Part 2

“Also a voluminous MS. collection of the proceedings in Cortes, from the earliest period, copied from the archives of the King of Spain. The original correspondence of Don Pedro Ronquillo, the Spanish ambassador, resident in London at the time of our Revolution; part in cypher, with the translation by the side, with several others of equal value and curiosity.”

The Long Gallery is ornamented with portraits of the Lenox, Digby, and Fox families; Dryden and Addison; Sir C. H. Williams; Admiral Lestock; Sir Robert Walpole; the Right Honourable Thomas Winnington; Cardinal Fleury, by Rigaud; and Van Lintz, by himself. Scattered throughout the apartments are King Charles II. and the Duchess of Portsmouth; Sir Stephen Fox, by Sir Peter Lely; Henry, Lord Holland; Stephen, Lord Holland, by Zoffany; the late Right Honourable C. J. Fox, when an infant;--when a boy, in a group with Lady Susan Strangeways and Lady Mary Lenox (by Sir Joshua Reynolds); and a fine picture of him in more advanced life by the same artist. There are two busts, also, of him, by Nollekens, one of which was taken not long before his death; and a statue, seated in the entrance-hall.

We may not take leave of this fine old mansion without expressing a fervent hope that the interesting work of two centuries may endure for many centuries to come; that modern improvements--although they may place the suburb of which it is the crowning gem in the centre of the Metropolis--will not displace it to make room for petty structures of a day, but that the tale of the Olden Time may be there told to our descendants as it has been there told to our ancestors.

BLICKLING HALL,

NORFOLK.

Journeying a dozen miles north of the city of Norwich, the Tourist reaches the old town of Aylsham. A mile hence is the very ancient manor of Blickling[8]--famous so far back as the time of the Confessor, when it was in the possession of Harold, King of England; remarkable, in after times, when occupied by the Bishops of the See, and celebrated, in the history of various epochs, as a seat of the noble families of Dagworth, Erpingham, Fastolff, Boleyne, Clere, and Hobart. From this ancient house, Henry VIII. married the unfortunate mother of Queen Elizabeth; here the virgin queen herself is said to have been a guest, and here Charles II. and his consort were visitors--events referred to by the court-poet, Stephenson:

“Blickling 2 monarchs and 2 queens has seen; One king fetch’d thence, another brought, a queen.”

The mansion--Blickling Hall--is one of the most perfect examples remaining of the time of James I.; the exterior has undergone few changes; the bridge, the moat, the turrets, the curiously-formed gables, and the double row of spacious and convenient out-offices--connected with the mansion by an arcade--are characteristic of the period, while elaborate finish and costly ornament indicate the wealth and rank of its noble owners. The high-road passes the gates, and runs within a few yards of the house; a small green sward only separating it from the public pathway. The moat is crossed by a Bridge of remarkably light and graceful proportions; on either side of this bridge are Pedestals with bulls (the heraldic crest of the Hobarts) bearing blank shields. The entrance-porch is exceedingly beautiful; the design is simple and elegant; “it may be regarded,” according to Mr. Shaw, “as one of the earliest attempts at the restoration of classical architecture, and appears to be formed upon the model of the Arch of Titus at Rome.” In the spandrels are sculptured figures of Victory. Over the entablature, supported by two Doric columns, is an enriched compartment, bearing the arms and quarterings of Sir Henry Hobart, Bart. (by whom the stately mansion was erected). A massive Oak Door contains the date 1620; the knocker of this door is peculiarly quaint; a copy of it acts as the initial letter commencing this description. Passing a small quadrangular court, we enter the Hall, from which opens the grand Staircase of Oak, the newels of which are crowned with figures. Unhappily, the oak has been covered with paint; and time having removed some of the figures, their places have been supplied by others out of harmony with the character of the venerable structure.[9] Of the several apartments, the only one that demands particular notice is the Library--a noble room, filled with the rarest and most valuable books. It measures one hundred and twenty-seven feet; the ceiling is a magnificent collection of works of art, unsurpassed by anything of the kind in Great Britain. It consists of a series of models, representing the Senses, the Passions and the Elements, in low relief--comprising a very large number of subjects, no two of which are alike. The library is--as a private collection--extensive; the books it contains are generally “large paper copies,” and in the finest possible state. Some of its treasures are unique--here are a volume of Saxon Homilies, and a Latin MS. of the Psalter, certainly as ancient as anything we possess in the Latin tongue, and several others, with and without illuminations, of very remote dates. Here also are two copies (imperfect) of the Coverdale Bible; an uncut copy of the diminutive Sedan New Testament, and a vast assemblage of the choicest productions of the early English press. It was formed by Maittaire for Sir Richard Ellys, Bart., of Norton, in Lincolnshire, to whom he dedicated his “Anacreon,” in 1725. The curiosities of the library were shown to us by the Rev. James Bulwer, whose own family seat of Heydon is in the neighbourhood of Blickling Hall.

Mr. Harding’s print of this fine old mansion affords an accurate idea of its elegance and grandeur. Its form is quadrangular--having a square turret at each angle. Viewed from any point it is highly picturesque. The Park, which surrounds it on three sides, contains above 1000 acres. Its trees are celebrated for their exceeding beauty and prodigious growth. A remarkably fine piece of water, shaped like a crescent, adjoins the house, extending nearly a mile in length. Nature and Art have both contributed to adorn this artificial Lake; gentle acclivities rise from its sides, here and there fringed with evergreens infinitely varied, while gigantic oaks, and elms, and beeches, rising at intervals, seem the guardians of its banks.

We may sum up our account of Blickling Hall in the words of old Blomefield:--“The building is a curious brick fabric, four-square, with a turret at each corner; there are two good Courts, with a fine Library, elegant Wilderness, good Lake, Gardens, and Park; it is a pleasant, beautiful seat, worthy the observation of such as make the Norfolk Tour.”

The erection of the existing structure was commenced by Sir Henry Hobart, Bart., during the reign of James the First, but was not finished until the year 1628, when “the Domestic Chapel was consecrated.” The building, however, retained its original character, varying very little, in external appearance and internal arrangements, from the old Mansion in which Queen Anne Boleyne was born, and which had been famous for centuries.

When the Domesday Survey was made, one part of the Manor belonged to Beausoc, Bishop of Thetford (the seat of the See until 1088), the other part being in possession of the Crown. Both moieties were invested with the privileges of ancient _demesne_, were exempt from the hundred (of South Erpingham) and had the _lete_ with all royalties. Having successively passed through the hands of many distinguished families, in 1431 it was the property of Sir Thomas De Erpingham, by whom it was sold to Sir John Fastolff, who, about the year 1452, sold it to Sir Geoffrey Boleyne, Knt., who was Lord Mayor of London in 1458, and who made Blickling his country-seat. From him inherited his second son, Sir William Boleyne, Knight,

who married Margaret, sister of James Butler, Earl of Ormond; dying in 1505, he was succeeded by his son, Sir Thomas Boleyne, who, the 18th of Henry VIII., was raised to the peerage by the title of Viscount Rochford, and three years afterwards was created Earl of Wiltshire. His daughter, Anne, was privately married to Henry VIII., on the 5th of January, 1533. On the 19th of May, 1536, she was beheaded; her dismal fate having been shared by her brother, Viscount Rochford; and the old Earl died in 1538--it is believed of a broken heart. Soon afterwards the estate of Blickling, having been for a short time in the family of the Cleres, was purchased by Sir Harry Hobart, Bart., “a fortunate lawyer,” who became Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. He was succeeded by his son and grandson, the second and third Baronets; the fourth Baronet was created, by George II., Lord Hobart of Blickling, in 1728; and in 1746, Earl of Buckinghamshire. His son, the second Earl, died without male issue, but left four daughters, one of whom married the late Marquis of Londonderry, another William Lord Suffield, the third Lord Mount Edgcombe, and a fourth the Marquis of Lothian, whose surviving son, the fifth Marquis, died at Blickling in 1841, leaving a son, an infant, who is heir-apparent to the estate, now in the possession of his great aunt, the Dowager Lady Suffield.

The venerable Church of Blickling adjoins the mansion. It is built--in the style of nearly all the Norfolk Churches--of flint, a material that essentially impairs the solemn dignity of the structure. Many of the Brasses and Tombs are of high interest; the one of which we append an engraving (on the preceding page) is to the memory of Edward Clere. It is described by Blomefield as “a most curious Altar Tomb, placed between the Chancel and Boleyne’s Chapel. The Effigy which laid upon it is now gone; but there remain the Arms and Matches of his family, from the Conquest to the time that his son and heir, Sir Edward Clere, erected this tomb.” As a work of art, the Tomb possesses considerable excellence. The carved Armorial Bearings retain much of the original brilliancy of their colouring. Among the Brasses is one for Anne Boleyne, aunt of the unfortunate Queen, and another of Isabella Cheyne, (date 1485) remarkable as exhibiting the earliest authentic example of the necklace. An elaborately-wrought Oak Chest, of great size, strongly banded with iron, and secured by five curiously formed locks and keys, is preserved in Blickling Church; but a relic still more curious and unique is a Poor-box, of very primitive character, heart-shaped, and painted blue, the letters, “Pray remember the Pore,” being gilt. We give engravings of both these peculiar and very interesting antiquities.

BURGHLEY HOUSE,

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE.

Burleigh, or Burghley House, the princely seat of the Marquis of Exeter, is one of the most magnificent mansions of its period; it has come down to us intact, and is perhaps more interesting--from its associations with the “glorious days”--than any other edifice now remaining in the kingdom. The halls are still standing where the famous Lord Treasurer entertained his Sovereign and her dazzling court; while Nonsuch, Theobalds, and Cannons have vanished--their sites are ploughed over; and Kenilworth has become a venerable antiquity, a moss-covered ruin.

In the reign of the Confessor, Burghley was let to farm by the Church of Burgh, to Alfgar, the king’s chaplain, for his life. The crown having seized it at his death, Abbot Leofric redeemed it for eight marcs of gold. In Doomsday Book it is rated at 40s. As usual in the feudal ages, it often changed hands, when treasons and rebellions were every-day occurrences. In the 9th of Edward II. Nicholas de Segrave was possessed of Burleigh, which had descended to Alice de Lisle, as part of the inheritance of John de Armenters. The successor of Nicholas de Segrave was Warine de L’Isle. He was one of the great men who, in the 14th of Edward II., took up arms against the King, under the command of Thomas Earl of Lancaster; was made prisoner with him at the battle of Barrow Bridge, and the week following executed at Pontefract. In the 1st of Edward III., Gerard de Lisle, son of the above Warine, was restored to his father’s possessions, and accompanied several times the King in his wars with Scotland and France. After undergoing many of the usual changes to which property was subjected in such uncertain times, it finally passed into possession of a family named Cecil, as we now spell it, although it appears to have enjoyed many variations of orthography in its transition. The founder of the house and family was a gentleman named William Cecil, who accompanied the Duke of Somerset to Scotland. At the battle of Musselburgh field he narrowly escaped being killed, a gentleman who out of kindness pushed him out of the level of a cannon, having his arm shattered as he withdrew it. On his return he was made Secretary of State, and in some political trouble was sent prisoner to the Tower: but no charge being brought against him he was released from his captivity, again made Secretary of State, became a Privy Councillor, and received the honour of knighthood. During the reign of Mary, he attached himself much to the fortunes of her younger sister, Elizabeth. When she ascended the throne, fresh honours were lavished on him: he became Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Master of the Court of Wards, Baron Burleigh, Lord High Treasurer, and Knight of the Garter. He was much afflicted with gout in his latter years, and on one occasion when he was confined with an attack of it, at his house in the Strand (called Burleigh House, where a street of that name is now built), the Queen condescended to visit him. On one of these occasions, coming with a high head-dress, and the servant, as she entered the door, desiring her to stoop; she replied, “For your master’s sake I will stoop, but not for the King of Spain.” He died in 1598, having been Lord High Treasurer twenty-six years, and was buried in the parish-church of St. Martin, Stamford. A superb white alabaster monument, sixteen feet high, is raised over his tomb; his figure lies under a canopy supported by several black marble columns. It is in the style of the period, and stands under the arch of the north aisle and body of the church.

Thomas, Lord Burghley, the Lord Treasurer’s eldest son, was created Earl of Exeter in 1605; and Henry, tenth Earl of Exeter and eleventh Lord Burghley, his lineal descendant, was created Marquis of Exeter in 1801. His son, Brownlow Cecil, the second Marquis, who succeeded his father in 1804, is the present possessor of the princely mansion and estates.

The mansion we are about to notice is built on ground where there is but little undulation of surface, and stands about a mile and a half from the old town of Stamford, in Northamptonshire, separated from Lincolnshire by the river Welland, which runs through Stamford. At the northern extremity of the domain stand the park lodges: they are extremely handsome erections, and more than usually important buildings for such purposes. Although built so recently as the year 1801, by Henry the tenth Earl, they are in perfect harmony of design with the main edifice. The cost of their erection exceeded 5000_l._ The park is about two miles in length and a mile and a half in width. It was arranged and planted by the famous “Capability Brown,” and is well adorned with fine ash, elm, chestnut, and other trees, as well as plantations of shrubberies. A temple, grottos, and picturesque buildings for domestic or agricultural services, add to its beautiful character. It is well stocked with deer. On entering the park to proceed to the house, a noble piece of water, three quarters of a mile in length, is spanned by a handsome bridge of three arches, having the balustrades decorated with four statues of lions couchant. In the park enclosure are the remains of the ancient Roman road, called Ermine Street, from Stilton through Castor to Stamford: it is easily traceable in many parts.

On arriving opposite the mansion, the eye is bewildered at its unusual extent: its numerous turrets, and the spire of the Chapel rising above the parapets, give it the aspect of a town comprised in comparatively diminished area, rather than a single abode. The appended engraving exhibits a portion of the west front. The mansion stands in an extensive lawn. Mr. Gilpin, in his “Tour to the Highlands,” thus describes it:--“Burghley House is one of the noblest monuments of British architecture of the time of Queen Elizabeth, when the great outlines of magnificence were rudely drawn, but unimproved by taste. It is an immense pile, forming the four sides of a large court, and although decorated with a variety of fantastic ornaments, according to the fashion of the time, before Grecian architecture had introduced symmetry, proportion, and elegance into the plans of private houses, it has still an august appearance. The interior court is particularly striking: the spire of the Chapel is neither, I think, in itself an ornament, nor has it any effect, except at a distance; when it contributes to give this immense pile the consequence of a town.” Horace Walpole says, John Thorpe was the architect; and that he superintended the erection of the greater part of this stupendous building. This assertion is corroborated by the plans, still extant, in this celebrated architect’s collection of designs, now in the Soane Museum. It is built of freestone and forms a massive parallelogram, enclosing a court 110 feet long and 70 feet wide. The principal entrance is on the north side,

and offers a frontage of nearly 200 feet, pierced with three ranges of large square-headed windows, divided by stone mullions and transoms. The outline is varied by towers at the angles surmounted by turrets with cupolas; the frontage is varied by advancing bays between the towers; a pierced parapet, occasionally embellished with ornaments that mark the Elizabethan era, crowns the walls. The chimneys are constructed in the hollows of Doric columns, which are in groups, connected by a frieze and cornice of the order; as they are very numerous, and of fine proportions--rising loftily in the air--they combine with the turrets, &c. to give a great variety of forms to the superior portion of the main design. In the arched roof under the passage to the interior court, which was in the first instance intended to be the chief entrance, are escutcheons of the family arms, on one of which is inscribed “W. DOM de Burghley, 1577,” being the year when that part of the house was built. On the opposite side of the court, over the dial and under the spire, is carved the date 1585, which indicates when that part was erected; and on the present entrance, on the northern side, stands the date 1587 between the windows. The house has been much adorned by various successive possessors, and at the present time few seats, either in England or on the Continent, can vie with Burghley House.

Queen Elizabeth frequently visited her favourite minister, her Lord Treasurer, here; and on April 23, 1603, James I., on his journey from Scotland, came to Burghley: the next day, being Easter Sunday, he attended divine worship at the parish church, St. Martin’s, Stamford, when the Bishop of Lincoln preached before him.

Entering the court, the beauties of the architecture become apparent. The appended engraving represents the entrance from the courtyard. The eastern side is the most highly decorated, and its three stories adorned with the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders, in super-position. Above the last are two large stone lions, supporting the arms of the family. Over an arch before the chapel is a bust of King William III.; the balustrades are enriched with a variety of sculptured vases. Four large gates from the various sides open into the court, and give entrance to the several portions of the building, which contains nearly one hundred and fifty apartments, many of them of great dimensions, all furnished suitably for their purpose, and a considerable number in gorgeous profusion of decorative ornament and splendid furniture. It is one of the few palatial mansions of a refined, gay, and brilliant period, which remain carefully preserved, and undisturbed by modern upholsterers. It is impossible to speak too highly of the elegance and splendour of the interior. The first apartment on entering is the spacious Hall: from some of the remaining features of its construction, it has been imagined that the great Lord Treasurer did not build a new house from the foundation, but that an edifice existed to which he imparted vastness by the additions he made. The dimensions of this Hall show at once that it includes a noble space, being sixty-eight feet long and thirty feet broad. It receives light from two large windows, and has a fine open-worked timber roof, springing from corbels, very similar in idea to the roofs of Westminster Hall, and the Parliament House at Edinburgh. The chimneypiece is in perfect keeping with the Baronial Hall, and is of stone, finely sculptured, bearing for its principal device in the centre the shield and supporters of the founder of the family; it is also ornamented by a number of pictures, some of which are portraits. There are statues in marble of life size, one of which, very much esteemed, represents Andromeda chained to the rock, and the Sea-monster. It was purchased in Rome, a century ago, by the fifth Earl of Exeter, for 300_l._ “Drakard’s Guide” attributes it to Peter Stephen Monnot; but Brydges, in his “History of Northamptonshire,” says it is by Domenico Guidi.

From the Hall, visitors pass through the Saloon, and up the ancient grand vaulted stone staircase in the north-west part of the house, to an apartment called the Chapel Room, which contains nearly fifty pictures, mostly of sacred subjects. A true description of the numerous pictures in the different rooms is sadly wanted, as we find one here called _Titian’s Wife and Son, attributed to Teniers!_ in “Drakard’s Guide,” published at Stamford. Here also stands a model of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem, curiously inlaid. The Chapel, to which the preceding serves as an ante-room, is spacious, being forty-two feet long, thirty-five feet wide, and eighteen feet high. The ceiling is panelled and studded with devices; the side-walls are wainscoted half-way up, and at intervals are placed, on pedestals, ten antique bronzed figures, of life size, each holding a lamp. Festoons of fruit and flowers, carved by Grinling Gibbons, are its principal ornaments. Many of the finest apartments in the house, such as chimneypieces, are profusely decorated with his valuable carving. A seat on the left-hand side, nearest to the altar, is pointed out as having been occupied by Queen Elizabeth when on a visit to Burghley. There are some large pictures placed on the walls of another space, which forms also a portion of the Chapel at the western end. This part, thirty-one feet long and twenty-four feet broad, is wainscoted to the ceiling, and is filled with open seats, for servants and others connected with the family to attend divine service.