinge Hill_, 251 - - Birch, George, 193 - - " Robert, 193 - - " William, 193 - - Birches, Robert, 303 - - _Blackburn_, 4, 242 - - Blackburn, John, 437 - - _Black Comb_, 87 - - Blackmore, Dr., 405 - - Black Prince, The, 231, 233, 286, 296-7 - - Bland, Lady, 381-2, 387 - - _Bleasdale Moor_, 251 - - Blois, Earl of, 293 - - Bloreheath, Battle of, 119 - - Blount, John, 290-1 - - Blundell, Henry Robert, 40 - - Blundeville, Randle, 150, 213, 220, 223, 228 - - Bohemia, King of, 181, 183 - - Bohun, Humphrey, 227 - - Bold, Richard, 254-5 - - Bolingbroke, Henry, 115, 116, 234, 299, 300 - - Bolingbroke, Lord, 133 - - Bolle, John, 325 - - Bolles, Mary, 335, 337 - - " Thomas, 335 - - _Bollin River_, 285 - - _Bolton_, 164, 433, 440 - - Bond, Mr., 33 - - _Bonishall_, 287 - - Bonner, Bishop, 170, 187, 192 - - Bononcini, 386-7 - - Bonville, Lord, 92 - - Booth, Ellen, 307 - - " George, 60, 205, 334, 336 - - " James, 300 - - " John, 334 - - " John Gore, 404 - - " Robert, 307 - - Bostock, Adam, 233 - - " William, 297 - - Bosworth, Battle of, 236, 309-10 - - Bowdon, George, 31 - - " Anne, 31 - - _Bowfell_, 87 - - _Bowland Forest_, 244, 251, 280 - - Brabazon, Lady, 123 - - Brabin, Elizabeth, 71 - - " Henry, 71 - - Bradford, John, 164, 365 - - " Margaret, 365 - - Bradshaw, Barbour, 35 - - " Catherine, 35 - - " Elizabeth, 70 - - " Frances, 35 - - " George, 25 - - " Godfrey, 35 - - " Henry, 21, 27, 30-6, 77 - - " J., 394 - - " John, 21, 26-7, 37, 67, 69, 70 - - " Joseph, 35 - - " Mr., 147 - - " Mary, 64, 70 - - " Rachel, 35 - - " Richard, 69 - - " Sarah, 67 - - " Thomas, 70 - - " William, 25, 27 - - Bradshawe-Isherwood, Arthur Salusbury, 72 - - Bradshawe-Isherwood, Henry, 71 - - " " John, 71 - - " " John Henry, 72 - - " " Thomas, 71 - - Brandon, Lord, 128-129 - - Brearcliffe, Sarah, 375, 395 - - Brereton, Andrew, 120 - - " Ellen, 120 - - " Lord, 126 - - " Mrs., - - " John, 128 - - " Peter, 64 - - " Sybil, 320, 322 - - " Thomas, 338 - - " Urian, 315, 318, 320, 322, 338 - - " William, 33, 43, 237, 240, 330-1 - - Brett, Ann, 131 - - " Colonel, 131 - - Brettargh, Mr., 382 - - " William, 400 - - Bridge, Major-General, 57 - - Bridgeman, Bishop, 41-2 - - " Orlando, 33 - - Brofield, Mr., 191 - - Brogden, Alexander, 78 - - Bromiley, James, 414, 425 - - Brooke, Charles, 267 - - Brooks, William, 187 - - Broster, Richard, 344 - - Brownlow, Lawrence, 412 - - Brownswerd, John, 39 - - _Broxton Hills_, 220 - - Bruce, Robert, 224 - - Bruerton, Mrs., 123 - - _Brungerley Hipping Stones_, 244 - - Brunlees, 78 - - Buckingham, Duke of, 103 - - Buckler, C. A., 277 - - _Bunbury_, 236 - - Burghall, Edward, 39, 238, 240 - - Buron, Hugh, 370 - - _Butley Hall_, 350 - - Byrom, Adam, 363-6 - - " Ann, 401, 406 - - " Dorothy, 398 - - " Edward, 361, 366-378, 387, 389, 401, 405-6 - - " Eleanor, 405 - - " Elizabeth, 380, 382, 384-5, 393-4, 396, 399, 401-2, 405 - - " Ellen, 381, 385 - - " George, 364 - - " Henry, 364-5 - - " Lawrence, 365-7 - - " Margaret, 202, 364 - - " Martin, 362 - - " John, 151-2, 368, 370, 372-401 - - " Joseph, 369 - - " Phœbe, 372, 378, 392, 402 - - " Ralph, 193, 362, 364-6 - - " Robert, 365 - - " Samuel, 361, 369 - - " Thomas, 193 - - " William, 368 - - _Byrom Hall_, 361 - - Byrom, Sedgewick, Allen and Place, 406 - - Byron, John, 200-1 - - " Lord, 238 - - - Cadiz, Siege of, 323 - - _Caernarvon Castle_, 234 - - _Calder River_, 250-2 - - " _Valley_, 280 - - Calveley, George, 319 - - Camden, William, 205, 208 - - Campbell, James, 388 - - Canterbury, Archbishop of, 187-8 - - _Cark_, 86 - - Carlisle, Bishop of, 78 - - Carmichael, Captain, 71 - - _Carnforth_, 78 - - Carnwath, Earl, 341 - - Caroline, Queen, 132 - - Carpenter, General, 342-3 - - Carter, Dorothy, 94 - - " John, 94, 311 - - " Oliver, 189, 194, 202-3 - - Cartleche, John, 231 - - _Cartmel_, 76-8, 83 - - _Cartmel Fells_, 82 - - " _Priory_, 91, 101 - - Caryl, 45 - - Castlemaine, Lady, 129 - - _Cat and Fiddle_, 104 - - Cattel, Mr., 382, 395 - - Catterall, Thos., 252 - - Cavendish, Henry, 67 - - " Mr., 186 - - " William, 67, 258 - - Caxton, John, 113-14, 117 - - Cecil, Secretary, 169 - - Chadderton, Dr., 188, 192, 203 - - Chaddock, Tom, 394 - - Chadwick, J. Oldfield, 348 - - Challener, John, 123 - - " Mrs., 123 - - _Chapel Island_, 87 - - _Chapeltown_, 3 - - Charles I., 44-45, 48, 218, 240 - - Charles Edward, Prince, 344, 394, 396-7, 399 - - Charleton, Edward, 258 - - _Chartley Castle_, 222 - - Cheanie, Alan, 231 - - _Chester_, 237, 239-40 - - Chester, Bishop of, 255, 388 - - _Chester Cathedral_, 218 - - Chester, Earl of, 150, 213 - - Chesterfield, Lord, 383 - - Chetham, Edmund, 206 - - " Humphrey, 160, 194, 366 - - " Mr., 382 - - Chisnall, Colonel, 133 - - _Chipping_, 242 - - Cholmondeley, Earl, 342 - - " Hugh, 319 - - " Thomas, 233 - - Cibber, Colley, 131 - - Clarke, Peter, 341 - - Clayton, Mr., 387, 395, 397 - - Clifford, George Lambert, 267 - - " Lady Ann, 190 - - " Margaret, 167 - - " Matilda, 92 - - " Roger, 229 - - " Rosamond, 231 - - " The Black-faced, 92, 236 - - _Clitheroe Castle_, 5, 244, 251 - - _Cloud End_, 104 - - Clowes, Mr., 384, 387 - - Clyderhow, Thomas, 263 - - " Richard, 303 - - Clyve, Mr., 65 - - " William, 318 - - Cobham, Lord, 187 - - _Cockersand Abbey_, 253 - - Cogan, Dr., 205 - - Cole, Lettice, 126 - - Colydon, Mrs., 132 - - Compton, Captain, 68 - - _Conishead_, 87 - - _Coniston Old Man_, 87, 100 - - Constable, Mr., 145 - - _Conway Castle_, 234 - - Conway, Lady, 152 - - _Conway, River_, 222 - - Cook, Mr., 60 - - _Cooper’s Hill_, 221 - - Cope, John, 398 - - _Cophurst_, 104 - - Coppock, James, 396 - - Corona, Agnes, 292 - - " Ellen, 291, 295 - - " Hugh, 290-1 - - " Isabel, 291 - - " John, 291 - - " Lucy, 290-1 - - " Margaret, 291 - - " Sarah, 290 - - " Thomas, 291, 295 - - Cottington, Lord, 52, 66 - - Cotterel, P., 394 - - Cotton, George, 319 - - " Richard, 319 - - Coventry, Bishop of, 306 - - _Coventry, Grey Friars Abbey_, 222 - - Cowper, Edward, 182 - - " Lady Mary, 152 - - " William, 404 - - _Crewe_, 218 - - " _Hall_, 238, 330 - - Crocker, John, 205 - - _Cromford_, 427 - - Crompton, Alexander, 420 - - " Betty, 419 - - " Dr., 420 - - " Ellen, 369 - - " George, 419, 438 - - " James, 438 - - " John, 369, 438-9 - - " Samuel, 408-442 - - Cromwell, Oliver, 44, 53-58, 60, 63, 218, 264-5 - - " Richard, 58 - - " Thomas, 316 - - Crosse, Richard, 351 - - " Richard Townley, 351 - - Croxton, Mr., 394 - - Cumberland, Countess of, 190 - - " Denison, 377 - - " Duke of, 396 - - " Richard, 377 - - Cyveliock, Hugh, 220 - - - Daa, Alina, 297 - - " Reginald, 298 - - " Robert, 298 - - Dalston, Sir William, 338 - - Daniel, Samuel, 343 - - Danyers, Thomas, 286, 296 - - Darnel, Sargeant, 388 - - _Darwen_, 4 - - _Darwen, Over_, 438 - - " _River_, 265 - - Davenport, Amabella, 293 - - " Christopher, 119 - - " Elizabeth, 343 - - " Hugh, 119 - - " John, 119, 295 - - " Nicholas, 310-11 - - " Peter, 343, 350 - - " Ralph, 333 - - " Richard, 293 - - " Thomas, 297 - - Dawson, Dr., 390-1 - - " James, 396 - - Deacon, Christopher, 398-400 - - " Christopher Clemens, 400 - - " Dr., 387, 395-8 - - " Robert Renatus, 400 - - " Thomas, 394, 400 - - " Thomas Theodorus, 400 - - Dee, Arthur, 204, 208 - - " Jane, 176, 184, 187 - - " John, 157-210, 326, 364 - - " Katharine, 176 - - " Michael, 208 - - _Dee, River_, 218 - - Dee, Rowland, 167, 208 - - _Deganwy Castle_, 222 - - _Delamere Forest_, 217 - - Delves, Lady, 152 - - " Thomas, 350 - - Denbigh, Lord of, 229 - - _Dent Fells_, 80 - - Derby, Countess of, 333 - - " Earl of, 32, 33, 35, 51, 158, 167, 255, 256, 260, 437 - - Derwentwater, Earl of, 260, 341 - - Desborough, 56 - - Despenser, Hugh, 300 - - Devereux, Robert, 191, 325 - - Devonshire, Duke of, 383 - - Dicconson, Richard, 94 - - Dickinson, Mr., 394 - - Dickson, Sergeant, 394 - - _Dieu-la-cresse Abbey_, 224 - - Digby, Kenelm, 179 - - Disraeli, Isaac, 175 - - Dodd, Dr., 141 - - _Doddington Hall_, 238, 330 - - Dokenfield, Robert, 117 - - Done, John, 219, 323 - - " Lady, 219 - - _Dorfold Hall_, 238 - - Dounes, Reginald, 297 - - " William, 297 - - Downes, Edward, 341 - - " Roger, 33, 311 - - Downham, Bishop, 194 - - Drake, Madam, 381 - - Drayton, Michael, 93, 226 - - Dublin, Archbishop of, 123 - - Duckworth, George, 437 - - Duckworth and Chippindall, 437 - - Dudley, Robert, 171 - - Dugdale, Elizabeth, 144 - - " William, 144 - - Dukinfield, Colonel, 31-2, 330, 336, 352 - - Duncalf, William, 326 - - Dunsany, Lord, 70 - - Dunstan, Mr., 373 - - Dutton, Hugh, 223, 295 - - " Margaret, 295 - - " Thomas, 295 - - Dytton, Mr., 123 - - " Mrs., 123 - - - _Eagley Brook_, 411 - - Earwaker, John P., 42, 170, 308 - - _Eddisbury_, 218 - - Edge, Oliver, 32 - - Edward III., 228-231, 286 - - Edward IV., 307, 309 - - Edward VI., 170 - - Edwards, Mr., 47, 65 - - " Messrs., 65 - - Egerton, Lady, 317 - - " Mary, 321 - - " Ralph, 123 - - " Richard, 317 - - " Thomas, 190, 317 - - Elcho, Lord, 396 - - Eleanor, Queen, 230 - - Elizabeth, Princess, 170 - - " Queen, 172-5, 177, 183-8, 190, 256 - - Ellenborough, 78 - - Ellis, Mr., 23 - - Ely, Bishop of, 93, 314-5 - - Erskine, Lord, 287, 351 - - Espinasse, Mr., 389 - - Essex, Earl of, 191, 323, 325 - - Evans, John, 403 - - Evelyn, Lindon, 70 - - " Mr., 54 - - Evesham, Battle of, 227 - - Exton, Piers, 116, 235 - - - Fairfax, General, 239, 330 - - " Lady, 48 - - _Fairies’ Cave_, 95, 100 - - Fair Rosamond, 231 - - Fauconberg, Mr., 68 - - Fauconbridge, Mr., 68 - - Fell, Thomas, 58, 77 - - Ferrers, Earl, 220 - - Fiennes, Nathaniel, 127 - - Finney, John, 342-3 - - " Samuel, 342 - - _Firwood_, 411, 418 - - Fishwick, Colonel, 335 - - Fitton, Alexander, 128-30 - - " Ann, 125, 126, 128 - - " Colonel, 127 - - " Edmund, 112 - - " Edward, 110-11, 119-30, 142, 145, 150, 255 - - " Felicia, 142, 145 - - " Frances, 128 - - " Francis, 123, 125 - - " Jane, 128 - - " John, 120 - - " Lady, 123, 125 - - " Laurence, 114, 116-119 - - " Margaret, 126 - - " Mary, 110-11, 121 - - " Penelope, 128 - - " Richard, 119, 123 - - " Thomas, 112-13, 117-19, 150, 295 - - " William, 128 - - Fitzherbert, Mrs., 261 - - " Thomas, 261 - - Fitz Ivon, Maud, 293 - - " Wlofaith, 293 - - Flame, Lord, 191, 151, 153 - - Fletcher, Mr., 394-5 - - _Flint Castle_, 229, 231, 234 - - _Flookborough_, 83, 86 - - Flower, William, 347 - - Folkes, Mr., 397-8 - - _Fonthill_, 60 - - _Forest Chapel_, 104 - - Foster, General, 260, 341 - - Fountain, Serjeant, 59 - - Fox, Edward, 407 - - " George, 77, 245-6 - - Frank, Ann, 186 - - French, Gilbert J., 420, 441 - - _Frodsham_, 218 - - Fromonds, Bartholomew, 176 - - " Nicholas, 184 - - Fulden, Mr., 394 - - _Furness_, 76-7, 83 - - " _Abbey_, 77, 83 - - - Gaunt, John o’, 115, 298 - - _Gawsworth_, 102-154 - - Gawsworth, Lord, 130 - - Gerard, Charles, 126, 130-1 - - " Christopher, 128 - - " Elizabeth, 133, 201 - - " Fitton, 122 - - " Lord, 129-131, 133 - - " Mr., 203 - - Gibbons, Grinling, 357 - - Glendower, Owen, 116, 301 - - Gloucester, Duke of, 232 - - Gobert, John, 329 - - " Lucy, 329 - - Godiva, Lady, 288 - - Goodgroom, 58 - - Goodier, Mr., 189 - - _Goyt, Valley of_, 22 - - _Grange_, 82-3, 85 - - Granger, Abraham, 129 - - Gray, Thomas, 78 - - Grenville, Lord, 435 - - Griffith, Ann, 135 - - " Elizabeth, 135 - - Grindon, Leo H., 405 - - " John, 112 - - Grosvenor, Gilbert, 293 - - " John, 318-9 - - " Mary, 316-8 - - " Richard, 316, 319 - - " Robert, 298, 316 - - " Thomas, 303-4, 318 - - Gwinne, Peter, 183 - - - Haddon, John, 381 - - Hall, Francis, 400 - - " Mr., 400 - - " Richard Edward, 400-1 - - _Hall-i’-th’-Wood_, 408-442 - - Halley, Dr., 146, 333, 391 - - Halliwell, J. Orchard, 175 - - _Halton_, 218 - - Halton, Baron of, 233, 293 - - Halstead, Dumville, 401 - - " Eleanor, 401-2, 405 - - " William, 401 - - Hamilton, Charles, 133 - - " Colonel, 134 - - " Duke of, 109, 132-5, 264 - - Hammond, Colonel, 265 - - " Dr., 374 - - Hancock, Joseph, 182 - - Handel, Geo. F., 284, 348-9, 386-7 - - Harbottle, Guiscard, 111, 120, 150 - - " Mary, 111, 150 - - Hardwicke, Bess of, 67 - - Hardy, Henry, 195 - - _Harfleur_, 304-5 - - Hargreaves, 417, 422-5 - - Harland, John, 185 - - Harper, Francis, 373 - - Harrington, Ann, 94 - - " Elizabeth, 94 - - " James, 93 - - " John, 91-2 - - " Lord, 135-6, 397-8 - - " Matilda, 94 - - " Michael, 91 - - " Robert, 91, 94 - - " Thomas, 91-2 - - " William, 90-2 - - Harrison, John, 94 - - " Major-General, 33, 35 - - Hartington, Lord, 383 - - Hartley, John, 202, 364 - - Hastings, Henry, 227 - - Hatton, Christopher, 190, 236 - - _Hawarden Castle_, 229 - - Hawghton, Master, 201 - - Hawkshee, Mr., 384 - - Hazlewood, Katharine, 189 - - Hemans, Mr., 81 - - Henedge, Thomas, 188 - - Henry III., 221, 224-5, 290 - - " V., 117, 304-5 - - " VI., 117, 244, 305 - - " VII., 310, 312 - - " VIII., 95, 250, 309, 312 - - Hereford, Countess of, 205 - - " Duke of, 115 - - Hesketh, Agnes, 114, 117 - - Heton, Isold de, 250 - - Hexham, Battle of, 244 - - Heyricke, Richard, 367 - - _Heysham_, 86 - - Hibbert, Dr., 193 - - " Elizabeth, 26 - - " Henry, 25 - - " John, 2 - - " Thomas, 25-6 - - Hick, John, 252 - - Hickman, Bartholomew, 204, 207 - - Hicks & Rothwell, 439 - - Hill, Edward, 43 - - _Hood, The_, 87 - - _Hodder Place_, 265, 279 - - " _River_, 244, 251, 263, 265 - - Hodgson, Captain, 264 - - Hoghton, Richard, 18 - - Holcroft, Alice, 125 - - " John, 125 - - _Holker_, 86, 100 - - " _Hall_, 77 - - Holland, Mr., 47 - - " Ralph, 31 - - " Richard, 203 - - " Robert, 231, 235 - - _Hollin Old Hall_, 344 - - Hollinshed, Raphael, 104, 122 - - Hollinworth, Richard, 146-7, 159, 169 - - _Hollinworth, Smithy_, 348 - - _Holme Island_, 85 - - Holt, Alice, 252 - - " James, 303 - - _Holy Well_, 96 - - Honford, Henry, 295, 297 - - " Isabella, 295 - - " John, 305 - - " Katharine, 297 - - " Margaret, 315, 320 - - " William, 305, 307, 311, 315, 320 - - Hooper, Francis - - " Mr., 381, 384, 387 - - Hotspur, 116, 301 - - Houghton, Thomas, 256, 276 - - " Ralph, 193, 365 - - Howard, Lady, 186 - - Howitt, William, 260 - - _Hulme Hall_, 381 - - Hulme, Ralph, 364 - - " William, 196 - - _Humphrey Head_, 82, 86, 96-101 - - Hunte, Richard, 365 - - Hunter, Mr., 381 - - Hurleston, Richard, 319 - - _Hurst Green_, 257, 267 - - Hurst, James, 316 - - _Hyde Park_, 109 - - Hyde, Edward, 31 - - " Robert, 117, 305 - - - Iken, Anne Mary, 351 - - " Thomas Bright, 351 - - Ingleby, Isabel, 257 - - " John, 257 - - Ireton, Colonel, 63 - - _Irwell Valley_, 433 - - Isherwood, Nathaniel, 71 - - " Thomas, 71 - - - James I., 206, 219 - - Jefferson, Mr., 384 - - Jeffries, Judge, 339 - - Jermyn, Serjeant, 44 - - John, King, 220-1 - - Johnson, Samuel, 108, 151, 153-4 - - Jones, Thomas, 164 - - - Kay, 423 - - Kelly, Edward, 117-182 - - " Mistress, 182 - - _Kemple End_, 251 - - Kennedy, John, 427, 435-6, 439 - - _Kent Estuary_, 78 - - Kent, Fair Maid of, 232, 297 - - _Kent’s Bank_, 84-5 - - Kenyon, Ralph, 369 - - _Kerridge_, 107, 287 - - _Kersall Cell_, 369, 376, 385 - - Kighley, Ann, 256 - - Kinderton, Baron of, 291, 293 - - _Kirkhead_, 84, 87, 100 - - - Lacy, Roger, 223 - - Lambert, Colonel, 55, 60 - - " General, 264 - - _Lancaster_, 86 - - Lancaster, Earl of, 231, 235 - - Langdale, Marmaduke, 264 - - _Langdale Pikes_, 87 - - Langley, Mr., 203, 204 - - Larke, Joan, 313 - - " Peter, 313 - - " Thomas, 313 - - Lasque, Albert, 179-81, 184 - - Latimer, Lord, 125 - - Lauderdale, Lord, 32 - - Launcelyn, William, 299 - - Laurenson, Mrs., 380 - - Law, Edmund, 78 - - La Warre, Thomas, 158 - - Laurence, Elizabeth, 135 - - " Thomas, 135 - - Lee, Clegg, 343 - - " G. A., 427-8, 435-7 - - " Hester, 343, 352 - - " Robert, 343 - - Legh, Agnes, 291, 295, 401 - - " Anne, 340 - - " Charles, 203, 205, 284, 313, 330, 336, 343, 345-50 - - " Charles Richard Banastre, 351 - - " Dulcia, 308 - - " Edward, 321, 326, 338 - - " Elizabeth, 70, 343, 350 - - " Elizabeth Hester, 352 - - " Elizabeth Rowlls, 351 - - " Ellen, 119, 291 - - " George, 313-15, 318 - - " Henry, 336 - - " Hester, 352 - - " Isabel, 303 - - " John, 117, 233, 291-2, 296-300, 308, 311, 330, 335-6, 340, - 342-3, 350, 354 - - " Katharine, 297, 313 - - " Lucy, 334 - - " Lucy Frances, 343, 350 - - " Margaret, 113, 335 - - " Margery, 297 - - " Maria, 321 - - " Mary, 357 - - " Matilda, 297 - - " Maud, 296 - - " Mr., 201 - - " Peter, 113, 117, 119, 295-300, 336, 347 - - " Piers, 233, 286, 296, 309 - - " Ralph, 326 - - " Reginald, 302 - - " Richard, 70, 295, 338 - - " Richard Crosse, 340 - - " Robert, 203, 295-308, 318, 351 - - " Sybil, 327 - - " Thomas, 309-13, 316, 318-22, 326-7, 329-32, 334-6, 338-40, - 346-7, 351-2, 355, 357 - - " Thomas Crosse, 351 - - " Urian, 205, 321-3, 325-8, 332, 334, 357 - - " William, 295 - - Leicester, Earl of, 171, 173, 179-80, 225 - - Leigh, Katharine, 65 - - " John, 35 - - " Robert, 365 - - Leland, John, 194, 199 - - Lenthall, William, 60 - - Leofric, Earl, 288 - - _Leven Estuary_, 78 - - " _Sands_, 87 - - Lever, Mr., 196 - - Leveson, Richard, 325 - - Ley, Mr., 141 - - Leycester, Peter, 334 - - " Mr., 381, 383, 387 - - Lichfield, Earl of, 239 - - Lilburn, Colonel, 62 - - Lilly, 177, 181-2 - - Lincoln, Bishop of, 311 - - _Lindale_, 78 - - Lichfield and Coventry, Bishop of, 311 - - Llewellyn, Prince, 223, 225, 228-9 - - _London, Tower of_, 234 - - _Longridge Fell_, 5, 6, 250-1 - - _Lower Wood_, 411, 418 - - Luce, Elizabeth, 72 - - " Thomas, 72 - - _Ludgate_, 68 - - Ludlow, 61 - - Lupus, Hugh, 289, 292-3 - - _Lyme Hall_, 286 - - " _Chapel_, 233 - - Lymme, Richard, 295 - - Lynch, Mr., 139 - - - Macartney, General, 133-5 - - _Macclesfield_, 105-287 - - Macclesfield, Countess of, 131, 132 - - _Macclesfield Church_, 233 - - Macclesfield, Earl of, 132-133 - - _Macclesfield Forest_, 107, 286 - - Macclesfield, Roger, 112 - - Macguire, Lord, 41 - - Machin, John, 146 - - Mackenzie, Peter, 71 - - Macmahon, Lord, 41 - - Macworth, Humphrey, 52 - - Madan, Mrs., 152 - - Mainwaring, Charlotte, 132 - - " Colonel, 237 - - " Dr., 387 - - " Elizabeth, 141 - - " Ellen, 118 - - " Henry, 128, 319 - - " Lady, 144 - - " Peter, 141, 144, 381 - - " Randle, 118 - - " Roger, 143 - - " Thomas, 144 - - Malpas, Lady, 152 - - Malyn, Dr., 381-2 - - " Massey, 381 - - " Mrs., 381 - - " Robert, 381 - - Manners, John, 25 - - Marbury, Mary, 61 - - " Thomas, 61 - - March, Earl of, 301 - - Maresha, William, 91 - - Marlborough, Duke of, 133 - - _Marple Hall_, 21-75 - - Marsh, George, 255 - - Marshall, 45 - - " Calder, 441 - - " Henry, 299 - - Martindale, Adam, 60, 159 - - Martyn, Thomas, 171 - - Massey, Hamnet, 311 - - " John, 299 - - " Richard, 193 - - " Robert, 305 - - Massie, William, 327 - - Maurice, Prince, 239 - - Maximilian, Emperor, 172 - - Mayer, Mr., 111, 136 - - Maynard, Johanna, 338 - - " John, 338-9 - - McConnell and Kennedy, 435 - - Methe, Bishop of, 123 - - Meeke, Mr., 147 - - Melling, Mr., 374 - - Merbury, Lawrence, 303 - - Mercia, Earl of, 288-9, 292 - - Mere, Matthew, 115 - - _Mersey, River_, 218, 285 - - de Meschines, Randle, 112 - - _Middlewich_, 239, 330 - - Milbey, Mr., 68 - - Mildmay, Henry, 47 - - _Milne House_, 326, 332, 334, 340 - - _Milnthorpe Sands_, 81, 85, 96 - - Milton, John, 26, 50, 62, 66 - - Minshull, Thomas, 128, 382 - - _Mitton_, 242, 250-2, 267 - - " _Church_, 252-263 - - " _Little_, 244, 252 - - Modburly, John, 230 - - _Moel Fammau_, 108, 218 - - Mohun, Lady, 135 - - " Lord, 109, 132-5 - - Molyneux, Richard, 201 - - Monk, Bishop, 377 - - " Colonel, 239 - - Monmouth, Duke of, 129, 339-40 - - Montford, Guy, 227 - - " Henry, 227 - - " Simon, 225-7 - - _Moorfields_, 68 - - _Morecambe Bay_, 76, 83, 85 - - Moreland, Mr., 68 - - Mortimer, 114 - - " Edward, 229 - - _Mortlake_, 207 - - Morton, Lord, 389 - - " Edward, 144 - - Mosley, Edward, 330 - - " Nicholas, 211 - - " Oswald, 388 - - Mostyn, Thomas, 237 - - Mountague, Duke of, 397 - - Mounteagle, Lord, 94, 96, 178, 315 - - Mountford, William, 134 - - - Nairne, Lord, 441 - - Nanny, Mr., 399 - - _Nantwich_, 234, 237, 239, 330 - - Nelson, Mrs., 48 - - Neville, Margaret, 91 - - " Robert, 91 - - Newby, 100 - - Newby-Wilson, Thomas, 96 - - Newcastle, Duke of, 258 - - Newcome, Henry, 140-151, 369 - - " Robert, 140 - - " Stephen, 140 - - Newdegate, Mr., 41 - - _Newgate_, 69 - - Newnham, George Lewis, 351 - - " Louisa, 351 - - Newton, Alice, 327 - - " Dorothy, 64 - - " Isaac, 384 - - " Peter, 64 - - " Thomas, 39, 327 - - Nichols, Serjeant, 46 - - Nithsdale, Lord, 341 - - Norfolk, Duchess Dowager of, 258-9, 261, 266 - - " Duke of, 258, 261, 300 - - Norley, Adam, 296 - - Norris, Alexander, 413 - - " Alice, 413 - - " Christopher, 413 - - Northumberland, Countess Dowager of, 125 - - " Duke of, 234 - - " Earl of, 288, 301 - - Northumbria, King of, 243 - - Nottingham, Earl of, 299, 301 - - Nowell, Dean, 164 - - " Roger, 367 - - Nugent, Richard, 193 - - Nuthall, John, 319 - - - _Oaks, The_, 411 - - _Offerton Hall_, 27 - - Okey, 58 - - _Oldham_, 439 - - Oldham, Hugh, 200, 364 - - _Oldhams_, 431-2 - - O’Neill, Hugh, 321 - - " Shane, 121 - - Ord, Robert, 384 - - Orreby, Fulco, 225 - - " Isabel, 112 - - " Thomas, 112 - - Orrell, Mary, 71 - - " Thomas, 71 - - _Oswestry Castle_, 300 - - _Over Darwen_, 438 - - Owen, Joseph, 391 - - Oxford, Lord, 152 - - - Paris, Matthew, 225 - - Parker, Dorothy, 71 - - " Robert, 351 - - Parkinson, Canon, 366 - - Parnell, Thomas, 64 - - Parr, Mr., 65 - - Paslew, John, 262 - - Paulet, George, 316 - - Paulinus, 243 - - _Peak of Derbyshire_, 218, 285 - - _Peckforton_, 108 - - " _Castle_, 220 - - Pedder, William, 97 - - Peel, Messrs., 420 - - " Robert, 427, 432, 437 - - Pelton, Robert, 371 - - Pembroke, Earl, 92 - - Pembroke and Montgomery, Countess of, 190 - - _Pendle Hill_, 5, 244-6, 251, 280 - - _Pendleton_, 2 - - Pendleton, Henry, 364 - - Pennant, Thomas, 219 - - Pepys, Roger, 130 - - Perceval, Spencer, 437 - - Percy, Henry, 116 - - Peters, Hugh, 45 - - Petersham, Lord, 112, 136 - - Phillips, Richard, 311 - - Phillips and Lee, 435 - - _Phœnix Tower_, 239-40 - - Pilgrimage of Grace, 246 - - Pimlott, Mary, 70-1, 425 - - " William, 70-1 - - Plantagenet, Constance, 220 - - " Geoffrey, 220 - - " Richard, 93 - - Plunkett, John, 123 - - " Randal, 70 - - _Pontefract Castle_, 235 - - Pope, Alexander, 383 - - Potts, Master, 245 - - _Poulton Abbey_, 222 - - Powell, William, 348 - - _Prestwich Church_, 2 - - Prestwich, Edmund, 193, 208 - - " Isabella, 208 - - " Mr., 158 - - Prince, John C., 76 - - Prydyn, William, 299 - - Prynne, 41 - - Pygot, John, 305 - - - Radcliffe, Alexander, 158, 363 - - " John, 255 - - " Richard, 368 - - " William, 365 - - Raines, Canon, 256 - - Raleigh, Walter, 180, 191 - - Ratcliffe, John, 59 - - _Ravenspurg_, 232-3 - - Renaud, Dr., 303 - - Reynolds, Frances, 347 - - " Mary, 347 - - " Thomas, 347 - - _Rhuddlan Castle_, 223, 229, 231 - - _Ribblesdale_, 5, 280 - - _Ribchester_, 4, 9-18, 242-3 - - " _Bridge_, 6-9 - - _Ribble River_, 244, 251-2, 265 - - Rich, Robert, 135 - - Richard I., 220-1 - - " II., 115-6, 231-2, 286, 299-300 - - " III., 309 - - Rivers, Earl, 131 - - Richmond, Duchess of, 398 - - " Duke of, 398 - - " Earl of, 236, 244 - - _Ridley Hall_, 239 - - Rigby, Alexander, 33, 332-5 - - " John, 376 - - Robartes, Isabella, 340, 354 - - " Robert, 340 - - Roberts, Mr., 378 - - _Rochdale_, 242 - - Rochford, Countess of, 132 - - Roe, Samuel, 65 - - Rokeley, Robert, 311 - - Rosenberg, Count, 181 - - Rosworm, John, 51, 367-8 - - Row, Mr., 61 - - Rowlls, John, 343, 350 - - _Rowton Moor_, 218, 239 - - _Runnymede_, 221 - - Rupert, Prince, 127, 239 - - Russell, Lady, 190 - - Rutland, Earl of, 93, 236 - - Rydings, Francis, 371 - - - _Salesbury Hall_, 5 - - Salghall, Roger, 304 - - Salisbury, Bishop of, 383 - - " Earl of, 207 - - Sanford, Captain, 238-9, 241 - - Savage, Catharine, 313, 355 - - " Edmund, 315 - - " Isabella, 307 - - " John, 117, 305, 307, 309-10 - - " Richard, 131 - - " Thomas, 309 - - Savill, Harry, 201 - - _Sawrey Pass_, 100 - - Saxton, Christopher, 201 - - Schoelcher, Victor, 386 - - Scoles, Mr., 271 - - Scot, John, 224, 290 - - " Margaret, 224 - - Scotland, James III. of, 307 - - Scott, Sir Gilbert, 149 - - Sedgewick, Allen and Place, 406 - - Serleby, John de, 230 - - Shallcross, Edmund, 42-3 - - Shaw, John, 392 - - Sherburn, Dorothy, 252 - - " Elizabeth, 260 - - " Hugh, 273 - - " Katharine, 256-7 - - " Lady, 259, 266 - - " Maud, 254 - - " Nicholas, 258-61, 266, 268, 272 - - " Richard, 252, 254-8 - - " Richard Francis, 260 - - " Robert, 252 - - " Thomas, 255 - - Sherd, William, 340 - - Shore, William, 298-9 - - Shrewsbury, Battle of, 301 - - " Mayor of, 147 - - Shrigley, Mr., 395 - - _Shutling’s Low_, 104 - - Siddal, George, 369 - - " Richard, 369 - - Siddington, Emmota, 119 - - " Robert, 119 - - Sidney, Henry, 122 - - " Philip, 191 - - Simnel, Lambert, 309 - - Sinclair, James, 132 - - _Skiddaw_, 87 - - Slaidburn, 242 - - Sloane, Hans, 384 - - Smith, John, 132 - - " Mary, 132 - - " Madam, 131 - - " Mr., 383 - - " Richard, 132 - - Smyth, Mary Ann, 261 - - " Thomas, 297 - - " William, 261 - - Sneyd, Felicia, 126 - - " Ralph, 126 - - Sorrocold, John, 189 - - " Katharine, 189, 190 - - " Ralph, 189 - - Southwell, Thomas, 182 - - Spanish Armada, 236 - - Spenser, Edmund, 192, 322 - - St. Albans, Earl of, 52 - - St. George, Chevalier de, 341, 360 - - St. John, Mr. Solicitor, 44 - - St. Pierre, Urian, 227 - - St. Werburg’s, Abbot of, 237 - - Stamford, William, 253 - - Stanhope, Charles Augustus, 136 - - " Christopher, 397-8 - - " William, 135 - - Stanley, 437-8 - - " Edward, 25, 93-4, 314, 389 - - " Margaret, 25 - - " John, 93, 300, 314-16 - - " Thomas, 93, 125, 314 - - " William, 307 - - _Stanmore Church_, 348 - - _Stanner Nab_, 220 - - Stansfield, John, 375, 380 - - Starke, Alice, 317 - - Starkey, Mr., 396 - - " Nicholas, 202, 364 - - Starkie, Alice, 413, 414 - - " Le Gendre Nicholas, 413 - - " John, 413, 418 - - Steel, Mr., 46 - - " Captain, 238, 241 - - Stern, Bishop, 123 - - Stockdale, Mr., 83 - - Stockport, Margaret, 25 - - " Robert, 25 - - Stokefield, Battle of, 309 - - _Stormy Point_, 287 - - _Stonyhurst_, 5, 251, 256, 261, 264-80 - - Stourton, Lord, 256 - - Strafford, Earl of, 71 - - Strange, Lord, 367 - - Stringer, Hugh, 292 - - Strong, Mr., 65 - - _Sunderland Point_, 86 - - Sutton, 104 - - " Richard, 104 - - _Swarthmoor_, 77 - - " _Hall_, 77 - - Swedenborg, Emanuel, 434 - - Syddal, Tom, 341, 394, 396, 400 - - Sydenham, Colonel, 61 - - Sydney, Lady, 172 - - - Tabley, William de, 291 - - Talbot, Lord, 32 - - " Thomas, 244, 299 - - Tanai, Lucas de, 227 - - Tankerville, Count de, 296 - - Tatton, Mr., 330 - - " William, 121 - - Taylor, John, 190, 327, 403 - - _Teg’s Nose_, 104 - - _Thorncliffe_, 22 - - Thurloe, Secretary, 68 - - Thyer, Robert, 387 - - Tilsey, Mr., 204 - - Timbs, John, 59 - - _Tiverton_, 237 - - Tollemache, Lord, 220 - - Tounley, Robert de, 115 - - Townley, Colonel, 393, 395-6 - - Townshend, Edward, 350 - - " Lady, 398 - - Trafford, Edmund, 327 - - " Mary, 327 - - Treasurer, Lord, 174-5, 187 - - Trevor, Jane, 126 - - " John, 126 - - Tryket, John, 115 - - _Turton_, 426 - - " _Tower_, 3 - - Tyldesley, Thomas, 260 - - Tyrconnell, Lord, 132 - - Tyrrel, Serjeant, 59 - - - Ulster King of Arms, 123-4 - - _Ulverston_, 78, 87 - - " _Sands_, 81, 96 - - _Utkinton_, 219 - - - Valet, Captain, 240 - - Varley, John, 178 - - Venables, Gilbert, 293, 346 - - " Hugh, 118 - - " John, 291, 295 - - " Margery, 118 - - " Thomas, 293-4 - - " William, 291, 295 - - Vernon, Dorothy, 25 - - " George, 25 - - " William, 25 - - Vigor, Mr., 393 - - Voil, Thomas, 299 - - " William, 299 - - - _Waddington Fell_, 251 - - " _Hall_, 244 - - Wainwright, John, 403 - - Wakefield, Battle of, 235 - - " Edward Gibbon, 286 - - Wales, Prince of, 152, 225-7, 235, 261, 309, 312 - - Waller, James, 344 - - Walls, Robert, 311 - - _Walney_, 87 - - Walpole, Horace, 357, 383 - - " Lord, 152 - - Walsingham, Francis, 173, 191 - - Wandesford, Rowland, 33 - - Warbeck, Perkin, 311 - - Warburton, Anne, 121, 124 - - " Eleanor, 61 - - " Harriet, 350 - - " Peter, 61, 121, 124, 350 - - Ward, Joseph, 345 - - Wareing, Paul, 178 - - Warren, Edward, 35 - - " John, 311 - - " Mr., 189 - - Warwick, Countess of, 185, 190 - - " Earl of, 308 - - Waterpark, Lord, 67 - - Watt, James, 434 - - Waugh, Edwin, 81 - - Weever, 177 - - Weld, Edmund, 261, 266 - - " John, 261 - - " Thomas, 262, 266-7 - - " William, 261 - - Wells, Bernard, 30 - - " Mary, 30 - - Welshman, Robert, 205 - - Werden, Joseph, 160 - - Weston, James, 384 - - _Whalley_, 243 - - " _Abbey_, 247-250, 254 - - " _Church_, 246 - - " _Nab_, 251 - - Whitaker, Dr., 90-92, 157, 252, 257, 266 - - " John, 164 - - Whitby, Dr., 374 - - _White Nancy_, 287 - - _Whiteley Green_, 306 - - " _Hay_, 306, 309 - - Whitelock, 44-5, 47, 51, 61 - - _Whitewell_, 251 - - Whitfield, George, 385 - - Whitgift, Archbishop, 187 - - Whitmore, William, 236 - - Whitworth, Mr., 133, 387 - - Widderington, Edward, 258 - - " Peregrine, 259-61 - - " Lord, 260, 341 - - Widdrington, 46 - - Wigan, Mr., 159-60 - - Wilbraham, Thomas, 219 - - _Wildboarclough_, 104 - - Wilkinson, T. T., 188, 401 - - Willemots, Master, 189 - - Willes, General, 260, 342-3 - - William III., 339 - - Williamson, Mr., 203 - - " Thomas, 194 - - Willoughby, Baldwin, 369 - - " Lord, 403 - - _Wilpshire_, 4 - - Wilson, “Alick,” 162 - - Wilson, N., 65 - - Winchester, Marquis of, 316 - - Winnington, Catherine, 26 - - " _Bridge_, 60 - - Wintoun, Lord, 341 - - _Wiswall_, 251 - - " _Hall_, 246 - - Wolsey, Cardinal, 314 - - _Wolfscote_, 104 - - Wood, Anthony à, 238 - - Woodstock, Thomas of, 231 - - Worcester, Dean of, 170 - - Worsley, Ellen, 368 - - " Major-General, 55, 337, 366, 368 - - " Mr., 374 - - " Thomas, 366 - - Wordsworth, William, 81 - - Wortley, Mr., 205 - - _Wraysholme Tower_, 82, 86, 88 - - Wright, Mrs., 131 - - _Wyberslegh_, 25, 30 - - _Wyke, The_, 86 - - Wylde, Mr., 439 - - _Wythenshawe_, 31, 330 - - - Yates & Dawson, 390 - - Yates, Joseph, 390 - - _Yewbarrow_, 81 - - York, Archbishop of, 301, 309, 383 - - " Duke of, 93, 236 - -[Illustration] - - -JOHN HEYWOOD, Excelsior Steam Printing and Bookbinding Works, - Hulme Hall Road, Manchester. - - -Transcriber's notes: - -In the text version, italics are represented by _underscores_, and -bold and black letter text by =equals= symbols. - -Missing or incorrect punctuation has been repaired. Inconsistant -spelling and hyphenation have been left. - -The following mistakes have been noted: - - p. xi to p. xxiii. The Lists of Booksellers and Subscribers have - some entries which are not in alphabetical order. The number of - copies ordered is not always in italics. - - p. xvii. Marsden, The Kev changed to Rev. - - p. xviii. CHORLTON, THOMAS has 2 entries, one for 32 Brasenose - Street and one for 32 Brazenose Street. - - p. xx. Warnirgton changed to Warrington. - - p. 26. text reads "dated 7th July, 4", the 4 seems incorrect but - has been left. - - p. 40. "13 Car. I., June 7. "Appointment of John Bradshawe, the - extra opening quote has been removed. - - p. 42. bran new pulpit changed to brand new pulpit. - - p. 51. salutory changed to salutary. - - p. 65. thanfull acknowledgement, has been left as it appears to be - a quote. - - p. 104. Wildboa. Clough changed to Wildboar Clough. - - p. 108. Enjoy the sunny world, so fresh and fair, added closing - quote. - - p. 123. "The order, added the opening quote. - - p. 141. Batchelor in Arts, left. - - p. 169. £2 000 changed to £2,000. - - p. 222. pa sed, corrected to passed. - - p. 238. He confessed all his sins, opening quote added. - - p. 240. suurrender changed to surrender. - - p. 258. Maria Winifred Francesca is spelt Maria Winnifred - Francesca on p. 261. - - p. 259. alloted changed to allotted. - - p. 274. tranferred changed to transferred. - - p. 301. Thursday then next, then changed to the. - - p. 325. a n heirloom changed to an heirloom. - - Index - - p. 444. Bradshawe-Isherwood, Arthur Salusbury, 71 changed to 72 - and Bradshawe-Isherwood, John, 72 changed to 71. - - Brereton, Mrs. is missing a page number. Several Brereton wifes - are mentioned in the text and it is not clear which one referenced. - - p. 445. Chetham, Mr., 582 changed to p. 382. - - p. 447. Dieulacresse Abbey changed to Dieu-la-cresse to match text. - - p. 449. Hooper, Francis is missing a page number. Several Hoopers - are mentioned but no Francis Hooper, though there is a Francis - Harper on p. 373. - - p. 449. Jeffreys, Judge, changed to Jeffries. - - p. 450. Lenthal, William, changed to Lenthall. - - p. 450. Mareschall, William, changed Mareshal. - - p. 451. Meath, Bishop of, changed to Methe. - - p. 451. Meschines, Rundle, changed to Randle de Meschines - - p. 451. Molyneux, Richard, is spelt Molynox in the text, but this - is in a quote from an older document and has been left. - - p. 452. Rosenburg, Count, changed to Rosenberg. - - p. 453. Schoelscher, Victor, changed to Schoelcher. - - p. 453. Shutlings Low, 107, is on p. 104 and the index entry has - been changed. - - p. 454. Tyrconnel, Lord, changed to Tyrconnell. - - p. 478. Tilsley, Mr., changed to Tilsey. - - p. 478. Townshead, Edward,changed to Townsend. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Nooks and Corners of Lancashire and -Cheshire., by James Croston - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOOKS, CORNERS OF LANCASHIRE *** - -***** This file should be named 51191-0.txt or 51191-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/1/9/51191/ - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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