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diff --git a/old/55450-8.txt b/old/55450-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 608a5b0..0000000 --- a/old/55450-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3213 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Peeps at Royal Palaces of Great Britain, by Beatrice Home - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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/license - - -Title: Peeps at Royal Palaces of Great Britain - -Author: Beatrice Home - -Release Date: August 28, 2017 [EBook #55450] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PEEPS AT ROYAL PALACES *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Lesley Halamek and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -[Illustration: _Frontispiece_ - -THE TOWER OF LONDON. - -The Bloody Tower and the Wakefield Tower, in which the Crown Jewels -are kept.] - - - - - PEEPS AT - - ROYAL PALACES - - OF - - GREAT BRITAIN - - - BY - - BEATRICE HOME - - - CONTAINING 8 FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS - IN COLOUR AND 21 LINE DRAWINGS - IN THE TEXT - - - LONDON - ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK - 1913 - - - - -PREFACE - - -If a palace be a royal residence, as the dictionary defines it, then -nearly all the famous castles of England would come under that title, -for the Norman and Plantagenet Kings were constantly moving from one -stronghold to another during the unsettled period of the Middle Ages. -Until the fifteenth century, both the English and Scottish Kings -resided in impregnable castles or fortified houses, but their sojourn -was never long in one place. After the Wars of the Roses had crushed -the power of the great nobles, it was no longer necessary for the -monarch to dwell within a fortress, and it was then that the gracious -and commodious palaces of Whitehall, Hampton Court, and Greenwich, -arose in England. The Scottish Kings, having at the same time -reached a greater control over their headstrong nobles, also began -transforming their castles into palaces, and to erect Holyrood and -Falkland to gratify their desire for more luxurious residences. - -Within the compass of this small book, it would have been impossible -to detail every castle in which a monarch ever resided, so that it has -been thought better to confine attention to those palaces which were -owned, and most constantly used by the Kings and Queens of England and -Scotland. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. WESTMINSTER PALACE 5 - - II. WINDSOR CASTLE 11 - - III. THE TOWER OF LONDON 19 - - IV. KENNINGTON PALACE 22 - - V. ELTHAM PALACE 24 - - VI. GREENWICH PALACE 27 - - VII. WHITEHALL PALACE 31 - - VIII. HAMPTON COURT PALACE 39 - - IX. ST. JAMES'S PALACE 48 - - X. KENSINGTON PALACE 53 - - XI. KEW PALACE 59 - - XII. BUCKINGHAM PALACE 63 - - XIII. VANISHED PALACES 67 - - XIV. EDINBURGH CASTLE 72 - - XV. DUNFERMLINE CASTLE 76 - - XVI. STIRLING CASTLE 78 - - XVII. HOLYROOD PALACE 82 - - XVIII. LINLITHGOW PALACE 87 - - XIX. FALKLAND PALACE 91 - - XX. BALMORAL CASTLE 94 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - -IN COLOUR - - - THE TOWER OF LONDON _Frontispiece_ - - FACING PAGE - - WINDSOR CASTLE 17 - - HAMPTON COURT PALACE 24 - - EDINBURGH CASTLE 73 - - STIRLING CASTLE 80 - - LINLITHGOW PALACE 91 - - BALMORAL CASTLE 94 - - ST. JAMES'S PALACE _On the cover_ - - - - -ROYAL PALACES OF GREAT BRITAIN - - - - -CHAPTER I - -WESTMINSTER PALACE - - -Scarcely anything remains to-day to remind us of the vast size and the -magnificence of the Palace of Westminster, the royal residence of the -English Kings from the time of Edward the Confessor until the reign -of Henry VIII. For five centuries the monarchs of England kept their -Court on the island of Thorney, within the sound of the bells of the -great minster raised by the piety of the saintly Edward. Though the -early Kings were seldom long in one place, they regarded Westminster -as their principal palace, and often kept their Christmas festivals -there, a time of general feasting at the royal expense. - -Cnut is supposed to be the first King to settle at Westminster, -whither he had gone, after his conversion to Christianity, to be near -his friend Abbot Wolfstan, and we are told that the incident of his -rebuke to his courtiers concerning the tide occurred on the shores of -the River Thames. At that time Westminster was surrounded by water, -being built on the island of Thorney, an islet that rose out of the -low-lying marshy ground overspread by the wide and unembanked river. - -It is customary to attribute the ruin of the many beautiful and -stately buildings of past ages, to the agency of civil wars, the -fanatical zeal of Protestant reformers, or the carelessness of the -Cromwellian soldiers; but far more deadly foes than the cannon-balls -of enemies or the mistaken energies of religious zealots, were -the destructive fires that time and again destroyed the splendid -structures that adorned the vanished centuries. Westminster, though -immune from other foes, suffered terribly from fires, which have -robbed us of the greatest part of one of the most picturesque of -palaces. Just after Edward I. had finished repairing his royal -dwelling a huge fire broke out, so tremendous that the palace was -rendered uninhabitable, obliging the King to accept the hospitality -of York Place, the London house of the Archbishops of York. Edward II. -rebuilt the palace, which remained the main royal residence until a -disastrous fire in 1512 drove the monarchs away for ever. Though -much was destroyed, a considerable part of the King's house remained, -together with the beautiful chapel of St. Stephen and the great hall -of the palace; but yet another fire attacked this remnant in 1834. -From this last conflagration only Westminster Hall, the crypt of the -chapel, and an old tower (now hidden away among the narrow byways of -the abbey precincts) survived. - -The Palace of Westminster, described by Camden as "large and -magnificent, a building not to be equalled in that age," was of great -extent, stretching from the abbey to the river. It consisted of a mass -of rambling buildings erected with little regard to any fixed -plan, but resulting in a picturesque medley of gabled roofs, carved -stonework, delicate window tracery, noble halls, and exquisite -chapels. Medieval palaces required to be large, for all the King's -work was done upon his own premises. Bakers, brewers, chandlers, -armourers, blacksmiths, carpenters, furriers, masons, gardeners, -barbers, stablemen, embroiderers, weavers--all lived and worked within -the palace walls, and received wages and lodging. As Sir Walter Besant -tells us, in his fascinating history of Westminster, the palace was -"a crowded city, complete in itself, though it produced nothing -and carried on no trade; there were workshops and forges and the -hammerings of armourers and blacksmiths, but there were no stalls, -no chepe, no clamour of those who shouted their goods and invited the -passengers to 'Buy, buy, buy.'" Within this city, crowded within a -confined space, dwelt about fifteen thousand people all occupied -with the King's business, from the judges, bishops, and high State -officials, down to humble laundry-women. - -A strongly-fortified wall ran all round the palace, for medieval Kings -needed their royal residences to be places of defence as well as of -regal splendour. There were gates leading to the Abbey, to Whitehall, -and to the river, where the King's barges lay to take him down to -the Tower of London in the city, or up the river towards Windsor. -Immediately beyond the busy throng of the palace and the monastic -buildings of the Abbey, lay green fields and pleasant rural scenes. -Between the palace and the noisy city, a mile away, stood palatial -houses of the great nobles and bishops, facing the broad and sparkling -Thames. - -Of all the beautiful buildings that once formed the extensive palace -only the great hall remains, now known as Westminster Hall. William -Rufus built it in 1097, declaring that, large though it might appear, -it was "but a bedchamber" in comparison to what he intended to make. -But practically nothing is left of the work of Rufus, for we learn -that three hundred years later, in 1397, Richard II. ordered the -"walls, windows, and roof to be taken down and new made." The -following year Richard, the most magnificent of the English Kings, -kept his royal Christmas in the newly finished hall. Dressed in cloth -of gold, adorned with pearls and precious stones, Richard entertained -ten thousand people, necessitating the purchase of twenty-eight oxen, -three hundred sheep, and numberless fowls every day for the feeding of -his guests. He little thought that a few months hence the Parliament -meeting in that very hall would depose him. - -This famous hall has witnessed some of the most spectacular, splendid, -and tragic events in the history of the nation, from the Coronation -banquets held within its walls, a-glitter with gorgeous raiment -and all the pageantry of the past, to the sombre procedure of State -trials. Perhaps the best remembered scene is that of the trial of -Charles I., who had been brought hurriedly from Windsor, and was -lodged during his trial in part of the old palace, then used as -the residence of Sir Ralph Cotton. Standing, a monarch tried by his -subjects, Charles Stuart remains for all time a dignified figure, not -deigning to plead before such a self-constituted Court. - -For many centuries justice was administered from the hall, judges -sitting in different parts determining Chancery cases or those of -Common Pleas. - -The most-to-be-regretted loss caused by the fire of 1834 is that of -the chapel royal of the palace, the chapel of St. Stephen. From -an account of its architectural detail, which has fortunately been -preserved, one gathers that it was a most beautiful and exquisite -piece of work, as rich and stately as any in the country. King Stephen -is supposed to have founded it, but Edward I. rebuilt it, only to have -his building burnt down a few years later. His grandson, Edward III., -restored it in such splendour that, as Camden says, "he seems rather -to have been the founder than only the repairer." He made it a -collegiate church, endowing it with so much wealth after his victories -in France that it almost rivalled its wealthy neighbour, the Abbey of -Westminster. Indeed, this royal munificence brought about considerable -quarrelling with the Abbey, whose inmates grudged the Masses being -said at St. Stephen's, when they might have been said in the Abbey and -so enriched their coffers. In this new chapel Richard II. married his -first wife, Anne of Bohemia. - -[Illustration: Westminster Hall. - -From an engraving by Hollar.] - -At the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the King granted to the Commons -of England, who had hitherto met in the Chapter House of Westminster -Abbey, the use of St. Stephen's Chapel, and there they have met ever -since, except once during the reign of Charles I. For the reception of -the members the beautiful chapel was ruthlessly altered, but enough of -the original work remained to make the fire of 1834 a disaster to all -lovers of graceful architecture. The present House of Commons is built -upon the site of the old collegiate buildings, and only the crypt of -the church remains to remind us of the royal chapel of our Plantagenet -Kings. - -All the other historic rooms have vanished. Nothing is left of the -Painted Chamber, where Edward the Confessor died, the long room whose -painted walls depicted the story of the Confessor's life upon one -side, while the other was devoted to the Wars of the Maccabees. These -paintings were unknown until 1800, when the tapestry that covered them -was removed, and thus revealed the meaning of the room's designation. -Gone, too, is the old House of Lords, used by the peers until the -Commonwealth, where the famous tapestry representing the defeat of -the Spanish Armada was hung. In the vaults underneath, originally the -Confessor's kitchen, Guy Fawkes and his fellow-conspirators stored the -barrels of gunpowder with which to blow up the Parliament. After the -Restoration the Lords removed to the White Hall of the palace, -taking the Armada tapestry with them, which, together with so much of -fascination and historic interest, perished in the all-embracing fire -of 1834. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -WINDSOR CASTLE - - -Standing upon a steep chalk cliff that rises abruptly from the River -Thames, Windsor Castle towers above the low-lying river meadows, and, -looking beyond the town that clusters round it, gazes proudly over -twelve adjacent counties. For more than eight centuries a castle has -stood upon this cliff-top, the defensive qualities of such a perfect -natural stronghold having appealed to all the royal rulers of England. - -In Saxon times the mound was defended by some kind of wooden palisade, -which William the Conqueror replaced with stone, nothing of which -now remains. Henry II., the first of the Plantagenet Kings, built his -palace there, erecting it upon what is known to-day as the Upper Ward, -the castle being divided into three distinct sections or tiers. The -Upper Ward, situated upon a higher level of the plateau, is separated -from the Lower Ward by the Round Tower, which stands upon a mound in -the centre. - -Perhaps the most exciting times that the castle ever witnessed took -place in the reign of John; certainly one of the most important events -in the history of the English people is connected with its grey walls. -John had filled the castle with mercenary troops, with which to defend -himself against his insurgent barons. Protected by these foreigners, -who fought with extreme bravery, the castle sustained two sieges, the -only active warfare in which it took any serious part. Owing doubtless -to its almost impregnable situation before the days of artillery, it -remained calm and secure, however disturbed other parts of the kingdom -might be. One summer day in the year 1215 King John, overawed by the -great gathering of armed barons within sight of his castle, left his -stronghold on the hill, and full of rage rode down to the meadow of -Runnymede, near Staines. There he was forced to sign the Great Charter -of English Freedom, an action which reduced him to such a pitch of -impotent fury that when he reached the castle again, he rolled on the -ground, gnawing sticks and straws. - -It is to John's son, Henry III., that the present aspect of the castle -is due, for though walls and towers have been rebuilt since his -time, the general appearance remains the same. He was the first great -builder, and beginning early with a reign of over fifty years -before him, he was able to carry out his extensive building schemes. -Deserting the Upper Ward, where all his predecessors had lived, he -built his palace on the Lower plateau, also erecting a chapel on the -site of St. George's. Less than a century after his death palace and -chapel had vanished, fallen into a rapid decay, so that almost the -only records of his work to-day are to be found in the Curfew Tower, -and the Cloisters. - -The first King to be born at Windsor was Edward III., who spent great -sums upon his palace, practically rebuilding the whole castle. Being a -great warrior, loving war and glory, he became enamoured with the idea -of founding an Order of Knighthood that should become as illustrious -as that of King Arthur, who was believed to have some connection with -Windsor. A Round Tower was built upon the mound, to hold the Round -Table, and great festivities were held there in 1344, but this -Round Table idea forms no part of the great Order--the Order of the -Garter--instituted in 1348. It is thought that Froissart confused -these two celebrations. - -[Illustration: Windsor Castle: Entrance to the Horseshoe Cloisters.] - -Under the superintendence of William of Wykeham, afterwards the great -Bishop of Winchester, but employed by Edward III. as his surveyor -of works, the Lower Ward was entirely given up to the service of St. -George, the patron saint of the new Order. This involved the building -of a new palace, which was erected upon the Upper Ward, hitherto -merely walled and left vacant. At the time when these great building -schemes were in progress, there were two captive Kings within the -castle, for Edward did not entirely devote his energy to palace -building, which merely formed a pleasing interlude to the long and -ambitious wars which occupied his life. David II. of Scotland had been -captured at Neville's Cross in 1346, and ten years later John, the -King of France, joined him at Windsor, having fallen to the Black -Prince at Poitiers. It is said that Edward, while walking with his -prisoners, discussed with them the building of his new palace. They -suggested that it would look more regal if it stood upon the Upper -Ward, at which Edward cynically remarked that it should be erected at -the cost of their ransoms. But as King John's ransom was never paid, -and Scotland was too poor a country to provide much even to redeem -their King, Edward was obliged to do most of the paying of the bill -himself. - -Good Queen Philippa, the sweet woman who had been the gentle -inspiration of Edward's life, fell ill at Windsor in August, 1369, an -illness of which there was "no remedy but death," says Froissart, who -writes very sympathetically of her last moments. Edward, the bravest -knight in Christendom, stood weeping at her bedside as she whispered -to him her last requests, that he should pay her debts, carry on her -charities, and be buried beside her. Froissart tells us that "in all -her life she did neither in thought, word, nor deed, things whereby -to lose her soul." So that he was confident that "the holy angels -received her with great joy up to heaven." - -During the reign of Henry V., Windsor again became a royal -prison-house, Scotland's youthful King, James I., spending about ten -years of his life there. He had been captured when quite a lad on his -way to France to be educated, and had received a good education at -the hands of his captors, who had treated him kindly, allowing him -considerable liberty. While at Windsor he met his future queen, then -the Lady Joan Beaufort, the daughter of the Earl of Somerset, whom -he describes in his poem, "The King's Quair," as "the fairest and -freshest youthful flower" he had ever seen. After his release in 1424, -they were married in Southwark Cathedral, setting off immediately -afterwards for Scotland. - -"The Royal Saint," as Henry VI. has been called, did not spend time -or money upon his palace at Windsor, but was enthusiastic over the -founding of Eton College, which he erected on the opposite bank of the -winding river, so that he could see it from his palace windows. In his -zealous activity to make this college worthy of the Virgin Mary, in -whose honour it had been founded, poor King Henry forgot his kingdom, -and found himself deposed long before his schemes were perfected. He -lies buried in St. George's Chapel, under a plain stone slab, having -been brought thither from Chertsey Abbey by Richard III., who did not -care for miracles to be performed at his victim's grave, and preferred -to have the body under his own observation. - -As a form of penitence for having waded "through slaughter to a -throne," Edward IV. is said to have erected the beautiful chapel -dedicated to St. George, which replaced the one built by Edward III. -One of the finest specimens of pure Perpendicular architecture in -England, it is the most impressive and stately building enclosed -within the walls of Windsor Castle. Its glorious fan tracery is only -rivalled by Henry VIII.'s Chapel at Westminster and King's College -Chapel, Cambridge--all three being built during the latter half of -the fifteenth century. But the choir, perhaps, attracts more attention -than any other part of the chapel, for there are to be found the -richly-carved stalls allotted to the use of the Knights of the Order -of the Garter. Above each stall is placed the helmet of the Knight, -while his splendidly emblazoned banner hangs over it. At his death -the helmet and banner are removed, but his gilded brass plate upon the -back of the stall remains, so that upon these stalls can be seen the -gilded plates of some of the most illustrious names in history. - -The succeeding monarchs from Edward IV. to the time of Elizabeth did -little either to alter or adorn their palace by the shining Thames. -Henry VIII., who was very fond of Windsor and often resided there till -he obtained Hampton Court Palace from his great Minister, Cardinal -Wolsey, rebuilt the main entrance to the Lower Ward which is known by -his name. In the vault beneath the choir of St. George's bluff King -Hal found a resting-place beside Jane Seymour, his third wife, but no -monument has been raised to his memory. - -Almost the only part of the palace which has remained unaltered since -its erection is the Royal Library, part of the building facing the -North Terrace. Built by Queen Elizabeth as a picture gallery, it is a -fine specimen of a Tudor room, with a beautiful ceiling and a handsome -stone chimney-piece. It is said that the "Merry Wives of Windsor" was -first performed in this gallery, the play having been written in a -fortnight at the Queen's command that Shakespeare should write a play -about Sir John Falstaff in love. The Virgin Queen is also responsible -for the North Terrace, on to which the gallery opened. - -[Illustration: WINDSOR CASTLE - -Has been a stronghold of importance since Saxon times. St. George's -Chapel, whose long roof-line can be seen in the picture, was built by -Edward IV.] - -During the Civil War the castle was held by the Parliamentary forces, -whose mere presence behind the strong walls was sufficient to repel -Prince Rupert, Charles I.'s headstrong nephew, who had hoped with a -small body of horse to surprise the castle. No further attempt was -made by the Royalists to capture the royal fortress, to which King -Charles was brought as a prisoner in December, 1648. For three years -the unhappy King had been a captive, driven from prison to prison, -Windsor being his last resting-place before his trial and death in -London. Charles must have become aware that dangers were thickening -round him, when, having refused to admit Denbigh bearing the last -overtures of the Army, all ceremonies of State were omitted, his meals -no longer being served to him on bended knee. After the tragedy at -Whitehall, the body of the King was brought to Windsor and buried -hurriedly one snowy February morning, in the vault below the choir, -by the side of Henry VIII. At the Restoration £70,000 was voted by -the Parliament to erect a fitting memorial, but for some unexplained -reason his coffin could not be found, though two of the Lords who had -carried his body to the grave were still living. Though the leaden -coffin was identified in 1813, no monument has yet been raised to the -most unfortunate if also the most unwise of British sovereigns. - -His son, Charles II., employed Sir Christopher Wren to make additions -to the palace. Much of this work still remains practically as it was -in the days of the Merry Monarch, for whose dining-room (now called -the State Ante-room) Verrio painted the ceiling and Grinling Gibbons -carved the walls. - -No monarch is more intimately associated with Windsor than George -III., who loved the place which had been cordially disliked and -neglected by his two predecessors. So complete had been the neglect, -that the castle was quite unfit for habitation, obliging the Royal -Family, during the process of repairs, to live in an ugly stuccoed -building known as the Queen's Lodge, built on the site of the present -royal stables. Owing to the minute chronicle of their daily events in -the diary of Fanny Burney, we know exactly what the good commonplace -King and Queen did and said during their residence at Windsor. So much -had Queen Charlotte admired "Evelina," that she thought no greater -honour could be done to the gifted authoress than to make her a -dresser to her royal self, a condescension which almost overwhelmed -shy Fanny Burney, who accepted the post, little dreaming of the -drudgery it entailed. Everything went by routine in the Court life: -the same things were done every day at precisely the same time they -were done the day before, with a monotony which Thackeray declares -must have rendered the life, frugal and virtuous as it was, stupid to -a degree which he shuddered to contemplate. Poor King George spent -the last ten years of his life, hopelessly insane and quite blind, -confined in rooms overlooking the North Terrace, and was buried in the -new tomb-house which he had cut in the solid chalk, under what is now -known as the Albert Memorial Chapel. - -George IV. carried on the repairs commenced by his father, living -meanwhile in a lodge in the park. Over a million pounds was spent -upon the alterations and furnishing of the royal apartments. When Sir -Jeffry Wyattville, the architect to whom the work had been entrusted, -had completed his task, Windsor Castle appeared exactly as it does -to-day. The walls and towers had been repaired and refaced, the brick -buildings within the walls had been cleared away, the Round Tower -raised by forty feet so that it dominated the whole pile, and the -present State apartments built on the south and eastern sides of the -Upper Ward. - -Though Windsor Castle cannot claim so fascinating or romantic a -history as that of other royal palaces, yet it can boast that while -its more picturesque rivals have either vanished or ceased their -careers as palaces, it alone remains a royal residence with a story -stretching back to the Normans. Majestic in its calm serenity, it -remains, as Leigh Hunt used to say, "a place to receive monarchs in." - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE TOWER OF LONDON - - -There are no myths or legends connected with the building of London's -great fortress, the clear light of history beats upon the erection of -its walls. It was built by William the Conquerer, not as a protection -for the city, but as a proof of his dominating power over the subdued -but possibly troublesome citizens. Part of the Roman wall which -encircled the city was removed, and the tower rose into being upon the -easternmost corner of Saxon London, right on the shore of the River -Thames, the great highway from the sea. Various additions were made by -succeeding monarchs down to Edward III., until it assumed the shape -we now see it, with the solid Norman keep in the centre, an inner wall -with twelve towers, protected by a strong outer wall surrounded by a -deep moat. Only four gateways gave entrance to the fortress, and those -were strongly guarded by towers. Any enemy attempting to enter from -Tower Hill had to force his way across three branches of the moat, -with three successive towers before he could reach the inner wall of -the citadel. There were three gateways from the river, a small postern -gate for the use of State visitors, the main water gate, which earned -the ominous title of Traitor's Gate, due to the frequent arrival of -State prisoners, and another entrance east of the Traitor's Gate. - -Owing to its immense strength it was more commonly used by the Kings -during times of civil war, when from behind its bastioned walls they -could bid defiance to the surging mobs outside. John, Edward II., -Henry VI., and Edward IV. all retreated there for safety during their -troublous reigns, but it is with Richard II., the boy-King, that we -associate one of the most dangerous episodes in the eventful life -of the city. One midsummer day in 1381 a frenzied mob of countrymen -swarmed on Tower Hill, demanding, with no uncertain voice, a redress -of grievances. Within the Tower there was great hesitation, the -councillors of fifteen-year-old Richard vacillating between a sally -with force upon the ill-armed peasants and a granting of their just -demands. With something of the insistence of the market-women of Paris -when they swarmed up to the gates of Versailles, the savage crowd -gained admittance into the Tower, searching for their supposed enemy, -the Archbishop of Canterbury, who, as the chief lawyer in England, -represented the men who enslaved and starved them. Seizing the poor -old man, they dragged him out to Tower Hill, and, with their summary -judgment, cut off his head then and there. The story of how Richard -saved the situation at Smithfield after the death of Wat Tyler is well -known. - -Nothing now remains of the palace where the Plantagenet Kings held -their Court. It was situated between the White Tower and the Wakefield -and Lanthorn Towers. Scarcely used after the reign of Henry VII., save -for three days previous to the Coronation procession through the city, -it was completely demolished in the reign of William and Mary, every -fragment being removed. - -[Illustration: The Keep, or White Tower.] - -The most romantic as well as the most pathetic incidents in the -history of the Tower are connected with its forlorn prisoners, -doomed to long incarceration or speedy death at the will of despotic -monarchs. Even the sovereigns themselves were often captives within -its walls. The two young Princes, Edward V. and his brother Richard, -entered the Tower under the nominal protection of their uncle Richard -III., never to appear again. Anne Boleyn returned as a prisoner to -the place which she had formerly entered in triumph just before her -Coronation. Retaining her gay spirit to the end, Anne laughingly -remarked that she had a little neck, when told that death by execution -was quite painless. During the reign of her sister Mary, Queen -Elizabeth was brought through the Traitor's Gate to the Tower, where -she was confined for some time under suspicion of being implicated in -Sir Thomas Wyatt's rebellion. - -Though ceasing to be a royal palace, and of little use as a fortress, -the Tower retained its position as a State prison until 1820, becoming -since then merely a barracks and a guard-house for the Crown jewels. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -KENNINGTON PALACE - - -No royal house has more completely vanished from sight, and even from -memory, than the royal palace of Kennington. Few know that such a -palace ever existed, and certainly those who dwell upon its site would -require to be possessed of keen imaginations, to realize that once all -the pageantry of a medieval Court took place, where to-day monotonous -streets crowd upon one another. Yet Parliaments assembled and all -the ceremonies of State were performed on a spot not far from where -Kennington Park now stands. The whim of royal fancy was the cause of -the complete obliteration of the palace, other royal houses pleasing -the later Kings more than the one upon Lambeth Marsh. Low-lying -ground, only redeemed from complete marshland by the embankment of the -river, lay between it and the City of London on the north. As it was -not until quite the end of the eighteenth century that houses began -to be built upon this district, the land being up till then used -as market-gardens, it is not surprising that when the palace was -destroyed it soon passed from men's minds, no one living in the -neighbourhood. The exact date of the destruction of the palace is not -known, but its oblivion was almost complete when Camden, the great -antiquarian, wrote in 1607, for he says: "The Royal seat call'd -Kennington, whither the Kings of England us'd to retire, the discovery -whereof 'tis vain to endeavour after, there appearing neither name nor -rubbish to direct us." - -Though no vestige of the palace now remains, it is reasonable to -conjecture, from the analogy of contemporary palaces which still -exist, that Kennington Palace was a fortified building, with a -strongly embattled wall and deep moat. Deserted by Henry VIII., who -found Eltham and Greenwich more to his taste, the building materials -were all sold and the palace razed to the ground. Some kind of Tudor -manor-house was built upon the site, for a survey taken about the -middle of the seventeenth century describes a building of some fair -size. Close to it stood a low stone structure with a thatched roof, -known as the "Long Barn," which was thought to be part of the old -palace. It stood until 1795, when it was pulled down, removing the -last trace of historic interest. - -As one loses oneself among the maze of houses and streets of -Kennington, it is difficult to believe that in the lost palace which -rose above the marsh of long ago Harold Harefoot, the son of Cnut, -was crowned, Harthacnut, his brother, died either by treachery or -accident, and Henry III. held two Parliaments. But of all the Kings -whose memory should haunt the spot, the most to be remembered is -Richard II., the handsome, popular, pleasure-loving and magnificent -Prince. After the early death of his father, the Black Prince, young -Richard had been brought up in the palace by his widowed mother. - -In later years Richard brought his child-wife, the fair Isabella of -France, to Kennington Palace, to rest there for the night before she -entered London in state. She was then only eight years old, and was -never anything more than Queen in name, for long before she was -old enough to be a wife her attractive but unwise husband had been -murdered by his enemies. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -ELTHAM PALACE - - -To realize that Eltham was one of the most stately of royal residences -one has only to stand within the magnificent hall erected by Edward -IV. Though neglected for many years and allowed to fall into decay, -it is still a marvellous relic of medieval splendour, at the time -when Perpendicular architecture was beautifying the land. The fine oak -roof, with its hammer beams and carved pendants, is almost as perfect -as when it was first put up, but unfortunately the beautiful tracery -of the windows has suffered from being bricked up during the period -of neglect. The whole hall, however, has lately undergone a thorough -restoration, and the windows have been glazed, so that it is likely -to remain for many centuries to come a noble witness of the dignified -surroundings of the Plantagenet Kings. - -[Illustration: HAMPTON COURT PALACE. - -Erected by Cardinal Wolsey and afterwards presented by him to Henry -VIII. Sir Christopher Wren reconstructed a part of the palace for -William III. and Queen Mary.] - -The old stone bridge, with its buttressed arches, built at the same -time as the hall, still stands over the moat, which at one time ran -all round the palace. Standing on the bridge, across which must -have trod Edward IV., its builder, Henry VIII. in his buoyant youth, -Cardinal Wolsey in the early days of his greatness, and Queen -Elizabeth when visiting the palace to meet her Scottish suitor the -Earl of Arran, one looks down to-day upon smooth green water, -overshadowed by willows and sycamores, and edged with smooth-shaven -grass borders, with a glimpse of a rose-filled garden. - -[Illustration: The Banqueting Hall, Eltham Palace.] - -For Eltham, though only eight miles from London on the Maidstone road, -retains much of its rural charm. As one approaches the palace along -a tree-shaded avenue between old red-brick walls, one forgets the -nearness to the great city and the fact that tram-lines now run up to -the quiet little High Street. There is an old-world dignity about -the neighbourhood of the palace, locally known as King John's Palace, -through some confusion with John of Eltham, the second son of Edward -II., who was born there. King John himself never resided in the -palace, for it was not a royal house until the reign of his son. Some -charming old houses, with red-tiled roofs and overhung upper stories, -standing among gardens gay with flowers, border the avenue. It is -probable that Wolsey and other Lord Chancellors stayed in these houses -when in attendance upon the monarch. - -Eltham has never been anything but a small village amid fertile -country, so that the problem of feeding the Court when resident in -the palace must have been a serious one. Two thousand people to be fed -daily must have absorbed the energies of all the farmers round. - -In plan the palace was a quadrangular castle protected by a strong -battlemented wall, surrounded by a deep moat, with a drawbridge -and portcullis. Camden claims that the original palace was built -by Anthony Bec, Bishop of Durham, who presented it to Eleanor, the -beloved wife of Edward I. - -Of its subsequent history one learns that many Kings held their -Christmas festivals there, that Richard II. was extremely fond of it, -spending much of his time there, that Edward IV. built the hall and -bridge, and that Henry VII. also did a good deal of building, and -brought up his children within its walls. Henry VIII. spent his early -childhood in the palace, being visited by the learned Erasmus and Sir -Thomas More. During the first years of his reign he also resided there -frequently, until Greenwich rose in his royal favour. It was at Eltham -that Wolsey received the office of Lord Chancellor, and also where he -drew up, in 1526, the famous Eltham Ordinances for the regulation of -the royal household. One finds from these ordinances that the -King's guests were in the habit of stealing locks, tables, and other -household articles, for strict rules were made concerning these -fixtures, and also against the keeping of any dogs, except ladies' -spaniels, within the precincts of the Court. - -James I. was the last monarch to reside within the palace, his son, -Charles I., bestowing it upon Sir John Shaw, who pulled down all the -buildings, with the exception of the great hall. When John Evelyn -visited it in 1656, he found the whole place in ruins, but in 1828 -the Government was persuaded to undertake repairs in order to preserve -this beautiful remnant of fifteenth-century architecture. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -GREENWICH PALACE - - -[Illustration: Greenwich Palace.] - -Greenwich was the sea palace of the English monarchs. It stood upon -the edge of the broad and tidal River Thames, which was salt to the -taste at the time when the Tudor monarchs gazed over its sparkling -waters. From their palace windows Henry VIII. and his illustrious -daughter Elizabeth watched the busy vessels passing down to the sea, -laden with wool and other merchandise, to return filled with silks, -and spices, and precious metals; and looked with proud satisfaction at -their ships of war lying anchored close at hand at Deptford. Warships -had appeared at Greenwich very early in its history, when it was a -mere fishing village sheltered beneath the green slope of Blackheath. -The Danes had arrived in 1009, flying their raven flag, seeking -tribute money from Ethelred the ill-advised. During one of their -visits, these ruthless Norsemen murdered Alphege, the Archbishop of -Canterbury, by aiming beef bones, so it is said, at the good man's -head. - -It was from their sea palace, too, that the royal rulers watched the -departure and return of two famous explorers. On a certain day in -May, 1553, Sir Hugh Willoughby sailed from Deptford with his small -expedition to search for a North-East passage to China. Young King -Edward, already in the last stages of his wasting illness, was brought -to the window to see the ships depart with their brave commander on -board, who was destined never to return, being found frozen to death -in his cabin in the Arctic ice. Crowds gathered along the shore, the -nobles and courtiers thronged the palace windows as the ships sailed -by, discharging their guns in a final salute, so that the surrounding -hills echoed. Twenty-seven years later, a small weather-beaten vessel, -_The Golden Hind_, came to anchor at Deptford after a momentous voyage -round the world, in which battle and tempest had been braved, and -little known lands visited. Its dauntless commander shortly after was -honoured by a visit from his sovereign lady, Queen Elizabeth, who, -forgiving his irregular deeds because of their success, knighted him -upon his own deck, causing him to arise as Sir Francis Drake. - -Though pre-eminently associated with the Tudor monarchs who loved -their healthy royal home, which felt the sea breezes coming up the -river, Greenwich had been a royal possession for many years. Henry IV. -dated his will from his manor of Greenwich, while his son, Humphrey, -Duke of Gloucester, was the real founder of the palace. Gaining -permission from his nephew, Henry VI., for whom he had acted as -regent during his minority, he erected a stone manor-house, calling it -Placentia. Disasters fell thick upon "good Duke Humphrey," as he has -been called. His wife Eleanor was accused of witchcraft, and after -penance in the streets of London, was imprisoned for the remainder -of her life, while he himself, falling under the displeasure of -the haughty Margaret of Anjou, was arrested for high treason, dying -suddenly a few days later under suspicion of poison. When it reverted -to the crown, both Henry VI. and Edward IV. lived at Placentia, and -Henry VII. wooed and won his Yorkist bride there, but it is to Henry -VIII. that Greenwich owes its fame. - -Born at Greenwich in 1491, baptized in the former parish church in a -silver font "well padded with soft linen," Henry VIII. spent much -of his time at his birthplace. He rebuilt the palace, erecting an -unfortified dwelling, the sovereigns no longer requiring to dwell -within a castle. His two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, were born in -the palace, their royal father, though disappointed at the non-arrival -of a Prince, ordering all reverence to be paid to the infant -Princesses. Queen Katharine of Aragon spent some happy years at -Greenwich before Henry was led away by the charms of Anne Boleyn. -Henry at that time seems to have been full of buoyant life and -good-humour, enjoying the rough and tumble of tournaments in the park, -riding out in the early morning of the First of May to bring in the -blossom, and rollicking in the dances and pageants of the time. It -was at one of the tournaments that Henry last saw Anne Boleyn, who -was acting the part of the Queen of Beauty. Taking offence at her -behaviour, the headstrong King got up suddenly and set off for -London, never again seeing his unfortunate wife, who was arrested the -following day and carried to the Tower. - -After the time of James I., who, with his Queen, much delighted in its -situation, the palace fell gradually into decay, so that Charles II. -pulled it all down and started to rebuild a new one. He never lived -in it, for only one wing--that which now faces the building devoted to -the Museum--was ever erected, the scheme of the palace being rejected -for quite another purpose. The gentle, kindly heart of Queen Mary, -the beloved wife of William III., was so moved by the suffering of the -wounded sailors after the Battle of La Hogue, that she determined -that the neglected palace should be furnished as a hospital for those -seamen "who had protected the public safety." Sir Christopher -Wren furnished the design, and King William, private donors, and -Parliamentary grants supplied the endowment of the hospital, whose -first stone was laid on June 30, 1696. For over a century and a half -invalided sailors were sheltered within the hospital, which was -closed in 1869, pensions being then bestowed instead of residence. The -buildings are now used as a college for naval officers. - -Greenwich still retains a sea-faring aspect; on a bright day the -river, full of laden barges and busy little tugs, still sparkles, -while "the noblest of European hospitals" remains as "a memorial of -the virtues of the good Queen Mary, of the love and sorrow of William, -and of the great victory of La Hogue." - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -WHITEHALL PALACE - - -Of all the many palaces of the English monarchs, none is more -associated in men's minds with the splendour and pageantry of Court -life than the palace of Whitehall. In comparison with other palaces, -such as Windsor, its life-story was very brief, just over a century -and a half, but it was spent in the hey-day of royalty, when the -Kings were freed from the power of the great barons, and were not -yet controlled by the constitution. It is full of memories of the -masterful Tudors, and the pleasure-loving Stuarts, a period stored -with great and stirring happenings, just when the New World was being -discovered, the New Learning flooding over Europe, and the Reformation -stirring the hearts of men. Yet of all its vast size, only a tiny -fragment is left--the banqueting hall of the magnificent palace -designed by Inigo Jones--and not a brick or stone remains of the -palace where Wolsey reigned in his episcopal glory, and Henry VIII. -held his gorgeous Court. - -The first house on the site of the palace belonged to Hubert de Burgh, -the patriotic ruler of England during the minority of Henry III., -but remembered most generally as the unwilling gaoler of young Prince -Arthur. He bequeathed his property to the Black Friars, in whose -church in Holborn he was buried. Not long afterwards the Dominicans -sold the house to Walter de Grey, Archbishop of York, who left it as -a London residence to his successors in the see of York. It will -be remembered that after one of the serious fires that attacked the -palace of Westminster, Edward I. took shelter in the Archbishop's -palace at York Place, as it was then known, and continued to occupy it -during the remainder of his reign. - -In his capacity as Archbishop of York, Cardinal Wolsey came into -possession of York Place, which he almost entirely rebuilt. During -his days of greatness Wolsey lived in the utmost magnificence in his -palace, rivalling the King's Court at Westminster. Surrounded by many -hundreds of courtiers, among whom were some of the noblest in the -land, who did not disdain to serve "the butcher's son," Wolsey kept -high state, feasting off gold and silver plate, to the accompaniment -of singing and music, wearing scarlet and gold, and riding on a -crimson velvet saddle, with his feet in stirrups of silver gilt. As an -excuse for the undoubted ostentation of the great cardinal, Sir Walter -Besant maintains that in his time "it was the right and proper use -of wealth to entertain royally; it was part of a rich man to dress -splendidly, to have a troop of gentlemen and valets in his service, to -exhibit tables covered with gold and silver plate, to hang the walls -with beautiful and costly arras. All this was right and proper." But -Wolsey experienced, as so many great men have done, that - - "They that stand high have many blasts to shake them, - And when they fall, they dash themselves to pieces." - -After the disgrace of his great chancellor, Henry VIII. seized York -Place, quite regardless of the fact that, as it was not the private -possession of the cardinal, he had no right to do so. But it was -just what the King wanted, his own palace at Westminster having been -destroyed by fire a few years before. It was then that the name of -Whitehall came into use, as Shakespeare reminds us in the play of -Henry VIII.: - - "You must no more call it York Place; that's past: - For since the Cardinal fell, that title's lost; - 'Tis now the King's, and called Whitehall." - -Though Whitehall for us to-day signifies but one palace, in the days -of the Tudors nearly every palace had its "white hall," usually the -great banqueting hall, so that the new name bestowed by Henry was not -peculiarly distinctive. Henry was delighted with his new residence, -and proceeded to add new buildings, and to enclose nearly all St. -James's Park up to the site of Buckingham Palace. Covering a vast -extent of ground, the palace rambled from Scotland Yard along the -riverside, to where Downing Street now stands, and spread across the -roadway by means of a long gallery. Never so beautiful as Westminster, -the Whitehall of the Tudors was a mass of brick buildings, erected -without any particular scheme just as occasion required, resulting, as -Besant declares, in a building "without dignity and without nobility." -A roadway had always existed from Charing Cross to Westminster, and -not even the autocratic Henry dared divert it for the sake of his -palace, so that he caused two gateways to be erected to mark the -precincts of the royal domain. Both were put up about the same time, -the one nearer Westminster being called the King's Gate, and the other -the Holbein Gate, being designed by the famous artist, Hans Holbein. -Across this latter gateway ran the gallery connecting the main part -of the palace with the Tiltyard (now the Horse Guards Parade) and the -Cockpit (where the Admiralty now stands), the tennis court, and the -bowling alley, where Henry VIII. indulged his love of games; for, as -Leigh Hunt cynically tells us, "though he put women to death, he was -fond of manly sports." Both gateways were removed during the first -half of the eighteenth century, when the road was widened. - -Henry VIII. died in the palace where he had secretly married Anne -Boleyn, and where he had enjoyed so many of the good things of life. -It is said that he had grown so unwieldy that he had to be lifted by -means of machinery. Cranmer came to see him on his deathbed, but when -he arrived the King was already speechless, though still conscious. -The Archbishop, after "speaking comfortably to him, desired him to -give some token that he put his trust in God through Jesus Christ, -therewith the King wrung hard the Archbishop's hand," and so left -the earthly scene of his cruelties, his amusements, and his worldly -success. - -[Illustration: Whitehall Palace at the End of the Seventeenth -Century.] - -When James I. succeeded to the throne of the Tudors, he found the -palace of Whitehall needing a considerable amount of repairs. The -old banqueting hall that had sufficed for the needs of Elizabeth -was despised by the new monarch, who regarded it as an "old rotten -slight-builded Banqueting House." Inigo Jones, the great architect, -was called upon to supply plans for an entirely new palace. His plans, -the originals of which still exist, were extremely ambitious, for -if they had been carried out, London would have possessed a palace -rivalling Versailles, and covering an area of twenty four acres. -According to his scheme, the palace was to present four imposing -frontages, having square towers at the corners, and was to contain one -vast central court, as well as six smaller courts. Only the stately -banqueting hall of this colossal scheme was ever erected, that which -remains to-day, the solitary fragment of the once extensive palace. -The hall was finished in 1622, and when, three years later, Charles I. -came to the throne, he was too much overwhelmed with the difficulty of -obtaining sufficient money to supply his immediate needs, to entertain -any ideas of carrying out the proposed palace. He contented himself -with adorning the existing banqueting hall, commissioning the artist -Rubens, who was in London in the capacity of Ambassador from Flanders, -to paint the ceiling. For the magnificent work which we see to-day, -covering the entire ceiling, representing the apotheosis of James I. -the artist received £3,000 and a knighthood from King Charles. - -It was outside the banqueting hall which he had so enriched, that King -Charles was beheaded on January 30, 1649. Early on the cold wintry -morning, escorted by a body of soldiers, Charles walked from St. -James's Palace, where he had spent his last night, across the park -to Whitehall. Owing to the cold he had put on two shirts, in order to -prevent any shivering, which might, the King thought, have been put -down to fear. Wearing a black cloak, and a striped red silk waistcoat, -he walked rapidly, telling Bishop Juxon, who accompanied him, that he -was soon going to obtain a heavenly crown. On the way he pointed out -a tree in Spring Gardens, planted by his elder brother, Henry. Arrived -at Whitehall, he crossed over the gallery above the Holbein Gate, -and went to his own room in the palace, awaiting the order for his -appearance on the scaffold, spending the time in prayer. - -In spite of the great controversy on the subject of the position of -the scaffold, and the manner of the King's approach to it, there seems -to be every probability that the scaffold, which was erected in the -open street, stood in front of the large windows of the banqueting -hall. It is thought that King Charles, after walking through the hall, -crowded for him with memories of his father and of his own stately and -decorous court, entered into a small adjoining room, the wall having -been cut through for the purpose. And it was from the window of this -small room that Charles stepped upon the scaffold. At that time the -windows of the banqueting hall, facing Whitehall, were not glazed. - -A great crowd had assembled to witness, as Sir Thomas Herbert, the -King's devoted friend, records, "the saddest sight that England ever -saw." With calm dignity Charles performed the last actions of his -life, asking his executioners whether his hair would hinder them, -taking off his cloak, handing the "George" worn by the Knights of the -Garter to Bishop Juxon, who remained by the side of his fallen monarch -to the end, and then, after making a short speech declaring his -innocence, kneeling down and laying his head upon the block. When -Bishop Juxon reminded him that he had but one stage more, which -would carry him from earth to heaven, the King replied: "I go from a -corruptible to an incorruptible crown." - -Directly the painful scene was over every sign of it was removed at -once; soldiers dispersed the crowd, and the scaffold was immediately -taken down. The King's body was embalmed, after which it was shown to -the public, that there should be no doubt of his death. A week later -his faithful friends carried him to his last resting-place in St. -George's Chapel, Windsor. And so was cut short the life of Charles -Stuart, who, had his youth been spent under wiser guidance than that -of his father, might have been one of England's noblest rulers. - -[Illustration: The Execution of Charles I., outside Whitehall Palace. - -_From the painting by Ernest Crofts, R.A._] - -Cromwell, conscious of his own integrity and free from superstitious -fears, did not hesitate to occupy the palace outside which his late -monarch had been executed. Though he refused the crown offered to him -in 1657, his residence in Whitehall began to assume more and more -the aspect of a court, he himself gradually acquiring a dignified and -stately manner, as we are assured by the contemporary royalist writer, -Sir Philip Warwick. "And yet I lived to see this very gentleman," -he writes, "when for six weeks together I was a prisoner in his -sergeant's hands, and daily waited at Whitehall, appear of a great and -majestic deportment and comely presence." After six years of almost -autocratic power as Protector of England, during which period he had -shown his capacity as a statesman, Cromwell breathed his last in the -palace of his royal predecessors, relinquishing his hold upon life, in -spite of his strong religious faith, with obvious reluctance. Worn out -with anxieties and domestic grief, especially over the death of his -much-beloved daughter, Elizabeth Claypole, the great Protector died at -the age of fifty-nine, on September 3, 1658, a day which he had always -accounted as peculiarly fortunate, having been the occasion of his -victories at Dunbar and Worcester. A tremendous storm, one of the most -violent ever known, was raging over England when Oliver Cromwell's -spirit passed into the great Unknown. - -On his arrival in London after his restoration, Charles II. proceeded -to Whitehall, where he confirmed all the great charters of English -liberty, such as Magna Carta, and the Petition of Right. Two years -later, Charles brought his unhappy young bride by river in state -to Whitehall, after their honeymoon at Hampton Court. Samuel Pepys -watched the pageant from the top of the banqueting hall, which he -describes as "a most pleasant place as any I could have got." The -whole river was covered with boats and barges, "so that we could see -no water for them," some boats representing the mimic court of a King -and Queen, until the actual royal pair appeared, who were greeted with -guns on their arrival at Whitehall Bridge. - -Whitehall, so intimately connected with the Tudors, fell with the -Stuarts. A fire, which raged furiously all one night, destroyed for -ever, in 1698, the old rambling palace known to Wolsey and his royal -master, leaving no fragment to remind us of its existence. Only the -graceful banqueting hall escaped the general conflagration. Plans were -drawn up by Sir Christopher Wren for a new palace, but William III., -who, suffering from habitual asthma, found the smoke of Whitehall -almost intolerable, was not likely to be anxious to restore a palace -in which he could not live. As he wrote to one of his friends, "the -loss is less to me than it would be to another person, for I cannot -live there." But though he made little effort to rebuild the palace, -being already busy at altering Hampton Court, there is no truth in the -statement of his enemies, that William had partly inspired the fire. - -George I. altered the banqueting-hall into a Chapel Royal, for which -purpose it continued to be used until 1890, when Queen Victoria gave -permission for the building to be used for the United Service Museum. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -HAMPTON COURT PALACE - - -In the high tide of its popularity, Hampton Court Palace was -considered the finest and most commodious palace in England, an -opinion which was corroborated by the foreign ambassadors of the time, -who spoke of it in terms of the highest praise. One distinguished -foreign visitor, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, recorded in his -diary: "This is the most splendid and most magnificent royal palace of -any that may be found in England, or, indeed, in any other kingdom." -And though to-day the tide of royal favour has receded for ever from -the shores of Hampton Court, the palace remains as stately and as -dignified as when the proud Wolsey paced its galleries. - -[Illustration: Hampton Court: The First Court.] - -Its situation has always been a happy one, for though built on the -banks of the River Thames, it has avoided all the disadvantages -of damp, owing to the gravelly nature of its soil. The nearness to -London, only thirteen miles away, with easy access along the broad -river, made it a delightful residence for the monarchs who were able -to get to and fro from London, however bad the roads might be. When -wearied with the smoke and bustle that surrounded Whitehall, the -royal owners rejoiced in escaping to their beautiful palace at Hampton -Court, from whose windows they looked over the clean river, across -fresh green meadows to the horizon of the blue Surrey hills. - -Cardinal Wolsey was largely influenced by the healthy position of -Hampton Court, when he bought the place from the Knights Hospitallers -of St. John, who had owned it since the early part of the thirteenth -century. The Cardinal, like so many other great men, had never been -strong, and had taxed his strength to the uttermost by the enormous -quantity of work which he undertook. Not only was he Archbishop of -York, holding various other bishoprics, but he was Lord Chancellor of -England, an office which carried with it vast legal duties, and also -that of chief adviser to the King, through whom all the business of -the State was carried out. No wonder he needed a quiet spot far from -the busy throng, but he would have been wiser had he built a modest -country house, which would not have aroused the envy of the King. - -But Wolsey had a passion for building, as his work at Whitehall, his -college of Christchurch, Oxford, and the school at Ipswich, witness, -and he apparently could not refrain from erecting a palace, which was -to excite universal admiration, and ultimately to assist in his fall -from power. Though suffering from a variety of ailments, among which -were ague and dropsy, Wolsey never rested, but, having bought Hampton -Court in 1514, pushed on the building, so that it was finished and -ready for occupation two years afterwards. No word concerning any -architect has come down to us, so that we may presume that the palace -was erected according to the Cardinal's own plans, and that he -is responsible for the romantic charm of the Tudor work, with its -clustered chimneys, gabled roofs, mullioned windows, and all the -picturesque dignity of the red-brick courtyards. - -No sooner had the builders evacuated, than Wolsey filled the palace -with the most rich and costly furniture, magnificent tapestries, and -beds upholstered in gorgeous velvet and silk, everything being adorned -with the Cardinal's arms, until it quite outshone anything that the -King possessed. - -King Henry often honoured his "good Cardinal" with a visit, sometimes -coming unexpectedly to surprise his Chancellor. The greatest banquet -Wolsey ever gave was to the French Ambassador in 1527, when 280 beds -were prepared, each room being lighted with blazing fires and candles -in silver candlesticks. Music was performed all through the banquet, -at which marvellous dishes appeared representing St. Paul's Church and -various birds and beasts. - -Though Wolsey had handed over the lease of Hampton Court to the King -in 1525, when the first small cloud of royal displeasure had appeared, -he continued to occupy his beautiful palace for four more years, until -his final disgrace over the question of the divorce with Katharine of -Aragon. King Henry took possession in 1529, and at once began building -apartments for the Lady Anne Boleyn, though Queen Katharine was still -with him. Four years later, after Cranmer had pronounced a divorce, -the Pope still remaining obdurate, Anne Boleyn spent a gay and -brilliant honeymoon within the Cardinal's palace, recking little that -the fickle King who had thrown off a faithful servant and a devoted -wife for her sake, was to condemn her within a few years to a cruel -death. - -Hampton Court remained Henry's favourite palace, for he was proof -against any sad memories of past wives, while he was enjoying the -company of another. Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife, whom he married -the day after Anne Boleyn was executed, gave birth to Henry's only -son, Edward, within the palace, the young Prince being received with -great rejoicings, which were cut short by the death of his mother a -few days afterwards. Catharine Howard and Catharine Parr were both -married at Hampton Court, and Anne of Cleves also spent a short time -there, so that the palace is associated with all the wives of Henry -VIII. - -As a builder, King Henry is responsible for the Great Hall, on the -north side of the Clock Court, a fine Perpendicular building, with a -rich ceiling and large bay window. - -Even when, in his later years, he could no longer enjoy his favourite -sports of hunting, archery, tennis, and fishing, owing to his -increasing corpulence, Henry retained his love for the Cardinal's -palace, and was often there amusing himself with games of backgammon -and dice, and playing on the lute, having been always fond of music. - -Queen Mary, Henry's eldest daughter, spent her gloomy honeymoon at -the palace, none of her English subjects welcoming her marriage with -Philip II. of Spain. Philip, though outwardly devoted, was not much in -love with his plain and unattractive wife, who seems to have lost all -joyousness during the years of her retirement following the divorce -of her mother. Deep melancholy and despair settled down upon the -unfortunate Queen, when her hopes of an heir to carry on her work of -restoring the Roman Catholic religion in England were denied, and she -knew that her Protestant sister must succeed. - -During the reign of Queen Elizabeth no very important events occurred, -for though the Queen constantly visited the palace, she came for -periods of rest and amusement, away from all political cares. When her -successor came to Hampton Court, he was delighted with it, as he was -with most of the English royal palaces, which were so much more rich -and luxurious than those of Holyrood or Falkland. The park allowed -him opportunity for his much-loved occupation of hunting, when, his -ungainly figure clad in a vivid green hunting suit, he would follow -the stag with great keenness. But, enthusiastic as he was, he much -disliked any crowds assembling at the royal meets, thinking that -they worried the hounds and spoilt the game, and so he issued peevish -proclamations against "the bold and barbarous insolency of multitudes -of vulgar people," who, if they followed the hunt at all were to be -conveyed to the nearest gaol. - -The favourite indoor entertainment at this time was the masque, which -reached the height of its popularity and glory during James's reign. -Ben Jonson, the greatest poet, and Inigo Jones, the greatest architect -of the day, were employed as author and designer of these stately -dramatic performances, in which the nobles and ladies of the Court -took part, before an audience representing the highest in the land. - -But King James could not spend all his time watching gods and -goddesses upon the stage, or hunting the deer in his park, for the -question of religious toleration had to be decided. A conference was -held in January, 1604, at the palace, between the Puritan clergy and -the bishops, on the question of some lesser ecclesiastical reforms -involving no change in the organization of the Church. James delighted -in presiding at the conference, as it gave him an opportunity of -showing forth his scholastic accomplishments, which were real, though -extremely pedantic. No settlement was arrived at, for James, after -his experience under the Presbyterians in Scotland, delighted in the -Church of England with its subservience to royal authority. King James -thought he had crushed the Puritans with his arguments, but he had -only left them certain that all concessions would have to be wrested -from the King by force, resulting in the deadly struggle of his son's -reign. - -Though Charles I. grew to be devotedly attached to his French bride, -Henrietta Maria, he had some unfortunate disagreements with her during -the early months of his married life, which he spent at Hampton Court. -Owing partly to the interference of the Duke of Buckingham, Charles's -unwise favourite, and to the young bride's extreme youth and lack of -tact, there were constant quarrels between the royal pair. Henrietta -Maria's large train of French followers were extremely unpopular among -the English, owing to their religious beliefs, and the Queen herself -was ill-advised enough to refuse to take part in the coronation -ceremonies, as they were performed by Protestant clergy. At last -Charles grew so annoyed that he dismissed all the French suite in a -high-handed manner, and sent them back to France. Though the Queen -never became popular among the Puritans, who attributed much of the -King's stubbornness to her suggestion, yet she and her royal husband -learned to live together in great domestic bliss. - -The first hint of the gathering storm was made evident to the King -when the Commons brought down to the palace their Grand Remonstrance, -a document in which they had recorded, in unqualified language, -all the King's misdeeds. Charles retaliated by the fatal error of -attempting to arrest five members of the Commons; after the failure of -which he retired from London to Hampton Court--the last time (except -for one night) that he visited it as a free man. In the summer of -1647, when his armies had all been crushed and dispersed, he came -to the palace once more, but this time as a prisoner. He was still -treated with great respect and allowed considerable liberty, visiting -his children at Sion House, and having them visit him. Unhappily -Charles determined to escape, and was so far successful that he -succeeded in slipping from the palace, crossing the river, and -reaching the Isle of Wight. But there his success ended, for he -was obliged to give himself up as a prisoner to the governor of the -island, to be treated afterwards with increasing severity. - -Cromwell's soldiers are credited with effecting considerable damage -to historic buildings, but we are indebted to the Protector for the -saving of Hampton Court Palace. It had already been sold to various -purchasers, when Cromwell became Lord Protector and the Parliament, -knowing his liking for the palace, at once set to work to repurchase -it. The Protector and his family soon after took up their residence -there, provoking the mocking laughter of royalists, either for the -regal state which Cromwell maintained, or the homeliness of his -wife. It is strange to remember, that along with all his austerity of -character Cromwell used to indulge, in his lighter moments, in great -buffoonery, putting sticky sweetmeats on to the chairs on which -the ladies were to sit, slipping live coals into his officers' coat -pockets, or throwing wine about. - -Hampton Court had often served as a honeymoon palace, but the young -brides had seldom been very happy, unless, perhaps, Anne Boleyn had -managed to be care-free during her short reign. Certainly Queen Mary -and Henrietta Maria had been far from happy, but the insignificant -little Portuguese wife of Charles II. was the unhappiest of all. -Her husband did not love her, and she succeeded in annoying him by -persisting in wearing her Portuguese style of dress, which seemed -grotesque to English eyes. When she gave in on this point, she was -ordered to receive Lady Castlemaine, one of the King's favourites, -as a lady of her bedchamber, an indignity which she was justified in -refusing. But Charles's open rudeness, and studied indifference to -his wife, at last forced poor Catharine of Braganza to accept the -notorious lady, after which the King treated her with respect, though -never with love. - -When William III. first saw Hampton Court, he was enchanted with it, -it reminded him of his beloved Holland, and besides, the air was free -from smoke, so that his asthmatical frame could breathe easily. He at -once began to set about rebuilding and altering the palace, and laying -out the gardens in the formal Dutch fashion. Sir Christopher Wren -was entrusted with the new work, creating the stately east and south -fronts, and the Fountain Court that we see to-day. The architect had -to join on the Renaissance style of architecture in vogue at that -time, to the late Perpendicular of the original builders, and by -adhering to red-brick with stone facings and copings, he made a -combination which is both restful and dignified. Queen Mary took an -intense interest in the new building which she was never destined -to see finished, her early death causing King William to lose all -pleasure in the palace, which they had both loved. For some years -work almost ceased on the new building, until the disastrous fire at -Whitehall rendered it necessary for the King to have another palace. -Work was then hurried on, Grinling Gibbons working at the interior -carving, Verrio painting the ceilings and staircases, gardeners laying -out the avenues and maze, till all was ready for the King in the -winter of 1699. Little more than two years later, William, who had -been very ill for some time, was riding in the park, when his horse -stumbled on a mole-hill, throwing his royal master on to the ground. -When the doctor examined him, King William was found to have -broken his collar-bone, which was immediately set. In spite of the -remonstrances of the doctor, the King insisted upon returning to -Kensington, where he rapidly became worse, the jolting of the roads -having shifted the bone, which had to be reset. A fortnight later he -died. - -The succeeding monarchs did little to the palace, though the first -two Hanoverian Kings occasionally resided there. George III., whose -partiality for Windsor and Kew caused him to neglect all the other -palaces, never visited Hampton Court after he became King, so that -it was gradually left to various private families, who were granted -apartments by the royal bounty. When Queen Victoria came to the throne -the palace was made open to the public, who have much appreciated the -privilege of seeing one of the most beautiful royal residences ever -erected in England. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -ST. JAMES'S PALACE - - -The old red-brick palace which stands at the foot of St. James's -Street, looking up towards the busy throng of Piccadilly, still gives -the diplomatic title to the Court of Great Britain, though it has long -been neglected by royalty. It stands serene amid the traffic of Pall -Mall, having gained with the passing of ages some of that dignity with -which it was said to be lacking in the eighteenth century, when Sir -John Fielding wrote "it reflects no honour on the kingdom, and is -the jest of foreigners." Certainly less romantic in its history than -Westminster or Whitehall, it yet remains to-day a Tudor palace, while -its more picturesque rivals have crumbled away. - -Long before the palace was erected, a small hospital stood upon its -site, its inmates being fourteen chaste maidens, victims of the deadly -malady of leprosy. The position had been chosen carefully, owing to -its extreme loneliness, it being then completely surrounded by fields. -In course of time eight brothers had been added to the hospital, -which was known as St. James the Less, and the whole property had been -granted by Henry VI. to his new foundation, Eton College. When Henry -VIII. took possession of Wolsey's palace in Whitehall, he purchased -the hospital and all the green fields round it, in order to obtain a -park for his new residence. One is glad to learn that the unfortunate -leprous maidens were pensioned off for the rest of their lives. - -King Henry immediately set to work to build a sort of country -manor-house for himself, surrounding the park with a brick wall, and -at the same time draining it, for originally it was a somewhat dreary -marsh. It is said that Holbein, the artist, drew up the plans for the -palace, which were carried out by Thomas Cromwell, Wolsey's secretary, -who rose in Henry's favour upon his master's fall. But whoever was the -architect, the palace is essentially Tudor, and remains so in spite of -the various additions made by the later monarchs. The gatehouse, with -its four octagon towers and its clock, is the most familiar feature of -the palace. Unfortunately, from a sentimental point of view, the clock -is a new one; an older one, bearing the date 1731, was removed in -1831, and is now at Hampton Court Palace. Perhaps the most interesting -part of the interior is the Old Presence Chamber, now known as the -Tapestry Room, from the fine tapestry representing Venus and Mars, -which had been made for Charles I., but had been put away in a chest -and apparently forgotten, till it was discovered and hung up for the -wedding of George IV. The stone Tudor fireplace in this room bears -the initials H. and A. for Henry and Anne Boleyn, united most -inappropriately, considering their later history, by a true lover's -knot. - -[Illustration: The Gate Tower of St. James's Palace.] - -In spite of Henry's early enthusiasm, he was not often at the palace, -which, indeed, was seldom used for any length of time, till after the -fire at Whitehall, and even then Kensington Palace was preferred. It -was more usually occupied by the heir to the throne, or some of the -younger members of the royal family. Unhappy Queen Mary, soured by -her early misfortunes, neglected by her husband, and despairing of the -restoration of her Church, died after a weary illness on November 17, -1558, in the palace which she had always loved. Her successors did not -reside there, Queen Elizabeth only coming for brief periods, and James -I. giving it to his son, Prince Henry, who died there of a malignant -fever, imputed, as was customary at that time, to poison. - -On the death of his brother, Charles I., as Prince of Wales, took up -his residence in St. James's Palace, spending the early years of his -married life there, most of his children being born within its walls. -Associated with the hopeful time of his young manhood, the palace also -recalls his last days upon earth, before the final scene at Whitehall. -Arriving on January 19, 1649, Charles spent the remainder of his life -there, with the exception of the few days of his trial when he was -lodged in the precincts of the old palace of Westminster. However much -we may denounce the method by which Charles attempted to govern his -kingdom, we can accord him nothing but a respectful and sympathetic -admiration for the manner in which he passed to his death. He was -still a young and vigorous man, to whom life must have held much that -was good, and yet he left it with no whinings at fate, but with a calm -dignity and full of trust in God. The day before his execution his two -young children, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Gloucester, came to -say farewell. Holding the little Princess in his arms, he told her -she must not grieve for him, for he was going to die a glorious death, -"for the laws and religion of the land." With the Duke of Gloucester -on his knee, the father told the children to love and obey their -mother, and then looking sadly at his little daughter he said, "But, -sweetheart, thou wilt forget what I tell thee." The child promised -to write down what he had told her, and then, after they had received -some jewels and a last kiss from their royal father, they were led -away by Bishop Juxon. - -Waking early on the fateful morning, the King roused his faithful -attendant, Sir Thomas Herbert, saying that he would get up, "having -a great work to do this day." Bishop Juxon came and administered the -Sacrament, after which Charles was persuaded to take a little food, as -the day was so bitterly cold. A few hours later the dread sentence had -been fulfilled; but St. James's Palace was to witness one more scene, -for the body was brought back on February 1, remaining there for many -people to see it. A story, unsupported by evidence, though we would -gladly give it credence, runs that a man, hidden in a cloak, visited -the coffin, and as he walked round it was heard to mutter, "Dreadful -necessity"--the man being said to be Oliver Cromwell. - -After the Restoration, Charles II. did not reside in the palace, but -lent it to his brother, the Duke of York, afterwards James II., who -maintained a lesser Court there, while remaining in perfect amity -with his royal brother. King Charles took a tremendous interest in -the park, which he altered under the superintendance of Le Nôtre, the -famous French gardener, changing it from mere rural simplicity into -long straight avenues, and confining the water of various ponds into -one formal canal. Bird-cage Walk owes its name to the aviary which was -created at this time in part of the park. Much of the popularity which -the Merry Monarch enjoyed was the way in which he wandered about -among the public, unattended by the courtiers. He was often to be seen -walking about with his dogs in the park, which had been made public -eight years after he had come to the throne. James, Duke of York, once -ventured to suggest greater caution, but Charles, with sly humour, -replied: "Brother James, take care of yourself, for no one would kill -me to make _you_ King!" - -On his accession, James II. left St. James's for Whitehall, though his -Queen much preferred the palace in which she had lived as the Duchess -of York. His only son, the unfortunate Old Pretender, was born in St. -James's in a room whose proximity to some back stairs allowed ground -for the absurd belief that the child was smuggled into the palace in a -warming pan. Bitter disappointment at the prospect of the continuance -of the Roman Catholic dynasty was responsible for the story. - -From this time St. James's was never very popular. When William of -Orange had driven away his father-in-law, he allowed the Princess Anne -to reside in the palace, he himself retiring to Kensington, which he -built for his own use. The succeeding monarchs all delighted in the -rural charms of Kensington, and only came to St. James's when State -ceremonies rendered their presence absolutely necessary. - -Since the fire in 1809, which destroyed a very picturesque part of the -palace, no monarch has resided there, though the proclamation of the -succession to the throne is still announced from the balcony leading -from the Tapestry Room. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -KENSINGTON PALACE - - -When William III., "a great man in a little crazy body" as Leigh -Hunt calls him, found that he could not stand the smoky atmosphere of -Whitehall, he looked about for a place sufficiently near London for -him to be near his Ministers, and yet should be rural enough to have -clear fresh air. He found this spot in the village of Kensington, -where he bought a suburban mansion, formerly the residence of the -Earls of Nottingham. Here he at once began building, and laying out -gardens in the formal Dutch fashion, employing Sir Christopher Wren -to make the alterations to the house. While the King was in -Ireland fighting against his father-in-law, James II., Queen Mary -superintended the work, writing to her absent husband of the slow -progress the builders were making, and how "the place made me think -how happy I was there when I had your dear company." A road was -specially constructed through Hyde Park, gravelled and lighted with -lamps, for the convenience of the officers of State, who were obliged -to visit the monarch in his country retreat. - -Queen Mary did not long enjoy the pleasures of Kensington Palace, for -in the winter of 1694, an epidemic of smallpox, which was raging in -the neighbourhood, crept through the palace gates, and attacked the -young Queen. Immediately she knew the terrible nature of her fate, the -Queen, with her usual kind consideration, directed that all her ladies -and servants who had not had smallpox should hurry from the palace, -while she herself, having put everything in order, calmly prepared for -death. King William could scarcely be persuaded to leave his beloved -wife, even to lie down at night upon the camp bed arranged for him -in the ante-chamber. Tears ran down the stern face which was seldom -allowed to betray any emotion, and in the end, just before Queen Mary -died, he was carried away from her bedside fainting. As he said to -Bishop Burnet, "I was the happiest man on earth; and I am the most -miserable. She had no fault; none: you knew her well: but you could -not know, nobody but myself could know her goodness." - -Eight years later, King William himself expired in the same palace, -a man still in the prime of life, but worn out with illness and hard -work to which his vigorous intellect had driven him. He was already -far from well when he was thrown from his horse while riding in -Hampton Court Park, and broke his collar bone. The bone was set at -once, after which the King insisted upon returning to Kensington, -against the advice of his doctors. Upon arriving at the palace it was -found that the bone required resetting owing to the jolting caused by -the bad roads. The King lingered for a fortnight, busy all the time -arranging a coalition to curb the power of France, but on March 8 it -was seen that he was sinking. Macaulay tells us that "when his remains -were laid out it was found that he wore next to his skin a small piece -of black silk riband. The lords-in-waiting ordered it to be taken off. -It contained a gold ring and a lock of the hair of Mary." - -Finding herself saddled with a debt of £4,000 still unpaid for the -building alterations of her predecessor, Queen Anne contented herself -with improving the gardens, leaving the palace untouched. But she -added one architectural feature, the beautiful orangery designed by -Sir Christopher Wren, standing near the north-east of the palace, a -building famous for the beauty of its proportions and the delicacy of -its detail. At one time it was much neglected and even ran the danger -of being pulled down, but was happily preserved and carefully restored -in 1898. The "dull woman with a dull husband," as Leigh Hunt bluntly -summarizes Queen Anne and Prince George of Denmark, both died in the -palace to which they were much attached, Prince George dying in 1708, -six years before his wife. - -Always a lethargic and weak-minded woman, Queen Anne's pleasures lay -in eating and drinking, for she cared nothing for music or books, and -would sit in silence for a long time among her friends. It was natural -that such a woman should be ruled by the strong, imperious will -of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, who for many years completely -influenced the Queen. She, however, presumed too much upon this -influence till a breach was effected, never to be healed. The last -famous interview between the one-time friends took place in Kensington -Palace. The Duchess had written asking for an interview at which she -should merely state her case, the Queen not requiring to answer at -all. This the stolid Queen obeyed to the letter, for not a word could -the furious Duchess extract beyond "You desired no answer and you -shall have none." - -[Illustration: A Courtyard of Kensington Palace.] - -Under the first Hanoverian King, who never was able to speak the -language of his new subjects, the Court at Kensington was extremely -dull. But as George I. liked the quietness of the palace, he erected -a new suite of rooms, and employed William Kent as the architect. To -Kent we are indebted for the monotonous drab frontage which faces the -Round Pond. - -The last monarch to reside and to die in the palace was George II., -the "petty German autocrat" who scorned England and delighted in -snubbing his English courtiers, declaring, according to Lord Hervey, -that no Englishman knew how to enter a room, nor any Englishwoman -how to dress, nor English cooks how to prepare a dinner, nor English -coachman how to drive, nor, indeed, were there any English horses -fit to ride or drive. Queen Caroline, his much-enduring wife, devoted -herself to the planning out of the gardens, which she laid out -practically as we now see them. Uniting a collection of ponds she -created the Serpentine, and was also responsible for the Round Pond -and the Broad Walk. - -George III. did not care for Kensington, much preferring his beloved -Windsor, so that the palace became somewhat neglected, being only used -by various members of the Royal Family. The Duke of Kent, the fourth -son of George III., came to live there shortly after his marriage, the -Princess Victoria being born on May 24, 1819, in the room which now -bears a brass plate commemorating the fact. At the time of her birth -there seemed small likelihood of the little Princess ever reaching -the Throne, but her royal uncles having no children, it soon became -obvious that she was the heir to the Throne of England. She herself, -being brought up with scrupulous care by her widowed mother, did not -know of her great future till the death of George III. The residents -of Kensington soon became familiar with the sight of little Princess -Victoria driving about in a donkey carriage or in a tiny chaise drawn -by small ponies. - -A few weeks after her eighteenth birthday, the Princess was awakened -out of her sleep very early on a bright June morning. The Archbishop -of Canterbury and the Lord Chamberlain had arrived at the palace, and -their business could not wait. "We have come to see the _Queen_ on -business of state, and even the Queen's sleep must give way to that." -Hastily putting on a dressing gown and slippers, the young girl went -down, to be told by the Archbishop that her uncle and King was dead, -and that she was now the Queen of a vast inheritance. Later on that -same morning her first council was held in the palace, the scene -depicted by Wilkie in his well-known picture. The young Queen was very -dignified and self-possessed, turning to Lord Melbourne, the Prime -Minister, when doubtful as to what she should do, but showing all -through the trying ordeal a gentle sweetness that won upon all the -lords present. She read her speech "in a clear, distinct, and audible -voice, and without any appearance of fear or embarrassment," after -which all the privy councillors came to kiss her hand and swear -allegiance. When her uncle, the old Duke of Sussex, who was very -infirm, came forward to kneel before her, she left her chair and came -towards him, kissing him on the forehead. On July 13, the girl-Queen -left the home of her childhood for Buckingham Palace. - -Members of the Royal Family continued to occupy various apartments in -the palace, the Duchess of Kent residing there till her death in 1861. -Queen Mary was born there, her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Teck, -living there for a short time. - -After some years it was found that the palace was in a very bad state -of repair, every part of the building wanting attention. So extensive -was the dilapidation, that the question of pulling down the palace -was seriously considered. Fortunately, however, the historic place was -saved by Queen Victoria, who was anxious to preserve her old home. It -was finally decided as a memorial of the Diamond Jubilee, to repair -the building thoroughly, and to throw open the State Rooms to the -public. The restoration was carried out most carefully, everything -being saved that was possible; pictures were brought from Hampton -Court, and the whole palace rendered much as it was in the days of its -glory. At the present time it is serving as the temporary home of the -London Museum. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -KEW PALACE - - -Kew first became a royal residence in the reign of George II., when -it was leased from its private owners and used as a country seat by -Frederick, Prince of Wales. Owing to his undutiful behaviour to his -father, the Prince was banished from Court, when he retired to Kew, -forming a sort of opposition Court there. But the actual red-brick -Jacobean house, now known as Kew Palace, was then only called the -Dutch House, after its original founder, Sir Hugh Portman, who was -a Dutch merchant in the time of James I. It stood quite close to the -more important building of Kew House, and was as constantly occupied -by members of the Royal Family as the larger adjacent palace. - -The Dutch House, or Kew Palace as it is now designated, is thoroughly -typical of its period--a simple, three gabled, and dignified looking -building, unpalatial indeed, but quite befitting the position of the -wealthy knight who built it. The interior has been altered to suit the -tastes of the royal inmates, who inserted marble fireplaces, and put -in new doors, but a good deal of the original Jacobean panelling still -remains. On the brass locks of the doors are to be seen the Prince of -Wales's feathers, and the cypher of Frederick, Prince of Wales. - -[Illustration: Kew Palace (the Dutch House) and George III.'s -Castellated Palace, pulled down by George IV.] - -George III. spent a great part of his youth at Kew, living there with -his mother, the widowed Princess of Wales. He was brought up in -strict retirement, his mother regulating his life and restricting his -intercourse with the outer world. Strangely enough, when he succeeded -to the throne of his grandfather, George III. did not revolt from -the ordered régime of the early days, but maintained the same careful -regularity all his life. He continued to love Kew, where he and his -devoted but prosaic Queen spent several months of every year. Buying -the two houses from the lease-holders, Queen Charlotte turned the -Dutch House into a royal nursery, where her large family was brought -up. Both she and the King delighted in getting away to Kew, where -no kind of royal state was kept up, and where they could live the -ordinary life of quiet country gentlefolk, the only life for which -they were really suited. Once a week the public were admitted into the -gardens, and allowed the privilege of seeing the King and Queen and -the royal children _en famille_, talking to their friends, and walking -about in their private gardens. The little riverside village of -Kew became quite gay, and its inhabitants were much loved by Queen -Charlotte for the spontaneous enthusiasm with which they welcomed King -George, after his attempted assassination by the mad woman, Margaret -Nicholson. - -In order to erect a flamboyant palace, Kew House was pulled down by -royal command in 1802, and a new "castellated structure of carpenters' -Gothic" put up under the direction of Wyatt, the architect who -was responsible for the alterations and repairs of Windsor Castle. -Fortunately it was never finished, owing to the poor King's illness, -and it has been said that George IV. never did a better deed in his -life than when he demolished the ridiculous palace perpetrated by his -father. While the building was in progress the Royal Family moved into -the Dutch House. - -During one of the King's periodic attacks of madness in 1789, he was -confined to the Dutch House, under the charge of two doctors, and when -he walked in the gardens everyone was supposed to keep out of his way. -But one day, Miss Fanny Burney, then in attendance on Queen Charlotte, -was walking in the gardens, having learnt that the King was to go to -Richmond. To her utter dismay she came quite suddenly upon the King, -who called out to her, "Miss Burney!" She instantly ran off, not -knowing the state in which he might be, and was horrified to find -herself pursued by the poor King, who chased her hotly while she in -vain sought to elude him. At last, hearing from the shouts of the -doctors that she must stop as it was bad for the King to run, she -waited till the King came up, who accosted her with, "Why did you run -away from me?" With a great effort the shy little authoress controlled -herself, and, finding that the King was quite peaceful, she had a long -conversation with him, during which her royal master confided in her -some of his troubles. - -After the King's madness had become permanent he spent the last years -of his unhappy life at Windsor, but Queen Charlotte still resided for -long periods at Kew, where she died in November, 1818, at the age of -seventy-five. Earlier in the same year, three royal weddings had taken -place within the old house, for the question of the succession had -become pressing. Though Queen Charlotte had had fifteen children, -she had no living grandchildren, for the Princess Charlotte, the only -child of George IV. had just died. The drawing-room was fitted up -with a temporary altar, and on the same day the Duke of Clarence -(afterwards William IV.) was married to Adelaide, daughter of the -Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, and the Duke of Kent to Princess Victoria of -Saxe-Coburg. A few weeks before, the Duke of Cambridge had also been -married in the palace. - -Suffering, like Kensington Palace, from lack of royal favour and -general neglect during the latter part of the nineteenth century, it -was restored in 1898 and opened to the public by the wish of Queen -Victoria, as a commemoration of the Diamond Jubilee. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -BUCKINGHAM PALACE - - -Buckingham Palace, the London residence of the monarch, is the most -familiar of all the royal palaces to the general British public, in -so far as everyone, sooner or later, migrates to London. Unfortunately -the spectator sees only a somewhat depressing and stereotyped -building, lacking the majestic proportions of Windsor and the stately -beauty of Hampton Court, representing, indeed, the very lowest ebb of -English architecture. Yet, in spite of its uninspiring exterior, it -is full of interest, for present-day life throbs within its walls, the -nation's history is bound up with it, and it pulsates with memories -of the Queen who won the hearts of her people as a young girl and -kept them all through her long and honoured life. As a palace, its -life-story is just beginning; three sovereigns only, excluding our -present King, have lived within it. - -[Illustration: Buckingham Palace, from the Lake in St. James's Park.] - -In the days of James I. the site of the palace was occupied by a -plantation of mulberry-trees, a royal investment, the King believing -that the cultivation of silkworms would be lucrative both for himself -and the nation. In this he was disappointed, but the Mulberry Gardens -remained as a place of amusement for the public until 1675. Both -Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn mention visiting the gardens, to which -the fashion of the Restoration resorted to eat mulberry tarts. - -When the Mulberry Gardens were first instituted, a keeper had been -appointed by the King, and the office continued long after the work -had become a sinecure. The keeper's official residence became known as -Goring House, when Lord Goring purchased it in 1632. On the death of -Lord Goring, Henry Bennet, Lord Arlington, bought the mansion, and -later on succeeded in adding to his property the famous gardens, -when they were closed to the public. According to John Evelyn, Lord -Arlington filled his house with the most rich and handsome furniture, -all of which perished in a disastrous fire which broke out in 1674. -The house was rebuilt, receiving the new name of Arlington House, and -was afterwards sold to John Sheffield, Duke of Buckinghamshire. - -Not content with the building of the former owner, the Duke pulled -down Arlington House and erected the immediate predecessor of the -present palace, calling it after himself--Buckingham House. It was -apparently a dignified-looking mansion, much admired in its time, -having a flat roof adorned with statues, and large gilded letters -making _Rus in Urbe_. - -Soon after he came to the Throne, George III. bought Buckingham House -from the Duke of Buckinghamshire's successor, and some years later -altered it to suit his convenience, at the same time spoiling the -general outline of the building. But King George and Queen Charlotte -liked the house where most of their children were born, and carried -on there the same placid domestic life that they led at Windsor and -at Kew. The children were brought up most severely, the Queen even -carrying out the whipping herself, but the success of the system was -not obvious, considering the later life of the young Princes. Though -King George's simplicity is much laughed at, the nation owes something -to his foresight and intelligence, in collecting a large library in -his London house. For many years he spent £2,000 a year upon books, -until he amassed the splendid collection now known as the King's -library in the British Museum, George IV. having presented it to -the nation. It was in this library that Dr. Johnson had his famous -interview with the King, whom he described as the finest gentleman -he had ever seen. Dr. Johnson was a friend of the royal librarian who -informed the King of the presence of the great lexicographer, whom -King George wished to see. The conversation, as related by Boswell, -seems to have been about books and libraries, and Johnson's own -literary work, upon which the King complimented him. - -George IV. never lived in the palace, for on his accession he ordered -the old house to be razed and a new palace built. But as he was at -the same time rebuilding Windsor Castle, he did not venture to ask -Parliament for more money than necessary repairs, and told Nash, his -architect, to build upon the old lines. This Nash proceeded to do -without any models or drawings, with the result that he himself was -surprised with the effect when the building was finished. So great -was the universal scorn for the outspreading wings of the palace, that -they were taken down at once. A cynical verse expressed the public's -opinion of the architect: - - "Augustus at Rome was for building renown'd, - For of marble he left what of brick he had found; - But is not our Nash, too, a very great master? - He finds us all brick and he leaves us all plaster." - -The gateway to the palace was designed from Constantine's Arch in -Rome, and was intended to carry an equestrian statue of George IV. -upon the top. This gateway, the Marble Arch, now stands at the Oxford -Street entrance to Hyde Park, having been moved there in 1851. - -After the builders had left the much-criticized palace, it was left -empty and bare, until Queen Victoria came to the Throne, when the -girl-Queen soon made the lifeless palace full of animation and -happiness. All through her long reign Buckingham Palace is intimately -associated with her, from her Coronation Day, that June morning when -all London welcomed her with enthusiasm, down to the Diamond Jubilee, -when the aged Queen could say, "From my heart I thank my beloved -people." It was from the palace that she set out on a cheerless -February morning to her wedding in Westminster Abbey, and a great part -of her happy married life was spent there, when in company with her -beloved husband she held a brilliant Court. Two fancy dress balls were -held, one where all the noblest and most distinguished in England -came arrayed in the dress of the Plantagenets, and the other where all -appeared in Georgian costumes. - -The marriage of the Princess Royal to the Crown Prince of Germany took -place from Buckingham Palace. Though a highly approved love-match, it -caused considerable grief to the royal household, the Queen finding it -extremely difficult to part with her eldest daughter. The Queen wrote -of it as "the second most eventful day" in her life, and after the -young pair had set off for their new home in Germany, she said, "My -tears began to flow afresh frequently, and I could not go near Vicky's -corridor." - -The public will not soon forget the momentous events associated with -the palace during the last reign; the serious illness of King Edward, -on the eve of his Coronation, postponing the great ceremony for which -many distinguished visitors had already arrived, and then after a -short but brilliant reign, the sudden death of the popular monarch, -throwing all the country into mourning. Almost before anyone knew -that the King was seriously ill, for he had only just come back from -Biarritz, the bulletin, announcing that "His Majesty breathed his -last" within the palace, was read by the sorrowing crowds. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -VANISHED PALACES - - -Besides the palaces whose stories have been related, there were at one -time many other royal residences scattered over England. These have -either entirely vanished, even their sites being problematical, or -mere fragments of them alone remain. While England remained in an -unsettled condition, with constant internal wars, the Kings were -always moving about taking their Court with them, staying in their -various castles or fortified houses. We find that Henry II., the first -of the Plantagenet Kings, never stayed long in any place, generally -moving on after a few days' visit. But when more settled times came, -and the Parliament remained at Westminster, the King came to live -longer in London or at one of his royal houses in the neighbourhood. -Some of the country palaces were maintained on account of the hunting -they afforded. - -A few brief notes must suffice for these vanished palaces. - -=Baynards Castle= was situated on the River Thames not far from -St. Paul's. In 1461 the City of London tendered their allegiance to -Edward, Duke of York (Edward IV.) at Baynards Castle, and by doing -so secured his triumph. It became a royal house on the attainder of -Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, and was rebuilt by Henry VIII., but was -seldom occupied by the sovereign. Queen Mary gave it to the Earl of -Pembroke. - -[Illustration: Baynards Castle in 1790.] - -=Dartford Priory= was turned into a house for the King after the -dissolution of the monasteries. It is chiefly associated with King -Henry VIII.'s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, who lived there during -the reign of Edward VI. and until her death in 1556. Queen Elizabeth -occasionally visited it, but when it was found to need costly repairs -James I. granted it to Robert, Earl of Salisbury. - -=Enfield Palace=, though a Crown property from the time of Henry IV., -was not used as a royal residence until the time of Henry VIII. Queen -Elizabeth was at Enfield when Henry VIII. died, and she often visited -it after she came to the Throne. It was sold to the Earl of Pembroke -in 1641. - -=Hatfield House= was acquired by Henry VIII., whose daughter, Queen -Elizabeth, lived there during her sister's reign. James I. persuaded -Sir Robert Cecil to accept it in exchange for his house at Theobalds. - -=Havering-atte-Bower= Palace stood near Romford, in Essex. It was the -country palace of Edward the Confessor, and was afterwards occupied by -various Queens, some of whom died there. James I. let it to the Earl -of Oxford. - -=Kempton Park= was often used by the Plantagenet Kings up till the -time of Richard II. Henry VIII. ordered it to be taken down, using the -building materials for his new palace of Whitehall. - -=King's Langley=, in Hertfordshire, was Crown land from the fourteenth -century, the manor being last held by Charles I., who presented it to -Sir Charles Morrison. - -[Illustration: Nonsuch Palace. - -_From an engraving by Houfnagle._] - -=Nonsuch Palace= at Cheam, in Surrey, was built by Henry VIII., who -had obtained the land in 1538. The Earl of Arundel, to whom Queen Mary -gave the palace, completed the building, which was still unfinished. -It was a most unusual structure, almost fantastic with its bas-reliefs -and gilded cupolas, and quite unlike the Tudor mansion of the period. -Queen Elizabeth often visited Arundel, who entertained his royal -mistress in lavish manner. She afterwards bought the estate, which -James I. settled upon his wife. Charles II. gave it as a present to -Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland, who pulled it down. - -=Oatlands=, near Weybridge, in Surrey, was the site of a palace -erected by Henry VIII., who also enclosed a park. It was occasionally -visited by Henry VIII.'s successors, down to the time of the Civil -War, when it was destroyed. - -[Illustration: Savoy Palace, about 1650. - -_From an etching by Hollare._] - -=Richmond Palace=, the much-loved residence of the Tudors, received -its name from Henry VII., who had been known as Henry of Richmond -after the town in Yorkshire, before he came to the Throne. The first -house was destroyed by Richard II. when his wife died there in 1394, -but Henry VII. rebuilt it, dying there in 1509. Queen Elizabeth was -often at the palace, where she died in 1603. - -=Savoy Palace= obtained its name from Peter of Savoy, the uncle of -Queen Eleanor, the wife of Henry III., who resided there. It was -bought back again by Queen Eleanor, who handed it on to Edmund, Earl -of Lancaster, from whose family it returned again to the Crown, by the -marriage of John of Gaunt to Blanche of Lancaster. The captive King -John of France spent some years of his life there. - -=Somerset House= was built by the Protector Somerset, who ruthlessly -destroyed churches and houses to obtain a site on the river. After his -execution, it came to the Crown, and was afterwards used as part of -the Queen's dowry, Catharine of Braganza being the last Queen to -live in the palace. In 1775 it was converted into a Public Office; -Buckingham Palace, just acquired by George III., being settled upon -the Queen. - -=Theobalds=, on the borders of Hertfordshire, was built by Robert -Cecil, Lord Burleigh, who often entertained Queen Elizabeth, an honour -which cost him £2,000 a visit. James I. was so delighted with it when -he came there on his royal progress from Scotland, that he induced his -host to let him have it in exchange for Hatfield. He was frequently -there, enjoying the hunting in the neighbourhood, and died there in -1625, his son Charles being proclaimed at the gate. At the Civil -War it was much damaged, afterwards being parcelled out among some -Parliamentarian officers. The last remains disappeared in 1766. - -=Winchester Castle= was built, according to tradition, by Arthur, and -was constantly used by the early English Kings. It was the birthplace -of Henry III., and Parliament assembled there occasionally until the -fifteenth century. Henry V. was the last King to reside there. In the -time of the Commonwealth it came into the possession of Sir William -Waller, from whom the Corporation bought it. - -=Woodstock=, in Oxfordshire, was a royal manor when the Domesday -survey was made. It was at Woodstock that Queen Eleanor, the wife of -Henry II., discovered the Fair Rosamond, daughter of Lord Clifford, -who was so much loved by her royal master. Much of the story is -probably legend; she was certainly not murdered by the jealous Queen, -but died in Godstow nunnery. Edward III. and Queen Philippa were much -attached to the palace, where their eldest son, the Black Prince, was -born. After Wyatt's rebellion, Queen Elizabeth was guarded there as a -prisoner. James I. liked it for the hunting it afforded, and Charles -I. was often there during his reign, especially when his army was at -Oxford during the Civil War. It fell into ruin after the war, and the -estate was given to the Duke of Marlborough after his famous victory -at Blenheim. The architect of Blenheim Palace wished to save the ruins -which still remained, but the Duchess of Marlborough declared that -they spoilt the view, and so swept them away completely in 1723. - -[Illustration: EDINBURGH CASTLE - -Stands upon a great rock rising abruptly from low-lying ground. Its -history stretches back to the dim time of legends.] - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -EDINBURGH CASTLE - - -Edinburgh Castle has a history that stretches far back till it is lost -in the misty realm of legend. The great rock upon which it is built -could not fail to have appealed to all the successive rulers of the -land as of great strategic importance. It rises abruptly from the -low-lying land, and dominates the country for many miles around, from -the Forth on the north to the Pentland Hills on the south. Its Celtic -name of _Maidun_, meaning the fort of the plain, became corrupted in -later times to Maiden's Castle, the name being responsible for the -tradition that the castle was used by the royal Princesses, during -times of great danger. - -[Illustration: Edinburgh Castle, from the North.] - -Though Edwin, the King of Northumbria, is the reputed founder of -the town whose name is commonly derived from him, the clear light of -history only begins to shine upon it in the days of Malcolm Canmore -and his sainted Queen. At that time a Celtic Castle stood upon the -rock, of which there are no remains except St. Margaret's Chapel, a -little Norman building, named after Malcolm Canmore's English wife. -Malcolm, the Big Head, a brave but illiterate Prince, was so devoted -to his beautiful wife, that through her teaching he learned religion, -and used to take part with her in the religious services of which she -was so fond. Unable to read himself, he caused her prayer-books and -missals to be splendidly bound, and would listen to her while she read -to him, submitting at the same time to refinements in dress and table -customs which were quite innovations in the rude northern Court. Queen -Margaret was in the castle in 1093, when her warlike husband and her -eldest son went off with a large army to fight the English. She was -lying very ill when the news came to her that both husband and son -had been slain, the shock causing her death. As there was considerable -disaffection in the country, her body was carried with great secrecy -across the Forth to Dunfermline, a miraculous mist kindly enveloping -the party, so that no one saw them escape. - -Another Queen Margaret, also an English Princess, a century and a half -later, came as a girl-wife to the grim castle on the rock. She was the -daughter of Henry III. of England, and had been married to Alexander -III., a mere boy, with great splendour at York, her father hoping by -the marriage to gain more influence over Scotland. - -All the troubles of the War of Independence during the fourteenth -century arose from King Alexander III. leaving no male heir. His two -sons had died before him, and his grand-daughter, the Maid of Norway, -was his only heir. Disasters came thick upon Scotland soon after the -death of Alexander III., who had fallen over a cliff on the coast of -Fife when riding too near the edge on a very dark and stormy night. -For the next fifty years Edinburgh Castle was constantly being taken -by the English and recaptured by the Scottish people. Everyone knows -the story of how Sir Thomas Randolph surprised the English garrison -in the castle, by climbing up the precipitous side of the rock with a -party of thirty bold men. After this capture, Robert Bruce, according -to his usual policy, destroyed the castle, so that it should no longer -serve as a stronghold for the English. But when Edward III. obtained -it again in 1334 he rebuilt it. - -It was not until the early Stuart Kings, that Edinburgh Castle really -became a palace, in the more peaceful sense of the word. When James I. -returned to Scotland after his long captivity in England, he spent a -considerable amount of money on building the Parliament House, (now -used as the armoury), and many of the private apartments. He had -doubtless, during his residence at Windsor and Westminster, learnt to -enjoy the greater beauty and dignity of the English palaces. His son, -James II., continued his work of rebuilding. - -During the minority of James II., a time when several parties in the -State were endeavouring to capture their young monarch and to rule in -his name, a great tragedy took place within the castle. William, Earl -of Douglas, a lad of about eighteen, was then the head of the most -wealthy and powerful family in Scotland, and being of royal descent, -might even make a claim to the throne. - -As he did not join himself to either the party of Sir William Crichton -or that of Sir Alexander Livingstone, these two leaders, usually at -deadly enmity with one another, united to destroy the young Earl. -In the year 1440, the Earl and his brother David were invited to the -castle, on the pretext that the young King wanted their congenial -company. Accompanied by their aged tutor, Sir Malcolm Fleming, the two -boys came to Edinburgh, where they were received with real pleasure by -James II., and with false hospitality by Crichton and Livingstone. But -the real purpose of the visit was evident when a black bull's head was -placed upon the dinner-table, in Scotland as much a symbol of death -as the Judge's black cap in a modern trial. Taken unawares, the -unfortunate boys were hurried to the castle walls, where, after a mock -trial, they were beheaded, Fleming also suffering a similar fate. - -After the time of Flodden Field, the monarchs very seldom used the -castle for anything but a stronghold against their enemies, Holyrood -Palace becoming their favourite residence. The last Prince to be born -in the castle was James VI., his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, having -chosen to be within the protection of its strong walls. The small -room in which he was born can still be seen, a memorable room, for the -infant Prince was to bring peace to his realm, putting an end at last -to centuries of conflict, not indeed by any wisdom or foresight of his -own, but by succeeding to the throne of England. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -DUNFERMLINE CASTLE - - -For peaceful beauty of situation the royal palace of Dunfermline -in Fife excelled all others in Scotland, for though the castles of -Edinburgh and Stirling were majestic, they were too associated with -the troubles of turbulent nobles to have been pleasant residences for -the monarchs. The palace was built high above a wooded glen, its walls -apparently rising out of the cliff-like sides of the winding stream. -Only a fragment now remains, but it is sufficient, with its mullioned -windows and massive buttresses, to show how picturesque and stately -must have been the Stuart palace. - -The first monarch to reside at Dunfermline was Malcolm Canmore, who -built a castle on Tower Hill, a little distance away from the later -palace. Its site is still to be seen, though the slight remains of the -walls are probably those of its Norman successor. Queen Margaret -lived the greater part of her reign there, spending her days in pious -devotion, giving food and garments to the poor, or sitting with her -maidens working at rich embroideries to adorn the abbey which she -had founded. No frivolous conversation was allowed among the maidens, -their royal mistress being very severe, yet the Queen was much -beloved, for she combined sweetness with her gravity. - -It was the presence of the abbey adjoining the palace which made -Dunfermline so dear to Queen Margaret. She was never tired of -enriching her foundation with every gift that saintly enthusiasm -could suggest, and when she died she was naturally buried in the Lady -Chapel. The abbey buildings were destroyed by Edward I., but were -restored by Bruce, who erected the palace near by, deserting the -castle on the hilltop. The reforming energy of the Protestants, in -1560, led them to pull down most of the beautiful church of the abbey, -fortunately leaving the nave, a fine example of Norman work, to be -used for Presbyterian services. So many royal Princes had been buried -in the abbey, from Malcolm Canmore and his Queen, that it has been -sometimes called the "Scottish Westminster," yet the Reformers did -not spare it, though it contained the grave of Robert Bruce. Bruce's -monument being broken, became indistinguishable among the general -ruin, till at the beginning of the nineteenth century the church was -repaired. Some fragments of the tomb were discovered, and on the grave -being opened, the body of Bruce was found wrapped in some remnants -of cloth of gold, which had served as a winding sheet. A new tomb -was made, and after a solemn service the body was reinstalled. Queen -Margaret's tomb is still to be seen among the ruins of the Lady -Chapel. - -Many royal Princes were born within the palace, from the Bruce's -son and heir, David, to Charles I., the last Prince to be born in -Scotland. When James VI. brought his newly-wedded wife to Dunfermline, -a new house was erected, called Queen Anne's house, to serve for -the Queen's use. Three of their children were born there, Princess -Elizabeth, who married the Elector Palatine of the Rhine, Prince -Charles, and a son who died in infancy. Prince Charles was described -as "a very weak child," irritating his nurses with his peevishness. - -After James VI. acceded to the Throne of England, he never revisited -Dunfermline, nor did Charles I. see again the place of his birth. -Charles II. came there in 1650, when the Scots were supporting him -against the Commonwealth, and while there, was forced to sign the -Covenant, much against his will. - -During the eighteenth century, the palace was absolutely neglected, -and fell into hopeless ruin, Defoe, when he made his tour round Great -Britain in 1724, finding it "the full perfection of decay." In the -following century a private gentleman repaired the ruins, and -claimed possession on account of the expenditure which the repair -had entailed. However, the Crown disputed his claim, and resumed -possession in 1871. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -STIRLING CASTLE - - -Through the whole period of Scottish history, Stirling Castle held a -position of vast importance. In early days it stood as a stronghold -against the barbarous Highlanders of the North, acting as the frontier -post of civilization. For fifty years during the War of Independence, -the castle was alternately held by the English or the Scotch, -whichever party was at the time dominant in the country. Crowning -the summit of a sudden outburst of volcanic rock, the castle was -practically impregnable to all save treachery, and was therefore -constantly used as the residence for the Stuart Kings during their -minority. - -[Illustration: Stirling Castle.] - -But being one of the Three Keys of the kingdom, its possession was -eagerly sought during any foreign or civil war, great efforts being -made both to attain and retain it. In 1296, Edward I. took Stirling -for the second time, and held it for three years. Wallace had won a -great victory within sight of the walls, a victory which had dispersed -the English army, but had not been sufficient to take the castle. When -the Scots obtained possession in the winter of 1299 after starving the -garrison into surrendering, Sir William Oliphant became governor of -the castle, to himself sustain a siege of many months in 1304. Edward -I. was so angry at being hindered from his purpose for so long, -that when he at last gained the castle he broke faith with Oliphant, -sending him to the Tower of London. Ten years later, when Robert -Bruce was winning back Scotland from the feeble grasp of Edward II., -Stirling still held out. With superlative chivalry, Edward Bruce, who -was conducting the siege, promised a year's respite, after which the -castle must surrender unless relieved. Urged by dire necessity, -Edward II. was persuaded to leave his frivolous Court, and gathering -a magnificent army to march to Scotland. But all their splendid -equipment did not avail against the courage and ingenuity of the -Bruce, who, on the field of Bannockburn won for Scotland her greatest -victory. Thousands of the English lay dead upon the field, while -Edward fled for his life. Stirling Castle surrendered, and its -fortifications were levelled. - -Once again Stirling was to be held by the English, when Bruce's son -was on the throne; but in 1342 it was regained, never to fall again -into the hands of a foreign foe. - -In a room in the castle, still pointed out by the guide, William, Earl -of Douglas, was murdered by his royal master, James II. By special -invitation, backed by a safe-conduct signed by the King, Douglas had -come to Stirling in 1452. When supper was over, the King took Douglas -into an inner room, where he accused him of being in league with Ross -and Crawford against his monarch, and ordered him to break his bond. -The haughty Douglas refused to do so, whereat James, forgetful of -his safe-conduct, struck at him with his dagger, and the courtiers -in attendance, dashing to the assistance of their King, Douglas fell -covered with wounds, as the Duc de Guise was to do over a century -later in the cabinet of Henri III. - -Douglas was undoubtedly a danger to his country, at the head of so -powerful and unruly a house, but James should have taken more legal -measures to subdue him. However, the Parliament of his day acquitted -him of all blame. - -[Illustration: STIRLING CASTLE. - -One of the three Keys of Scotland, acting as a stronghold against the -Highlanders of the North.] - -His son, James III., lived constantly at Stirling, which was his -favourite residence, building the Parliament House which still -remains. His interest in the Chapel Royal, to whose endowments he -wished to add the rich priory of Coldingham, aroused the enmity of -the Homes and Hepburns, who regarding Coldingham as a family property, -rose against the King. To his lasting remorse the King's son, James -IV., fought against his father, who was killed after the battle of -Sauchieburn. The young King really grieved, and in order that he -should never forget, it is said he wore a belt of iron round his -waist, adding an extra link every year. - -From all the records of legal expenditure, it is evident that James -IV. was a great palace builder. He is responsible for much building at -Holyrood, Linlithgow, and Falkland, and at Stirling too he did most of -the building of the palace, which was carried on by his son. - -Both Mary Queen of Scots and James VI. were crowned at Stirling as -mere infants, the ceremony taking place in the parish church, just -below the castle. Queen Mary revisited the scene of her coronation -when she returned to Scotland, after her long sojourn in France. She -came there with young Lord Darnley as her husband in 1565, and in -December, the following year, her infant son, James, was baptized with -great ceremony at Stirling. Many lords and nobles assembled, wearing -only their swords in order that there might be less danger of -disturbance, while the royal child was carried to the chapel by Lady -Argyll, acting for Queen Elizabeth, between an avenue of gentlemen -bearing wax torches. The only ominous sign amidst the festivities was -the absence of the father, Lord Darnley, who remained sulking in the -palace. - -Fourteen months later the poor infant was crowned, his mother being -forced to abdicate. Another hurried ceremony took place, the crown -being held over the King's head, and the baby hand guided to the sword -and sceptre. The Earl of Morton took the oath as substitute, and -then the infant was carried back to the castle in the arms of the -hereditary governor of the castle, the Earl of Mar. For many years -James VI. remained carefully guarded within the castle walls, never -allowed to roam without first getting permission, until he had grown -to man's estate. Yet he bore no ill-will to Stirling, to which he -brought his wife, Anne of Denmark, and where his eldest son, Prince -Henry, was born. After the desire of his life had been achieved, and -he had become King of Great Britain, he paid one visit to Stirling in -1617, after which the castle was only used on one other occasion as a -palace, when Charles I. came there in 1633. - -The castle remained in the charge of the Earls of Mar until the -Rebellion of 1715, when their connection with the rising caused the -attainder of the Earl, and the loss of all his offices. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -HOLYROOD PALACE - - -To those who see it for the first time, Holyrood Palace is distinctly -disappointing. All the glamour of its romantic history seems out of -place in connection with the somewhat prosaic looking mansion, which -bears little outward sign of its eventful life. Nothing is left of the -medieval abbey which once stood upon the site, save a ruined portion -of the abbey church. And of the Stuart palace, so associated with the -fascinations of Scotland's most famous Queen, only a small part is -left, though luckily the fire which attacked the palace at the end of -the Civil War spared the apartments used by Mary Queen of Scots. Yet, -disappointing as a first impression may be, Holyrood Palace, to -those who know anything of Scotland's story, can never fail to be -interesting. - -The palace was never a fortified building, for it was not used as -a regular royal residence until the more fierce days of warfare had -vanished. Originally an abbey stood at the foot of Arthur's Seat, -being founded by David I., in gratitude for his miraculous escape when -out hunting. According to monkish tradition, the King was saved by the -providential appearance of a cross which interposed between him and -the infuriated stag. Therefore the name of the abbey was called the -Holyrood. - -[Illustration: The Bedchamber of Mary Queen of Scots, in Holyrood -Palace.] - -Though not a palace until the time of the Stuarts, the early Kings -often held councils there, and continued to show royal favour to the -monks, who had given the name of Canongate to the burgh which arose -outside the city walls. James II., who lies buried in the royal vault -in the chapel, was the first to erect any kind of royal apartments in -the abbey. His successor, James III., lived there, but it was James -IV. who really was the builder of the palace, to which he brought his -wife, Margaret Tudor, the English bride who was eventually to bring -about the union of the crowns. James V. carried on the brilliance of -his father's Court, his two French wives bringing many of the fashions -of their own country to grace their new home. His first wife died soon -after her arrival, but his second wife, Mary of Guise, lived to rule -Scotland through many anxious years of regency, while her infant -daughter was being brought up away from her in distant France. - -But it was under Mary Queen of Scots that Holyrood became really -famous. She made it her constant and favourite residence. After her -many years of education in France, and her brief career as the wife of -the sickly Francis II., she returned to her native country in August, -1561. John Knox, with the superstition of the age, comments upon the -peculiar fogginess and darkness of the weather which marked the young -Queen's arrival, saying, "that forewarning gave God unto us, but alas! -the most were blind." Bonfires were lit, and great demonstrations of -joy were manifested when Mary took up her abode at Holyrood. A band of -musicians with much zeal but little skill played outside her bedroom -window, being courteously thanked by the Queen; but Brantôme, the -French courtier, who had accompanied Queen Mary from France, complains -in his memoirs of the terrible noise of these musicians who sang -psalms all out of tune; "Quelle musique! et quel repos pour sa nuit" -he writes. The very first Sunday after her arrival was marred by a -tumult outside the Chapel Royal, where Mass was being performed, a -disturbance which was only checked by Lord James Stuart, the Queen's -natural brother, who stood in front of the chapel door, and being a -zealous Protestant himself, managed to check the Reformers. - -The palace witnessed three interviews between the great reformer, -John Knox, and his young and beautiful Queen. Using his pulpit as the -opportunity for declaiming against the doings of the Queen and that of -idolators generally, John Knox was called to task by Mary, who ordered -him to appear before her at Holyrood. The first interview took place -in the audience-chamber, leading into the Queen's bedchamber. Only -Lord James Stuart, afterwards the Regent Moray, was present at -the interview, in which Knox answered the Queen's accusations very -cleverly. The second interview was held in the Queen's bedroom, the -room which remains much as she left it, with the actual bed in which -she slept. Off this room were two small rooms, in one of which she -was supping with her Italian secretary, David Riccio, when the band of -armed men, headed by her husband Darnley, burst into the room. Riccio -clung to the Queen's dress, but was torn apart, stabbed, and dragged -out to be despatched with many wounds at the top of the staircase. - -Queen Mary's son, James VI., spent some time of every year in the -palace, and restored it when he was expecting his Danish bride. - -Charles I., who had been crowned King of Scotland in the chapel at -Holyrood, restored the building, which was wrecked by a mob in 1688, -after James VII. (James II. of England) had endeavoured to set up the -Roman Catholic worship there. The chapel suffered another disaster -about the middle of the eighteenth century, when the architect who -had been entrusted with the work of restoring the building put on too -heavy a roof, which fell in, destroying all but the bare walls. -The royal vault at the east end of the south aisle still remains, -containing the bodies of David II., James II., James V., and his -Queen, Magdalen of France, and Henry Lord Darnley. - -From the time of Charles II., who rebuilt the palace much as we see -it now, and James VII., who stayed in the palace when Duke of York, -Holyrood became deserted, the later Stuarts and the Georges not -visiting their northern capital. But in September, 1745, the palace -once more broke into gaiety and splendour, when Prince Charles Edward -entered Edinburgh and held high court in the home of his ancestors. -His father was proclaimed as King James VIII., ladies flocked to -the balls to win a gracious smile from the handsome Prince, and -the kingdom seemed almost won. But in the midst of all the apparent -brightness, the Prince realized that his cause was not so successful -as he had at first hoped; the Highlanders, indeed, were flocking -in, but the Lowlanders held aloof. After a few weeks Prince Charlie -determined to risk all on the desperate march into England, leaving -Edinburgh never to return again. - -Since then Holyrood has only once rejoiced in the presence of the -monarch, when in 1822 George IV. visited Edinburgh and received an -enthusiastic welcome, chiefly through the fervid loyalty of Sir Walter -Scott, who devoted all his energies to the success of the first royal -visit since the time of Charles I. - -For nearly a century the palace has not been used as a royal -residence, but is merely occupied once a year when the Lord High -Commissioner to the Assembly comes in state to the capital. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -LINLITHGOW PALACE - - "Of all the palaces so fair - Built for the royal dwelling, - In Scotland, far beyond compare, - Linlithgow is excelling." - -[Illustration: The Fountain in the Quadrangle of Linlithgow Palace.] - -So wrote Sir Walter Scott, an opinion which can be endorsed to-day, -enough of the palace remaining, ruined though it is, to show what a -stately and dignified structure it was in its days of greatness. The -palace, standing on some rising ground jutting into a beautiful lake, -is square in construction, having towers at the corners. The original -entrance was on the eastern side, through a gateway which was -protected by a drawbridge. Inside this gateway is a mutilated statue, -thought to represent Pope Julius II., who gave James IV. his sword, -still to be seen among the regalia in Edinburgh Castle. A ruined -fountain stands in the centre of the courtyard, which once resounded -with all the gaiety of the Stuart Court. The western side, containing -the room where Queen Mary was born, is the oldest, while the northern -side is the most recent, being rebuilt by James VI. - -Apparently there was a castle or royal manor-house at Linlithgow from -the time of David I., who granted the skins of the rams, sheep, and -lambs, who died there, to his foundation abbey of Holyrood. - -When Edward I. was holding sway over Scotland, he spent a considerable -time at Linlithgow, turning it into a real fortress. Builders, masons, -and carpenters were ordered from England, who threw up stockades, -enclosing the parish church within the walls. It remained in English -hands until 1314, when it was taken by a familiar strategy. A farmer, -named Binnock, who was in the custom of bringing hay to the garrison, -determined to capture the castle, one of the last to submit to the -conquering Scots. One morning he drove up as usual to the castle gate, -stopping his cart immediately under the portcullis, which was raised -to admit him. Cutting the yoke which fastened his horses, so that the -cart could not be shifted nor the portcullis lowered, Binnock sprang -upon the unsuspecting porter and killed him. The hay in the cart -covered some armed men who leapt out, being joined by others concealed -near the gateway. The garrison was completely surprised, and were -all put to the sword. Binnock was rewarded by a grant of land. Bruce -destroyed the castle, following his usual policy, but it must have -been rebuilt some time during the reign of his son. - -The palace which now remains is entirely a Stuart building, the older -castle and part of the church having been burnt down the year that -James I. returned to his native country after his long captivity. -Great rebuilding took place in his reign, and, indeed, he is -considered the main builder, the later monarchs only adding to and -adorning portions of his scheme. It was in this new palace that Henry -VI. of England, with Margaret of Anjou, and Edward Prince of Wales, -stayed when the triumph of the Yorkists had driven them from England. - -James IV., under whom Scotland enjoyed a rare interval of prosperity, -delighted in his beautiful palace of Linlithgow, where he indulged in -all the manly sports of the time. Like his contemporary, Henry VIII., -he revelled in tournaments, to which he invited all the lords to come -and tilt with him, making of Linlithgow another Hampton Court, where -great merry-making took place. Under his wise rule, Scotland was -at peace and prosperous, the Court maintained a higher level -of refinement and luxury, and science and art were encouraged. -Unfortunately, James's chivalrous and rash temperament led him into -war with England and the disaster at Flodden Field. Before starting on -the expedition, a council was held at Linlithgow, after which the King -attended evensong in the church. According to the story described by -eye-witnesses, a strange man, dressed in a blue robe belted with a -linen strap, with reddish hair hanging to his shoulders, pushed his -way up to where the King was kneeling. Addressing him with slight -reverence, the man warned the King against proceeding to battle, -saying, "Sir King, my mother has sent me to you desiring you not to -pass at this time where thou art purposed," saying it would bring -disaster and shame, also warning him against visiting any woman on his -journey. While the lords and everyone round were astonished and amazed -at this apparition, the man suddenly disappeared "like a blink of the -sun." In spite of the fact that the superstition of the time credited -the man with being St. John appearing upon earth, the King persisted -in his undertaking to meet his death upon the battlefield, and to -plunge Scotland into mourning for the flower of the land. Doubtless -the man was an imposter, got up for the part, by those who wanted to -dissuade the King. - -A little room in the south-west corner of the palace is pointed out -as Queen Margaret's Bower, being said to be the room from which the -King's English bride watched for the messengers bringing her news of -her husband's fate. - -When James V. became of age he also loved the palace, building the -stately hall known as the Parliament Hall. He brought his French wife, -Mary of Guise, there, who said she had never seen a more princely -residence. His only child, Mary Queen of Scots, was born in the -palace, but he never saw her, for he was at Falkland Palace when -the news of her birth was brought to him, dying of grief after the -shameful defeat at Solway Moss. - -The infant Queen was declared by some to be extremely delicate, but -Sir Ralph Sadler, the English Ambassador in Scotland, gave quite a -different account. The Queen-Dowager took him into the room where her -baby was lying, and showed him how healthy she was. He writes to Queen -Elizabeth: "I assure Your Majesty it is as goodly a child as I have -seen of her age, and as like to live, with the grace of God." - -[Illustration: LINLITHGOW PALACE. - -THE BIRTHPLACE OF MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS. - -Though from very early times a royal manor-house, the existing -building is purely the work of the Stuart Kings.] - -After the thrones were united, the palace, like so many others in -Scotland, became neglected, but it received its final ruin in 1746, -when General Hawley's soldiers quartered in the palace. They had -been defeated at Falkirk by the Jacobites, and were retreating. In -spite of remonstrances to the General, the soldiers were allowed to -make great fires in the palace, which were so carelessly watched -that the building caught fire, leaving it the ruin which it is -to-day. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -FALKLAND PALACE - - -Unless equipped with a good knowledge of Scottish history, the average -tourist wandering through Fife will come upon Falkland Palace with -surprise. Its situation is so remote from any centre of importance, it -stands upon no great river affording an outlet to the sea, and never -being a stronghold of any sort it remains at the base instead of the -top of the hills among which it is built. Though elevated to the proud -position of a royal burgh in 1458, Falkland can to-day be scarcely -designated by any other title than that of a fair-sized village, so -that the presence of the stately palace, ruined though it is, partakes -of the nature of the unexpected. - -[Illustration: The Gateway of Falkland Palace.] - -Being built purely for pleasure and convenience, and with no thought -of safety, the builders of the palace indulged in greater beauty of -decoration than is to be seen in almost any other palace in Scotland. -It suggests the dignity of a graceful French château, with its -pilasters, bas-reliefs, statues, and canopied niches. Of the three -sides of which the palace once consisted, only two remain, one of -these being much ruined. But the south wing which has always remained -more or less intact, is sufficient to prove how far from barbarous was -the taste of the later Stuart monarchs. - -Before the palace was erected a castle stood close to the site of the -present building. It had long been a possession of the Earls of Fife, -till in the fourteenth century it descended to an heiress who had -no children. She bestowed the castle upon Robert Duke of Albany, the -brother of the inefficient King Robert III. Upon Albany rests the -dreadful charge of murdering his young nephew, the Duke of Rothesay, -by starving him to death in the castle at Falkland. Rothesay was young -and wild, and had annoyed his uncle by getting himself made Guardian -of the Realm, a post desired by Albany. After involving Scotland in -war with England, due to his imprudence in jilting the daughter of -the Earl of March, who succeeded in obtaining an English army in his -support, Rothesay was captured on his way to St. Andrews by his -uncle, who, it is said, had his father's authority to do so. Taken -to Falkland Castle the Prince never came out alive, dying of slow -starvation according to one account, and of dysentery by another. -It is evident that Albany was suspected of murder, for he took the -trouble to be officially acquitted of any part in his death. Only -grassy mounds now indicate the position of this castle, which -must have been, according to the investigations of Lord Bute, of -considerable extent. - -The execution of Albany's son as a traitor made Falkland Crown -property. The palace began to be erected by James II., but its chief -builder was James IV., who spent large sums of money on the work, and -much enjoyed the sport to be obtained in the neighbourhood. His son, -James V., was often there, though apparently not for long periods at a -time. He was the only monarch to die there, a sad event which occurred -at the early age of thirty. In despair at the rout of his army at -Solway Moss, the young monarch refused all consolation, and just -seemed to wait for death, though there were no apparent signs of it -upon him. Not even the news brought to him from Linlithgow of the -birth of a daughter could cheer him. Merely saying the often quoted -words, "It came wi' a lass and will pass wi' a lass," he turned his -head to the wall and died a few days later. - -No events of importance took place at Falkland during Mary Queen of -Scots' brief reign, though she visited it occasionally. Her son, -James VI., was much attached to it, on account of the good hunting it -afforded. On one occasion he was nearly captured there by the reckless -Francis Earl of Bothwell, who made one of his many attempts to seize -the King. But on this midnight attack he was unsuccessful, for he and -his party were forced to flee when the artillery of the palace was -turned against them. They were not pursued, as they had taken the -precaution to take possession of all the horses. - -After James went to England he could seldom be lured from the luxury -of his English palaces to visit his northern residences, but he did -visit Falkland once again in the year 1617. Tremendous preparations -were made for the royal visit, eighty carts lumbered up from Kirkcaldy -with the luggage, and a large gathering of nobles and gentlemen made -Falkland once more a gay and busy place. - -Charles I. came to Falkland once in the summer of 1633, after which -the palace was never again to rejoice in great regal splendour. When -Charles II. was being supported by the Presbyterians of Scotland, -he spent a little time there, much worried by the persistency of -his friends, who insisted upon his signing the Covenant. After he -departed, no monarch ever resided in the palace, which was given to -a Cromwellian officer during the Commonwealth, but which, at the -Restoration, again became the property of the Crown. - -Lying deserted and neglected all through the eighteenth century, the -palace became a quarry for those who needed building materials, till -in 1820 it was bought by Mr. John Bruce of Grangehill, who, with the -assistance of Sir Walter Scott, arrested the ruin and restored the -remaining structure. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -BALMORAL CASTLE - - -Sir James Clark's suggestion that the valley of the Dee was a -neighbourhood possessing all the qualifications of a health resort, -induced the Prince Consort to purchase Balmoral Castle in 1852. Both -he and the Queen found the lonely situation of the castle among the -rugged hills, quite delightful, and though Prince Albert had at first -only taken a lease, he soon bought the entire property, handing it -over to the Queen as a possession for the reigning monarchs. - -Though belonging to the Farquharsons for about 150 years, the last -tenant of Balmoral had been Sir Robert Gordon, who, having been high -in the diplomatic world, filled his house with many distinguished -guests. Sir Robert had considerably enlarged the castle, but it was -not sufficient for the needs of a Court, quiet and homelike as it -might be. A new castle was commenced in 1853, largely from the plans -and ideas of the Prince Consort, whose devoted wife called it "his own -creation, own work, own building." To-day, the castle, built of native -granite in the Scottish baronial style, stands out strikingly white -among the dark wooded hills. - -[Illustration: BALMORAL CASTLE. - -Erected in 1853, following the plans of the Prince Consort. Built -of native granite in the Scottish baronial style, it stands out -strikingly white among the dark wooded hills.] - -By August, 1856, the new castle was quite ready, and Queen Victoria -found everything delightful--"the house is charming; the rooms -delightful; the furniture, papers, everything perfection"--and from -that moment Balmoral remained her favourite residence, where she was -happy in the company of her beloved husband, and free from much of -the conventionality of State ceremonial. No one reading the Queen's -letters or her diary, can fail to see how blissful was the simple -domestic life, the gay picnic expeditions among the mountains, the -informal dances where the Queen joined in Scotch reels and country -dances. - -It was among the heather of the Scottish hills that Prince Frederick -of Prussia proposed to the little Princess Royal, then only fifteen -years old. Prince Frederick (afterwards the Emperor Frederick III.) -was so much in love that he could not refrain from speaking of it, -though the Queen, owing to her daughter's youth, had wanted him to -wait a little longer. Picking up a piece of white heather, Prince -Frederick gave it to the Princess as they rode down Glen Girnoch, -telling her at the same time how _allerliebst_ she was. - -In the midst of all this happiness came the sudden blow of the early -death of Prince Albert, a grief from which the Queen never recovered. -She wrote to her uncle, "my life as a _happy_ one is _ended_! the -world is gone for _me_!" Amidst all her desolation, it was a relief to -her to get away to Balmoral, where everything reminded her of him, -and where the beauty and calm of the mountains and glens were restful. -Though there were no longer any large shooting parties, Queen Victoria -did not shut herself up, but took a great interest in the tenantry, -whom she visited constantly. - -Under the fostering care of Queen Victoria, the village of Balmoral, -once poor and barren, with mud cottages roofed with heather, became -prosperous. Constant employment has brought wealth to the village, -where schools and a library had been erected. - -Whatever its subsequent history may be, Balmoral Castle will ever -remain enshrined as the dearly-loved home of Victoria the Good, among -the Highland folk she knew and loved so well. All her letters from the -castle breathe the same feeling as the one written on October 6, 1851: -"I love my peaceful wild Highlands, the glorious scenery, the dear -good people who are much attached to us ... my heart is _bien gros_ at -going from here." - - -BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD. - - - - - Transcriber's Note: - - - _ _ represents italic text - - = = represents bold text - - - Sundry missing or damaged punctuation has been repaired. - - Both hyphenated and non-hyphenated variants of many words - occur in this book. All have been retained. - - Any illustration which interrupted a paragraph has been moved - to a more convenient location, between paragraphs. - - - Page 7: 'chepe' is an old word, meaning 'market'. - See 'THE HISTORY OF LONDON' BY (Sir) WALTER BESANT - (Project Gutenberg e-book 27995) - - (p. 47) Most fortunately, there exists a document priceless - and unique, short as it is and meagre in many of its details, - which describes London as it was in the reign of Henry II. It - is written by one FitzStephen, Chaplain to Thomas (à) Becket. - He was present at the murder of the Archbishop and wrote his - life, to which this account is an introduction. - - - 13. FITZSTEPHEN'S ACCOUNT OF THE CITY. PART I. - (translation from Latin) (p. 49) - - "... Cheapside preserves the name of the Chepe, the most - important of all the old streets. Here, every day, all the - year round, was a market held at which everything conceivable - was sold, not in shops, but in selds, that is, covered wooden - sheds, which could be taken down on occasion. Do not think - that 'Chepe' was a narrow street: it was a great open space - lying between St. Paul's and what is now the Royal Exchange, - with streets north and south formed by rows of these selds or - sheds. Presently the sheds became houses with shops in front - and gardens behind. The roadway on the south side of this open - space was called the Side of Chepe...." - - Page 38: 'Samual' corrected to 'Samuel'. - - "Samuel Pepys watched the pageant...." - - - Page 57: "... that no Englishman knew how to enter a room, - nor any Englishwoman how to dress, nor English cooks how to - prepare a dinner, nor English coachman how to drive,..." - - ... is as printed, and 'coachman' is probably correct, in the - context, though 'cooks' may be questionable.... - - Page 76: 'castle' corrected to 'castles'. - - "... though the castles of Edinburgh and Stirling were majestic, - they were...." - - Page 79: 'seige' corrected to 'siege'. - - "... sustain a siege of many months in 1304." - - "... Edward Bruce, who was conducting the siege,..." - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Peeps at Royal Palaces of Great Britain, by -Beatrice Home - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PEEPS AT ROYAL PALACES *** - -***** This file should be named 55450-8.txt or 55450-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/4/5/55450/ - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Lesley Halamek and 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 public domain print editions 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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